Mehen
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In Egyptian mythology, the name Mehen (Template:Langx), meaning 'coiled one', referred to a mythological snake-god and to a board game.[1]
Snake god
The earliest known references to Mehen occur in the Coffin Texts.[2] Mehen is a protective deity who is depicted as a snake which coils around the sun god Ra during his journey through the night, for instance in the Amduat.[3]
In the German-Egyptian dictionary by R. Hannig,[4] it is said that the Mehen (mḥn) or the Mehenet (mḥnt) snake is equivalent to the Ouroboros.
Relationship between snake-god and Mehen game
The precise relationship between the deity and the Mehen game is unknown.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". For instance, it is unknown whether the game derives from the mythological character or the character derives from the game.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
It is known that the object known as mehen depicts a game rather than a religious fetish as demonstrated in tomb paintings, game boards, and equipment.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The rules and method of playing the game are unknown, although rules have been created in modern times based on assessments of how it may have been played.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
References
- ↑ Discussion of the game by University College London
- ↑ The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by R. Wilkinson Template:ISBN
- ↑ The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife by Erik Hornung Template:ISBN
- ↑ Hannig, R. 1995. Die Sprache der Pharaonen: Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch
External links
- Template:PAGENAMEBASE at BoardGameGeekTemplate:EditAtWikidata
- Script error: No such module "URL".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery schools liaison