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Eye of Horus

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The Egyptians considered the sun and the moon to be the eyes of the god of light and heaven. Very early on, however, various myths became confused, and the images were not used consistently. As a result, the two celestial bodies were primarily considered to be the eyes of Horus, but elsewhere the moon is called the eye of Horus and the sun the eye of Re. Further, the eyes were also linked with the crowns of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, with the associated protective goddesses of the two lands, Nekhbet and Wadjet, with the divine and royal uraeus, and with other associated goddesses. Numerous myths were told about the eyes. The Eye of Horus was thus mainly linked with the moon. As the crescent moon it was called a knife or sickle, and used in the fight against the enemies of the god. During the fight with Seth, Horus lost his eye, but later regained it. According to some versions of the myth, this happened with Thoth's help, according to others with that of Hathor. The Egyptians perceived this in the waxing and waning of the moon. Horus brought the recovered eye to Osiris and with it gave him new life. Thus the Eye of Horus became the prototype of all offerings, and in the cult every offering was called the Eye of Horus, usually accompanied by an addition that made the actual character of the offering clear, often by means of wordplay. Because the stolen or damaged eye was retrieved sound and well, it was also referred to as the udjat-eye (udjat = intact, complete, healthy). This eye became the symbol for everything to do with completion and healing, but also with protection, perfection and power. As a result, the udjat-eye is one of the most common amulets.