Swallow (menet)

Swallow
(menet)

Appearance: Various species of swallow took to the skies in Egypt. As Egyptian artists were never consistant in the coloring of the bird's plumage in their depictions, it is unclear which, if any, was the symbolic bird. By the shape of the bird's body in the hieroglyph and in painting, it is clear that the bird is definately a member of the swallow family.

Meaning: During the Old Kingdom, swallows were associated with stars and therefore the souls of the dead. Chapter 86 of the Book of the Dead specifically instructs the deceased on how to transform into a swallow. In Spell 1216 of the Pyramid Texts, the pharaoh describes how he has "gone to the great island in the midst of the Field of Offerings on which the swallow gods alight; the swallows are the imperishable stars." The imperishable stars were those near the North Star that never seemed to rise or set, and therefore were "constant".

The swallow also appears in paintings of the solar barque as it enters the underworld. The swallow is usually shown on the prow of the boat. In this context, the bird appears to be an announcer of the sun's approach.

In Egyptian love poetry, the swallow declares the dawn of new love.

Shen Ring

Shen Ring
(shen)

Appearance: The shen ring is at first glance a circle with a horizontal line in a tangent along its bottom edge. However the shen is more than meets the eye. The shen was a stylized loop of rope with each end visible.

Meaning: In many cultures, the circle was a symbol of "eternity." Such symbolism is evident in familiarities such as the wedding ring of Western cultures, the Gnostic ouroboras and the ying-yang of China.

The same is true of the shen ring. Deriving its name from the root shenu (to encircle), it was almost always a symbol of eternity. However, the shen ring also held the idea of "protection." It most often carried this connotation when seen in its elongated variation, the cartouche; which surrounded the birth and throne names of the Pharaohs.

The shen frequently appeared depicted in the claws of the avian forms of the falcon-god Horus and various vulture goddesses. An example of this can be seen to the right. The shen was also depicted at the base of the notch palm branches held by the god of eternity

Heh

Heh

Heh was the god of infinity and formlessness. He was shown as a crouching man holding out two palm ribs in his hands, each of which terminated with a tadplole and a shen ring. The shen ring was a traditional symbol of infinity. The palm ribs were symbols of the passage of time, in the temples they were notched to record cycles of time. The tadpole was a hieroglyph that represented the number 100,000.

The image of Heh himself was with his arms raised was the hieroglyph for the number one million.

Heh was a member of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis. He and his consort Hauhet together were the aspects of formlessness and endlessness that existed in the universe prior to the Creation. In Hermopolis, he was depicted as a serpent.