Gormogons

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The Ancient Noble Order of the Gormogons was a short-lived eighteenth century society; leaving no records or accomplishments to indicate its true goal and purpose. From the few published articles, it is thought that the society's primary objective was to hold up Freemasonry to ridicule.^[1] During its brief existence, it was accused of being a Jacobite-leaning group.^[2] There is some evidence of such an association, since the first known Grandmaster (or Oecumenical Volgi) was Andrew Michael Ramsay of Ayr, Scotland, a Jacobite of strong convictions.^[3] It also appears to have been a charitable organisation, at least according to its surviving bylaws. There are also some surviving pendant badges, bearing their sign.^[4]

The origin of the word may be as a variant of "gormagon", which was defined in The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue as: "A monster with six eyes, three mouths, four arms, eight legs, five on one side and three on the other, three arses, two tarses, and a cunt upon its back; a man on horseback, with a woman behind him."

The Gormogons have been referenced in the TV show Bones. Beginning with the season 3 premiere, "The Widow's Son in the Windshield", the Jeffersonian team has been investigating a cannibalistic serial killer they call The Gormogon, for his obsession with secret societies and his targeting of the Knights of Columbus.

[edit] References

1. ^ Antient Noble Order of the Gormogons
2. ^ Lyttle, Charles H. "Historical Bases of Rome's Conflict with Freemasonry", Church History, Vol. 9, No. 1. (Mar., 1940), pp. 3-23. [1]
3. ^ Carr. J. L. 1963. "Gorgons, Gormogons, Medusists and Masons". The Modern Language Review. Vol. 58, No. 1 (Jan., 1963), pp. 73-78 [2]
4. ^ Sothesby's October 1974 catalogue, reproduced in The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 116, No. 858. (Sep., 1974)[3]