“Eternity” in Hieroglyphs (Part 2)

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Yesterday 𓋴𓆑𓇳 we looked at one word for “Eternity 𓎛𓇳𓎛” and today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the other word for “Eternity – 𓆖.”

“Time” is such a complex concept; in our modern view, time is linear with the past at one end and the future at the other end. The present time is viewed as in between the past and future. In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, time was viewed as both linear and cyclical. 

Here’s how “eternity” was expressed in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪: 

𓆖 – Eternity (linear)

𓎛𓇳𓎛 – Eternity (cyclical)

Linear eternity, represented by 𓆖, is the concept which represents that all of the things that came about at the time of creation (sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯 is above the land 𓇾𓇾, Nile 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗𓈘𓈇𓏺 flowing South 𓇔𓅱𓏏 to North 𓎔𓏏, sun 𓇳𓏺 rising in the East 𓋁𓃀𓏏𓏭 and setting in the West 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊, etc) would continue on as is for all 𓎟 eternity 𓆖. Cyclical Eternity 𓎛𓇳𓎛, showed that all of the natural cycles like birth and death, the yearly seasons, would continue on for all 𓎟 eternity 𓎛𓇳𓎛. 

Let’s break down the symbols for Eternity 𓆖 (pronounced like “ḏt”):

The “cobra 𓆓” is a phonogram, which means that it is a symbol that represents sounds, and is usually part of a larger word! The cobra 𓆓 is a uniliteral sign, so it represents just one consonant. It represents the sound “ḏ” which would almost sound like a “j” when pronounced.

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word “bread 𓏏𓏺.”

The “strip of land 𓇿/𓇾” symbols can both be used to write “Eternity 𓆖.” While both symbols have different meaning when not used as a determinative, in the case of “Eternity 𓆖” it is used as one! “𓇾” pronounced like “tah/t3” is an ideogram for land, earth and world and is a determining for “Eternity 𓆖.”  “𓇿” is also a determinative for “Eternity 𓆖” but also for desert and foreign land. It’s an ideogram for “island” and would be pronounced like “jw.”

You can read Part 1 of this post here!

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