This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Origin of the Eye of Horus

Dr. Brien’s Medical History Moment

As the What’s Your Diagnosis? case for the August 2014 issue of Infectious Diseases in Children gave a brief review of eye infections in babies, I thought we would “look” way back to the history of the Eye of Horus and its place in the history of medicine.

We previously discussed the origins of the Caduceus, and its importance in the symbolism of medicine. Likewise, the Eye of Horus has significance as well. In Egyptian mythology, about 3000 years BC, Horus was the God of the sky and war, who had the head of a falcon, along with falcon-like eyes (Figure 1, the left eye of Horus). Horus was the son of Isis, the goddess of health and love, and Osiris, the god of the afterlife. According to one popular legend, Osiris was murdered by his brother, Set (not sure why). However, the remains of Osiris was recovered by his wife, Isis, who used some magic to bring him back to life long enough to impregnate her with Horus before dying again. With the birth of Horus, Isis fled to hide in the weeds of the Nile, because she knew Set would want to also kill Horus (again, not sure why). Nonetheless, the two ultimately met to battle over Egypt; a clash that was ultimately decided in favor of Horus by “The Gods,” earning him the title of the “God of War.”

   Figure. The left eye of Horus

During the battle, Horus lost his left eye, but was restored by Khunsu, the god of youth and moon. His right eye came to represent the sun, and the left eye, the moon, which covered most of the “sky” part of his title. Obviously, a lot more can be found, with variations on the same story in the literature, but that’s the general depiction.

So, what does this have to do with medicine? As the eye was “magically” restored, it became the symbol of healing and sacrifice. Additionally, some liken it to the appearance of the sagittal view of the thalamus and pineal gland (drag out your old Gray’s Anatomy). This magical left eye also resembles the letter “R,” which many believe is the root for the Rx symbol, while others believe the Rx to be the abbreviation for the latin word for “Recipe.” Perhaps it is both. You can decide for yourself, as you will not likely find proof one way or the other. But it’s fun to imagine.

Next month, I thought we might look toward another controversial figure from the ancient world: Imhotep. In the meantime, stay cool and stay in touch.