Fern Flower
Published on July 2, 2024

Medjed

Regions of expansion

Egypt 1
Egypt

Description

Medjed refers to two separate entities from ancient Egyptian mythology associated with God Osiris: One is a god mentioned in the Book of the Dead, and the other is a fish considered sacred. 

Although little is known about the deity, his ghostly image in the Greenfield papyrus brought him popularity in modern Japanese culture, and he appeared as a character in video games and anime.

The Medjed is depicted as completely covered with a certain conical shape, on which only his eyes are visible, and his legs come out of it.

Scientists EA Wallis Budge, H. Milde and Nikolai Tarasenko argued that Medjed's domed torso is either a shroud or a "shapeless body" that symbolizes the imperceptible nature of the deity, and Kariddi suggested that Medjed's protruding eyes and legs may mean that he can "see, move and act, although people cannot to perceive." On the contrary, Bernard Bruyere and Terence Duquesne argued that the Medjed is actually the personification of an oil jug, and that its red "belt" is actually a stylized lid clasp.

In the English translation of the Papyrus Ani Raymond O. Faulkner conveys the part of the spell related to the Medjed as follows :

I know the name of that smasher [i.e. Majeda] is among them, who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eyes, but is invisible. The sky is surrounded by a fiery explosion of his mouth, and Hapi reports, but is invisible.

I know the name of that smiter [i.e., Medjed] among them who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eyes, yet is unseen. The sky is encircled with the fiery blast of his mouth and Hāpi makes report, yet he is unseen.

With the exception of this short passage, nothing is known about Medjed.

Medjed in popular culture