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The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo Nilous
Horapollo · tr. Alexander Turner Cory · c. 5th century (tr. 1840) · 13,245 words
The late-antique book that taught Renaissance Europe to read hieroglyphs as symbols: the hawk for the soul, the serpent for eternity, the scarab for the world.
Editor’s note: Horapollo’s symbolic readings were long taken as the key to the hieroglyphs; since Champollion they are known to be mostly fanciful, though some preserve genuine Egyptian sign values.
Opening
Book I
I. How They Denote Eternity
To denote Eternity they depict the SUN and MOON, because their elements are eternal. But when they would represent Eternity differently, they delineate a SERPENT with its tail covered by the rest of its body: the Egyptians call this Ouraius, which in the Greek language signifies Basilisk: And they place golden figures of it round the Gods. The Egyptians say that Eternity is represented by this animal; because of the three existing species of serpents, the others are mortal, but this alone is immortal; and because it destroys any other animal by merely breathing upon it even without biting. And hence, inasmuch as it thus appears to have power over life and death, they place it upon the head of the Gods.
II. How the Universe.
When they would represent the universe, they delineate a SERPENT bespeckled with variegated scales, devouring its own tail; by the scales intimating the stars in the universe. The animal is also extremely heavy, as is the earth, and extremely slippery, like the water: moreover, it every year puts off its old age with its skin, as in the universe the annual period effects a corresponding change, and becomes renovated. And the making use of its own body for food implies, that all things whatsoever, that are generated by divine providence in the world, undergo a corruption into it again.
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