There are different Egyptian symbols that have been used throughout history. During different periods of Egyptian civilization, they were used to represent all kinds of concepts and ideas from their mythology. Most of these symbols were related to some Egyptian god and they used them to decorate their temples. Represent their gods and to make amulets to cope with difficulties.
What are the most common Egyptian symbols?
Some of the Egyptian symbols were inherited from earlier civilizations while others appeared during different periods of Egyptian civilization.
Threaded cross or Ankh
This symbol is also known as Ankh and symbolizes eternal life. This is one of the hieroglyphs most found in Egyptian texts and art, always related to the gods.
The Egyptians believed that the gods had dominion over eternal life. For this reason, by representing their gods with the Ankh symbol they symbolized their power over life and death. The representation of the gods with crossed arms and an Ankh in each hand held by its lower end is common.
Similarly, it was customary for them to represent their gods holding an Ankh close to their lips. This gesture symbolized the offering by the gods of the breath of life, necessary for life beyond the grave.
The Egyptians also considered the Ankh an amulet that they carried with them. They also made mirrors in the shape of an Ankh to represent the mutual reflection between life and death.
Eye of Horus
The Eye of Horus is one of the most used Egyptian symbols in tattoos today. Also known as Udyat, it is related to good health and protection. It comes from the god Horus, the god of the sky represented in the form of a falcon or a man with the head of a falcon.
According to Egyptian mythology Osiris, the father of Horus, was killed by his brother Seth. Horus sought revenge and in a series of encounters with Seth lost his left eye. The god Tot, god of magic and wisdom, was able to restore the eye of Horus and this in turn offered the eye to Osiris in order to bring him back to life. For this reason, the Eye of Horus could also symbolize sacrifice, recovery, and protection.
The two eyes of Horus have a special symbolism in Egyptian mythology. Traditionally his right eye was associated with the Sun, while his left eye was associated with the Moon. This left eye was mostly known as the eye of Horus, while the name of the eye of Ra was used for the right eye, since Ra was the sun god. Although the two eyes are different symbols, they refer to very similar concepts.
Beetle
The Beetle is an Egyptian symbol linked to the god Jepri, a sun god seen as one of the possible forms of the sun god Ra.
The Egyptians thought that beetles reproduced themselves and equated this property to that of the god Jepri, who is reborn every day as the Sun. For this reason, the beetle as an Egyptian symbol can be understood as a symbol of the rising Sun.
The Egyptians made all kinds of amulets in the shape of a beetle to represent the Sun, the resurrection and obtain its protection both in life and in death.
They also made funerary amulets in the shape of this symbol. For this they used to be larger and with hawk wings. These amulets were placed on the heart of the deceased to protect him or her on their journey to the underworld.
Djed Pillar
The Djed Pillar is one of the oldest symbols in Egyptian mythology. It represents strength and stability and is related to the creator god Ptah and to Osiris, the god of death. Due to its association with the god Osiris this symbol is also known as the Osiris backbone.
The Egyptians often made amulets in the shape of the Djed Pillar symbol. These were for both the living and the dead, in which case they were placed near the spine.
Maat feather
In Egyptian mythology Maat is an abstract concept related to justice and truth. This concept was often represented as a goddess, daughter of Ra. One of the attributes of this goddess was that she wore an ostrich feather on her head, known as the feather of Maat.
This feather according to Egyptian beliefs was used during the judgment of Osiris, which took place when a deceased reached the underworld. During the judgment of Osiris the heart of the deceased was placed on one side of a scale and the feather of Maat on the other. If the heart, due to the sins it harboured, weighed more than the feather of Maat, it was considered that the deceased had no right to access the life of the underworld and was eaten by the goddess Ammyt.
Shen Ring
The Shen ring is a symbol of a circle with a line representing a knotted rope. This represented eternity and protection. In some cases, this symbol was drawn with a more elongated shape until it became a cartridge inside which the name of a pharaoh was written. This served to symbolize that the Shen ring eternally protected the pharaoh.
Was Scepter
The Was Scepter, also known as Uas, was an Egyptian symbol that represented power and dominance. Generally, it appeared in the hands of some god or pharaoh. This symbol consisted of a scepter with a fork-shaped base. Its upper part was decorated with the head of some magical creature.
Ajet
The Ajet is an Egyptian hieroglyph that symbolizes the sunrise and the horizon. This symbol was used as an amulet to represent the sunrise and the rebirth of the Sun each morning. It was generally represented guarded by the two lions of the god of the horizon, Aker.
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