Transforming into a Swallow: Coffin Text Spell 294 and Avian Behaviour

Coffin Texts Spell 294 describes the transformation of the deceased into a mn.t -bird. Examination of the passage from a lexical, mythological, and geographical perspective have highlighted the bird’s solar and Hathoric associations, but additional layers of meaning are revealed when textual referen...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cooper, Julien (Author) ; Evans, Linda (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2015
In: Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde
Year: 2015, Volume: 142, Issue: 1, Pages: 12-24
Further subjects:B barn swallow
B Coffin Texts
B Magic
B bird
B animal behaviour
B Mythology
B funerary literature
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Coffin Texts Spell 294 describes the transformation of the deceased into a mn.t -bird. Examination of the passage from a lexical, mythological, and geographical perspective have highlighted the bird’s solar and Hathoric associations, but additional layers of meaning are revealed when textual references are also examined zoologically. This approach has shown that Spell 294 accurately describes the appearance and natural behaviour of migratory and resident barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), elucidating formerly problematical allusions and leading to a deeper understanding of the spell’s transformative process.
ISSN:2196-713X
Contains:Enthalten in: Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/zaes-2015-0002