Egyptian Scarab Beetle
Egyptian Scarab
Beetle - Description, facts and information
What exactly is an Egyptian Scarab
Beetle and why was it so important to the Ancient Egyptians? Scarab
Beetle Definition: A Scarab Beetle is
one of several species of the dung beetle - most notably the Scarabaeus
sacer (hence the name of scarab or scarab beetle). The scarab is a type
of beetle noted for rolling dung into spherical balls. The dung rolling
scarab beetle was sacred to the ancient Egyptians as it seemed to
emerge from nowhere. The apparent 'self-creation' of the scarab beetle
resembled that of the Egyptian God
Khepri / Khepera / Khephri an alternative name for the Sun God Ra or
Atum, who created himself out of
nothing. The scarab beetle therefore served as a symbol of regeneration
and creation conveying ideas of transformation, renewal, and
resurrection.
Egyptian Jewelry
Egyptian Scarab Beetle
and the Sun God Ra
The ancient Egyptians believed that
the Sun God Ra renewed the sun every day before rolling it above the
horizon, then carried it through the other world after sunset, only to
renew it, again, the next day. The Egyptian Scarab Beetle therefore
enjoyed a sacred status among the Ancient Egyptians. The image of the
scarab in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs displays the image of the beetle
translated as "to come into being", "to become" or "to transform".
Egyptian Scarabs
and the Funeral rites of the Ancient Egyptians
The Funeral rites of the Ancient
Egyptians were extremely important and use of the scarab was of prime
significance in this cult. Scarabs, often cut from green stone, were
placed over the heart or on the chest of the deceased. These are
referred to as 'heart scarabs' and this type of scarab amulet was found
in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen. The heart scarabs were large,
with an average length of 7.5 cm. The purpose of the heart scarab amulet
was to ensure that the heart would not bear witness against the deceased
in Hall of Two Truths where their actions in their mortal lives would be
examined before they could enter the Afterlife.
The Magic of the Egyptian Scarab Beetle
- Jewelry and Amulets
The Egyptian Scarab Beetle was used as an amulet or a good luck charm by
both the rich and the poor in Egypt. A depiction of a scarab beetle was
used in the making of jewelry in the form of pendants, bracelets, rings
and necklaces and was believed to hold strong magical and religious
properties. The name of the owner
was inscribed on their flat bases to ensure that protective powers would
be given to the wearer. Scarab pendants, bracelets, rings and necklaces
were often made of precious or semi-precious jewels such as carnelian,
lapis lazuli and turquoise. The colored glass favored by the Ancient
Egyptians called Faience was also
used to create amulets. Faience was a strong greenish blue glass-like
material, consisting of crushed quartz, lime and alkali, which first
made in Predynastic Egypt.
Egyptian Scarab Beetle
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