The eye of Horus is one of the best-known symbols of ancient Egypt. Also known as Wadjet, this magical symbol is believed to provide protection, health and rejuvenation. Due to its powerful protective powers, the eye of Horus was popularly used by ancient Egyptians, both the living and the dead, as amulets. Even today, the eye of Horus continues to be used as a symbol of protection.
THE DRAMATIC ORIGIN: STORY OF BETRAYAL AND MURDER
The origin of the Eye of Horus can be found in the myth of Set and Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris was the king of Egypt and that his brother Set desired his throne. Through deception, Set managed to murder his brother and became the new king.
Osiris' wife Isis, however, managed to temporarily resurrect her husband through magic and became pregnant with Horus.
The cost of revenge and the gift of restoration
Osiris became the god of the underworld and Isis raised Horus alone. When Horus reached adulthood, he sought to avenge his father's death. Horus fought Set in a series of battles and finally defeated his uncle.
During these fights, however, he lost one of his eyes. According to one version of the myth, Set tore out Horus's eye, broke it into six pieces, and threw it away. In another version, it was Horus himself who put out his eye, as a sacrifice to resurrect his father.
In any case the lost eye of Horus was magically restored by Thoth, the god of wisdom.
As the Eye of Horus was magically restored, the ancient Egyptians believed it possessed healing properties. Amulets of this symbol have been made using a variety of materials, including gold, lapis lazuli and carnelian, and it has been used as jewelry by the living and the dead.
How is the eye of Horus used today?
Although the ancient Egyptian civilization came to an end, belief in the power of the Eye of Horus continued and many continue to use this symbol. As an example, in Mediterranean countries, fishermen often paint this symbol on their boats for protection.
Many people still wear the eye of Horus as a jewel, to protect themselves from the ill will of others.
The Eye of Horus is popular with occultists, as well as conspiracy theorists, who see the eye not only as a protective symbol, but also one of power, knowledge and illusion.
Eye of Horus and eye of Ra, differences
The eye of Ra and the eye of Horus are literally as different as the sun and the moon. They refer to deities with similarities in their iconography and a certain overlap in their roles and attributes, but the eyes in question have very clear and distinct meanings.
Horus was the first chief god and royal patron in Egyptian history, protecting the king and incarnating as him for several centuries before Ra, the sun god, became the focal point of the royal cult. As might be expected for a god typically depicted as a falcon, Horus was a sky god. His right eye (the largest and most important) was the sun and the left was the moon.
In the case of Horus, one wears an amulet with this symbol to associate with the great god Horus, in order to prevent harm or encourage healing where harm has already occurred. This amulet becomes a favorite in the funerary cult.
The Eye of Ra refers to a myth in which Ra removed his eye after his sons went out to explore the primordial waters and got lost. He sent his eye, his fire to eliminate the darkness, separately to search for them.
The eye returned with the children in tow, but while Ra had developed a new eye. Ra's eye became jealous of her lost position, she was not simply a part of the sun god's body but also his daughter.
Ra welcomed her and placed her on his forehead to protect and illuminate her.
The eye of Horus and the eye of Ra
Therefore, they are profoundly different symbols, based on initially separate cycles of myths and playing different roles in Egyptian magic and ceremonies.