Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!
Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the Horus Name for the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Rameses II! The Throne Name (𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖) and the Birth Name (𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓇳𓏺𓄟𓋴𓇓) usually appear more in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 so let’s take a closer look at the Horus Name!
The Horus Name is the oldest way that a pharaoh’s 𓉐𓉻 name 𓂋𓈖 was written/identified and is one of five 𓏾 ways to write the name 𓂋𓈖 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.
The Horus Name consists of three elements: the palace facade 𓊁, Horus the Falcon 𓅃 standing on top of the palace 𓊁, and the name 𓂋𓈖 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 within the palace 𓊁. The palace 𓊁 hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃 is pronounced like “serekh” and some Egyptologists are now referring to the Horus Name as the Serekh Name. This was basically the early version of the cartouche 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷!
Rameses II 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓇳𓏺𓄟𓋴𓇓 had a lot of different variations of his Horus Name, so let’s take a look at the two 𓏻 that are pictured!
𓂡𓃒𓁛𓌺 – “Strong Bull, Beloved of Ra”
𓂡𓃒𓁧𓌺 – “Strong Bull, Beloved of Maat”
“Strong Bull 𓂡𓃒“ was a very popular way to start off the Horus Name for male pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 because bulls 𓃒𓃒𓃒 were a symbol of strength 𓌀 and fertility, both of which are qualities that pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 wanted to have!
Let’s break down the inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 even further:
𓂡 – Strong
𓃒 – Bull
𓁧/𓁛 – Maat/Ra
𓌺 – Beloved
Both variants of Rameses II’s Horus Name contain the shortened variants of certain words!
𓁧 – Maat (𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓁧)
𓁛 – Ra (𓇳𓏺𓁛)
𓌺 – Beloved (𓌻𓂋𓇌)
Variants can be tricky for those starting to learn hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, but with practice they become much easier – especially the shortened version of the words!
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.