Religious symbol of ostrich feathers. Egyptian goddess Maat: interesting facts and myths God whose symbol was an ostrich feather

Bird feathers - their symbolism is based on the weightlessness of feathers, the ability of birds to fly and the spiritual qualities that birds were endowed with.

The bird feather symbolizes truth, lightness, Heaven, height, speed, space, escape to other areas of the world, soul, the element of wind and air, opposed to the principle of moisture, dryness. In more in a broad sense feathers worn by shamans, priests or rulers symbolized a magical connection with the world of spirits or divine power and protection.

IN Ancient Egypt feather - supreme power, truth, flight, weightlessness, dryness, height. Feathers are an attribute of several gods of the sky, but especially - the goddess of truth (justice) Maat, who, with the help of an ostrich feather, weighs the hearts of the dead in the afterlife, is an allegory of justice, designed to separate sinful souls from the righteous. Other deities whose attributes are feathers also include the solar Amon-Ra and Anheru, Osiris, Horus, Shu, Hathor, Apis, Mentu, Nefertium. In Amenti, Osiris weighs the soul, throwing the feathers of truth onto the other side of the scale.

In the Christian tradition, feathers symbolize prayer, faith and contemplation. Sometimes they signify virtue, as in the coat of arms of the Medici family, where three feathers in a ring symbolize faith, hope and charity.

Among the Scandinavians goddess Freya wields a magical feather cape that allows her to fly through the air. A feather cloak is an attribute not only of heavenly gods such as Freya, but also of the Celtic Druids, who tried to travel beyond the material world with the help of magic. Among the Celts, capes decorated with feathers, worn by clergy, personified the path to another world. Fairies also wear dresses decorated with feathers.

In Taoism, a feather is an attribute of a priest, a “feathered sage” or “feathered visitor,” a message with the other world.

The feathered robes of shamans give the ability to fly to other worlds and undertake journeys to gain knowledge.

In China, an ornament with motifs of plumage, grain and wood combines opposing concepts into a single symbol: lightness and sublimity, symbolized by plumage, and earthly vitality (the growth of a tree, the seed of which is a prototype of life itself).

The snake, covered in the vibrant green feathers of the Quetzal bird, is considered a symbol of the great Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, as well as his power over heaven and earth. In North America, it was believed that the headdresses of leaders, made of feathers, equate them with the Great Spirit and with the power of the gods of air, fire and thunder. The feathered Sun, a disk with feathers directed both inward and outward, is a symbol of the Cosmos and the Center among the Plains Indians. Feathers are also a common symbol of ascending prayer; hence the symbolism of the feathered wands of the Pueblo Indians, which were used in rituals to bring rain at the solstice.

Among the American Indians, eagle feathers represent the Thunder Bird, the Great Spirit, the spirit of the universe, as well as rays of light. In Toltec culture, feathered sticks represent prayer and contemplation.

To wear feathers or feathered hairstyles is to embrace the power of the bird. This puts the wearer in touch with the knowledge of birds (“a little bird told me”), with their transcendental and instinctive knowledge and magical power.

Two feathers symbolize light and air, two poles, resurrection. Three feathers are associated with the lily. The feathered crown represents the rays of the Sun.

A white feather symbolizes clouds, sea foam and cowardice, as a white feather or tail feathers on a fighting cock are considered a sign that the bird lacks the aggressiveness associated with purebred fighting cocks.

Sergey Ivanov

The tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, is rightfully considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries. During the excavations, thousands of things that accompanied the king in another world again saw sunlight - to tell descendants about their owner and the era in which he lived.

Thus, in the famous pectoral with a scarab, the name of Tutankhamun is encrypted - Nebkheprura, “Lord of the transformations of the sun.” This is the throne name given to the king upon accession to the throne and reflected the main idea of ​​his reign. The semicircular basket under the hind legs of the sacred beetle is the hieroglyph for heaven, “lord.” The scarab with three vertical lines was read as khepru, "transformation", and the sun disk above the beetle's head conveyed the word ra, "sun".

Tutankhamun's parents were Akhenaten and Queen Kiya. Akhenaten ruled for only 17 years, but these years became the time of the deepest crisis in the worldview of the ancient Egyptians: the pharaoh exalted the only god - Aten, the solar disk, in his name destroying the names of all former gods and destroying their temples.

When Tutankhamun inherited the throne, he was only 6-7 years old. Apparently, under the influence of advisers Ey and Horemheb, in the 4th year of his reign, the young pharaoh canceled his father’s reforms, returning the former gods to Egypt and restoring their temples. These events meant the return of culture to its traditional course and gave hope for the revival of the country:

“...Gods and goddesses who are in this country! Their hearts are in joy. The lords of the sanctuaries are in jubilation... Rejoicing throughout the whole earth. Good plans have come true..."

One of the pectorals of Tutankhamun shows the king sitting on a throne in front of the winged goddess Maat - the embodiment of world order. The symbol of this goddess was an ostrich feather, as light as truth, that adorns Maat’s head. The king extends the sign of life ankh to the goddess, and she, in turn, spreads her wings in a gesture of protection and patronage. The pharaoh's head is crowned with a blue khepresh crown - an attribute of the king's military attire, which recalls the numerous scenes of hunting or defeating enemies presented on other objects of Tutankhamun. These compositions are endowed with deep symbolic meaning: the king does not just hunt or subjugate rebellious peoples, on the cosmic level he exterminates the enemies of the world order and establishes maat - order and justice. IN right hand Tutankhamun's staff is hake. It was identified with the staff of a shepherd watching over his flock, and the hieroglyph of this staff denoted magical knowledge, a means of fulfilling the divine plan.

One of the most impressive decorations of the young pharaoh was the golden corset that covered the king's upper body. This ceremonial decoration consists of three parts: a usekh necklace, a wide belt and two ribbons connecting these elements. The corset consists of many small gold plates, fastened with movable joints so as not to restrict the king’s movements. Each of the plates is inlaid with various stones - turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian or pieces of colored glass.

The usekh necklace was one of the most beloved pieces of jewelry by the Egyptians. It consisted of several horizontal low beads, fastened vertically into a wide collar that covered the owner's chest and back. The Egyptians often compared this decoration with the wings of goddesses that hugged and thus protected a person. Woven from many beads, the usekh necklace was a rather heavy piece of jewelry, so it was often accompanied by a mankhet counterweight that went down the back and held the usekh at chest level.

Adjacent to the corset necklace is a rectangular pectoral, on which the young ruler is represented standing in front of Amun-Ra, the ruler of Upper Egyptian Thebes, who returned to his monastery thanks to Tutankhamun. In one hand of Amon is an ankh, a sign of life, which God bestows on the ruler; in the other there is a long staff with the ideogram of the royal anniversary sed, a symbolic designation of the long years of reign. Behind Tutankhamun are the Lower Egyptian gods: Atum, the falcon-headed god crowned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the goddess Iusaas.

The lower part of the corset - a wide belt - consists of many drop-shaped elements, reproducing the plumage of divine wings with which the goddess (usually Nut, Isis or Nekhbet) protected the king. This design, called rishi, was very popular in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Each of the decorations worn during life was suspended on a gold chain or ribbon made in the same style as the pectoral itself. The lock of one of the ribbons that supported the pendant in the form of a kite was made in the shape of two sleeping ducks (which completed the ends of the ribbon and were fastened together). The Egyptians loved images of sleeping birds, because they symbolized a short sleep, followed by a joyful awakening and continuation of life.

This motif becomes central to one of the pairs of Tutankhamun's earrings. The round medallion, the central element of the decoration, contains fantastic birds with the head of a duck and the body of a kite. The birds clutch in their paws the shen infinity signs, the shape of which is repeated by the open wings of the birds. The top part of the earrings resembles modern stud earrings. It consists of two hollow parts that are inserted into one another. The front side of the carnation is decorated with sacred cobras that protect the ruler.

The gold of Tutankhamun can tell a lot about the doctrine of royal power, the worldview of the ancient Egyptians, and even about the personal life of this king. Thus, in one of the many caskets, G. Carter discovered a pectoral with the name of Akhenaten. This find suggests that, despite his reforms, Tutankhamun retained respect and love for his father. In another casket, the necklace of Ankhesenamon, the beloved sister and wife of the young king, was found. Usually these decorations are seen only as precious material and skillful workmanship, but an inquisitive mind will see in them the personality and destiny of the ruler.

The country was reborn, but fate was unkind to the young king. His sudden death, which occurred in the 10th year of his reign, when Tutankhamun was only 16-17 years old, interrupted the thread of the 18th dynasty. The burial of Tutankhamun was hasty and modest - caring for the welfare of the state with a lack of funds in the treasury, the young king did not have time to prepare a luxurious tomb for himself. He was buried in a small tomb, which was simply forgotten a few years later. However, what he did for his country lives on in his monuments to this day.

“...Nothing like him has happened among the valiant of all countries together. Knowing like Ra, [skillful like] Ptah, comprehending like the One who defines the laws... the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler of the Both Lands... Nebkheprura, who pacified the Both Lands, the native son of Ra, his beloved... gifted with life, longevity , happiness, like Ra, forever, forever.”

“The feather is what covers the wings.”

(Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language)

Greetings to everyone who has looked into our fairy forest!

Tell me, who among us has not dreamed of flying? Probably, we all have ever dreamed of having wings, because flight has been a forbidden dream of mankind since time immemorial. In order to somehow bring their dream closer, people have come up with a huge number of devices that allow us to move in the air, but not a single person has yet been able to acquire real wings and fly above the ground like a bird.

To get a little closer to your dream, today we are going again into the mysterious labyrinth of signs and symbols, where we will try to understand the secret of a bird’s feather and “try on” the wings.

Well? Let's fly!

The feather - with its conspicuous symbolic characteristic of lightness, which, according to the old concept, itself lifts the bird into the air, often symbolizes the heavens, height, speed, space, soul, the element of wind and air. Two feathers symbolize light and air, two poles, resurrection. But there are also meanings that are less applicable at first glance, which were given to the pen by different peoples of the world. A white feather sometimes symbolizes clouds, sea foam and... cowardice! Because a white feather or feathers in the tail of a fighting cock was considered a sign of a bad breed and therefore some timidity. And, for example, a feathered crown can represent the rays of the sun.

Aztec crown of Montezuma made of 400 feathers

Let's take a closer look at the versatility of the symbolism of the feather!

Symbolism of the feather different nations peace.

Feathers are a common emblem of ascending prayer; hence the symbolism of the feathered wands of the Pueblo Indians, which were used in rituals to bring rain at the solstice.

The feathered sun, a disk with feathers directed both inward and outward, is the emblem of the Cosmos and the Center among the Plains Indians. Each feather in the feather headdress of the Indians of the North American prairies, by its origin, meant the memory of the military deeds of its wearer.

A distinctive feature of the Nepalese crown is the plume of bird of paradise feathers, symbolizing the exaltation of the king.

For the Egyptians, the feather means supreme power, truth, flight, weightlessness, height; emblem of the goddess Maat as Truth. Deities whose attributes are feathers also include Amon-Ra and Anheru, Osiris, Horus, Shu, Hathor, Apis, Mentu, Nefertium. In Amenti, Osiris weighs the soul, throwing the feathers of truth onto the other side of the scale.

Osiris weighs the soul

Even the ancient kings of Egypt wore a double crown with two ostrich feathers standing perpendicular to each other.

god Atef wearing a double crown (Upper and Lower Egypt) with feathers

The Scandinavian goddess of fertility, love and beauty, Freya, owned a magical feather cape that allowed her to fly through the air. And the feathered clothes of the Scandinavian shamans gave the ability to fly to other worlds and travel to gain new knowledge.

Goddess Freya

In Taoism, a feather is an attribute of a priest or “feathered sage”, meaning communication with the other world.

In Toltec culture, feathered sticks represent prayer and contemplation.

For Christians, the feather signifies contemplation and faith.

And in Great Britain, three feathers are associated with the lily and are the heraldic emblem of the Prince of Elle.

In general world religious symbolism, wearing feathers in clothing, feathered hairstyles, or having feather attributes means accepting the power and manna of the Bird. This allows the wearer to come into contact with the secret knowledge of birds, to get to know them magical power and rise above this world.

FEATHER in legends and mythology.

It is impossible not to note the role played by the feather in various legends, epics and myths.

Even in childhood, our grandmothers read us a fairy tale about the beautiful Firebird, a feather from whose tail could replace the richest lighting for a long time, and when extinguished, it turned into gold. They also said that with the help of the Firebird’s feather it was possible to find treasures, since like attracts like. And so the golden feather attracts the gold stored in the earth.

Firebird

The prototype of the fire bird can be found among different peoples of the world.

Birds and feathers in general are significant elements of all mythopoetic traditions. They act as symbols of the divine essence, soul, life, sky, sun, thunder, wind, clouds, freedom, ascent, growth, ascension, inspiration, prophecy, prediction, fertility, abundance.

FEATHER in art.

The pen, with its mysterious symbolism of the unattainable, has become firmly entrenched in various areas of art.

Became popular in the 17th century philosophical idea the frailty of all things, it was then that the painting Vanitas/Vanitas appeared (Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas Vanity of vanities and everything is vanity). It was most clearly expressed in still life, where a bird's feather became an unspoken symbol of literary creativity and poetry for many years.

CLAESZ., Pieter Vanitas with Violinand Glass Ball (1628)

I would also like to note another unusual type of painting, where, in order to add fragility, airiness and sublimity to their paintings, they began to paint them directly on bird feathers. It's actually very ancient look art of the Maori people, but modern artists have mastered it to perfection and now exist in almost every country. The most famous of them, largely thanks to the Internet, is the British artist Ian Davey, who paints exclusively on swan feathers:

In its other variations, the feather in painting and sculpture symbolizes what we have already mentioned in the paragraphs above.

Let's look at a few examples of using the pen in sculpture:

In this sculpture, the feather acts as a symbol of literary creativity and distinguishes Ershov as a great Russian poet, writer and playwright.

Near the building of the Astrakhan Youth Theater on Mussa Jalil Street you can see several sculptures on a fairy-tale theme. One of these sculptures depicts Ivan the Fool and the Little Humpbacked Horse. In Ivanushka’s hands is the feather of the Firebird. The sculpture illustrates an episode of a fairy tale in which “The horse says to him: “There is something to marvel at! Here lies the feather of the Firebird, But for your happiness, do not take it for yourself. It will bring with it much, much restlessness.” The author of the monument is Volgograd sculptor Sergei Aleksandrovich Shcherbakov.

The ancient Mayan society suffered from the exorbitant demands of the elite, who wanted to live beautifully. Noble people loved hats, richly decorated outfits, feathers of rare birds, jade, and shells. One such “master of life” can be recognized in the clay figurine (left). Here the feather, of course, symbolizes an attempt to elevate us to the rest of the world.

And modern British sculptor Kate McGuire spent 2 years collecting bird feathers to use them as material to create your incredible works.

Using the same feathers, the sculptor tried to give the audience the feeling that there was some kind of fantastic creature in front of them. Just amazing, isn't it?

The feather is very often used in tattoo art, where it has many different meanings and symbolic shades. Even the oldest shamans, healers and leaders of ancient Indian tribes made feather tattoos on their bodies in order to talk with the gods and understand them better. IN modern world There are two ways to depict a feather in a tattoo - depict one feather or in combination with any object and depict a bird.

An ordinary bird feather can be a symbol of trust, flight, lightness, high spirituality, courage, love of freedom, creativity and will.

An eagle feather is a symbol of power, courage, and high flight.
The peacock feather is a symbol of nobility, wealth, love, a solar symbol.

The Firebird's feathers are a symbol of flame, grace, eternal beauty and mystery.

Wings as a symbol.

When talking about bird feathers, we cannot help but pay special attention to the wings, as a symbol close to the feather.

Wings have solar symbolism and mean deity, spiritual nature, the protecting and all-encompassing power of the deity, the ability to go beyond the earthly world, not experience fatigue, omnipresence, air, wind, instantaneous movement, flight of time, flight of thought, willpower, reason, freedom , victory, speed. Wings are attributes of fast-moving messenger gods and mean the ability for relationships between people and gods. Outstretched wings are divine protection or a heavenly veil that protects from the fierce heat of the Sun. The shadow of the wings signifies divine protection and trust. The winged sun or disk is a symbol of the Sun’s tireless journey across the sky, the triumph of light over darkness, the power and deity that has descended from Heaven.

Wings are an accessory of many supernatural beings (angels, demonic creatures, fairies, air spirits) in cultures ancient world. For example, the god of time Chronos was depicted with four wings, two of them raised up and two down (a sign of the duality of time, physical and mental). The goddesses Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite were also represented as winged, since both love and victory are transitory, ephemeral, they can flutter and fly away forever.

Wings are given to those who have overcome a long, difficult and dangerous path to understanding the world around them. This is evidenced by allegorical tales, parables and legends.

Wings in fine art are a symbol of the exaltation of the spirit and the ascension of the body. Thanks to the lightness of the feathers and the flapping of the wings, it became possible to depict soaring, blowing, rising above the material world, and living in the heavens. In the broadest sense of the art of Classicism and Baroque, wings symbolize wind, blowing, as well as patronage and protection.

To depict flying mythological characters and fantastic creatures, they also borrowed wings from birds. The winged horse Pegasus is one of these creatures; he is also a guide of souls to the afterlife.

The winged goddess Iris is the messenger of Zeus and Hera, and also the rainbow that connects earth and sky.

Goddess Iris

With images ancient mythology The symbolism of wings in Christianity is connected. Winged Angels who descend to earth and visit people, and the highest angelic ranks - Seraphim and Cherubim - are incorporeal, they are depicted as heads with two, four, Seraphim - with six wings.

Feather in scrapbooking.

Using real feathers:

Pen imprint on paper:

Cutting and chipboard:

The tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, is rightfully considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries. During the excavations, thousands of things that accompanied the king in another world again saw sunlight - to tell descendants about their owner and the era in which he lived.
Tutankhamun's treasures - and above all his numerous gold jewelry - made him one of the most famous Egyptian rulers. However, the abundance of precious materials and the perfection of jewelry techniques often distract us from the most important thing - from the idea that ancient masters embodied in jewelry. After all, in each of Tutankhamun’s pectorals (chest decorations), bracelets or necklaces there is not a single superfluous element. All of them consist of many symbols-words that are combined into a story about the pharaoh and his purpose.
Thus, in the famous pectoral with a scarab, the name of Tutankhamun is encrypted - Nebkheprura, “Lord of the transformations of the sun.” This is the throne name given to the king upon accession to the throne and reflected the main idea of ​​his reign. The semicircular basket under the hind legs of the sacred beetle is the hieroglyph for heaven, “lord.” The scarab with three vertical lines was read as khepru, "transformation", and the sun disk above the beetle's head conveyed the word ra, "sun".

Tutankhamun's parents were Akhenaten and Queen Kiya. Akhenaten ruled for only 17 years, but these years became the time of the deepest crisis in the worldview of the ancient Egyptians: the pharaoh exalted the only god - Aten, the solar disk, in his name destroying the names of all former gods and destroying their temples.
When Tutankhamun inherited the throne, he was only 6–7 years old. Apparently, under the influence of advisers Ey and Horemheb, in the 4th year of his reign, the young pharaoh canceled his father’s reforms, returning the former gods to Egypt and restoring their temples. These events meant the return of culture to its traditional course and gave hope for the revival of the country:
“...Gods and goddesses who are in this country! Their hearts are in joy. The lords of the sanctuaries are in jubilation... Rejoicing throughout the whole earth. Good plans have come true..."
One of the pectorals of Tutankhamun shows the king sitting on a throne in front of the winged goddess Maat - the embodiment of world order. The symbol of this goddess was an ostrich feather, as light as truth, that adorns Maat’s head. The king extends the sign of life ankh to the goddess, and she, in turn, spreads her wings in a gesture of protection and patronage. The pharaoh's head is crowned with a blue khepresh crown - an attribute of the king's military attire, which recalls the numerous scenes of hunting or defeating enemies presented on other objects of Tutankhamun. These compositions are endowed with deep symbolic meaning: the king does not just hunt or subjugate rebellious peoples, on a cosmic level he exterminates the enemies of the world order and establishes maat - order and justice. In Tutankhamun's right hand is a hake rod. It was identified with the staff of a shepherd watching over his flock, and the hieroglyph of this staff denoted magical knowledge, a means of fulfilling the divine plan.
One of the most impressive decorations of the young pharaoh was the golden corset that covered the king’s upper body (ill. 6). This ceremonial decoration consists of three parts: a usekh necklace, a wide belt and two ribbons connecting these elements. The corset consists of many small gold plates, fastened with movable joints so as not to restrict the king’s movements. Each of the plates is inlaid with various stones - turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian or pieces of colored glass.
The usekh necklace was one of the most beloved pieces of jewelry by the Egyptians. It consisted of several horizontal low beads, fastened vertically into a wide collar that covered the owner's chest and back. The Egyptians often compared this decoration with the wings of goddesses that hugged and thus protected a person. Woven from many beads, the usekh necklace was a rather heavy piece of jewelry, so it was often accompanied by a mankhet counterweight that went down the back and held the usekh at chest level.
Adjacent to the corset necklace is a rectangular pectoral, on which the young ruler is represented standing in front of Amun-Ra, the ruler of Upper Egyptian Thebes, who returned to his monastery thanks to Tutankhamun. In one hand of Amon is an ankh, a sign of life, which God bestows on the ruler; in the other there is a long staff with the ideogram of the royal anniversary sed, a symbolic designation of the long years of reign. Behind Tutankhamun are the Lower Egyptian gods: Atum - the falcon-headed god crowned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the goddess Iusaas.
The lower part of the corset - a wide belt - consists of many drop-shaped elements, reproducing the plumage of divine wings with which the goddess (usually Nut, Isis or Nekhbet) protected the king. This design, called rishi, was very popular in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Each of the decorations worn during life was suspended on a gold chain or ribbon made in the same style as the pectoral itself. The lock of one of the ribbons that supported the pendant in the form of a kite was made in the shape of two sleeping ducks (which completed the ends of the ribbon and were fastened together). The Egyptians loved images of sleeping birds, because they symbolized a short sleep, followed by a joyful awakening and continuation of life.
This motif becomes central in one of the pairs of Tutankhamun’s earrings (ill. 7). In the round medallion - the central element of the decoration - there are fantastic birds with the head of a duck and the body of a kite. The birds clutch in their paws the shen infinity signs, the shape of which is repeated by the open wings of the birds. The top part of the earrings resembles modern stud earrings. It consists of two hollow parts that are inserted into one another. The front side of the carnation is decorated with sacred cobras that protect the ruler.
The gold of Tutankhamun can tell a lot about the doctrine of royal power, the worldview of the ancient Egyptians, and even about the personal life of this king. Thus, in one of the many caskets, G. Carter discovered a pectoral with the name of Akhenaten. This find suggests that, despite his reforms, Tutankhamun retained respect and love for his father. In another casket, the necklace of Ankhesenamun, the beloved sister and wife of the young king, was found. Usually these decorations are seen only as precious material and skillful workmanship, but an inquisitive mind will see in them the personality and destiny of the ruler.
...The country was reborn, but fate was unkind to the young king. His sudden death, which occurred in the 10th year of his reign, when Tutankhamun was only 16–17 years old, broke the thread of the 18th dynasty. The burial of Tutankhamun was hasty and modest - caring for the welfare of the state with a lack of funds in the treasury, the young king did not have time to prepare a luxurious tomb for himself. He was buried in a small tomb, which was simply forgotten a few years later. However, what he did for his country lives on in his monuments to this day.
“...Nothing like him has happened among the valiant of all countries together. Knowing like Ra, [skillful like] Ptah, comprehending like the One who defines the laws... the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler of the Both Lands... Nebkheprura, who pacified the Both Lands, the native son of Ra, his beloved... gifted with life, longevity , happiness, like Ra, forever, forever.”