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Sometimes referred to and Anhk, this symbol utilizes a cross and loop for it upper vertical arm. The Latin term for the Ankh, crux ansata, means the "handle shaped cross". The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic of the Ankh, stood for the word 'nh which means "life" but has been suggested by some scholars to perhaps have an original meaning of a sandal strap, although even until today has a greater significance as a magical knot.

Many depictions of the gods and pharaohs of ancient Egypt are depicted holding the ankh by the loop, or to bear one in each hand crossed over the breast. Egytian gods such as Ptah, Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Bastet, Khnum, Set, Horus, and many others are often drawn holding the holy symbol. Many Pharaohs were often depicted in the same manner and buried with an Ankh in front of his face to symbolize the breath of life.

The Ankh was the basis for the Christain cross, and yes I will get a lot of argument here. But Romans crucified people on wood beams that were shaped in a "X" or "T", not in the symbol that has been adopted into the Christian religion. Some argue that Ankh represents the sexual unity of male and female, which is considered the basis for eternal life. The lower vertical line of the Ankh is said to represent the penis of the male, and the upper oval of the Ankh is said to represent the vagina or womb of the woman. An interesting debate in the evolution of the Christian cross is said that the removal of the oval was to remove the symbology of women from the center of the trinity. Prior to 300 AD many early Christians believed that the holy trinity was mother, father, and son, since then many radicals sought to remove female symbology from Christainity and recreate the trinity into the father, son, and holy spirit, thus making Christianity into a male centered religion.

The Ankh is considered by many as a symbol of fertility and often used to represent enduring life in generations to come. It is also know as the Key of the Nile, representing the holy union of Isis and Osiris. This mystic union is said to start the annual flooding of the river Nile, and thus providing the peoples of Egypt with the many fundamentals of life in that time. Many directly believe that this union symbolized the womb and reproduction based on the legend of the Union of Isis and Osiris, although still often debated by many scholars today.

In Astrology the Ankh is used to represent the planet Venus. In Alchemy the Ankh represent the element of copper. And in biology this same symbol is used to identify the female sex.

Many Egyptian tomb paintings depict the Ankh used by the gods and goddess to gift life upon the tomb's mummy. The Ancient Egyptians as an amulet often carried the Ankh. Mirrors in Egypt were often made in the shape of an Ankh.

Pop culture has utilized the symbol of the Ankh to a great deal. Whether used as a medium to call up old history's or simply as a focus item in spiritual magic. Today the Ankh has been worn as jewelry by many Neo-pagans, witches, magicians and occultists. The ankh helps Afro-Americans channel revived interpretations of the ancient religion of an Afrocentered Kemet, the "black" Egyptian Egypt. In the form of a pendant, symbolizing Sanctuary, it was worn by an underground network of Runners attempting to escape their fate in the 1976 science fiction film Logan's Run. Some followers of the Vampirical and/or Gothic paths utilize the symbol to mean "happy everlasting life".

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