Since ancient times, the Eye of Horus, which is also referred to as the “all seeing eye,” is one of the most recognized symbols of ancient Egypt. The Egyptian symbol for the goddess Wedjat was used for protection, for healing, as well as for mathematical and medicinal calculations. The word Wedjat means sound, and it is the name of a cobra goddess often depicted as a rearing cobra. The all seeing eye continued in Egyptian civilization and was in use for thousands of years and still continues to be used today.1
According to Egyptian mythology, the god Horus lost his left eye in one of his struggles with the god Set, the brother of Osiris, for the right to rule Egypt, and to avenge the death of his father Osiris. The eye was later restored by the god Hathor, and his restoration came to symbolize the process of making whole and healing. Some other versions of the story indicate that the god Thoth restored the eye and not Hathor. The story states that the restored eye became a symbol of light, and represented protection, strength, and perfection. Although another version of the myth states that it was in fact the right eye and not his left, and that it represented the sun that was torn out again by Set during one of their battles.1
Thoth then restored all of the eye except a small piece that became the origin of the Horus-eye fractions. The right side of the eye equaled 1/2, the pupil 1/4, the eyebrow 1/8, the left side of the eye 1/16, the curved tail 1/32, and the teardrop 1/64. Once these fractions were added, they total 63/64, known in mathematical circles as the reciprocal 2N series and a complementary fraction. The Horus eye fractions were used for measuring grains and medicines.3
The right eye is said to be symbolic of the sun, the day, and its power. The left eye represents the waxing and waning properties of the moon–the Horus or light of the night. The two-winged eyes represent the two divisions of heaven: north and south, and sun and moon. The image uraeus was a symbol of kingship and power and said to be worn on top of the forehead. The Wedjat was also depicted as a leonine form known as the Eye of Ra. The Eye of Horus survived beyond ancient Egypt in various cultural, mystic, esoteric, and, more recently, neo-Egyptian traditions. The masonic symbol of the eye of Providence, which appears on U.S. currency, is said to derive from the Eye of Horus, as does the Rx symbol used by the pharmaceutical industry. Although some people believe the evil eye is part of the Wedjat tradition, it’s not, even though some sources may link the two. Therefore, the Wedjat is still popular as both a symbol and an amulet, either for protection or for its association with ancient Egyptian culture.4
- Encyclopedia of African Region, 2009, s.v. “Eye of Horus, ” by Denise Martin. ↵
- Encyclopedia of African Region, 2009, s.v. “Eye of Horus, ” by Denise Martin. ↵
- Edward Hincks, “On the Age of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Manetho,” The Transaction of the Royal Irish Academy Vol.21 (1864): 3-10. ↵
- Edward Hincks, “On the Age of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Manetho,” The Transaction of the Royal Irish Academy Vol.21 (1864): 3-10. ↵
58 comments
Derek Esquivel
I have always seen this symbol before every time I see something related to Egypt but I just never knew what it was meant for and why they had it in the first place. Now I find it very interesting how math was involved with this symbol and how they made it the certain shapes and lengths that they used. Now I am glad to know what this symbol actually was.
Samuel Ruiz
Short, but very interesting and well written. I have heard of the “all seeing eye” before but I never knew it is actually the eye of Horus. I read about Horus and Set yesterday, and it was nice to read another article on Horus. It is most interesting how the fractions of the eye came to be and are distributed.
Natalie Childs
I had seen depictions of the Eye of Horus before, but I never had known that there were so many meanings behind it: from standing for the goddess Wedjat to healing, protection and even math. It was incredibly interesting reading about the breakdown of the fractions in the eye and how they were used for measuring grains and medicines. Great article!
Austin Pena
Interesting read. Ive heard about the eye many times but never knew the true story behind it and its meaning. Along with that it is interesting to see how the symbol of an eye is used, I know it is also used in some eastern religions along with being mentioned in christianity, but those tend to be more for spiritual purposes. I am interested to see if the eye is going to begin to be mentioned more in todays society whether it is for spiritual purposes or for mathematics.
Evian-loren Salgado
This certainly was a very interesting story. I love Egyptian Mythology so this was especially an interesting read. This article was well written and informative. I have heard of the Eye of Horus, and knew many though of it as a symbol of protection, but I did not know the whole background of the Eye of Horus. Its interesting to see how the God Set caused a lot of well drama for both Horus and his father Osiris.
Cherice Leach
What an interesting story. I have heard of the eye of the Horus but I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t even know that there was an ancient myth to go with it. It’s interesting with myths because like you said in the story, it was said in one story that it was the left eye and in another it was the right eye. Nonetheless, it was still an interesting article and it’s cool that they based fractions on the different parts of the eye.
Evelin Joseph
I had never before known the story behind the eye of Horus, so this article was very informative and enjoyable. I did not know that the god Horus lost his eye in a struggle with Osiris’s brother and that the eye was later restored to him by another god. It was surprising that one part of the body came to symbolize the process of making a whole and healing or alternatively as light/sun. It was really cool that they ended up using the eye to do mathematical calculations as well.
Manuel Aguilera
As I have seen the eye very many times, in a variety of different situations, I had yet to learn of its true background. I am surprised to know that it actually meant that of healing and was not aware that it had an association to mathematics. Although I am interested in knowing exactly how each part of the eye got its mathematical fraction because I feel that was a little vague in its explanation.
Lisa Varela
Confession, when I was in middle school I had an Egyptian mythology phase. Therefore, I had heard of the eye of Horus. However, I never knew that it involved math, fractions of all things! And that it was used for measuring grains and medicines! I was surprised that there is speculation as to which eye he had lost, which I shouldn’t considering it is mythology. Very informative article!
Alexis Soto
This article was informative and well written. I had not know much about the Eye of Horus before reading this article. I knew of it as the all seeing eye and that it was involved in various conspiracy theories. Knowing its story adds more prestige. It’s origin in Egypt to the modern usage, it’s truly an incredible symbol that has survived for a long time now.