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Eye of Horus by Dr. Sherin ElKhawaga

Horus, represented as the falcon-headed god, was an important god in Egyptian legend. The symbol representing his eye, Eye of Horus, was a powerful symbol used to protect from evil. Pronounced "udjat" by the Egyptians, the Eye of Horus represents a human eye with the cheek markings of a falcon. The ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus or wedjat ('Whole One') is a powerful symbol of protection, and is also considered to confer wisdom, health and prosperity.The ancient Egyptians considered the eye of horus as a representative of eternal renewal of the kingdom from Pharaoh to pharaoh. The ancient Egyptians believed that this symbol has a very powerful and magical effect on restoring harmony to the unstabilized world and restoring unrightful things. According to the old myth, the rivalling god Seth tore Horus' eye out. Seth was his uncle, who contended with him for the Egyptian throne after he had killed and dismembered his father, Osiris. Thot, the wise moon god and the patron of the sciences and the art of writing, put it patiently back in order and healed it. As an ambiguous symbol, it describes the status of regained soundness. In the field of astronomy it is the moon symbol absolute and refers to the increasing completion of the moon disk; the Eye of Horus symbol was inspired by the "Eye of God" and "solar falcon" that are manifested during total solar eclipses; In the most different sizes and degrees of preciousness of its materials, it served as an amulet worn around the neck or as a graphic motif for beautiful jewels; it decorated the lunettes of coffins and sarcophagi; it was part of a suspicious picture mysteries in the ornament of receptacles or other personal objects. The Eye of Horus symbol was used in funerary rites and decoration, as instructed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. After 1200 BC, it was also used by the Egyptians to represent fractions, based on repeated division by two. The value of a fraction was assigned to each individual part of the eye which Seth had torn up according to the myth. Their total, corresponding to the restoration of the eye brought about by Thot, should have added up to a whole. In fact, however, the total of the six fractions used results in only 63/64; it was assumed that Thot had withheld the missing 1/64 by magic. The Eye of Horus fraction system was based on the Eye of Horus symbol. This system was used to record prescriptions, land and grain. Fractions are created by combining sections of the Eye of Horus symbol. Each section has a different value. The complete Eye of Horus with all parts in place has a value of 1. In reality the complete Eye of Horus represents 63/64, which is rounded off to 1. The system is based on halves. Half of 1 equals 1/2, half of 1/2 equals 1/4 and so on until the smallest value of 1/64. By adding together the values of different sections fractions are created. The 'Rx' symbol which is used by pharmacies and in medicine has its origins in the Eye of Horus. This article is courtesy of www.kingtutshop.com



About the Author Dr. Sherin Elkhawaga, egyptian radiologist. Interested in egyptology