Double bow and double arrow indicates goddess Neith

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Double bow and double arrow indicate Goddess Neith

Abstract

The single arrow indicates the arrow of God Rudra, which caused disease and death. Whereas the Indus seal inscriptions also show double arrows and double shield, indicating Egyptian goddess Neith. The arrows of Neith conveyed the directly opposite idea of arrows of Rudra. Arrows of Neith were protective in nature.

The word Neith, which initially meant “she is the terrifying one“, was an early ancient Egyptian deity. She was said to be the first and the prime creator, who created the universe and all it contains, and that she governed how it functions. She was the goddess of the cosmos, fate, wisdom, water, rivers, mothers, childbirth, hunting, weaving, and war. (1)

Neith was the tutelary deity of Sais, where her cult was centred in the western Nile Delta of Lower Egypt. It is attested as early as the First Dynasty.

symbolism

Neith is a far more complex goddess than is generally known, and ancient texts only hint at her true nature. A religious silence was imposed by ancient Egyptians for secrecy, employing euphemisms and allusions and often relying on symbols alone. In her usual representations, she is portrayed as a fierce deity, a woman wearing the Red Crown, occasionally holding or using the bow and arrow, in others, a harpoon. Neith also is a goddess of war and hunting, and that is the symbolism depicted most often. Her symbol was two arrows crossed over a shield. (1)

Double arrow symbol of goddess Neith as per the dictionary of Wallis Budge (3)

double arrow symbol as per Indus seal inscription.

Double bow symbol –Wallis Budge. (3)

Double bow as per IVC symbols

Double bow variants

Nirrti

During a discussion, Arwind Bhagwath (3) mentioned similarities between Neith and Nirrti, the Hindu goddess. Hence, I verified the characteristics of Nirrti and found that she was the Indian version of Neith. But there are drastic changes in the characters during the later Vedic period. Neith had been portrayed as a protective goddess in Egypt, whereas nirriti has been described as the goddess of disorder in Vedic times. It looks like that in the earlier period of IVC, she was benevolent, but in the later period after the arrival of later Vedic people, she had been demonized. It is a natural phenomenon; the earlier gods were generally demonized.

In Vedic literature, Nirrti is personifying death, decay and sorrows. The name nirṛti has the meaning of “absence of rta“, meaning ‘disorder‘, or ‘lawlessness’, specifically the guardian to the absence of divine or cosmic disorder. (3) This term was used in Vedic texts to indicate a realm of non-existence and absolute darkness, which threatened to consume those who failed in their duties to sacrifice and procreate. In nirṛti, there was no light, no food, and no children: none of the necessary elements of Vedic life and ritual. (3)

Nirrti is mentioned in the hymns of the Rigveda, primarily to seek protection from her. In one hymn (X.59), she is mentioned several times. After summing up her nature, this hymn also asks for her to depart from the sacrificial site. In the Taittiriya Brahmana (I.6.1.4), Nirrti is described as dark, dressed in dark clothes, and her sacrificial shares are dark husks. In the sacred Shatapatha Brahmana (X.1.2.9), she is associated with the southwest quarter as her region. But elsewhere in the same text (V.2.3.3.), she is mentioned as living in the kingdom of the dead. (3)

The seal inscription reading is as follows (read from right to left) Twelfth-day sacrifice for Goddess Neith (double bow) to counter the disease caused by arrows of Rudra. Astaka symbol generally indicates Ashtami (eighth day). However, then there is a contradiction here in this seal inscription. Number twelve marks the 12th-day sacrifice, but in the end, the Astaka symbol indicates the eighth-day sacrifice to Rudra. So the only logical explanation is the Astaka symbol means the god Rudra here, not the eighth day of the calendar month. (4) The twelfth day indicates the calendar day of goddess Neith. The double bow symbol suggests the idea of ‘protection’. Therefore, the double bow means the protection of Neith against the arrows of Rudra.

Figure : The picture of Neith shows double bows tied with arrows – this symbol is on the head of the goddess. (1)

The hieroglyphs of her name usually are followed by a determinative containing the archery elements, with the shield symbol of the name being explained as double bows (facing one another), intersected by two arrows (usually lashed to the bows). Her symbol also identified the city of Sais. (5) This symbol was displayed on top of her head in Egyptian art. In her form as a goddess of war, she was said to make warriors’ weapons and guard their bodies when they died.

Figure : The mummy cloth is also one of the symbols of Neith.

Mummy cloth is also one of the symbols of Neith. (1) Refer to my article swathe a mummy ritual for more information about the above-given seal. (6)

Figure :Stela of Mer-Neith- Female Pharoah.

The above-given stela shows the name of the female Pharoah ‘Mer-Neith’, who lived around 2950 BC during the first dynasty. Her name consists of Hoe (Mer) and the symbol of Neith, two arrows placed in a cross position on a pole tied together with a fancy rope (symbol of goddess Neith). (7) Together, these two logos give the name of the female Pharoah can be read as ‘Mer-Neith’. What is the relevance of producing the picture of stela here? A similar symbol appears in the Indus seal inscription. Details are as given below.

In the above-given seal inscription, the crossed bows on a pole could be indicating goddess Neith. But, Rekha Rao, in her book ‘symbalography’ states that this symbol shows the offerings made to God Rudra, which is usually tied to a pole. (8) I verified the point raised by Rekha Rao, but no religious literature mentions that the sacrificial offering to Rudra is tied to a pole. Generally, the god’s portion of the offering is burnt in the Yajna fire itself. However, this point needs further verification.

The above-given picture shows a crossed arrows standard of goddess Neith in a wooden boat, pre-dynastic period. (9) Neith is one of the most ancient deities associated with ancient Egyptian culture. Flinders Petrie (Diopolis Parva, 1901) noted the earliest depictions of her standards were known in predynastic periods. (10) (11) It can be seen from a representation of the barque bearing her crossed arrow standards in the Predynastic Period, as is displayed in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. (1)

An analysis of her attributes shows Neith was a goddess with many roles. From predynastic and early dynasty periods, she was referred to as an “Opener of the Ways”, which may have referred to her leadership in hunting and war and as a psychopomp in cosmic and underworld pathways escorting souls. References to Neith as the “Opener of Paths” occurs in Dynasty Four through Dynasty Six, and Neith is seen in the titles of women serving as priestesses of the goddess. (el-Sayed, I: 67-69). El-Sayed asserts that Neith should be seen as a parallel to Anubis, the ancient jackal-god of Upper Egypt. Who was associated in that southern region with royalty in victory and as a psychopomp for the dead. (1)

Georges St. Clair (Creation Records, 1898) noted that Neith was represented at times as a cow goddess with a line of stars across her back (as opposed to representations of Nut with stars across the belly) [See el-Sayed, II, Doc. 644]. The symbol indicated that Neith represents the full ecliptic circle around the sky (above and below). (12)

This symbol is seen as the sky encapsulated by the heavenly vault above and the cosmos below the horizon. St. Clair maintained that the universal sky is the realm personified by Neith. She was the whole sky encompassing the upper and lower sky and the cosmos beyond the horizon. (12)

The above-given Indus seal also shows a similar idea to that of Egypt. The two chevron symbols indicate the two heavenly vaults, the sky above and the horizon below the earth, which could not be seen. The two strokes symbols below the vaults do the function of determinative action as in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Figure: Neith shooting arrows at evil spirits attacking the deceased.
Reference: Ramadan El-Sayed, Neith, II, Doc. 346,434 and 679a (9) (14)

Neith also was the goddess of war; she thus had an additional association with death. The above-given illustration shows, she shoots arrows at the enemies of the dead. Therefore, she was viewed as a protector of the deceased. (14)

Figure : Winged goddess. Neith as a winged serpent, 18th dynasty – picture courtesy Flicker.com -Heidi Kontkanen.

Neith also appears as a uraeus snake to drive off intruders and those who would harm the deceased. She is represented in this snake form in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Figure 5: Indus seal acknowledgement -Sue Sullivan.

The above-given Indus seal shows the snake along with a double bow symbol. The snake here could indicate the goddess Neith, which is similar to the concept of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Data analysis of Neith symbols

symbols

frequency

remarks

49

A single arrow may be indicating God Rudra. Arrows of Rudra cause disease and death.

26

This arrow is different; it could be a sky vault symbol (chevron) with a determinative sign that indicates goddess Neith

13

This symbol could be a modified form of double bow symbol

53

Earlier, I have said that it could be a double Kedaga (shield) symbol. Now, after considering the double bow symbol, there is a second possibility that it could be the symbol of Neith.

The above-given data is obtained from the research papers of Mahadevan and Sundar et al. (15) (16). However, the above-given data of individual occurrence of the symbols does not give much information. Therefore, let us consider the data of paired symbols. The data of paired symbols are as provided in the below-presented table.

Symbol pair

frequency

remarks

19

This combination of Astaka-arrow symbols pair occurs nineteen times. Astaka is the eighth-day sacrifice, which is generally associated with the god Rudra.

10

Sky double vault symbol could be indicating Neith. Two strokes below the chevron symbols are the determinative symbols as in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Acknowledgements:

1.Arvind Bhagwath for suggestions on goddess Nirrti. (3)

2.Indus seals picture courtesy -Sue Sullivan (13)

1. Wikipedia(Neith). Neith. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Neith. [Online] 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neith.

2. Rao, Rekha. Vratyas indus seals-ii. Indiafacts.org. [Online] http://indiafacts.org/vratyas-indus-seals-ii/.

3. Budge, Wallis. Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary. London : John Murray, 1920.

4. Bhagwath, Arvind. Independent.academia.edu/ArvindBhagwath. Academia.edu. [Online] https://independent.academia.edu/ArvindBhagwath.

5. Wikipedia(Nirrti). Nirrti(goddess). Wikipedia.org. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nir%E1%B9%9Bti_(goddess).

6. 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.

7. Hart., George. Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London. : Routledge. ., 1996.

8. Jeyakumar(swathe-mummy). Swathe a mummy ritual. Academia.edu. [Online] 2020. https://www.academia.edu/44011336/Swathe_a_mummy_ritual.

9. Wikipedia(Merneith). Merneith. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneith. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneith.

10. Rao, Rekha. Symbalography in Indus seals (e-Book). s.l. : Amazon, 2015.

11. http://www.oocities.org/skhmt_netjert/neith.html. Skhmt_netjert/neith. www.oocities.org. [Online] [Cited: ] http://www.oocities.org/skhmt_netjert/neith.html.

12. Petrie., Flinders. Flinders Petrie, Diopolis Parva, (London, 1901), Pl. XX, 11, as represented in Hollis, cited below. London. : Diopolis Parva., 1901.

13. Hollis., Susan Tower. “5 Egyptian Goddesses in the Third Millenium B.C.: Neith, Hathor, Nut, Isis, Nephthys,” . 1995.

14. Clair., George St. Creation Records. London. : s.n., 1898.

15. El-Sayed., Ramadan. La Déese Neith de Saïs: Importance et rayonnement de son cult. Cairo : IFAO, 1982.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. Sullivan, Sue. The Indus script dictionary. s.l. : Suzanne Redalia (Publisher)., 2011.