References to Freemasonry in popular culture range from the vitriolic to the innocuous. Far more often they are merely misinformed allusions from which Freemasonry faces a far more insidious threat; that of being marginalized, trivialized, and fictionalized. Most of the references noted on this site are harmless, simply pointing out that Freemasonry has played a role in our society; some are humorous, yet some are disturbing in their associations. ART CINEMA | COMICS COMMON EXPRESSIONS FICTION | LITERATURE | MUSIC FICTIONAL FRATERNITIES: TV FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: FILM FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: STAGE FRATERNITIES & SOCIETIES: TV FRATERNITIES: CARTOONS OBSCURITIES | NON-FICTION POP CULTURE CURIOSITIES FICTIONAL FRATERNITIES RADIO | TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES ONLINE .

Masonic references in the writings of Katherine Neville The Eight "Judge for yourself," Catherine said. "I know the secret is older than the Moors. older then the Basques. Older, indeed, then the Druids. I must ask you, my friend, have you heard of a secret society of men who sometimes call themselves the Freemasons?" [p. 108.] "There is a secret society of men who feel their mission in life is to alter the course of civilization," Euler told me.... "These men," he continued, "claim to be scientists and engineers, but in effect they are mystics...." [p. 111] "Sometimes these men call themselves the Brotherhood of Freemasons, sometimes Rosicrucians Whatever the name they chose, they have one thing in common. their origins are in North Africa. When Prince Edward established this society upon Western soil, they called themselves the Order of the Architects of Africa...." [p. 112.] "... When Frederick [the Great] brought the Order of freemasons into Prussia in force, Peter joined their group and pledged his life to supporting them." [p. 113.] "... Who were the men involved? Men named Washington, Jefferson, Franklin—Freemasons all! Today, the King of France is in prison, his crown about to roll along with his head. Who are the men behind it? Lafayette, Condorcet, Danton, Desmoulins, Brissot, Sieyès, and the king’s own brothers, including the Duc d'Orleans—Freemasons all." "A coincidence—" the abbess began, but Catherine cut her off. "Was it coincidence that, of the men I tried to employ to pass the Bill of Seizure in France, the one who accepted my terms was none other than Mirabeau—a member of the Freemasons? ..." [p. 115.] They [Shiite Muslems] founded a mystical cult with a lodge, secret rites of initiation, and a grand master—upon which the current Society of Freemasons have based their rituals. [p. 276.] For the king, matters could go far worse. Already his life hung by the merest thread, incarcerated with his family in the tower of the Knights Templar—that powerful Order of the Freemasons who were clamering for him to be brought to trial. [p. 284.] "That’s odd," Wordsworth said. "For in England we'd believed those behind this French Revolution were the Freemasons, who must surely be counted mystics." "It’s true most of us belong to that society," agreed Robespierre. "In fact, the Jacobin Club itself was first founded by Talleyrand as an Order of the Freemasons. But here in France we Freemasons are scarcely mystics—" "Some are," David interrupted. "Marat, for example." Casanova was interested especially in this last and questioned me closely about the Societies of Freemasons so popular in Paris just then. [p. 390.] "Yes," said Arnold, moving a piece across the board. "You must ask Alexander Hamilton, a fellow Freemason. [p. 481.} The Freemasons and other liberals whom Catherine had opposed were being let out of the prisons. [p. 506] There is no record that Hamilton, Jefferson, Marat, Talleyrand or Robespierre were Freemasons. The Eight. Katherine Neville. Ballantine Books, New York: 1988. ISBN: 0-345-36623-9.

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