Are Prayer Beads Ankhs in Disguise?

Are Prayer Beads Ankhs in Disguise?

As a scholar who has studied the world’s major religions and mythologies, I noticed decades ago that many forms of prayer beads, especially the Catholic rosary beads, are shaped like the Egyptian ankh.

The elongated oval, teardrop, or rosebud shape at the top of the ankh has long been known to symbolize Isis, the female creative principle in ancient Egyptian beliefs (also called a yoni, or vagina). The cross shape at the bottom of the ankh and at the bottom of the Catholic rosary beads, symbolizes Osiris, the male creative power (penis and two testicles). According to Eleanor Wiley and Maggie Oman Shannon in their book How to Make and Use Prayer Beads, Egyptians used prayer beads as early as 3200 B.C. (3). Wiley and Shannon do not explain what shape those prayer beads took, but it is quite possible that the ankh was reflected in those early prayer beads, as well, since Egyptian fashion worked the ankh into many forms of jewelry and clothing, possibly to increase their connections to life.



Together, the rosebud representing Isis and the cross representing Osiris symbolize life, believed to spring from the unity of the Nile River (Osiris) with the body of Egypt (Isis), from which the food of life arose. The river delta upon which ancient Egyptian culture grew and spread became the symbol of the female principle of life-giving. The four cardinal directions, which form the basic cross for most cultures of the world, have long been associated with season shifts, something the Egyptians had to keep track of to know when the Nile River would flood, so they would know when to sow their crops. The four sacred powers of the earth (each from a cardinal direction) are also symbolized in the Catholic rosary by the four main “mystery” beads around the oval, with the other sacred directions, up and down or heaven and earth, noted in the two “mystery” beads atop the cross portion of the rosary.

While the origins of the words used to name many kinds of prayer beads similarly reference roses, since many of the original prayer beads, even among the Hindus, were associated with those flowers, some believe, because many of the beads were made from crushed rose petals or rose hips, the rose, especially in bud form, has long been associated—like the lotus flower—with women’s genitalia. In fact, some Catholics object to using rosary prayer beads because the majority of the beads represent prayers to “Mary the Mother of God” than the “Our Father” beads, demonstrating how strongly the beads represent a much older goddess-oriented spiritual system than the Christian patriarchal one.

The ankh, the ancient Egyptian symbol of life, demonstrates their understanding of the balance between male and female creative powers. Pharoahs, in fact, were not descended through a patriarchal line, but through their matrialineal one. A man could not assume the position of demi-god for his people, unless he was born of a royal woman.

Interestingly, some online stores that sell Catholic rosaries, now include an ankh instead of a cross at the “tail” of the rosary—possibly bringing the tradition of prayer beads full circle, back to Egyptian beliefs, where they originated.