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AMENTA:
This symbol represents the Underworld or Land of the Dead.
Originally it meant the horizon of the sun set. Later, it
became the symbol of the west bank of the Nile, where the
sun set and also where the Egyptians traditionally buried
their dead. |
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ANKH: In the shape of a mirror or a knot, the ankh is a symbol
of life. It was often carried by deities or people in a
funeral procession, or offered to the king as the breath of
life.
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BA: The Ba is what we might call someone's personality. It
would leave the body at the time of death. During the days
the Ba would make itself useful, at night it would return to
the tomb. At this time, it would look for the person to
which it belonged. This would be the mummy, however, often
the Egyptians would supply the Ba with a statue in the
likeness of the deceased in case the mummy was lost or
damaged.
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CAT: The cat was such a sacred animal to the Egyptians that
some people were actually given death penalties for killing
them. The cat was a personification of the sun. It helped
destroy the foes of Osiris, and it cut off the head of the
serpent of destruction. |
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CROCODILE: The crocodile was the water god. Early worship of
this awesome beast may have been a propitiation, for in the
dry season crocodiles wandered on land, where they
occasionally ate human beings. In its evil aspect the
crocodile was associated with Set, murderer of Osiris. In
The Book of the Dead four crocodiles represent powers of the
darkness.
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DJED: It is believed that the Djed is a rendering of a human
backbone. It represents stability and strength. It was
originally associated with the creation god Ptah. Himself
being called the "Noble Djed". As the Osiris cults took hold
it became known as the backbone of Osiris . A djed column is
often painted on the bottom of coffins, where the backbone
of the deceased would lay, this identified the person with
the king of the underworld, Osiris. It also acts as a sign
of stability for the deceased' journey into the afterlife.
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EYE OF HORUS: Was believed to have healing and protective power,
and it was used as a protective amulet, and as a medical measuring
device, using the mathematical proportions of the eye to determine
the proportions of ingredients in medical preparations) to prepare
medications.
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FALCON: The peregrine falcon was known to the Egyptians as a
bird that lived in the celestial realm of the sky. It was
identified with the god, Horus, who was an image of the
divine descended into the terrestrial. Horus was usually
depicted with the body of a man and the head of hawk
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FLAIL AND CROOK: A symbol of royalty, majesty and dominion. |
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FROG: The frog was a symbol of generation, fecundity, and
birth, and the goddess Hekt had the head of a frog.
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HAWK: The god Horus, who was the archetype for the pharaohs,
frequently appeared in Egyptian art as either a hawk, or a
man with the head of a hawk. The funeral ceremonies of
pharaohs often included the release of a live hawk to depict
the dead king's soul flying away to the afterlife.
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HERON: Other gods were only known in their animal form. A
heron, called the bennu, was a symbol of the rising and
setting sun. It incarnated the divine principle of
resurrection, and it remains in mythology today as the
Phoenix.
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JACKAL: Dogs or jackals were taken by the Egyptians to be
guardians of the dead, perhaps because they were found in
desert areas, were corpses were taken. Anubis, a
jackal-headed god was the guide of the souls of the dead as
they went to the neterworld. He also taught human beings the
art of embalming.
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LION: Lions were worshipped by the Egyptians for their great
strength and courage. They were associated with the solar
deities, Horus and Ra. The lion was believed to be a
protector of the sun. In some temples a lion statue guarded
the gate through which the sun rose each morning. Lion
statues were often given heads of men. The Sphinx of Gizeh
was a lion with a human head; she faced the rising sun and
protected the sleeping dead. Rameses II and III kept lions
as mascots; they also used them in battle.
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LOTUS: The lotus was a symbol of the sun god and the
pharaohs. Like the sun that sets in the evening and rises in
the morning, the lotus flower blooms in the day and closes
each night. In one version of the creation myth, the sun
first rose out of a giant lotus flower that bloomed on the
primordial mound. The lotus thus became a symbol of rebirth,
the renewal of life and the promise of everlasting life.
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OBELISK: The obelisk was a holy symbol and was also used as a
tool to observe the shade of sun and as a needlepoint when
looking at stars. In the middle of a city or a village it
became the center of the world.
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PAPYRUS: A water plant, the papyrus symbolizes the primeval
marshes of the creation story. The heraldic plant of Lower
Egypt, it was used to decorate columns in temples built by
the pharaohs.
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PHOENIX: In the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt, the phoenix
was known as the benu. This word, benu, means "to
rise in brilliance". In one version of the creation myth, Ra
rose in the shape of a phoenix from the primordial ocean of
Nun and landed on a single mound of dry land, then let the
sun's rays shine forth from himself.
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PRIMORDIAL HILL: The Egyptians believed that during creation
this hill rose out of the sea of chaos to create dry land.
The idea of this hill rising had a profound effect on the
Egyptians, being used as every thing from temple layouts to
the possible inspiration behind the pyramids.
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PYRAMID: The source of eternal strength and energy. |
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SCARAB (KHEPER): The good luck beetle. Ancient Egyptians believed that
a winged scarab or dung beetle flew across the sky each morning carrying
the sun. He represented the god of dawn or creation and was
worn for strength. The scarab filled a ball of dung with
eggs and pushed it across the desert. It was a symbol of
resurrection, and it's most sacred duty was to push the sun
up over the horizon.
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SISTRUM: A sacred rattle, used in the worship of the Egyptian
goddesses. The sound of its clattering wires was said to
dispel evil spirits. Egyptian paintings show the sistrum not
only in the hand of the Goddess herself, but also in the
hands of her priestesses and other high-ranking women.
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SPHINX: The image of the sphinx is usually associated with the
Egyptian goddess Hathor in her role as the lioness /
destroyer
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STORK (IBIS): Ibises were sacred because they had secret
knowledge: They showed up shortly before the annual floods.
The ibis-headed god, Thoth, was a scribe, whose pen
repeatedly dipped in ink in a manner that the long beaks of
the ibises dipped into the mud. Egyptians also saw a
mysterious connection between the sickle-bills of the ibises
and the crescent moon.
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URAEUS: The uraeus was the Egyptian cobra symbol of the
Goddess as creatress. The symbol was worn on the foreheads
of deities and rulers in the position of the "third eye" of
insight, and stood for royal spirit, healing, and wisdom. In
hieroglyphics, the uraeus was the sign for "Goddess",
derived from Uatchet.
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VULTURE: The vulture was the symbol of Upper Egypt. Pharaohs
wore the uraeus (cobra) and the head of a vulture on their
foreheads as symbols of royal protection. The goddess
Nekhbet was also portrayed as a vulture.
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WINGED SUN DISK: In ancient Egyptian religion, the sun disk
became a primary symbol of Ra, the sun god. He was called
the Sun Of Righteousness with healing in his wings." The sun
disk was carved over the doorways of many Egyptian tombs and
temples, and it appears on many papyri.
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