Abstract
The ancient Egyptian god Osiris was represented in iconic forms in temple reliefs and statues, in semi-iconic form in the so-called corn-Osiris or Osiris-bed, and in aniconic form as the Djed-pillar. All three variations in iconicity are ritual representations of the god and somehow claim his real presence: the temple reliefs by (textually transmitted) conventions, the corn-Osiris by the real, sprouting corn that fills the Osiris outline or form, and the Djed-pillar by the very universality and immense potential of denoting without (yet) depicting or narrating. The synchronous occurrence of these degrees of iconicity illustrates aniconism as a rhetorical option, a matter of ritual design, not a cognitive or theological stage in the evolution of mankind.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Religion |
| Volume | 47 |
| Pages (from-to) | 366-377 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISSN | 0048-721X |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Jul 2017 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities