September 25, 2007
Our fascination with skulls
It is interesting to note that most people have a fascination with skulls and crosses. Whether it be human skulls, or animal skulls, many of us are very intrigued by them. My wife and I are currently expecting our third child and like most parents, you receive your ultrasound image of your unborn baby. During the ultrasound procedure it is very cool to see the little heart beating and some of the other organs that are clearly visible. When the technician shows you the face-on view, all you can see is the skeletal outline of the face and head and it looks a bit creepy but cool at the same time. This view of the skull is quite different to our typical view of skulls which usually indicate a state of death. Author Conrad Aiken has an interesting quote on skulls and death;
". . . Look! this flesh how it crumbles to dust and is blown!
These bones, how they grind in the granite of frost and are nothing!
This skull, how it yawns for a flicker of time in the darkness,
Yet laughs not and sees not!"
This quotation is kind of depressing in some ways, so why our fascination with skulls? I remember growing up on a farm and uncovering some bones and showing my siblings and parents. I was fascinated by these bones and trying to determine what the bones and skull where from. Different groups of people, take bikers for example, dawn all sorts of skull paraphernalia on their clothing and belt buckles. Many bikers indicate that they wear skulls to show the world that they are not afraid of death. They are not "creeped" out by skulls, they embrace them. Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) are another group of people who claim to not be afraid of death because Jesus has redeemed them from hell after death so there is no reason to fear death. To Christians, the symbol of not fearing death is the cross.
So the next question is: if you are not a Christian and not a biker: what is your fascination with skulls? Maybe you have no reason, maybe you just think skulls look kind of cool.
