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Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre–Publication 1/12 Last Revision: 15 May 2009 Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre–Publication 1/12 Last Revision: 15 May 2009 Iconography of Animals in the Rep- relationship to →Horus, respectively Re resentation of the Divine (Pales- (see § II.2.A.29). The same applies to uraei tine/Israel) which →falcon–headed god Horus is hold- ing (32–33). The association of →Maat I. Introduction. This article is based (45) as a secondary element with the ram– on a comprehensive inventory of ca. 6’500 sphinx reminds of the close connection with representations with animals attested in →Amun(–Re) (see pBerlin 3055: ASSMANN Palestine/Israel from the Middle Bronze 1999: 277–281). Similarly, Amun as ram– Age to the Persian period (EGGLER in print). sphinx is repeatedly associated with a squat- Its main emphasis lies on the one hand on a ting falcon–headed figure (41) which preliminary classification of different types evokes the particular relationship between of the iconem “deity and associated ani- Amun and Re (see also § II.2.A.2). Of com- mal,” and on the other hand on systemati- parable function are flanking cats next to a cally recording deities related to this con- →Hathor fetish (→Bastet/Sekhmet [Le- structional iconem. The catalogued sources vant, Phoenician colonies] 76), which do not represent a complete account; rather, portrays the close association between they provide an overview of main types. A →Bastet and Hathor (OTTO 1975: 629). The detailed evaluation of all available data is pose of the falcon toward a →scarab on 40 beyond the scope of this lexicon entry. indicates protection, but falcon–headed However, the results in this preliminary Horus in kneeling pose behind the falcon study furnish a sketch of the main insights a also demonstrates veneration, suggesting comprehensive study would yield. alternating subordination. The →bull on 70 II.1. Phenotypes is in a subordinate role in a scene of inter- 1. SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIPS 1.1. Hypotactic acting character; it represents the good constructions (31–34, 37, 40–41, 45, 47, 54, 57, which the →storm god is about to rescue. 70, 89, →Astarte 9, →Bastet/Sekhmet [Levant, Phoenician colonies] 76) 1.2. Attributive relation- On a stamp seal from Jordan (89), a tree ships/qualifications (17–18, 31, 34, 37, 51, 71, 75– with a →caprid standing on its hind legs is 76, 79–81, 84, 90, 95, →Gula 26, →Hare 2, being venerated by a winged bull–man. The →Monkey 61, →Ptah 6–9, 11, 60–61, 69, 75, caprid is clearly in a subordinate relation- →Scorpion 31, →Swine 65) 1.3. Overcoming or controlling an animal (21, 38, 56, 67–68, 72–73, ship to the winged bull–man and in an at- 78, 87–88, 91–94, →Baal 5, 8, 16, 46–47, tributive role (see particularly the next para- →Heracles 1–3) 1.4. Deities with a pedestal animal graph) in regard to the tree, suggesting its (20, 42, 51, 55, 76, 77, 82, 85–86, →Qudshu 4, life–giving properties. 8, →Resheph 5, 15) 2. PARATACTIC CONSTRUC- TIONS (15, 23–26, 28–29, 35–36, 52–53, 58–59, 1.2. Attributive relationships/ 83, →Bastet/Sekhmet [Levant, Phoenician qualifications. The →dog held by colonies] 23, 25, →Crocodile 36, →Harpo- →Gula with a leash (→Gula 26*) has an crates 72, →Swine 66) 3. THERIOMORPHIC DEITIES attributive role, probably indicating the (27, 60–61, 74, →Baal 43–45, →Bastet/Sekhmet [Levant, Phoenician colonies] 58–75, →Dog goddess’s healing virtue (→Dog § II.2.1.1). 14–15, →Monkey 1, 25, 35, 41) 4. HYBRID DEPIC- The correlation between the →storm god TIONS OF DEITIES (6, 39, 59, →Swine 65) 5. HIERO- and the →bull on 71 is identical. The owl, GLYPHIC WRITING (2, 6–11, 13–14, 19, 30, 46, 48– the attribute animal of Athena, is frequently 49, →Monkey 9, 31–33, →Scorpion 13) 6. NARRATION (37, 43) depicted on the reverse side of coins (17), 1. SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIPS. probably referring to the insight of the god- Most often a hierarchical gradient exists dess of wisdom. Although difficult to prove, when a deity and an animal are associated a possible emphasis on Athena’s martial with each other. Several types may be dis- character may be intended when the reverse tinguished. of a coin depicting Athena’s head shows a 1.1. Hypotactic constructions. The →lion savaging a deer (18; see also DE- vulture as manifestation of Nekhbet on MARGNE 1984: no. 78). The dog and →Astarte 9* is exemplary of this kind of →swine suckled by →Lamashtu underline syntax. It stands in size as well as in spatial her evil and demonic character (→Swine position in regard to the whole scene in 65*). →Ba–birds associated with →Ptah subordinate relationship to the related god- (→Ptah 6–9, 11, 60, 69, 75) are proba- dess. Outward–looking →uraei flanking a bly aspects of Re/→Osiris or deity (31, 34, 37, 54, 57) may simply be →Shu/→Tefnut assimilated to Ptah (KEEL regarded as hypotactic statement, but can 1989: 298). The animals at the feet of a also be indicative of a close relationship winged figure with birdlike heads (90) (see § II.2.A.33), or designate divine status possibly indicate the sphere, which the deity (see § II.1.1.2). In contrast, inward–looking controls. The horns of →Hathor worn by uraei flanking a →falcon (47) are less of a the leonine– or cat–headed goddess on protecting nature than indicative of a special →Ptah 61 indicate that she shares charac- teristics of Hathor. This may apply to IDD website: http://www.religionswissenschaft.unizh.ch/idd Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre–Publication 2/12 Last Revision: 15 May 2009 →Bastet (see § II.1.1.1) as well as to possibly also →Heracles: LEITH 1997: pl. →Sekhmet (STERNBERG 1984: 326). It has 6:WD42); →falcon–headed →Horus stab- been suggested (KEEL 1977: 94ff; SCHROER bing a →crocodile (38); →Seth killing a 1989: 187) that flanking →uraei may indi- lion as well as the Asiatic horned serpent cate the divine status of the protected item, (56); the Persian hero fighting a bull (67) for example the Hathor fetish (31) or or lion (68); the storm god attacking a lion →Horus (34, 37). →Resheph on his pedes- (72); and a bowman aiming at a serpent tal can be depicted with two striding lions (73). The hero attacking a →caprid with a behind him (51). Since no interaction is hand weapon (87) or bare hands (88) is indicated, the lions most likely enforce the indistinct. Stepping on the head of a lion is potency of the deity. The suckling bovine is attested by Late Bronze Age cylinder seals of attributive nature in a secondary scene (91–92), as is the overcoming of a lion in with the storm god and →nude goddess smiting pose (93). The strangling of a ser- (71), or a bovine and →hare in the sphere pent by a hero on a cult stand (94) is of the goddess (→Hare 2*). Of a descrip- unique. The typical constellation for dem- tive role are birds, which indicate the celes- onstrating the ability to control is that of the tial nature of the solar god on a tridacna →master–of–animals (for attested animals shell (75). →Scorpions flanking a nude see § II.2.B.1). Control rather than actual goddess emphasize the fertility–related combat is conveyed when Heracles holds a gesture of holding the breasts (→Scorpion lion by its hind legs (→Heracles 1*–3) or 31). The lion and →vulture as symbols of when a female figure touches the ears of war and terror (→Vulture § I) associated flanking lions (78). with the female (?) deity on a →scarab (76) 1.4. Deities with a pedestal ani- lend apotropaic force to the deity. The mal. A well–known constellation between →dove next to a female face combined with a deity and an animal is that of the pedestal a palm tree (79) suggest that the female animal which indicates the divine status of face represents a goddess. The lion and the figure it supports. Attested are the fol- bovine as symbols of aggressiveness and lowing: →Baal (20: →bull), →Isthar (42: fertility are descriptive of the nude god- →lion), →Qudshu (→Qudshu 4*: lion; dess’s character (80). →Caprids eating →Qudshu 8*: →horse), →Resheph (51, from a tree depicted on the thighs of a nude →Resheph 5, 15*: gazelle), →Seth (55: goddess underline her life–sustaining role horse), Seth–Baal (55: lion), probably a (81). →Serpents in connection with god- female deity (lion: 76), the →nude goddess desses (84) have been assigned to the se- (feline: 77; →caprid: 82), indistinct figures mantic field of liveliness, excitability, and (caprid; 85; gazelle: 86). vitality (KEEL 1992: 205–208), and the 2. PARATACTIC CONSTRUCTIONS. A appearance of a long–tailed →monkey in deity and an animal may occur in a coordi- the presence of the nude goddess native relationship with neither in a subor- (→Monkey 61*) has been interpreted as dinate role. Clearly this is the case when an conveying the notion of playfulness and archer is horizontally positioned above a eroticism. A scorpion in an introductory suckling cow, the latter representing →Anat scene (95) may be indicative of the request as patroness of warriors (15), thus establish- of the petitioner. ing a relationship between two different 1.3. Overcoming or controlling an entities on the basis of a common theme. animal. The iconem “deity and associated →Falcons as manifestations of the sun god animal” is frequently used to depict the all– Re flanking the infant sun god powerfulness of the represented deity by →Harpocrates (→Harpocrates 72) en- showing the deity overcoming or controlling hance the common solar topic.
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