Copy of `Glossary of Egyptian Mythology`

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Glossary of Egyptian Mythology Category: History and Culture > Egyptian Mythology Date & country: 11/09/2007, USA Words: 155

Ogdoad
Term describing the group of 8 deities associated with Hermopolis. It contained four couples who symbolized the state of the world before creation. The group usually consists of: Nun and Naunet, representing the primeval waters; Huh and Hauhet, being endless space; Kuk and Kauket. are darkness; Amun and Amaunet. represent that which is hidden.

Opening Of The Mouth
This ceremony was performed at the funeral to restore the senses of the deceased. The ceremony was done by touching an adze to the mouth of a mummy or statue of the deceased, it was believed to restore the senses in preparation for the afterlife.

Opet
A great religious festival that took place in Thebes during the inundation. The god Amun was taken from his temple at Karnak and brought to visit his wife, Mut at her temple of Luxor.

Osirid Pillar
Pillar. mostly in an open court or portico, with a colossal statue of a king forming its front part; unlike caryatids in Classical architecture, the statues are not weight-bearing elements. Most are mummiform, but not all; the connection with Osiris is doubtful.

Osiris
Supreme god and judge of the dead. The symbol of resurrection and eternal life. Provider of fertility and prosperity to the living. A bearded man wearing white mummy wrappings. Wearing the atef crown and holding the symbols of supreme power, the flail and crook. His skin is green to represent vegetation or red to represent the earth.

Ostracon
From the Greek word meaning; 'potsherd'. A chip or shard of limestone or pottery used as a writing tablet. Ostraca are known from all periods. but 19th and 20th-Dynasty examples are the most common. The texts can be anything from a simple shopping list to drafts of hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Pantheon
All the gods, collectively as a group.

Papyrus
The main Egyptian writing material, and an important export. The earliest papyrus dates to the Ist Dynasty, the latest to the Islamic Period. Oddly enough, the papyrus plant became extinct in Egypt, being reintroduced in the 1960's, it is now an important link in the tourist trade. Sheets were made by cutting the stem of the plant into strips. These strips were soaked in several baths to remove some of the sugar and starches. These strips were then laid in rows horizontally and vertically. Then it was beaten together, activating the plant's natural starches and forming a glue that bound the sheet together. Separate sheets were glued together to form a roll.

Per Nefer . .
The place where some of the purification and mummification rituals took place.

Pet
This is the sky depicted as a ceiling which drops at the ends, the same way the real sky seems to reach for the horizon. This sign was often used in architectural motifs; the top of walls, and door frames. It symbolizes the heavens.

Praenomen. . .
This is a king's first cartouche name, which he adopted on his accession; also called the 'throne name.' It consists of a statement about the god Ra

Pronaos
Room in front of the naos sanctuary of a temple. The location of this room varies with the design of the temple.

Prophet
This translates as 'God's Servant', There was usually a ranking; the high priest of Amun at Thebes was called 'The First Prophet of Amun'; below him were the Second Prophet and so on. The head of the local cults, was often called 'Overseer of Prophets.'

Propylon
Gateway that stands in front of a pylon.

Ptah
He is a creator god. The patron of architects, artists and sculptors. It was Ptah who built the boats for the souls of the dead to use in the afterlife.

Pylon
From the Greek word meaning 'gate' It is a monumental entrance wall of a temple. Pylons are the largest and least essential parts of a temple that is usually built last. Some temples have more then one set, the temple at Karnak has 10 Pylons.

Pyramid Texts
Texts on the walls of the pyramids of the end of the 5th through 8th Dynasties.

Pyramidion
Capstone of a pyramid or the top of an obelisk. The pyramidion was decorated and became a symbolic object that was the focal point of the small brick pyramids of private tombs.

Ra
From very early times Ra was a sun god. He took on many of the attributes and even the names of other gods as Egyptian myths evolved. He is often pictured as a hawk or as a hawk headed man with a solar disk encircled by a uraeus on his head. He is often pictured wearing the double crown of upper and lower Egypt.

Rock-Cut Tomb
Method of excavating tombs that begun during the Middle Kingdom. The burials in the Valley of the Kings are perhaps the best known Rock-cut tombs.

Sa
The Sa was a symbol of protection. Its origins are uncertain, but it is speculated that it represents either a rolled up herdsman's shelter or a papyrus life-preserver used by ancient egyptian boaters. Either way it is clearly a symbol of protection. From early times the Sa plays an important part in jewelry design. It is often used in conjunction with symbols, particularly the ankh, was and djed signs. We often find Taurt, the hippopotamus goddess of childbirth, resting her paw on a standing Sa sign.

Saff Tomb
An Arabic word that means 'row', it describes the rock-cut tombs of the early 11th Dynasty that consisted of a row of openings on the hillside.

Sarcophagus
From the Greek word meaning; 'flesh eater'. It was the name given to the stone container within which the coffins and mummy were placed.

Scarab
The dung-rolling beetle was, to the ancient Egyptians, a symbol of regeneration and spontaneous creation, as it seemed to emerge from nowhere; in fact it came from eggs previously laid in the sand. Seals and amulets in scarab form were very common and were thought to possess magic powers.

Sed Festival
This is ritual meant to show royal regeneration. It was traditionally celebrated after 30 years of a king's reign. It is a scene usually found decorating the mortuary temples of the king.

Sekhem
A symbol of authority.

Sekhet-Aanru
This mythical place was originally called the 'Field of the Aanru plants' It was believed to be islands in the Delta where the souls of the dead lived. This was the abode of the god Osiris, who bestowed goodness upon his followers, and here the dead could lead a new existence complete with an abundance of food of every kind. The Sekhet-Aanru is in the 'Fields of Peace'.

Sekhet-Hetepet
According to the Osiris cults the Fields of Peace was the desired location of the deceased. They would join with their god, Osiris and become a khu, drink, plow, reap, fight, make love, never be in a state of servitude and always be in a position of authority.

Sekhmet
A lion headed goddess. As a sun goddess she represents the scorching, burning, destructive heat of the sun. She was a fierce goddess of war, the destroyer of the enemies of Ra and Osiris.

Sepat
The ancient Egyptian term for an administrative province of Egypt. See also NOME.

Sesen
A lotus flower. This is 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.

Set Amentet
This means 'the mountain of the underworld,' a common name for the cemeteries were in the mountains or desert on the western bank of the Nile.

Seth
Early in Egyptian history, Seth is spoken of in terms of reverence as the god of wind and storms. He was even known as the Lord of Upper Egypt. Later he became the god of evil.

Shawabti . .
See USHABTI.

She
A pool of water. The Egyptians believed water was the primeval matter from which aII creation began. Life in Egypt's desert climate depended on water, and a pool of water would be a great luxury. There are many tomb paintings that show the deceased drinking from a pool in the afterlife.

Shen
A loop of rope that has no beginning and no end, it symbolized eternity. The shen also seems to be a symbol of protection. It is often seen being clutched by deities in bird form, Horus the falcon, Mut the vulture. Hovering over Pharaohs head with their wings outstretched in a gesture of protection. The word shen comes from the word 'shenu' which means 'encircle,' and in its elongated form became the cartouche which surrounded the king's name.

Sistrum
The sistrum was a sacred noise-making instrument used in the cult of Hathor. The sistrum consisted of a wooden or metal frame fitted with loose strips of metal and disks which jingled when moved. This noise was thought to attract the attention of the gods. There are two types of sistrum, an iba, was shaped in a simple loop, like a closed horse-shoe with loose cross bars of metal above a Hathor head and a long handle. The seseshet had the shape of a naos temple above a Hathor head, with ornamental loops on the sides. The rattle was inside the box of the naos. They were usually carried by women of high rank.

Sobek
A crocodile-headed god. Admired and feared for his ferocity. At the command of Ra, He performed tasks such as catching with a net the four sons of Horus as they emerged from the waters in a lotus bloom.

Sphinx
A figure with the body of a lion and the head of a man, hawk or a ram.

Stela
A stone slab, sometimes wood, decorated with paintings, reliefs or texts. They usually commemorate an event.

Talatat
This Arabic word means 'three handbreadths'. It is used to describe the typical stone building blocks of temples of Akhenaten, they are decorated with scenes in the Amarna style. They have been found reused at a number of other building sites.

Taurt
A goddess who protected pregnant woman and infants. Also protectress of rebirth into the afterlife. She is pictured as a pregnant hippopotamus with human breasts, the hind legs of a lioness and the tail of a crocodile.

Theban Triad
This consist of the gods Amun, his wife Mut, and their son Khons.

Thoth
An ibis headed god. Thoth was said to be mighty in knowledge and divine speech. The inventer of spoken and written language. As the lord of books he was the scribe of the gods and patron of all scribes. He is credited with inventing astronomy, geometry, and medicine. Thoth was the measurer of the earth and the counter of the stars, the keeper and recorder of all knowledge. It was Thoth who was believed to have written important religious texts such as The Book of the Dead.

Tiet
The exact origin of the tiet 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 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.

Tuat
The land of the dead. It Iies under the earth and is entered through the western horizon.

Udjat
This important symbol is named after the 'sound eye' of Horus. According to one version of the legend Seth, the god of evil intentions, snatched away the eye of Horus which then fell to pieces. Thoth found it and put it together again. The udjat was regarded as a powerful protective amulet; it is frequently found in tombs, on coffins and on the seal which was placed over the incision in the mummy through which the internal organs were removed.

Underworld Books
A textual and pictorial compositions that is found in New Kingdom tombs. It follows the daily passage of the sun god across the sky and through the underworld.

Uraeus
A symbol of kingship. A rearing cobra was worn on the king's forehead or crown. The cobra was associated with the 'eye' of the sun. It was a protector of the king, spitting out fire.

Ushabti
Literally translated it means 'to answer.' It is a small mummiform figure placed in tombs to do work in the afterlife on behalf of the deceased. In some tombs of the late New Kingdom whole gangs of ushabti workers were included with different tools for doing different work. A complete collection would consist of 401 Ushabti: one for each day of the year, 365 plus 36 foreman.

Wabet
A place where part of purification and mummification rites took place.

Wadjet
See Udjat.

Was Scepter
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.

Winged Disk
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 earliest example of this image is found in the Ist Dynasty. It is used widely in architecture, on ceilings, cornices and stelae. It is an image that is often copied outside Egypt.

Zodiac
The Babylonian and Greek signs of the zodiac were introduced into Egypt in the Greco-Roman Period. They were adapted into Egyptian imagery and used to decorate ceilings of tombs and temples, and coffin lids.