N-water ripple (n hieroglyph)
Look up 𓈖 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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"water" in hieroglyphs |
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"three ripples" in hieroglyphs |
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The Egyptian hieroglyph representing "water" (Gardiner N35, Unicode 𓈖 U+13216) is attested from the earliest phase of Egyptian writing. It is notably used in the serekh name of First Dynasty pharaoh Den (Dewen) (written Ḥr-dn 𓅃𓂧𓈖 and interpreted as "he who brings the water").
The hieroglyph is zig-zagging line representing a ripple of water. Based on the acrophonic principle, based on the Egyptian word nt "water", it came to be used as the phonetic sign for /n/. One 'abbreviated' later form was a straight line with angles on each end.
The "water" hieroglyph is the historical origin of the letter M.
Use as phonograpm
The n-hieroglyph when used as a phonogram represented a preposition translationg to "in, to", or "by", etc.
Due to its use as a simple phonogram, the hieroglyph is used very frequently. For example, in the Rosetta Stone it occurs 203 times, averaging 6 times per line, for the 36 lines-(Nubayrah Stele, lines 1-22, Rosetta Stone, 1-14, therefore 36). In the stone as the water ripple, besides the preposition, it is used in names of Arsinoe, and one cartouche form of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, (the Rosetta Stone author). The vertical "N" of the Red Crown is used 35 times in the Nubayrah-Rosetta Stone, mostly prepositional; (only 4 times is it used as a non-preposition). (There are also other variants of the vertical N-Red Crown, with separate Gardiner nos. used in the Rosetta Stone, (as part of Pschent, or a variation on Egypt: "Taui", North and South Egypt, the Two Lands).)
Deshret, the vertical form of "N", is required as hieroglyphic blocks sometimes end in places not always conducive to ending a block. Two half blocks can be separated, above and below by the horizontal water ripple, or start a block, (on top), or introduce the next block, (by being on the bottom of the block). If room is not sufficient on the bottom, then a vertical form can follow to introduce the next block, thus the use of the vertical N, the red crown of the Pharaoh of the North, the Nile Delta.
- Use of letter "n" in S-n-b, the word for "health", Sen-b, or Seneb. (ripple used 4 times in text)
- Water ripple used as 'waters' , being used with a Libation vessel
- Water ripple: preposition usage in 2nd line-(bottom of block), (also used twice in line 5)
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ripple-of-water (n hieroglyph). |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waters (hieroglyph). |
References
- Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23615-3)
- Budge. The Rosetta Stone, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition (unabridged), 1989. (softcover, ISBN 0-486-26163-8)