Djed pillar

Four depictions of the djed pillar: first, the stand form of the djed pillar, representing Osiris reborn as an evergreen tree (see: Christmas tree); second, Osiris in mummified form as djed pillar, in semi-human form, holding a flagellum and shepherd’s crook; third, a human-like form, with sun disc on his head, holding the djed pillar above him, out of which Ra-Khepri, aka the morning sun, arises; forth, Ptah, supposedly, in the mummified form of Osiris, holding the was scepter and the ankh. [1]

In Egyptian mythology, djed pillar, or "tet", generally refers to Osiris reborn in the form of an evergreen tree (see: Christmas tree), after he had been trapped in a chest by his brother Set and thrown into the Nile River; beyond this, little is agreed upon as to its four tiered structure.

Overview
In 1892, Flinders Petrie suggested that the djed was derived from a pillar with four superimposed capitals; or alternatively, a picture of four pillars one behind another, according to the Egyptian ideas of perspective. [2]

In c.1910s, Wallis Budge popularized the theory that the djed pillar was the backbone of Osiris. [2]

In 1925, W. Kristensen suggested that the djed with its four crenels was the four pillars of heaven. [2]

In 1935, H. Gauthier suggested that the djed was a column made of reeds used to support the roof of a predynastic building. [2]

In c.1993, Jacobus van Dijk suggested that it was representative of Shu (or Heh) holding the heavens. [2]

References
1. Odhner, C. (1914). The Correspondences of Egypt: a Study in the Theology of the Ancient Church (Ѻ). Academic Book Room.
2. Gordon, Andrew H. and Schwabe, Calvin W. (2004). The Quick and the Dead: Biomedical Theory in Ancient Egypt (pgs. 114-; Dijk, pg. 115). Brill.

See also
● Christmas tree
● Khoiak festival

External links
● Djed pillar – Wikipedia.

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