Ancient Egyptian Symbols

This symbol represents the Underworld or Land of the Dead. Originally it meant the horizon of the sunset. Later, it became the symbol of the west bank of the Nile, where the sunset and also where the Egyptians traditionally buried their dead.

Egyptian Cartouche

 In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is a rectangle with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh. The name cartouche was first applied by soldiers who fancied that the symbol they saw so frequently repeated on the pharaonic ruins they encountered resembled a muzzle-loading firearm’s paper powder cartridge, (cartouche in French).

Uraeus

The cobra is an emblem of Lower Egypt. It is associated with the king and kingdom of Lower Egypt. It is also associated with the sun and with many deities. The cobra represented the “fiery eye of Re”, in which two uraei can be seen on either side of a winged solar disk. Starting in the Middle Kingdom, The uraeus appears as a symbol worn on the crown or headdress of royalty. It is used as a protective symbol; the Egyptians believed that the cobra would spit fire at any approaching enemies.
The Uraeus used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt.

The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet, one of the earliest of Egyptian deities, who often was depicted as a cobra. The center of her cult was in Per-Wadjet, later called Buto by the Greeks. She became the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of all of Lower Egypt, so her image was worn by the pharaohs as a head ornament, first as the body of Wadjet atop the head or as a crown encircling the head, always remaining in effect part of their crown, indicating her protection and as a claim over the land. The pharaoh was recognized only by wearing the uraeus, which conveyed legitimacy to the ruler.

The Red Crown. This was the crown that represented Lower Egypt (northern).

A striped headcloth wore by Pharaohs.

This is a symbol of power and dominion. The Was scepter is carried by deities as a sign of their power. It is also seen being carried by kings and later by people of lesser stature in mortuary scenes

The White Crown. This was the crown of Upper Egypt (southern).

More commonly known as a cartouche. The shape represents a loop of rope in which a name is written. A protector of that name.

Uraeus

The cobra is an emblem of Lower Egypt. It is associated with the king and kingdom of Lower Egypt. It is also associated with the sun and with many deities. The cobra represented the “fiery eye of Re”, in which two uraei can be seen on either side of a winged solar disk. Starting in the Middle Kingdom, The uraeus appears as a symbol worn on the crown or headdress of royalty. It is used as a protective symbol; the Egyptians believed that the cobra would spit fire at any approaching enemies.
The Uraeus was used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt.

The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet, one of the earliest of Egyptian deities, who often was depicted as a cobra. The center of her cult was in Per-Wadjet, later called Buto by the Greeks. She became the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of all of Lower Egypt, so her image was worn by the pharaohs as a head ornament, first as the body of Wadjet atop the head or as a crown encircling the head, always remaining in effect part of their crown, indicating her protection and as a claim over the land. The pharaoh was recognized only by wearing the uraeus, which conveyed legitimacy to the ruler.

It is believed that the Djed is a rendering of a human backbone. It represents stability and strength. It was initially associated with the creator god Ptah. He is called the “Noble Djed”. As the Osiris cults took hold it became known as the backbone of Osiris. A djed column is often painted on the bottom of coffins, where the backbone of the deceased would lay, this identified the person with the king of the underworld, Osiris. It also acts as a sign of stability for the deceased’ journey into the afterlife.

Called the dung beetle because of its practice of rolling a ball of dung across the ground. The Egyptians observed this behavior and equated it with the ball of the sun being rolled across the sky. They confused this balled food source with the egg sack that the female dung beetle laid and buried in the sand. When the eggs hatched the dung beetles would seem to appear from nowhere, making it a symbol of spontaneous creation. In this role, it was associated with the sunrise. Khepri was the scarab-headed god.

Represents truth, justice, morality, and balance. It was the pharaoh’s job to uphold Maat. When a pharaoh died, Maat was lost and the world was flung into chaos, only the coronation of a new pharaoh could restore Maat.

Sema is a rendering of the lungs attached to the windpipe. As a hieroglyph, this symbol represents the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Other symbols are often added to illustrate unification further.

Represents truth, justice, morality, and balance. It was pharaoh’s job to uphold Maat. When a pharaoh died, Maat was lost and the world was flung into chaos, only the coronation of a new pharaoh could restore Maat.

A symbol of royalty, majesty, and dominion.

The Egyptians believed that during creation this hill rose out of the sea of chaos to create dry land. The idea of this hill rising had a profound effect on the Egyptians, being used as everything from temple layouts to the possible inspiration behind the pyramids.

A loop of rope that has no beginning and no end, it symbolizes

The sound eye of Horus. Symbolizes healing and protection. The eye is personified in the goddess Wadjet (also written as Wedjat, Uadjet, Wedjoyet, Edjo or Uto and as The Eye of Ra or “Udjat”). Horus was the ancient Egyptian sky god who was usually depicted as a falcon. His right eye was associated with the Sun Ra. The eye symbol represents the marking around a Peregrine Falcon’s eye that includes the “teardrop” marking sometimes found below the eye. The mirror image, or left eye, sometimes represented the moon and the god Djehuti (Thoth).

The ka is usually translated as “soul” or “spirit” The ka came into existence when an individual was born. It was believed that the ram-headed god Khnum crafted the ka on his potter’s wheel at a person birth. It was thought that when someone died they “met their ka”. A person ka would live on after their body had died. Some tombs included model houses as the ka needed a place to live. Offerings of food and drink would be left at the tomb entrance so the ka could eat and drink.

This is a form that the god Horus Behudety (Horus of Edfu) takes in his battles with Seth. The god Thoth used his magic to turn Horus into a sun-disk with splendid outstretched wings. The goddesses Nekhbet and Uazet in the form of uraeus snakes joined him at his side.

The exact origin of this symbol is unknown. In many respects, it resembles an ankh except that its arms curve down. Its meaning is also reminiscent of the ankh, it is often translated to mean welfare or life. As early as the Third Dynasty we find the Tiet being used as decoration when it appears with both the ankh and the Djed column, and later with the was the scepter. The Tiet is associated with Isis and is often called “the knot of Isis” or “the blood of Isis.” It seems to be called “the knot of Isis” because it resembles a knot used to secure the garments that the gods wore. The meaning of “the blood of Isis” is more obscured but it was often used as a funerary amulet made of a red stone or glass. In the Late Period, the sign was associated with the goddesses Nephthys, Hathor, and Nut as well as with Isis. In all these cases it seems to represent the ideas of resurrection and eternal life.

Which means mountain, the symbol suggests two peaks with the Nile valley in the middle. The Egyptians believed that there was a cosmic mountain range that held up the heavens. This mountain range had two peaks, the western peak was called Manu, while the eastern peak was called Bakhu. It was on these peaks that heaven rested. Each peak of this mountain chain was guarded by a lion deity, whose job it was to protect the sun as it rose and set. The mountain was also a symbol of the tomb and the afterlife, probably because most Egyptian tombs were located in the mountainous land bordering the Nile valley. In some texts, we find Anubis, the guardian of the tomb being referred to as “He who is upon his mountain.” Sometimes we find Hathor taking on the attributes of a deity of the afterlife, at this time she is called “Mistress of the Necropolis.” She is rendered as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside.

The Atef crown was worn by Osiris. It is made up of the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red feathers are representative of Busiris, Osiris’s cult center in the Delta.

This symbol represents a lamp or brazier on a stand from which a flame emerges. The fire was embodied in the sun and in its symbol the uraeus which spits fire. The fire also plays a part in the Egyptian concept of the underworld. There is one terrifying aspect of the underworld that is similar to the Christians concept of hell. Most Egyptians would like to avoid this place with its fiery lakes and rivers that are inhabited by fire demons.

A Lotus Flower. A symbol of the sun, of creation and rebirth. Because at night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. According to one creation myth, it was a giant lotus which first rose out of the watery chaos at the beginning of time. From this giant lotus, the sun itself rose on the first day. A symbol of Upper Egypt

This symbol represents a heart. The Egyptians believed the heart was the center of all consciousness, even the center of life itself. When someone died, it was said that their “heart has departed.” It was the only organ that was not removed from the body during mummification. In the Book of the dead, it was the heart that was weighed against the feather of Maat to see if an individual was worthy of joining Osiris in the afterlife.

The Double Crown, the red crown, and the white crown are put together to represent a unified Egypt. Although Egypt was not always a unified nation, it was stronger that way. Therefore unification was desirable. Narmer (Menes), the founder of the First Dynasty around 3100 B.C., was the first man recorded wearing this crown.

This symbol represents gold which was considered a divine metal; it was thought to be the flesh of the gods. Its polished surface was related to the brilliance of the sun. Gold was important to the afterlife as it represents aspects of immortality. By the New Kingdom, the royal burial chamber was called the “House of Gold.”