Leopard skin (clothing in Ancient Egypt)
Ritual garment in Ancient Egypt / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The leopard skin was a ritual garment in Ancient Egypt. It has been documented with certainty since the Early Dynastic period (around 3000 BC). The mythological roots go back to the pre-dynastic period. In these times, the goddess Mafdet still served as the sky goddess,[2] and her cosmic functions were taken over by the sky goddess Nut in the course of ancient Egyptian history. The Ancient Egyptians therefore used the term "leopard skin" in connection with the divine panther.
Leopard skin in hieroglyphs | ||||||
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Netjeret Nṯrt fur apron of the Cheetah [1] | ||||||
Ba-Abi / Ba-Aba B3-3bj / B3-3b3 Soul of the (female) leopard | ||||||
During his lifetime, the leopard skin identified the king or his designated successor as a divinely legitimized ruler. In the mortuary cult, the leopard skin is mentioned in the pyramid texts as a special symbol of protection and rule for the deceased king in connection with his ascension to heaven after the opening of the mouth ceremony. After successfully ascending to heaven, the sun god Ra accepts him into the divine society. The leopard skin is the king's symbol of power, with which he undertakes his daily journey through the celestial waters alongside the sun god. The leopard skin is therefore one of the symbols that make his immortality visible.