Scarab beetle and the ancient Egyptian sun god. Meaning for Egyptians. Talismans, tattoos and Jewelry with the sacred beetle. Rules for selection and use...

From Masterweb

05.06.2018 00:00

Special objects endowed with magical powers - amulets - can protect a person from evil and damage or bring good luck. People have used them since ancient times. They say that the first amulets were the claws or teeth of animals killed in hunting. Over time, amulets became more varied and sophisticated. Precious stones and metals were used to make them. Many of them have survived to this day.

Ancient Egyptian sacred scarab

The highly developed ancient Egyptian civilization associated the scarab beetle with a god, symbolizing rising Sun. Sometimes he was depicted as a man with an insect for a face. But more often just like a bug.

Scarabs feed on cattle droppings. From it they make balls that can significantly exceed the size of the insect. They roll the finished dung circle into their burrows, using it for nutrition and breeding.

They also lay eggs in the balls. The emerging larvae can remain in such a cradle for several months. After which they go outside.

Everyone who has visited Egypt knows exactly what a scarab beetle looks like. The insect is also found in Russia, mainly in the steppe Crimea. The beetle can reach 4 cm in length. It has powerful legs, teeth and large eyes.

The Egyptians saw something symbolic in the work of the beetle. They drew a parallel with an insect rolling a ball and the solar disk making its way across the sky. The priestesses believed that all small animals were born in the mud of the Nile. The scarab beetle is the only one born in the sands.

The sun god, Khepri, like his prototype scarab, was created without conception, from the earth. This may be why the beetle was associated with resurrection. His figurine was placed in the body of the deceased during mummification.

Scarab beetle talismans were found throughout Ancient Egypt. They were made from marble, faience, basalt, clay and covered with multi-colored glaze. Sacred symbols were painted on the base or back of the figurine. Most often it was the eye of Horus. For the nobility, figurines were made from precious stones and covered with gold or silver.

The main meaning of the scarab beetle is the rising sun. It symbolized eternity and immortality. Forced to awaken only the best that is in a person. He personified the eternal youth of the soul and life after death.

Ancient amulets

The symbol of the scarab beetle was present on almost all objects surrounding the ancient Egyptians. They believed that the insect had enormous magical powers that could be transmitted to humans. It helps you overcome all life's difficulties and achieve success.

One of the main meanings of the scarab beetle is the origin of life. Therefore, women who could not get pregnant for a long time kept with them amulets depicting this insect all the time. Thanks to him, it was possible to bear a healthy baby.

Decorating the body with drawings was very popular in Ancient Egypt. Tattoos were especially popular among the nobility. People believed that images of a scarab beetle stuffed onto the skin would become a kind of pass to the afterlife and bestow the favor of the gods.

An ancient statue dedicated to the sun beetle has survived to this day and is located in Luxor, Egypt. She is capable of doing the most cherished wish. To implement it, you need to touch the statue with your hand. Then, go around it seven times in a circle, clockwise. During the walk, it is important to keep your desire in mind. It really must be difficult to implement. Scarab won't waste his time on nonsense.

Rules for using the amulet

IN modern world amulets are no less popular than in ancient times. Numerous tourists bring scarab beetle figurines from Egypt. What does it symbolize now and who should wear it? Anyone who needs help and protection.

IN horror stories You shouldn’t believe about cannibal scarabs. These are just the fantasies of Hollywood directors. You must treat your amulet bug with respect and love.

The functions that a talisman performs are different and depend on many factors. For example, the impact of a scarab tattoo on a person will be different from the impact of a home figurine with its image. The amulet can be made in the form of:

• jewelry;
• pendant;
• keychain;
• brooches;
• figurines;
• tattoos;
• engravings.

Some people use dead beetles as a talisman. They dry them in a special way and store them in boxes. Sometimes used for magical rituals. Dried bugs are ground into dust and consumed internally. Sorcerers believe that this allows them to gain incredible strength and get rid of diseases.

Pendant

Pendants with the image of the Egyptian scarab beetle are able to protect their owner from failure. It is best if such an amulet was received as a gift - this will enhance its properties. You can purchase the pendant yourself. In this case, when making a purchase, you do not need to take change from the seller.

The new pendant must be cleared of foreign energy and charged. This can be done using natural elements. The beetle was born in the earth, which means she must cleanse it. Of course, this does not mean that the pendant will have to get dirty in black soil.

Natural sea salt is suitable for cleansing. It is often used in magical rituals. Cover the new amulet with salt for several hours.

After the pendant is cleaned, it needs to be charged. This can be done with the help of the sun, which symbolizes the scarab. At sunrise, place the amulet on the balcony or windowsill so that the rays completely illuminate it. After a few hours, the amulet is ready.

The scarab pendant will be located near the heart. This means that it will help improve health and fill vital energy. In addition, the amulet will protect against heart failures and betrayals of friends. The scarab will help develop intuition, strengthen mental capacity. Will attract good luck and success.

Figurine for home

The scarab beetle talisman can be made in the form of a figurine. It is also engraved on a box, candlestick and other interior items. In this case, the purpose of the amulet is to protect the house.

The owner need not worry, the bug will cope with its task and protect from evil. A figurine or object depicting a scarab can be placed in the bedroom. In this case, the amulet will protect against diseases and protect the spouses from home-wreckers. Will help you conceive a long-awaited child.

The scarab, which is in the living room, will protect from enemies and envious people. Takes care of the good reputation of its owners. It will also attract useful people.

The amulet will work to attract wealth if you choose a place for it in the kitchen. In such a house no one will know what need is. All household members will have money.

If a student or schoolchild lives in the house, it is recommended to place the figurine in his room. The beetle will help you with your studies. It will reveal previously unnoticed talents in the child.

Scarab tattoo

One type of talisman is a scarab tattoo. In ancient times, such images were allowed only to priests and high nobility. Today anyone can do this.

As a tattoo, the scarab beetle is more suitable for women, as it allows you to enhance their sexuality. In addition, such an amulet has other qualities:

• increases self-confidence;
• allows a woman to remain young and attractive longer;
• relieves infertility;
• protects from envious people;
• increases vitality;
• gets rid of rivals.

The best place for a scarab talisman tattoo is the back, arm, neck or behind the ear. The brighter the image, the stronger the amulet will be. You can complement the image of a beetle with various magical symbols.

Gentle individuals should refrain from such a tattoo. The talisman requires confidence and firmness from a person, and in some cases toughness. The soul of an indecisive and soft person will resist this, which will lead to internal conflict.

Keychain

The image of a scarab beetle can also be found on keychains. This amulet is suitable for those people who want to protect their home or car from intruders. It’s not for nothing that beetles were depicted on the walls of tombs. The insect not only helped the soul of the deceased in the afterlife, it protected the tomb from invasion by robbers.

A scarab on your keychain will protect your car from accidents and damage. And the house from a fire or a neighbor's flood. In addition, he will make sure that there is always peace and quiet at home.

Jewelry

Gemstone jewelry can also act as a powerful amulet. When choosing a scarab beetle decoration, you should give preference to those figurines that are made of gold. Since it is this metal, like the insect itself, that symbolizes the sun. It is better to avoid buying jewelry in white gold.

If the beetle's body is covered with enamel, it should be green or blue. The scarab can be decorated with precious stones such as diamond, emerald, amber or ruby. The talisman will not only bring prosperity, success, longevity and happiness to the owner, it will protect him from the evil eye and damage.

What does the Christian Church think?

Wearing talismans Christian church considers it a manifestation of magic. Only pagans believe in amulets. They, unlike Christians, are convinced that certain objects will help them find happiness and success in life. Such people live contrary to the will of God.

Participation in magical practices and wearing such attributes is strictly prohibited in the Bible. Orthodox Christians wear a cross on their body. And in their homes they can surround themselves with icons.

A Christian can also decorate himself with jewelry or costume jewelry. It could even be an image of a scarab beetle. But provided that a person treats such a thing only as a decoration and does not attach any sacred meaning to it.

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The sacred scarab (lat. Scarabaeus sacer) is a beetle of the Lamellar beetle family (lat. Scarabaeidae), common in North and East Africa, as well as in southern Europe and South-West Asia.

Because of their habit of rolling dung into balls and rolling them towards their homes, scarabs have been associated since time immemorial with the forces that move the Sun across the sky.

In Ancient Egypt, they became sacred insects, which were considered the incarnation of the god Khepri, responsible for the movement of the Sun. Khepri was depicted as a beetle or a man with the head of a beetle and personified new life and resurrection from the dead.

The Egyptians produced huge quantities of amulets depicting scarabs. They were made from clay, faience, stone, ivory and metal. The image of the scarab was on the seals used to seal documents and seal doors.

It was customary to give way to him, and the deliberate murder of a sacred insect was considered as an encroachment on the foundations of the universe and could cost the villain his life.

Behavior

The sacred scarab lives mainly in hot semi-deserts with dry sandy soils, avoiding saline areas. Adult beetles emerge en masse in early spring, emerging from the ground.

They fly well, so they gather in friendly flocks and roam noisily around the surrounding area following migrating herds of ungulates. They pick up the smell of manure from a distance of several kilometers and unmistakably flock to the feast.

Each beetle tries to quickly grab a larger tasty morsel and hide it in a shelter away from its eternally hungry relatives. To deliver a treat to a secluded place, it uses its long hind legs to form an impressive ball of dung and begins to quickly push it.

Scarabs are unusually strong and easily roll balls several dozen times their own weight. Typically, a dung ball has a diameter of up to 8 cm.

A tunnel dug underground serves as a reliable refuge for a tireless worker. The length of the tunnel can reach one meter. Having reached home, the beetle buries itself in the ground along with its prey and feeds on it for several days.

Some individuals specialize only in the feces of a certain type of animal, and categorically disdain the products of others. Elephant dung is considered a special delicacy among them.

Curious biologists, after painstaking practical research, discovered that in one standard elephant heap weighing about 100 kg, on average, almost 16,000 scarabs enjoy life. Each of them can bury a portion of manure into the ground overnight, the weight of which is 250 times greater than its own weight.

Reproduction

The first romantic date of beetles in love takes place, naturally, on a dung heap. The gallant gentleman presents the chosen one of his heart with a large, especially carefully rolled dung ball. If the beauty’s heart trembles at the sight of such a yummy, then she joins the male, and together they begin to roll the ball towards the male’s refuge.

From time to time, she, overwhelmed with surging feelings, climbs onto the ball, giving her admirer the honorable right to work for two. Having reached the dwelling, the young wife, as the hostess, is the first to enter the tunnel previously dug by her husband and begins to dig side chambers in it.

At this time, the happy male tirelessly rolls home more and more portions of crap. The female transforms the delivered balls into peculiar “pears”. She lays one egg at a time in the narrow part of the “pear” and carefully places them in the nests. Each nest can contain up to 5 eggs.

The female carefully seals the openings of the tubules in which the eggs are located with her feces. Her restless husband, using the motto: “If you’ve done the job, go for a walk!”, goes in search of his next passion.

A caring mother stands alone for 2 months near the clutch, removing larval feces and cleaning the burrow from mold.

During this time, the larvae undergo three stages of development. When food supplies run out, they wisely pupate.

The following spring or after heavy autumn rains, adult beetles emerge from the pupae. The first thing they do is eat the remains of their “pears” and, having had a good meal, crawl to the surface and begin an independent life.

Description

Adult body length sacred scarab reaches 2.6-3.7 cm. The body is protected by a thick shell with longitudinal grooves.

The color is dark, with a greenish or black metallic tint. The head is flat and resembles a shovel. Powerful mandibles have turned into tiny shovels, allowing them to dig deep tunnels underground.

Short antennas are branched into several plates. The wide tibiae of the first pair of front legs are equipped with large teeth and are used for digging the ground. The strong and long third pair of limbs is adapted to hold and roll a dung ball.

Long transparent wings are hidden under the shell of the elytra. The elytra are rigid and cover the second pair of wings.

In the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the scarab beetle, rolling a dung ball along the ground with its hind legs, was the personification of the supernatural viviparous forces of nature. The Egyptians believed that the stubborn and purposeful beetle arises on its own and is therefore similar to deities, such as the ancient solar god Khepri and other gods, the creators of man, the world and the Universe, who arose on their own. The Egyptians considered the ball created from dung to be a symbol eternal life, since he was like the sun, and the hard-working beetle allegedly repeated the heavenly path of the sun on earth and at the same time he, like the sun, emitted light and heat. It is no coincidence that the god Khepri was often depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.

In Egyptian it was called khepru, which meant “to live, to exist,” in Greek it was called scarab, which simply meant beetle. According to legend, the god Osiris reigned over Egypt, he taught people agriculture, gardening and winemaking, but was killed by his brother, the god Set, who was jealous of his wealth and power. He chopped the dead man's body into pieces. According to some sources, into 13 parts, according to others - into 42 and transported them to the provinces of Egypt, and threw the head into the Nile. The head sailed to Abydos, a town located on the western bank of the river, where the head was buried. Since then, Abydos has become the burial place of the first Egyptian rulers. The scarab that appeared from the head of Osiris announced that Osiris had risen from the dead, moved to the heavenly world, and a new stage of his existence had begun.

Having endowed the scarab with all conceivable divine powers and virtues, the Egyptians gradually turned it into the most secret and desired talisman, which should accompany a person during life and go with him to the kingdom of the dead, where he would not part with him. In the kingdom of the dead, the scarab already personified the power of a never-dying heart, which helped a person get rid of the shortcomings he had during life and be reborn again. With the help of the scarab talisman, a person became able to overcome all obstacles encountered on his way, he was renewed and could return to the world of the living, then the person died again and was resurrected renewed, and so on endlessly. Therefore, a figurine of a scarab made of precious stones was placed inside the mummy in place of the removed heart.

The scarab and the legend of its divine origin were so popular in Ancient Egypt that images of the dung beetle were found on the walls of many dwellings, were present in all funeral complexes, and monuments were created to it. Carvers made his figurines from precious stones, decorated them with gold patterns, and thus sacred talismans and amulets appeared.

Sometimes you can see a scarab with its wings spread. Such beetles meant that they had completed their mission on earth and were ready to go to heaven, to the sources that gave birth to them. There are also stone figurines of scarabs holding a ball in their paws - a symbol of the fiery sun. A beetle with a ball in its paws means the birth of a new life, which promises to give impetus to human renewal.

Thus, an inconspicuous insect, the scarab beetle, in Ancient Egypt gradually acquired the features of a god who accompanied a person during life and after death, becoming an eternal symbol of the soul living outside of time and space.

Sacred Scarab September 30th, 2013

Probably the most famous of the scarabs is the sacred scarab (Scarabaeus sacer), a beetle deified by the ancient Egyptians. In the balls that the beetles roll, they saw the image of the sun with its daily movement across the sky, and in the teeth on the head and paws of the beetle - a similarity sun rays. Tombs were decorated with images of the sacred scarab, it was painted on papyri, and imprinted in stone. The beetle was honored and considered a symbol of happiness.

In the Karnak temple complex near the city of Luxor (the territory of ancient Thebes), a column crowned with a stone scarab has been preserved. According to legend, whoever walks around the column seven times and touches the beetle can make a wish - it will come true. And an endless round dance of tourists who came to look at the Karnak temples walks around the beetle. Whether their wishes come true is unknown, but the owners of numerous surrounding shops have something to thank the sacred scarab for.

Ancient legends also served science well - to a certain extent, because of them, the famous entomologist of the last century, Jean-Henri Fabre, became interested in the scarab and revealed many of its secrets. Thanks to the observations of this scientist, we have learned many interesting facts and from the life of relatives of the sacred beetle - Spanish copra, Isis copra, lunar copra and some others. It was Fabre who discovered that most of the balls that scarabs roll are their food supplies. Beetles, both males and females, not only make the balls themselves, but also steal and take them from each other. Having obtained the ball in one way or another, the beetle tries to roll it away, bury it in the ground and there, in comfort and tranquility, indulge in a meal. The scarab is very voracious, and soon it has to climb to the surface for new prey.

When the time comes to lay eggs, the females of the sacred scarab make special balls, usually from more delicate sheep dung, and one by one (beetles of a number of other species perform their parental duties together) bury them in the ground. Then an egg is laid in the ball, and this is where the female’s care for the offspring ends. When the food supply comes to an end, the larva in the ball pupates, and after about a month, an adult beetle emerges from the pupa.

Much more interesting are the family relationships of many other types of scarabs. For example, in the Spanish copra, the moon copra (C. lunaris), the males of which wear a slightly curved horn on their heads, and some other copra, or caloeaters, the male and female work side by side, digging out a fairly large gallery under a suitable pile of dung, ending in a widening camera. Beetles drag it there a large number of manure and form it into a special “pie” of an elongated or spherical shape. In such a “pie,” specific processes of anaerobic fermentation occur, as a result of which future food for the larvae becomes more homogeneous and easily digestible.

And only when the “pie” is ready, the female begins to mold nutritious balls from it for future offspring. And then she continues to take care of the larvae - if the ball begins to crack and threatens to dry out, the female seals the cracks, if mold appears on it, she cleans it off. And this happens until the young beetles emerge from their cradles or until the mother dies. The latter happens more often - most scarabs reproduce once in a lifetime and do not live to see the offspring emerge from the pupae.

The parental care of Australian scarabs from the genus Cephalodesmius is also complex and surprising. Adult beetles appear on the surface at the end of summer and immediately dig feeding holes for themselves, into which they steal food supplies. In autumn, a meeting between a male and a female occurs. And although the breeding season is still far away, they no longer separate, but start a common burrow, where they store food for the winter. The time of reproduction comes in the spring. Now both parents are constantly scurrying back and forth, bringing a huge amount of a wide variety of food into the hole - unlike most scarabs, representatives of this genus feed mainly on plant material.

Among their reserves you can find rotten leaves, small flowers, small fruits, seeds, and animal droppings. As supplies accumulate, food acquisition becomes mainly the concern of the male, and the female begins to “process” the delivered provisions. She adds her own litter and the male's litter to the total mass and begins to form balls from all this, in which a specific fermentation process takes place. When the nutrient mass “ripens”, the female makes peculiar cups out of it, lays eggs in them and closes them with lids - so that the result is again balls.

From this time on, the female Cephalodesmis never leaves the nest - all her strength goes into caring for her future children. As soon as the larva hatches in the cradle and begins to feed on the contents of its ball, the mother’s worries increase. She adds new portions of food to the ball, which the male continues to supply her with.

While the larva is small, the mother adds only fermented mass to its ball, but then switches to food that is not fully “ripe” and even fresh, just brought by the male. At this time, the developing larva begins to make sounds in its ball that arise due to the friction of small tubercles on the inner surface of the last abdominal segment and special ridges on the head. The function of these sound signals is unknown, but scientists suggest that in this way the larva can communicate to the mother about its condition and need for food. Adult cephalodesmis do not make any sounds.

When the development of the larva is completed and it is ready to pupate, the mother plasters the surface of the ball with a special mixture of her droppings, the droppings of the male and the larvae (the latter is released from the ball through the walls). After the mixture dries, the ball becomes especially durable and strong. Having “sealed” one cradle, the female continues to care for the others, but by the time the young beetles are born, the parents have already died.

However, Australian dung beetles are striking not only because of their amazing family relationships. For example, in Australia there lives the only representative of the subfamily that is unable to fly. This beetle was discovered completely by accident, and not in nature, but in museum collections. In 1972, Australian researcher Eric Matthews, working at the Paris Museum, noticed an unusual specimen labeled “Queensland, from the collection of Henry Bates.”

How did the Australian beetle get to one of the greatest naturalists of the last century, who worked mainly in the Amazon and had never been to Australia? It turned out that Bates bought this specimen from the collector Francis Du Boulay, who actually visited Queensland, in an area located about 150 km from the place where the wingless beetles are now discovered.

Their winglessness was also discovered by accident - when an incomprehensible specimen from an old collection was softened and the convex elytra of the beetle were lifted. More precisely, it has wings, but they are small, unable to ensure the flight of a heavy insect.

The newly discovered beetle received the Latin name Onthophagus apterus, which reflected its “winglessness.” However, the specimen from the Bates collection continued to be the only one known to scientists.

Living beetles were found only 24 years later - in 1996, when several insects of this species fell into entomological traps set by scientists in western Queensland. It turned out that wingless dung beetles live in small mountains, in the resting places of wallabies, and feed on the droppings of these marsupials. Later, another colony was discovered in another area, also in wallaby resting areas.

This commitment of beetles to one place, abundant with food for many centuries, may, according to scientists, explain their inability to fly. However, this is only an assumption - after all, in this case, the population of dung beetles turns out to be very vulnerable. As soon as changes occur in the landscape, the wallabies will change their resting place - and then the beetles will disappear...

It is interesting that although about 400 species of dung beetles are found in Australia, they are all quite specialized and adapted to the peculiar conditions of the “fifth continent”. And when, following the European settlers, herds of sheep and cows appeared here, it turned out that there was no one to process their droppings! In the 60s century, the problem assumed alarming proportions - huge areas were covered with drying and dried manure.

As a result, it was necessary to bring and acclimatize African dung beetles here, which adapted to cope well with the rich “harvest” left by herds of ungulates. After numerous experiments, representatives of the species Onthophagus gazella were appointed to the position of “vacuum cleaners”, which, by the way, were already used in this position in Texas and California. These beetles are very hardworking and calm towards each other - from 10 to 50 pairs can simultaneously “work” on one cake of manure without entering into conflicts.

This species is probably the most productive among dung beetles. The larva in the ball develops within 2.5 weeks, and the pupa – 2 weeks. Puberty occurs in beetles within 4–5 days after leaving the nesting hole. Each female makes from 10 to 12 balls and lays an egg there, and the male helps her create food reserves for future children...

The dung beetles include three subfamilies of beetles of the lamellar beetles family (Scarabaeidae)1; aphodia (Afodiinae, about 2500 species); true dung beetles, or geotrupes, (Geotrupinae, about 900 species), and scarabs (Scarabaeinae, about 4500 species).

Ecologically, all three subfamilies are very similar - their representatives process the organic matter of the droppings and transfer it to the soil, where further decomposition is carried out by various microorganisms.

Dung beetles, and scarabs in particular, - excellent flyers. They usually get to a food source by air, and their well-developed sense of smell tells them where to fly.

Although scarabs, as already mentioned, do not like dryness and therefore usually avoid deserts, among them there are a number of species that have nevertheless adapted to live in regions with arid climates. To survive, they developed peculiar forms of behavior. For example, in the dry steppes and deserts of Turkmenistan, the very large (up to 5 cm) dung beetle tmol (Synapsis tmolus) and the smaller (up to 3 cm) Spanish copra (Copris hispanus) retain food moisture by first quickly burying their food right in place, and then transferring it to deeper burrows in which the air remains moist.

The Australian beetle Coproecus hemiphaericus buries dry excrement very deep, about aquifers, and there they become damp and soften to the desired condition. Many species of scarabs found in deserts North America and in mountain deserts, they often do not leave rodent burrows at all, where there is food and a favorable microclimate for them.

But some Australian dung beetles, which feed on marsupial droppings, act differently. There is not much moisture in the excrement of desert mammals, and when they fall on dry soil, they instantly turn into hard pebbles. In order to prevent the food from drying out, the beetles grab the fur near the animal’s anus with their tenacious paws and thus travel, waiting for the desired prey. They then jump off and quickly drag their trophy underground.

Particularly interesting is the fact that in nature, the scarab is an African sewage plant. Herds of elephants living on the plains of Africa, eating 250 kg of food per day, most it is returned back to the earth, in the form of large dung heaps. Perhaps Africa would have been mired in a huge layer of manure if it had not been saved every day by thousands of scarab beetles living there. They contribute to the disposal of manure.

Scarab in ancient Egyptian - "khepri" . The name Khepri was borne by the ancient Egyptian god of the rising sun, the creator of the world and man, who was depicted in the form of a scarab or as a man with the head of a scarab. Why did the scarab beetle become a symbol and personification of the Egyptian solar deity?

Who is he - the sacred scarab?

Scarab beetles (lat. Scarabaeus sacer) are often found on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, in Southern and Eastern Europe, on the Arabian Peninsula, in Crimea, Turkey and, of course, in Egypt.

The scarab is a matte black insect with a round, smooth body 25–35 cm long. Old scarabs become shiny black. On the head of the beetle there is a frontal protrusion and eyes, divided into upper and lower parts. Each leg of the scarab has spurs with which it digs into the ground. Their gender differences are weakly expressed. The lower part of the body is covered with dark brown hairs. Scarabs live for about two years; they spend almost their entire lives underground, emerging to the surface at night. Scarabs overwinter, burrowing into the ground to a depth of 2 meters. The flight of beetles from the ground to the surface begins in March and lasts until mid-July.

The main feature of beetles is their feeding method. Scarabs are dung beetles and feed on the dung of cattle - cows, horses, sheep.

The ancient Egyptians noticed the unusual behavior of scarabs: as soon as a herd of horses or a herd of cows passed along the road, leaving behind heaps of manure, a whole swarm of black scarab beetles immediately flew there. Each of them begins to diligently make balls of dung, rolling them along the road, gradually turning them into an almost ideal sphere, often exceeding the size and weight of the scarab itself, and bury the dung ball in the ground, then use it as food and as a nutrient medium for offspring.

Pairs of scarabs are formed during the process of preparing dung balls. The “Sisyphean labor” of the male scarab attracts the female and they jointly look for a suitable place, dig a hole in the ground 15–30 cm deep. After mating, the male leaves, and the female begins to roll pear-shaped balls, lays eggs in this nutrient medium, and fills the hole with earth , pouring a “pyramid” on top.

After 1–2 weeks, the beetle larvae hatch. For a month, the offspring of the scarab eat the food that their parents have prepared for them, and then the larvae are reborn into pupae . In unfavorable weather, the pupae remain in the burrow for the winter. In spring, young beetles leave their burrows and come to the surface. The scarab appears underground to live on the ground and in the air - after all, these beetles fly perfectly!

This unique scarab beetle is widespread in Western Europe, North Africa And Central Asia, became ancient magical symbol, in religion is not only for the Egyptians. The scarab was “deified” by many African tribes and the ancient peoples of the Caucasus. However, it was in Ancient Egypt that the cult of the scarab acquired a truly epic scale.

Where do the ancient Egyptian myths about scarabs come from?

The scarab beetle in ancient Egypt became sacred symbol, approximately to the 3rd millennium BC.

A researcher of ancient petroglyphs in the Maharashtra region of India, scientist Bibhu Dev Misra, discovered a unique Scarab petroglyph created around 7000 BC. Mister Misra states that the ancient petroglyph predates the early dates of ancient Egyptian civilization by approximately for four thousand years.

goddess Hat-hor = “House-Mountain” - great mother -3400-2920. BC.

The sign of the Scarab represents Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, which is a classic winter constellation for the northern hemisphere. The goddess contacted Sirius Hat-hor (“house of Horus”, i.e. “sky”) , depicted as a cow with Sirius between its horns.

Bibhu Dev Misra writes in his article that the petroglyphs he found indicate a more ancient system of astrological ideas about the celestial sphere and attributes the emergence constellation symbols to the period around 10,000 BC. Perhaps our astrological knowledge is the legacy of a lost civilization that flourished during the Ice Age.

Mister Misra suggests that ancient petroglyphs may reflect “esoteric knowledge about the ancient civilizations of the “Golden Age” humanity, who perished during the cataclysms of the Younger Dryas era (10,900 BC - 9700 BC), when our planet was struck by numerous fragments of a giant comet.

Ancient petroglyphs recently discovered in Maharashtra likely indicate the existence of some extremely ancient forgotten culture, predating by thousands of years any traditional civilization known in history. whose symbolism is reflected in the sacred myths and scriptures of later cultures and civilizations throughout the world.

“Scarab” is a symbol of the movement of the sun, its creative and life-giving power.

While observing the scarabs, the Egyptians noticed interesting feature –the beetles always roll their balls from east to west, and fly only at noon. The attentive Egyptians saw in this connection between beetles and the sun. The sun travels its way from east to west and disappears behind the horizon, only to appear in the east again tomorrow.

According to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the sun was a deity who brought life to all living things and resurrection after death. The Egyptians correlated the development cycle of the scarab inside a ball of dung and its release to the surface of the earth in the spring with the movement of the sun.

The similarity struck the ancient Egyptians so much that they began to personify the rising sun with the god Khepri (Khepera, Khaper) , depicting him with a scarab instead of a head.

Personifying rising morning sun with the god Khepri (hpr - “emerged”, from hpr - “to arise, happen”), the Egyptians worshiped the god Ra (ancient Egyptian: ri-a; Copt.: Re (reɪ) or Rē) - the day sun and the god Atum ( Egyptian - tm) - to the evening, setting sun.

Khepri partially took over the functions of the god of the solar disk Aten. Khepri was identified with Atum, Pa(Ra-Khepri) , Amon(Amun-Khepri).

Atum-Khepri in the Pyramid Texts is named the creator of Osiris (Egyptian jst jrt, Usir) - the god of rebirth, king of the underworld and judge of the souls of the departed.

It was believed that Khepri arose from itself (“ he appeared in his name"), Sometimes his father is called the “father of the gods” Nun (Ancient Egyptian “nwn” - “water”, “aquatic”). In ancient Egyptian mythology, the father of the gods Nun existed at the beginning of time, as the primordial ocean from which Ra emerged and began the creation of the world Atum.

The meaning of the sacred symbol of the scarab has probably not changed for thousands of years, because archaeologists have found scarabs, rings and amulets in various cultural layers of excavations. The scarab was often combined with other sacred images. For example, in the Cairo Museum you can see many ankhs, which, among other symbols, depict sacred scarabs.

The scarab became in Egypt a symbol of the hard-working student on his path to wisdom. Just as the scarab persistently and persistently transforms the shapeless, viscous mass of dung into a ball in order to plant the seeds of life in it, so the disciple walking along the Path of Wisdom must transform the shapeless mass of his shortcomings into the ideal, perfect form of a ball, like the sun's disk disappearing beyond the horizon of the earth and newly born in the east.

Even from the deepest underground darkness, where the scarab leaves a clutch, its offspring are born again, awakening and resurrecting, like divine power and wisdom, giving the newly born Soul the opportunity to fly away to a new life on earth.

Next to the scarab are depicted two serpents of wisdom, right and left, the student takes from each of them and forms his own wisdom.

The most valuable, ancient and revered scarab figure can be found in the Karnak Temple, which is located near Luxor. In Luxor there is a statue of a sacred scarab; this place is especially revered by local residents.

Scarabs appeared in the painting of funerary sarcophagi around 1000 BC. Scarabs are often depicted rolling fire ball the sun, a symbol of the cyclical nature of the universe and eternal life. Dried scarab beetles were often placed in faience pylons, which apparently served as original funeral decorations , which were considered amulets that guarantee resurrection from the dead.

The role of the scarab in life Ancient Egypt.

The Egyptians had poetic religious texts that called scarab by God, who lives in the heart and protects the inner light of man. Sacral the scarab symbol gradually became a link between the divine principle and the human soul.

There are many spells associated with the scarab beetle, preserved in the Sarcophagus Texts and the Pyramid Texts. It is known that the Egyptians performed a lot magical rituals associated with the scarab.

The symbol of the sacred scarab accompanied the ancient Egyptians all their lives and passed with them into the afterlife. If the body after death mummified, like a scarab pupa, then instead of a heart they put in an image of a sacred beetle. Without it, the resurrection of the soul in the afterlife could not occur. The ancient Egyptians understood the importance of the heart in the human body and, by placing an image of a sacred beetle in its place, they believed that it represented the primary impulse for the rebirth of the soul. Somewhat later, instead of a figurine of a scarab beetle, the Egyptians made a heart from ceramics, and the names of the gods were depicted next to the symbol of the sacred beetle.

This scarab was found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1340-1331 BC), discovered by Howard Carter in November 1922. Pharaoh Tutankhamun died at the age of 19, his mummy in a golden sarcophagus and mask was placed in 2 wooden coffins. Another 3 sarcophagi of Tutankhamun were made of quartzite, covered with red granite. Around the sarcophagus there were four golden wooden chapels that occupied the entire room.

This amulet, decorated with the symbol of the sun god - an oval stone yellow color, interested scientists from the Milan Museum of Natural History. Researchers saw in this stone the key to solving one of the mysteries of the Sahara Desert.

The yellow stone used by Howard the discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb Carter considered it semi-precious chalcedony, in fact, it turned out to be natural glass with extraordinary properties - it begins to melt at 1700 degrees Celsius, which is 500 degrees higher than the melting point of other samples of natural glass. It turns out that whole placers of such glass were found in the Egyptian Sahara, from small pieces to blocks weighing 26 kilograms.

If this special glass is heated red hot and thrown into cold water, it won't crack. That is, in terms of its characteristics, this natural silicate glass is superior to many modern high-tech glasses.

This unusual natural glass was encountered back in the 30s of the last century by expeditions traveling around the Sahara in search of treasures of ancient civilizations and lost cities. According to experts, only More than 1,400 tons of this pure yellow-green glass are scattered in the Saad plateau area. Some of the natural glass samples found have swirling black patterns. The high content of iridium in glass indicates their extraterrestrial origin. Iridium found in some meteorites and comets. Scientists have hypothesized that in ancient times, an explosion exploded over the Sahara. big meteorite, similar to Tunguska. At the same time, from high temperature The silicate-rich sands of the Sahara melted and turned into glass.

This space meteorite glass has been used by people for a long time. Explorers of the Sahara Desert often find knives, hatchets, and arrowheads made from this material almost 100 thousand years ago.

Before the discovery of the scarab in the tomb, no one suspected that the ancient Egyptians knew about the extraordinary glass of the great sand sea, many kilometers from the nearest habitation. The scarab remains the only silicate glass jewel discovered among the treasures of Ancient Egypt.

What do amulets with a scarab mean in our time?

At all times, people believed in the miraculous power of various amulets that brought good luck, wealth, and happiness. Egyptian talismans among them are considered the strongest, but safe for humans.

The scarab beetle talisman is one of the most revered. The scarab is considered a symbol of life, keeping its owner youthful and beautiful.

Initially, amulets were made from stones, both precious and ornamental. Green granite, marble, basalt or ceramics were used, which, after drying, were covered with green or blue azure. Nowadays tourists are offered metal amulets decorated with stones.