Zur Bedeutung Des Vogellaufes. Nebst Einer Deutung Des Vasen- Und Ruderlaufes

The king's actions depicted in Egyptian temples include a group of ritual scenes that are summarized in Egyptological literature under the term "sacrificial run" or "cult run", as the king as ritualist adopts a running posture in these scenes. This also includes the so-called "bird run", in which the running king holds a bird and one or more sceptre sticks. The depiction of this action first appeared in the temples of the 18th Dynasty and was handed down in temple decorations until Roman times. This study examines the symbolism of this action, including the question of the symbolic meaning of the running posture, which has not yet been satisfactorily answered. The solution found to this problem leads to the interpretation of two other cult races, namely the vase race and the oar race.