Saturday, September 17, 2011

Gothic symbols: ankh cross

The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art, often at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife & is very used with the person in a gothic subculture.

This symbol is one of the most known symbols of ancient Egypt and it is often used as the graphic synonym for this ancient culture. Due to this context, as well as due to the fact that many pictures of Egyptian gods and goddesses contained the symbol ankh in their hands, this symbol was adopted as a symbol of modern religion called Kemetism (although different Gnostic sects have been using this symbol since before Coptic times, and it is still in use by them today), which is reconstructing the ancient Egyptian religion at the present. Many neo-pagan, New Age, and pagan sects wear the ankh as a symbol of power and wisdom or to show that they honor the Egyptian pantheon. It is commonly seen in jewelry such as rings and necklaces and despite its earlier uses it is cast in silver (versus the gold or copper the ancients used).
The Ankh is a frequently recurring element in the video game series Ultima, where it represents power and virtue, often being the subject of worship by the game's NPCs.
Also in the MMORPG game World of Warcraft, it is used for characters known as shamans, as a reagent for a spell called reincarnation.
A stylized ankh is also the symbol of the gothic metal band Theatres des Vampires.

4 comments:

  1. I simply adore Ankhs! However I can't find a single one >.<"

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  2. Ankhs symbol is really a trademark for gothic fashion. There are a lot of Ankhs that can be bought here in our country.

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  3. This is cool! I also think Ankhs is a good design for a tattoo, what do you think?

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