Formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS)
Emblem
The emblem:
-
Crescent Moon Shriner symbol
-
Scimitar Shriner symbol
-
Star The Spirit, Divine Presence, Enlightenment, Wisdom, Human Aspiration. Represents light struggling against darkness. The Babylonian goddess Ishtar's emblem was an eight-pointed star and females such as Astarte, Isis, and the Virgin Mary are often pictured with a crown of stars. Stars are sometimes believed to be the souls of the dead with comets being seen as foretellers of doom and a sign of the anger of the sun god. Stars often take on additional meaning depending on their color, shape, number of points and arrangement. The most common, the five pointed star, comes from Egyptian hieroglyphics where it meant "rising upwards toward the point of origin" and formed part of words such as "to bring up," "to educate," "the teacher," (Cirlot, p. 310).
-
The emblem on the front of the fez, the crescent and scimitar, is an important part of the fraternity’s theme, and is representative of the characteristics embodied by the Shriners.
-
The scimitar stands for the backbone of the fraternity, its members.
-
The two claws are for the Shriners fraternity and its philanthropy.
-
The sphinx stands for the governing body of the Shriners.
-
The five-pointed star represents the thousands of children helped by the philanthropy each year.
-
The emblem also bears the phrase “Robur et Furor,” which means “Strength and Fury.”
Fez
The fez is one of the most recognizable symbols of Shriners International and was adopted as the Shriners’ official headgear in 1872. Named after the city of Fez, Morocco, the hat represented the Arabian theme the fraternity was founded on. It also serves as an outward symbol of one’s membership in the fraternity. Much like the white apron worn by Masons as a symbol of their brotherhood, the fez is worn only by Shriners as a symbol of their membership in this unique fraternity.
Today the fez is worn at Shriners' functions, in parades and at outings as a way of gaining exposure for the fraternity. Members customize their fez to show their allegiance to their temple. Look closely at a fez and you will also learn other important information about its wearer, such as membership in Shrine clubs, special roles within the organization and much more. Each fez is custom made and a Shriner may own more than one fez depending on his activities and memberships.