The โRipple of Water ๐โ has always been one of my favorite symbols because โ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram that has a sound like โNโ! As a kid ๐๐๐ I loved it because you use โ๐โ to write both โNicole ๐๐๐ก๐ฏ๐ญ๐โ and โNonno ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฏ๐โ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! I also loved this symbol because it is an easy one to write/draw! I am no artist and while I can definitely read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, writing them is another story! I would have failed scribe ๐๐ school!!
While a simple symbol, the โRipple of Water ๐โ has many uses in Middle Egyptian! On its own, ๐ can mean: to, for, of, through, in, because, not, cannot, unless, no, they, we, us, and our! Thatโs a lot of words! When reading inscriptions, you can figure out the meaning based off of the context clues!
โWe, us, and ourโ can also be written as: ๐๐ฅ. โTheyโ can be written as: ๐๐ฎ or ๐๐ญ.
The โRipple of Water ๐โ is used a lot on its own but is also used a lot as part of larger words and names! Here are some examples:
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at an inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย that includes the name ๐๐ of a god ๐น, and the honorific that follows the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น!ย
Hereโs a breakdown of the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐:
๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐ญ – Amun-Ra
๐ – Lord
๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ – Thrones
So the inscription fully reads โ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐ญ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ – Amun-Ra, Lord of the Thrones.โ โLord of the Thrones ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผโ was a popular honorific to use after the name ๐๐ of a deity ๐น like Amun-Ra ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐ญ because as he rose to popularity during the New Kingdom, he was considered to be the King of the Egyptian Gods. Amun-Ra ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐ญ was also referred to as the โSupreme Godโ and is the combination of the individual deities Amun ๐๐ ๐ and Ra ๐ณ๐.
Here are some variants of Amun-Raโs name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ, we are going to travel all the way back to predynastic Egypt (c. 3500-3300 B.C.E.)!
This type of vaseย ๐ ๐๐๐, known by scholars as โpottery vesselsโ are very characteristic of early Egyptian art. There are many different examples of these, and many have been found in Egyptย ๐๐ ๐๐. There is a very similar one to this in the British Museum, and many other examples at the MET! The significance of these vasesย ๐ ๐๐๐๐ชย is still debated because Egyptologists donโt exactly know why they were made or what they were used for! These predynastic vasesย ๐ ๐๐๐๐ชย are so adored that many fakes have even popped up!ย
In the image ๐๐ ฑ๐ above, there seem to be animals such as antelopesย ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒย and flamingoes ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ช standing amongst groups of triangles. These triangles most likely represent landscape features such as hills ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ช or mountains ๐๐ ณ.ย
In the image ๐๐ ฑ๐ above, a womanย ๐๐๐๐๐ย (left) and a manย ๐๐๐ค(right) are standing on a boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐. Above the boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐, the hills ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ช/mountains ๐๐ ณ are once again depicted. Below the boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐, it looks like plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย are being shown! To me, the plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย look like ferns (that is my interpretation).ย
As a kid ๐๐๐, I really liked this vase ๐ ๐๐๐ because the groups of animals reminded me of the โCircle of Lifeโ from The Lion King! To me (both as a kid ๐๐๐ and even now as an adult), the scenes on this pottery vessel ๐ ๐๐๐ look just like the movie!
This is a very unique piece (not the cute little hippoย ๐๐๐ฏ)!
This artifact is referred to as an โApotropaicย Rodโ or โMagicย ๐๐๐ฟ๐ย Rodโ which means that it is an object that has the power to ward off evilย ๐๐๐๐๐ จย or bad luck. This piece is dated to the Middle Kingdom (c. 1678-1640 B.C.E.) which was during the reign ๐พ of Senwosret IIIย ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ย (Dynasty 12).ย
This piece is composed of multiple (four ๐ฝ) segments that are all joined together. This is the only Magic ๐๐๐ฟ๐ Rod that has been found of this type, and luckily it is completely preserved! In ancient Egyptian magic, animals that were considered to be dangerous, such as lions ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐๐ฆ, hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ, and crocodiles ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ฆ could be used in amulet ๐๐ช๐ or wand to induce protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ on the person. There are also some cute frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ!! These animals can be seen as figures on the top of the wand!
There is also a turtle ๐๐๐ฟ๐ amongst the other predatory animals on the top-center of the rod, so were turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ considered predatory? In ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ were seen as an ambiguous force because they were creatures of both land ๐พ and water ๐. Turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ were also seen as the enemy of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, and in chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead, it is stated that โMay Ra live, and may the turtle die.โ The turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ that lived in the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ were mostly nocturnal, which is probably why they were considered to be Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ enemy.
Carved into the rockย ๐๐๐๐ย underneath the figures are other protectiveย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย symbols such as the Wedjat ๐ or โEye of Horus,โ and baboons. There is also an image ๐๐ ฑ๐ of a crocodileย ๐ ๐ด๐๐ย and what looks like a lioness ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐๐!ย
Hereโs another example of an Egyptian โMagicย ๐๐๐ฟ๐ย Wand,โ which is more commonly referred to as an โApotropaic Wand.โย
This piece is dated to the Middle Kingdom (c.ย 1981-1640ย B.C.E.ย Dynasty 12-13) and wands such as these were common to find amongst burial equipment in Middle Kingdom tombsย ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ. These type of โMagic Wandsโ are a lot more common than the one I posted about previously!ย
This โMagic Wandโ is made out of hippopotamus ๐๐๐ฏ ivory. Since the tusks is the most dangerous and powerful part of the hippopotamus ๐๐๐ฏ, this object symbolically has the power to ward off evil ๐๐๐๐๐ จ or bad luck. Not only is the ivory powerful, but the deities ๐น๐น๐น depicted are also carry knives in order to ward off evil forces ๐๐๐๐๐ จ! Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐, Nekhbet ๐๐๐๐ ๐, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, and Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ are all shown!
There are also some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the Magic Wand! Some Magic Wands contain longer inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on the back (not this one though)! Many of these inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ indicate that these wands were used as a protective amulet ๐๐ช๐ during childbirth, but they were placed in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ to help the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ at his/her rebirth.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐ฒ๐๐๐ ฑ๐บ๐ณ – Protection of Day
๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐๐ฑ – Protection of Night
Night can also be written as: ๐ผ๐๐๐ or ๐.
Day can also be written as: ๐๐๐บ๐ณ
Ancient Egyptian magic ๐๐๐ฟ๐ is so incredibly fascinating!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at a very popular word that appears on a lot of funerary equipmentย ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ (coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ, False Doors, Canopic Jar Cases, etc.)! This word can be tricky though because there are a lot of different variants of it – meaning that it can be spelled differently depending on how the word is used or the amount of space available on the object (in this case, the object is a woodenย ๐ฑ๐๐บย coffinย ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ). Different variants of the word can even appear on the same object, as I illustrate with the picturesย ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆย Iโm sharing todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ!
The word for today ๐๐๐๐ณ is โRevered/Revered One,โ which on the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ, you can see two ๐ป of the popular variants:
๐๐ด๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐
Revered One/Revered can also be spelled like:
๐๐ด๐ช
๐๐ด๐ช๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐
๐๐ด๐๐
๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐ ฑ (Revered Man – Dead)
๐ช๐๐๐ (Revered Woman – Dead)
Iโm sure I did not list all of the variants either! Word variants can be confusing for people who are just starting to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช and thatโs okay! It will just take some practice, and the best way to practice is to just keep reading real Egyptian inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ!
Next time you go to a museum, see if you can find a variant for โRevered/Revered One!โ Iโm sure you will!!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at the name ๐๐ of not only a very popular deity ๐น, but also one of my favorite deities ๐น๐น๐น (besides Anubisย ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃย of course)!!ย
This is the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The name ๐๐ Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ is actually the Greek version of his name ๐๐; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty ๐ ๐๐ญ!
Letโs break down the hieroglyphic symbols ๐น๐๐ช together ๐๐!
The โ Ibis on Standard ๐ โ symbol is a variant of the โIbis ๐ โ symbol and has the sound of โแธแธฅwtj,โ which we thing would sound like โDjehuty.โ This symbol is an ideogram, so it represents the full sound of the word it is meant to represent.
Whatโs interesting about the Middle Egyptian Language, is that even though ideograms like โ๐ โ and โ๐โ would fully spell out Thothโs name ๐๐, scribes would still add the phonograms to the end of the name ๐๐ if there was enough space on the monument/object to do so! This made inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ easier to read ๐๐ง๐ and also look nicer! The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช were all about the aesthetic!
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ It also functions as the ideogram for the word โbread ๐๐บโ and can be used to make words feminine!
The โtwo strokes ๐ญโ symbol represents the sound โjโ which in English would have the same sound as a โy.โ It is usually only used at the end of a word!
Here are some variants of Thothโs name ๐๐:
๐ ค๐ญ
๐
๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ
๐ ๐๐ญ
๐
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ, and was thus the god ๐น of all record keeping. Due to his vast knowledge,ย ๐๐๐๐ย Thoth ๐ was thought to know magic and secrets that were unknown to the rest of the gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon.ย He was also the god ๐น of scribes ๐๐๐ช.
Letโs read the inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the picture above:ย
๐ ๐๐ญ – Thoth (Djehuty)
๐ – Lord
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ – Divine Words/Writing
โLord of the Divine Words/Writing ๐๐น๐๐๐๐๐โ was one of Thothโs ๐ ๐๐ญ many titles! This title makes perfect sense since he was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ/hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Fun Fact: โwritingโ was usually written as โ๐๐๐๐,โ but on this coffin it is switched to โ๐๐๐๐!โ
Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ was originally god ๐น of the moon ๐๐๐๐น, but then later became associated with writing ๐๐๐ฅ and knowledge ๐๐๐๐. The moon ๐๐๐๐น could be thought of as a โnight sun,โ which kind of places him as an opposite of the sun ๐ณ๐บ god ๐น Re ๐ณ๐บ๐.
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar which is one of the ancient Egyptiansโ long lasting contributions to astronomy! As their math an astronomy got better, Egyptian astronomers even adjusted the year to be exactly 365.25 days, which is the exact time it takes the Earth ๐พ๐พ to revolve around the Sun ๐ณ๐บ! How amazing is that!?
My friends over at Dover Publications were kind enough to send me this book โThe Gods of the Egyptiansโ by Budge for me to read and review! This book was gifted to me!
My Nonno had a lot of Budgeโs books, so I kind of grew up with them! I had never read this one though, so I was very excited to dive in!
This book starts off with a deep look into the complex Egyptian religion and includes sections on the Nomes, Duat, and even a look at the Pyramid Texts! Then there are chapters on Ra, Hathor, Thoth and Maat, Horus, and then the Memphis Triad of Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem/Imhotep. You all know how much I love Imhotep, so this was such a great read! Many of the other deities ๐น๐น๐น are mentioned through the chapters too, because they have relations to the ones listed above.
My favorite aspect of the book is that it contains full transliterations and translation of two Egyptian myths: โThe Legend of Ra and Isisโ and โThe Destruction of Mankind.โ There are also other translations of parts of myths like this throughout the chapters.
I think this is one of the best ways for beginners to learn hieroglyphs! By practicing with reading actual Egyptian literature, you get familiar with the language and grammar without actually studying it! This is mainly how I learned, and I really enjoyed reading through the myths this way!
If you want to take a deep dive into Egyptian mythology and learn hieroglyphs along the way, I would definitely recommend this book! I am also definitely going to get Part 2! You guys can also order this off of Doverโs website. Happy Reading ๐
While the four ๐ฝ figures of the Four Sons of Horus at the front of this display look like ushabtiย ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พย figures, they are not!! There are someย blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ย ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พย figures behind the Four Sons of Horus though!ย
So what are these Four Sons of Horus figures? These are actually called โviscera figuresโ and they were meant to protect the internal organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ! Usually, the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ, liver ๐ ๐๐ก๐, stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป, and intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ were removed, dried with natron, and placed in Canopic Jars for protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐.
In some cases, the organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ were mummified and put back in the body. This is where the viscera figures come into play – the viscera figures were then placed inside the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ to protect ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the mummified organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ!
From the left: Duamutef ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ had the head of a jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป. Imsety ๐๐๐ด๐๐ had the head of a human and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ. Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ. Hapy ๐๐๐ช๐ had the head of a baboon and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ.
These pieces are dated to the Third Intermediate Period/21st Dynasty (c. 1000โ945 B.C.E.). The viscera figures and the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures pictured were found in the burial chamber ๐๐๐๐ of Djedmutesankh in a tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri.
In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, you are looking at amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช and the molds that were used to make them! These molds are typically made of terracotta and allowed artists to not only mass produce amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช, but also make the amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ชย small and detailed! The amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช that you see in the pictureย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย are the Eye of Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and the Eye of Raย ๐ณ๐บ๐!ย
How do you tell them apart? The left eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the right eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The right/left sides is based on a human eye ๐น๐๐ค, so it would be opposite to the observer. In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, most of these amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช are actually Eyes of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The one amulet ๐๐ช๐ at the top right is the eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ! If you get them mixed up donโt worry – I sometimes do too!
The wedjat ๐ or the “Eye of Horus” is representative of the eye ๐น๐๐ค that Horus ๐ ๐ญ lost when battling Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ. Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ restored Horus’ ๐ ๐ญ eye, however, the single Eye of Horus became a symbol of rebirth or healing ๐ด๐๐๐ due to the nature of the myth. The wedjat ๐ was also common symbol of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ and regeneration. The Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ was an amulet ๐๐ช๐ used by both the living and the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ! The Eye of Horus was also associated with the moon ๐๐๐๐น!
While most people associate the eye ๐น๐๐ค with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, there is an Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ too! While the Eye of Ra was also an amulet ๐๐ช๐ of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐, it was also associated with power. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can be thought of as an extension of Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ power and thus an extension of the sun ๐ณ๐บ itself. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can see everything, and even transformed into Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ in one of the myths!
As you can see, itโs interesting how the two eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ both represent the sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น- the two ๐ป largest objects in the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ! One is associated with day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ, and the other night ๐ผ๐๐๐! The sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น are almost like the two ๐ป eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ watching the Earth ๐พ๐พ!
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at one of the names ๐๐๐ฆ of one of the Four Sons of Horus!
Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ , protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ, and was associated with the West ๐๐๐๐.ย
Qebehsenuef can be written as both ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ and ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐, and sometimes a determinative was added to the end of the name ๐๐, which reads like ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ.
The โwater jar with water ๐ / ๐โ symbols are both variants of each other and have the same meaning! These symbols mostly act as determinatives, however in the case of Qebehsenuef the symbols act as a triliteral phonogram with the sound โkbb/qbbโ or โkbh/qbh.โ
The โarrowhead ๐ขโ is a biliteral phonogram that is associated with the sound โsn.โ Since the arrowhead ๐ข is repeated three times in the name, that pluralizes the symbol and causes it to have the sound โsnw.โ
The โhorned viper ๐โ functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound โf.โ In other words, it can function as a determinative. The ๐ can be confusing for people learning hieroglyphs because it can also function as the word โheโ! There are so many ways that ๐ and it takes practice to master them all!
So Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ may seem like a difficult name ๐๐ to pronounce but once you break down the symbols itโs not too bad! How the name ๐๐ is written with Romanized Letters is very similar to the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ would would like โQbh-snu-f.โ
