Turtle-headed protective wooden
figure
From a royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings,
Thebes, Egypt
End of the 18th Dynasty, around
1325 BC
A watery messenger of
Osiris
Strange creatures were thought to inhabit the
dark and unseen realms of the world. Some were thought to be among
the obstacles that the deceased must negotiate in order to reach
the Mansion of
Osiris,
the place of judgement and entry to the Afterlife. Being an aquatic
animal, the turtle was associated with the Underworld and so was
seen as one of the forces of
chaos.
This figure, like
other figures of demons and the demons depicted in the
Book
of the Dead, has a human
body and the head of a dangerous animal. As on representations of
animal-headed gods, a divine wig has been used to mask the juncture
between animal and human. Figures like this, placed in a context
such as a tomb or an amulet, transformed the malevolent threat of
such demons into protective power. Placed in royal burials, they
were probably intended to help and protect the king on his journey
to the Afterlife.
E.R. Russmann, Eternal Egypt: masterworks of (University of California Press, 2001)
S. Quirke and A.J. Spencer, The British Museum book of anc (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)