Sechem scepter
| Sechem scepter in hieroglyphics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Old empire |
Sechem Sḫm power scepter (command staff ) |
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The Sechem scepter (also Sechem scepter ) is documented as an ancient Egyptian further development of the sistrum as a symbol of power in the form of a command baton in the Old Kingdom .
etymology
The term Sechem (“power”) developed etymologically from the term Sachem (“power”) in connection with the name of the deity Sachmet (“The Mighty”), whereby the sound “a” faded over time and the later common form Sḫm remained.
The root words Sechem for “power”, Sechem-iri for “rulers”, Sechem for “Sistrum”, Sechmet for “ mummy figure ”, Sechemti as dualism for “ double crown ” and the epithet of Osiris as Sechem are based on the basis that is for the Connection between the living and the dead.
Mythological connections
The sistrum of the lion goddess Sachmet belonged in the early days to the equipment of the shaman , who also wore the panther skin in his function of the tjet . The symbolism of the sistrum was therefore closely linked to the heavenly philosophy and expressed the ability of the sistrum wearer to come into contact with the ancestors and heavenly deities. The so-called Naos-Sistrum developed from the normal Sistrum .
The introduction of the Sechem scepter as the “power of the king ( Pharaoh )” followed in this regard as a sign of the earthly ruler who was endowed with the powers of gods and ancestors. The king also received the powers of the heavenly deities Horus and Hathor through the Sechem scepter . In addition, Thoth was mentioned in various texts with the epithet "Sechem of the gods".
The Hathor symbol of the Ush column in Kusae has a strong resemblance to the Sechem scepter as a papyrus stick with two ostrich feathers, as it stands for the goddess Maat . This suggests the Bas' mythological connection to death and rebirth.
literature
- Harry Eilenstein: Hathor and Re: Myths and Magic in Ancient Egypt. Edition Magus, Bad Münstereifel 1990, ISBN 3-924613-19-2 , pp. 251-253.