Eye of Horus
(udjat, wadjet)
Appearance: The udjat is depicted as a human eye and eyebrow as they would be seen looking at a person full-faced. The eye is decorated with the markings that adorn the eyes of hawks.
Usually, it is the right eye shown as the udjat, although the left is not uncommon. This is probably because of another myth that say that the sun and the moon were the right (sun) and left (moon) eyes of the sky god and the sun is seen as more powerful.
As an amulet, it was often fashioned out of blue or green faience or from semi-precious stones.
Meaning: Also known as the Eye of Horus or the udjat, this eye is a symbol of the god Horus as both the son of Osiris and Isis and as the sun-god. Egyptian myths state that Horus lost his left eye in his war with Seth to avenge the death of his father. Seth tore the eye into pieces. The left eye, being the moon was discovered by Thoth (the god of wisdom and magic) lying in pieces, but he was able to reassemble them into the full moon. Each piece of the udjat (shown below) can be seen as representing a fraction of the descending geometric series 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc., put together they make 63/64 or approximately 1. Having been reassembled, Thoth gave the Eye to Horus. Horus, in turn, gave the eye to his murdered father Osiris, thereby bringing him back to life.
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| 1/2 + | 1/4 + | 1/8 + | 1/16 + | 1/32 + | 1/64 = | 1 |
The reverence shown to parents is one of the virtues symbolized by the udjat, and the amulet could be used as a substitute for any of the offerings an eldest son was supposed to provide daily at his father's tomb. It was believed to ward of sickness and capable of bringing the dead to life (as it did with Osiris). The eye was also placed in the wrappings of the mummies over the incision where the embalmers removed the internal organs. Damaging the body in any way was considered bad luck for the deceased, and the Egyptians hoped to protect it by placing the amulet over the cut.
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