The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian talisman of protection, regeneration and healing. Our version is inspired by an amulet dated to 330 BCE, which was found in Cairo in 1923.
Horus was the ancient Egyptian god of the sky and kingship, and was often depicted as a falcon. The origin of the Eye of Horus can be traced to a story that is known as The Contendings of Horus and Seth, found in the Chester Beatty Papyri.
Seth (or Set) was the god of the desert and brother to Osiris, the king of the Egyptian gods. Jealous of his brother’s power, Seth killed Osiris, cut his body into pieces and hid them all over Egypt, taking the throne of the gods for himself.
Devastated, but unwilling to allow the usurper his victory, Osiris's wife Isis scoured the desert until she found every piece of Osiris. She put her husband back together and breathed life into him, bringing him back—but not completely. It is known that departed souls cannot ever fully return to the world of the living. Osiris could no longer rule the gods of Egypt as he did when he was alive, so he moved on to the underworld, where he would reign as king of the dead. Nevertheless, Isis was able to become pregnant, and Horus was born soon after.
When Horus came of age, he stood before the other Egyptian gods and denounced Seth as a usurper, guilty of fratricide. As the son of Osiris, Horus made his case as the rightful heir to the throne.
Unwilling to step aside, Seth plucked out Horus's eye and tore it into six pieces. The goddess Hathor restored Horus's eye, which came to be called 'wedjat' because it means 'whole' in ancient Egyptian. Forever after, the eye of Horus was worn to ward off evil and restore good health.
The six parts of Horus’s eye are each represented in one line of the traditional drawing of the Wedjat.
Details:
25mm x 20mm 18k gold vermeil Eye of Horus pendant
Chain length: 20 inches with a jump ring at 18 inches
Chain type: 18k gold vermeil 1mm wheat chain