The Mummy of a Falcon

The body of the mummified animal was first wrapped in linen strips and after the mummy was thus shaped into a form reminiscent of a human mummy it was wrapped in a linen shroud. Mummies prepared in this way were then decorated with colour painting. A striped wig was painted around the head and a broad wesekh-collar, symbolizing protection and rebirth, on the chest section. The preparations carried out on the mummy thus took place almost according to the prescriptions relating to the mummification of human corpses, since the falcon was the sacred animal of the god Horus.
In the cult of numerous Egyptian gods, the worship of the animal associated with a particular deity played an important role. The swift-winged falcon was revered as the manifestation of the god Horus, among others. On the famous statue of Khephren, classed as a masterpiece, the outstretched wings of the falcon god protectively embrace the ruler’s head. The pharaoh’s “Horus name” can be seen at the beginning of his titulary.