Symbol Quest Now Live

Home , Cryptex, Dan Brown, Mercury (cipher machine), The Da Vinci Code (play), The Lost Symbol

Submitted by Greg on Tue, 2009-09-08 16:17

TheLostSymbol.com now has a challenge live and ready to play, in which you must identify 33 symbols correctly (symbolic itself of the 33 degrees in Scottish Rite Freemasonry) in order to hear a short message from Dan Brown himself. You must get to all 33 with *no* errors, even though it seems to give you three strikes.

If you're stuck, or just a bit lazy, click on 'Read More' for my solutions, and to find out what Dan Brown says at the end:

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Here are the solutions. You'll have to Google the symbols themselves if you don't know what I'm referring to with my answers. The numbers are the order I got the questions in, but they are random for each new challenger:

1. Sounds like a resident in the Garden of Eden: "Atom" (Adam)

2. Without End: "Infinity"

3. Hood ornament for Emil Jellinek's daughter: "Mercedes"

4. An age in the hair of broadway: "Aquarius"

5. Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter: "Ichthys" (Christian Fish symbol)

6. The fork of Zeus's Younger Brother: "Trident of Neptune"

7. Opposing yet unified. "Yin and Yang" 8. Proofreader's mark from Latin "delere": "Delete proofreading symbol" (squiggle with loop at top right)

9. Kafka, Poe, or Khepri Embodied: "Scarab" (Egyptian Dung beetle)

10. Robert Langdon's favorite symbol: "Ankh"

11. Who uses this symbol? "World Health Organization (WHO"

12. Greek Goddess of Triumph: "Nike"

13. Alpha's antithesis: "Omega"

14. Octothorpe: "Hash" or "number" symbol (#)

15. Zeus's games: "Olympics" (the rings)

16. Latin 'recipe' offered by doctors: "Rx symbol"

17. Quicksilver: "Mercury"

18. Anagram of 'Madras Pen': "Ampersand"

19. Venus's Hand Mirror: "Female/Venus symbol"

20. The Golden Ratio: "Phi" (circle with a line through it)

21. Centaur archer: "Sagittarius" (diagonal arrow with a line through it)

22. Meditative chant: "Aum"

23. French monarch's lily: "Fleur de lys"

24. Silence for Berlioz, Bizet and Bartok: "Crotchet rest" (musical symbol)

25. "Fourth rock" from the Sun: "Mars/male symbol"

26. Leo's chaste neighbour: "Virgo symbol"

27. Circle's circumference divided by its diameter: "pi"

28. Scribe of Sidereus Nuncius was first to see rings around it: "Saturn"

29. One-eyed man + two ravens: "Odin's shield" (circle with a cross)

30. Hieroglyph of seven body parts in one: "Eye of Horus" 31. Casanova, Mozart, Houdini had this in common: "Freemasonry" (Compass and square plus G)

32. The "S" in Mozart's "D.S": "Del Segno"

SPOILER WARNING! If you are looking for hints, then this is not the site.

I have finally completed the Lost Symbol Quest from the Dan Brown Website. We'll it took me about 3 hours before i was able to finish it using mostly by plain guess.

The book is not as exciting as the Angels and Demons but I'm not going to let it pass anyway so I started reading it and hopefully will finish it before the week ends.

Below is the complete answer to the online puzzle The Lost Symbol Quest. I have arranged them in alphabetical order so it would be easy for you to find it.

Symbol Hint Alpha's antithesis - omega symbol

An age in the hair of Broadway

Anagram of "Madras Pen"

Casanova, Mozart and Houdini had this in common

Centaur archer

Circle's circumference divided by its diameter

Demisemiquaver

Fourth rock from the sunl

French Monarch's lily

Greek Goddess of Triumph

Hieroglyph of seven body parts in one

Hood ornament for Emil Jellinek's daughter

IESOUS CHRISTOS THEOU YIOS SOTER

Kafka, Poe, or Khepri embodied

Latin "recipe" offered by doctors/td>

Leo's chaste neighbour

Meditative chant

Octothorpe

One eyed man + two ravens

Opposing, yet unified

Quicksilver

Proofreaders mark from latin "delere"

Robert Langdon's favourite symbol

Scribe of Sidereus Nuncius was the first to see rings around it

Silence for Berlioz, Bizet and Bartok

Sounds like a resident in the Garden of Eden

The "S" in Mozart's D.S

The cross of Bogart's Falcon

The fork of Zeus' younger brother

The Golden Ratio

Venus' Hand Mirror

Who uses this symbol

without end

Zeus' Games

Here is the complete transcription of the recorded message after completing the symbol quest. You will need to solve the quest with the perfect score before this page is displayed.

This is Dan Brown. Congratulations on completing the symbol quest, in reaching the 33rd degree with no errors. As you may have noticed the book jacket in the US is covered with symbols and icons. Encoded within them, are five hidden messages for you to find and decrypt. Best of luck and i hope you enjoyed the novel.

Solving for the symbol quest on the book covers. here is a link for the The Lost Symbol book covers in high resolution just in case you don't have the book with you.

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Posted by tildemark on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 4:20 PM | 0 TrackBacks

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Not bad! Congrats :D

Regards from Berlin, DE

Johannes

Johannes | October 12, 2009 7:07 AM | Reply

I envy you! I haven't read a good book lately. :( 32flavors | October 15, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply

I envy you. I haven't read a good book lately. :(

32flavors | October 15, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply

ALL GREAT TRUTHS Begin as BLASPHEMIES

thanks for the help,.. and if you don't know what that above means... sorry

Dustin | October 17, 2009 1:55 PM | Reply

I also solved the Quest few weeks ago and if I remember correctly the Dan Brown's message than said something about signed copies of books...or?

PS. Is there any info on these 5 hidden messages?

Cheers

tocksick | November 1, 2009 9:46 AM | Reply

It was really nice post. And must say that you written it really well as you got so strong response. I had seen some other blogs also on the same topic but the content are so rich here. I am really impressed. Keep it up.

fit flops | November 2, 2009 8:28 PM | Reply

I have seen a symbol very similar to Turkish Flag. Just a rotated version. What does it mean? It didnt ask it. fatih | November 10, 2009 1:58 AM | Reply my list above has all the symbols needed for the quest. what you saw might be an extra used to make the quest more difficult.

tildemark | November 10, 2009 6:18 AM | Reply

On the american dustcover, there are at least 4 puzzles to solve as follows:

1. A ten-digit US phone number is found in Single Letter / Single Number pairs placed randomly throughout. Place the letters alphabetically and get the phone number.

2. On the Back Cover, there is a 4x4 grid containing letters. Use the perfect square from the novel to solve. 3. On the Back Cover, there is a code vertically in the Masonic Cipher (again from the novel). Use the key on page 197 to solve. Hint, turn the book clockwise 90degrees.

4. On the Front Cover, there is a series of numbers along the edge of circle of symbols... use the first letter from the chapter with that number to get the message.

5. ??? Haven't been able to discover the fifth hidden message. Would love to hear any ideas. Maybe it's the lost one?

Michael | November 13, 2009 8:52 AM | Reply

congratulations!!and thanks for the answers..im reading his book " the lost symbol" and i must say its really good, three thumbs up.. =D well, excitng? i think all of his books are excitng and superb, once you read them all..=D thanks a lot..

rave03 | November 17, 2009 1:38 PM | Reply

If you look closely on the back cover it says in the same red ink as the other codes...as above so below

(above the words "critical raves for" it says "as above" and upside down below the barcode it says "so below".)

Not a clue if that means anything or if that is indeed the fifth puzzle, but thought I should mention it. If anyone has any more ideas I would love to know. Thanks.

hilary | December 4, 2009 7:02 PM | Reply

It was nice going through it. keep it up the good work. ±thanks±

picture framer glasgow | December 6, 2009 3:54 AM | Reply

you are a really thoughtful guyወgood jobኽ

Clark | January 3, 2010 3:42 PM | Reply

I envy you! It is a good book ....

linkwheel | January 4, 2010 6:09 PM | Reply hi there everybody,

this is a great site and very nice book. I'm from Belgium and i have all the books of Dan brown. Sometimes our covers are different from the ones they use in tyhe UK or US, but it's great to reveale some secrets in the covers.

for Hilary, i believe "as above, so below" refers to the symbol for infinity. It is a know sentence in Hermeticism.

i hope to learn to know new people here and stay in touch

Reina Toch | February 2, 2010 2:24 PM | Reply

i may say that the lost symbol is the most astounding masterpiece. i hope that Dan brown wont stop on l.s. does anyone had the last answer to the code???????

barman | February 21, 2010 5:42 PM | Reply

Dan Brown is pure class, just a quick note to Michael, the 5th puzzle is complex yet simple, the best tip i can give you is to look for verisimilitude on the covers and inner sanctums. Hope this helps if not blog back and ill help again or tell you. Best of luck all solving the hardest sudoku of all time. Stuart

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Solving the Codes on the Cover of The Lost Symbol

Submitted by Greg on Fri, 2009-12-18 22:31

y Essays y The Lost Symbol

To view this article in its original typeset format, you can download a PDF version of it, which is a free download of Appendix 1 from The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol (just $9.95 on Amazon.com). The Guide takes you deeper into the hidden history of the United States, Freemasonry, Noetic Science, and other topics that Dan Brown wrote about in his latest bestseller. Check out the Guide now, to get a better understanding of the fascinating revelations in The Lost Symbol. Available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or as a Kindle eBook.

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In late 2003 it was pointed out to me that the dust cover of Dan Brown¶s The Da Vinci Code contained a number of curious µanomalies¶: map co-ordinates in µmirror writing¶, bolded letters hiding odd messages, and more. The reason for these strange inclusions became clear when Dan Brown announced in an interview that clues about the sequel to The Da Vinci Code were hidden on the cover of the bestselling book. By solving these puzzles and ciphers ± and being conversant with many of the topics and resources Brown was likely to use in writing the sequel, I was able to write a complete primer on the as-yet unpublished book in late 2004 (the progenitor of this book you are holding now). In this very early µguide¶ to the contents of The Lost Symbol ± originally titled (and self-published) as Da Vinci In America ± I gave background information on many of the topics that I surmised would be in the new book: Francis Bacon and the transmission of Rosicrucian philosophies, the history of Freemasonry, how µthe Craft¶ influenced America¶s Founding Fathers, and the esoteric landscape of Washington, D.C. (including such exotic locales as the Scottish Rite¶s ³House of the Temple´).

When the cover artwork for The Lost Symbol was released in July 2009 I received the first confirmation that my research was on the right track. Though only the front cover and spine design was released prior to publication, it was enough to show that various locations in the American capital which I had written about were important to the new book.

The cover featured a µtorn parchment¶ theme similar to the cover of The Da Vinci Code, though with Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as the focus rather than the Mona Lisa, and the Washington Monument hidden away on the spine. Also prominent was a wax seal emblazoned with a double- headed eagle and the number 33 ± a direct confirmation that Freemasonry, in particular Scottish Rite Masonry - would play a major role in the new book.

Not so noticeable on the cover though were the various symbols imprinted upon the parchment, taken from astrology, alchemy and other esoteric fields ± and therefore offering the perfect vibe for a Dan Brown book. But on closer inspection, something else became apparent. Once again, Dan Brown had hidden some codes on the cover of his latest novel!

Firstly, randomly spread between the front cover and the spine, were letter-number combinations. Above the R of ³Brown´ we find ³B1´. On the left, above ³a novel´, there is another: ³C2´. And also, on the far right of the cover, ³J5´. Meanwhile, at the top left of the spine we find ³E8´, and just above the keyhole at the bottom of the spine is ³H5´.

Thus, from a scan of the front cover and spine the following codes had been collected: B1, C2, E8, H5, and J5. However, the alphabetical nature of the letter-number combinations ± B, C, E, H and J ± suggested that at least five more were missing: A#, D#, F#, G# and I# (which would complete the first ten letters of the alphabet, A to J). Without the back cover, the code was unbreakable. Or was it?

A number of (very smart!) people who were working on cracking this code noted that in the previous µDa Vinci Code Webquest¶ competition participants were asked to ring the numbers (212) 782-9920 and (212) 782-9932. These numbers seem to be part of a phone number allocation to publisher Random House in new York, whose main number is (212) 782-9000, with the first seven numbers (212-782-9###) being consistent.

The reader has probably already noted that the new cover codes fit this phone number µtemplate¶ perfectly. Arranging the five known codes in alphabetical order (ABCDEFGHIJ) gives (#12) #8#-#5#5. Using the known Random House numbers as a base allowed some educated guesses at four of the other letter- number combinations: A2, D7, F2 and G9. This just left I# as the only unknown (212-782-95#5); ten possibilities, easy enough to brute force if someone was willing to call each one.

It turns out a number of people did, but they were met with Random House offices and answering machines ± no competition hotline though. This despite confirmation from a newly activated µSymbol Quest¶ on Dan Brown¶s website ± in which the participant had to answer 33 consecutive riddles based on various symbols ± that, once completed, featured a recording of Dan Brown stating that there were codes on the cover of The Lost Symbol which would decode to a telephone number, via which 33 lucky contestants would receive a signed copy of his new book.

As it turns out, the decoding guess was correct ± it was just done too quickly! Random House had not µturned on¶ the competition phone response at such an early stage. Persistent callers found late on the 14th of September (the day before publication of The Lost Symbol) that the competition had gone µlive¶ on the number (212) 782-9515. A new message was available, from Brown¶s editor Jason Kaufman, asking contestants to submit an email to a certain address; if they were one of the first 33, they would receive a signed copy of The Lost Symbol.

Once released on September 15, the back cover of the book confirmed the decoding: the letter- number combinations A2, D7, F2, G9, and I1 are all found there. It is likely then that anybody that solved the phone number code after buying the book (and seeing the back cover) would have been too late ± it¶s probable that the first 33 emails were received before The Lost Symbol even hit bookstore shelves.

But that¶s not all. There were more codes on the front cover than just these letter-number combinations. On the front cover, just on the inside and outside of the left hand side of the faint circle surrounding the Scottish Rite seal, two sets of numbers can be found:

Outside: 22-65-22-97-27 Inside: 22-23-44-1-133-97-65-44

At first glance, the most notable aspect of this number sequence was the non-random appearance of repeated numbers: 22, 44, 97 and 65. This suggested that the numbers were to be substituted for letters in two words, with 22, 44, 97 and 65 being repeated letters. Further, these repeated numbers in a sequence echoed a code found on the back page of Dan Brown¶s 1998 book Digital Fortress:

128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78.

The solution in that case was that each of the numbers referred to a chapter, and taking the first letter of each of those chapters yielded (after using a further decipher with a µCaesar Box¶) the secret message ³We are watching you.´ If this new code used the same deciphering method, it seemed that it could not be solved until the book was published and the first letters of the various chapters known.

Once again, however, brute force deciphering techniques came to the fore. Assuming that the numbers do indeed stand for letters, brute force decoding by substitution analysis can be done by taking into consideration the repeated µletters¶, as well as regular English-language use of certain letter combinations and their positions within words. This narrows down the number of possible words that can be represented significantly. Some people are good enough (and have enough spare time!) to do this with paper and pencil, but in the modern age we can be more efficient by utilizing computers to do the job. For example, by converting the number sequence into an equivalent letter sequence ± preserving the order and the repeated elements (e.g. ABACD AEFGHCBF) ± we can use an online tool such as ³Decrypto´ to do the work for us. In just 0.022 seconds Decrypto returns only 15 possible word combinations, and for anybody familiar with the content of The Lost Symbol, one in particular stands out: ³POPES PANTHEON´. John Russell Pope is famous for being the architect behind a number of prominent buildings in Washington, D.C., including the national Archives, the Jefferson Memorial, the West Building of the national Gallery of Art, and the Scottish Rite¶s ³House of the Temple´. Furthermore, some of these buildings were influenced by the architecture of the Pantheon in Rome, perhaps most prominently the Jefferson Memorial.

Again, this pre-publication solution was confirmed once The Lost Symbol was released. Just as surmised, each number pointed to a chapter, from which the first letter was taken and substituted into the sequence. For example, chapter 22 begins with ³Pacing´, chapter 65 ³Once´, chapter 97 ³Eight´, chapter 27 ³Systems´. Using the first letters of each of these and substituting into the first five numbers of the sequence we get ³POPES´. Continuing this with the second sequence gives ³PANTHEON´. A much easier way to decipher the codes obviously, but you still have to admire the ingenuity of the brute force deciphering before publication! Further confirmation that this code points to the Jefferson Memorial comes in the text of The Lost Symbol, with Brown twice referencing the monument as being based on the Pantheon.

However, two further codes could only be deciphered once The Lost Symbol had been released ± simply because they are only on the back cover. Most prominent is the µMasonic Cipher¶ (also known as the µPigpen Cipher¶) written just inside the verticals of the decorative frame. To µread¶ the symbols in the correct orientation, rotate the back cover 90 degrees clockwise.

Though this is a well-known cipher method and could be decoded without too much help, Dan Brown offers the actual key on page 197 of The Lost Symbol (whilst describing it as ³almost infantile´). Each symbol is actually the uniquely shaped enclosure of each letter¶s position in the µpigpen¶ grid.

So to start, we have the top-left grid square corresponding to µA¶. The next two are the top right grid-square featuring a dot: µL¶; the first word is ³ALL´. Continuing on with this deciphering method reveals the statement ³ALL GREAT TRUTHS BEGIN AS BLASPHEMIES´, which is a quote from the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, and which applies neatly to many of the topics that Dan Brown discusses in his novels.

Lastly, perhaps the most novel cipher technique used by Dan Brown in The Lost Symbol is the grid square which is decoded using the number layout in the µmagic square of Jupiter¶ found in the 1514 engraving Melencolia I, by the Renaissance master Albrecht Durer.ʗ As Dan Brown discusses, adding each row, column, and diagonal in this magic square gives a total of 34 (what a shame that wasn¶t 33!).

On the back cover we find there is a grid square containing a number of letters. While again this jumble of letters could be brute-forced if necessary (it baffles Nola Kaye in The Lost Symbol, but in reality no C.I.A. analyst would have any trouble with it at all), Dan Brown explains all in the pages of the book. All that is required is to navigate the grid squares in numerical sequence: in Duʗrer¶s square, the number µ1¶ is at bottom right, so in the corresponding square in the cover cipher we find a µY¶. number µ2¶ is third square in the top row, corresponding to µO¶ in cipher square; µ3¶ equals µU¶, µ4¶ is ³R´. Continuing on, the entire message is revealed: ³YOUR MIND IS THE KEY´, which relates well to the content in The Lost Symbol concerning the Ancient Mysteries and Noetic Science.

One final thing worth noting is that Dan Brown has said that there are five hidden messages on the cover. Above I¶ve mentioned four ± so what is the final message? It may be the lines mirrored at the top and bottom of the decorative text frame on the back cover, the well-known Hermetic axiom ³AS ABOVE SO BELOW´, although this hardly seems to be a hidden code. Or does this simply reveal a method for solving a fifth code? Or perhaps a final message is hidden somewhere amongst the various symbols found on the cover? Why not grab your copy and see what you can find. And keep your eye on The Cryptex for further updates.