Egyptian Eye of Horus Meaning

We all know that ancient Egypt is one of the earliest civilizations on the earth. Ancient Egyptian symbols are intricately associated with the art and religion of that time. These symbols were depicted on almost everything like artifacts, amulets and jewelry. Even today, these symbols are used extensively in various forms, particularly as amulets. One of the most popular among the ancient Egyptian symbols, is the eye of Horus, which is otherwise known as the eye of Ra or Wedjat.

What is the Eye of Horus

This symbol is depicted as a human eye and eyebrow with the cheek markings of falcon. It represents the eye of the ancient Egyptian Sky God, Horus, who was depicted as a falcon. The Egyptian eye of Horus symbol can either be the left eye or the right eye of the God. You may also come across eye of the Horus symbol, that depicts both eyes. According to Egyptian mythology, the right eye represents the sun and the left eye represents the moon. The Egyptian eye of Horus meaning is protection and resurrection. It is believed to confer wisdom, health, safety and prosperity to the bearer. This symbol was very widely used in ancient Egypt. Even their funeral rites included this symbol, as it was placed on the wrappings of mummies. These symbols were placed on those parts, where the internal organs of the dead were removed. Such removal of organs were considered as a bad luck for the dead ones in the afterlife and so, these symbols were placed to ward off evil and for their rebirth.

Eye of Horus and Egyptian Mythology

This symbol is associated with the falcon-faced Egyptian god Horus. As per the Egyptian mythology, Horus, who was the son of Osiris and Isis, was considered as the sun god. The right eye of Horus was white, which represented the sun and the left eye was black and represented the moon. Horus lost his left eye to his evil brother Seth, during a fight to avenge the death of his father. Even though, Seth lost the fight, Horus lost his left eye. The left eye of Horus was torn into pieces by Seth, but was later found by Thoth, who was the god of magic and wisdom. It was Thoth, who reassembled the torn pieces of the left eye and presented it to Horus, who used it for the rebirth of his father. Hence, the eye of Horus became a symbol of protection and healing.

Eye of Horus and Measurement

The symbol was also used as a notation of measurement, especially, for measuring medicines. The symbol was divided into six parts, denoting the action of Seth, who torn out the eye of Horus in pieces. Each piece was assigned with a fraction and a particular taste (any one of the six senses). When added, the fractions totaled to 63/64 and not 1. It is believed that the left out fraction which equals to 1/64 denotes the magic of Thoth, who reassembled the eye. It is also said that one piece of the eye was missing.

In short, this ancient Egyptian symbol represents the eye of Horus, which is believed to have healing powers. Even today, this symbol is used as amulets, lucky charms and tattoos.