Mehen Lions

Chess Femme News

MEHEN

February, 2002:

Gaming Pieces: Mehen Lions

From Don McLean on March 6, 2002

From http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/digital_egypt/abydos/sub/tombs.html#156
University College London

Abydos, subsidiary tombs of the First Dynasty:

Tomb 156, Gaming Piece

Tomb 507, Gaming Pieces

May 6, 2003:

Here's a nice Mehen board: "Game of the Snake, from the collection of the Louvre, Paris; source: Les Meveilles du Louvre, Edition Hachette": Limestone 'serpent-game' board (Archaic Period), Petrie Museum. From Ancient Egyptian Games put together by Andre Dollinger.

1/1/04:

http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/mehen.htm

Mehen

Patron of: defender of the Sun Boat

Appearance: A serpent-headed man holding a spear, standing in the prow of the Sun Boat, or as a giant snake coiled around it.

Description: In the Old Kingdom and in predynastic literature, Mehen, along with Set in his original form, fights Apep daily as the sun travels across the sky. Mehen wraps his coils around Apep, while Set strikes at Apep with a spear.

Personal Notes 1/1/04: Interesting - Apep was a giant serpent who lived in the Nile River (or Sea, depending upon which version of the legend you read) - and Mehen, another serpent, did battle nightly over the fate of the Sun God. What is more interesting is that the original serpent god who is depicted on the Pharaoh's double crown is actually a goddess, the cobra goddess who is joined in the United Kingdom by her counterpart, the vulture goddess. (Something like Uadjet and Nebjet). While accepted sources refer to Mehen as a male "god", I do believe he was a SHE.

3/17/06 Happy St. Patty's Day!

These are from the Petrie Museum, I was much struck by the similarity with the Mehen lion pieces above from University College London:

Link