Category: Reading Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

While the throne name and birth name are the two 𓏻 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 that appear most often in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥, today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the Horus Name of my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪! The Horus Name is one of five 𓏾 ways to write the name 𓂋𓈖 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and it is the oldest way to do so. The purpose of the Horus Name was to identify the king 𓇓 as an earthly representation of the god 𓊹 Horus 𓅃𓀭. This helped to legitimize their rule 𓈎𓏏𓋾, especially if the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 wasn’t necessarily “in line” for the throne. 

Usually the Horus Name will appear in a Serekh, however that’s not the case here! The Falcon Horus 𓅃 is usually standing on top of a palace facade 𓊁 which enclosed the name 𓂋𓈖 but that is missing here probably due to spacing issues! The ancient Egyptians will always put aesthetics before grammar! Instead, 𓋹𓅃 or “Living Horus” is written to indicate the Horus Name! Again, “𓋹𓅃 Living Horus” really tells everyone that Hatshepsut herself is the god 𓊹 Horus 𓅃𓀭, just here on Earth 𓇾𓇾. 

Let’s take a look at Hatshepsut’s Horus Name! 

𓄊𓋴𓏏𓂓𓂓𓂓 – Wosretkau or Useretkau 

Let’s break down the meaning of the name:

𓄊𓋴𓏏 – Powerful, Mighty, Strong (this is the female version; male version is 𓄊𓋴). 

𓂓𓂓𓂓 – Kas (Souls) 

“Wosretkau” translates to “The Mighty of the Kas” or “The Mighty of the Souls.”

Let’s break down the hieroglyphic symbols 𓊹𓌃𓏪:

The “head and neck of a jackal 𓄊” symbol is a triliteral phonogram and represents the sound “wsr” or “usr.” 

The “folded cloth 𓋴” is a uniliteral phonogram for “s.”

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word “bread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine! 

The “𓂓 two arms” symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound “ka,” and also functions as an ideogram for the same. The word “ka” has been translated into our modern languages as “soul.” 

I think that is such a cool name 𓂋𓈖 to have! This name 𓂋𓈖 has only been recorded in a couple of places, including the Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 at the Vatican (pictured), the Obelisk 𓉶 at Karnak, and on a couple of statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 from Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦𓏥𓉐 (one of these is at the MET). 

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Birth Name

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Throne Name

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Can you spot Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓄂𓀼 birth name in the image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 below?

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the birth name (also called the given name) cartouche 𓍷 of my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪! Like with most pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥, Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 had many different ways to write her name 𓂋𓈖, and these different spellings are called variants. A variant of Hatshepsut’s cartouche 𓍷 is what appears on this stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸! 

But first 𓏃, let’s break down the full cartouche 𓍷 (aka the one that appears on most monuments) because it is the more “grammatically proper” spelling!

𓇋𓏠𓈖 – Amun

𓎹𓏏- United with (Khnemet)

𓄂𓏏 – Foremost (Hat)

𓀼𓏪 -Noble Women (Shepsut)

So Hatshepsut’s name 𓂋𓈖 translates to “United with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.” 

Now that we know her most popular variant, let’s take a look at the less common variant of the cartouche 𓍷, which is the variant that appears on the stela: 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓄂𓀼

𓇋𓏠𓈖 – Amun

𓎹 – United with (Khnemet)

𓄂 – Foremost (Hat)

𓀼 – Noble Women (Shepsut)

So as you can see, even though there are less hieroglyphic symbols 𓊹𓌃𓏪 (aka the words are abbreviated), the cartouche still retains the original meaning/pronunciation! Abbreviations can be difficult for beginners, but it just comes with practice! 

There’s also a third variant of Hatshepsut’s name 𓂋𓈖 that I rarely see and it is simply: 𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 which actually spells just “Hatshepsut”!

𓄂𓏏 – Foremost (Hat)

𓀼𓏪 -Noble Women (Shepsut)

This cartouche 𓍷/inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 is from the Stela of Hatshepsut, which is at the Vatican Museum, which is the same stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 as the previous post about Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 Throne Name!

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Throne Name

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Horus Name

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the throne name (also called the prenomen) cartouche 𓍷 of my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and one of the first 𓏃 “phrases” that I learned how to read when I was first learning hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! The pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 always distinguished their names in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 by wrapping them in a cartouche 𓍷, which is an oval shape with a straight line closing the oval at one end. The oval shape was meant to protect 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 and their name 𓂋𓈖 from evil 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨 in both life 𓋹 and death 𓅓𓏏𓏱. 

With the three 𓏼 symbol cartouche, especially when Re 𓇳𓏺 is involved, the name 𓂋𓈖 read middle-right-left. So why is Re 𓇳𓏺 written first but said last!? Honorific transposition! As a sign of respect, Re 𓇳𓏺 (or another god 𓊹) is always written first 𓏃 but said last! 

Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 throne name 𓂋𓈖 is Maatkare 𓇳𓁦𓂓, which translates to “Truth is the Soul of Re.” I love 𓈘𓏏 this name 𓂋𓈖, and the meaning behind it – to me, it just screams “powerful!” Let’s take a closer look at the symbols that are a part of her name 𓂋𓈖! 

The “𓇳 sun disc” symbol is an ideogram for “ra” or “re,” but can also be a determinative in words such as sun 𓆄𓅱𓇳, today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳, and for words associated with time. The single symbol alone (like in cartouches) would be pronounced like “ra” or “re.”

The “𓁦 goddess with a feather” symbol is used commonly as a determinative in the name 𓂋𓈖 for the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Maat 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓁦, but is also commonly used as an ideogram for the word “maat.” 

The “𓂓 two arms” symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound “ka,” and also functions as an ideogram for the same. The word “ka” has been translated into our modern languages as “soul,” since the person’s ka 𓂓 was the part of the person that interacted with others and was considered one part of a person’s soul. 

This cartouche 𓍷/inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 is from the Stela of Hatshepsut, which is at the Vatican Museum. When I saw this stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 (one of my most favorite artifacts) I made sure to try and close up pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 because I love 𓈘𓏏 it so much!

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Birth Name

Here’s a post about Hatshepsut’s Horus Name