Papyrus stem (hieroglyph)

Papyrus
stem
in hieroglyphs

The ancient Egyptian Papyrus stem hieroglyph is one of the oldest language hieroglyphs from Ancient Egypt. The papyrus stalk, (or stem) was incorporated into designs of columns on buildings, also facades, and is also in the iconographic art portrayed in ancient Egyptian decorated scenes.

The papyrus stem hieroglyph shows a single stalk and umbel of the plant. It is used to represent the color green, and for vigour, or youth (growing things).

Usage

w3dj
component letters-'U-A-dj'
in hieroglyphs

or

or

3 of
many spellings, 'W3dj'
in hieroglyphs

or

Uatch-ur
the Great Green Sea
the Mediterranean
in hieroglyphs

The basic usage of the papyrus stem hieroglyph is as an ideogram, (graphic picture), in the word for 'papyrus stem', w3dj, or the older representation uatch.

As the papyrus plant is from the Nile Delta, and is a symbol of Lower Egypt and its green and productive quality of food growing, the papyrus stem is also used to represent 'growth', 'vigour', 'youth', all things fresh, new and growing.

The green color, or the Nile Delta's connection to the Mediterranean Sea, gave rise to the term Great Green, meaning the Mediterranean, and thus the hieroglyphic spelling of the sea uses the papyrus stem (green, great, or green-great-sea: w3dj-wr).

Other words in the family of w3dj, or uatch, are: green, yellow green, green stones, eyepaint; also trees, plants, and amulets.

Rosetta Stone examples

The papyrus stem occurs in three places on the Rosetta Stone. The first half of the stone is represented by the Nubayrah Stele, lines N-1 to N-27, (the Rosetta Stone starts at line N-22, and is from R-1 to R-14). Line N-19 of the Nubayrah Stele refers to the Great Green, the Mediterranean Sea, and uses the papyrus with the cobra (Gardiner No. M14).

The opening of the Decree of Memphis, the Rosetta Stone begins by addressing Ptolemy V Epiphanes and uses the papyrus stem in two lines, N-1 and N-2, and addresses the gods and the pharaoh as follows:

... like a king upon the throne of his father, (the Two Ladies) lord of the Vulture Crown [Upper Egypt], lord of the Uraeus Crown [Lower Egypt], mighty one of strength, establisher of the Two Lands [Egypt], [papyrus stem for the delta-north], benefactor of Ta-Mer, [i.e. Egypt], benevolent of heart towards the gods, the Horus, making vigorous the life of men and women [second usage of papyrus stem], lord of the Sed festivals ...

Papyrus stem amulet

Besides the personal use of the amulet in life, the body was often provided with amulets in burial, with more amulets implying more protection. The most common funerary amulets were the heart scarab, Wadjet Eye, Djed Pillar amulet, Wadj amulet, Tyet amulet, and the golden vulture collar (for the goddess Mut). Amulet usage changed greatly over the millenniums of Ancient Egypt.

The papyrus stem, or Wadj amulet was made from green feldspar as prescribed in Chapter 160, Charpter 159 from the Book of the Dead.^[1] The most common explanation for the amulet is that it was believed to provide eternal youth to the deceased.

14 Spirits of Ra

14 kaU of Ra, "Spirits of Ra"
in hieroglyphs

The papyrus stem is one of the 14 Spirits of Ra:

"Word of Power"
Light
Strength, see for similar use: Djsr
Power, represented by the was-sceptre
Vigour, represented by the papyrus stem, papyrus
Abundance
Majesty, see Hatshepsut (the hieroglyph as a component of her name)
Burial
Preparedness
Stability, see Djed
Sight, see the Eye of Horus
Hearing
Feeling, perception, see the Rosetta Stone, line 13, before the trilingual inscription, so that "... each month, and each year, will know ('be cognizant'; Greek: gnostic, 'gnorimon'), all the dwellers in Egypt," construct and erect a stone stele in each of the scripts. See also Sia, the deification of wisdom
Taste

Hieroglyph 13 for feeling, perception is not part of Gardiner's sign list; the sign is similar to an upside-down pennant, or flag, positioned above the head of a seated man. A minor Egyptian god, Sia, can be found at the front of the Solar Barque with other gods, leading the barque, as Sia was believed to see, or know the path forward. Sia is pictured with the knowing gnostic sign on top of her head.

Cosmetic spoon using the papyrus stalk
Pillar for Thutmosis III

Iconography

Grapevine arbor supported iconographically by the papyrus stem

Examples of iconographic use of the papyrus stem range from wall scenes, tombs, and architectural components, including complete columns, to amulets. Besides building columns as papyrus stems, the pillars that support the sky, the four corners of the earth, were also sometimes represented by the papyrus stem, (Gardiner No. O-40).

Preceded by

road-with-shrubs
---
w3t

Papyrus stem-(tril.)
---
w3dj-(uatch-uadj)

Succeeded by

harpoon-(bil.)
---
u'

Gallery

Many artifacts of Ancient Egypt, as well as architecture elements used the papyrus stem motif. Some specific examples are kohl spoons, or the papyrus handled mirror.

Papyrus-handled mirror

mirror group
1 – Papyrus-handled, and 2 – Ankh-handled mirror
mirror among other artefacts

References

^ Ancient Egyptian Religion, etyptologypage.tripod.com

E. A. Wallis Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, (Dover Publications), c. 1978, (c. 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23615-3)
E. A. Wallis Budge. A Hieroglyphic Dictionary to the Book of the Dead, Dover edition, 1991; Original: c. 1911 as: A Hieroglyphic Vocabulary to the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead with an Index to All the English Equivalents of the Egyptian Words, (Kegan Paul, etc. Ltd, London, publisher). Dover: (softcover, ISBN 978-0-486-26724-1)
E. A. Wallis Budge. The Rosetta Stone, (Dover Publications), c. 1929, Dover edition (unabridged), 1989. (softcover, ISBN 0-486-26163-8)

External links

Amulets of Egypt and History of Mummification, Egypt; amulets: Djed pillar, Staircase amulet, Headrest amulet, Heart amulet, Foot amulet and Hand amulet

[1] Ancient Egyptian Religion, etyptologypage.tripod.com

[1]