Heron

The Herons of Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Names:**

//Benu//, //Sda-wr,// //Aha'w//, or //Sntj//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



Many members of this family are migratory and pass through or winter in Egypt, like the Grey Heron, Squacco Heron, Goliath Heron, Striated Heron, Purple Heron, White-backed Night Heron, and the Western Reef Heron.

One of the most commonly pictured birds in ancient Egyptian art, herons are often pictured in tomb paintings and reliefs of wildlife along the Nile and in the marshes. Herons were sometimes tamed and used as decoys - there is hardly a scene in Egyptian art picturing fowlers in the swamps that does not include at least one heron wading in the shallows alongside the spread nets. In recent times, live herons continue to be regularly used by Egyptian fowlers in the Delta when trapping wildfowl with nets.

The sacred Bennu bird was thought to be a heron, either the Grey Heron or a Goliath Heron. Standing alone on isolated rocks of islands of high ground during the floods, the heron represented the first life to appear on the primeval mound which rose from the watery chaos at the first creation. As a sacred animal, herons were occasionally mummified. The heron hieroglyphic meant both “vigilance” and “to rise.”

The image of a heron was frequently carved on heart amulets to help with resurrection. Herons were thought to lead the spirits of the dead through the dangers of the Duat. A spell in the Book of the Dead aim to assist the deceased to transform themselves into herons, so that they can travel freely between worlds. Heron feathers have been found in tombs.

The Waterfowl of Ancient Egypt