Egyptian Ankh

The ankh (pronounced 'ahnk') was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word  life. Gods may carry it by the loop, or bear one in each hand crossed over their breast. Latinists interpreted the symbol as a crux ansata, "cross with a handle".

What it was intended to represent remains a mystery to Egyptologists. Some have speculated that it was a stylized womb. Sir Alan Gardiner speculated that it represented a sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle.

The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art; it often appears at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy. The ankh symbol was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health." Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes, in art, the Ankh was shown being touched by a god onto a person, which usually symbolized conception.

A similar symbol (♀) was used to represent the Roman goddess Venus. This symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirror, is much more associated with a representation of the female womb. In astrology the same symbol is used to represent the planet Venus, in alchemy to represent the element copper, and in biology to identify the female sex.

The importance of the Ankh, and its symbolism to the Egyptians, lead to it being adopted by the early Christian church in Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic Church). Elsewhere, the main Christian symbol at the time was a stylized alpha, resembling a fish, and therefore known as Ichthys, the Greek word for fish. However, the symbol of a cross eventually spread throughout Christianity, and the distinct circular part of the Ankh was kept well into mediaeval times, the Ankh symbol often being used as a Christian talisman.