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Occultwiki (talk | contribs) (Created page with "400px|thumb|Canopic Jar of Imsety from the Late Period '''Imsety''' (in ancient Egyptian: ''jmstj''; also spelled '''Imseti''' or '''Amset''') is one o...") |
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[[File:Imsety Jar.jpg|400px|thumb|Canopic Jar of Imsety from the Late Period]] | [[File:Imsety Jar.jpg|400px|thumb|Canopic Jar of Imsety from the Late Period]] | ||
'''Imsety''' (in ancient Egyptian: '' | '''Imsety''' (in ancient Egyptian: ''qbḥ-snw.f''; also spelled '''Imseti''' or '''Amset''') is one of the four sons of [[Horus]], along with [[Hapy]], [[Duamutef]], and [[Qebehsenuef]]. | ||
Although the other sons of Horus have animal heads, he has the head of a human. In a funerary context, he was responsible for protecting the liver of mummified people. As ruler of one of the four cardinal directions, Imsety was associated with the south. | |||
==Name== | ==Name== | ||
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His name is characterized by the use of hieroglyph Aa14, the Egyptian symbol for a human rib. | His name is characterized by the use of hieroglyph Aa14, the Egyptian symbol for a human rib. | ||
The name of Imsety incorporates the Egyptian grammatical dual ending (-''ty'' or -''wy''), and therefore, along with | The name of Imsety incorporates the Egyptian grammatical dual ending (-''ty'' or -''wy''), and therefore, along with Hapy, may have actually been a set of twin deities. There is evidence to support this in the somewhat feminine appearance of Imsety on some canopic jars. | ||
==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
Imsety and the other sons of Horus appear in the earliest known writings concerning the ancient [[Egyptian religion]], the [[Pyramid Texts]]. A passage in the later Coffin Texts from the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BC) says they are the offspring of the goddess [[Isis]] and a form of Horus known as Horus the Elder. | Imsety and the other sons of Horus appear in the earliest known writings concerning the ancient [[Egyptian religion]], the [[Pyramid Texts]]. A passage in the later Coffin Texts from the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BC) says they are the offspring of the goddess [[Isis]] and a form of Horus known as Horus the Elder. | ||
He, himself, was protected by Isis. | |||
==Canopic jar== | ==Canopic jar== | ||
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One theory suggests the four sons of Horus are actually four stars in the constellation Ursa Major, which was known to the ancient Egyptians as ''msxtyw'', the Foreleg of Set. This asterism contained a total of seven stars, and these four would have been located in the "meaty" part of the thigh. In an astronomical context, these four stars formed a border between the southern sky and the northern sky, thereby drawing a barrier between Set and Sah (the constellation Orion). | One theory suggests the four sons of Horus are actually four stars in the constellation Ursa Major, which was known to the ancient Egyptians as ''msxtyw'', the Foreleg of Set. This asterism contained a total of seven stars, and these four would have been located in the "meaty" part of the thigh. In an astronomical context, these four stars formed a border between the southern sky and the northern sky, thereby drawing a barrier between Set and Sah (the constellation Orion). | ||
In this context, Imsety was likely the star Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris). This star was also called ''Ak'' ("The eye") by ancient Egyptians. | |||
[[Category:Egyptian gods]] | [[Category:Egyptian gods]] | ||
[[Category:Sons of Horus]] | |||