Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 (Part 1)

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the name of the god “Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭.” 

Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 is considered one of the most important deities in the ancient EgyptIan pantheon so you will see his name pop up in hieroglyphic inscriptions quite frequently! The name “Osiris” is actually the name given to him by the Greeks, and is not what the ancient Egyptians would have called Osiris! 

Let’s take a closer look at his name: 

𓁹 – jr

𓊨 – jsjr

𓀭 – determinative (not pronounced)

Egyptologists believe that Osiris’ name could have been pronounced like “Usir”/“Wsir” in ancient Egyptian times! Did you know sometimes the name could be written as “𓊨𓁹𓀭” too?

Let’s break down the symbols:

The “eye 𓁹” is a biliteral phonogram for the sound “jr.” The “eye 𓁹” can also function as an ideogram for “eye 𓁹𓏺” and also as a determinative. 

The “𓊨 seat” is a complicated symbol that can change sounds and function depending on the word! It can be a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound “st,” but in the case of Osiris it will have a phonetic sound of “jsjr.” It can also be used as an ideogram for the words seat/place with the sound “jst.” 

The “seated god 𓀭” is a determinative symbol and isn’t pronounced! It acts as “punctuation” at the end of the name of a male god! 

The “j” used in transcription can be thought to make a “y” sound from English! It is important to note that there is not one way to pronounce words in Middle Egyptian and that the sounds are just transcriptions of the symbols! There are also many different transcription systems! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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