The Lost Symbol

Langdon now realized what she was referring to, and he tried to dispel the notion before they wasted any more time. «I am familiar with the legend, Director, but it’s pure fantasy. The Masonic Pyramid is one of D.C.’s most enduring myths, probably stemming from the pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States.»

«Why didn’t you mention it earlier?»

Langdon shrugged. «Because it has no basis in fact. Like I said, it’s a myth. One of many associated with the Masons.»

«And yet this particular myth relates directly to the Ancient Mysteries?»

«Sure, as do plenty of others. The Ancient Mysteries are the foundation for countless legends that have survived in history — stories about powerful wisdom protected by secret guardians like the Templars, the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Alumbrados — the list goes on and on. They are all based on the Ancient Mysteries. . and the Masonic Pyramid is just one example.»

«I see,» Sato said. «And what does this legend actually say?»

Langdon considered it for a few steps and then replied, «Well, I’m no specialist in conspiracy theory, but I am educated in mythology, and most accounts go something like this: The Ancient Mysteries — the lost wisdom of the ages — have long been considered mankind’s most sacred treasure, and like all great treasures, they have been carefully protected. The enlightened sages who understood the true power of this wisdom learned to fear its awesome potential. They knew that if this secret knowledge were to fall into uninitiated hands, the results could be devastating; as we said earlier, powerful tools can be used either for good or for evil. So, in order to protect the Ancient Mysteries, and mankind in the process, the early practitioners formed secret fraternities. Inside these brotherhoods, they shared their wisdom only with the properly initiated, passing the wisdom from sage to sage. Many believe we can look back and see the historical remnants of those who mastered the Mysteries. . in the stories of sorcerers, magicians, and healers.»

«And the Masonic Pyramid?» Sato asked. «How does that fit in?»

«Well,» Langdon said, striding faster now to keep pace, «this is where history and myth begin to merge. according to some accounts, by the sixteenth century in europe, almost all of these secret fraternities had become extinct, most of them exterminated by a growing tide of religious persecution. the freemasons, it is said, became the last surviving custodians of the ancient mysteries. understandably, they feared that if their own brotherhood one day died off like its predecessors, the ancient mysteries would be lost for all time.»

«And the pyramid?» Sato again pressed.

Langdon was getting to it. «The legend of the Masonic Pyramid is quite simple. It states that the Masons, in order to fulfill their responsibility of protecting this great wisdom for future generations, decided to hide it in a great fortress.» Langdon tried to gather his recollections of the story. «Again, I stress this is all myth, but allegedly, the Masons transported their secret wisdom from the Old World to the New World — here, to America — a land they hoped would remain free from religious tyranny. And here they built an impenetrable fortress — a hidden pyramid — designed to protect the Ancient Mysteries until the time that all of mankind was ready to handle the awesome power that this wisdom could communicate. According to the myth, the Masons crowned their great pyramid with a shining, solid-gold capstone as symbol of the precious treasure within — the ancient wisdom capable of empowering mankind to his full human potential. Apotheosis.»

«Quite a story,» Sato said.

«Yes. The Masons fall victim to all kinds of crazy legends.»

«Obviously you don’t believe such a pyramid exists.»

«Of course not,» Langdon replied. «There’s no evidence whatsoever to suggest that our Masonic forefathers built any kind of pyramid in America, much less in D.C. It’s pretty difficult to hide a pyramid, especially one large enough to hold all the lost wisdom of the ages.»

The legend, as Langdon recalled, never explained exactly what was supposed to be inside the Masonic Pyramid — whether it was ancient texts, occult writings, scientific revelations, or something far more mysterious — but the legend did say that the precious information inside was ingeniously encoded. . and understandable only to the most enlightened souls.

«Anyway,» Langdon said, «this story falls into a category we symbologists call an ‘archetypal hybrid’—a blend of other classic legends, borrowing so many elements from popular mythology that it could only be a fictional construct. . not historical fact.»