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The 'ankh' (symbol ) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the Egyptian word ''ˁnḫ'' "life". Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest. It is also known as the Egyptian Cross, the key of life, or as ''crux ansata'', Latin for "cross with a handle". It has been taken as a symbol by many Neopagans.

Contents

Origins

History

In popular culture

Notes

References

External links

Origins

'Ankh in hieroglyphs'

S34-n:Aa1 ! or S34[1]

The precise origin of the symbol remains a mystery to Egyptologists, and no single hypothesis has been widely accepted. Scholars such as Howard Carter speculate that it is derived from a primitive representation of human genitalia (with the upper circle representing the vulva and lower 'T' shape representing the penis and testicles), and variations on this theme are common. Similar assertions are that the symbol is a representation of the pharaoh's penis sheath or that it is a stylized pubic triangle.
Other theories are much more diverse. E. A. Wallis Budge thought it might have originated as the belt-buckle of the mother goddess Isis, an idea joined by Wolfhart Westendorf with the notion that both the ankh and the knot of Isis were used as ties on ceremonial girdles. Sir Alan Gardiner speculated that it represented a sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle. The word for sandal strap was also spelled '', although it may have been pronounced differently.
Still other theories include the notion that the ankh represents the sun crowning over the horizon,^[2] the path of the sun from east to west (with the loop representing the Nile), a stylized person, or that it is a combination of the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) respectively, and therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth.^[3]
In their 2004 book "''The Quick and the Dead''", Andrew H. Gordon and Calvin W. Schwabe speculated that the ankh, djed and was symbols have a biological basis derived from ancient cattle culture (linked to the Egyptian belief that semen was created in the spine), thus:

★ the Ankh - symbol of life - thoracic vertebra of a bull (seen in cross section)

★ the Djed - symbol of stability - base on sacrum of a bull's spine

★ the Was - symbol of power and dominion - a staff made from a dried bull's penis
Over time, the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe, power and life-giving air and water. Its keylike shape has also encouraged the belief it could unlock the gates of death, and it is viewed this way by the modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. The Coptic Christians have used it as a symbol of life after death.^[4]

History

The ''ankh'' appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art, often at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy; this is thought to symbolize the act of conception. Additionally, an ankh was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health" (see explication of Djed and Was,above). Mirrors of beaten metal were also often made in the shape of an ankh, either for decorative reasons or to symbolize a perceived view into another world.
The ankh was almost never drawn in silver; as a sun-symbol, the Egyptians almost invariably crafted important examples of it (for tombs or other purposes) from the metal they most associated with the sun, gold. A similar metal such as copper, burnished to a high sheen, was also sometimes used.

In popular culture

The ankh has been a popular symbol within various cultural movements (Hippie, Goth), cinema (''Logan's Run'', ''The Hunger''), comic books (''Sandman''), musical groups (Kiss, Elvis Presley, The 69 Eyes), television shows (''Yu-Gi-Oh!'') and video games (''Tomb Raider'', ''Ultima'', ''World of Warcraft'', ''Guild Wars'').
A stylized ankh is also a popular tattoo amongst such celebrities as professional wrestlers Christopher Daniels and Edge, neo-soul/hip-hop artist Erykah Badu, pop music artist Anastacia and NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Rodman.
The ankh also remains popular among neopagan religious and spiritual movements, as a symbol for a variety of concepts relating to life or immortality.

Notes

1. Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition'' pg 23. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
2. Internet Book of Shadows: Egyptian Metaphysics (Michael Poe)
3. Christian Resource Center
4. "The Origin of Early Christian Book Illumination: The State of the Question". Kozodoy, R. ''Gesta'', Vol. 10, No. 2 (1971), pp. 33-40.

References

★ Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

★ The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Heremticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius, Salaman, Clement and Van Oyen, Dorine and Wharton, William D. and Mahé, Jean-Pierre (translation), , , Inner Traditions, 2000,

★ The Kybalion, Three Initiates, , , The Yogi Publication Society Masonic Temple, 1912,

External links

★ Ankh: The Original Cross