D E M O N S A N D SPIRITS
This name could be applied to most of the creatures who appeared on the wands. The fighters often brandish knives, torches or lamps. Some are shown gripping or stabbing snakes and other dangerous animals. The bestiary of the wands has much in common with the animals and monsters who appear on slate palettes of the late fourth and early third millennia BC. These palettes seem to have been associated with acts of ritual magic in which the king overcame the enemies of Egypt. Some of the entities on the wands can be linked with particular deities. The strange quadruped with a long curved muzzle, tall ears and bifurcated tail was a composite form of Seth. The griffin could also be a manifestation of Seth. Griffins and other monsters are occasionally shown amongst desert game in the hunting scenes that decorate Egyptian tombs. Beyond the confines of the Nile Valley, chaos was as powerful as order. The desert was believed to be haunted by ghosts and demons, particularly at night. The magician might have to make a spirit journey into this haunted realm to capture the power he needed. The journey of Thoth into the desert to retrieve the power of the solar eye may be illustrated on the wands in the form of a baboon placed next to a wdjat eye. This group could also symbolize Thoth completing the lunar eye of Horus (see Chapter Two). A crowned ram's head probably represents the creator god Heryshaf. The frog was a symbol of the birth goddess, Heqet (fig. 19). The cat with a knife is identified in later
20 Two apotropaic wands made of ivory, 19th—17th centuries BC. The lower wand is inscribed with a formula promising protection to the Lady of the House, Seneb. The upper wand has a jackal head at the pointed end and a panther head at the rounded end.
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