_MET_EG546_(cropped).jpg) An Akhekh pulling an archer's chariot over two crocodiles on theMetternich stele | |
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ancient Egypt |
TheAkhekh (also transliterated as Akekhu) is alegendary creature ordragon inEgyptian mythology andart.[1]
The name comes fromkkw, the Egyptian word for darkness.
All descriptions of the creature have it as a quadruped with bird's wings, though different sources diverge: one description is that of anOryx with a bird's wings and beak as well as serpent's tail,[2] while French archaeologist Paul Pierret gave it in a book of his as a winged lion akin to thegriffin of European mythology.[3][4] Ancient egyptian myth writes of the Akhekh living in the deserts west of theNile.[citation needed]
The Akhekh was associated with the godSet, as well as his domains of darkness, the western desert, chaos, and water. Much like theSha, it was either an ally of the god or an incarnation of Set. It also symbolised power and strength of thepharaoh during wartime, such asRamesses II being compared to the Akhekh as he conquered theHittites and terrorised them. TheMetternich stele in particular depicts an Akhekh pulling an archer's chariot over two crocodiles.[1]
