The ‘Four Sons Of Horus’ And Their Connection To Stars In The Ursa Major Constellation

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Ancient Egyptians were excellent astronomers who watched the movements of celestial objects with interest.

Egyptian astronomers who were priests possessed knowledge about many heavenly bodies. Gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt are closely connected to the heavens, and in ancient Egyptian mythology, there are several references to various stars.

Temples and pyramids were constructed in relation to the stars, zodiac, and constellations. Ursa Major in the northern sky is one interesting constellation connected to four enigmatic ancient Egyptian gods. Its name means “the great bear,” or “the larger bear,” in Latin’.

Ursa Major was known to many ancient civilizations and associated with several intriguing myths.

Ancient Egyptian Spirits – The Children Or Souls Of Horus

It is often stated that ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death. It’s wrong to accuse ancient Egyptians of this because death is a concept they were unfamiliar with. Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife, which means they never considered death the end of existence as some of us do today.

Since ancient Egyptians were such believers in life after death, one might think there was no room for the world of spirits in their faith.

The Book of the Dead gives us remarkable knowledge about ancient Egyptian beliefs. Credit: Public Domain

Ancient Egyptians also believed in spirits, just like many other ancient civilizations and modern people today, but their concept of spirits was slightly different.

We find references to spirits in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and according to scholars, these beings are called ‘children/ souls’ of Horus. They are also known as the sons of Osiris. It is said that they protect a corner of the winds, north, west, east, and south.

The Four Sons Of Horus And Theirs Stars In The Ursa Major Constellation

The Book of the Dead mentions seven spirits said to be of divine origin. They are guardians of life and souls.

The seven ancient Egyptian protectors mentioned in the Book of the Dead are Mestha, Hapi, Tuamautef, Qebhsennuf, Maa-atef-f, Kheri-beq-f, and Heru-khenti-maa..

Four of these beings are depicted on canopic jars and sarcophagus. Each was associated with a particular organ and a different cardinal point on the compass. Being guardians of the deceased's internal organs, they were significant for the burial ritual.

Limestone canopic jars with the heads of Qebesenuef, Duamutef, Hapy, and Imsety. Originally these jars were decorated with human heads. Image credit: Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Since ancient Egyptians sincerely believed in the afterlife, a complex ritual set of burial customs was necessary to ensure an afterlife.

Mummification was an essential part of this ritual, but all vital internal organs had to accompany the deceased on his (her) journey to the underworld to be reborn. According to Egyptian beliefs, this precious organ was the source of wisdom and the seat of memory and emotions of the human being. However, the dead's heart was never among the organs chosen for preservation in canopic jars.

These four diving beings are often called the Four Sons Of Horus. Their names were  Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi, Qebehsenuef.

From the Book of the Dead, we learn that these four Egyptian gods are Behind ‘The Thigh’ in the Northern heaven.

According to E.A.Wallis Budge (1857 - 1934), an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East, among them the “Egyptian Hieroglyphic dictionary”, this word hieroglyphic word means ‘the constellation of the Great Bear’.

Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, is the 3rd largest constellation in the night sky.

See also: More Myths And Legends

In ancient Egypt, this constellation sounded like ‘Meskh-ti’. If E.A.Wallis Budge is correct in his hieroglyph translation, we can conclude that the Four Sons Of Horus were connected to the Great Bear constellation in the Northern Heavens.

Here we come across the number 7, a mystical number of the Universe and one of the most sacred numbers. In this beautiful constellation, we can distinguish seven bright stars forming what is familiarly termed “The Dipper.” It is also referred to as the “Plough” or “Frying Pan,” with four stars forming a pan shape and the other three a handle.

As stated before, the Book of the Dead mentioned seven guardians of life and souls. Were all these divine Egyptian beings associated with the Ursa Major constellation?

Updated on July 7, 2022

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com