Ancient Egyptians - The Menat
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Picture of the Menat Amulet

Picture of Menat necklace
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Picture of the Menat necklace adorning the cow goddess Hathor

Ancient Egypt - The Menat Amulet Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on the Menat: The Menat was worn as a protective talisman by both the living and the deceased.

Fact 2 on the Menat: The Menat was closely associated with the cow goddess Hathor but was also intended to be attached to bronze or copper statues.

Fact 3 on the Menat: Hathor, the ancient Egyptian sky goddess of love, joy and fertility. She was believed to be the nurse of the god Horus who was fed with milk which is why she is often depicted as either a cow or as a woman with the head of a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow.

Fact 4 on the Menat: The above picture shows Hathor, in the manifestation of a cow, wearing the bovine sun disk crown and with the two-part Menat necklace around her neck.

Fact 5 on the Menat: The Menat was originally designed as a stylized image of a yoke. A yoke provided unsuitable connotations with a goddess so it was designed as a necklace placed over the head consisting of two parts.

Fact 6 on the Menat: The two parts of the Menat necklace: The front of the necklace consisted of several heavy strings of beads designed to rest on the chest in a crescent shape. A small shield-like plate was attached to the beads. The front of the necklace was balanced by a counterpoise piece of jewelry which hung down the back.  The counterpoise piece of jewelry always featured a sun disk.

Fact 7 on the Menat: The picture of the larger Menat amulet shown at the top of the page depicts Hathor the goddess in human form. The sun disk element contains the cow symbol of Hathor crowned with the rearing cobra uraeus symbolizing her divine authority.

Fact 8 on the Menat: As time passed the Menat necklace has been simplified and the counterpoise piece of jewelry that originally dropped over the back was converted to a pendant style necklace.

Fact 9 on the Menat: Meaning of the Menat: To the ancient Egyptians the Menat amulet was believed to promote conjugal happiness, as it gave power and strength to the reproduction process, promoting health and fertility. Hathor was worshipped as a guardian of pregnant women.

Fact 10 on the Menat: A Talisman or an amulet can be described as a religious object consisting of a stone or other small item, often inscribed or carved with magical inscriptions, magic signs, magic symbols, formula or sacred text.

Ancient Egyptian Magic - The Menat Fact Sheet

The Menat Amulet
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the ancient Egyptian Menat amulet and talisman with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Find fascinating fun facts about the ancient Egyptian Menat amulet and talisman and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the ancient Egyptian magic and the Menat amulet and talisman.

Facts about the Ancient Egyptian Menat Talisman
Discover interesting facts and information about ancient Egyptian magic the fast and easy way via the Menat amulet and talisman Fact sheet.

Picture of Hathor with a sistrum, the sacred rattle used in ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt - The Menat Amulet Fact Sheet

Fact 11: The Menat was also used during ceremonies and rituals dedicated to the goddess Hathor and on these occasions the Menat was held, rather than worn as a necklace, to be presented as a sacred offering to the goddess. This type of scene is depicted in many temple wall paintings dedicated to Hathor.

Fact 12: The strings of beads resulted in the menat making a rattling noise when shaken. This rattling sound was added to that made by the sistrum during rituals and ceremonies and accompanied the singing and chants of the priests and priestesses.

Fact 13: The sistrum was an ancient musical percussion instrument that is shown in the above picture. The sistrum was a sacred rattle and a symbol of  Hathor who was also revered as the goddess of music, dance, joy, pleasure, lust and alcohol.

Fact 14: The ancient Egyptians believed that the sound of rattling drove off malign and evil forces.

Fact 15: The rattling and jangling of the sistrum together with the shaking of the menat was accepted as a means to unnerve and defeat enemies and prolong life.

Fact 16: Which ever form the necklace took it was believed to ensure good luck and fortune, especially to women, and to protect against evil.

Ancient Egyptian Magic - The Menat Fact Sheet

Ancient Egyptian Talismans & Amulets
For additional fascinating information and interesting facts refer to Amulets and Talismans.

Ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egypt great processions were held during festivals to the gods and goddesses. The ancient Egyptian 'parades' included a variety of percussion and other instruments. However, the sistrum and the menat were only used in the innermost sanctuary of the temple where the sound of the rattling and jangling would cleanse the temple of evil forces in preparation for the rituals to receive the spiritual presence of the god or goddess. 

Ancient Egyptian Festival Procession

Egypt and the Menat Amulet and Talisman
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and the history of the Menat amulet and talisman inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt. The information and facts about the Menat amulet will provide you with a great insight into the magic of Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

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