The serpopard is a

mythical animal A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical account ...

known from ancient Egyptian and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

n art. The word "serpopard" is a modern coinage. It is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsserpent" and "

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...

", derived from the interpretation that the creature represents an animal with the body of a leopard and the long neck and head of a serpent. However, they have also been interpreted as "serpent-necked lions". There is no known name for the creature in any ancient texts.

Images

The image is featured specifically on decorated

cosmetic palette Cosmetic palettes are archaeological artifacts, originally used in predynastic Egypt to grind and apply ingredients for facial or body cosmetics. The decorative palettes of the late 4th millennium BCE appear to have lost this function and became ...

s from the Predynastic period of Egypt, and more extensively, as design motifs on cylinder seals in the Protoliterate period of Mesopotamia (circa 3500–3000 BC). Examples include the

Narmer Palette The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. ...

and the Small Palette of

Nekhen Nekhen ( egy, nḫn, ); in grc, Ἱεράκων πόλις Hierakonpolis ( either: City of the Hawk, or City of the Falcon, a reference to Horus or ''Hierakōn polis'' "Hawk City" in arz, الكوم الأحمر, el-Kōm el-Aḥmar, lit=the ...

(Hierakonopolis). The cylinder seal of Uruk (image above) displays the motif very clearly. Typically, two creatures are depicted, with their necks intertwined.

Interpretations

The image generally is classified as a

feline Feline may refer to: Zoology * Loosely, Felidae, a member of the cat family, which includes the subfamilies Pantherinae and Felinae (conventionally designated a felid) ** Following the taxonomic convention, Felinae, the subfamily of Felidae that ...

, and with close inspection resembles an unusually long-necked

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

ess. It bears the characteristic tuft of the species at the end of the tail, there are no spots, the round-eared head most closely resembles the lioness rather than a serpent, because serpents do not have ears, and there are no typical serpent features such as scales, tongue, or reptilian head shape. It has been suggested that in

Ancient Egyptian art Ancient Egyptian art refers to art produced in ancient Egypt between the 6th millennium BC and the 4th century AD, spanning from Prehistoric Egypt until the Christianization of Roman Egypt. It includes paintings, sculptur ...

the serpopard represents "a symbol of the chaos that reigned beyond Egypt's borders", which the king must tame. They are normally shown conquered or restrained, as in the Narmer Palette, or attacking other animals. But in Mesopotamian art they are shown in pairs, with intertwined necks. Mesopotamian use of these "serpent-necked lions" and other animals and animal hybrids is seen by some scholars as "manifestations of the chthonic aspect of the god of natural vitality, who is manifest in all life breaking forth from the earth". Similarly to other ancient peoples, the Egyptians are known for their accurate depictions of the creatures they observed. Their composite creatures have recognizable features of the animals originally representing those deities, merged into novel creatures. Lionesses played an important role in the religious concepts of both

Upper Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

and

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically ...

, and are likely to have been designated as animals associated with protection and royalty. The long necks could be a simple exaggeration, used as a framing feature in an artistic motif, either forming the cosmetic-mixing area, as in the Narmer Palette, or surrounding it, as in the Small Palette. Depictions of fantastic animals also are known from Elam and

,Michael Rice, ''Egypt's Making: The Origins of Ancient Egypt, 5000-2000 BC'', Routledge 2003, p.68 as well as many other cultures.

In popular culture

* The Serpopards appear in ''

The Kane Chronicles ''The Kane Chronicles'' is a trilogy of adventure and Egyptian mythological fiction books written by American author Rick Riordan. The series is set in the same universe as Riordan's other franchises, '' Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'' and '' Mag ...

'' book ''

The Red Pyramid ''The Red Pyramid'' is a 2010 fantasy-adventure novel based on Egyptian mythology written by Rick Riordan. It is the first novel in ''The Kane Chronicles'' series. The novel was first published in the United States on May 4, 2010, by Hyperion ...

''. Two Serpopards were sent by Set to attack Philip of Macedonia, Sadie Kane, Carter Kane, and Khufu. They were defeated by Bast. * A serpopard has appeared in the card game '' Magic: The Gathering'' in the Egyptian-themed world of Amonkhet. Its creature type is "cat snake" and it has outright serpentine traits not seen in ancient depictions. * A serpopard attacks Malik and Karina in the necropolis beneath Ksar Alahari in '' A Song of Wraiths and Ruin'' by

Roseanne A. Brown Roseanne A. Brown (born August 26, 1995) is a Ghanaian American writer of fantasy, science fiction and young adult fiction. She is best known for her debut novel '' A Song of Wraiths and Ruin'', which became a New York Times best seller, and its ...

References

*O’Connor, David 2002. Context, function and program: understanding ceremonial slate palettes. ''Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt'' 39: 5–25.

External links

good images of Narmer Palette
by Francesco Rafaele {{Ancient Egyptian religion footer Egyptian legendary creatures Ancient Egyptian palettes Mythological hybrids Legendary serpents

Images

Interpretations

In popular culture

See also

References

External links