goldname

'the name of gold' (rn n nbw)

The king's 'Golden Horus' title, written with the Horus falcon surmounting the hieroglyph for gold (nbw), first appears in the archeological record with Horus Nebmaat (Snefru), the first king of dyn 4.

An inscription from the bed canopy of his wife, Hetepheres, mother of Horus Medjedju:  "Horus Nebmaat (Lord of Maat), Great God, endowed with life, endurance and power, Dual King, Lord of the Two Crowns (nbty), Nebmaat, the Golden Horus Snefru, Lord of the Htp, the Golden Horus, Foremost of the Places of the God, forever."  (Reisner 1955: 25)

Two examples of Horus Nebmaat's Golden Horus name:

(Reisner 1955:  Pl 8 c)

(Reisner 1955:  Pl 8 b)

In both examples, the elaborate headgear of the Golden Horus falcon has two tall feathers / ostrich plumes above the horizontal undulating horns of the Ovis longipes ram - the feathers / ostrich plumes, a possible allusion to Maat (Snefru's Horus name was Horus Nebmaat - Horus, 'Lord of Maat').  In the second example, the feathers / ostrich plumes are either side of a headress that is similar in shape to the White Crown - a combination similar to the Atef Crown.

The Horus name of Snefru, Horus Nebmaat, means Horus, Lord of Maat, and Snefru bore the epithet, Great God.  In one of the earliest secure attestations of the name of Osiris, his name is followed by the same epithets, 'Great God' and 'Lord of Maat'.

Netjerikhet's Dyn 3 serdab statue has an inscription on the front of the base that could read:

'The Dual King, (the one of) the Two Ladies, Netjerikhet, the Golden One / Sun(?)'

The hieroglyphs following 'Netjerikhet' are S12 (nbw) - ideogram for gold + a small circle or ring on the S12 sign.

According to G.A. Wainwright, this reads:  'Re-nub', 'the Sun of Gold' (Wainwright 1938: 97).  Hawass believes this is one of Netjerikhet's names that reads:  Ra-nebu ('Re of gold')  (Hawass 2006: 35)

These interpretations are based on the assumption the small circle or ring above the S12 sign, is the 'sun' ideogram N5 (ra).  Dr P. Kaplony is more cautious in his translation, and has 'njswt bity nebty Netjerikhet (Ra) Nwb' (R.A.R. I, 1977: 146-55) - ra in brackets means the reading is uncertain.

If Netjerikhet's 'golden name' was 'Sun of Gold' or 'Golden Sun', the king clearly associated himself with the sun (ra).

The small circle or ring over S12 is similar to the determinative for 'ring', S21, or the determinative for 'mineral', N33.

Faulkner has examples of S12 with a small circle beneath it, used in the words for:  'the Golden One' (an epithet of Hathor'), 'gold' and 'goldsmiths' (Faulkner 2002 (1962): 129).  If the small circle or 'ring' is N33, it could read:  Netjerikhet, the 'Golden One' or (the one) of gold'.

The same text is also found beneath Netjerikhet's funerary complex repeated twice between two shen-rings and three combined Djed / Tyet signs.

Detail of the frame around the northern niche in the 'South Tomb':

Unfortunately these photos do not show sufficient detail of the small circle or ring.  A fragment from a possible small shrine of Netjerikhet at Iunu however, clearly shows the 'sun' sign, N5 (ra) - a small circle within a larger circle - on top of the gold sign, S12 (nbw).  (Smith 1949: 133 fig. 48)

This reads:  Netjerikhet, 'Sun of Gold' or 'Golden Sun'

Another fragment has Seth with the epithet 'He of Ombos'  (Smith 1949: 134 fig. 51)

The sun sign + nwb 'gold' sign (Horus Netjerikhet's name of gold) may allude to Seth.  One of Seth's epithets was 'the Ombite' (nbwtj) - the 'golden one' - Ombos (nbwt) means 'City of Gold'.

You have provided yourself as (Seth), Great of Magic in Ombos (nbwt), lord of the Nile Valley land (Upper Egypt)  W 155 (TPMNNt);  PT 155;  Sethe Vol 1: 118  §204a

As the name of Seth is firm in Ombos (nbwt), the name of the king shall be firm.....  P 582, M 226, N 360;  PT 601;  Sethe Vol 1:  381  §1667a

Pepi's strength is Seth the Ombite's strength.  P 449

The Horus name of a Dyn 2 king was Nebra.  Hawass reads the name:  Raneb,  'Re is Lord' that suggests Re was worshipped at this time.  However, the name could also read Nebra, 'Lord of the sun', rather than Raneb, 'Ra is (my) lord' (Quirke 1992: 22).

Nebra / Raneb was the Horus name of the king - it probably should read 'Horus Nebra' (Hrw nb ra) - 'Horus, lord of the sun' that clearly associates Horus with the sun.

The Golden name of Horus Medjedju (Khufu) has two Horus falcons on the sign for gold.  Djedefra's Golden name has three Horus falcons on the sign for gold.  Khafra's name of gold reads, 'the Golden Horus is Powerful';  Menkaura, 'the Divine Golden Horus'; Userkaf, 'the Golden Horus is beautiful'.

One of the earliest appearences of the name of gold as part of the king's titulary is from Dyn 1.  A fragment of an ivory box panel from the reign of Den has the S12 'gold' sign with the shen-ring (Snw) beneath it, next to Den's Horus name, 'Horus Den' (Hrw dn).  Above the 'gold' sign is a rearing cobra? snake. 

A Dyn 1 label of Qaa has 'Golden Horus' (Hrw Nbw) as part of a possible domain name:

link

In the Pyramid Texts, gold is often mentioned in connection with the sun:

.....this Pepi will row the Sun in the sky's span, a star of gold (sHD n nb) on whom the sunlight's bull has put the headband, a spear of gold to the sky's span.  P 318;  PT 467;  §889

This Pepy has come to you Sun, a calf of gold to whom the sky gave birth, an underdeveloped one of gold whom Hezat created.  Horus take this Pepi with you, alive and stable.  Horus, don't maroon this Pepi.  P 337;  PT 485;  §1029-30

...the sun's bark of gold  T 181;  PT 359;  §602c

Ho, Neith!  Raise yourself on your metal bones and your golden limbs.  This body of yours belongs to a god:  it cannot moulder, it cannot end, it cannot decay.........The sky in its flood of stars will end if the warmth in you ends.  Your flesh has been born to life, and you shall live more than the stars live in their life.  Nt 249  (CT 519)

The 'Enclosure of Gold' (Hwt nbw) was the "place in which the Mouth-Opening Ritual was performed on a statue, perhaps referring to the gilding of the statue;  also, the name of the place where the Mouth-Opening Ritual was performed on a statue of Osiris at Abydos." (J.P. Allen 2005: 429) 

The 'house of gold' (Hwt nwb):  the sculptor's workshop where sacred statues were made (GM7 Brovarski 2000: 183)

In the Pyramid Texts of Pepi and Neith, an inscription reads:  "Your mouth has been parted by 'the great one of the morning' (an adze, dwA-wr with 'star' determinative) in the 'House / Enclosure of Gold' (Hwt nbw)."  PT 540 §1329c

An inscription on a stone block from Userkaf's royal cult complex at Saqqara:  "He of Behdet, The Great God, the colorfully feathered one, who has come forth from the horizon, the perfect god, the lord of appearences.  .........The perfect god, the lord of cult activity, the Horus Irmaat, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Userkaf."  (Strudwick 2005: 83)

Chris Tedder

November 2007