ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STUDY GROUP - 2 Wands

rwcarter

In the foreground we see a pharaoh (the crook and flail that he holds in addition to the Nemes headdress that he wears tells who he is) who isn't interested in his surroundings because he wants new experiences and new challenges to occupy his time and energy. The crook and flail represent his authority and dominion. Is he disinterested in what's going on behind him or is he preoccupied with other thoughts? Either way he seems to be lost in his own world.

In the background musicians play and dancers perform in a celebration in the temple of Amun. A number of clues point to this being Amun's temple. First there's the solar disk near the upper right corner of the image. The statue next to the pharaoh is a representation of the ram that was sacred to Amun. It appears to be covered in gold. The ram also suggests the astrological association of the card. Ram are symbols of power and strength, the masculine generative force and creative energy.

The pillars in the background show four different depictions of Amun:
  • at the top is the hieroglyph that represents his name
  • next is the depiction of him as a man seated on a throne
  • then there's a depiction of him with either the head of a frog or of a Uraeus (I can't tell and don't have a magnifying glass handy)
  • finally we see him in the ritual boat Woserhat, which would be ceremoniously paraded before his worshippers during festivals

The walls between the pillars and the base upon which the statue rests may be depictions of Khnum, the creator god as an aspect of Amun-Ra.

There is a line of fire between the pharaoh and the celebration. It seems to be either a barrier or a dividing line. It may reflect the pharaoh's general frustration or it may point to that which inflames his dissatisfaction.

Rodney