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Djed - Deshret - Duat
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| Djed pillar Origin unclear but was the hieroglyphic sign for 'stability'. In the Old Kingdom it was associated with he creator god Ptah from Mennefer (Memphis), but from the new Kingdom onwards the djed pillar became a frequently used symbol for Osiris. It was used as amulets to give endurance and regeneration, and was even depicted as Wesir, with arms and eyes, and holding a crook and a flail. The Djed-pillar was also depicted on reliefs and different artifacts, either by itself or together with the Ankh or Was,or the Tyet (Isis-knot). |
| Djed-pillar, raising of
The ceremony of 'Raising of the Djedpillar' was performed at the time of the king´s jubilee, the Heb Sed festival and at the ceremonies for the dead king. Pharaoh is seen on reliefs raising the Djed column with the help of ropes and priests. The meaning of it could have been symbolizing the deceased king´s rebirth and the assurance of stability of the present king, his kingdom and even of cosmos itself. It probably also symbolized the final victory of Osiris over Set. |
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Deshret The ancient Egyptian word for 'desert', the 'red land'. It differed from 'kemet', by which they meant the black, fertile earth which was deposited along the Nile when it withdrew after the inundation. The Netjer Set was said to rule over the desert, being the deity to rule over chaos and neccessary destruction. The desert was a dangerous area to travel in, partly as wrongdoers were sometimes sent out here to perish, partly as the desert was the location for cemeteries. Especially the western desert was seen as the entrance to the Underworld, where the journey of the deceased started, and where the sun set each evening. Hathor (Het-Hert) and Min was among the deities watching over travellers along the desert routes. The deserts were also mountains, shielding off Egypt from other countries, for better or worse. |
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Duat is one of the names of the Underworld, the realm of the dead. After being judged before Osiris in the Hall of Jdgment, the desased had to journey until he came to the Duat, where Osiris awakened them to life. Also Re travelled through the Duat. |
Sources:
Egypt, The World of the Pharaos - Hartwig Altenmueller et al
The Ancient Egyptians - A. Rosalie David
Egyptian Myths - George Hart
Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art - Richard H. Wilkinson
Reading Egyptian Art - Richard H. Wilkinson
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