New Art: Bennu Bird

Bennu Bird

acrylic ink

copyright 2012 by A. Dameron

The bennu bird is an important deity in Egyptian mythology. It takes the form of a river heron, either blue/black or purple/gray. This bennu stands on a 'bennu column' of gold with a verse from the Book of the Dead: "I am the Bennu Bird, the heart-soul of Ra (the sun god), the Guide to the Tuat (the Underworld)."

In the upper right are the hieroglyphs of its name 'bnn' (a foot, and two wavy lines like water). There are no written vowels. Egyptologists think the original word may have been written 'baanana', but it was first thought to be 'bennu' and it stuck.


All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2012