I think hedgehogs ππππππͺ are such cute little animals!! I love tiny πππ΄π © things, so a hedgehog πππππ amulet ππͺπ is perfect for me because both hedgehogs ππππππͺ and amulets ππͺπ πͺ are tiny πππ΄π ©! This particular blue ππΉππΏπΈπ₯ faience π£πππΈπΌ hedgehog πππππ is from the Petrie Museum in London! Plus, I think hedgehogs ππππππͺ are such cute animals!
The ancient Egyptians πππππͺ used amulets ππͺπ πͺ a lot in both their daily life and afterlife πΌπΏππ! No matter who was wearing it, amulets ππͺπ πͺ had the same function: to invoke magical protection π ππ‘π for the wearer! Amulets ππͺπ πͺ could represent gods πΉπΉπΉ and goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ, everyday objects, hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, plants πΎπ°π°π°, animals, and many other things! While many amulets ππͺπ πͺ were usually placed on mummies ππΉπ ±πΎπͺ to help the deceased π ππ± on their journey to the Duat πΌπΏππ (afterlife), amulets ππͺπ πͺ could also be worn by the living π£πππͺ too!
In ancient Egypt, the hedgehog πππππ was associated with rebirth ππΏπ ±, which is a concept central to the ancient Egyptian religion. This association occurred because when food π¬ππ ±ππ₯ is scarce, hedgehogs ππππππͺ will retreat into their underground burrows for long periods of time. Hedgehogs ππππππͺ only re-emerge from their burrows during times of food π¬ππ ±ππ₯ abundance. This disappearing/appearing pattern strongly correlated with the concept of rebirth ππΏπ ± to the ancient Egyptians.
Hedgehog πππππ amulets ππͺπ πͺ were placed in tombs ππ«πππͺ in order to invoke rebirth ππΏπ ± of the deceased π ππ±. Hedgehog πππππ amulets ππͺπ πͺ were also thought to provide protection π ππ‘π against snake πππππ bites. Most hedgehog πππππ amulets ππͺπ πͺ are dated to the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom, with their popularity peaking around the 18th Dynasty.
βHedgehogβ can be written in two π» ways in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ:
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