Ear

The Ear


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Mesedjer//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



The ancient Egyptians could worship their gods without going to a temple - starting during the 19th Dynasty, magic stela incised with pairs of ears represented a direct conduit to a deity. These objects demonstrate how accessible the gods were thought to be - they could be contacted any time, any place, and asked to intercede on any sort of problem, without the aid of a priest.

Worshipers left carved stone ears in temples in hopes that the gods would hear their prayers, and many deities held the title of //Mesedjer Sedjem// (“The Ear Which Hears”). Various deities were thought to answer different requests - Hathor was thought to “hear the request of all maidens who weep,” listening sympathetically to single women. Min renewed male virility, Bes helped with childbirth, Horus healed illnesses, Montu granted strength and courage in battle, and //Isis Epekoos// ("Isis, the One Who Listens") protected mothers and children.

While the last room in the back of many temples was the sanctuary, in others there was located directly behind the sanctuary a "Chapel of the Hearing Ear." This chapel was actually situated within the outer walls of the temple, consisting of a niche housing a statue of the god, or at other times, simply a carved pair of the god's ears, to which the people could address their prayers and concerns. In many cases, there was a hidden "priest hole" located behind the statue or ears. A priest concealed within this chamber could hear the prayers of the people and give oracles or advice on behalf of the god, similar to the Catholic confessional.

Magical Objects