Buried Mythology Brought Back to Life

January 30, 2015

RETELLING OF AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN INSECT GOD| THE SCARAB BEETLE

Here you sit staring at your computer or phone. You’re possibly bored scrolling through Facebook or busy checking email when you decide to spare a moment to read this very blog. Little did you realize that by doing so, you could be mentally transported to another place and time, unlocking information from the past you never knew existed.

Worlds of mysteries lie buried beneath the surface just waiting to be discovered. They are found in museums, written on ancient scrolls and tablets, researched and documented in old books, retold in literature, depicted on art, carved into walls and adorned on various jewelry.

Still, there are many mysteries yet to be revealed, hidden somewhere from our view. Some have described that myths are reborn in our dreams to be forgotten by the light of day.

In the past, we’ve featured different mythological stories that have inspired Colleen Houck in her Tiger’s Curse Saga. We’ve featured dragons, vampires, zombies, the Lady of the Lake, Lady Silkworm, the Kappa, tree nymphs and sirens to name a few.

More recently, Colleen has embarked on a new adventure writing her Egyptian novel to be released in the fall of 2015. If you haven’t seen the cover, check it out!!!

In her new book, Houck has unlocked a world of mystery, creating an epic tale rooted in Egyptian mythology. Her story involves mummies, spells, danger, romance, adventure, and much much more!

I’m geeking out over this book because it’s um.. ridonculously AWESOME (yes I am singing the word AWESOME)!!! You can preorder it on amazon right now (just sayin…. I mean, I can’t WAIT to get my very own hard copy in my hands!).

I’d like to feature a little of the mythology that has stirred her imagination, and found its way on the pages of her newest work soon to be revealed!

Today’s mythological find is

THE ANCIENT EGYPT INSECT GOD,

THE SCARAB

Symbolism and Meaning

The Scarab is considered one of the most important religious Egyptian Symbols in the mythology of ancient Egypt and is found in both their history and religious beliefs. But, you might be asking yourself why?

Why did the ancient Egyptians worship a large beetle that rolls a ball of dung, lays its eggs inside it, and then pushes the ball along the ground? Well. . .

According to Wikipedia, the word “scarab” is the ancient Greek interpretation of the word beetle. Several sources have explained that the Scarab beetle is a symbol of the sun. The ancient Egyptians saw a likeness between the scarab beetle rolling the dung and the sun god rolling the sun, making it shine on Earth.

In ancient Egyptian religion the scarab was also a symbol of immortality, resurrection, transformation and protection much used in funerary art.

The life of the scarab beetle revolved around the dung balls that the beetles consumed, laid their eggs in, and fed to their young. They represented a cycle of rebirth. When the eggs hatched from what seemed like out of nowhere, it was considered a miracle and quickly became a symbol of spontaneous creation, resurrection, and transformation.

The Scarab Symbol and Uses

Egyptians drew scarab symbols everywhere. They were found on tomb walls, mummy tombs, art, spells, the Book of the Dead, on images of deities and sacred animals, amulets, and they used them for decorations. Most commonly, they made scarab amulets out of gold or precious gems and stones, or simply out of painted clay. They were often worn as jewelry.

A scarab amulet provided the wearer with protection and confidence in the certain knowledge of reincarnation. Khepri was the scarab headed god who represented the power of the scarab symbol.

A scarab amulet could also have spells inscribed that would curse the wearer.

A heart scarab was an amulet typically buried with a mummy. It was placed over the mummy’s heart with a magic protective spell inscribed on the back of it. It was believed that when a person died, they must have their heart weighed in judgement in the afterlife. The spell inscribed tells the person’s heart, “do not stand as a witness against me.”

A winged scarab was designed to provide a safe journey into the Afterworld of the gods.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the luxury of traveling to Egypt or touring the great Egyptian museums but if you’re like me, you’ve only seen these amazing things in books and pictures. I’ve found some amazing pictures taken from the Cairo Museum, Manhattan Museum and the Vatican Museum as well as a few other places around the world (be sure to look for the symbol of the sacred scarab in the different images).

Golden throne of Tutankhamun

I hope you enjoyed learning a little of the sacred meanings of the scarab in ancient Egypt and were able to find yourself, even if just for a moment, in another world altogether.

Get ready to embark on another adventure each month as we step further into the mysteries of ancient Egypt and mythology that inspired her new book!

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

PS. If there’s a specific mythological story, character, or symbol you’d love to learn more about, leave a comment and I’ll do what I can to feature YOUR pick in a future blog!

This entry was posted in Articles, Mythology, Reawakened.

Colleen Houck

Colleen's blog

Buried Mythology Brought Back to Life

January 30, 2015

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