Crocodile symbol indicates the demon Ammit and Goddess Tawaret

Crocodile symbol indicates the Egyptian demon Ammit and Goddess Tawaret.

Abstract:

Ammit was the Egyptian demoness, but she was also present in the Indus Valley civilization. That shows the influence of Egyptian civilization on Indus culture. There is a second possibility; this symbol could have also indicated the Egyptian goddess Tawaret.

The above-given symbols could be indicating the crocodile demon Ammit or demon goddess Tawaret.

The above-given picture shows variants as per Asko Parpola, where too many variants are shown, but Iravatham Mahadevan’s variants are minimal and precise. The above-given picture is taken from the book of Asko Parpola. (1) The logos presented in the last row gives a good idea about the nature of the creature intended by the priest. The beast had something like grasping hands. It was probably the jaws of a crocodile, which had been transformed and debased.

The above-given variants are taken out from the book of Iravatham Mahadevan. The first symbol in the last row shows the grasping claws like a crocodile mouth.

Statistical analysis of Ammit / Tawaret symbol

This symbol of Ammit/Tawaret occurs 44 times in the Indus script as per the data provided by Mahadevan and Sundar. The frequency of 44 is significant, implying that the demon Ammit/Tawaret was one of the crucial entities of the Indus civilization pantheon.

The above-given symbol pair can be read as Ammit/Tawaret-Yajna, which shows that specific Yajna was conducted to appease this demon. This pair of symbols occurs at a frequency of 18 as per the data of Mahadevan and Sundar. (2) (3) There is minimal possibility that a Yajna could have been conducted for a demon-like Ammit. But, there are all the probabilities the Yajna could have been performed to invoke the goddess Tawaret to protect the pregnant women.

Ammit.svg

Figure 1: Portrayal of Ammit

Picture courtesy Wikipedia- (4)

The crocodile image appears in many seals of Indus civilization. It is possible that the crocodile was worshipped as a god-like Sobek in ancient Egyptian culture. However, it looks like that the depiction indicates more of ‘Ammit’ than Sobek. Ammit was a female demon in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was a part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest “man-eating” animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included “Devourer of the Dead”, “Eater of Hearts”, and “Great of Death”. (4)

The weighing of the heart, pictured on papyrus in the Book of the Dead typically, or in tomb scenes, shows Anubis overseeing the weighing and the crocodile Ammit seated awaiting the results so she could consume those who failed. The image would be the vertical heart on one flat surface of the balance scale and the vertical Shu-feather standing on the other balance scale surface. While the heart was weighed, the deceased recited the 42 Negative Confessions as the Assessors of Maat looked on. (5)

C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Word\Indus script dictionary -F.BK_page610_image566.jpg

Figure 2: protection against crocodile

Picture courtesy -Book of Sue Sullivan– (6)

The inscription in the above-given seal read as,” Kedaga – Yajna – number three – Sastha” (Read from left to right). The inscription’s meaning is, ‘Protection Yajna’ in honour of many gods. Number three indicates many gods as per the Egyptian hieroglyphic way of writing. (or) Number three also indicates ‘Dangerous god. (7) (or) In addition, there is also a possibility that the number three could indicate the ‘third-day’ god, that is, mother goddess Kali. (8) The branch symbol indicates the word’ Sastha’, and this word ‘Sastha’ means ‘god’ as per Indus script usage. (9)

The crocodile image below the inscription does not clarify the situation. It could be the protection ceremony against the crocodile demon (Ammit). The second possibility is that the crocodile shown in the seal was sacrificed.

Figure 3: The judgement day and crocodile is waiting

Picture courtesy- book of Sue Sullivan – (6)

The above-given seal shows the idea in a better way. Out of the three scenes presented in the seal, the middle scene depicts the god of judgment (Osiris/Kalan/Yama/Varuna) in judgment position. The fish figures shown around him represent the souls of dead persons. (10) Two crocodiles are also shown on both sides. If the god condemns the dead man to hell, the soul (fish) will be eaten away by Ammit (the crocodile).

Ammit lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis weighed a person’s heart against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth, which was depicted as an ostrich feather (the feather was often pictured in Ma’at’s headdress). If the heart were judged to be not pure, Ammit would devour it, and the person undergoing judgement was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality. Once Ammit swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called “to die a second time”. (4)

C:\Users\user\Desktop\Sue sullivan book\2.sue sullivan book picture extract\Indus script dictionary -F.BK_page610_image2041.jpg

Figure 4: Another scene of judgement

Picture courtesy — (6)

The above-given picture also indicates the judgement day. These seal inscriptions are significant because the swastika also forms part of the inscription. It is likely that the swastika symbol either shows the god of judgement or the day of judgement.

C:\Users\user\Desktop\Sue sullivan book\2.sue sullivan book picture extract\Indus script dictionary -F.BK_page610_image2070.jpg

Figure 5: The crocodile eating a fish(soul)

The above-given seal shows the scene of a crocodile eating the fish, the symbolism explained earlier in this article.

Hooke, in his article, states that (11)”Mrs Van Buren has collected the Mesopotamian material relating to fish symbolism, and suggests that the fish, is connected with the underworld, and has chthonic associations. She also suggests, however, that in very early times they symbolized life, and that the later conception of re-birth caused them to be used in funerary rites”.

Figure 6: The last pictograph indicates crocodile god

The above-given seal is the only seal where the inscription made is very lengthy, consisting of 17 symbols. The demon goddess Tawaret is shown in the third position in the last row. The last logo in the inscription also looks like a crocodile, the demon Ammit. This seal inscription gives a clue; it seems like that both Ammit and Tawaret were present in the Indus valley civilization.

The god with Bow and arrow and branch (Sastha symbol) is seen. The symbol bow indicates God Rudra. The last but one C:\Users\IT\Desktop\ivc-logos-indus - 3\smasana-cayana-7.jpglogo Indicates the Smasana –cayana ceremony for the re-birth of the individual. The conclusion is that the crocodile symbol in the Indus seals indicates the Egyptian demon ‘Ammit’. And this symbol could be showing the demon goddess Tawaret.

Taweret holding Sa- symbol -picture courtesy -Wikipedia

There is a second possibility that the crocodile symbol could have indicated the Egyptian goddess Taweret:

The first possibility for this symbol is that it could have suggested Ammit the crocodile as discussed above. But the second possibility is that this symbol could have indicated the demon goddess Taweret. The demon Ammit was feared but not worshipped. But, this demon goddess Tawaret, was popular and worshipped in Egypt.

Figure 7: picture from the book of Asko Parpola.

The above-given picture is extracted from the book of Asko Parpola. The inscription in the seal reads as ‘Karkida -kavu- sacrifice for Tawaret’. This picture confirms that the symbol indicates the goddess Tawaret and she is chasing away demons, protecting the dead man’s soul in the netherworld. She was a benevolent demon.

The above given Sa- symbol is an ideogram conveying the idea of protection.

Sa symbol

The ‘Sa symbol’ was a protective symbol favoured by pregnant women and by mothers to shield their young children against evil. The ‘Sa symbol’ was often depicted with images of the Bes, the dwarf god, Shed the protector god and Taweret, the ancient Egyptian hippopotamus goddess and a favourite deity of the common folk in ancient Egypt. The Sa symbol meant “protection of young life” and was often used as an amulet or good luck charm. The Sa was also associated with the Ankh symbol of life, immortality and reincarnation, which appeared to be a modified version of the Sa. (12)

The appearance of the Sa symbol

Various ideas have been offered as to the origin and appearance of the ‘Sa’ sign. Some thought it represented a rolled-up herdsman’s shelter or perhaps the papyrus life-preserver used by the Nile’s boatmen. The hieroglyph appears in two forms. In the Old Kingdom, the lower section of the symbol was undivided, while in the Middle Kingdom, it was usually separated. (13) If the lower part of the glyph was not separated, then it becomes the ‘Ankh’ symbol.

Meaning of Sa symbol

The ‘Sa’ hieroglyph was a visual representation of the concept of “protection.” It was often used in amulets and jewellery in hopes of rendering its protective powers over the owner. The ‘sa’ was commonly used in compositions featuring other hieroglyphs such as the ankh and djed signs. It was also found used on magic wands or batons during the Middle Kingdom. The ‘Sa’ was also associated with various other deities such as Bes and Taweret when emphasizing their protective duties and natures. (13)

This ‘Sa’ symbol appears along with demon goddess Taweret only once in the Indus seal inscription. It may not be sufficient evidence to link the idea of protection with this Taweret god. However, it gives some essential links to these two symbols.

The above-given seal picture shows the god Ammit/Tawaret with a crocodile-like mouth. This symbol confirms the crocodile-like nature of Ammit/Tawaret.

Sa – protection symbol of the Indus valley civilization

The above-given symbol looks like the modified form of ancient Egypt’s ‘Sa’ symbol. Sa – symbol was associated with the goddess Tawaret. It is a protective symbol.

The above-given seal inscription shows the ‘Sa’ symbol occurs many times. This symbol occurs 54 times in Indus seal inscriptions as per data of Mahadevan and Sundar. This variant of the ‘Sa’ symbol occurs 11 times. The high frequency of 54 times shows the importance of this ‘Sa’ symbol and ritual.

Symbol pair

Frequency of occurrence

11 times

The above-given data shows that this spike symbol occurs in combination with the Tawaret demon goddess symbol eleven times. This combination gives an idea, and this protection symbol is used to ward off evil forces.

Similarly, the idea of warding off evil force is further substantiated by other symbol pair combinations. This ‘Sa’ symbol occurs with the ‘God Rudra’ and ‘Kur’ symbol.

The above-given seal inscription shows the Sa- kur symbol combination. Mountain (Kur) means a dangerous place; hence the use of spike to ward off the evil forces of the underworld is logical here.

The above-given seal inscription shows the ‘Sa’ symbol followed by Rudra (God) symbol. Rudra is the god creating disease and death by his arrows. Naturally, Indus people tried to ward off Rudra using the ‘Sa’ protection symbol.

Acknowledgements

All the seal pictures are taken from the book of Sue Sullivan. (6)

All the logos are taken from the book of Mahadevan and Parpola. (2) (1)

All the statistical data is taken from the paper of Sundar. (3)

Bibliography

1. Parpola, Asko. Deciphering the Indus script. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

2. Mahadevan.I. The Indus script -Text, Concordance and Tables. http://www.rmrl.in. [Online] http://www.rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/5a.pdf.

3. Sundar. -The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context.pdf. http://45.113.136.87/wp-content/uploads/. [Online] http://45.113.136.87/wp-content/uploads/43-The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context.pdf.

4. Wikipedia(Ammit). Ammit. Wikipedia. [Online] March 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammit.

5. wikipedia(Maat). Maat. wikipedia.org. [Online] February 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maat.

6. Sullivan, Sue. Indus Script Dictionary. s.l. : Suzanne Redalia, 2011.

7. jeyakumar(number-three). Number_three_specifies_Many_gods_and_also_Dangerous_gods. Academia.edu. [Online] https://www.academia.edu/41294661/Number_three_specifies_Many_gods_and_also_Dangerous_gods..

8. Jeyakumar(Indus-gods-calendar). Indus_script_Numerals_represent_various_gods_as_per_calendar_days. Academia.edu. [Online] https://www.academia.edu/31708667/Indus_script_Numerals_represent_various_gods_as_per_calendar_days.

9. Jeyakumar(Sastha). Branch_symbol_indicates_the_word_Sastha. academia.edu. [Online] 2016. https://www.academia.edu/31658123/Branch_symbol_indicates_the_word_Sastha..

10. Jeyakumar(Fish-symbolism). Fish_symbolism_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization. academia.edu. [Online] December 2015. https://www.academia.edu/19550772/Fish_symbolism_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization.

11. Hooke, S.H. http://www.luxlapis.co.za/astro/fish.htm. http://www.luxlapis.co.za/astro/fish.htm. [Online] December 2015. http://www.luxlapis.co.za/astro/fish.htm.

12. landofpyramids.org. sa-symbol. www.landofpyramids.org. [Online] http://www.landofpyramids.org/sa-symbol.htm.

13. Eegyptianmyths.net. Protect.htm. www.egyptianmyths.net. [Online] http://www.egyptianmyths.net/protect.htm.

14. Sullivan, Sue. Indus script dictionary. 2011.

15. Parpola, Asko. Deciphering the Indus Script. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

16. Sundar, G.,Chandrasekar,S.SureshBabu,G.C.,Mahadevan,I. The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context. wordpress/wp-content/uploads. [Online] 2010. http://203.124.120.60/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/43-The-Indus-Script-Text-and-Context.pdf.