God’s Mother

Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! What does the popular Middle Egyptian phrase “God’s Mother 𓊹𓅐” mean? Before we delve into the meaning, let’s break down the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

“God’s Mother” can be written three ways in hieroglyphs: 

𓊹𓏏𓅐

𓊹𓅐𓏏

𓊹𓅐

This phrase is a combination of two different words: the word “God 𓊹” and the word “Mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐/𓅐𓁐/𓏏𓅐𓁐.” 

The “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ hieroglyph is an ideogram for the word god. 𓊹 is also a triliteral phonogram, and represents the letters “ntr” which may have been pronounced like “neter” or “netjer.” 𓊹 Is also a determinative for “god.” So the “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ symbol can function as all three types of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! If you see this symbol, you are most likely looking at a word that has to do with the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹!

The “vulture 𓅐” is a triliteral phonogram and represents the sounds “mjt/mwt” which we infer would be pronounced like “mut.” 

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.”

The phrase “God’s Mother 𓊹𓅐” can have two different (but related) meanings in Middle Egyptian inscriptions. It can be used to refer to the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 and will usually appear after her name 𓂋𓈖 in inscriptions. This is in reference to the fact that Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 is the mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 of Horus 𓅃𓀭, who is the mythological ruler of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 and the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was thought to be a representation of Horus 𓅃𓀭 on Earth. 

This brings us to the next meaning of this phrase! The phrase “God’s Mother 𓊹𓅐” was an honorific title held by the woman who gave birth to the current pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! Since the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was a god on Earth, the woman who gave birth to him/her was quite literally the God’s Mother 𓊹𓅐! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

Follow me @ancientegyptblog on Instagram and TikTok to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, mythology, culture and more!