Atef facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atef |
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Atef crown
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| Country | Ancient Egypt, Upper Egypt |
The Atef crown (Ancient Egyptian: 𓄿𓏏𓆑𓋚, romanized: ꜣtf) was a special white crown. It was worn by the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. This crown was a combination of two important parts. It included the Hedjet, which was the white crown of Upper Egypt. It also featured two curly ostrich feathers on each side. These feathers were very important for the worship of Osiris. You can tell they are ostrich feathers because of their unique curl at the top. They also flared out a little at the bottom. These are the same type of feathers worn by the goddess Maat. They look different from the straight, narrow falcon feathers seen on other crowns, like those of the god Amun.
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What is the Atef Crown?
The Atef crown helped people recognize Osiris in ancient Egyptian art. Osiris wore this crown as a symbol of his role. He was known as the ruler of the underworld, the land of the dead. The crown has a tall, rounded white part in the middle. This part is placed between the two ostrich feathers. These feathers were very meaningful. They represented ideas like truth and justice in ancient Egypt.
What Did the Atef Crown Look Like?
The Atef crown looked quite similar to another crown called the Hedjet. The main difference was the addition of the feathers.
The White Crown (Hedjet)
The Hedjet was a plain white crown. It was first seen in the Predynastic Period. This was a very early time in ancient Egypt, even before the pharaohs ruled. The Hedjet was a symbol for pharaohs who ruled Upper Egypt.
The Ostrich Feathers
The two ostrich feathers were a key part of the Atef crown. They curved outwards from the central white crown. These feathers were not just decorative. They carried deep meaning, symbolizing truth and fairness.
Gallery
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A drawing of a more detailed Atef crown.
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A modern drawing of a pharaoh wearing an Atef crown.
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A modern drawing of the god Osiris wearing the Atef crown.
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Thutmose III shown with an Atef crown.
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Osiris depicted in the tomb of Nefertari.
See Also
- Deshret – The Red Crown of Lower Egypt.
- Hemhem crown – A special crown that looked like three Atef crowns together.
- Khepresh – The Blue or War Crown.
- Pschent – The Double Crown, combining the crowns of Lower and Upper Egypt.
- Shuti hieroglyph (two-feather adornment) – A symbol showing two feathers.
