Frog

The Frog and Toad in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Kerer// (frog)

//Hefnefer// (tadpole)


 * Hieroglyphics:**





To the ancient Egyptians, the Mascarene Grass Frog and the European Green Toad were symbols of life and fertility (millions of them were born after the annual inundation of the Nile, a natural occurrence rather than a plague.) The Egyptians believed that the frog spontaneously generated from river mud, and thus the animal became a symbol of birth and resurrection.

The hieroglyphic sign for "one hundred thousand" was a tadpole, and the frog image was used in words such as “fetus.” One of the Egyptian terms denoting "frogs" is //whm-anx//, meaning literally "they who repeat life." A popular amulet was a frog enshrined in a lotus, with the phrase "I am the resurrection." This symbol was later copied by Coptic Christians.

Frog amulets, favored by women and children, were carried as talismans and placed within the wrappings of mummies. Made of gold, feldspar, glass, serpentine, lapis lazuli, amethyst, ivory, faience, agate, bronze, carnelian, and jasper, these amulets were also exchanged at the New Year. Terracotta and stone vessels in the shape of frogs were buried with the dead to assist in their rebirth. Wands and clappers decorated with knife-welding frogs have been found, used in spells aimed at protection of mothers and children. As a sacred creature, the frog was sometimes mummified.

The goddess of birth, Heket, was depicted as a frog, and in the Khontamenti temple at Abydos many little frogs made of faience and stone have been found, votive offerings to Heket. Frogs also accompanied the god of the Nile, Hapi. The amphibians certainly were great friends of the water, as Ankhsheshonq had it: "The frogs praise Hapi" was a common saying. The gods of the Ogdoad, Nun, Amun, Kek, and Heh, were pictured as frogs.

Frogs were also included in Egyptian reliefs of the wildlife along the Nile, and frog-shaped toys have been found. The Greeks and Romans adopted much of the Egyptians' traditions, including the belief that frogs were created from mud and water. It was also around this time that the "Frog Rain" phenomenon was recognized. The ancient Egyptians did not differentiate between frogs and toads, seeing them as a single species.

The Reptiles and Amphibians of Ancient Egypt