Symbolism: Plumb-Bob/Plumb-Line

Plumb-bob and line

A plumb-line is a building tool made up of a heavy lead weight suspended from a string and was used to determine whether or not a structure is “plumb” (vertical), or to keep instruments centered over survey markers. Several words in the English language are derived from the plumb-bob, including aplomb, plummet, and to plumb. “Aplomb” was taken directly from French, and literally means “on the plumb-line,” referring to the plumb-line’s perfect verticality.(1) The word “plummet” is from the Old French word plomet, and refers to soundings taken by using plumb-lines.(2) To plumb something, as in the saying “To Plumb the Depths,” is related to plummet, and also refers to soundings done by sailors investigating the depths of the seas.(3)

Plumb-lines are among the earliest tools to be used by humans, and, along with simple devices such as water levels, are associated with architect deities, including the Judeo-Christian God, who was sometimes referred to as The Great Architect(4). In ancient Egypt “[p]lumb bobs were appreciated for their ability to furnish a true vertical line. The Egyptians employed plumb tools in their sighting and leveling instruments, and as a way to continue distances vertically. They exploited all the possibilities of the bob, using it for astronomy, navigation, surveying, and building.  It was their ‘workhorse’ tool.”(5) The Romans had devices called “groma,” that used the plumb-line’s perfect verticality to plan out their perfectly square towns.(6)

Plumb-bobs and plumb-lines are associated with several creation gods. This is a mental creation, however, from a god of the intellect; creation by one of the architect gods was a matter of thought, and language. One of the oldest gods associated with the plumb-bob and plumb-line is Ptah, the Egyptian god creator god; his signs were the ankh (life) and the djed (stability). Ptah brought things into being with his thoughts, and “[a]ccording to the priests of Memphis, everything is the work of Ptah's heart and tongue: gods are born, towns are founded, and order is maintained.”(7)

Another archetypal architect figure is Daedalus (meaning “ingenious,” or “clever”). Daedalus is probably the most well-known architect from mythology – most people have heard of the tale of Daedalus and his doomed son, Icarus. He was said to have invented carpentry and it’s tools; the saw, ax, augur, glue, and the plumb-line. He was an inventor, an artist, and a sculptor whose sculptures were so perfect that they had to be chained to keep them from running away. Besides making the wings which flew him to freedom (and which lead his son, Icarus, to his death), he was probably most famous for creating the impenetrable labyrinth of Crete, home of the monstrous Minotaur. After losing a battle with Crete, Athens was forced to send seven boys and seven girls every year as tribute to King Minos. They were, of course, sent into the labyrinth as food for the Minotaur. One year the Greek hero Theseus was sent to Crete as part of the tribute and, aided by Daedalus and the King’s daughter, Ariadne, he was able to kill the beast and then find his way out with the help of a ball of string that Ariadne had gotten from the master builder.

Greek mythology is filled with wonderfully complex characters, who reveal many different sides of themselves, and Daedalus was no exception. While he was resourceful and creative, often outwitting those more powerful than he was, he was also dangerously proud, creating the very circumstances of his quandaries. Daedalus ended up in Crete because he was exiled from his native Athens for killing his young nephew, who he was afraid might someday outshine him. Then he was imprisoned again because he helped Theseus escape from the labyrinth, although he did manage to escape but not without a great loss.

The plumb-line is also a perfect reference for keeping oneself  “upright,” and is often associated with moral upright-ness, particularly in Judeo-Christianity or systems influenced by it (like Gnosticism and Freemasonry). The Freemasons use the mental image of a plumb-line as a sort of moral compass, to help them ensure that they live a moral life; and the bible contains several passages that refer to Yahweh measuring the Jews against his plumb-line and finding them wanting (as usual).

The plumb-bob and plumb-line also refer to exploring the “depths” of the unconscious. With this, and it’s association with judgment, a connection is made with Saturn, ruler of the metal lead which the plumb-bob is made from. Saturn and lead are dark and deep, cold, distant, and judgmental; they represent difficulty, challenge, and discipline.

Plumb-bobs and plumb-lines are ancient tools of mental, masculine creator gods and other clever, ingenious characters. They are clever, but cleverness can sometimes get you in trouble (as well as get you out of it.) Plumb-lines are reliable and objective, and offer the user a true vertical reference. They’re also a measure of an “upright” life, and helps us judge our actions based on objective standards.

Isaiah 28:16-17: In verse 17, the plumb-line is defined as justice and righteousness. We have seen that already in our word “upright,” a synonym of “vertical.” What is upright is righteous, and God will judge according to that standard. He will set us up so that we can see—and He can see—how close we are adhering to godly judgment and right doing. He and we will see how much we are living by the standard.

Amos 7:7-9: In construction, the plumb-line tests whether what was erected is perpendicular to the square, that is, if it is straight up and down, if it is upright. It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. Metaphorically, when God draws near with the plumb-line, He is looking for those people who are living and abiding in His grace and His law. The Israelites' moral standards had degenerated, so their religious profession was not verified by the right kind of works. They were not upright; they failed the test.

John W. Ritenbaugh, “Prepare to Meet Your God!”

The “Plumb” admonishes us to walk uprightly in our several stations before God and man, squaring our actions by the Square of Virtue, ever remembering that we are traveling upon the Level of Time, toward “that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.”  The divine requirement for uprightness and rectitude in all walks of life.

References:

(1) Aplomb (Online Etymology Dictionary)
(2) Plummet (Online Etymology Dictionary)
(3) Egyptian Surveying Tools
(4) Great Architect of the Universe (Wikipedia)
(5) “What Is the Origin of the Saying ‘To Plumb the Depths’?” (Grammar-Monster.com)
(6) How to use a Roman groma (Legioneromana)
(7) Ptah (Egyptian Myths)


Links for further reading:

Plumb-bob (Wikipedia)
The Plumb-bob As a Symbol, Dr. Dogan Basak (PDF of interesting article by Dr. Basak)
Egyptian Surveying Tools (Survey History)
Roman groma (image of groma taken from this page)
Dae'dalus (A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology)
Daedalus (Myth Encyclopedia)
Great Architect of the Universe (Wikipedia)
Freemasonry (Wikipedia)

“The Truth About Egypt's Star Religion: The Canopus Revelation” (Philip Coppens)
An interesting article about Sirius, Canopus, Osiris, and the plumb-line, and how the plumb line connects the two stars, “plumbing” the depths of the world

(Image from Phoenix Masonry)