Symbols of unification -2

Up to this point, the mythical monsters we have examined were not of Egyptian origin, but were unmistakably borrowings from Mesopotamian iconography. Precisely how these were transmitted to Egypt remains a question to be satisfactorily answered, whether it was through direct or second hand means. With the rise of the Old Kingdom, fabulous beasts all but vanished from the Egyptian artistic repertoire, to be reborn in far greater numbers and varieties during the Middle Kingdom. Only a relative handful of exceptions to the above are known. First, was the appearance of a griffin exhibited in the wild on a fragment from the encyclopaedic natural history scenes of the ‘Chamber of the Seasons’ in the dynasty V solar temple of Niuserre at Abu Ghurab. Secondly, the griffin became assimilated as a symbol of Egyptian kingly power and is known from its occasional appearance on royal monuments. Thirdly, the hieroglyphic emblem of the city of Cusae (modern El-Kûsiyah), for reasons which remain imperfectly understood, was symbolized by a pair of serpopards, placed back-to-back, and their necks held by a man standing on top of them. This hieroglyph was utilized in inscriptions found in the decorated rock-cut tombs at the site of Meir, in Middle Egypt. Fourth, was the frequent representation of a definitely indigenous Egyptian monstrosity, the beast associated with typhonic god Seth, a composite of two or more animals, and of whom we will have more to say.