Djed
The
Djed pillar represents stability and has been interpreted as the backbone of the
Egyptian god
Osiris, especially in the form
Banebdjed (
the ba of the lord of the djed). Djed is the Egyptian name for
Busiris, a centre of the cult of Osiris.
R11 In their
2004 book
"The Quick and the Dead",
Andrew H. Gordon and
Calvin W. Schwabe speculated that the
Ankh, Djed and
Was symbols have a biological basis derived from ancient
cattle culture, thus:
* the
Ankh - symbol of life - thoracic
vertebrae of a bull (seen in
cross section)
* the Djed - symbol of stability - base or
sacrum of a bull's spine
* the
Was - symbol of power and dominion - a staff made from a dried bull's penisGordon and Schwabe's speculation is based on the Egyptian belief that
semen was formed from
spinal fluid. Applying the above correspondences, according to Gordon and Schwabe,
the essence of life starts here in the Ankh - it flows down through the vertebral canal, past the strong base of the spine (the Djed), and out through the penis, the Was - symbol of power.
*
Samekh*
Prof. Calvin Schwabe discusses his theory
