Ankh

For other uses, see Ankh (disambiguation).

Ankh

The ankh (pronunced /æŋk/ in English, symbol ☥) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word ʿnḫ, meaning life. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest. It is also known as the Egyptian Cross, or as crux ansata, Latin for "cross with a handle".

Origins

Ankh in hieroglyphs

or

The is no single definitive interpretation of the symbol by Egyptologists. Unlike most Egyptian sacred images, it was not a human-like god with the head of an animal, or even the disk of the Sun, but a pure symbol of deity, the giver of life.

Other diverse theories include E. A. Wallis Budge's that it might have originated as the belt-buckle of the mother goddess Isis, an idea joined by Wolfhart Westendorf with the notion that both the ankh and the knot of Isis were used as ties on ceremonial girdles. Sir Alan Gardiner speculated that it represented a sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle. The word for sandal strap was also spelled ʿnḫ, although it may have been pronounced differently.

Still other theories include the notion that the ankh represents the sun crowning over the horizon and thus represents regeneration, regrowth and renewal. It is also believed to represent the path of the sun from east to west (with the loop representing the Nile), a stylized person, or that it is a combination of the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) respectively, and therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth. Together, these symbols reflect a continued existence. .

Over time the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe, power and life-giving air and water. Its keylike shape has also encouraged the belief it could unlock the gates of death, and it is viewed this way by the modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. The Coptic Christians have used it as a symbol of life after death.

History

The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art, often at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy. An ankh was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health." Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes, in art, a god is portrayed touching a mortal with an ankh, symbolizing conception. The Ankh is almost never drawn in silver (because the Ankh is associated with the Sun, and gold is the metal of the Sun).

In alchemy

A similar symbol (♀) was used to represent the Roman goddess Venus. This symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirror, is much more associated with a representation of the female womb. The same symbol is used in astrology to represent the planet Venus, in alchemy to represent the element copper, and in biology to identify the female sex.

The ankh and the cross

The long-standing importance of the ankh, and its deep symbolism to the dynastic Egyptians, led to it being gradually adopted by the fourth century Christian church in Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic church).

This is significant, as it is possibly one genesis of the adoption of the cross as the central thematic symbol of the Christian religion. A kind of cross, the ankh had long been a central religious symbol. It was non-anthropomorphic; not even animal-like. (Many Egyptian gods had been animal-faced human figures.) Anknaton's benevolent sun was the only other symbol that was so esoteric. This cross implied all of the "god ideas" that are infinite in nature. As monotheism is at the core of Christian belief, the ankh seemed a logical choice to symbolize the belief in one all-powerful God. Over time, the idea that His son had died on some type of cross made it seem all the more appropriate.^{[citation needed]}

Elsewhere, the main Christian symbol at the time had been a stylised alpha, resembling a fish, and therefore known as Ichthys, the Greek word for 'fish'. However, the new "more positive" symbol of a cross eventually spread throughout the Christianized Empire. The distinct circular or "gothic arch-like" upper part of the Ankh was kept well into mediaeval times. The Ankh symbol has often been used as a Christian talisman.^{[citation needed]}

The photograph shown of a Christian 3rd Century bust with a transitional "ankh becoming a cross"^{[citation needed]} was found in the 1960s in the Fayuom, Egypt archeological region. It is analogous to the "archaeopteryx fossil", the famous "Dinosaur into Bird" relic, which lends tangible support to the transitional concept. (If you have red-cyan glasses you'll see it in museum grade 3D)

In Unicode, the ankh sign is U+2625 (☥).

In popular culture

The ankh is widely employed in pop culture as a device to communicate long history and spiritual or arcane life forces.

• Hippies wore it as a life-affirming sign to counteract the "death forms" of the dominant culture [1], or to show a belief that material life is not all there is.
• In Gothic subculture the ankh is a symbol associated with vampires. Jhonen Vasquez is known to have used the symbol in mockery of the gothic subculture of today in his work Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. The ankh was worn by David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as a gold pendant, the bottom part concealing a knife used for blood drinking, in the 1983 film The Hunger, based on Whitley Strieber's novel of the same title.
• In the form of a pendant, symbolizing Sanctuary, it was worn by an underground network of runners attempting to escape their fate in the 1976 science fiction film Logan's Run. William F. Nolan's original novel did not include ankh references.
• It has been featured in a number of computer fantasy games including World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, the Ultima series, Xenogears, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Age of Wonders, Serious Sam The First Encounter, the Commander Keen series, Gunbound: World Champion, Ankh: Tales of Mystery and Garfield: Caught in the Act. It often denotes "holy magic", priest characters, and similar, though usually in a simplistic manner. The city-building game Pharaoh uses it in the icon.
• Vinnie Vincent from the rock group Kiss wore an ankh in his make-up design.
• In Neil Gaiman's comic book series Sandman the character of Death always wore an ankh, popular in the Goth subculture that inspired Death's appearance, but possibly meant here to show that death is a part of life.
• On the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!, the character Shadi uses the Millennium Key, which is in the shape of an ankh, to unlock and enter people's minds. Additionally, the original Japanese version of the "Monster Reborn" card features the ankh.
• A broken ankh is the standard symbol of the Sarafan Order in the Legacy of Kain series.
• Several celebrities have been known to have a tattoo of an ankh on their body, including professional wrestlers Christopher Daniels and Jason Gory, neo-soul/hip-hop artist Erykah Badu, pop music artist Anastacia and NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Rodman
• Elvis Presley wore an Ankh necklace during his concert documentary Elvis on Tour while wearing the Blue Nail Jumpsuit. He was also known to wear the Christian Cross and the Jewish Chai. He once remarked, "I don't want to miss out on Heaven because of a technicality" when asked about the Cross and the Chai necklaces he wore. However, the Ankh showed his diverse interest in and knowledge of many religions.
• The ankh is referenced by name in the popular Discworld series of comic fantasy novels, through the major city Ankh-Morpork.
• The The 69 Eyes also put the ankh on their cd "Framed In Blood".

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN 0520215974
• Salaman, Clement and Van Oyen, Dorine and Wharton, William D. and Mahé, Jean-Pierre (translation) (2000). The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Heremticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. Rochester: Inner Traditions.  ISBN 0715630938
• Three Initiates (1912). The Kybalion. Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society Masonic Temple.  ISBN 0911662251
• Amen, Nur Ankh. 1999. The Ankh: African Origin of Electromagnetism. New York: A&B Publishers Group. ISBN 1886433127

External links

• "Ankh: The Original Cross", The Afrocentric Experience, Retrieved March 18, 2007.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Ankh  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Ankh"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.