Amulets were personal adornments worn by the living and placed on mummy wrappings to provide protection and aid on the journey from death to the afterlife. The color, shape, and other qualities of the materials were believed to endow the amulet and its wearer with special powers and protections. This amulet, known as the wedjet eye or eye of Horus, was believed to provide strength, protection, and good health. The ornamental details of the wedjet eye could vary, but typically included a brow above the eye and markings below the eye mimicking the markings on a falcon.

This amulet represents Horus' eye after it was plucked out by Seth.

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Originally, the eye referred to Horus the creator god, whose right eye was the sun and the left was the moon, but it later became associated with Horus, Osiris' son. Myth states that Horus offered his eye to his dead father; the charm was so powerful that it brought Osiris back to life. This amulet is made of faience, a sandy mixture of crushed quartz, natron, and pigment that was heated to fuse it together.

Sources:

Andrews, Carol. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. 1994 (British Museum Press). University of Texas Press, 1998.

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