Egyptian Symbols the WAS Beast

It's  a Symbol and a Glyph ! A Perfect subject for Glyphika!

This is a closeup of the head of a WAS Scepter form ancient Egypt .

Note well the pattern on the ears!

The WAS Beast has been "identified" as am aardvark, jackal, fox, snake, dragon and more.

As a ritual staff and a hieroglyph it represents power over chaos.

Here's the whole object ... well a prettier and lovelier faience version. You can see the tail flaring out.

They're also been found made of wood and metal.

It seems to be an animal but what sort?

We know the Egyptians could depict animals with great realism sometimes so what is this?

I think this particular representation became a semi abstract symbol because the animal it depicted had became extinct in the Nile Valley just before or during the first Dynasties.

The Color Red is associated with Seth.

Which rare African canid previously had a larger habitat and is reddish with a flaring tail?

This is the Ethiopian Wolf. a long legged slender canid.
Note both the fur color and the pattern of the inside the large ears and the long slender fox like snout?
Is it possible the Ethiopian Wolf or a near relative now extinct once lived in the Sahara near the ancestors of the Egyptians before they moved into the Nile Valley back when most of Northern Africa was grasslands with scattered lake sand rivers?

There's lots of other pictures you can Google.

Go and take a look and tell me what you think?

Egyptian Symbols - Seshat's Star

SESHAT'S SYMBOL

The trouble with interpretating Egyptian symbols is that they're so old the meanings have changed over the centuries and Seshat's "STAR" is a fine example. Seshat was the daughter of Thoth and a goddess of wisdom and scribes. Some of you may be thinking it looks like the underside of a parasol. Sorry.
The egyptians didnt have them so that's not it?  Is it a flower ? NO not with seven petals!

My best guess ? While not as astrology obsessed as the ancient Mesopotamians the Egyptians did have stories about the Pleiades. I think its the Seven Stars of the Pleaides linked with the stem linking Seshat to the stars and the shape on the top is the vault of heaven or a horizon line? There are other theories though!

Maybe its a sun or planet or represents the Seven Planets known to the Ancients which were :

The Sun Moon Mercury Mars Jupiter and Saturn.

Maybe there is no ONE TRUE explanation or Meaning?

Think about the differences between Modern Hinduism and the simpler rituals described in Vedic texts.

I suspect if you could interview both one of the priests who "explained" Egyptian religion to Herodotus or Plutarch and then interview a priest from the earliest dynasties they would have VERY different explanations?

The Myazedi Pillar

Write down Myazedi Pillar to sue for search terms.


Why is it important? It's one of the major artifacts for the history of SE Asian scripts.


Next blog sequence we go to Egypt and start looking at some of their symbols.

Join me!

JENSEN An Essential Reference Book?

SIGN, SYMBOL, AND SCRIPT

Hans Jensen

This is a major work of reference and while other newer works have replaced and supplemtned this if you either get a chance ot read it or acquire it here's why you should.

The edition I have acess to via a library is the 3rd edition 1969 which is also the first English edition translated from German.

Photos Yes the photos are black and white but I've seen worse on the web.

Diagrams Lots and lots of charts of letters and their equivalent sounds in English.

                You may recognize many of them being ripped off in later works.
                 Certain scholars amateur and academic apparently can't be bothered to update the charts and diagrams or improve them or modernize them by adding IPA values.

One of the later standard reference works is undoubtedly Daneil Bright's book and he updates in areas where new discoveries have been made later but there are some sections in which Jensen goes more detail than Bright.

If you see Jensen's book do read it and photocopy or scan some pages within legal limits.

Just in case your library's copy becomes a victim of the duh this is old and it only gets read once a year so people can just go read it on google books so we have more shelf space mentality?

Jensen Sign, Symbol, and Script. Keep a eye out for it!