Papyrus Small Formats - Horus Eye Vulture and Cobra

Horus Eye Vulture and Cobra

Horus Eye
The Eye of Horus is the left lunar eye of the god of light Horus, healed by Thoth, the god of magic and healing, after his adversary Seth, the god of darkness, had smashed it in battle. Instead of using it himself, Horus offered it to his father Osiris as a third eye. In doing so, he awakened a new consciousness in Osiris, the god of the dead, and brought light into the darkness of the underworld. Therefore, this eye became a symbol for healing and completion, but is also a symbol for light, offerings, protection and perfection.

The Vulture
The vulture, with its outstretched wings, has been used as a symbol of protection. It was not only placed on amulets given to the dead in their graves, but also above many a passage leading into the holy of holies. The vulture is the animal of the Egyptian goddesses Mut and Nechbet. Courage was depicted with a vulture's bonnet on her head. The vulture symbolised the embodiment of the female principle. In this respect, it refers to Mut's role as a mother goddess. This is why many other female gods were also depicted with the vulture's bonnet. Nechbet was often depicted in the form of a vulture (but sometimes also in human form). Since she was the sovereign of Upper Egypt, she was equally regarded as its patroness. Thus the vulture became the symbolic animal of Upper Egypt.

Cobra / Uraeus Serpent
The Uraeus Serpent is a symbol of ancient Egyptian iconography. The term means "the rearing one" and was considered a protective shield for gods and pharaohs in ancient Egypt. In the same capacity, the symbol, mostly in the form of uraea friezes, has also been used since at least the 3rd Dynasty to protect buildings on their façades and especially above entrances. Mythology: The Egyptian sun god Re once sent one of his eyes with a mission. When it returned after completion, it found its place occupied by an eye that had grown back. Re devised the conciliatory solution of raising the third sun's eye, which was now alive, to his forehead as a uraeus.