210 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



The Sun, being the chief of heavenly bodies, was 

 considered a fit type of dominion and power ; and 

 the idea of an intellectual Sun was merely the union 

 of the abstract notion of a primary agent with the 

 apparent and visible object. 



For the Sun was both a physical and metaphy- 

 sical Deity, and under these two characters were 

 worshipped Re and Amun-re, the real Sun, the 

 ruler of the world, in the firmament, and the ideal 

 ruler of the universe as King of the Gods. 



Of the allegorical portion * of their religion we 

 have frequent instances, as in the story of Isis and 

 Osiris, whose supposed adventures, according to 

 one interpretation, re])resented the Nile and its 

 inundation : and numerous other natural phasno- 

 mena were in like manner typified by figurative or 

 emblematical conceits. 



The Gods had also tlieir peculiar symbols, which 

 frequently stood not only for tlie name, but also for 

 the figure, of the Deity they indicated ; as the Cyno- 

 cephalus ape was the sign and substitute for Thoth ; 

 the hawk and globe indicated tlie Sun, and the cro- 

 codile was the representative of the God Savak. 



Nor were moral emblems wanting in the religion 

 of the Egyptians ; the figure of Justice with her 

 eyes closed purported that men were to be guided 

 by impartiality in their duties towards their neigh- 

 bours ; the rat in the liand of the statue of Sethos 

 at Memphis recorded a supposed miracle, and 

 urged men to confide in the Deity ; and tlie tender 



* Vide Banier, Mytholog. vol. i. c. 3. p. 52., on the fables of the 

 Greeks ; and p. 176., on the theogony of Egypt. 



