Knowing the symbolic meaning of the components to the eye of Horus is a way to flesh out your understanding of this symbol and its tattoo meaning. Learn more about the symbolism of the spiral here. For example, to the Egyptians, death is not an ending – it is another curve in the spiral of life – a new cycle of life – a different form of existence. In other words, the spiral illustrates the idea that all life is expressed in a cycle.
Similarly, the spiral is a representation of the cyclical nature of life, and its continuity. Specifically, the Egyptian spiral is symbolic of life/death, expansion/contraction, growth/recession. The spiral extending from the eye of Horus may also be symbolic of the expansion of consciousness after death according to pre-dynastic Egyptian wisdom. The symbolism of life (or lack thereof) is likely due to the poisonous venom of the cobra.įind more about symbolic meanings of serpents here. The cobra is a sacred symbol in Egyptian wisdom, with the power to give or take away life. Ureaus is a female serpent, who is also all-seeing, and is often associated with the cobra. But not just any serpent The spiral marking represents Ureaus, a fire-spewing serpent that protected Horus, Ra the pharaoh and all of Egypt. In addition to the falcon, a serpent was another sacred animal to Horus. More about symbolic meaning of Falcons here.Īs the Horus the god, and the falcon (also considered a bird of gods) the Horus eye can see beyond the vision of mere mortals. The falcon is also a solar animal – associated with the sun, and Egyptian wisdom ascribes the falcon as all-seeing from its vantage point in the sky. This is logical, as the falcon is a sacred animal to Horus. Thoth, a god of balance, harmony and mediation, restored Horus’ eye, but the downward gash remained as a scar to remind all Egyptians to essentially “play nice.”Īnother opinion is that the mark mimics the markings around the eye of the falcon, specifically a peregrine falcon. Set got hold of Horus’ eye, and ripped it out – hence causing the tear marking of the wedjat. Apparently, the two gods were fighting over Osiris’s throne.
One account describes the downward stroke under the eye of Horus to represent the rip caused by the Egyptian god Set. Learn more about the symbolic meaning of the eye here. The wedjat opens and shines a ray of light upon the path of the underworlds, essentially leading a soul upon its journey by the all-seeing, ever-shining eye of the sun. This goes a ways to explaining why the eye of Horus is so frequently seen in funerary objects.