Masonic Myths and Legends

Freemasonry is one of the few organizations whose teaching method is still based on symbols. It presents these symbols by inserting them into legends that are told to its members in initiation ceremonies. But its history itself has also given rise to a whole mythology. Freemasons are the heirs of the builders of cathedrals. They were protected by the Stuart kings in Scotland from the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century, and the Stuarts were their secret Grand Masters. Freemasonry preserves the teachings of a primitive Judeo-Christian gnosis. In order to better understand these legends and myths and their significance, Pierre Mollier has studied their origins and attempted to find their sources. This book presents some of his research. A better understanding of the origins of the initiatory legends of Freemasonry is undoubtedly one of the best ways to better live one’s Masonic commitment. Pierre Mollier, 33 Degrees, is a French historian born in Lyon in 1961. A graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, he holds a MA degree in Religious Studies from Ecole pratique des hautes etudes, La Sorbonne. He is the director of the Library of the Grand Orient de France and the curator of the Museum of Freemasonry (Paris). Editor-in-chief of the symbolic and Masonic review, Renaissance Traditionnelle, and of the online journal Ritual, Secrecy, and Civil Society, he has published more than 100 papers and 5 books on Freemasonry historical issues. He is also the Grand Archivist of the Grand College des Rites Ecossais, the oldest French Scottish Rite Supreme Council.