Names of gods

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Names of gods

Usually, in a class on ancient Egypt, you are taught how to recognize a few gods: Osiris, Seth, Horus, Re, Amon ...

In fact, the most secure way to recognize a god is to read his name! So, here are a few current ones:

Amon

is usually written $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca M/17/}\Hrp \Hbt{\HhbtI{\Aca Y/5/}\Hhbt{\Aca N/35/}}\Hrp \Hunh{\Aca A/43/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$

i-men, $\fegy {imn}$

You already know from table 1 that $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca M/17/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ is a yod, a semi-consonant like y in English. Then, $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca Y/5/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ is a chessboard for the game called zenet. It reads men. The is a n, used both to nicely fit the square space with the $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca Y/5/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ , and to ensure the reading ``men'', although in this case there is no ambiguity.

The $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca A/43/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ is the determinative for gods. It can be ommited if the name is a caption for a full-size image of the god, in which case, the said image is itself used as a determinative. Variants for this determinative are the signs $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca R/8/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ used for writing the word god, and the hieratic equivalent, $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca G/7/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ .

Osiris

Is a name very frequently written. The god himself was frequently shown, but, as the deceased tended to be called Osiris themselves, lots of funerary inscriptions feature his name as a title of the dead.

it is most frequently written:

where the sign $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca Q/1/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ , a throne, usually used for writing the consonant $\fegy {set}$ , mainly in the word ``place'', is used for writing the sound $\fegy {ws}$ . The eye $\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca D/4/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$ writes the sound $\fegy {ir}$ .

A frequent variant is

$\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hbt{\HhbtI{\Aca Q/2/}\Hhbt{\Aca D/4/}}\Hrp \Hunh{\Aca A/43/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$

where the first sign also has the value ``ws''

Isis

is spelled

$\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca Q/1/}\Hrp \Hbt{\HhbtI{\Aca X/1/}\Hhbt{\Aca H/9/}}\Hrp \Hunh{\Aca I/13/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$

Anubis

is written

$\htimage {\begin{hieroglyph} {\leavevmode \Hunh{\Aca M/17/}\Hrp \Hbt{\HhbtI{\Aca... ...\Hhbt{\Aca Q/3/}}\Hrp \Hunh{\Aca G/46/}\Hrp \Hunh{\Aca E/17/}}\end{hieroglyph}}$

which you can read with the alphabet:

inpw

You will notice that the frequent ``-is'' ending doesn't appear in the Egyptian spelling. It's simply a Greek case-ending, added to the Egyptian name as heard in the last part of the first millennium BC.

Next: Names of people Up: A few frequent words Previous: A few frequent words

Serge Rosmorduc
2/26/1998