Djed pillar

Djed pillar in hieroglyphics
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The Djed pillar is a symbol from the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing and represents an ideogram for the duration and permanence.

The symbol

The hieroglyph was mostly green or red in the upper part and its trunk was black, white, yellow or red and occasionally green.

The exact meaning of the item is disputed. Earlier interpretations saw it as a replica of a defoliated tree or a stake around which bunches of plants were tied in a circle in several stages.

Alan Gardiner described the hieroglyph as " column imitating a bundle of stalks tied together ", which roughly translated means: A pillar that imitates a bundle of (plant) stems tied together . Another description by James P. Allen is " reed columnn " - reed pillars. The Egyptologist Helck suspects that it is a sheaf to which the short-cut ears, which are arranged in parallel on several levels, are attached. However, this hypothesis does not match the coloring of the sign in the Old Kingdom .

meaning

The Djed pillar comes from prehistoric Egypt . This is evidenced by a representation in a grave in Helwan from the archaic period. As a symbol of permanence and durability, it was particularly popular as an amulet .

Erection of the Djed pillar by Seti I on a relief in his mortuary temple in Abydos

In the Old Kingdom there were priests of the "venerable Djed" and even the main god from Memphis Ptah was called "venerable Djed". So the festival of the "erection of the Djed pillar" or "erection of the Djed" developed in Memphis. With the help of the respective priests, the Pharaoh did this himself using knitting. This was to achieve a long period of kingship. Here the resurrection of the god Sokar was celebrated.

Due to a close connection between the memphistic god of death Ptah and the god of fertility, Osiris , the ceremony was included in the Osiris cult . Here the triumph of Osiris over his enemies was celebrated. The connection with Osiris gradually obscured the original connection with Ptah and Sokar until it eventually prevailed.

At the beginning of the New Kingdom , the Djed pillar was reinterpreted as the spine of Osiris. Since then, the coffins on the floor at the level of the spine often have this symbol.

literature

James P. Allen: Middle Egyptian. An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. Reprinted edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2001, ISBN 0-521-65312-6 .
Hans Bonnet : Lexicon of the Egyptian religious history. 3rd, unchanged edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-937872-08-6 , pp. 149-153.
Manfred Lurker : Lexicon of the gods and symbols of the ancient Egyptians. Handbook of the mystical and magical world of Egypt. Special edition, 2nd edition. Scherz, Bern et al. 2002, ISBN 3-502-16430-4 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Maria Carmela Betrò: Holy Signs. 580 Egyptian hieroglyphics. The whole world of the pharaohs becomes understandable and alive . marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-937715-33-9 , pp. 209 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Manfred Lurker: Lexicon of the gods and symbols of the ancient Egyptians (= Fischer pocket books . Volume 16693 ). New edition. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-596-16693-4 .
^ Alan Gardiner: Egyptian Grammar. Being an introduction to the study of Hieroglyphs . 3rd revised edition. Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 2005, ISBN 0-900416-35-1 .
↑ James P. Allen: Middle Egyptian. An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs . Reprinted edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2001, ISBN 0-521-65312-6 .

[heiligezeichen-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Maria Carmela Betrò: Holy Signs. 580 Egyptian hieroglyphics. The whole world of the pharaohs becomes understandable and alive . marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-937715-33-9 , pp. 209 .

[lexikon-2] Manfred Lurker: Lexicon of the gods and symbols of the ancient Egyptians (= Fischer pocket books . Volume 16693 ). New edition. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-596-16693-4 .

[3] Alan Gardiner: Egyptian Grammar. Being an introduction to the study of Hieroglyphs . 3rd revised edition. Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 2005, ISBN 0-900416-35-1 .

[4] James P. Allen: Middle Egyptian. An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs . Reprinted edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2001, ISBN 0-521-65312-6 .