Benben

Benben


 * Meaning of Name:**

The name is related to the verb //weben//, meaning “to rise brilliantly,” or “to shine.”

A stone representing the first foundation of the world, the primeval mound. The cult of the //Benben//, a holy stone or pillar located at Heliopolis, appears as early as the 1st Dynasty. The sacred Bennu Bird was supposed to have rested on the //Benben// stone, breaking the primeval silence with a cry. Egyptian priests showed this pillar to visitors, who considered it the most holy place on earth.

The shape of the //Benben// served as the earliest prototype for both the obelisk and the pyramid. In recognition of these connections, the gilded cap-stone (pyramidion) placed at the very top of each obelisk and pyramid was known as a //benbenet//.

Egyptian Symbols