Egyptian Ankh
The ankh (pronounced 'ahnk') was the Egyptian
hieroglyphic character that stood for the word life. Gods may
carry it by the loop, or bear one in each hand crossed over their
breast. Latinists interpreted the symbol as a crux ansata,
"cross with a handle".
What it was intended to represent remains a mystery
to Egyptologists. Some have speculated that it was a stylized womb. Sir
Alan Gardiner speculated that it represented a sandal strap, with the
loop going around the ankle.
The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb
paintings and other art; it often appears at the fingertips of a god or
goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife
conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy. The ankh symbol
was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in
connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and
"health." Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes,
in art, the Ankh was shown being touched by a god onto a person, which
usually symbolized conception.
A similar symbol (♀) was used to represent the Roman
goddess Venus. This symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirror, is
much more associated with a representation of the female womb. In
astrology the same symbol is used to represent the planet Venus, in
alchemy to represent the element copper, and in biology to identify the
female sex.
The importance of the Ankh, and its symbolism to the
Egyptians, lead to it being adopted by the early Christian church in
Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic Church). Elsewhere, the main
Christian symbol at the time was a stylized alpha, resembling a fish,
and therefore known as
Ichthys, the
Greek word for fish. However, the symbol of a cross eventually spread
throughout Christianity, and the distinct circular part of the Ankh was
kept well into mediaeval times, the Ankh symbol often being used as a
Christian talisman.
