Ever wonder what the anvil represents in our crest?

An anvil, first off, is a metalworking tool made up of a large, flattened steel surface upon which another object can be struck. You’ll notice it in the bottom left corner of our crest. It’s a great motif for what we do here at Online Great Books– the Great Books are the anvil against which we beat our brains to make them into better tools suited for our lives.

The metallurgic metaphor works in other ways, too. For example, you have to heat and tap iron to tamper it. Think of it as the heat of the discussion. A heated discussion is a discussion that can produce transformation, especially if everyone keeps their temper. This is the type of transformative Seminar experience we desire for all of our members.

Some members of the OGB staff gave their take as to what the crest means to them:

“The anvil makes the point that what we do isn’t always easy or pleasant, but that the result is worth the hammering. Noble things are difficult! Which isn’t to say that they aren’t fun as well, but that they aren’t always fun. The stylized brain picture suggests the way that the search for truth branches and curls around on itself.”

–Karl Schudt, Seminar Host

“Our crest expresses our commitment to help each other learn from the greats and become champions of the best. We embrace the challenge of measuring ourselves against the highest standards.”

–Malachy Walsh, Seminar Host

“Heraldry began as a way for knights to identify themselves on the battlefield. I think our crest tells “who we are” to others with the “charges” or emblems. These symbols represent our commitment to the goal of improving our minds, a willingness to embrace the challenges associated with that goal, and an understanding of the rewards we receive by having done so.”

–Jim Furr, Seminar Host

“By hammering out the Great Books together, we transform the tangible to the cerebral. A great crest for a Great feat!”

–Tina Cachules, Seminar Host

“Isn’t really like scissors, rock paper? Anvil, brain, page. Seriously the anvil is where we iron out our differences of thought produced by reading the paper with our minds, not our eyes.”

–Marsha Familaro Enright, Seminar Host

“A virtuous mind has the strength to seek after the truth by immersing itself in the noblest ideas that live in the Great Books tradition.”

–John Pascarella, Seminar Host

“The anvil represents the platform that OGB provides. It’s the iron we use to forge our minds. The page represents the tool we use to forge our minds – reading the books that represent the minds and values of those who got us where we are today. The brain has a double meaning to me.

1. Mindset shapes the way you view life so I’d argue that mindset is the most important “feature” to work on within yourself. The brain being the biggest portion of the logo represents the importance of mindset.

2. The platform (anvil) and the tool (book) are both used to forge the mind (brain), which leads to an improved lifestyle through deeper understanding of life.”

–Jarrad Markel, OGB Marketing Specialist

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