Egyptian Necklace

The Egyptian necklace or menit was ceremonial and was linked to the goddess Hathor who was the wife of Horus. The necklace is pictured being either carried or worn by priestesses and queens who would be officiating as priestesses. It was very rare but sometimes men would wear it also but that was only those associated with the Hathor cult.

The necklace was simply a loop with many beads that were connected by a piece of metal that looked like a keyhole. The beads would hang at the front and the metal counterweight would hang from the back.

The symbology behind the necklace was that it was a vessel that Hathor used in her role to help the rebirth of the dead into the afterlife. So the necklace had incredible power and it is often depicted being offered to the king by the goddess in tomb paintings and hieroglyphics. Queens would do the same thing and offer their necklace to their king as a sign of an offering of power and support.

The Egyptian necklace is a symbol of empowerment of women because it represents the importance of the goddess Hathor owning this necklace as it was the source of her power to assist people into the afterlife. Without her involvement the process of the afterlife would not happen. Only women would wear this important symbol therefore without a woman’s presence there would be no afterlife.

This is a great symbol for a female Egyptian tattoo and I highly recommend that if you are considering this as a tattoo design to have a look at this Egyptian tattoo download option.