Semiotics and the OI story; other examples

[SSR]

George Remi's 1940's take of a quest to tackle the TT mystery in his 2 part adventure, "Le Secret de la Licorne" and "Le Tresor de Rackam le Rouge" (based on a late 16h early 17h century mythology about a promised heritage) is a compelling example of the use of elements which found also their way into OI lore via similar imaginary pathways.

Here we are shown our 3 "searchers" who sail to a far off island where their consortium will excavate a pit upon the highest ground under a T(r)ee (given as a tilted cross marked with regular intervals bearing witness to the one above in Cygnus.) The pit is a dud, necessitating that the heroes reconsider their wild goose chase. To solve the clues which were given by three Tees (masts in ship models), in a moment of brilliant insight, the searchers must instead abandon any empiric calculation and focus on the symbolism of Saint John (patron Saint of Freemasons, announcer of Christ's coming), the Cross (Northern Cross in Cygnus) and the eagle (Zeus) set around a globe in statue form.

The suggestion of Zeus and the Cross is telling you of two realities behind one symbol. For thousands of years, and prior to Christianty, Greek mythology was the influence behind the interpretation of the constellations. Zeus had his domain. He had three constellations: Cygnus, the swan, that recalled he had taken this form to seduce Leda; Lyra for the harp which pleased the Gods he had placed nearby and Aquila (the eagle, his symbol). Together they formed a highly visible triangle in the Northern sky formed by their brightest stars (our Deneb, Vega and Altair). This triangle had been guiding sailors for millennia in pagan style. In modern times we have called it the Summer triangle asterism. The other parallel reality concerns events in ca. 1600 when a new star had appeared near the intersection of the Cross in Cygnus. A new type of Christianised mythology appeared then which sought to redefine the constellations in a Christian light. Cygnus was reimagined as the cross of crucifixion testifying to God's great love for mankind. The new star in it, one of three Novas experienced in rapid succession (1574, 1600 and 1604) was seen as an omen. Some imagined it as an omen of the end times. RG exploited this theme again in another story "L' Etoile Mysterieuse" where the stellar apparition is treated comically as an End Times suggestion.

To Freemasons it was not and end times suggestion. It was seen as a herald/messenger (like St John) to announce a glorious 1000 years of Christ's reign which would come as England headed West and Christianised the World (planted the Cross on a new moral high ground). The modern day Knight's of Malta role players (Masons) would prepare and safeguard the passage of Western Christianity (Protestantism) into the Americas by championing religious freedom to allow the tree/cross to flourish.

For the Freemason in his edification, his 3 openly given levels of preparation would be improved upon with a fourth more concealed adjunct degree called the Holy Royal Arch degree. It is the one whose symbol is the Triple Tau (TT, or numerically 33). Herge has had great fun with this. He has crafted an account based on it which unbeknownst to him (most likely) captures the essence of the OI story. As far as the Holy Royal Arch connection of Freemasonry to NS, it goes through Erasmus James Philips (he who brought Freemasonry to Nova Scotia in 1752) and his protégé, Charles Morris, the man who we can discover planned and surveyed OI in 1762, 33 years before the alleged origin of our mystery suggestion.

That later Masons from Truro who have inklings of possible life imitating art a OI may explain why they went there in the 1840s with the intent of having a publicly funded "free look". Perhaps the Laginas do the same. I would argue that upon detecting the TT mystery, one needs to immediately shift to solving symbolically, because the treasure in this mystery is symbolized by the big white house (heaven promised to the rightful inheritors).