Possibly the most beautiful form of magic writing is the hieroglyphics used by the Ancient Egyptians.  The script was, the Egyptians believed, given to them by the lunar god Thoth, master of languages and writing.  His control over the hieroglyphs and divine words increased his magical energies.  Indeed, hieroglyphic writing was considered so important that it was used only by the elite.  The hieroglyphs were used to record the deeds of the kings and to inscribe magic spells on the tombs of the great in order that they might safely reach the after-life.  The words themselves were considered to have great power and were inscribed on amulets which were sold to the ordinary people. 

Because only an elite learned this intricate script, it eventually died out and the secrets of the 'sacred writing', as teh Greeks called it, were not rediscovered until the last century.

There are three types of hieroglyphics:

• Those that represent a sound, like the letters of our own alphabet.  For example, a snake (see diagrams) is equivalent to our 'J' sound, as in 'John' or 'edge'.  However, one complication is that the Egyptian scribes used very few vowels.  So the sentence: 'Polly put the kettle on' would be rendered as 'Plly pt th kttl n'; rather like the speedwriting form of shorthand.
• Those that represent the sound or meaning of a word.  For example, nefer which looks like a lute stood neck-up, means 'beautiful'.  But it can also be used as part of another word to represent the three consonants 'n', 'f' and 'r'.  Jennifer would be a prime candidate.
• Finally, there are the 'determinatives' which tell the reader what sort of word the symbols represent.  For example, the symbols of a man or a kneeling woman might be added at the end of name to indicate the sex of the person named.  The day or sun symbol can also be tacked on to a word (but not pronounced) to give the sense of time.

For the Ancient Egyptians, a man or woman lived as long as his or her name was written or spoken.  For example, when Queen Hatshepsut died in 1470 BC, her stepson, as an act of vengeance, had her name chiselled off all her temples.  Thereafter she effectively disappeared from history.  In Egyptian tradition, writing your name in hieroglyphs was therefore an act of asserting your power and worth.

Hieroglyphs could be written from either right to left,  left to right or vertically.  The rule is that you read into the face of the animal or objects depicted.  Usually names were enclosed in a frame which we call a cartouche.  Using the alphabet provided, try writing your own name, remembering to leave out the vowels.  Mark thus becomes Mrk and Helen, Hln.  For C, as in Celia, use an S.  An X can be represented by a KS.  And F can be used instead of V.

	A is the vulture, a power word representing the protective power of Isis the divine mother, in death as well as life.  Therefore it is a symbol of protection from a powerful external source.
	B is the leg.  Not a power word, but you could associate it with swiftness of purpose.
	D is the hand.  Again not a power word, although the hieroglyph for two fingers is, representing Horus, a Sun God and God of Time, helping his father Osiris up the ladder to heaven.  By association you could therefore regard the hand as an instrument of help.
	F and V represent the viper.  Unlike the snake, this is not a power word but could nevertheless be regarded as swift, sharp, defensive action, for the viper only stings humans if it is under attack.
	G, the stand, is not a power word either.  A different hieroglyphic, the pillow, had the sacred power meaning of uplifting and so, by indirect association, the stand could be interpreted as lifting up or supporting someone in time of need.
	H, the rope, is not a power word, but vaguely resembles the amulet for the ladder and so could be regarded in the rising up rather than binding aspect.
	I and Y, the single and double reeds respectively, were used to make papyrus for recording wisdom and so could perhaps be regarded as symbols of knowledge and learning.
	J is the serpent.  Isis was regarded as the Snake Goddess and a serpent's head amulet was placed on dead bodies to prevent snakebite in the after-life.  A serpent rod was also used to open the mouth to free the soul.  So, again, by association, the serpent is a symbol of freedom.
	K or hard C, as in cat, is the basket.  Not a power word but it could mean sustenance or gift.  The alternative, the stair, could be a symbol of ambition or the desire for elevation or advancement in the worldly sense.
	L, the lion, has for the modern world such an association with courage and nobility that this would be an obvious meaning.  Plutarch reports that the lion was worshipped by the Egyptians who decorated their doorways with open lion mouths, as guardians to represent the rising of the Nile (because the river began to rise when the sun was in Leo).
	M, the owl, has traditionally been associated with wisdom, but it is also a bird of warning, so the meaning might be to listen to your own inner warnings and wisdom.
	N, water, is associated with the life-giving fertility of the Nile and so could legitimately be regarded as fertile.
	P, the stool, could be seen as a respite, a resting place, and so might suggest temporary sanctuary.
	R, the mouth, was vital after death so that the deceased person might utter the words of power that would enable him or her to gain entry to the next world (the ceremony of opening the mouth symbolically was therefore very important after death).  Thus the mouth could represent the power to communicate clearly.
	S or soft C, as in Celia, was the first letter of the word seneb, which means 'health' and was often used on its own in inscriptions to stand for the whole world.
	T, loaf, regarded in ancient societies as the staff of life, could represent the fulfilment of basic needs.
	W, the chick, a symbol of young life, could be seen as innocence, enthusiasm and new beginnings.
	(see I)

 So my name in hieroglyphs (in a cartouche) would look something like this:

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