Magic vands-1

Certainly one of the richest sources for the fraternization of the real and fabled in Egyptian iconography derives from a sizable group of objects usually called ‘magic wands’ or ‘magic knives’ also of Middle Kingdom date. Fashioned of strips cut from the curved tusk (tooth) of a hippopotamus, they are about 15 or 16 inches in length, and when carefully made, can display a bestiary of apotropaic creatures, both benevolent and malignant, and a variety of potent symbols engraved upon them. They are also frequently accompanied by short texts invoking ‘protection’.

These figures could be magically summoned by reciting certain spells and were utilized to ensure the safety of the nursery or a pregnant woman’s bedroom from harm, especially the venomous bites of snakes and the stings of scorpions, which could easily carry off a newborn or expectant mother