Sun Disc

[woodelf]

The ancient Egyptian Sun Disc has a round disc with two angled arms/branches, one either side of the disc, but do the arms leave the disc up, down, up down or down, up, down, up? Ta Muchly.

[NazNomad]

Arms? I though they were wings.

[boxtops]

Woodelf, the only one I can see quickly is a description of the sun with "arms" out at the sides, holding ankhs. Not sure that I can find a suitable pic for your screen viewer - I'll keep looking.

[boxtops]

Yes naz, there is another version which has big spread wings horizontal on either side of the sun disc, like eagle wings.
The one I'm looking at is the sign for Ahkenaten, that has wispy "arms".

[boxtops]

Woodelf might not see this link, but here http://www.ancient-eg.../egyptian-god-ra.html Ra has a sun on his head with a snake's head and tail at the bottom of it.

[Invictas]

The sun disc you are asking about is called the Aten(which basically means sun disc of Re)
It is often seen with different attachments to it depending on which god is worshiping the sun.If seen on stone carvings the rays of the sun beam down from it.
All the Aten discs I have seen appear to have the "arms" going upwards.
This Wikipedia page will tell you more,but I should warn you is quite long,as you are listening to it and not reading it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aten

The Pharaoh Akhenaten rebelled against the corrupt practices of the priestly class,and the hundreds of gods,headed by Amun.and changed the end of his kingly name to the Aten word,meaning solitary sun god.
When he died his son Smenkhare was murdered,and his second son Tutankamun was made king (to restore the king name to Amun not Aten) originally Tutankaten,but when the priests found that he was going to restore his Father's beliefs they murdered him too.

[Buenchico]

Hi Woodelf.

I've just searched Google Images to find out what the consensus view is as to the form that the sun disc should take. Obviously you can't see the image in this link (which is just a picture, with no text) but I'll provide it so that you might be able to ask a sighted helper to fill in the gaps I've left with my description below:
http://tinyurl.com/4ogaqc4

When viewing that image I was struck by the similarity between it and the 'wings' on an RAF uniform so, if you can visualise that insignia, it might provide a useful starting point.

The image in my link is of a solid disk, with wings coming out horizontally from either side of it. The length of each wing is approximately three times the diameter of the disk. Each wing is feathered, so that the feathers along the upper edge are running almost horizontally with those closest to the disk dropping almost vertically downwards. (There are actually two ranks of similar feathers within each wing, one above the other, with a narrow horizontal unfeathered band in between them). There are also what appear to be two small birds, or possibly serpent's heads, facing outwards right next to the disk, so that their tails appear to emerge from the 'south-east' and 'south-west' edges of the disk and their beaks are pointing 'east' and 'west').

Chris

[Invictas]

woodelg,
The picture that Chris has supplied shows the Aten with the wings of the god Horus,the most usual depiction.

[Invictas]

sorry that should read woodelf

[douglas9401]

Am I the only one who thought "Miracle Man"?

[boxtops]

Eh?

[douglas9401]

Seems like I was. An old American comic from the sixties. Our hero summoned his powers by exclaiming "Sun disc! Miracle Man!"

[boxtops]

Ah - yes you were!

[woodelf]

Many Thanks All and especially Chris for yet another in-depth answer...though I'm afraid your description does not match the one I'm thinking of, though this may be a stylised basic version of the sun disc, with four short angled straight bits instead of wings. As Boxie mentions, it has to do with Ahkenaten and though Douglas's Miracle Man has nowt to do with it, the letters MM are significant as they occur in reference to the sun disc on a building in the grounds of Biddulf Grange in Staffordshire; that's if anyone has read the book The Green Stone! That's okay Invictas, I'm often having my elg pulled....smile.

[douglas9401]

Maybe not a comic then, but an illustrated historical pamphlet? :)