Eye of Horus
The eye of Horus is one of the most famous symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization.
It has been recognized as a symbol of royal power, protection, good health, rejuvenation,
and victory. It is also known as Wadjet, Wedjat, or Udjat, which wasn’t meant to
be confused with the Eye of Ra which represented many of the same concepts.
The eye of Horus was used by both the living and the dead as a funerary amulet
for its powerful protective powers as many ancient Egyptian sailors would paint
the symbol on their ship to ensure a safe sea journey.
History of Eye of Horus
The origin of the eye of Horus can be traced to the predynastic period where
the myth of Set and Osiris came to be. The ancient Egyptians believed that at
the time the king of Egypt Osiris was killed by his brother Set the god of chaos,
desert, and war using a devilish scum, and became the new king of Egypt which
new age of darkness spread over the land. Osiris’s wife Isis managed to bring her
husband to the world of the living once again through magic which led to her
being pregnant with Horus and then Osiris was killed again and his body was cut
Eye of Horus
to countless pieces by Set. Osiris became the ruler of the underworld and Horus
was raised by his mother Isis and was taught to be a warrior so he could avenge his father.
When Horus came of age he fought his uncle in a series of battles and was able to
win but it cost him his eye. So believe his eye was lost by Set who ripped it out, tore
it into six pieces, and threw it away, another theory states that it was Horus himself
who took his eye out as a sacrifice to bring back his father from the dead. The eye was
later restored by his consort Hathor the goddess of Beauty, joy, health, and love, or by
Thoth the god of Wisdom. The Amulets of the eye were made out of Gold, Lapis
Lazuli & carnelian, and used for both the dead and the living.
Significance of Eye of Horus
The eye of Horus also holds mathematical knowledge as each piece of the six-part
of the eye is given a fraction as a unit of measurement the right side of the eye is 1/2,
the pupil is 1/4, the eyebrow is 1/8, the left side of the eye is 1/16, the curved tail is 1/32,
and the teardrop is 1/64. All these fractions add up to 63/64, and the missing part is
believed to either represent the magical abilities and powers of Thoth or to illustrate the notion that nothing is truly perfect.
Besides the mathematical significance, each part had a connection with a different sense,
Eye of Horus
the right side of the eye is associated with the sense of smell because it is the closest
to the nose and resembles the organ. The pupil represents the sense of sight, while
the eyebrow represents thought because it can be used to express our thoughts.
The left side of the eye represents the sense of hearing because it points towards
the ear, and resembles a musical instrument. The curved tail corresponds to the sense
of taste because it resembles a sprout from a planted stalk of wheat or grain.
