Northern+Lapwing

The Lapwing in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Rekhyt//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



The Northern Lapwing was a popular children's pet, and its image was commonly used in the decoration of Egyptian palaces and temples, often depicted with its wings pinioned so that it could not fly. The lapwing was commonly pictured in ancient Egyptian paintings and reliefs of wildlife along the Nile and in the marshes.

The lapwing was a symbol of the people of Lower Egypt, due to its habit of wintering in the Delta. From the 18th Dynasty onward, the hieroglyphic of a lapwing meant "a group of people" and a lapwing with raised human arms meant "a group of people giving praise." Hymns describe lapwings as "gods clinging to the branches of sycamores, nodding and crowing."

The Other Birds of Ancient Egypt