What is the Ibis bird and why was it sacred in ancient Egypt?
One of the sacred symbols of birds that are respected in the ancient Egyptian civilization and great reverence is a bird known as the ibis's bird, which has been native to Egyptian land since prehistoric times and continues to live there today.
This bird is known in the ancient Egyptian language by the word (hb) in the ancient Egyptian language, which refers to this particular bird. This bird in the ancient Egyptian civilization played a very important role in the ancient Egyptian religion, and this bird was associated with one of the most ancient Egyptian deities.
The ancient Egyptians, when they sanctified this bird, found in this bird distinctive qualities, which prompted them to take it as a symbol for them. This bird is known to fly high between the sky and the ground, and wander over the ancient Egyptian fields, when the sun rises in the morning and during the flight of this bird in the sky, it can recognize insects and worms in the soil, while flying in the sky, and when it sees them, it descends to the ground, and catches the worm or insects in the mud. This act of descending from the sky to pick knowledge from the earth was seen metaphorically by the ancient Egyptians as divine wisdom manifesting itself in the world of humans.
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| The Ibis Bird Sacred Symbol of the God Thoth |
What does the Ibis bird symbolize in Egyptian mythology?
Hence, the ancient Egyptians considered that this bird contains a state of science and a state of latent and esoteric knowledge, and therefore this bird was taken specifically to symbolize one of the most important ancient Egyptian idols of all. This is the god Thoth (also known as Djehuty or Jahuti).
For more about the god Thoth, see the following link:
Who is Thoth and why is he linked to the Ibis?
The god Thoth is one of the oldest ancient Egyptian idols. Known since at least the era of the Old Kingdom, his name is taken from the ancient Egyptian verb Jahut, which means lawgiver, lawmaker, or lawmaker, so when the ancient Egyptians chose the god Thoth, they chose him to have specific main functions, and these functions are: -.
What are the roles and functions of Thoth in ancient Egypt?
- He is the messenger of the gods from heaven to earth. Thus, he is the one who communicates the orders of the gods from heaven to earth, and he flies from top to bottom, the ancient Egyptians considered that this top-down flight symbolized that this bird with the early morning sunrise flies from heaven to earth, carrying the orders of the supreme gods from heaven to the Egyptian earth in order to give the orders of the gods to humans.
- Thoth was considered the creator of science and knowledge in ancient Egypt, and the ancient Egyptians stated that the ancient Egyptian writing and words in ancient Egypt were created by the god Thoth, this god who took the symbol of the ibis bird was at the beginning of creation when words had not yet been created, and when sounds had not yet been created. Thoth is said to have gathered all the primordial sounds of the universe. He then gave each sound a shape, and gave each sound a sign, and thus ancient Egyptian writing was created by this god. This myth reflects the deep reverence the Egyptians had for language, and it highlights how writing was not just a human invention, but a sacred gift from the divine.
- Thoth also established the proportions, calculations, measurements, and dimensions of everything in the universe.
Why is the Ibis bird associated with the moon and the lunar calendar?
Hence, it was believed that this bird is the author of the laws, and the author of the legislation, and the ancient Egyptians linked the ancient Egyptians between the god Thoth and the moon, and we found that the bird's front beak with its roundness is very similar to the shape of the crescent moon in the sky, and therefore they said that the crescent of the sky with the beginning of the lunar month is similar to the bird's beak, and therefore they said that the god Thoth is responsible for the birth of the moon in the western corner, or the western horizon of the sky, at the beginning of each lunar month. The symbolic link between the ibis's beak and the crescent moon shows the deep integration of nature, mythology, and astronomy in the Egyptian worldview.
Where was the Ibis worshiped and buried in ancient Egypt?
Thus, it became a symbol of this god that symbolizes the moon, and symbolizes the beginning, and was considered one of the gods of creation in the ancient Egyptian civilization, and we found very large centers of worship for it in the land of Egypt, especially in the Ashmunin region in Minya, and there this sacred bird was kept during its life inside the main temple of the city of Ashmunin.
When the bird died, it was embalmed and placed inside a mummy, and this mummy was made very carefully from embroidered linen scrolls, and it was buried in sacred tombs for this bird in the Ashmunin region, in the Tuna al-Jabal region, and in other sacred places where this bird was sanctified in ancient Egypt.
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| When the bird died, it was embalmed and placed inside a mummy |
The Legacy of the Ibis and Thoth in Ancient Egyptian Culture
The Ibis was more than a bird—it was a bridge between the divine and the earthly, a symbol of knowledge, order, and creation. Its presence in temples, tombs, and mythology highlights its central role in one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the ancient world.
For more about sacred symbols in ancient Egypt
Why the Falcon Symbolized Kingship in Ancient Egypt: God Horus
The Lion Symbol in Ancient Egypt: Secrets You Didn't Know
Sacred Symbols in Ancient Egypt: Animals, Gods, and Their Meaning
