The epitaph is ... The epitaphs on the monument to the husband, father, grandfather

The inscriptions on the tombstones became a customary tribute to the memory of the deceased from their relatives. But it was not always so. In ancient times, epitaphs gave an explanation of who was buried in the grave and who the deceased person was during his lifetime.

The emergence of the epitaph

Although the word "epitaph" has Greek roots ("epi" - above, "tafos" - grave), the art of carving on the tombstones of the names of the dead was known to the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Ancient Judea.

The sarcophagi found in the tombs of Ancient Egypt bear information about the noble people buried in them, from the name to their deeds in life. They could also mention what the deceased died of and how, and warned of death to those who disturbed his ashes.

Images and hieroglyphs, carved on the tomb stones, can be counted as the notion of tombstones, although Simonides Kogossky is considered the first author of the "memorial" genre, who immortalized the feat of the Greeks in the war against the Persians, writing about this elegy. "Wanderer, we once lived in the abundant water of Corinth. Now Salamin keeps us ...; Here we defeated the Persians ... and from captivity saved the lands of Hellas ... ". Initially, the epitaph is a tombstone, which was pronounced on an annual commemoration day dedicated to the fallen heroes. During this speech, the feats of the Greeks were listed, which perished for the liberation of their homeland.

Subsequently, epitaphs appeared in verse, which were uttered at every burial as a sign of respect for the deceased from his inconsolable relatives.

The development of the epitaph as a literary genre

During the Middle Ages in Europe, thanks to Christianity, burial became a kind of cult, during which the soul of the deceased was prepared for the transition from life to death, and the epitaph on the grave began to be religious or philosophical in nature.

Many poets of the Renaissance composed poems in this genre for the dead aristocrats. Then there were tombstones and crypts with farewell words immortalized on them. The famous tombs of the Medici and Dante, decorated with sculptures by Michelangelo, and today amaze with their splendor.

The names of the great commanders and rulers were also noted on the gravestone. For example, on the grave of Tamerlane in Samarkand was the inscription "If I were alive, the whole world would tremble." This short phrase conveys the power and strength of a man who, during his lifetime, defeated the Golden Horde and conquered many countries.

The epitaph in the Russian state

In Russia, early epitaphs date back to the 13th century, when on the gravestones they wrote the name of the deceased, his line of work and the statement from the Gospel. Much later, in the 16th century, aristocrats began to order poets tombstones. Thus, the epitaph is a new literary genre that has a specific author.

For example, the tombstone on the grave stone of the poet Batiushkov is brief and concise: "I do not need inscriptions for my stone, just say it here: it was, and there is none!"

Later, the writing of epitaphs became a profitable business, and they began to write for merchants and philistines who had a poor understanding of literary genres. Up to now, some of them have reached, and their content, rather, amuses, than saddens: "Whom he gave birth, he built it." This inscription was left by his son to his late father.

Modern epitaph

Today, the epitaph is a short statement conveying the sorrow of the relatives about the loss of a loved one. He is written on a gravestone or is printed in a newspaper obituary. Often, poems of modern poets or bards, phrases from movies, statements of famous people are taken for this.

As a literary genre, the epitaph almost ceased to exist in the Soviet Union. It was not accepted at the graves of members of the Communist Party to leave inscriptions, except for the surname, name and patronymic.

Return to the epitaph became possible only after religion and the church became available to people again. On the gravestones relatives transmit to their surrounding people their grief and sorrow in connection with the death of their dear man:

"To the point of pain it seemed a century,

But in memory you are always with us,

Beloved, dear to us.

We can not express our pain in words "

Mother Epitaphs

Everyone experiences a loss of a loved one and loved one in his own way. One of the manifestations of grief is the tombstone inscription.

When the mother dies, the children pay tribute to their love for her, using the epitaph on the monument to Mom. It can be a poem, a prayer or a short saying: "We come to you to put a bouquet. It's very difficult without us to live with you, dear. "

Using epitaphs, people tell the world how great their sadness is in connection with the loss of their native people. The return of this genre allows them to share their grief with other people. A person who passes through the cemetery can appreciate the magnitude of the grief and sadness that the children leave in the form of an epitaph on the monument to their mother. Sympathy for someone else's grief helps people to reconcile themselves with their loss.

Epitaph to her husband

Loss of the breadwinner and father is also tragic, so it is increasingly possible to meet the husband from his wife on the graves of the deceased men of the epitaph. They are full of sorrow and sorrow, as women who have lost loving husbands are acutely experiencing loss:

"Examine the tear and head of the slope.

Here resides a loving husband.

He completed his earthly days -

A kind father and a loyal friend. "

Short phrases on the grave stone, dedicated to the deceased husband, can as much transmit the depth of female grief as the verses: "I love you, I am proud of you, in my memory you are always alive."

If a man died at an old age, then in the epitaph, you can see the mention of him as a father and grandfather: "Take from us the last gift of the earth, beloved husband, kind father and grandfather native."

Epitaph as an epigram

Although the death of a loved one is a great tragedy, many people refer to his or her demise with a share of humor and skepticism. There are cases when the epitaph was used as an advertisement or instead of a dating service: "Here lies Esther Wright, whom God called to himself. Her inconsolable husband, Thomas Wright, America's best stonemason, made this inscription with his own hands and is ready to do the same for you for $ 250. " The regret of others about the loss can have a kind of subtext, in which "envy" to the deceased slips: "She lived 82 years, 6 months, 4 days without interruption".

In different countries, one can find epitaphs either with humor, or with a hint. For example, the Mexicans show black humor: "Pancrazio Huvenalis is resting here. He was an exemplary husband, a good father and a bad electrician. "

The well-known Lucrezia Borgia, who was the daughter of Pope Alexander 6, had an intimate relationship with her father and brother, for this she was immortalized in the epitaph. "Here rests Lucretia Borgia - daughter, wife and daughter-in-law of Alexander 6, the popes."

Epitaphs of great people

Not all celebrities are awarded with a decent epitaph, although there are those who compose them, writing expressions that later became winged.

For example, on the grave of Winston Churchill such a phrase is inscribed: "I am ready to meet with the Creator. But whether the Creator had time to prepare for a meeting with me is another matter. "

The famous scientist Amper ordered that his grave be inscribed "finally happy." That's how he appreciated his life and death.

Reading the statements on other people's graves, people seem to be attached to the life and death of someone close to them, so the epitaph is a kind of message from the world of the living to the dead. People are left with sadness, compassion and memorable phrases.