Snake in ancient Egypt

The Égyptiens of Antiquity feared the snakes as much that they admired of them the power, the grace and the mysteries.

Snakes of ancient Egypt

In Antiquity, Egypt was populated of forty species of Serpent S, of which thirty-four still remain on its territory. They belong to six families, but only the representatives of that of the elapidae , including/understanding the Cobra S, and of that of the boidae, with frightening the Python of Séba, were crowned.

The Uræus is in general identified with the Egyptian Cobra ( Naja haje ), but it would have rather to be compared to the Naja nigricollis , to the Naja mossambica and to the naja pallida. Indeed, these three have faculty not only to inoculate, but also to spit their venom, as the old texts concerning the uræus bring it back.

f
unilitère
Much more toxic than the cobras is the small vipers of Egypt which live with the fringe of the desert, in the caves and the tombs (the archeologists know something of it). Most famous is the horned Vipère, Cerastes cerastes which lent its characteristic silhouette to the unilitère F , dental consonant whistling like its model! Its close relatives are Cerastes will vipera and terrible the Echis carinatus with striking down venom.

Symbolic system

The snakes, which belong to one of the oldest still alive species, occupied an eminent place in the religious thought of the former Egyptians.

The terrifying animal

For the former Egyptians, the snakes were the animals more terrifying which is. Their single appearance (thread-like body deprived members), their discretion (in addition to one imitation with their medium the vipers can remain hidden hours in sand), their striking down attack, their mortal venom from which even the gods were not protected (Re bitten by a snake and saved by Isis or Geb victim of the venom spit by Uræus) and their capacity to disappear by least anfractuosity, make dreaded killers of them.

All small the ophidiens, dangerous or inoffensive colubridés (Grass snake S and others), was indistinctly regarded as “demons” malfaisants and their hieroglyphic image, since the Textes of the Pyramids, is often bored knives symbolic systems in order to neutralize them.

It is not astonishing only the supreme evil, the monster which tries to swallow the world each night, is not other than a snake, Apophis.

To protect the late ones against these demons, of the magic formulas - which find their apogees with the Nouvel Empire - were registered on the walls of the entry of the tombs.

Eternity

The moults of the snakes was an attractive event with the eyes of the former Egyptians. Indeed, at the time of its growth, the snake with narrow in its scales which do not grow, must leave its external layer on several occasions. The Egyptians, seeing a snake weakened (the activity of the snakes is reduced considerably before the moult) to leave its old skin “to reappear” with youth (after the moult, the scales are luisantes), could only compare it to the symbols of revival, of rebirth (from where the importance of these reptiles in the funerary texts).

The animal chtonien

Snake in mythology

The cobra was mainly devoted to goddesses (moreover, her name is the female one as a former Egyptian), namely:

  • Ouadjet, “Green” the, guardian one of the red crown of Low-Egypt;
  • the Uraeus, incarnation of the eye of Re, protective of the gods and the king, that which is drawn up for their defense;
  • Oupset, “the Extreme one”, goddess flame venerated in Philae, forms particular of Tefnout;
  • Renenoutet, feeder snake, goddess of the harvests;
  • Meretseger, “That which likes silence”, mistress of the necropolis thebaine.

Certain gods could also take the aspect of a snake other than that of the cobra:

  • Atoum, also eel;
  • Nehebkaou, the “Master of Kaou”, the mythical and feeder snake of deaths, god chtonien, sometimes illustrated with two heads of snakes;
  • Wine storehouse, god of the destiny.

The lifestyle of the snakes, grouillant in water or slipping into terrestrial caves, undulating on sand and the desert gravel, corresponds to the idea that the Old ones were made existence of the paramount beings. Also, the females of the four preexistent couples of Hermopolis are snakes.

Apophis, finally, enormous divine snake, incarnating the primitive and chaotic forces, is to be identified with the gigantic python of Séba, which can reach a 6 meters length and which is able to attack and of ingurgiter an human being. It disappeared from Egypt, but people still Africa in the south of the the Sahara.

Divinities snakes

Sources

  • Nicole Brix, snakes in the religion and daily life of ancient Egypt in Toutânkhamon Magazine , July 2004 June, p. 54-56.

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