Atef is the white crown worn by many gods in ancient Egyptian mythology, including the pharaohs. Although worn by deities like Ra, Sobek, Thoth, and Heryshaf, the Atef crown is primarily associated with the god of death, Osiris, and it also symbolizes Osiris’ rule over both the earthly realm and the underworld.
The Atef crown is a combination of the white crown Hedjet with two bunches of ostrich feathers curled round on each side. These feathers represent justice, equality, and truth. Atef has various variations. From the era of the New Kingdom, sometimes a sun disk appears on top of the crown. In front of the crown, it is often adorned with a pair of horns (either from a bull or a ram) accompanied by a sun disk in the middle. Additionally, on the pair of horns, two Uraeus serpents also wear the sun disk.
Sahure was the first pharaoh to wear this Atef crown (5th Dynasty). During the Amarna period, during the reign of Akhenaten, the traditional Atef crown was replaced by the Hemhem crown, with three Hedjets joined together and decorated like the Atef. The sun disk on top of the crown was sometimes replaced with an image of a vulture.
Description
Between the two ostrich feathers lies a white surface of the crown resembling an elongated bulb. The ostrich feathers, lush at the base, form a small curl at the top. Similar single feathers were worn by the goddess of wisdom, Maat. The feathers of the Atef crown are somewhat reminiscent of falcon tail feathers; they also resemble the feathers of the Amun crown, except narrower and straighter, without curling at the top.
Osiris can be recognized by the Atef crown in ancient Egyptian frescoes. The Atef crown on Osiris’ head symbolizes his dominion over the afterlife. The feathers symbolize truth, justice, and balance. In appearance, the Atef crown resembles the Hedjet crown worn by the pharaohs of Upper Egypt. The difference between the two crowns is that the Hedjet crown lacked feathers on the sides.
The Hemhem crown is also known as the “triple Atef crown.”
Mythological Connections
In ancient Egypt, the Atef crown was the symbol of the rule of various kings (pharaohs) and deities, such as Khnum, Osiris, Horus, and the child Horus. In the Book of the Dead, it is said that Osiris received the crown of Atef as a sign of his earthly reign. In addition, since the Atef crown symbolized the rule of Upper and Lower Egypt, it could also replace the double crown (Pschent: The Red and White Crown of Pharaohs) on certain occasions.
The basic version of the Atef crown is a combination of the white crown of the south (one part of the Pschent crown) with a Maat ostrich feather on each side, optionally supplemented with two ram’s horns or, as has been the case since the New Kingdom, with uraeas and sun discs. It is very similar in structure and appearance to the Osiris crown.
The Atef is the crown worn by the god Heryshaf and sometimes by Osiris, as well as by the Pharaoh during certain rituals. It is the attribute of the mythical bird Bennu, representing the soul of Ra. It consists of a central striped mitre, topped by a disk and flanked by two ostrich feathers. A solar disk is at the base and center of the mitre, and two horizontal ram horns are often added. The crown also represents the hieroglyph S8 from Gardiner’s list, “ȝtf”.