Atef () is the specific feathered white crown of the
ancient Egyptian deity Osiris
Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
. It combines the
Hedjet, the white crown of
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...
, with curly
ostrich
Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa.
They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
feathers on each side of the crown for the Osiris cult. The feathers are identified as ostrich from their curl or curve at the upper ends, with a slight flare toward the base. They are the same feather as (singly) worn by
Maat. They may be compared with the falcon tail feathers in
two-feather crowns such as those of
Amun
Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...
, which are more narrow and straight without curve.
The Atef crown identifies Osiris in ancient Egyptian painting.
Osiris
Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
wears the Atef crown as a symbol of the ruler of the
underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld.
...
. The tall bulbous white piece in the center of the crown is between two ostrich feathers. The feathers represent truth and
justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
.
The Atef crown is similar, save for the feathers, to the plain white crown (
Hedjet) first recorded in the
Predynastic Period and worn as a symbol for
pharaonic Upper Egypt.
Gallery
Ornate Atef crown.svg, drawing of a more complex variant of the Atef
Pharaoh with Atef crown.svg, modern drawing of a pharaoh with an Atef crown
Standing Osiris.svg, modern drawing of Osiris wearing the Atef
Thutmose III, Luxor Museum.jpg, Thutmose III
Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...
with an Atef
Osiris-tomb-of-Nefertari.jpg
See also
*
Deshret – Red Crown of Lower Egypt
*
Hemhem crown – triple Atef
*
Khepresh – Blue or War Crown
*
Pschent
The pschent (/pskʰént/; Ancient Greek, Greek ''wikt:ψχέντ, ψχέντ'') was the double Crown (headgear), crown worn by rulers in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians generally referred to it as Pa-sekhemty (''pꜣ-sḫm.ty''), the Two Powe ...
– Double Crown of Lower & Upper Egypt
*
Shuti hieroglyph (two-feather adornment)
References
* Budge. ''An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary,''
E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, )
Crowns (headgear)
Egyptian mythology
Osiris
{{Egyptian-myth-stub