The Egyptian Book of the dead by P. Le Page Renouf and Edouard Naville

Renouf, P. Le Page (Peter Le Page), 1822-1897, Naville, Edouard, 1844-1926

Chapter 972: 5. ⁂. The instrument in the hand of the deceased. Though the

Chapters

Chapter 972: 5. ⁂. The instrument in the hand of the deceased. Though the

determinative is ⁂, it does not necessarily mean that it is made of wood; it may be the determinative of weapons in general. It has prongs, which are compared to nails or claws, so that it probably is a weapon like the bident for spearing fishes, the tines of which are held together by a string (Wilkinson, _Manners and Customs_, 2nd edition, Vol. II, p. 107). Otherwise it is not unlike a netting needle (Wilkinson, _loc. cit._, p. 175). If it is a weapon, one does not very well understand why it is said to belong to the net.
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