PLATE XVII.
The Metternich Stele--Obverse.



PLATE XVIII.
The Metternich Stele--Reverse.



Towards the close of the XXVIth Dynasty, when superstition in its most
exaggerated form was general in Egypt, it became the custom to make
house talismans in the form of small stone stelae, with rounded tops,
which rested on bases having convex fronts. On the front of such a
talisman was sculptured in relief a figure of Horus the Child
(Harpokrates), standing on two crocodiles, holding in his hands figures
of serpents, scorpions, a lion, and a horned animal, each of these
being a symbol of an emissary or ally of Set, the god of Evil. Above
his head was the head of Bes, and on each side of him were: solar
symbols, i.e., the lily of Nefer-Tem, figures of Ra and Harmakhis, the
Eyes of Ra (the Sun and Moon), etc. The reverse of the stele and the
whole of the base were covered with magical texts and spells, and when
a talisman of this kind was placed in a house, it was supposed to be
directly under the protection of Horus and his companion gods, who had
vanquished all the hosts of darkness and all the powers of physical and
moral evil. Many examples of this talisman are to be seen in the great
Museums of Europe, and there are several fine specimens in the Third
Egyptian Room in the British Museum. They are usually called "Cippi of
Horus." The largest and most important of all these "cippi" is that