Falcon

The Falcon in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Bik//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



The Peregrine Falcon, also known as the "Horus Falcon" or "Horus Hawk," was associated with the gods Horus and Ra. As a symbol of the pharaoh, the Peregrine could be said to have been the "national bird" of ancient Egypt.

Sometimes the exact species of falcon shown in ancient Egyptian art is thought to be a composite of the Peregrine, the Hobby Falcon, Barbary Falcon, Red-footed Falcon, Sooty Falcon, Merlin, Saker Falcon, and the Lanner Falcon, all of which lived in ancient Egypt and have a similar appearance. The ancient Egyptians themselves did not differentiate between the different types of falcons or even between falcons and hawks - they were all "Horus Falcons."

The falcon hieroglyphic was used in words and phrases such as "god," "pharaoh," "greatness," "a year," "sovereign," "star," "hour," "prayer," "land," and "world." In certain Greco-Egyptian magic texts, a magician chooses to address the gods in “bird-glyphic” in order to be better understood - he also resorts to dialects such as “falconian.” Birds, which often flew high in the sky, were naturally likely to communicate with the gods and act as intermediaries for men. In an offering list from a festival at Karnak, there is a listing for 260 “falcon's feathers from the treasury of the pharaoh.”

Horus was the god associated with the pharaoh, the living god. “Horus-in-the-Nest" was a term used to designate the heirs to the throne. Young princes wore the Falcon Crown. A powerful symbol of protection, during the New Kingdom the pharaoh is depicted as wearing a shirt depicting two falcons with their wings wrapped around his body. Ramses II is described as "the one who spreads his wings over his army in protection," the Royal Falcon. Figureheads for barques often featured falcons. The popular Eye of Horus amulet was decorated with markings that resemble those found on the eyes of falcons.

The traditional Egyptian mummy, with its crossed arms across the chest and thumbs touching, was meant to mimic the crossed wings of a falcon. The Book of the Dead contains a spell to help the deceased turn into a falcon. When the king died, the phrase used to announce his death was "The Falcon had flown to heaven." In Egyptian lore, the falcon came to symbolize the soul in its flight to the afterlife. The pharaoh’s funeral ceremonies included the release of a live falcon to depict the dead king’s soul flying away to its home in heaven.

Sacred falcons were kept in temples dedicated to Horus, and were a favored pet of the pharaohs. During one of Horus’ rituals, the annual Coronation of the Sacred Falcon, an actual falcon was selected to represent the god as king of all Egypt. When the bird died, it was mourned and given a burial like that of a pharaoh, complete with mummification and interment in a special cemetery.

Large oval earthenware sarcophagi have been found with linen-wrapped embalmed falcons inside them, some of which had gold-plated dark green and black masks covering the heads. Entire falcon mummies were sometimes gilded with gold, to underscore their association with the sun. Over half a million mummified falcons have been found in Saqqara.

The sacred falcon was called “His Majesty” and was fed chopped-up beef, donkey meat, and wild game, and given milk to drink. Incense was burned as it ate, so that the falcon "might seize his food in its fragrance." The Living Falcon resided within the temple precinct and had a dwelling located within an enclosure reserved exclusively for him. This house consisted of a court, an aviary, and a small sanctuary with a balcony reserved for royal “appearances,” like for the pharaoh.

During the Coronation the Living Falcon was anointed on the top of its head with oil, and incense was lit. A hymn was sung in the falcon's honor: “The river banks are your servants, because of the greatness of your power; they tremble when they behold you. You have spread your wings as the Divine Falcon, and you subdue the hearts of your enemies.”

The Living Falcon, and therefore the king as well, actually received the royal insignia from the hands of the god of the temple. “He arises, as King, on the throne of his father!” was the cry. Priests wearing falcon and jackal-headed masks escorted the falcon into his temple, saying: “Proceed to the Grand Throne in order to take the kingship from the hand of your father Horus, great god of the sky.”

The bird was offered gifts of flowers and golden jewelry. The Living Falcon was thought to be able to completely annihilate his enemies with the force of his wings, and fire was said to flash from his eyes and the strength of his talons. To harm or kill this sacred falcon was punishable by death. Strabo claims to have seen a Horus falcon, and fancifully describes it as "a huge, multicolored falcon, which squawked phrases in the Egyptian tongue." The Greek writer Diodorus claimed that Egyptians abroad ransomed captive falcons and cats in order to bring them with them to Egypt.

It was prayed that the falcon would have a bountiful year-long rein: “O Year, you who are healthy, grant that the bones of this Living Image, the Living Falcon, be healthy; preserve his flesh in health, strengthen his muscles, maintain all his members in good condition in plenitude, as you return regularly at each desired season!” Prayers were also made to Sekhmet and Hathor to protect and guard the Living Falcon from all possible danger during the year to come. It was also requested that this protection be extended to “his retainers, his consort, and his little ones.”

The sacred falcon was said to be so tame that it would come to its keepers when called, and catch pieces of meat thrown to it in full flight. The selection of the falcon took place on the first day of the first month of //Peret// (the sowing season.) A different falcon was chosen each year. Nothing is known of the fate of the bird of prey that had been the king the previous year and was now stripped of its office, though presumably it was sacrificed.

Transformation into a Falcon of Gold

The Birds of Prey of Ancient Egypt