SKULL ROSARIES

Skull rosaries date from the Middle Ages and maybe even before, and were used as a meditation on the mortality of man and the need to live a moral life. Quite fascinating. I've made this single decade rosary with a bronze Caravaca cross, a big chunk of turquoise and 10 large wooden skull beads. It is very tactile, large and easy to hold. I have this and a few other skull rosaries on my Etsy site, use the link on the right if you are interested. Below it is a picture of a four decade rosary with small skulls for the Ave beads and large skulls for the Pater beads. This one has a gorgeous bronze crucifix hand cast from an original Latin American antique. I haven't made many skull rosaries but they are some of my favorites.
A single skull can be found on many 19th century rosaries, usually those that belonged to a priest or nun. Called a Momento Mori, again the purpose was to remind of the mortality of man and the necessity to lead a life filled with goodness.
Of course, today skulls are popular among several groups, more as a gruesome image though. I love the Dia de los Muertos celebrations where skulls and skeletons abound. Not gruesome but rather a kind of reminder that underneath it all, this is what we are. I'll always have several skull rosaries and necklaces in my Etsy store, thesacredbead2.