Ram
ba |
Sheep and fish were ritually unclean and were not offered
to the dead but they were used as a major food source for the living - large flocks of
sheep were maintained in all periods. Sheep were used to tread seed into
the Nile mud - led by their ram. This and the obvious connection led to
the ram appearing as a symbol of fertility. There are several ram gods,
notably Khnum, the great ram deity worshipped at Esna and elsewhere.
From the beginning of Egyptian history the ram was also associated with
solar imagery. |
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Rejoice
hai |
The Egyptian language contains over ninety words for
happiness, rejoicing and exultation. Many deities were associated with
joy and a number of animals, plants and materials were symbolic of this
emotion, including the cow, ape and lotus.
Joy was associated with the heart and
nose in the human body, both of which could act as symbols for
rejoicing. |
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