One of the most well-known explorers, but least talked about unsolved codes, is the signature of Christopher Columbus. It might be surprising, that to this day, no one is completely sure on its meaning. The cause for this is because Columbus never explained his reasoning for adopting the mysterious writings of his signet. What is known, however, is that it was very important to him.
Columbus began using the mysterious signet after returning from his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The first known example dates to 1483 and historians have numerous other examples and documents demonstrating the curious signature from that time on to his death. He even instructed his heirs to continue using the signet themselves.
In doing so, we have a written record for how Columbus described his signature. He directed them,‘to sign with my signature which I now employ which is an X with an S over it and an M with a Roman A over it and over that an S, and then a Greek Y with an S over it, preserving the relation of the lines and points.’
As can be seen from the illustration, the shape of his signature is in the form of a triangle, and by his instructions this was exactly how it should be written, without alteration.
Attempts to ‘decode’ the signature have of course been made, and theories put forth. They range from stating his signature proves he was secretly a Jew in search of a new land for his persecuted people to being a devout catholic.
One of the most commonly accepted suggestions are that the letters S, SAS, XMY, Xpo-Ferens- decode to, ‘Servus Sum Altissimi Salvatoris Xristus Maria Yosephus Xristo Ferens.’ This translates to ‘Servant I am of the Most Exalted Savior, Christ, Mary, and Joseph, Christ Bearer.’
The last part of his signature, xpo ferens, is agreed by most to be a Greek-Latin form for his name Christopher. Xpo a Greek form for Christo, and Ferens is a Latin form. This combination, however, allows for a deeper religious significance to appear in his name. When translated it can literally mean, ‘Christ Bearer’.
But there are other theories. Some suggest the shape he chose for his signet is important, and feel it could mimic the mast of a ship and a Jewish prayer—supporting ideas that Columbus himself was Jewish and looking for a new homeland for his Jewish people. By signing his name as such, he was secretly conveying this to other ‘hidden Jews’.
Some also found his signet to support the crusades and his desire to free the Holy land of Muslims. The example given is that his signature can refer to: Sarraceno Subjuget Avertat Submovent, Christus, Maria, Yosephus = May the Saracens be subjugated, turned away, and removed by Christ, Mary, Joseph.
It is difficult to know for certain. While many do feel his signature is religious in nature, and that the X, M, Y do connect to Xristus, Maria, Yosephus or Christ, Mary, and Joseph, some put forth the Y might perhaps refer to Ysabel, for Queen Isabella who backed his most famous voyage.
Unless a document is found revealing Christopher Columbus’ intentions, it seems the mystery of his signature will continue on.
Best of luck with all that you seek! Always Treasure the Adventure!
A religious war ensignia
I find this topic fascinating, Jenny.
It’s amazing all of the different theories surrounding Christopher Columbus. There isn’t a common consensus about who he really was or where he came from. Was he from Portugal or Italy or Spain or Greece?
Of course, his signature just fuels the mystery. Did he really sign his mysterious coded signature with a “hooked X’? And, if so, does that link him to the Norsemen and Knights Templar? I think there is enough evidence to support a Templar link. The Templar Cross on the sails of his ships is a fairly obvious giveaway to that fact.
Personally, I believe he was a Christian…by choice…not coercion…but had to keep his deep Jewish ancestry a secret due to extreme persecution and penalty of death…i.e. the inquisition. Columbus was not blind to the fact that Christ was (and still is) Jewish…and the very God “I Am”.
Columbus considered himself a servant of Christ…as you have pointed out above, Jenny.
Indeed, he was a Porter of Christ…on an errand. (IMO)
http://www.christopher-columbus.eu/signature.htm
I would like to shake His hand One Day.
Now that is fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Jenny. I found this quite interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Mr. Columbus and Jenny,
This whole thing is so interesting to think about. I bet Peter Falk could crack it in sixty minutes.
Hello Jenny and others reading this post,
I am writing this in the hopes that someone who might’ve seen this theory (to which I will explain below) might reply below and discuss further on their knowledge.
I have recently researched a very interesting theory on the origins of Colombus that seems to me, and many historians, as the most plausible origin story of Christopher Colombus and his mysterious signature. This theory basically states that Colombus comes from the province of Galicia in Spain, and that he was a member of the noble family of sailors known as the Sotomayor’s (spelling varies based on source) from the town of Poio, in Pontevedra. These researchers claim that his signature actually represents the House of Sotomayor, his TRUE hidden origins, hence why it is in the form of a triangle. This theory states that Colombus was forced to change his identity, therefore this might’ve been a clever way for him to disguise and pay homage to his true background.
I strongly encourage any curious individual to do more research on this. It is no joke. Some of the evidence is compelling. The following video is a documentary-style compilation of all the evidence which proves this theory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8d0sikl-ew&t=202s
The evidence for this origin theory is astounding. There is literally a long list of evidence which supports that fact that Christopher Colombus’ real name was actually Pedro Alvarez de Sotomayor, more commonly known as Pedro Madruga (in Spanish, Madrugar means “to wake up early”. He was coined with this name due to his tendency to wake up early and always have a head start on his competitors). Over 80 callligraphic experts in Galicia claim that the writings of both Colombus and Madruga are of the same person. They also claim that the dialect in which Colombus wrote in was strictly of a Galician-Spanish-Portuguese dialect, which is perfectly accurate to the dialect that Pedro Madruga would have used. It is a common known fact amongst many Galicians that Pedro Madruga and Colombus were the same person. Other bits of evidence claim that Madruga changed his identity prior to voyaging to the new world in order to disguise a pact he made with the Spanish crown. Prior to his voyages, Madruga had made a lot of enemies including some of the Catholic monarchs of the time. In order for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to fund his voyages, he agreed to change his identity so that they would avoid scrutiny from the Spanish high courts.
Another crucial point of evidence is the fact that Colombus named up to 200 locations (I believe this was the number although I may be slightly mistaken) he first discovered in the new world after locations along the Rias Bajas, along the coast of Galicia. There is also clear evidence that both Colombus and Madruga had children who beared the same names, and there is substantial evidence which claims that both men were actually at the same places, during the same time periods, along with the fact that they had wives with the same names. They also both had a brother by the name of Bartholomeo.
This theory is so interesting. It answers many of the questions that were left unanswered by the Genoese, Catalan, Jewish, Portuguese and Polish origin stories of Colombus. It explains why Colombus barely ever wrote or spoke in Italian. It explains how Colombus was even able to obtain a hearing with the Kings and Queens of Europe at the time (because he himself had a noble background). It explains the upbringing of Colombus which had never been able to be explained by the Genoese origin theory (This theory basically knows nothing about Colombus before he was 20-25 years old). It also explains Colombus’ connections with the Portuguese navy.
Skeptics claim that it could not have been Madruga, since there is a document by his son which claims that he died in 1486…. although this is simply one section of a document, and there is no known burial site location or any of the sorts which claim this is actually true. There have also been several documents discovered which clearly show that Madruga was alive making business transactions far past the year 1486.
As Sammy above gave his opinion on what he believed was the religion of Colombus, I will do the same. Based on the fact that I believe the Galician origin story is the most plausible, I think Colombus was neither Jewish nor Christian. I believe he was raised with a Catholic background, but based on the fact that he had enemies in the Catholic church, I believe he might’ve been an Agnostic, or maybe even an Atheist. Many of his writings would beg to differ, showing that he continuously paid homage to Catholicism and put forth the notion of spreading the word of the Catholic Church, although this could’ve easily been a part of the deal he made with the King and Queen of Spain…because as mentioned above, he received funding for his voyages solely based on the premise that the voyages themselves would be credited to the Kingdom of Spain and Catholicism. I could be completely wrong on this….but it is just my opinion.
I am not saying that this theory is absolutely true….although I do strongly believe that it is the most plausible. Every other origin story has many holes in it which simply do not make sense. Please, for any one reading this, do some of the research and discover what may be the truth yourselves! I hope there are more articles written on this theory.
Sincerely, David