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In [[Ancient Egyptian religion]], '''Medjed''' is a god mentioned in the ''[[Book of the Dead]]''. His ghost-like portrayal in illustrations on the [[Greenfield papyrus]] earned him popularity in modern Japanese culture, including as a character in video games and [[anime]]. |
In [[Ancient Egyptian religion]], '''Medjed''' is a god mentioned in the ''[[Book of the Dead]]''. His ghost-like portrayal in illustrations on the [[Greenfield papyrus]] earned him popularity in modern Japanese culture, including as a character in video games and [[anime]]. |
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== Book of the Dead == |
== ''Book of the Dead'' == |
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The ''Book of the Dead'' is a group of [[Ancient Egyptian funerary texts]] generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the [[New Kingdom]] (around 1550 BCE) to around 50 BCE. These texts consist of a number of magic spells, written by priests, intended to assist a dead person's journey through the ''[[Duat]]'', or underworld, and into the afterlife.<ref>Taylor 2010, p.54</ref> Spell 17 mentions, amongst many other obscure gods, one Medjed (meaning "The Smiter"), in the following line: |
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{{Quote|I know the name of that Smiter among them, who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eye, yet is unseen.<ref name="British Museum 22 September 2010">{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=John|title=What is a Book of the Dead?|url=http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2010/09/22/what-is-a-book-of-the-dead/#comment-57|publisher=[[British Museum]]|date=22 September 2010|access-date=17 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417192941/http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2010/09/22/what-is-a-book-of-the-dead/#comment-57|archive-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>}} |
{{Quote|I know the name of that Smiter among them, who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eye, yet is unseen.<ref name="British Museum 22 September 2010">{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=John|title=What is a Book of the Dead?|url=http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2010/09/22/what-is-a-book-of-the-dead/#comment-57|publisher=[[British Museum]]|date=22 September 2010|access-date=17 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417192941/http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2010/09/22/what-is-a-book-of-the-dead/#comment-57|archive-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>}} |
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== In popular culture == |
== In popular culture == |
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In the illustration to the spell on sheet 76 of the [[Greenfield papyrus]], a figure thought to be Medjed<ref name="British Museum 22 September 2010" /> is depicted as a |
In the illustration to the spell on sheet 76 of the [[Greenfield papyrus]], a figure thought to be Medjed<ref name="British Museum 22 September 2010" /> is depicted as a dome with a pair of eyes and eyebrows, supported by two feet. |
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After this papyrus illustration was exhibited in 2012 at the [[Mori Art Museum]] in [[Tokyo]] and the Fukuoka Museum of Art, Medjed became a sensation on Japanese [[social media]] due to the resemblance to a stereotypical [[Ghost#European_folklore|ghost]] [[Halloween costume|costume]]. The god was embraced by [[Japanese popular culture]]. He became an [[internet meme]], as well as a character in video games<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet Medjed, The Egyptian God Who's Big in Japan!|url=http://www.tor.com/2015/08/07/medjed-obscure-egyptian-god-is-popular-in-japanese-culture/|access-date=7 August 2015|work=[[Tor.com]]|date=7 August 2015|archive-date=20 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220014953/https://www.tor.com/2015/08/07/medjed-obscure-egyptian-god-is-popular-in-japanese-culture/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Stimson|first1=Eric|title=The Obscure Egyptian God Medjed and His Bizarre Afterlife on the Japanese Internet|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-07-31/the-obscure-egyptian-god-medjed-and-his-bizarre-afterlife-on-the-japanese-internet/.91149|access-date=7 August 2015|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=31 July 2015|archive-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208113755/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-07-31/the-obscure-egyptian-god-medjed-and-his-bizarre-afterlife-on-the-japanese-internet/.91149|url-status=live}}</ref> and in anime (e.g. as the protagonist of ''Kamigami no Ki'', 2016).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Egyptian God Medjed Stars in New TV Anime Series Starting in November|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-10-25/egyptian-god-medjed-stars-in-new-tv-anime-series-starting-in-november/.108063|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Anime News Network|language=en}}</ref> |
After this papyrus illustration was exhibited in 2012 at the [[Mori Art Museum]] in [[Tokyo]] and the Fukuoka Museum of Art, Medjed became a sensation on Japanese [[social media]] due to the resemblance to a stereotypical [[Ghost#European_folklore|ghost]] [[Halloween costume|costume]]. The god was embraced by [[Japanese popular culture]]. He became an [[internet meme]], as well as a character in video games<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet Medjed, The Egyptian God Who's Big in Japan!|url=http://www.tor.com/2015/08/07/medjed-obscure-egyptian-god-is-popular-in-japanese-culture/|access-date=7 August 2015|work=[[Tor.com]]|date=7 August 2015|archive-date=20 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220014953/https://www.tor.com/2015/08/07/medjed-obscure-egyptian-god-is-popular-in-japanese-culture/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Stimson|first1=Eric|title=The Obscure Egyptian God Medjed and His Bizarre Afterlife on the Japanese Internet|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-07-31/the-obscure-egyptian-god-medjed-and-his-bizarre-afterlife-on-the-japanese-internet/.91149|access-date=7 August 2015|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=31 July 2015|archive-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208113755/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-07-31/the-obscure-egyptian-god-medjed-and-his-bizarre-afterlife-on-the-japanese-internet/.91149|url-status=live}}</ref> and in anime (e.g. as the protagonist of ''Kamigami no Ki'', 2016).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Egyptian God Medjed Stars in New TV Anime Series Starting in November|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-10-25/egyptian-god-medjed-stars-in-new-tv-anime-series-starting-in-november/.108063|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Anime News Network|language=en}}</ref> |
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| Medjed | |
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.png) A depiction of Medjed based on the Greenfield papyrus |
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In Ancient Egyptian religion, Medjed is a god mentioned in the Book of the Dead. His ghost-like portrayal in illustrations on the Greenfield papyrus earned him popularity in modern Japanese culture, including as a character in video games and anime.
Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is a group of Ancient Egyptian funerary texts generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BCE) to around 50 BCE. These texts consist of a number of magic spells, written by priests, intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife.[1] Spell 17 mentions, amongst many other obscure gods, one Medjed (meaning "The Smiter"), in the following line:
I know the name of that Smiter among them, who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eye, yet is unseen.[2]
E. A. Wallis Budge translated the corresponding passage in the New Kingdom Papyri, known as the "Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead" as follows:
I know the being Mātchet [Medjed] who is among them in the House of Osiris, shooting rays of light from [his] eye, but who himself is unseen. He goeth round about heaven robed in the flame of his mouth, commanding Hāpi, but remaining himself unseen.[3]
According to John Taylor of the British Museum, nothing else is known about Medjed.[2]
In popular culture
In the illustration to the spell on sheet 76 of the Greenfield papyrus, a figure thought to be Medjed[2] is depicted as a dome with a pair of eyes and eyebrows, supported by two feet.
After this papyrus illustration was exhibited in 2012 at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo and the Fukuoka Museum of Art, Medjed became a sensation on Japanese social media due to the resemblance to a stereotypical ghost costume. The god was embraced by Japanese popular culture. He became an internet meme, as well as a character in video games[4][5] and in anime (e.g. as the protagonist of Kamigami no Ki, 2016).[6]
Gallery
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Greenfield papyrus, sheet 12 -
Greenfield papyrus, sheet 76
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Medjed.
- ^ Taylor 2010, p.54
- ^ a b c Taylor, John (22 September 2010). "What is a Book of the Dead?". British Museum. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
- ^ Wallis Budge, Ernest Alfred (1898). Book of the dead : the Chapters of coming forth by day, the Egyptian text according to the Theban recension in hieroglyphic, ed. from numerous papyri. Princeton Theological Seminary Library. London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & co., ltd. pp. 55–56. Papyrus of Nebseni, Brit. Mus. No. 9,900, sheet 14, 1. 16 ff.
- ^ "Meet Medjed, The Egyptian God Who's Big in Japan!". Tor.com. 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Stimson, Eric (31 July 2015). "The Obscure Egyptian God Medjed and His Bizarre Afterlife on the Japanese Internet". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Egyptian God Medjed Stars in New TV Anime Series Starting in November". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
