Tyet, Amulet, Ancient Egyptian Faience, Amarna
There is some mystery surrounding the origin and meaning of the ancient Egyptian tyet symbol, according to egyptologists. The meaning of the hieroglyph is rendered as "welfare" and "life". Sometimes it is called "the Knot / Buckle / Girdle of Isis," and it indeed looks like a looped and knotted piece of cloth. The arms of the tyet, rather than extending outward like the similar ankh (also with meaning “life”), hang down the sides in a rather relaxed fashion, as a ribbon tied in a long looping bow might do. Definitely very feminine and yin looking in nature.
The Tyet looks like a draping garment which is reminiscent of the feminine form. Tyets ("life") are feminine in nature. Just as the woman in the garden of Eden was called Eve / Chavvah / Havva ("life").
Red Carnelian Tit / Tyet (Isis knot) amulet, ca. 1550-1275 BCE, The Met
Since the tyet was associated with the goddess and in the later kingdoms with Isis, we have a clue as to in what sense "life" is meant. The feminine association with "life" is the earth goddess, Eve, abundance and bringing forth of life from the fertile earth / ground / adamah*, Gaia, blood, and and life from the womb.
*"ground / dust / earth / soil," from Hb., adom "to be red"; same as adam; dam "blood"; the creature God made in his own image and likeness was made from the red/blood, i.e., fertile soil.
The Empress, Shaddowscapes tarot, pregnancy, fertility, motherhood, sensuality, nurturing, femininity, nature harmony, art
Isis was a goddess who was responsible for the resurrection of her husband Osiris (god of fertility, agriculture, the dead, resurrection, life*). Isis along with her sister, Nephtys gathered together the missing and scattered pieces of Osiris' dismembered body. Osiris was then resurrected long enough for Isis to become pregnant with Osiris' son, Horus. Osiris is often associated with and even depicted as the Djed pillar. The djed and tyet are often seen together in artwork.
[*so similar associations as the earth goddesses, such as Demeter / Ceres, the mother earth goddess, goddess of agriculture, grain, crops, fertility, and her daughter Persephone / Proserpina "Queen of the Underworld/Dead.]
Detail of the upper margin of the sarcophagus of the last native Egyptian pharaoh Nectanebo II (30th dynasty reign, c. 360-343 BCE)
The Djed / Tet pillar was used as a hieroglyph for the spoken word, as well as a symbol and concept in and of itself, it had the meaning "stability, continuity, regeneration". It is commonly said to represent the backbone of Osiris. It is an enigmatic symbol in origin, like the Tyet. When discussing the meaning of the tyet and djed, it is important to note, that they are two of the more ancient of Egyptian symbols which remained popular throughout the duration of the ancient Egyptian culture. The origins of the tyet are much older than many of the representations, descriptions and usage that we have from the later time periods.
The Tjet [Tyet] is thought to date from the Predynastic period and was a popular decorative symbol by the third dynasty (Old Kingdom), often appearing alongside the Ankh and the Djed . . . By the New Kingdom it was associated with Isis perhaps due to to its frequent association with the Djed . . . Thus the Djed may have represented the masculine power, while the Tjet represented the feminine power. . . Ancient Egypt Online/Tjet(Tyet), ancientegyptonline.co.uk
Ancient Egypt was rich in symbolism. Not only was the language written with an hieroglyphic system that is pictorial, but the religious iconography and every day use of amulets contained copious amounts of archetypal information available to the unread masses as well as to the scholars. Here the saying was never more true, "A picture says a thousand words." Considering that hieroglyphic written language wasn't in usage until c. 3200 BC and the origin of the Tyet and Djed were sometime during the Predynastic period, the words tyet and djed were spoken words before they were written phonetically.
One idea regarding the origin of the word tjt [one common transliteration of Egyptian hieroglyphic word, or also t_t], known as tyet, could be that it might have originated as a form of the word dd, i.e., djed, but with the feminine ending -t. This is just some freeform speculation, but not without some logical basis.
The word for this so called "Knot of Isis" is rendered in English sometimes as tyet, tjet, tiet, tet, tit, tet, that, thet. I have seen it pronounced with a long I, as tie-et, or with a long E, as teet. Since we must transliterate and transcribe the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language, which was written without vowels, linguists only speculate as to how the words were pronounced. So we have many different spellings and pronunciations in English of the possible pronunciations of the ancient Egyptian words. Often in transcriptions from Egyptian hieroglyphs to English, either a t or a d are used to spell the same word, such as tuat or duat, meaning “underworld” depending on who is doing the translation and what system they are using.
The name of the god Thoth, for example, is also sometimes written as Djehuti, Tehuti, Techu, Tetu, and has equally wildly varied pronunciations. And djed, the so called Pillar of Osiris, is sometimes written as tet.
This confusion arises because, not only do we not know how the words sounded when spoken by a person during this ancient period, when people try to pronounce even the same words, or try to translate words there is much variation in accent and vowel usage. . . you say tomato, I say tomato . . . And there are sounds made in certain languages that other languages do not have and are hard for non natives speakers to pronounce. . . So, for example, tell an English speaking person to write a word as they hear it spoken you will get different spellings. Is the Hebrew word written as, Eve (from the Greek) in English translations of the bible, Havvah / Hawwah, or Chavvah / Chawwah? And good luck if the person who is doing the translation speaks yet another language and hears the word third, forth or fifth hand. When trying to understand the story of history we are forever playing a vast game of "telephone" but with many more factors involved even, so, given the fact that the tyet is a very ancient symbol which may have been spoken before it was ever written, it is not surprising if something akin to djed-et, or tet-et, morphed into tyet or tit.
There are examples like this especially in the early dynasties, of male Egyptian deities having female counterparts with the same name feminized, such as Amun [jmn] / Amunet [jmnt], both meaning "the Hidden One". Nu / Naunet, meaning "primordial waters". Kekui / Kekuit, "primordial darkness". Allso the ancient Egyptian word for “wife, woman” is hmt, from hm “incarnation”, with the -t ending. This is interesting because hm is like the English pronoun for a male, "him", so woman, then, is him-et. This is also similar to the words male and female, man and woman, and as in the book of Genesis, from the Hebrew, is [ish] / issa [ishshah] "man/woman".
Then ha'adam (the man) said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called issah (woman), because she was taken out of ish (man)." Genesis 2:23
The Djed had the meaning of stability, and with stability we have security, and security is welfare and life, that is, Tyet.
Detail of the outermost golden shrine of Tutankhamun, 18th dynasty, Valley of the Kings. Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The Djed and Tyet were both often represented with similar pillar like trunks, and associated with the masculine (god / Osiris) and feminine (goddess / Isis) principles.
What if tyet was actually tet-et, but was then contracted by usage? This does happen sometimes, such as with the word "messenger" in English.
[messenger] With unetymological -n- inserted by c. 1300 for no apparent reason except that people liked to say it that way. . . [OE]
The Djed first appeared in the Predynastic period (c. 6000-3150 BC). It was thought to be made originally with stalks or sheaves of reeds. When grain or stalks are ready to be harvested, they are cut and tied, so my question is, "Did the tyet tie it? Did the tyet make the pillar tight?" Namely, were the stalks which made the djed / tet fastened by something which was then called tyet or tet-et? In this case the tyet securing the stalks under the heads is literally a neck tie/necktie [which is fitting considering that tyet amulets were usually placed on the neck of the deceased, therefore were neck tyets. Perhaps placed at the neck because the neck is where the spine/backbone connects with the head?]. In this way the Djed and Tyet would have been the cause of the stability of the pillar together.
Sheaves of Reeds like Pillars
A knot/tie secures, and is for security. Single stalks alone are not stable like a pillar without being tied in bunches. In this way the union of the masculine and feminine, and the equal importance of each is apparent.
It is true that the two are not depicted as part of the same single structure in the images shown above (however, sometimes the Djed is depicted combined with the Ankh as below), but this doesn't necessarily mean that they were never used in rituals in this way, i.e., as some sort of combined djed/tyet pillar.
Isis and Nepthys with djed, ankh, sun disk, raised arms, from Book of the Dead of Ani, British Museum, London, facsimile 1890; original c. 1300 BCE
There is a long tradition of pillars being used in fertility rituals, often decorated / tied with ribbons / cloth, such as May Poles. We can not have fecudity without both the masculine and feminine present, and at some point joined.
Raising of the Maypole, similar to the raising of the Djed. Djed Adorned with Tyet?
In the Predynastic Period[*before it was even associated with Osiris] it [the djed] may have originally been a representation of a fertility pole upon which sheaves of grain were suspended at festivals. This pole may have been a feature of early fertility rituals which eventually came to be associated with the god who made the land fertile [*firstly Ptah, later assumed by Atum, Sokar and Osiris]. . . the Djed Pillar festival was held annually at which an actual djed pillar was built and raised by the local priesthood on the first day of the harvest season. Raising the pillar may have originally symbolized the grains raising from the earth, but in time came to represent the god Osiris returning from the dead. -Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Djed/
The Djed, meaning “stability," is only stable (and not scattered like Osiris' body) because Isis “knit/tied" Osiris back together after he was killed. She was the cause of “life”, and of his “welfare".
The tyet symbol was used as a funerary amulet to protect the deceased in the journey to the afterlife.
You possess your blood, Isis, you possess your power. Isis, you possess your magic, Isis. The amulet is protection for this Great One, which will drive off anyone who would perform a criminal act against him. - Spell 156, Book of the DeadIn this way it is fitting that the symbol[tyet] would be represented as separate from the backbone of the god, for they were in fact separated by death, and Osiris did not fare well until he was reunited by his wife and his welfare restored. So too, when one is in death the "life" represented by the tyet would offer support, and enable stability.
This goddess figurine is from Predynastic Egypt (6000-3100 BC). Figurines such as this were often used as mortuary objects. Paleolithic goddess images are often depicted as mother goddess figurines, shown and pregnant, with full figures, or sometimes like this, with raised arms as in the example below.
Female Figurine, Predynastic Egypt (6000-3150 BCE), by Brooklyn Museum
Here the goddess is tall and pillarlike.
This pottery [below] is from the same time period. It depicts masculine and feminine looking figures atop (next to?) a reed boat (?) with pillar/ladder type structures. There are many examples of pottery from the period with these same motifs repeated. The raised pillar/ladder looking objects are a common feature. It isn't clear what they are depicting but perhaps it is possible they are depicting some sort of bound reed structure, so in that way similar to the djed. From the looks of the images on the pottery it seems possible that the symbolism may not have been completely separate from the notion of the djed pillar and the tyet.
Naqada II pottery, late predynastic period (3100-2950 BCE)
Seated Isis (her throne crown identifies her) with outstretched winged arms
One of the most intriguing mysteries of prehistoric Egypt is the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic life, represented by the transformation from hunting and gathering to sedentary farming. We know very little about how and why this exchange occurred. Predynastic Period in Ancient Egypt, ancient.euCould there have been a shift over time, as the civilizations moved from the Paleolithic hunter gatherer societies to agricultural societies, in how this divine feminine counterpart was portrayed? As the civilizations of the Mediterranean shifted towards more patriarchal societies, as seen at the time of the ancient Greek civilization and the Roman Empire, the interpretations, representations, and roles of the goddesses would have been adapted or shifted to fit these ideologies over time, and this, not even necessarily consciously.
Here, in this depiction of the raising of the djed, Isis is seen assisting the pharaoh. She is depicted next to the pillar, like the tyet, rather than on top of it or as part of it. At the center is the djed pictured with the Double Plumed crown and sundisk of Amun-Re.
Ancient bass relief showing Pharaoh Seti I[1323-1279 BCE, 19th dynasty] raising the Djed column with Isis. West wall Osiris hall. Temple of Abydos, el Balyana, Egypt
The phallic / yonic attributes of the djed and tyet are also commonly pointed out along with the other symbolism, but this could be a secondary correspondence by nature of the objects. The djed and tyet as symbols are rich in meaning and importance even without any phallic consideration, as they represent the body of the god who dies and is then resurrected, and his wife. The djed is Osiris' backbone, not his boner. The two are by nature representative of the masculine/yang and the feminine / yin respectively (and by masculine and feminine is not meant gendered men and women. Each individual is an expression of both masculine and feminine principle even if engendered in a specific body polarity of male or female); the djed being: erect, hard/stable, straight, possessing copious seed (as stalks), and the tyet: relaxed and receptive looking with what could be considered yonic and womblike shapes. The loop itself is feminine in the sense that it is a hole which can be penetrated.
However, if we are going to relate the symbols to their phallic meaning, it is powerful symbolism as well. The feminine is penetrated but not injured by the penetration (sexual act), and the feminine bleeds without a wound (menstruation / childbirth), this can be seen as a type of magic which the feminine possesses, whereas, when the masculine is penetrated and bleeds it is injured and dies.
Christ Crucified (c. 1632) by Diego Valazquez. Museo del Prado, Madrid
When the feminine submits to the masculine it is seeded and able to produce new life. But in order for the masculine to be fruitful, it is necessary that it submits to a kind of death, or actual death.
Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth (feminine) and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24It was only when the masculine, as the son of God, Jesus gave himself / submitted to the cross and died, that he then was raised to new life, and gave life to the world, in the form of being the cause for the resurrection of the many, enabled by their being transformed into and one with God, as the Egyptians trusted in resurrection remembering and identifying with the death and resurrection of Osiris.
Thus, this submission of the masculine can be seen as a kind of blessing. It is a hard passageway, yet the result is new life / fruitfulness / movement. It is a pathway out of the frozeness of death and hell. Together the masculine and the feminine, in proper balance and union, create a ladder/pillar to heaven.
It just so happens, however that it is more difficult for the masculine to submit than for the feminine, because the polarity of high is . . . low.
For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain. Job 24:24This is why it is said of wisdom,
. . . Compared with the light [masculine] she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom [feminine], evil does not prevail. Wisdom 7:29-30This "superiority" seems to be in the sense that when there is movement of the yin / night it moves to light, which is generally pleasant and seen as the good, but when there is movement of the day / yang, it is overcome by the darkness of the cycle which is viewed as adversity or evil. But Jesus, as all men/women/humankind do, submitted to a mater (latin "mother') to be born in to matter (earth). And there is no doubt this is difficult. Yet the benefit we receive from this submission, i.e., being nailed to the wheel of the zodiac in birth, so to speak, is great.
Even though it is easy for the feminine to be mistreated by abuse of power of the masculine, a woman rightfully possesses the sexual agency to either allow the masculine to penetrate the passage to the womb (place of the fertile blood) or not. She is the gatekeeper of this feminine power, and authority over this allowing of the masculine aspect to merge with the feminine. Thus the feminine is the gatekeeper of the masculine's power to create (without a fertile place to put the seed, no new life). With out this fertile earth, a place for the seed to fall, the masculine cannot have offspring physically/metaphorically/spiritually or otherwise.
So what can we say when the masculine principle is stuck or not fruitful? Obviously it needs to work with the fertile territory of the feminine principle. This is especially true of logic (masculine) and intuition (feminine). When there is no answer, logic is stuck/not fruitful, then intuitive exploring is necessary to provide new and fertile ground to plant the seeds (ideas) of logic in and see what grows from them. Things become stagnant and stale, i.e., dead when the breath of life is withheld. This is an alchemical principle as well, the sacred marriage of the masculine and feminine elements. It is for this reason that the differences and dignity of these polarities need to be honored. Without them working together the world and everything in it physically and mentally dies, or is good as dead.
The sexual manifestations of male and female are only physical representations of these complex concepts or realities. The All / God is the unity of the yin and yang. God is both masculine and feminine and thus creation reflects this. Nor is any one thing ever purely only masculine or feminine. As the symbolism of the yin and yang shows. They are swirling, and in each other. The yin is in the yang and the yang is in the yin in an unceasing dance.
Yin/Yang, by Wesley Stupar (my brother), @WesleytheArch
Through physical manifestations of the yin and yang such as a person's sex, we are taught / given example about the notion of the masculine and the feminine; we are taught about God by seeing clear examples of this duality. There are countless examples of yang and yin, but no one thing is purely either male / yang or female / yin.
God created man (the adam) male and female, as is seen on the level of the work of procreation. For it takes a man and a female biology acting together to make a baby, yet that is just one level of the masculine and feminine principles in action. On other levels individuals are/act in varying degrees of, and manifestations of masculine and feminine. This is what it means to be created both male and female in the image of God. If a man was wholly masculine and a woman wholly feminine, not only is this impossible, they would not contain a complete image of God.
But . . . getting back to the tyet as a piece of cloth. In that way (and if it was tied on the pillar) it could be called a garment. Garment is "any article of clothing"(reduced from garnement, early 14c.), from the French garnement, from garnir "fit out, provide, adorn", from a Germanic source, from PIE root *wer- (4) “ to cover." And cover means “to protect or defend from harm”, from same PIE root *wer- (4). So to cover is to provide welfare and secure life. The goddess used her power to cover the deceased with her protection, as symbolized by the tyet placed on the neck.
A length of cloth or chord can be also used as a girdle / belt to secure the clothing upon a body.
Rope Cincture with Tassels
Tiet is translated as “life”, “welfare", so it is interesting that this sounds like diet. A good diet provides for ones welfare. Diet is ultimately from Latin dieta “prescribed way of life," from Greek diaita, originally "way of life, regimine, dwelling". . . Just as the garb/garment of a priest is part of his dieta [prescribed way of life], parts of which resemble a tiet.
Also djed / tet, when pronounced can sound like “jet”. Jet(v.) is "to sprout or spurt forth, shoot out", ultimately from PIE root *ye- "to throw, impel." The djed having to do with agricultural symbolism and growth could be said to be something sprouting forth, and when raised, the djed juts ("jut" from same root as "jet") upward.
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launch, Sept. 8, 2016
This jet propulsion rocket spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx is in the shape of a pillar as it takes off, so it is not unlike like Osiris as the djed, aye? Rockets raise us to the heavens. And GUESS WHAT? The OSIRIS-REx's return capsule is set to return to Earth September 24, 2023 [update!], How exciting! Its retrieval (welfare) is dependent upon its parachute to bring it to a soft landing. Parachutes are made out of strong cloth and connected / tied with chords. So, is it Isis, as this cloth tie parachute, who is responsible for OSIRIS-REx's safe return?
Isis Wings Dance Garment, might double as a parachute
As is above, so is below . . .
P.S. Interestingly enough, too, the name for red ochre in ancient Egypt was "ded", dd, so not unlike djed, also dd. If a tyet was ever painted red, it would be dd (ochre) in color, and ochre (dd) is red. The tyet might even be painted with ochre, so it would be literally dd. Ochre red, blood=red. Fertility / life are associated with the red / blood earth, so, perhaps life=Tyet=red=ded=dd=Djed=Tet.
Ochre is "ded", and without red / blood you're dead.
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