Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2019
Abstract
The present study is concerned with the text and vignette concerning two hippopotamus-headed serpents reclining on rectangular bases, each of them labeled as hayshesh accompanied by a short text stating that he is a god who makes the ba live in the realm of the dead". The study of the text reveals that the creature is of a triple significance, in the underworld, in the marine environment (as the sea-horse would) and in the sky.
Finally, the development line of the hayshesh-creatures from the seahorses of the 22nd Dynasty coffins to the horse, crocodile or hippopotamus-headed snakes of the Ptolemaic temples shall be drawn and discussed, with Iufaa's attestation forming an important "missing link".