Shuti hieroglyph (two-feather adornment)

The ancient Egyptian Shuti, a two-feather adornment for crowns, is part of a series of hieroglyphs for "crowns"; usage as a hieroglyph is not as common as the actual crown represented in Egyptian art, and artworks.

Shuti two-feather adornment in hieroglyphs

One popular use of the Shuti, two-feather crown is by the deity Amun, one of his many crowns he is portrayed wearing. The tail feathers in this crown are generally straight, and are assumed to be the tail feathers of a falcon. They can be compared to the ostrich features in the Atef crown of Osiris, or the single ostrich feather that symbolizes Maat.

The shuti hieroglyph and crown may be based upon Maat's ostrich feather, the single curved-top "shu-feather" hieroglyph. It is shown in iconography in both the straight-feather form (when used as a doubled crown). However, the straight feathers of Amun's crown are thought to be falcon feathers.

Shuti and spelling 2, 3, of many in hieroglyphs

The Budge two-volume dictionary of hieroglyphs records 20 spellings for shuti, from multiple sources.^[1] Besides the single hieroglyph, nine spellings use the shuti as a determinative. Most spellings use the Shu-feather, often twice, the feather being the representation, and feather of Maat. Maat as a representative of truth, wisdom, justice, order, etc., in the kingdom, the iconographic headdress implies her role, to the one who wears the shuti two-feather adornments.

See also

• Gardiner's Sign List § S. Crowns, Dress, Staves, etc.
• Gardiner's Sign List
• List of Egyptian hieroglyphs

References

1. Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, E.A.Wallace Budge, p. 733B, volume II.

• Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23615-3)

Further reading

• Budde, Dagmar (2002). "'Die den Himmel durchsticht und sich mit den Sternen vereint'. Zur Bedeutung und Funktion der Doppelfederkrone in der Götterikonographie". Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur (in German). 30. JSTOR 25152860.