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Chapter 76
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Da Vinci Code, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Conspiracies and Secrets
Art and Symbolism
Faith vs. Knowledge
Sacred Femininity and Revisionist History
Power and Manipulation
Summary
Analysis
Teabing writes out the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet using Romanized letters. Since vowels aren’t written, “Baphomet” is spelled “BPVMTh.” Sophie writes out the Atbash Cipher, which substitutes the first letter in the alphabet for the last, and so on. Langdon recalls how the cipher was used to discover the unknown city of “Sheshach” actually referred to the well-known city of Babel, solving a biblical mystery. Now, they swap the letters for Baphomet to spell “ShVPYA.” Sophie doesn’t understand. An awestruck Teabing explains this is Saunière’s “ancient word of wisdom”—“Sophia,” meaning “wisdom” in Greek. Sophie is touched that her grandfather used her name as the Priory passcode. In ancient Greek, Sophia is spelled “Sofia.”
The Atbash Cipher, though simple, effectively obscures the keystone’s true password beneath layers of clues. That Saunière used this ancient code to hide Sophie’s name in plain view speaks to his deep love for her. This can also be read as the curator’s admission that has hidden things about Sophie’s family from her and is now attempting to make amends by leading her toward the truth. Additionally, that Sophie’s name means “wisdom” in Greek affirms her intellectual prowess.
Active
Themes
