READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 7 January 2014 | Page 16
The Enigmatic Symbols of Egypt Part V
The Unknown
Symbol of
Ancient Egypt
“nd”
I love a mystery! A real ancientworld mystery? Even better!
That is why I think the hieroglyphic
symbol that symbolically represents
sound is so intriguing to me. The image
itself has yet to be identified. . . . It is
classified as “Unknown”.
That’s easy you’re saying—it’s
obviously a microphone. LOL!
If this were a modern symbol it may
indeed be one, or something radioactive,
but the real question is what did this
symbol mean to the ancient Egyptians?
It looks like a torch.
To better understand what this
symbol may be, let us first begin with
the triangles surrounding the oval at the
top. In several of the hieroglyphs this
denotes energy radiating outward.
Heat from a brazier as shown above
or light from the sun’s rays as shown
below.
“ḫ ʿ”
If it didn’t represent sound I would
think it was a burning torch, but since it
does the three triangles coming out of
the top of the symbol are obviously
meant to be the sound radiating out.
The mystery then is what the stick
with the oval on top characterizes.
Below is the hieroglyph to ask or
inquire.
You may think that the key to this is
the person pointing to their mouth, and
you would be right.
The hieroglyph above is for eat,
speak and emotions, however, this is
also used to denote ownership of the
verbal action taken.
This is the hieroglyph for voice.
Yet this one is to bequeath.
And this means favor.