Tales of murder, religion and history – Fenton Tri County Times

Ever since The Da Vinci Code came out in 2003, author Dan Brown has been one of the most recognized writers around the globe.

For four, now soon to be five, books, Brown has combined history, fiction, religion, symbols, and murder to write the adventures of his protagonist, Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon. Like any riveting read, his books entertain readers as well as teach them about philosophers, conspiracy theories, and famous buildings. His newest book, Origin, continues Langdons story. It comes out this fall.

Langdon, whos played by Tom Hanks in the movies, often chases or runs away from a murderer or conspiracy theory by finding and solving clues about historical figures and symbols.

The books leave readers questioning how much of this information is true?

The Freemasons

One popular theme in The Lost Symbol in 2009 is that the Freemasons are a secret society that secretly run America. In the book, Langdon finds out that The Founding Fathers actually built a secret portal under Washington where secrets of the universe are hidden.

In reality, no such portal has been discovered. The Freemasons are often used in books and mythology, and rumors about the group run rampant. These theories often overlap with conspiracy theories about the New World Order and the Illuminati.

Its known that one Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, was a Mason, and these symbols appear in American culture, such as the pyramid and eye on the Great Seal of the United States on the dollar bill.

The Priory of Sion

In The Da Vinci Code, Brown writes that a brotherhood was founded in 1099 with members such as Isaac Newton Botticelli, Victor Hugo and Leonardo Da Vinci. These people knew that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and has a surviving heir.

In the book, Mary and her descendants are the Holy Grail.

In reality, the Priory of Sion was a monastic order formed that year. In 1982, a book was published about The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and how they protect Jesus and Marys secret. The Priory is now considered a hoax created in the 1950s by a Frenchman named Pierre Plantard.

Opus Dei

In The Da Vinci Code, this is a group sanctioned by the Vatican that plots to find and kill the heir/grail. A huge villain in the book, Silas, is an Opus Dei monk.

In real life, its a real Catholic organization with an estimated 87,000 members worldwide. However, none are monks. Their goal also isnt to find the Holy Grail.

The Illuminati

Perhaps one of the biggest theories-turned-fact in his books is the Illuminati in Angels and Demons. This secret society works to bring down the Catholic Church for their crimes against scientists like Copernicus and Galileo, who was convicted of heresy for claiming the Earth moved around the sun.

In real life, the Illuminati was a real organization founded in 1776 in Bavaria with the ideals of free-thinking and rationalism. Copernicus was never attacked by the church, but Galileo was mistreated. He was subjected to lifelong house arrest after his claim about the Earth and Sun, but he was never convicted.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

The books leave readers questioning how much of this information is true?

Robert Langdon books

Angels & Demons (2000)

The Da Vinci Code (2003)

The Lost Symbol (2009)

Inferno (2013)

Origin (2017)

Other Dan Brown books

Digital Fortress (1998)

Deception Point (2001)

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Tales of murder, religion and history - Fenton Tri County Times