^66 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIV. 



EMBLEMS. 



The most remarkable emblems, independent of 

 the types of the Deities, were the signs of Life, of 

 Goodness, of Purity, of Majesty and Dominion 

 (the flail and crook of Osiris), of Royalty, of 

 Stability, and of Power, which were principally 

 connected with the Gods and Kings. 



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No. 4G6. Emblems of Life, Goodness, Purity, Royalty, and Stability. 



Many others belonged to religious ceremonies ; 

 a long list of which may be seen in the chamber 

 of Osiris at Philas*, and in the coronation cere- 

 mony at Medeenet Haboo. t 



The sign of Life (tau, or crux ansata) I have 

 mentioned elsewhere, t The sign of Goodness is the 

 initial of the word nofre, "good;" and the sceptre 

 of Purity, which the Gods hold in their hands, has 

 been shown to enter into one of the groups signi- 

 fying " Egypt," or the pure land. § This has been 

 styled the Upupa-headed sceptre ; but I have 

 shown the head to be of an animal, and not of a 

 bird, as usually supposed. The lower end is forked ; 

 and this, as well as the head itself, has been found 

 in the excavations at Thebes. A similar staff seems 

 to have been used by the Kgyi)tian peasant, per- 

 haps as a crook; and the Arabs to the present day 



* Given in tlio Plates of the R. S- of Literature, Plate GG, G7. 

 f Vide infra, Plate 76. J Infra, p. 283. 



j Vide supra, p. 47. 



