The Ankh

[Syngin]

The Ankh is a symbol of eternal life that has bore the sands of time but whose origins are still shrouded in mystery. The first known ankh designs are thought to be of Khemetic origin. Though most people think of this as ancient Egypt it covers a vast area from an archeological stand point including areas of Samaria and reaching far deep into the African continent. It seemed to rise as a symbol of "the life of the immortal" and has only been found in the possession of Pharaohs and deities appearing during the rise of the Old Kingdom of the 8th Dynasty aprox. (1500 BC). Later of course its use became more widespread among the priest hood and the more common people.

Its various names and shapes make it difficult to trace all origins of the ankh because there are other symbols that look like an ankh but are different. The astrological female symbol for example, which is a perfect circle with a "+" cross beneath it. In the simplest terms, the ankh is the Egyptian symbol for Life. But to simply define it that way leaves it to be just as vague as the word "life" itself. Many have defined it as either the essence of life, or as broadly as eternal life, or immortality. Many paintings in Egyptian tombs depict their gods and goddesses holding ankhs. For the gods, it would seem to represent their immortality. Ankhs were also inscribed on many Egyptian sarcophagi, especially among the pharaohs. For the Egyptians, who were obsessed with the afterlife, they may have considered it a physical key to the underworld. In ancient Egypt the immortal dead were known as ankhu and the sarcophagus was the neb-ankh, meaning possessor of life. In various tombs and temples relief’s the ankh was placed in the front of the pharaoh’s face to represent the breath of life or vital life force. During the 11th and 12th Dynasty's of the Middle Kingdom the Anhk became a popular talisman and several artifacts, mirror cases, have been found with the symbol engraved on them. The thought behind this is that life is a mirror of death.

The design of an ankh is that of a tau cross (from the Greek letter "T" it resembles) with a loop at the top. Traditionally that loop is egg-shaped, but often in modern artwork the ankh's loop is styled into a circle. One theory to connect this hieroglyph to life is from the symbolic representation of a sandal's thong with a loop going around the ankle. In ancient Egyptian, sandal thong and life had the same pronunciation (homophony). Deciding on a hieroglyph for sandal thong was relatively easy; they simply drew what they saw. But deciding on something for the less tangible life was a challenge. So they used the hieroglyph that had the same sound. This occurs frequently in non-phonetic languages and is known as the Rebus Principle. (The English word ankle is derived from Indo-European ank.) Another theory goes that the Ankh symbol is a sketch of the womb, in addition to being a sketch of the sexual union of male and female genitalia.

One thing is sure; it has become a sacred symbol and is common throughout the world. Alchemist texts often depict a staff with an ankh at the top. I have seen caduceus drawings, the serpent entwined wings of medicine and health, where the ankh bears the wings itself. It has been adopted by the Coptic Christians as the symbol of their faith and also used by The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the Adeptus Minor Grade.

A variation of the original design has come to unite and represent the Vampyre community it represents those who uphold and live by the Black Veil. This variation is known as The Legacy Ankh. It was originally designed to represent the sanguinary community and common sense vampyric principles so that they wouldn't be forgotten or lost. These principles included the Sanguine Coven (we are all of the same Family, of the same soul's blood), Blood (the symbol of vital energy), Glamour (use aesthetics to seduce and enhance, through art & poetry), Worship Life over Death, Dragon (our primal self and the magickal fire of creation), Mystery & Secrecy (mystery seduces thus protects, secrets bind), Xeper (becoming & evolution), Immortality (survival is the highest law), Chivalry (be civil and respect others of the blood through etiquette and tradition that is lost to the mundane), Responsibility (remain within the mundane law do not include minors), Foundation (materialistic, rational & skeptic foundation before spirituality) and The Magickal Being (see beyond the mundane dream and sensory reality).

The wearing of the ankh itself by the community seems to have originally been inspired by the 1982 movie "The Hunger". Father Sebastian noticed this and in 1996-97 employed the talents of D'Drennan to design what is now known as the Legacy ankh. The bladed ankh design that was first seen in the movie has of course become increasingly popular. Its popularity has increased in modern gothic circles thanks to Neil Gaiman's depiction of Death of the Endless in his tales of the Sandman. Also the very popular story-telling role-playing game system Vampire: The Masquerade by White Wolf has given it new life as well.

Syngin©2006
References TheLegacyAnkh web page
Circles of Power John M. Greer,
History of the World by Roberts
Mystical Symbols John M. Greer

[deacongray]

once again I find myself wishing I was this good...

Can I use this on the GYP?

D

[Syngin]

Thanks yes you may but let me make a couple of revisions to it before you do. The end is a bit lame and I need to make it clear that Vampire the Masquarade actually predates the Sanguinarium and I might add a couple of other things to it. Thank you Archere and MAdame X for the suggestions.

[zhiva]

Thanks for this! I was just watching the Hunger again and was curious as to whether or not the use of those specifically designed Ankh necklaces had a background.

[The Madame X]

[Darkness]