The real presence of Osiris: iconic, semi-iconic and aniconic ritual representations of an Egyptian god
The ancient Egyptian god Osiris was represented in iconic forms in temple reliefs and statues, in semi-iconic form in the so-called corn-Osiris or Osiris-bed, and in aniconic form as the Djed-pillar. All three variations in iconicity are ritual representations of the god and somehow claim his real p...
| Published in: | Religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
[2017]
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| In: |
Religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Egypt (Antiquity)
/ Religion
/ Osiris
/ Ritual
/ Illustration
/ Iconic element
/ Image prohibition
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| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BC Ancient Orient; religion KBL Near East and North Africa TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East |
| Further subjects: | B
Egyptian Book of the Dead
B Aniconism B Books of the Netherworld B Osiris-bed B Real Presence B Djed-pillar B ritual representation of gods |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The ancient Egyptian god Osiris was represented in iconic forms in temple reliefs and statues, in semi-iconic form in the so-called corn-Osiris or Osiris-bed, and in aniconic form as the Djed-pillar. All three variations in iconicity are ritual representations of the god and somehow claim his real presence: the temple reliefs by (textually transmitted) conventions, the corn-Osiris by the real, sprouting corn that fills the Osiris outline or form, and the Djed-pillar by the very universality and immense potential of denoting without (yet) depicting or narrating. The synchronous occurrence of these degrees of iconicity illustrates aniconism as a rhetorical option, a matter of ritual design, not a cognitive or theological stage in the evolution of mankind. |
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| ISSN: | 0048-721X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2017.1290717 |