History and meaning of the ancient Egyptian ankh symbol

Ankh photo courtesy of
o_zhdanov at Flickr.com

Upon researching the meaning of the Egyptian Ankh, a cross with a loop at the top, it appears to have been used with multiple intentions. Originally, a historian thought the ankh was merely the symbol of a sandal, due to its shape, with its loop going around the ankle. Although many modern historians find this to be accurate, Egyptian academics at the University of Cairo, interpret that the ankh is representative of the pivotal role of the Nile. The oval head is said to represent the Nile delta, with the vertical mark representing the path of the river and the East and West arms representing the two sides of the country and their unification. Many others claim the ankh has a much deeper significance in its historical roles, however. This article explores some of the ankh's deeper claims to fame.

One such claim came from the Egyptian gods themselves. In many hieroglyphs Egyptian gods such as Isis, Anqet, Ptah, Satet, Sobek, Tefnut, Osiris, Ra, Hathor, and Anubis were shown holding an ankh. Evidently, it was known as the "key of the Nile", creating a connection between earth and the afterlife. Its Latin name was "crux ansata", meaning "cross with a handle". When the gods held the ankh, it showed that they commanded the powers of life and death and that they were immortal. Additionally, the ankh symbolized the spring from which flowed divine virtues and the elixir of immortality. Therefore to hold the ankh was to drink from the well of life. Its meaning represents aspects of life itself, such as "zest for life", "eternal life", or "future life". The reason for this interpretation is because the loop is the perfect symbol having neither a beginning nor end and stands for the soul which is eternal because it has sprung from the spiritual essence of the Egyptian gods. In addition, the ankh was associated with water, the sustainer of all life.

The ankh was used in funeral ceremonies as well. When someone died, the dead also carried the ankh at the time their souls were weighed, or when they would board the Boat of the Sun God, as a sign that they sought this same immortality from the gods. It was sometimes held upside down by the loop - especially in funeral rites when it hinted at the shape of a key and in reality was considered the key which opened the gate to the tomb of the Fields of Aalu, the realm of eternity. Therefore, the dead were sometimes referred to as "ankhu", and a term for a sarcophagus was "neb-ankh", meaning possessor of life.

Building on the notion of using the ankh as a key, sometimes the ankh was placed on a person's forehead, between the eyes. In this position it symbolized the duty to keep any secret with which he had been initiated into away from any who had not been initiated into the group. Legend holds that by being blessed by the supreme vision, he could not attempt to reveal the mystery without losing it for ever.

A physician for the Pharaoh's family, Imkotep, who lived around 3000 B.C., had an ankh associated with him. As such, Imkotep was made the god of medicine and healing in Egypt long after his death. The ankh has continued as a logo for pharmaceutical manufacturers and countries around the modern world as well, including TCG Lifesciences, and on-line at Egypt.com.

In ancient Egypt, the ankh sign seems to have transcended illiteracy, being understood even to those who could not read. Hence, we even find it as a craftsman's mark on pottery work from that time.

A magic knot or cross, known as Nem Ankh, was often used to represent opposites. Life and death mirror each other, and in any number of ancient religions, mirrors were used for purposes of divination. The ankh word was used for mirrors from at least the Middle Kingdom onward. Surprisingly, many mirrors were shaped in the form of an ankh sign.

As the Christian era emerged after Egypt's pagan religion tradition, the ankh sign was adapted by the Coptic church as their unique form of a cross, known as the "crux ansata." It is very similar in shape to the ankh, having a circle instead of a loop at the top of the cross. Pagan and Wiccan groups also use the ankh for various meanings. It is traditionally drawn in gold, which is the color of the sun, but much of the ankh based jewelry creates it in silver, pewter, wooden, and other materials.

No matter what its original intended meaning, the ankh is sure to inspire others as it has had such a far-reaching affect on so many cultures over the centuries.