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GLOSSARY OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
GODS, SYMBOLS & OBJECTS
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ab - A component of the heart associated with its higher
spiritual nature and connected with the hati, the lower or instinctual
aspect of the heart. In turn, the ab and hati are inexorably
linked with the ba and ka respectively.
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Abydos - One of the chief religious centers dating from
pre-dynastic Egypt
through the New Kingdom identified with Osiris, the neter of death and
resurrection. It is comprised of numerous cemeteries as well as
temples built by Seti I and Ramses II, among others. It was
every Egyptian's goal at least once in a lifetime to make a holy
pilgrimage to this important spiritual site. In some eras, public
plays called the "Mysteries of Osiris" were performed at
Abydos that enacted Osiris' death and subsequent resurrection.
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Akhenaton
(Amenhotep
IV) - Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh who ruled from approximately 1353 to
1335 B.C. He abandoned the existing religious views of the Amon
priesthood, banned the Egyptian pantheon, and obliterated art and
monuments portraying the old religion in favor of a sole deity, Aton,
who manifested in the form of the sun disk. Amenhotep IV
subsequently changed his name from Amenhotep to akhen-aton, meaning
"pleasing to Aton." Akhenaton and his favorite queen,
Nefertiti, produced six daughters and no sons. He was succeeded
upon his death by Tutankhamon, probably the child of Kiya, a lesser
wife. It's speculated that Akhenaton's early demise may be
attributed to murder due to his widely unpopular religious and political
views.
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akhu
- (lit.
"Shining One," "Star Person" or
"Venerable") An "imperishable star" used in
reference to the enlightened initiate or deceased who achieves victory
in the Double Hall of Ma'at (Truth).
alchemy - The science
of transforming base metal into silver or gold; the mystical practice of
transforming the undeveloped student or initiate into an
"illumined" being.
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Here
I am, O Ra, I am your son,
I am a soul ... a star of gold ...
Pyramid Texts, lines 886-9 |
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Ammit - A monstrous
hybrid creature, part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile, frequently
portrayed positioned beside the Scales of Justice in the Double Hall of
Truth waiting to devour the impurities of the heart of the deceased or
initiate during the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony.
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Amon (also Amun, Amen)
- A neter associated with creation, popular in the city of Thebes, whose
name means "Hidden One." Worship of this neter remained
steady until interrupted by the brief reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton who
banned the existing pantheon in favor of one deity, Aton. Amon
worship was restored upon Akhenaton's death by the successor to the
throne, the young boy-king Tutankhamon. |
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ankh -
A hand-held
ritual instrument used to perform the "opening of the mouth"
ceremony on the living pharaoh and deceased individuals resulting in the
"breath of life." It is the most prolific symbol found
in ancient Egyptian art and is equated with long or eternal life. |
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Anubis - A neter
portrayed with a male human body and jackal's head associated with
embalming and mummification. Anubis was the illegitimate son of
Nephthys and Osiris, born as a result of Nephthys' deceptive seduction
of her sister Isis' husband, Osiris. Anubis assisted at the
"weighing of the heart" ceremony, guiding the deceased or
initiate into the Double Hall of Truth and checking the balance on the
Scales of Justice.
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Apep - A large serpent
residing in the celestial waters that attempted to thwart the sun
Ra on his nightly passage through the underworld.
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Apis - The body of a
bull assumed by the neter Ptah symbolizing masculine generative
force. An Apis bull had to be black with specific markings such as
a white triangle on its forehead and a knot in the shape of a scarab
beneath its tongue. It was primarily associated with the cult
center of Memphis and publicly displayed during festivals. It was
mummified upon its death whereupon the search for a new Apis bull began.
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atef
- A white royal
crown of Upper Egypt adorned with two ostrich plumes and associated with
the neter Osiris.
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Aton - The neter
associated with the sun disk and worshipped by the Eighteenth Dynasty
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV who changed his name to akhen-Aton in Aton's honor.
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Atum - A neter of
primordial light worshipped in the city of Heliopolis who was believed
to have emerged from the dark and watery abyss of Nun by an act of
self-awareness. Like the atom, Atum was considered the building
block of all physical matter and the father of fundamental neteroo (or
forces) known as the divine Ennead.
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