Chapter 56

           SophiestaredatTeabingalongmomentandthenturnedtoLangdon.«TheHolyGrailisaperson?»Langdonnodded.«Awoman,infact.»FromtheblanklookonSophie’sface,Langdoncouldtelltheyhadalreadylosther.Herecalledhavingasimilarreactionthefirsttimeheheardthestatement.ItwasnotuntilheunderstoodthesymbologybehindtheGrailthatthefeminineconnectionbecameclear.

           Teabingapparentlyhadasimilarthought.«Robert,perhapsthisisthemomentforthesymbologisttoclarify?»Hewenttoanearbyendtable,foundapieceofpaper,andlaiditinfrontofLangdon.

           Langdonpulledapenfromhispocket.«Sophie,areyoufamiliarwiththemoderniconsformaleandfemale?»

           Hedrewthecommonmalesymbol

           «Ofcourse,»shesaid.

           «These,»hesaidquietly,»arenottheoriginalsymbolsformaleandfemale.Manypeopleincorrectlyassumethemalesymbolisderivedfromashieldandspear,whilethefemalesymbolrepresentsamirrorreflectingbeauty.Infact,thesymbolsoriginatedasancientastronomicalsymbolsfortheplanet-godMarsandplanet-goddessVenus.Theoriginalsymbolsarefarsimpler.»Langdondrewanothericononthepaper.

           «Thissymbolistheoriginaliconformale,»hetoldher.«Arudimentaryphallus.»

           «Quitetothepoint,»Sophiesaid.«Asitwere,»Teabingadded.Langdonwenton.«Thisiconisformallyknownastheblade,anditrepresentsaggressionandmanhood.Infact,thisexactphallussymbolisstillusedtodayonmodernmilitaryuniformstodenoterank.»

           «Indeed.»Teabinggrinned.«Themorepenisesyouhave,thehigheryourrank.