The upside-down Ankh, on the other hand, was never used in Egyptian culture or religion, but it has sometimes been used in modern art as a symbol of anti-life or death. Where to Buy Ankh Jewelry

Interestingly enough, the ankh symbol was frequently found in the words mirror and flower bouquet. Ankh Symbol – Gods and Royalty The Ankh was very popular during the 1990s, as part of the grunge movement. Today, it’s still in fashion and worn by celebrities like Beyonce, Rihanna, and Katy Perry. Many of the ancient Egyptian representations of the symbol show old Egyptian gods giving the ankh sign to pharaohs, kings, and queens. The King Ramsès II among the gods. Painted limestone. SourceBecause the Ankh is so similar to the Christian cross, you may be mistaken for wearing the Ankh for religious reasons. You may find that you have to explain the symbol to those who don’t know about it. Ankh and Christianity – Should I Wear the Ankh?

There’s some dispute as to the actual meaning of the Ankh, with many theories hypothesizing what the actual meaning may be. However, the general consensus is that the symbol represented the concept of life. Some scholars believe that the Ankh represents a knot formed from cloth or reeds. That’s not unlikely because earlier variants of the Ankh symbol show its lower bars as two separate flexible materials that look like the ends of a knot. Such early representations made the ankh sign look similar to the tyet symbol, also known as the Knot of Isis, which represented “ protection”. Many scholars believed the two were connected. The Ankh is commonly worn as a pendant, but it also makes for beautiful and symmetrical earrings and can be crafted onto rings, and bracelets, and worn as charms. Whether subtle or dramatic, the Ankh is a gentle reminder of life and the celebration of life. There’s a bit of debate over what the shape or figure of the Ankh is meant to represent. It’s a cross with a loop, but what is this cross? In the above image, for example, the Sun god Horus offers the life symbol to Ramesses II. In another image, the goddess Hathor – the Egyptian goddess of women, motherhood, and female sexuality – offers the Ankh to Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramesses II.Early Coptic (Egyptian) Christians used the ankh symbol as a staurogram – a representation of the Christian cross itself. It was also used as a “crux ansata” – a “handled cross”. It was a cross shaped like an Ankh but with a round rather than an oval loop on top. They didn’t see a problem in adopting a pagan symbol into their religion because the pagan Egyptians at the time had explained the Ankh as a symbol for the life to come – something that the Coptic Christians readily claimed to prophecy the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ.