 |
The sacred eye
(wedjet) primarily symbolised protection in Egyptian art.
From early times the moon and sun were believed to be the
eyes of the falcon god Horus, but gradually the right eye
(the 'Eye of Re') became associated with the sun, whilst the
left eye (the 'Eye of Horus') represented the moon. Egyptian
mythology tells how the Eye of Horus was damaged and then
healed, the term wedjet possibly meaning 'the restored' or
'the whole one'. Horus presented the restored eye to his father,
and it is from this act that the eye came to symbolise an
offering, a particularly common representation in the art
of the later New Kingdom (1307-1070 BC).
|