Nehushtan at Sea: What is Fouling that Anchor?

There is an inherent paradox in the nearly universal use of a fouled anchor—an anchor with its cable wrapped around its shank—as a maritime emblem, because it represents an event no seaman would wish for. Today’s ubiquitous fouled-anchor flags, ensigns, and emblems derive from the venerable symbol of the British Admiralty, which arose in the early 17th century. This in turn has its roots in the Christian use of the brazen-serpent standard (nehushtan) that Moses raised in the desert (Numbers 21:4–9). The anchor cross (St. Clement’s cross) with entwined serpent, called anchora sacra in the 16th century, evoked hope as the anchor of the Christian soul (Hebrews 6:19), as in the flag of Rhode Island. The stylization of the nehushtan’s snake into an anchor cable made the “sacred anchor” a nautical symbol and drained it of religious meaning, creating the paradoxical emblems we see today.

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