Ancient Egyptian Symbols in Modern Times
Ancient Egypt is still a fascination to many of us around the world today. Most of us learn about hieroglyphics from a young age and millions of us flock to see the pyramids every year. There are many images that feature in our lives, whether as screen savers, pictures, or jewelry. The fact is, Ancient Egypt is everywhere in modern society. But what’s our fixation with some of its symbolism?
The Eye of Ra
Independent of the Eye of Horus in its own right, the Eye of Ra is a distinct symbol, albeit associated with different gods. Ra is the Sun God and represents power, fury, regeneration and parental love.
The Eye of Ra is an eye that consists of a studded pupil and a teardrop. There are two descriptions that can be applied to it. The first is a story of the right eye being angry and removed before being sent to destroy humanity.
The second depicts the eye as the epitome of fatherly love when Ra pulled out his eye to look for his lost children. Another eye grew back in the removed eye’s place. When the first one returned, it did so with Ra’s children and became the symbol of protection used by other gods.
As you can imagine, the Eye of Ra has featured in many genres, including literature. In a book by Michael Asher, the Eye of Ra steeped in Egyptian mythology, archaeologist Omar Ross sets out to unravel a mystery rife with suspense.
The Ankh
Said to represent eternal life, immortality, purity and even the unity between males and females, the key of life, the Ankh is a cross that appears as a key that has a looped top. It’s the looped part that’s said to represent the never-ending reality of eternal life.
It’s thought that anyone in Ancient Egypt could wear an Ankh, and still rings true today, with it being a popular pendant to wear on a chain.
The Eye of Horus
Out of all the Ancient Egyptian symbols in Egyptian history, this is considered the most popular in modern times, for a variety of reasons. Horus was the falcon-head Egyptian God of the skies. It’s believed he lost his left eye in a horrific battle with the God of Disorder, Seth.
Hathor, the Goddess of the Sky, restored his eye. It became a symbol to represent healing, sacrifice, and love. Ra lost his right eye and Horus lost his left eye, making a complimentary pair and this is why they’re sometimes interchangeably confused, despite having their own respective backgrounds.
The Eye of Horus features in various aspects of our lives, including some games, like the Eye of Horus slot. Players get the opportunity to win prizes. If the Eye of Horus appears, it’ll expand to cover the whole reel and will substitute for other symbols in a winning payline.
Symbols exist everywhere and on literally everything. Our smartphones have various symbols to get us to play music or footage. A lot of our home electronics do, as well, including our washing machines, televisions and air fryers. We all know how to use them, thanks to our understanding of symbols. Understanding the meaning or symbols gives us a connection to them. This is why some, like the ones featured in this article, are still relevant today.
