Symbols in a largely illiterate society serve the vital purpose of relaying the most important values of the culture to the people generation after generation, and so it was in ancient Egypt. The peasant farmer would not have been able to read the literature, poetry, or hymns which told the stories of his gods, kings, and history but could look at an obelisk or a relief on a temple wall and read them there through the symbols used.
A few of the important and significant Egyptian symbols are listed below.
- The Eye of Horus – it is the symbol of power, protection and good health. Horus was a sky god who offered his left eye to his father, Osiris, in an attempt to bring him back to life. Due to its association with protection, many Ancient Egyptians wore the Eye of Horus as an amulet, and also placed them on the dead to protect them in the afterlife. Due to its powerful protective powers, the Eye of Horus was popularly used by the ancient Egyptians, both the living and the dead, as amulets. It is said that Egyptian sailors painted the Eye of Horus on the bows of their boats before setting sail on long and perilous voyages. In this sense, the eye both guided the vessel in its journey through unfamiliar waters and served as a deterrent to malefic forces. The other widespread use of the Eye of Horus was in funerary ceremonies. Besides being a symbol of divine protection, it was also taken to be a representation of the will of the gods over the mortal world. Even the funeral ceremonies of the pharaohs gave pride of place to the Eye of Horus. Some of the most precious and intricate funerary amulets recovered from pyramids and sarcophagi were of the Eye of Horus. The symbol was meant to be a guiding eye as the pharaoh made his journey from the land of the living to the land of the dead. Even today, the Eye of Horus continues to be used as a symbol of protection.
- Sesen – It is the beautiful lotus flower often depicted in Egyptian artworks. It symbolises creation, life, and rebirth, and dates back to the Early Dynastic Period. The lotus was the only flowering plant in Egypt that bloomed nonstop throughout the year. Held by gods and goddesses near the nose of royal kings, queens and pharaohs as its scent, this flower was believed to be restorative and protective. The flower closes up at night, sinking below the water as it rests, and then reappears at daybreak. Because of this, it has been associated with the sun, rebirth and life itself. It was often painted on canopic jars (The canopic jars were the containers used to hold the internal organs because the ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died they would return again to the afterlife, the ancient Egyptians believed that they would need all internal organs after death in the ‘afterlife’ Canopic jars were created to contain all of the organs so that upon entering the afterlife), along with the Four Sons of Horus, as well as temples, amulets and shrines. The lotus flower appears in many different types of Egyptian art from faience statuary to sarcophagi, temples, shrines, and on amulets. It is also known as Upper Egypt’s symbol, whereas the papyrus plant is associated with Lower Egypt.
- Feather of Maat – Maat’s feather is one of the most common Egyptian symbols used in hieroglyphics. The goddess Maat represented justice in Egyptian culture and the Maat feather can be seen in the context of “ensuring justice” in ancient inscriptions. Maat is the Egyptian Goddess symbolizing cosmic order, truth, justice, morality, harmony, stability, and balance. Depicted as a woman wearing an ostrich feather on the head, and holding an ankh in one hand and a scepter in the other, the Goddess is said to be the daughter of Sun God, Ra and the consort of the Moon God, Thoth. Maat was revered even by the Gods. The Goddess is symbolically represented by an Ostrich Feather. It is a strong Egyptian belief that after death, the dead are judged in the Hall of Maat, where their conscience (heart) is weighed against the feather. A heart heavier than the feather denoted a life of wicked deeds and such a soul would be devoured by Goddess Ammit, while balanced scales indicated an honorable life and such a soul would be welcomed by God Osiris. The feather of Maat has been found on various scarabs, amulets, temples and inscriptions.
Devika Singh 