Deshret
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Deshret, from ancient Egyptian , was the formal name for the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and for the desert Red Land on either side of Kemet, the fertile Nile river basin.
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[edit] Significance
In mythology the earthgod Geb, original ruler of Egypt, invested Horus with the rule over Lower Egypt.[1] The Egyptian kings, who saw themselves as successors of Horus, wore it to symbolize their authority over Lower Egypt.[2]
Other gods wore the deshret too or were identified with it, such as the protective serpent goddess Wadjet and Neith.
The Red Crown would later be combined with the White Crown of Upper Egypt to form the Double Crown, symbolizing the rule over the whole country, "The Two Lands" as the Egyptians expressed it.[3]
As concerns deshret, the Red Land which comprised the deserts and foreign lands surrounding Egypt, Seth was its lord.[4] It was considered a region of chaos, without law and full of dangers.
[edit] Records of the Red Crown
No Red Crown has survived, and it is unknown how it was constructed and what materials were used. Reeds, cloth, and leather have been suggested, but this is purely speculative.
The Red Crown is frequently mentioned in texts and depicted in reliefs and statues. An early example is the depiction of the victorious king of the South wearing the deshret on the Narmer Palette. A label from the reign of Djer records a royal visit to the shrine of the Deshret which may have been located at Buto in the Nile delta.[5] The creator-goddess of Sais Neith is often shown wearing the Red Crown.[6]
 Ramesside Period ostracon, pharaoh wearing Red Crown |
 Narmer Palette, front |
 The vertical letter N, as preposition, or determinative in the egyptian language |
[edit] References
- ^ Ewa Wasilewska, Creation Stories of the Middle East, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2000, p.128
- ^ Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge 1999, p.194
- ^ Ana Ruiz, The Spirit of Ancient Egypt, Algora Publishing 2001, p.8
- ^ John D. Baines, Byron Esely Shafer, Leonard H. Lesko, David P. Silverman, Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice, Cornell University Press 1991, p.93
- ^ Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge 1999, p.284
- ^ George Hart, The Routledge Dictionary Of Egyptian Gods And Goddesses, p.100
