Ankh
Symbol of eternal life. The gods are often seen holding an ankh to someone's lips this is
considered to be an offering of "The Breath of Life". The breath you will need
in the afterlife. |
Amenta
This symbol represents the Underworld or Land of the Dead. Originally it meant the horizon
of the sun set. Later, it became the symbol of the west bank of the Nile, where the sun
set and also where the Egyptians traditionally buried their dead. |
Ba
The Ba is what we might call someones personality. It would leave the body at the time of
death. During the days the Ba would make itself useful, at night it would return to the
tomb. At this time, it would look for the person to which it belonged. This would be the
mummy, however, often the egyptians would supply the Ba with a statue in the likeness of
the deceased in case the mummy was lost or damaged. |
Deshret
The Red Crown. This was the crown that represented Lower Egypt (northern). |
Nemes
A striped headcloth worn by Pharaohs. |
Was
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 |
Hedjet
The White Crown. This was the crown of Upper Egypt (southern). |
Shenu
More commonly know 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 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.
|
Maat
Represents truth, justice, morality and balance. Deities are often seen standing on this
symbol, as if standing on a foundation of Maat. |
Scarab
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. |
Djed
It is believed that the Djed is a rendering of a human backbone. It represents stability
and strength. It was originally associated with the creation god Ptah. Himself being
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. |
Sema
This 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
further illustrate unification. |
Feather of Maat
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. |