Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!
Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at one of the most common and recognizable uniliteral phonogram hieroglyphic symbols: the owl 𓅓! The owl hieroglyph is very unique because it is viewed head-on instead of in a profile view!
I personally love the “owl 𓅓” hieroglyph because it reminds me of Hedwig from Harry Potter! I’ve been a huge Harry Potter fan since 2001 and whenever I see an owl it reminds me of my favorite books – especially when the hieroglyph is painted to look like a snowy owl! In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, owls were seen as protective/guardian figures, which is exactly what Hedwig was to Harry! I love it when ancient Egyptian mythological themes persist through time!
A uniliteral sign is a hieroglyphic symbol that corresponds to a single sound, just like a letter in the alphabet. The “owl 𓅓” symbol represents the sound of “m” and it has many different uses!
The “owl 𓅓” symbol is one that appears in inscriptions all the time and is most commonly seen as part of other words! Some words that use the “owl 𓅓” symbol are:
𓅓𓂋 – Overseer
𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 – Kemet (Egypt)
𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 – Papyrus Roll
𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 – Imhotep
Of course these are not all the words that contain the “owl 𓅓” symbol!
But what happens if the “owl 𓅓” symbol appears by itself in an inscription and isn’t part of another word? The “owl 𓅓” symbol has its own meaning when it appears alone! I guess you can say it functions as the all-around preposition! For example, the “owl 𓅓” hieroglyph can mean: In, On, At, By, With, and As! This symbol has so many meanings/uses!
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