The sacred scarab. Holy Scarab beetle

The sacred space for the ancient Egyptian was not limited only to temple territory and sacred groves. For him, every detail of everyday life, the whole surrounding nature, could teach a lot of valuable lessons and appear in the aura of sacredness. Thanks to this outlook, a symbol appeared that, like the pyramids and ankhkh, is associated with Egypt - a scarab. Egyptian mysticism endowed him with divinity and holiness, and myths made popular and recognizable.

The origins of the scarab symbolism

To understand why the scarab is a sacred symbol, one must first say a few words about its nature. So, the scarab is a black beetle with a metallic shade that feeds on manure. But he does it so unusual that he is really capable of impressing. The matter is that first the beet collects manure and rolls out of it an ideal sphere in a geometric sense. This ball rolls back into the burrow where it spends the next few days a scarab.

The photo shows the process of transporting such a sphere. A ball like this often weighs more than the beetle itself. When the stock is eaten, the sacred scarab comes to the surface for a new supply of supplies. And that is not all. The same balls are used for reproduction: a sacred beetle, covered in a mink, is converted into a pear, in the narrow part of which the larva lays. The latter, developing, feed on the inner part of the ball, but do not eat up its walls. When the time comes, and it happens in the spring, a new bug comes out of the ball.

Plus, everything else, the sacred scarab rolls the sphere always only from east to west and nothing else. And this insect always flies in the heat of the day.

Scarab and its connection with the sun

Of course, the Egyptians, who paid so much attention to the solar deities, could not fail to see a certain similarity in all this. As the sun passes its daily course from east to west, and then disappears in darkness and again appears in the east, so the scarab rolls the sphere under the ground, then to return back behind the new ball.

In addition, the sun, according to the Egyptians, is a sacred deity, carrying life to all, and after death - a resurrection. Similarly, the cycle of development of a new insect within the dung sphere, and its appearance on light correlated with the death and resurrection of the sun.

Hence the connection between the scarab and one of the ancient deities of the Egyptian pantheon, the Khepri. By itself, this god personifies the morning rising sun. In theological comprehension, he is one of the three hypostases of the sun god, along with Rah - the god of the daylight, and Atum, who was in charge of solar affairs from sunset to sunrise.

In the hieroglyphic script, Khepri was portrayed as a man with a scarab head. His connection with this insect is deep and even reflected in the name itself, which literally means "arisen from himself." This clearly shows the allusion to the scarab hatching from the dung sphere in the spring.

Solar Theology and Scarab

Hepri in the mythology of Egypt was assigned a role in the creation of the world. The myth said that the whole visible universe was born when the ascending Khepri pronounced his name. This role of the creator of the universe God shares with all the solar deities of the Egyptian pantheon.

Traditions about Khepri often relate it to Atum. It was believed that Atum - the god of the night sun, personifying a secret divine knowledge, manifests its power through the morning rising sun - Heprey. Atum-Hepri is sometimes also identified with Amon, the inmost spirit of the sun, giving rise to Ra-the visible sun and daylight.

All this mythological loading and symbolism was perceived by the scarab. Egypt and its mysteries endowed the latter with the properties of the associated deity. So, it was believed that Osiris is reborn as a scarab and in this manner comes out of the nostrils of his own head, which is buried in Abydos.

There were also sacred poetic texts that called the scarab a god dwelling in the heart and guarding the inner light. Hence this symbol acted as a link between the human individual soul and God, proclaiming their unity.

The role of the sacred scarab in the life of the ancient Egyptians

The sacred scarab, this important religious symbol, accompanied the Egyptians throughout their lives. With the same talisman, they were buried. Egyptian religion proclaimed the immortality of the soul, which after the death of the body passed into another world, where it continued its wandering. During the life of a man, the amulet in the form of a beetle was meant to bring good luck, prosperity, a long life, protect the dwelling, protect from disasters and demons, bring a rich harvest, and help to win the favor of God and his patronage.

Scarab and the traditions of burial

After death, the beetle's figure as a symbol of resurrection in another world and the transformation of the soul accompanied the soul and informed her of the divine impulse to a new life. When an Egyptian of aristocratic descent died, whose body was supposed to mummify, then instead of the heart a picture of a scarab was put in the mummy. The latter was called to resurrect the dead beyond the threshold of death. The Egyptians believed that the center and center of human consciousness, and hence the place of dwelling of the higher part of the soul, is in the heart region. Therefore, the scarab, located there, represented the seed of a new life, the rudiment of rebirth. This custom was not static and, like tradition, changed in different epochs. However, its semantic load did not change over time. For example, sometimes instead of the beetle itself, a ceramic heart was made, and a scarab symbol with the names of deities was depicted on its surface.

The role of the scarab in the afterlife of the soul

There is another role played by the scarab attached to the heart of the mummy. The photo above depicts the scene of the posthumous judgment of the human soul, as it was represented by the ancient Egyptians. Their myths describe this process through a way of weighing on the scales of the deceased's heart. To inherit the best part in another world, the heart of the deceased should not be heavier than the pen of the goddess Maat - the goddess of wisdom and justice. Such a heart can only be possessed by a pure, undefiled man, whose conscience is not aggravated by the atrocities and crimes of the earthly life. Otherwise, the soul was sent to receive retribution. The Scarab, thus, called upon God as a witness of the soul and just judge of conscience and the human heart. Probably, he was also considered a symbol of hope for divine mercy and hopes of condescension for the deceased.

Scarab as a symbol of education

Above all, the sacred scarab is also a symbol of learning and the disciple. A beet that transforms the viscous mass of manure into a perfect ball, which later gives life to himself and his offspring, transforms a disciple who cultivates a good temper and creates a perfect person whose virtue, knowledge and wisdom will later equip his life and ensure the life of his descendants .

Conclusion

Scarab deeply rooted in the cultural space of ancient Egypt, has become an important and ubiquitous symbol. Images of scarabs are found throughout Egypt in a variety of ways. It was made of stones, clay, metal, ceramics, but products, carved from a solar stone - heliotrope - were especially appreciated. Such amulets were attributed to a special magical power and strength.

Finished figurines were covered with glaze and painted with paints. Scarab served as a cult thing and an element of decor on utensils and ornaments. On the scarabs, hieroglyphs, names of gods and sacred symbols were drawn and engraved. Its significance was so great that until now, thousands of years after the extinction of ancient Egyptian culture, the scarab remains a recognizable and popular symbol of Egypt.