Swallow

The Swallows of Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Menet// or //Wer//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



Various species of swallows took to the skies in ancient Egypt, such as the Barn Swallow, Pale Crag Martian, Common House Martin, Sand Martin, and the Eurasian Crag Martin. As Egyptian artists were never consistent in the coloring of the bird's plumage in their depictions, it is unclear which species was the symbolic bird. By the shape of the bird in hieroglyphics and in paintings, however, it is clear that the bird is definitely a member of the swallow family.

During the Old Kingdom, swallows were associated with stars, and therefore the souls of the dead. The Book of the Dead specifically instructs the deceased on how to transform into a swallow. Amulets of swallows, made of carnelian, were buried with the dead in order to help with this transformation. The swallow appears in paintings of the solar barque as it enters Duat, perching on the prow of the boat. In this context, the bird appears to be an announcer of the sun's approach. In Egyptian love poetry, the swallow declares the dawn of new love.

The swallow was sacred to the goddess Isis, and the bird was sometimes itself worshiped as a deity. A stela found in the workmen's village at Deir el-Medina shows a swallow perched on a shrine with offerings piled high before it, and the caption "To the good and beautiful swallow, who remains in eternity!"

Transformation Into a Swallow

The Songbirds of Ancient Egypt