Category: Reading Hieroglyphs

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Son of Ra”

“Son of Ra”

𓅭𓇳 – Let’s learn some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

𓅭𓇳 simply means β€œSon of Ra.” Let’s break down the phrase:
π“…­ – Son
𓇳 – Ra

𓅭𓇳 is a very common title and you will see it in any museum you go to! A title is a phrase that is seen before 𓐍𓂋 the cartouche 𓍢 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 and can be viewed as an β€œintroduction” so that way the reader knows that the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 is about to show up!

Now, the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 is no mystery because it always appears in a cartouche 𓍢 but the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 wanted to make sure their names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ were known/preserved for all eternity π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž›!

The phrase β€œSon of Ra π“…­π“‡³β€œ also implies that the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 is the child of a god π“ŠΉ, which would give them the divine right to rule. A pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was considered to be a god π“ŠΉ on Earth 𓇾𓇾!

This beautiful π“„€ inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ is from the King’s List Relief that is located in the British Museum!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs Lesson: β€œGiven Life, Stability and Strength for (all) Eternity”

How exciting! This is the first hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ lesson on the new website!

β€œGiven Life, Stability and Strength for (all) Eternity” is one of the most common phrases you will see in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Variations of this phrase can be found on so many different types of artifacts – from stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“¦, to statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“¦, to false doors, amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†, sarcophagi π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­π“¦ and more!

Let’s breakdown the phrase symbol by symbol!
𓏙 – Given
π“‹Ή – Life
π“Š½ – Stability
π“Œ€ – Strength
𓆖 – Eternity

π“™π“‹Ήπ“Š½π“Œ€π“†– is very much like a blessing, ensuring that the person being spoken about in the inscription is all of these qualities! This phrase can be used with both the living and the dead! A shortened version, 𓏙𓋹, or β€œGiven Life” also appears frequently!

Something that’s really great is that once you can recognize some of these common symbols and their meanings, you can go to museums and start to recognize the phrases on the monuments! One of the best ways to learn hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ is to just start reading and keep practicing!