Panther (egyptian mythology)

Panthers in hieroglyphics
	;
	Abi-mehu ( narrow panther ) as a cheetah (above) ; Abi-schemau ( broad panther ) as a leopard (below)

The ancient Egyptian panther was one of the divine and sacred animals in Egyptian mythology . The king ( Pharaoh ) therefore equated his work with that of a panther. In addition, he wore the panther skin in several rituals . In this context, the term “ panther ” is used as a synonym for both the cheetah and the leopard .

background

The goddess Mafdet already acted as a sky panther in the early days . Their depiction on an ancient Egyptian magic knife from the time of the Middle Kingdom shows the solar and heavenly character of the panther.

The phase of the sun's course can be seen on it. The entire composition including the panther head ends in the wings of an unrecognizable being. Egyptologists therefore locate the action in the body of the sky panther.

etymology

In the world chamber of the sun sanctuary of Niuserre , a larger report is dedicated to the panther in an inscription of the animals giving birth. The Egyptians counted the panther to the family of big cats and the divine desert animals .

In this context, several hieroglyphic representations were possible, for example in the short form as "The Divine" or as an ideogram . An exact assignment to the cheetah or leopard is not possible, since the hieroglyph F9 was no longer used for the reading Peh (lion / panther) since the Middle Kingdom , but now as Ba (cheetah) for a "female panther". Application found.

The allocation to the leopard and the cheetah could be taken from the pyramid texts through parallel mentions, whereby it is primarily about the royal insignia of the panther skin and the panther skin apron. However, here, too, the unclear use of the term “panther skin / panther apron” is noticeable, which does not allow an exact identification of leopard or cheetah.

Mythological connections

In addition to the panther, the inscription of the “World Chamber” names other desert animals, all of which, however, have “divinity” as a common feature and therefore “ do not need a shepherd ”, but are the “determiners of fate”.

The explanatory text in the caption clarifies this aspect: “The desert takes the young from any wild animal that gives birth”.

literature

Elmar Edel : About the inscriptions on the seasonal reliefs of the “World Chamber” from the Niuserre solar sanctuary. Part 1. In: News from the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen. No. 8, 1961, ISSN 0065-5287 , pp. 210-255, here p. 244.

Individual evidence

^ Rainer Hannig : The language of the pharaohs. (2800-950 BC). Part 1: Large concise Egyptian-German dictionary. von Zabern, Mainz 1995, ISBN 3-8053-1771-9 , p. 470.
↑ ^a ^b Hartwig Altenmüller : The Apotropaia and the gods of Middle Egypt: A typological and religious-historical investigation of the so-called "magic knives" of the Middle Kingdom. Part 2: Catalog. Dissertation, University of Munich, 1965, pp. 58–59.
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[1] Rainer Hannig : The language of the pharaohs. (2800-950 BC). Part 1: Large concise Egyptian-German dictionary. von Zabern, Mainz 1995, ISBN 3-8053-1771-9 , p. 470.

[H1-2] Hartwig Altenmüller : The Apotropaia and the gods of Middle Egypt: A typological and religious-historical investigation of the so-called "magic knives" of the Middle Kingdom. Part 2: Catalog. Dissertation, University of Munich, 1965, pp. 58–59.

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