Akhekh

The Akhekh is a legendary creature or dragon in Egyptian mythology and art.

Etymology

The name comes from kkw, the Egyptian word for darkness.

Appearance

All descriptions of the creature have it as a quadruped with bird's wings, though different sources diverge: one description is that of an Oryx with a bird's wings and beak as well as serpent's tail, while French archaeologist Paul Pierret gave it in a book of his as a winged lion akin to the griffin of European mythology. Ancient egyptian myth writes of the Akhekh living in the deserts west of the Nile.

Role

The Akhekh was associated with the god Set, as well as his domains of darkness, the western desert, chaos, and water. Much like the Sha, it was either an ally of the god or an incarnation of Set. It also symbolised power and strength of the pharaoh during wartime, such as Ramesses II being compared to the Akhekh as he conquered the Hittites and terrorised them. The Metternich stele in particular depicts an Akhekh pulling an archer's chariot over two crocodiles.