The Egyptians wore amulets alongside other pieces of jewellery. Small amulets depicting gods and goddesses seem to have induced the protective powers of the deity, and these styles gained popularity from the Middle Kingdom.
Thoeris, also known as ‘Tawaret’ was an Egyptian deity who attended women in childbirth, and became a patron for pregnant women accordingly. She is often shown standing as a heavily pregnant hippopotamus with a low hanging stomach. Many women carried an amulet like this to assist them with labour and child rearing.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Shu was the primeval god of light and air, personifying the wind and the earth’s atmosphere. Closely associated with the principle of life, he marked the separation between night and day, between the living and the dead. This kneeling pose, a common depiction of the god, embodied his role as the division between the different realms.
Anubis was associated primarily with the afterlife – he was the god of embalming bodies, and had an important role in the transition between life and death. He ushered souls into the afterlife, and tended to the weighing scale during the Weighing of the Heart – the ceremony that determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead.
The dwarf god Pataikos was believed to have been a protection deity. Pataikos is associated with violent forces; Egyptian artwork depicts him walking over snakes and crocodiles, or grasping them in his hands, in some instances he has a scarab beetle on the top of his head. His protective and fierce qualities were believed to ward off evils that may result in injuries, illnesses or misfortune.
Thoth was the Egyptian god of knowledge and wisdom, creator of hieroglyphs and patron god of scribes. The ibis or baboon head was reserved for his representation. It was believed that Thoth recorded the verdict of the deceased’s fate during the ‘Weighing of the heart ceremony’. Amulets such as this would have been placed upon the mummy to anticipate a good outcome in the ceremony.
To find out more about the Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings: Ancient Egyptian Gods.
