Apotropaic wand
From Thebes, Egypt
Late Middle Kingdom, around 1750 BC
A magical 'knife' intended for the protection of a mother and
child
Childbirth and early infancy were felt to be particularly threatening to both
mother and baby. Magic played the primary role in countering these threats;
various evil spirits needed to be warned off, and deities invoked to protect the
vulnerable. These magic knives, also known as apotropaic (that is, acting to
ward off evil) wands, were one of the devices used. They are usually made of
hippopotamus ivory, thus enlisting the support of that fearsome beast against
evil.
The term 'knife' is inappropriate, and the shape may be related more to the
throwstick (similar to a modern boomerang). Throwsticks were used to hunt birds,
and flocks of birds were seen as a symbol of chaos, hence the appropriateness of
the shape.
The depictions on this knife encompass a range of protective images. They
include a grotesque dwarf, probably known as Aha at this date, but later the
more famous Bes, and
Taweret (a pregnant hippopotamus carrying a knife),
both of whom are associated with childbirth. Lions, the scarab of rebirth,
serpents, and other fantastic protective demons also feature.
Archaeologists have found that many of these 'knives' seem to have been
deliberately broken before being placed in the tombs. One explanation is that
this was done to destroy some of the object's powers, which would have been
inappropriate in the context of death and burial.
G. Pinch,
Magic in Ancient Egypt (London, The British Museum Press,
1994)
S. Quirke,
Ancient Egyptian religion (London, The British Museum
Press, 1992)
British Museum
britishmuseum.org
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