The pigpen cipher (sometimes referred to as the masonic

cipher, Freemason's cipher, or tictactoe

cipher)[2][3] is a
geometric simple substitution cipher, which exchanges letters for
symbols which are fragments of a grid. The example key shows
one way the letters can be assigned to the grid.
The pigpen cipher uses graphical
symbols assigned according to a key
similar to the above diagram.[
Security
The use of symbols instead of letters is no impediment to cryptanalysis, and this system is
identical to
that of other simple monoalphabetic substitution schemes. Due to the simplicity of the cipher,
it is often
included in children's books on ciphers and secret writing.
History
The exact origin of the cipher is uncertain,[5] but records of this system have been found
which go back
to at least the 18th century. Variations of this cipher were used by both the Rosicrucian
brotherhood[5]
and the Freemasons, though the latter used it so often that the system is frequently called
the
Freemason's cipher. They began using it in the early 18th century to keep their records of
history and
rites private, and for correspondence between lodge leaders.[3][6][7] Tombstones of
Freemasons can also
be found which use the system as part of the engravings. One of the earliest stones in Trinity
Church
Cemetery in New York City, which opened in 1697, contains a cipher of this type which
deciphers to
"Remember death" (cf. "memento mori"). George Washington's army had documentation
about the
system, with a much more randomized form of the alphabet. And during the American Civil
War, the system was used by Union prisoners in Confederate prisons.[5]

Variants
The core elements of this system are the grid and dots. Some systems use the X's, but even
these can be
rearranged. One commonly used method orders the symbols as shown in the above image:
grid, grid, X,
X. Another commonly used system orders the symbols as grid, X, grid, X. Another is grid,
grid, grid,
with each cell having a letter of the alphabet, and the last one having an "&" character.
Letters from the first grid have no dot, letters from the second each have one dot, and letters
from the third each have two
dots. Another variation of this last one is called the Newark Cipher, which instead of dots
uses one to
three short lines which may be projecting in any length or orientation. This gives the illusion
of a larger
number of different characters than actually exist.[8]
Another system, used by the Rosicrucians, used a single grid of nine cells, and 1 to 3 dots in
each cell or
"pen". So ABC would be in the top left pen, followed by DEF and GHI on the first line, then
groups of
JKL MNO PQR on the second, and STU VWX YZ on the third.[2][5] When enciphered, the
location of
the dot in each symbol (left, center, or right), would indicate which letter in that pen was
represented.[1][5] More difficult systems use a nonstandard
form of the alphabet, such as writing it
backwards in the grid, up and down in the columns,[4] or a completely randomized set of
letters.
The Templar cipher is a method claimed to have been used by the Knights Templar. It uses a
variant of a Maltese Cross.

In popular culture
The Pigpen cipher has been used in several works of popular
culture including Dan Brown's 2009 novel The Lost Symbol, both
in the book itself, and also to provide a puzzle in the artwork of
the U.S. version of the bookjacket. The Trap, a 2009 nominee for
Lancashire Children's Book of the Year, uses a variation of the
Pigpen cipher.[9]

Author Clifford B. Hicks included the cipher in his 1963

children's book Alvin's Secret Code, with title character Alvin
Fernald explaining its use by Civil War soldiers.
Used in the book The Voyage of the Mimi.
The cover of the Outfield's 1989 album, Voices of Babylon, is
written in a pigpen cipher similar to the version shown to the
right, as are the song titles in the album's liner notes.
The 39 clues series of popular children's books uses pigpen cipher in many of its puzzles in
books and its
gaming website (http://www.39clues.com).
In the game Assassin's Creed II, a variant of Pigpen is used to provide additional information
about the
story, in addition to Morse Code and binary code.
In the novel Time Riders: The Doomsday Code, it is used to encrypt a message to the
present day from
the past.
The BBC series Sherlock has created a website to correlate with the events in the series The
Science of
Deduction (http://www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk). Under the "Hidden Messages" tab,
"Sherlock"
lists three coded messages he received from a stalker, and the third is in pigpen cipher. The
message says
"Sherlock I have found you".
In Club Penguin, a children's MMO, a modified pigpen cipher is used in the "Secret Agent"
aspect of the
game.
In the beginning of Linkin Park's "In the End" music video, the doorway that Chester emerges
from is
inscribed in Pigpen symbols
In the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies map 'Buried', the Pigpen cipher forms part of the
quest for
players to complete an 'Easter Egg' achievement. Players are required to decipher a code in
order to
proceed on with the quest. The code uses a cipher based on the letters of the alphabet being
grouped into
three letters with the corresponding letter being annotated by a line inside the cipher.

The Pigpen Cipher is another example of a substitution cipher, but rather than replacing
each letter with another letter, the letters are replaced by symbols. The cipher has an
interesting history: although its true origins are unknown, it has been used by many groups.
Most notoriously, it was the cipher of choice for use by the Freemasons, a secret society in
the 18th Century. In fact, they used it so much, that it is often referred to as the
Freemasons Cipher. However, it was not exclusively used by them, with Union prisoners in
Confederate camps using it to communicate in the American Civil War.
Encryption
The encryption process is fairly straightforward, replacing each occurence of a letter with
the designated symbol. The symbols are assigned to the letters using the key shown below,
where the letter shown is replaced by the part of the image in which it is located.
Decryption
The decryption process is just the reverse of the encryption process. Using the same key
(the grid above), you locate the image depicted in the ciphertext, and replace it with the
letter given by that part of the grid.
Discussion
The Pigpen Cipher was used by the Freemasons in many aspects of their lives, and one of
the most common still seen today is on gravestones. Below is an image of a gravestone
which clearly contains the use of the Pigpen Cipher.

Notice that at the top of the gravestone,

there is the symbol of a pair of compasses,
one of the symbols of the Freemasons. The
inscription appears to read "Thomas
Brierley made his ingress July 16th 1785",
which is thought to mean that he joined the
Freemasons on this date.
There are many possible variation of the Pigpen Cipher (even in the example above, the
symbol for "s" is not standard). The most common variants include changing the order from
grid, grid, X, X to grid, X, grid, X (as shown below) or even placing the letters alternately
into the grids (as used in the game "Assassin's Creed II").