References to Freemasonry in popular culture range from the vitriolic to the innocuous. Far more often they are merely misinformed allusions from which Freemasonry faces a far more insidious threat; that of being marginalized, trivialized, and fictionalized. Most of the references noted on this site are harmless, simply pointing out that Freemasonry has played a role in our society; some are humorous, yet some are disturbing in their associations. ART CINEMA | COMICS COMMON EXPRESSIONS FICTION | LITERATURE | MUSIC FICTIONAL FRATERNITIES: TV FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: FILM FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: STAGE FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: TV FRATERNITIES: CARTOONS OBSCURITIES | NON-FICTION POP CULTURE CURIOSITIES FICTIONAL FRATERNITIES RADIO | TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES ONLINE .

Masonic references in The Da Vinci Code The purported antiquity of the Priory of Sion has been effectively debunked and there continues to be no documentation of a clear link between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. The list of masonic errors is large: neither Wagner nor Disney were freemasons; Rosslyn Chapel’s alleged association with the Templars is controversial; claims that Templars were master stonemasons are unfounded; the Templars' link to modern Freemasonry is fanciful; Brown’s understanding of modern Freemasonry is just plain wrong. Brown’s knowledge of Da Vinci and Constantine is equally error-ridden. Da Vinci only ever had one Vatican commission; Constantine did not select the canon of the New Testament. The Da Vinci Code, while based on earlier books making such claims, at least makes no claim itself to be anything other than fiction. Also see Angels & Demons and The Lost Symbol. Keystones as a masonry technique for building stone archways had been one of the best-kept secrets of the early Masonic brotherhood. The Royal Arch Degree. Architecture. Keystones. It was all interconnected. The secret knowledge of how to use a wedged keystone to build a vaulted archway was part of the wisdom that made the Masons such wealthy craftsmen, and it was a secret they guarded carefully. [p. 203.] Then again, tests like this were extremely common in secret societies. The best known was the Masons', wherein members ascended to higher degrees by proving they could keep a secret and by performing rituals and various tests of merit over many years. The tasks became progressively harder until they culminated in a successful candidate’s induction as thirty-second-degree Mason. [p. 205.] Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mozart’s Magic Flute were filled with Masonic symbolism and Grail secrets. [p. 261.] Was Wagner a knight?" "No," Langdon said, feeling a sudden intrigue. "But he was a well-known Freemason." Along with Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Gershwin, Houdini, and Disney. Volumes had been written about the ties between the Masons and the Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, and the Holy Grail. [p. 389.] Rosslyn Chapel-often called the Cathedral of Codes-stands seven miles south of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the site of an ancient Mithraic temple. Built by the Knights Templar in 1446, the chapel is engraved with a mind-boggling array of symbols from the Jewish, Christian, Egyptian, Masonic, and pagan traditions. [p. 432.] Every surface in the chapel had been carved with symbols-Christian cruciforms, Jewish stars, Masonic seals, Templar crosses, cornucopias, pyramids, astrological signs, plants, vegetables, pentacles, and roses. The Knights Templar had been master stonemasons, erecting Templar churches all over Europe, but Rosslyn was considered their most sublime labor of love and veneration. The master masons had left no stone uncarved. Rosslyn Chapel was a shrine to all faiths... to all traditions... and, above all, to nature and the goddess. [p. 434.] "No. Of the pillars. Do you remember earlier that I mentioned Rosslyn itself is a copy of Solomon’s Temple? Those two pillars are exact replicas of the two pillars that stood at the head of Solomon’s Temple." Langdon pointed to the pillar on the left. "That’s called Boaz-or the Mason’s Pillar. The other is called Jachin-or the Apprentice Pillar." He paused. "In fact, virtually every Masonic temple in the world has two pillars like these." Langdon had already explained to her about the Templars' powerful historic ties to the modern Masonic secret societies, whose primary degrees-Apprentice Freemason, Fellowcraft Freemason, and Master Mason-harked back to early Templar days. Sophie’s grandfather’s final verse made direct reference to the Master Masons who adorned Rosslyn with their carved artistic offerings. It also noted Rosslyn’s central ceiling, which was covered with carvings of stars and planets. "I've never been in a Masonic temple," Sophie said, still eyeing the pillars. "I am almost positive I saw these here." [p.436.] "But how much clearer could he be?" he asked. "We are standing over an underground vault marked by the blade and chalice, underneath a ceiling of stars, surrounded by the art of Master Masons. Everything speaks of Rosslyn." [p. 447.] Dan Brown (1964- ), The Da Vinci code : a novel. New York : Doubleday, 2003. 454 p. ; 25 cm. ISBN: 0385504209 (alk. paper)

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