Ankh

"The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol

that was most commonly used in writing and in Egyptian art to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself. The ankh has a cross shape but with a teardrop-shaped loop in place of an upper bar. 

 

It is an Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for "life" or "breath of life" (`nh = ankh) and, as the Egyptians believed that one's earthly journey was only part of an eternal life, the ankh symbolizes both mortal existence and the afterlife. It is one of the most ancient symbols of ancient Egypt, often seen with the djed and was symbols, carried by a multitude of the Egyptian gods in tomb paintings and inscriptions and worn by Egyptians as an amulet. The key-like shape of the ankh encourages the belief that it provides the keys to the “gates of death”, and it is viewed in this way by the modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders.

 

The theory of Egyptologist E.A. Wallis Budge (1857-1934), who claims it originated from the belt buckle of the goddess Isis, is considered more probable but still not universally accepted. Wallis Budge equated the ankh with the Egyptian symbol tjet, the "knot of Isis", a ceremonial girdle thought to represent female genitalia and symbolizing fertility. 

This theory, of the ankh's origin stemming from a fertility symbol, is in keeping with its meaning throughout ancient Egyptian history and beyond to the present day. Egyptologist Wolfhart Westendorf

supports Wallis Budge's claim noting the similarity of the ankh to the tjet and the use of both symbols from an early date in Egypt's history. Deities such as Anubis or Isis are often seen placing the ankh against the lips of the soul in the afterlife to revitalize it and open that soul to a life after death. The goddess Ma'at is frequently depicted holding an ankh in each hand and the god Osiris grasps the ankh in a number of tomb paintings. The association of the ankh with the afterlife and the gods made it a prominent symbol on caskets.

 

A symbol that looks very similar to the ankh can be found in Hindu art. It is called a pasha, which means a “noose”. The pasha is a symbol that is closely associated with Yama, the Lord of the Underworld. It is used by Yama to draw the soul from the body at the time of death and conduct it to the Underworld."

 

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