THE AURYN JOURNAL
Notes on jewellery, materials, memory, style and the small details that make an object feel personal.
LATEST FROM AURYN
What is the 47th Proposition of Euclid in Freemasonry? Pythagoras's theorem, the 3-4-5 triangle, and why its diagram hangs from a Past Master's jewel.
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What is Yule? Bede's Old English Yule months, the Old Norse midwinter feast of jól, and how the old name became a word for Christmas.
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Who was Ēostre? Bede's eighth-century account of the Anglo-Saxon goddess, the month Ēosturmōnaþ, and how the hare and eggs joined her story.
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What does the Egyptian Uraeus mean? The rearing cobra on the pharaoh's brow, the goddess Wadjet, and the royal and protective power it stood for.
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What is the Standard of Ur? The 4,500-year-old mosaic box from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, its scenes of war and feasting, and the mystery of its pur...
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Who was Šala? The Mesopotamian wife of the storm god Adad, 'the ear of grain' of the Babylonian stars, and why she is linked with Virgo.
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Who was Mut? The Egyptian mother goddess of Thebes, whose name means 'mother', consort of Amun, shown as a woman, a vulture or a lioness.
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Who was Satet, also called Satis? The Egyptian goddess of Elephantine at Egypt's southern frontier, worshipped with Khnum and Anuket near Aswan.
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What does Sema-Tawy mean? The Egyptian emblem of the unification of the Two Lands, with lotus and papyrus tied around the sign for 'union'.
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A guide to Mesopotamian gods and symbols: Ereshkigal of the underworld, the grain goddesses Ašnan and Šala, and the Standard of Ur.
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Who was Ereshkigal? The Mesopotamian queen of the Land of No Return, her sister Inanna's descent, and her marriage to the god Nergal.
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Who was Hathor? The Egyptian goddess of love, joy and music, her cow horns and sun disk, the sistrum, and her place in kingship and everyday worship.
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What does the Egyptian Ib heart symbol mean? The hieroglyph for the heart, seat of thought and memory, weighed at judgement and guarded by heart sc...
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What does the Egyptian Ka symbol mean? The raised-arms hieroglyph for the ka, the enduring life force of a person, and how offerings sustained it a...
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The ancient Egyptian Sa was a hieroglyph meaning protection and was also worn as an amulet. Explore its form, meaning and association with Taweret.
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The Duat was the ancient Egyptian netherworld: a realm of the dead, gates and guardians, and the sun god’s nightly journey. Learn what the Duat meant.
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Who was Ašnan, also called Ezina? The Mesopotamian goddess who personified grain, and her contest with Sheep in a Sumerian debate poem.
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A guide to ancient Egyptian symbols: the Ka, the Ib heart, Sa, Sema-Tawy and the Uraeus, the Duat, and the goddesses Hathor, Mut and Satet.
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