Foreleg of ox
The Foreleg of ox hieroglyph of ancient Egypt is a hieroglyph; it is the nighttime constellation Ursa Major called as Maskheti constellation. It came to have many uses in ancient Egypt over its entire history.
Iconographic usage
Offered as "thigh-forward", "meat"
One of the major iconographic uses in ancient Egypt of the ox-foreleg was as part of the food offering to the individual being honored, and engraved upon their steles. Often, besides lying on the top of the pile of food offerings, it is shown being presented to the honored individual, thigh first.Offered as "hoof-forward", "strength"
Iconographically used as the symbolism of strength, power, dominion.List of uses
A list of uses for the foreleg hieroglyph, with no order of importance actually implied:- Foreleg of ox, a "choice cut of meat".
- Mortuary offering for ritual; the first item shown in the formulaic listing of items given to the deceased on the funerary stele.
- In ritual ceremony, the right and left forelegs of oxen are always "unfettered" while incapacitating the oxen and are the sacrificed forelegs.
- Ideogram, or determinative–
"thigh", "arm"
'khepesh' ,. - The "strong arm", the strength implied by royal or divine gift.
- for "strength" in dedication ceremonies such as the Opening of the Mouth; also before mummy interment.
- The foreleg-thigh shape is equivalent to the power implied from the similar-shaped scimitar presented by deities.
- "The Foreleg of Ox" as Ursa Major constellation.