ISSN : 1229-5620(Print)
ISSN : 2288-7652(Online)
ISSN : 2288-7652(Online)
Literature and Religion Vol.31 No.2 pp.43-65
DOI : https://dx.doi.org/10.14376/lar.2026.31.2.43
DOI : https://dx.doi.org/10.14376/lar.2026.31.2.43
A Study on the Symbolism of the Ancient Egyptian Sed Festival.
Abstract
The Sed festival of ancient Egypt was held to mark the 30th anniversary of a Pharaoh’s reign. It is said that during this festival, the aging Pharaoh sought to restore his physical strength and ruling power by experiencing death and rebirth through assimilation with Osiris. However, this paper argues that the Pharaoh’s rebirth was executed by assimilation with Osiris and ejaculation from him as semen-form deity Sed (Wepwawet) and final conception in the womb of mother god Hathor (Isis). Sed (Wepwawet) appears in the standards before the king during the Sed festival. In these standards, Wepwawet is accompanied by a fetish called the Shedshed, which is known as the king’s placenta. It is generally understood that here, the king, as Wepwawet, opens the way from the mother goddess’s womb to the outside world. However, this fetish differs from the placenta shape commonly known in Egypt, and the Wepwawet depicted in the iconography is facing toward the Shedshed. Therefore, it can be interpreted Sed is rusing toward the womb and cervix of a virgin who has not yet conceived a child.




