Mythical Egyptian Bennu Bird And Deity
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Bennu is an ancient Egyptian deity linked with the sun, creation, and rebirth. It may have been the inspiration for the phoenix in Greek mythology.
According to Egyptian mythology, the Bennu was a self-created being. This being played a role in the creation of the world. It was said to be the ba of Ra and enabled the creative actions of Atum.
According to Egyptian mythology, the Bennu was a self-created being. The Egyptian meaning of the Bennu is 'palm tree' and also 'purple heron'. This bird is clearly associated with the Phoenix and its legend is associated with the Bennu. The Bennu bird has red and golden plumage and is the sacred bird of Heliopolis, one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt. Sacred Bennu has been also interpreted as the reincarnation of the Gods Ra and Osiris. Heliopolis is referred to as the City of the Sun and is known as one of the oldest Egyptian cities.
The ancient Egyptians believed the Bennu created itself from a fire that burned upon a holy tree in the temple of Ra and yet others believed that it exploded from the heart of Osiris.
It was said to have flown over the waters of Nun that existed before creation, landing on a rock and issuing a call that determined the nature of creation. It was also a symbol of rebirth and was therefore associated with Osiris.
Some of the titles of the Bennu bird were "He Who Came Into Being by Himself", and "Lord of Jubilees"; the latter epithet referred to the belief that the Bennu periodically renewed itself like the sun. Its name is related to the Egyptian verb wbn, meaning "to rise in brilliance" or "to shine".
The Pyramid Texts refer to the yellow wagtail as a symbol of Atum, and it may have been the original form of the Bennu bird. New Kingdom artwork shows the Bennu as a grey heron with a long beak and a two-feathered crest, sometimes perched on a benben stone (representing Ra) or in a willow tree (representing Osiris). Because of its connection with Osiris, it sometimes wears the atef crown.
‘Benu’-bird (the Phoenix). Inerkhau ("Onuris appears" - Onuris was a Greek inflection of the name of the god Iny-Hor) who was the son of Hay and his wife was named Wabet. - here: worshipping the Benu-bird, the sacred phoenix wearing the Atef-Crown. Bennu bird - a symbol of resurrection.
A large species of heron, currently extinct, lived on the Arabian Peninsula in comparatively recent times; it may have been the ultimate inspiration for the Bennu. Reflecting this, the species was described as the Bennu heron (Ardea bennuides). Like Atum and Ra, the Bennu was probably worshipped in their cult center at Heliopolis. It also appears on funerary scarab amulets as a symbol of rebirth.
According to the Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote about Egypt in the fifth century BC, the priests at Heliopolis described the phoenix to him. They said it lived for 500 years before building its own funerary pyre and setting it alight.
The newborn offspring of the previous phoenix rose from the ashes of this fire and carried them to Heliopolis, depositing them on the temple's altar. Greek descriptions of the phoenix liken it to an eagle with red and gold plumage, reminiscent of the sun or of flames.
The name of the phoenix could be derived from "Bennu", and its rebirth and connections with the sun resemble those of the Bennu bird, although Egyptian sources do not mention the bird's death.
Written by A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Staff Writer
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
More From Ancient Pages
-
Stone Toilet Of A First Temple Period Luxury Villa Reveals The Jerusalem Elite Suffered From Infectious Disease
Archaeology | Jan 4, 2022
-
Teaching Is Not Essential For People To Learn How To Make Tools, Study Says
Archaeology | Dec 6, 2015
-
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Mayan Board Game – Here’s What It Can Teach Modern Educators
Featured Stories | May 19, 2023
-
Mystery Of The Lost Golden Chain Of Huayna Capac: Will The Ancient Inca Treasure Ever Be Found?
Artifacts | Dec 30, 2020
-
Lady Trieu: Fierce Warrior, Rebel, Freedom Fighter And National Hero In Vietnam
Featured Stories | Feb 26, 2019
-
Rock-Cut Tombs Of Beni Hasan With Spells, Prayers To Osiris And Anubis And Map To Underworld
Civilizations | Feb 3, 2017
-
Mystery Of The Controversial Cascajal Block – Oldest Writing In The Americas
Artifacts | Oct 12, 2017
-
Unexpected And Surprising Results Of Ancient DNA Study – Who Were The First People In South America?
Archaeology | Nov 2, 2022
-
Looted ‘Pietas Domini’ Gothic Altar Dated To 1435 AD Returns From Germany To Poland
Archaeology | Mar 22, 2020
-
Cahuachi – Complex Of Truncated Adobe Pyramids In Peru’s Desert
Civilizations | Aug 27, 2015
-
Archaeologists Search For The Tomb Of Biblical Joshua At Khirbet Tibnah
Archaeology | Aug 5, 2022
-
Who Is Secretly Keeping A Watching Eye On Tibetan Monasteries?
Featured Stories | May 14, 2019
-
El Volcán: Mysterious Volcano-Shaped Pyramid With Never Revealed Secrets In Peru
Archaeology | Jun 6, 2017
-
Nicholas Of Cusa – A Medieval Scholar And Mystic With Highly Unorthodox Ideas
Featured Stories | Aug 13, 2021
-
Knowledge Of Divine Alien Beings And High-Tech In Ancient Egypt Described In Sacred Books And Papyrus – Reincarnation, Cloaking Technology And Space Travel – Part 2
Featured Stories | May 16, 2021
-
Mysterious Stone Table Found At Biblical Temple In Jerusalem – Evidence Of The Ark Of The Covenant?
Archaeology | Dec 20, 2019
-
Mystery Of The East Asian Lineages In Europe 45,000 Years Ago Solved – Population Hub Out Of Africa Holds The Clues
Archaeology | Apr 7, 2022
-
2,000-Year-Old Lost City Of Bassania Described By Roman Historian Livy Investigated By Archaeologists
Archaeology | Jun 21, 2022
-
Secret Underground Ancient Teotihuacan Tunnel May Solve A Long-Standing Mystery And Reveal Royal Tombs
Civilizations | Jul 8, 2016
-
Vast Fortification Enclosing Walled Oasis Dating Back 4,000 years In North-Western Arabia – Unearthed
Archaeology | Jan 10, 2024