Shuti hieroglyph (two-feather adornment)
Encyclopedia
The ancient Egyptian
Shuti, a two-feather adornment for crowns is part of a series of hieroglyphs for "crowns"; usage as a hieroglyph is not as common as the actual crown represented in Egyptian art, and artworks.
One popular use of the Shuti, two-feather crown is by the god Amun
, one of his many crowns he is portrayed wearing. The tail feathers in this crown are generally straight, and are assumed to be the tail feathers of a falcon. The can be compared to the ostrich features in the Atef crown of Osiris
, or the single ostrich feather that symbolizes Maat
.
The shuti hieroglyph and crown may be based upon Maat
's ostrich feather, the single curved-top Shu-feather (hieroglyph); it is shown in iconography
in both the straight-feather form (when used as a doubled crown). However, the straight feathers of Amun
's crown are thought to be falcon feathers.
. Most spellings use the Shu-feather, often twice, the feather being the representation, and feather of Maat
. Maat as a representative of truth, wisdom, justice, order, etc, in the kingdom, the iconographic
headdress implies her role, to the one who wears the shuti two-feather adornments.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
Shuti, a two-feather adornment for crowns is part of a series of hieroglyphs for "crowns"; usage as a hieroglyph is not as common as the actual crown represented in Egyptian art, and artworks.
One popular use of the Shuti, two-feather crown is by the god Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
, one of his many crowns he is portrayed wearing. The tail feathers in this crown are generally straight, and are assumed to be the tail feathers of a falcon. The can be compared to the ostrich features in the Atef crown of Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
, or the single ostrich feather that symbolizes Maat
Maat
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....
.
The shuti hieroglyph and crown may be based upon Maat
Maat
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....
's ostrich feather, the single curved-top Shu-feather (hieroglyph); it is shown in iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
in both the straight-feather form (when used as a doubled crown). However, the straight feathers of Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
's crown are thought to be falcon feathers.
Shuti, 20 spellings
The Budge two-volume dictionary of hieroglyphs records 20 spellings for shuti, from multiple sources. Besides the single hieroglyph, nine spellings use the shuti as a determinativeDeterminative
A determinative, also known as a taxogram or semagram, is an ideogram used to mark semantic categories of words in logographic scripts which helps to disambiguate interpretation. They have no direct counterpart in spoken language, though they may derive historically from glyphs for real words, and...
. Most spellings use the Shu-feather, often twice, the feather being the representation, and feather of Maat
Maat
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....
. Maat as a representative of truth, wisdom, justice, order, etc, in the kingdom, the iconographic
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
headdress implies her role, to the one who wears the shuti two-feather adornments.
See also
- Gardiner's Sign List#S. Crowns, Dress, Staves, etc.
- Gardiner's Sign ListGardiner's Sign ListGardiner's Sign List is a list of common Egyptian hieroglyphs compiled by Sir Alan Gardiner. It is considered a standard reference in the study of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs....