Tjes+Knot

Tjes Knot


 * Other Names:**

//Is//, Figure-of-Eight Knot

The //Tjes// Knot resembles a knot used to secure the garments that the gods wore, and represented protection by binding and union. Knots were widely used as amulets because the ancient Egyptians believed they bound and released magic. Some theories state that the //Tjes// was originally two flower heads joined, or a bundle of grain. Popular during the Middle Kingdom, the //Tjes// Knot was used as a clasp for necklaces, anklets, and bracelets, and worn on its own as a broach. A symbol of the goddess Bat, the //Tjes// Knot was one of the many magical amulets buried with the dead.

The wearing of clothes held together by knotted belts was seen as an important step of the child to adulthood. At Deir el-Gebrawi a 6th Dynasty official recorded in his mortuary chapel: "I was a youth who tied his belt under His Majesty, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt." Examples of the //Tjes// Knot have been found made of ebony, cedar, lapis lazuli, gold, carnelian, and amethyst. Related is the Tyet, or Knot of Isis.

A Charm Over an Amulet to Ward Off Fever

Magical Amulets