They were seen as manifestations of the gods and protected with devotion, being mummified and buried with ceremony
In ancient Egypt, animals occupied a central place in culture and spirituality. More than companions or beings of nature, many of them were considered direct manifestations of the gods. It was believed that when a divinity assumed the form of an animal, all individuals of that type began to transport sacred energy. This meant that mistreating them was a sacrilege and protecting them, a religious and social duty.
Over time, the cult of these animals has been thus strengthened that, in the last periods of the Egyptian civilization, many of them have been mummified in rituals developed similar to those used with humans. The mummies have been deposited in specific places, such as the necropolis of the animal sacred to Saqqara. The devotion was such as to receive ceremonies, tombs, offers and temples.
So you know seven of the most revered species by the Egyptians!
1. Cat – The symbol of protection and harmony
THE Domestic cat It was one of the best -revered animals in ancient Egypt, which represented the bastet of the goddess. Initially associated with the war, Bastet became, over time, the divinity of protection, home, fertility and music. The cats were seen as spiritual and physical guardians: they protected the houses with parasites such as rats and snakes and rejected negative energies.
The call was so strong that when a cat died, the tutors scrape their eyebrows in mourning. They were also buried with rituals, in their sarcophagi and often with offers. It is estimated that millions of cats have been mummified throughout Egypt.
2. Boi bees – The incarnation of divine force
Oxopi Ox was a living incarnation of the god, creator of the world, and was later associated with Osiris, Lord of the Underworld. Only one ox was chosen to represent bees. He needed specific signs, like a white triangle on the forehead and the design of a scarabeo in his hair.
Living in Mêmphis, this ox was treated as a king: he had his priests, received special foods and was shown to the public in religious holidays. After his death, he was mummified and buried with a great ceremony in the Saqqara Serapeu. This service lasted over two thousand years, demonstrating its importance.
3. Ibis – The messenger of wisdom
Ibis, a bird With long legs and curved beaks, it was the symbol of the god Thoth, divinity of wisdom, writing, mathematics, magic and time. Thoth was the scribe of the gods and responsible for maintaining the cosmic order. The Egyptians believed that Ibis was a wise animal that brought messages from the gods and protected knowledge.
It was common to find many mummified ibis in the temples dedicated to Thoth, such as that of Ton Tuna. The priests created these birds in sacred nurseries and, after their death, they performed packaging rituals, with collective tombs that still host thousands of animal mummies.
4. Falcon – The divine vision of paradise
The hawk was associated with Horus, one of the most important of the Egyptian Pantheon. Son of Isis and Osiris, Horus was the god of heaven, light, royalty and justice. It was represented as a man with a hawk head or like the animal itself.
His eyes symbolized the sun (right) and the moon (left), and was considered the protector of the pharaoh, who was seen as his incarnation on earth. Therefore, living hawks were kept in temples, fed and protected as divine beings. When they died, they were carefully embalmed and buried with the offers, symbolizing the continuity of the power of Horus.
5. Dog – The Guardian of the Beylond
The dog, in particular those of an appearance similar to ChakalHe was associated with the god Anubis, a divinity of the dead and responsible for the rituals of mummification. Anubi was represented with a human body and a dog’s head or jackal, and his role was to guide souls in the afterlife, protecting the tombs and guaranteeing the safe passage in the underworld.
For this reason, dogs were seen as spiritual protective animals. Many lived near cemeteries and funeral temples and were respected by everyone. Some were found mummified in necropolis as anuboes, with signs that were treated with zeal until the end of life.
6. Crocodile – The strength of the gods in the waters
The crocodile, feared and respected by the Egyptians, was the representation of the god Sobek, associated with the Nile river, to fertility and military power. Sobek had a crocodile head and a human body, and it was believed that he would protect Egypt from external threats, in particular those who arrived in the waters.
In the city like Faiyum and Kom Ombbo, there were temples with living crocodiles preserved in sacred tanks, where they received food and care. After death, they were mummified and buried in a specific necropolis. The excavations have revealed many mummies of crocodiles, with dimensions ranging from puppies to great adults, some wrapped in embroidered fabrics.
7. EscaVel – The Renaissance symbol
THE scarabeeA type of scarabeo that pushes the manure of manure, enchanted the Egyptians for their curious behavior. They associated this action with the movement of the sun through the sky and connected it to the god Kheripri, the divinity of dawn and renewal. Therefore, the animal has become a powerful symbol of transformation, eternal life and spiritual protection.
It was common to find it carved in amulets, rings and statuettes, used alive and placed in tombs to accompany the dead. Some scribbles were even mummified, demonstrating the reverence that the Egyptian people had for this small but symbolic, animal.
Source: Terra
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