The Ankh was, for the ancient
Egyptians, the symbol (the actual Hieroglyphic sign) of life but it is
an enduring icon that remains with us even today as a Christian cross.
It is one of the most potent symbols represented in Egyptian art, often
forming a part of decorative motifs.
The ankh seems at least to be
an evolved form of, or associated with the Egyptian glyph for magical
protection, sa. However, what the sign itself represents is often
disputed. For example, Sir Alan Gardiner thought that it showed a sandal
strap with the loop at the top forming the strap, but if so, the
symbolism is obscure and so his theory has found little real favor early
on. However, this interpretation seems to have received some acceptance
among modern writers. It would seem that the ancient Egyptians called
that part of the sandal 'nkh (exact pronunciation unknown). Because this
word was composed of the same consonants as the word "life", the sign to
represent that particular part of the sandal, was also used to write the
word "life".
An Osiris Pillar of Senusret
I from the 12th Dynasty;
Wolfhart Westendorf felt it was associated
with the tyet emblem, or the "knot of Isis". He thought both were ties
for ceremonial girdles. Winfried Barta connected the ankh with the royal
cartouche in which the king's name was written, while others have even
identified it as a penis sheath. The presence of a design resembling a
pubic triangle on one ankh of the New kingdom
seems to allow for the idea that the sign may be a specifically sexual
symbol. In fact, guides in Egypt today like to tell tourists that the
circle at the top represents the female sexual organ, while the stump at
the bottom the male organ and the crossed line, the children of the
union. However, while this interpretation may have a long tradition,
there is no scholarly research that would suggest such an exact
meaning.
The ankh, on some temple
walls in Upper Egypt, could also symbolize water in rituals of
purification. Here, the king would stand between two gods, one of whom
was usually Thoth, as they poured over him a stream of libations
represented by ankhs.
The ancient gods of Egypt are
often depicted as carrying ankh signs. We find Anqet, Ptah, Satet,
Sobek, Tefnut, Osiris, Ra, Isis, Hathor, Anibus and many other gods
often holding the ankh sign, along with a scepter, and in various tomb
and temple reliefs, placing it in front of the king's face to symbolize
the breath of eternal life. During the Amarna period, the ankh sign was
depicted being offered to Akhenaten and Nefertiti by the hands at the
end of the rays descending from the sun disk, Aten. Therefore, the ankh
sign is not only a symbol of worldly life, but of life in the
netherworld. Therefore, we also find the dead being referred to as
ankhu, and a term for a sarcophagus was neb-ankh, meaning possessor of
life.
It is at least interesting that the ankh word was used for mirrors from
at least the Middle Kingdom onward, and that indeed, many mirrors were
shaped in the form of an ankh sign. Life and death mirror each other,
and in any number of ancient religions, mirrors were used for
purposes of divination.
In fact, the ankh sign in
ancient Egypt seems to have transcended illiteracy, being comprehensible
to even those who could not read. Hence, we even find it as a
craftsman's mark on pottery vessels.
As the Christian era eclipsed
Egypt's pharaonic pagan religion, the sign was adapted by the Coptic
church as their unique form of a cross, known as the crux ansata.
