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The history of Egypt is full of secrets and mysteries. Grand pyramids and mummies of the pharaohs, sacred animals and scarab, as one of the symbols of the former greatness of the ancient civilization. The Egyptians endowed him with divinity, and numerous myths and legends on a par with the pyramids made the emblem of tourist Egypt. To understand why this little bug deserves worldwide fame, learn more about it.
Who is he - the holy scarab?
The sacred scarab, namely our hero belongs to this species, is a black matt insect with an almost round smooth body 25–35 cm long. Older individuals become shining with time. On the head of the beetle is located the frontal protrusion and eyes, divided into upper and lower parts. On each leg there are spurs. Sex differences in them are weak. The lower part of the body is trimmed with dark brown hairs. In the photo of the scarab beetle, taken in the macro mode, there are good views of these features.
These beetles are encountered on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, in Southern and Eastern Europe, on the Arabian Peninsula, in the Crimea, Turkey, and, of course, in Egypt.
Scarabs refer to dung beetles that feed on cattle, horses and sheep dung.
The main feature of beetles is the way of feeding. They roll an ideally flat sphere out of the shapeless mass of excrement and bury it in the ground, where they are then used as food.
Scarabs live for about two years. Almost all of their lives they spend underground, going to the surface at night. Hibernate, burrowing to a depth of 2 meters. Departure of beetles begins in March and lasts until mid-July.
Pairs are formed in the process of procurement of dung balls, and further work occurs together. A pair of scarabs digs a hole 15-30 cm deep, which ends in a camera. After mating, the male leaves, and the female begins to roll special pear-shaped balls and lays eggs in them. At the end of the mink falls asleep.
After 1–2 weeks, the larvae of beetles hatch. For a month, they eat the food that their parents have prepared for them, and then reborn into pupae. Under unfavorable weather, the pupae remain in the mink for the winter. In spring, young bugs leave the mink and come to the surface.
Scientists believe that dung beetles in hot tropical climates play a crucial role in processing the huge amount of manure that wild and domestic herbivores produce. Only elephants common in Africa consume about 250 kg of food per day, and return a little less to nature in the form of dung heaps.
Some time ago, through the efforts of imported scarab beetles in Australia and South America, a myriad of manure was recycled, which local insects no longer cope with. At the new place, the scarabs did not survive, but they completed their task perfectly.
From where the myths about scarabs originate
While watching scarabs, the Egyptians noticed an interesting feature - the beetles always roll their balls from east to west, and fly only at noon. Attentive Egyptians saw in this connection beetles with the sun. The light passes its way from east to west and hides behind the horizon, to appear again in the east tomorrow.
According to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the sun was a deity that carries life to all living things and resurrection after death. The development cycle of scarabs inside the ball of dung and its emergence on the surface of the Egyptians correlated with the movement of the sun. The similarity struck the ancient people so much that the god Khepri, personifying the rising sun, was depicted with a scarab instead of a head.
A statue of the sacred scarab is located in Luxor, this place is especially revered by tourists and locals.
The role of the scarab in the life of ancient Egypt
Egyptians had poetic religious texts that called the scarab a god, that lives in the heart and protects the inner light of man. Therefore, the beetle symbol gradually became the link between the divine principle and the human soul, uniting them.
The symbol of the sacred scarab accompanied the ancient Egyptians all their lives and, with them, passed, according to their beliefs, to the afterlife. If the body was mummified after death, then an image of the sacred beetle was inserted instead of the heart. Without it, the resurrection of the soul could not occur in the next world. Even at the primitive level of medicine, the ancients understood the importance of the heart in the human body and, having in its place the image of the sacred beetle, believed that it represented the primary impulse to the rebirth of the soul. Somewhat later, instead of a scarab beetle figurine, the Egyptians made a heart of ceramics, and the names of deities on it were depicted next to the symbol of the sacred beetle.
What do amulet with a scarab in our time mean
At all times, people believed in the miraculous power of various amulets that bring good luck, wealth, and happiness. Due to their ancient origins, Egyptian talismans are considered the strongest.
The scarab beetle talisman is one of the most respected, and it is offered to tourists as a souvenir. Originally, amulets were made from stones, both precious and semi-precious. In the course were green granite, marble, basalt or ceramics, which, after drying, were covered with green or blue azure. Now tourists are offered amulets made of metal, decorated with stones.
Before you buy a talisman with a scarab beetle, you should know its value. The thing helps its owner to gain self-confidence, achieve desires and achieve goals. First of all it concerns work and creative activity. Since the scarab is a symbol of life, it is believed that it preserves youth and brings beauty to women. The strong half of humanity with its help should gain a stable income and high position in society. Students take the talisman with them for exams, and in the house the symbol of the sacred beetle is able to provide protection against thieves, fires and other troubles.
It is believed that donated amulets are more powerful, but the treatment of the amulet should be respectful and careful. Careless attitude to magical objects and to a foreign culture and mythology can be dangerous to humans.
