Middle Ages

The Middle Ages appear in The Lost Symbol chiefly as a point of historical comparison: Robert Langdon jokes that talismans had fallen out of fashion by that era, while Peter Solomon asks him to trust that a sealed object can still bring order from chaos. The period is not depicted in its own scenes; its significance lies in the contrast between Langdon’s skepticism and Peter’s faith in inherited Masonic knowledge.

The Historical Reference

Langdon invokes the Middle Ages while explaining the traditional idea of a talisman. He describes such objects as having been used to attract luck, ward off evil spirits, or assist in ancient rituals, then teases Peter that talismans had gone out of vogue by the Middle Ages. The remark is a wry challenge to the supernatural framing of the package, not an account of medieval history.

The Sealed Object and Peter’s Claim

Peter’s package is a small cube-shaped parcel tied with twine and sealed with wax bearing a double-headed phoenix and the number 33. Its contents include a capstone associated with the Masonic pyramid. Peter says his great-grandfather wrapped the package almost a century earlier, and that the family had left it unopened because the time was not right. He asks Langdon to keep it safe outside the Masonic brotherhood, warning that powerful people may want it and that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Skepticism and Trust

Langdon’s joke about the Middle Ages expresses his resistance to treating an object as magical. He understands the Masonic principle of order from chaos, but considers the claim that a talisman could confer that power absurd. Peter does not ask him to believe the claim; he asks him to trust the family’s account of the object. The historical reference therefore sharpens their difference: Langdon approaches the package as a scholar wary of superstition, while Peter treats it as a consequential inheritance.

Scope in the Novel

The Middle Ages are not given a broader historical narrative here. The period serves as the endpoint of Langdon’s offhand claim about talismans, helping establish the gap between familiar accounts of ancient objects and Peter’s insistence that this particular one matters in the present. The novel leaves the medieval reference brief; the dramatic weight falls on whether Langdon will protect the package despite his doubts.