A is for Animals



Animals were important to the ancient Egyptians. Not only the ones reared for food; some were kept as pets, while others were considered so important that they were mummified after death. The particular powers of each ancient Egyptian god or goddess were symbolised by animals with similar characteristics.

Here are some animals considered important by the Ancient Egyptians:

Jackals:

- Ancient Egyptians knew that these wild dogs were good at finding good meat within old meat, and making sure they only eat that part. Due to this, the jackal was used as a symbol in the judgement death scene, when a heart is weighed by Anubis to tell whether that person was good or bad. Anubis was the god with a jackal head.

Cats:

Taken from here
- Initially, wild cats were used in ancient Egypt to prey on rats and other vermin. Eventually people began to keep them as pets, and later began to worship them.
- Cats were sacred to the goddess Bast, and therefore the practice of mummification was extended to them. Cats were so well respected that if a cat died, the household would go into mourning as if one of their human relatives had died, even shaving their eyebrows to signify their loss.

Scarab Beetle: (technically an insect, I know, but I'm counting it anyway)

Taken from here
- Scarabs were associated the the god Khepri. According to ancient Egyptians, it was he who pushed the sun across the sky, just like a scarab beetle would roll a ball of dung, thus the scarab beetle became the symbol for rebirth. When a body was mummified, the heart would be removed and replaced by a stone carved like a beetle.

Crocodiles:

- Crocodiles were the symbol of the god Sobek. He was a symbol of the Pharoah's power, to be both feared and respected, just like a crocodile.

Hippopotamus:

Taken from here
- Hippos were feared because of their huge mouths, teeth, and their aggressive natures when angered. However, they were seen as the symbols of rebirth. The hippo is the symbol of the goddess Tauret, who protects women in childbirth.

Comments

  1. Rob Z Tobor1 April 2014 at 10:23

    Hello Miss Laura . . . . . . I bet you were not expecting that. . . A cool start as always, be good only 25 more letters to go . . . . Ooooo did I mention I am patrolling this tiny bit of the A to Z.


    And remember God moves in mysterious ways. . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1 April 2014 at 10:47

    Thanks for that useful list - find Egyptians fascinating. Good luck Laura.with rest of challenge

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tasha Duncan-Drake1 April 2014 at 10:50

    Thank you for all the wonderful information. I knew some of it, but the details I didn't are fascinating. I look forward to your other posts.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alex J. Cavanaugh1 April 2014 at 12:51

    Hippos meant rebirth - didn't know that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous1 April 2014 at 13:00

    I wonder if that's why so many jewels were made in the likeness of scarabs. Of course, jackals are pretty intense creatures, judgment and death doesn't surprise me about them at all.

    MJ, A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    Writing Tips
    Effectively Human
    Lots of Crochet Stitches


    ReplyDelete
  6. Colin Smith1 April 2014 at 13:43

    Steve--maybe you know Laura, and she was expecting this... but something tells me maybe not. In any case, I share your faith, but I don't think this is a very winning approach. You may want to spend some time in 2 Peter 3:15 ("but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence"). Hitting people over the head like this doesn't count as "gentleness and reverence" to me. In fact, you're more likely to get yourself blocked and ignored.

    Again, maybe you know Laura, and she expects and welcomes this approach... but something tells me not.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Colin Smith1 April 2014 at 13:45

    No wonder the Egyptians deified cats--our feline friends always seem to act like they rule the world! :)

    Great start to A-to-Z, Laura! I'll be following you the rest of the month.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Karen Jones Gowen1 April 2014 at 14:38

    Fascinating! I knew the Egyptians revered cats but did not realize other animals were so important to them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. S. L. Hennessy1 April 2014 at 14:43

    I love hippos. This is an excellent animal to worship. Cats too :)

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  10. T. Powell Coltrin1 April 2014 at 14:57

    Cats have always known what they're doing. hee hee.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Crystal Collier1 April 2014 at 15:34

    LOL. We seem to have forgotten (culturally) about the danger of hippos. I knew about the history with all the others, but not about hippos. My son made a zombie hippo the other day, artistically. (Yes, the strange things that come from the mind of a 7 year old...)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Laura Clipson1 April 2014 at 15:48

    Thanks for your support here, Colin. You're right, I was not expecting this and I don't know this person. I appreciate your comment here :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chuck Allen1 April 2014 at 16:24

    Very interesting. I have always been fascinated with ancient Egyptian culture, but I know very little about it. Also, reading through your list gave me some ideas for flash fiction stories. :) Good luck with A to Z!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Chrys Fey1 April 2014 at 17:18

    I LOVE learning about Ancient Egypt so I really enjoyed this post! Surprisingly, I also didn't know about Hippos. :)

    I'm sorry about the first comment you received. It sure wasn't warranted. Don't let it get to you.

    I'll be coming back to your blog every day this month! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. cleemckenzie1 April 2014 at 18:04

    Such interesting details about the animals Egyptians elevated to levels of respect and worship.

    ReplyDelete
  16. SK Anthony1 April 2014 at 19:19

    Learning these fun facts is awesome! Hippos...rebirth, huh? Cool!
    By they way, I can't believe I had to re-follow you. I wondered why I stopped seeing your posts in my feed but blogger has been messing with me :(

    ReplyDelete
  17. Julie Flanders1 April 2014 at 20:11

    I knew about the cats but had never heard about the others. How interesting! Looking forward to seeing what else you have planned for us this month.

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  18. Glenda Cates1 April 2014 at 21:47

    Great post and something fun to share with my son. Thanks for writing it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous1 April 2014 at 22:22

    Can't expect anything less when it comes to cats! Mine is the Queen of our household! great post, can't wait to see what you have for us tomorrow. :)

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  20. L.G. Keltner1 April 2014 at 22:26

    Steve, chill out. Writing in all caps "YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS" is not a good way to make friends. I'm not a Christian, but I am offended on behalf of all the wonderful Christians I know who would never think to behave in a manner as reprehensible as this. After reading Colin's response, I think it's safe to say that he counts as one of those wonderful Christians, and I'm glad to see that he stood up for Laura.

    Laura, stay awesome. We all have to deal with the confrontational types from time to time. Luckily you have a lot of blogging friends who support you. I look forward to more of your posts!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mina Burrows2 April 2014 at 01:43

    I'd keep a herd of cats and build them a shrine as long as they kept the rats away. That's sounds completely logical to me.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jessica Marcarelli2 April 2014 at 05:29

    Ancient Egyptian lore and history has always fascinated me. I love that they loved cats.

    Jessica
    Visions of Other Worlds

    ReplyDelete
  23. Kate Larkindale2 April 2014 at 07:57

    There are so many interesting things in Egyptian history. But a love of cats is perfectly understandable. I love them too! Shame I'm allergic...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Unknown2 April 2014 at 07:58

    My little girl loves this subject, but we didn't know about the hippo! Nice to connect and follow an AtoZ host
    aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk
    Twitter: WriterBizWoman

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sheena-kay Graham2 April 2014 at 08:48

    I'm a Christian and he freaked me out. Seriously man, calm down.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sheena-kay Graham2 April 2014 at 08:50

    Now I feel a story coming on involving hippos and I'm about to look up on them in wikepedia. Like I don't have enough wips, sigh, this brain, this brain (of mine). Yes! I knew I would love reading about Ancient Egypt and you delivered Sarah. I knew about the worshipping of cats and Anubis. The deep feelings about the Jackals and the hippos is news to me.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Andrew Leon3 April 2014 at 00:26

    The Steve guy has hit a lot of blogs like that. I love it:
    You're gonna die!
    Please come follow my blog.

    Sure, buddy, should I drink the kool-aid, too?

    Insects are animals, you know.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sara C. Snider3 April 2014 at 08:00

    I love hippos. I think it's because they seem so cute, but they can seriously mess you up. Fantastic post, Laura.

    ReplyDelete

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