Ankh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Ankh (disambiguation).

The ankh (pronounced 'ahnk', symbol ☥) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word ʿnḫ, meaning life. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their breasts. It is also known as the Egyptian Cross, or as crux ansata, Latin for "cross with a handle".

1 Origins
2 In Egyptian art
3 In alchemy
4 The ankh and the cross
5 In popular culture
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Origins

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.
You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations. This article has been tagged since July 2006.

Ankh
in hieroglyphs

<hiero>S34-n:Aa1 ! or S34</hiero><ref>Hieroglyphs can be found in Collier and Manley p. 23</ref>

Its precise significance in Egyptia culture remains a mystery to Egyptologists, and no single hypothesis has yet been widely accepted. Some have speculated that it was a stylized womb^{[citation needed]}. 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 ʿnḫ, although it may have been pronounced differently. Howard Carter speculated it could have been derived from a primitive representation of human genitalia.

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 (and 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

It has been suggested that it combines the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) and therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth^{[citation needed]}. As a hieroglyph, it likely encompassed a range of meanings depending on context, but all of these expressions were centered around the concept of life or life force.

Over time, the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe, power and life-giving air and water. "Its keylike shape also encouraged the belief it could unlock the gates of death"^{[citation needed]}. The Coptic Christians used it as a symbol of life after death^{[citation needed]}. The ankh has been used in ritual magic.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In Egyptian art

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. An ankh was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health." Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes, in art, a god is portrayed touching a mortal with an ankh, symbolizing conception.

[edit] In alchemy

A similar symbol (♀) was used to represent the Roman goddess Venus. This symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirror, is much more associated with a representation of the female womb. The same symbol is used in astrology to represent the planet Venus, in alchemy to represent the element copper, and in biology to identify the female sex.

[edit] The ankh and the cross

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.
You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations. This article has been tagged since July 2006.

The long-standing importance of the ankh, and its deep symbolism to the dynastic Egyptians, led to it being gradually adopted by the fourth century Christian church in Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic church).

This is significant, as it is possibly one genesis of the adoption of the cross as the central thematic symbol of the Christian religion. A kind of cross, the ankh had long been a central religious symbol. It was non-anthropormorphic; not even animal-like. (Many Egyptian gods had been animal-faced human figures.) Anknaton's benevolent sun was the only other symbol that was so esoteric. This cross implied all of the "god ideas" that are infinite in nature. As monotheism is at the core of Christian belief, the ankh seemed a logical choice to symbolize the belief in one all-powerful God. Over time, the idea that His son had died on some type of cross made it seem all the more appropriate.^{[citation needed]}

Elsewhere, the main Christian symbol at the time had been a stylised alpha, resembling a fish, and therefore known as Ichthys, the Greek word for 'fish'. However, the new "more positive" symbol of a cross eventually spread throughout the Christianized Empire. The distinct circular or "gothic arch-like" upper part of the Ankh was kept well into mediaeval times. The Ankh symbol often being used as a Christian talisman.^{[citation needed]}

The photograph shown of a Christian 3rd Century bust with a transitional "ankh becoming a cross"^{[citation needed]} was found in the 1960s in the Fayuom, Egypt archeological region. It is analogous to the "archaeopteryx fossil", the famous "Dinosaur into Bird" relic, which lends tangible support to the transitional concept. (If you have red-cyan glasses you'll see it in museum grade 3D)

In Unicode, the ankh sign is U+2625 (☥).

[edit] In popular culture

The ankh is widely employed in pop culture as a device to communicate long history and spiritual or arcane life forces.

It is worn as a sign of Afrocentrism and Black pride.
In Gothic sub-culture the ankh is a symbol associated with vampires.
The Ankh symbol plays a central role in the computer adventure game Ankh: Tales of Mystery.
In the form of a pendant, symbolizing Sanctuary, it was worn by an underground network of runners attempting to escape their fate in the 1976 science fiction film Logan's Run, which was based on William F. Nolan's novel of the same title (which did not include ankh references, however).
It was worn by David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as a gold pendant, the bottom part concealing a knife used for blood drinking, in the 1983 vampire film The Hunger, based on Whitley Strieber's novel of the same title.
It has been featured in a number of computer fantasy games including World of Warcraft, the Ultima series, Xenogears, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Age of Wonders, Serious Sam The First Encounter, the Commander Keen series, Gunbound: World Champion, and Garfield: Caught in the Act. It often denotes "holy magic", priest characters, and similar, though usually in a simplistic manner. The city-building game Pharaoh uses it in the icon.
It has been suggested ^{[citation needed]} the shape of Kenny McCormick in the television series South Park is based on the ankh, as a refernce to that character's frequent deaths and reincarnations.
Vinnie Vincent from the rock group KISS wore an ankh in his make-up design.
In Neil Gaiman's comic book series Sandman the character of Death always wore an ankh, popular in the Goth subculture that inspired Death's appearance.
On the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!, the character Shadi uses the Millennium Key, which is in the shape of an ankh, to unlock and enter people's minds.
A broken ankh is the standard symbol of the Sarafan Order in the Legacy of Kain series.
Several celebrities have been known to have a tattoo of an ankh on their body, including professional wrestler Christopher Daniels, neo-soul/hip-hop artist Erykah Badu, pop music artist Anastacia and NBA stars Shaquille O'Neil and Dennis Rodman.
Used in Ace Of Base's video for "The Sign",

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
Salaman, Clement and Van Oyen, Dorine and Wharton, William D. and Mahé, Jean-Pierre (translation) (2000). The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Heremticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. Rochester: Inner Traditions.
Three Initiates (1912). The Kybalion. Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society Masonic Temple.