神圣与重生——古埃及头枕的宗教含义

Divinity and Rebirth: the Religious Symbolism of Ancient Egyptian Headrests

头枕是古埃及人日常生活中用于支撑头部的家具,也是伴随死者进入来世的重要随葬品。在新王国时期,出现了头枕形状的护身符（wrs）。因其形状类似古埃及观念中的地平线,头枕具有太阳象征意义,人的头部枕在头枕上,象征着太阳从地平线上升起。头枕可以托举使用者的头部,并将其从与死亡类似的深睡状态中唤醒。因此,作为丧葬用品的头枕能够在冥界唤醒死者,使其复活。此外,头枕的使用还表明了古埃及太阳神信仰的普遍性。作为神显的媒介,太阳神通过头枕与死者合一,从而使死者成为神圣,获得重生。

Headrests were not only a kind of daily life equipment for the ancient Egyptians, but also an important funerary item supposed to accompany the dead in the afterlife. Headrest amulets appeared in the New Kingdom. The solar symbolism of the headrest derived from the similarity between its shape and the Egyptian concept of horizon. It symbolized sunrise with human head identified as the sun. It could also support the head and awaken its user from deep sleep, a state similar to death. Headrests in funerary context thus could awaken the dead in the afterlife for his resurrection. Furthermore, the funerary usage of the headrest indicates the popularization of the solar religion. As the intermediary of hierophany, the dead was identified as the sun god by using a headrest, so that he/she could become divine and obtain rebirth.