This article continues the exploration of a trinity symbol of three fishes, a deep dive for sure. It’s the symbol used as the logo for this website with colors that were my personal choice and were likely not depicted exactly that way in ancient times. Purple relates to amethyst, and turquoise relates to the mineral. Both were associated with the Egyptian Goddess Hathor.

The subject may not generate broad interest. But on the other hand, it’s become one of the most-read subjects on this blog. So, I’m elaborating on the subject here as I am always learning more. The symbol is deeply meaningful, as related to the origins of the trinity found across many world spiritual systems. 

As shared previously, I have been drawing variations of the fish symbol since I was a kid. In elementary school, I doodled it for years after seeing a version of it on the cover of a book of poems by a relative and then in a school book. The doodling became an obsessive habit that continued well into my high school years. It was such a frequent subject that I actually avoided drawing it in my art classes in later life. I had drawn it countless times.

Fishes Guiding New Explorations

In the last couple of years, I was shocked when I found the symbol again. I had been writing about ancient Egyptian subjects like the Goddess Hathor of my own choice sometime around 2019. Unfortunately, the site that published my article apparently took it down, so I’ve reposted it from a saved copy here.

When I came across the three fish symbol online one day several years ago, the reference told me it was a symbol of Hathor. Given how much I had been exploring the subject on my own, I was surprised. Suddenly, things made sense. Certainly, it was one of those profound synchronicities. Life will take you in interesting directions if you pay attention and keep your mind open. In a real way, these fishes guided me to explore what I’m writing here on this blog.

Searching for the Meaning of the Fish Trinity

And I’m still trying to figure out the specifics of the trinity symbol and the meanings. I’ve studied the subject since then and gone on deep dives. Through studying these ancient beliefs, I’ve had enlightening experiences that most would probably dismiss. Therefore, I won’t elaborate here. But I’m guessing some of my readers know what I’m referring to – a very real spiritual awakening. When you know, you know.

As it turned out, there are many possibilities for the meaning of this ancient fish trinity. As you wade into the waters of ancient Epygtian Neterian (cosmic laws of nature) beliefs, it gets incredibly complex and metaphysical. It’s all the more reason I find their beliefs astounding, like awakening to what you’ve always known deep down. The truth resonates deep within the well of our hidden consciousness. If you tune in, you can intuitively recognize it.

The Waters of the Primordial Universe

Keep in mind that I’m not an Egyptologist or religious scholar. I don’t attend any church finding most religious systems stifling and disagreeable. Yet intuition is the best teacher according to these beliefs. As I’ve come to understand, before life on Earth began, there was a sea of undifferentiated consciousness. But out of this, the Nberdjer, everything we know, was born. Call it the Big Bang if you like. 

Out of one ultimate consciousness came a genderless being, Net or Neith, who wove a matrix, the illusion of the material world. For my science-minded readers, which I am too, it’s a lot like what pioneering scientists are finding: that space might have an imprint of memory that “holographically generates time.” 

From the primordial sea of gravitational waves and Sacred Geometry, the first cosmic laws of nature were set into motion. Call it mathematical equations if you like.

The Pilot Fishes of Ra – Abtu and Anet

With the creation of the material world/illusion, the laws of nature began. They are what the Sages described in ways to make them more relatable to the human experience. I think of it as an incredibly wise teacher creating a story for those with the comparative intellect of children. As part of the storytelling, the Neters were described as personified beings like Ra and the gods and goddesses. Regardless of gender, they were absolute equals, unlike in many mainstream religions today. It’s an unfortunate and hugely consequential problem for imbalanced and violent societies today.

Anyway, besides taking a human form, these beings were depicted zoomorphically as well, such as a fish. One of the stories of divine fish that I find fascinating is that fish acted like pilots under the boat or barque of Ra. This story definitely imparts possible meanings to the three fish’s symbol.

These are Protective Fishes

The fish, Abtu (Abt), and Anet (Ant) were briefly featured in a book called the “Book of Imaginary Beings,” so people all over the world know of them. But, alas, the context renders them as nothing more than whimsical.

“As all Egyptian knew, Abtu and Anet were two life-sized fishes, identical and holy, that sawm on the lookout for danger before the prow of the sun god’s ship. Their course was endless; by day, the craft sailed the sky from east to west, from dawn to dusk, and by night, made its way underground in the opposite direction,” the book stated.

Anet and Net

Interestingly, one of the fish’s names is Ant or Anet, which contains the name Net. As with other Egyptian animal symbols, they can represent deities in zoomorphic forms. They are taking on specific qualities of the animal in question but are not actually animals. Taking things literally without the esoteric meaning is another hugely consequential error.

Thus, these metaphorical laws of nature are depicted as fish navigating the sea of consciousness/waves/gravity. And, their role is protective, helping Ra avoid the always-present chaos of entropy in the form of a snake, Apep. For scientists, it’s the constant fight against the second law of thermodynamics. How can a scientist explain how the incredibly complex tapestry of life exists despite the constant tendency to disorder?

Anet and Amun

Going with the idea that the fish could be associated with Net, she was the consort of Amen or Amun, the all-pervasive observing consciousness. So, possibly, Anet and Amun are two fishes navigating the primordial sea of consciousness. If you look at the symbol in the picture above, there are two fish in the hieroglyph for the Ant fish. That leaves Ra’s other protective pilot fish, Abtu, which is linked to Osiris and Isis or Aset.

Aset (Isis) and Abtu

According to one source, the goddess Isis or Aset, the Goddess of intuitional wisdom, transformed into the Abtu fish. And Isis is part of the Anunian trinity of Asar (Osiris), Aset (Isis), and Heru (Horus) (There are many such Egyptian trinities from different locations and times.).

“Isis, as ‘Abtu, Great Fish of the Abyss,’ was identified with the penis-swallower within the city of Oxyrhynchus.”

Wow, that’s a whole other subject, but it’s again, not literal. Pardon the humor, but it’s not related to a literal erection but to the resurrection of Osiris, in which his material regenerative capacity was lost, symbolized as his phallus. The Goddess Aset’s intuitional wisdom helps Osiris find the missing parts and achieve a spiritual resurrection. Afterward, Horus became his (or her) earthly manifestation so that he (or she) may live here and then find eternal life after death.

I recommend the books by Muata Ashby for further exploration, as this is the origin of the resurrection mythos. I can barely touch on these subjects, which are beyond the scope of a blog post. However, I hope to inspire others to learn more for themselves.

Goddess Hatmehit Wears a Fish Symbol

Another sacred fish is associated with the goddess Hatmehit or Hatmehyt. Her name could mean “Foremost of Fish or Flood,” from the words ḥꜢt “Chief, head, foremost” and mḥyt “fish,” while the root, mḥj, means “to flood.”

She was particularly worshipped in the Delta below Mendes. Mendes is the city’s Greek name, but Djeddu, or Djedet, was the Egyptian name. It was the sacred city of Osiris or Asar and thus -again – important for the story of the spiritual resurrection of Osiris. That story involved the Djed pillar, representing both the spine and a tree.

Similar to other deities, Hatmehit could be depicted as a woman with a fish or dolphin on her head or simply as a fish. Her male counterpart is a deity depicted with four ram heads, Banbebdjedet. It’s compelling to know that “ram” sounded like “soul” in Egypt. Thus, Benbebdjedet is considered the ba or soul of Osiris, as well as many other deities, including Ra.

“Horus, the Child” is the offspring of Hatmehit and Benbeddjedet. If you’ve studied Egyptian beliefs, you know Horus, often depicted as a hawk, is Osiris’s earthly manifestation within an enlightened human being. So, he’s taking flight to the higher realms, the Duat or Astral plane, as it were. In scientific terms, we can liken it to quantum entanglement.

A Trinity Symbol

This city, Mendes, is known for a trinity, the Mendesian triad, Hatmehit, Banebdjedet and Horus the Child, or Harpocrates. As for the latter, he sat on a lotus and put his finger to his mouth, given the power of the spoken word. That’s a topic worthy of further exploration, too, as it relates to Buddhist beliefs. As shared before, the three fishes symbol was also found in Buddhism before the earliest depictions of Buddha as a human.

Certainly, the three fishes symbol could well be related to the Mendesian triad. Although said to be associated with Hathor, Hatmehit may be considered an aspect of all the other goddesses. In her aspect, she relates to the “creative matrix of water” in all life.

Hatmehit as the Eye of Ra

The symbol on Hatmehit’s head may debatably be a Lepidotus, dolphin, or catfish. In later periods, she adopted the crown of Hathor and Isis. Like Hathor, she is referred to as the Golden “Eye of Ra.” Yet at Dendera, Isis, or Aset, is explicitly referred to as Hatmehit. Once again, they are best understood as subtle aspects of one another. The same applies to the male gods.

Like Isis, Hatmehit protected Osiris, helping to find his missing pieces in the water after being dismembered by Set, the ego. Like the pilot fish beneath the boat of Ra, the goddesses rid Osiris of enemies who would hinder the spiritual resurrection. The material world has so many diversions that can stop people from finding the light.

Video about Hatmethit via Ancient Times:

Oxyrhynchus, a City of Sacred Egyptian Fish

This story of divine fishes would be remiss if we didn’t travel to a city where there were fish were considered sacred and related to Hathor/Hatmehit. Oxyrhynchus is west of the Nile, where an ancient Egyptian city, Per-Medjed, the Pharaonic name in the Nubian period, stood. Per means ‘House,’ and Medjed is curiously a type of elephantfish or Mormyrus with a downturned snout. As we saw, the word Djed also has deeply spirtual meanings.

It’s worth noting that the Egyptian word for the oxyrhynchus fish, ẖꜣt, is a phonogram for the same word for “corpse” in English. And we also saw that Hatmehit’s name contains ḥꜢt for “Chief, head, foremost.” Osiris is often depicted as mummified, similar to a corpse.

Besides the oxyrhynchus, there were many kinds of real fish considered sacred in Egypt.

For example:

• Nile perch (Lates niloticus) at Esna (later Greek Latopolis)
• Barbel (Labeobarbus bynni) at the city of Lepidontopolis
• Oxyrhynchus fish (a Mormyrid fish) at Per-medjed (modern city of El-Bahnasa)

In addition, the tilapia was also a common symbol, most often referenced as a sacred Egyptian fish. Tilapia, sometimes with a lotus in its mouth, is generally considered a symbol of rebirth and fertility. And the three-fish symbol also features three lotuses.

You can see these four Tilapia fish were depicted with the color turquoise below:

Mummified Fish in Coffins

As with other sacred animals, fish were mummified and dedicated to their respective god or goddess. But capturing these fish was taboo in some places. At some sites, mummified fish have been found in coffins, some shaped like the fish they contained. 

As with the bronze and wooden figures, the coffins contain ‘Hathor crowns.’ These are cow horns with a solar disk, symbolizing one consciousness between earthly duality. But variations show two feathers, an Atef Osiris crown between the horns. Rare examples show the Kundalini or Sekhem serpents with the fish, which relates to the Atef crown.

Excavations in recent years at Oxyrhynchus turned up approximately 50,000 fish mummies, with Mormyrus being the most common. Often, they were found in bundles of two or three fish. Could it be related to the Trinity? 

According to Plutarch, three fish were related to the Osiris resurrection story as having figuratively eaten the phallus (as a symbol of regeneration).

• Oxyrhynchus Medjed fish
• Lepidotus – Labeobarbus bynni
• Phagrus, possibly tilapia, or Bagrus catfish

While the oxyrhynchus fish is linked to the Goddess Hathor, Labeobarbus is linked to Mehyt, or Mehit, whose name is “the-one-who-is-filled.” As we saw, mḥyt relates to “fish” and Hatmehit. 

Fish Symbols Related to the Resurrection of Osiris

The authors of a study of excavations at Oxyrhynchus, Jérôme Gonzalez and Wim van Neer, noted the Egyptian telling of this fish issuing forth from the corpse of Osiris like the “humours/flood.” It brings to mind that Hatmehit’s name also contains a reference to the flood waters of the Nile.

“The bodily fluids need to be reintegrated ritually in order to proceed to the renewal of the god,” he states. “In this sense, the oxyrhynchus could be a vector of renewal, just like the goddess Hathor/Theoris acted as receptacle for regeneration,” they wrote.

Once more, the fish are again related to birth and resurrection. Further, they suggest the Labeobarbus may be symbolic of collecting or containing the regenerated body parts of Osiris. A similar Egyptian symbol is the Imiut or Anubis fetish. This standing object was a headless animal skin, which was stuffed and wrapped with linens. Then, it was tied to a pole, and a lotus bud or papyrus was attached to the tail of the skin.

Then, the completed pole was planted upright in a pot as if to grow. The imiut was often depicted in relation to Osiris, who was associated with a tree that sprang from him.

Excavations of the Oxyrhynchus (El-Bahnasa) site also include the “Osireion,” stone statuary/ underground necropolis dedicated to Osiris from the Ptolemaic period.

Oxyrhynchus Papyri and Gnostic Christianity

After many conquests of Egypt, the city where fish were so prominently worshipped became one of the centers of early Christianity. 

After Alexander the Great’s takeover in 332 BC, Oxyrhynchus became one of the largest cities and had more churches than any other city in Egypt. It became a key Christian center in ancient times, according to Dirk Obbink. He’s the general editor of “The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project,” the largest cache of early Christian manuscripts discovered to date at the site. Found in half a million fragments of papyri, they are written in Coptic Egyptian and reveal much about the earliest Gnostic Christian beliefs.

It’s fascinating to know that the site where the Egyptians worshipped the fish symbols flows directly into beliefs that are practiced worldwide today. But many choose not to see that the gentle waters all flow together with profoundly deep connections to ancient Egypt.

In the modern world, we see the Caduceus and the symbol of two fishes, Pisces, everywhere. It may be surprising, but the two-fish symbol, exactly like Pisces, is one of the first symbols of Christianity. Other variations included the third fish in a trinity.

Interestingly, the Pisces symbol often shows slight differences in the fish, with one often being golden, bringing to mind the Egyptian goddesses.

Ancient Teachings of Jesus

Of note, a recently published Papyrus from Oxyrhynchus contained sayings from Jesus dating to the 2nd Century CE, written before the New Testament. They were mostly about not worrying so much. That’s certainly timely at this point in our history, with ignorance causing more wars in the Holy Land.

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear,” Papryus fragment 5575 states, closely matching Luke 12:22.

As with other ancient Egyptian sites, the place where these celebrated papyri were found is often called a “trash heap.” As usual, there is rare mention of the sacred nature of the area to the ancient Egyptians.

The Pisces symbol often shows a thread connecting the fishes. Perhaps people need not worry so much that the threads in their belief systems absolutely connect with the ancient ones. If they listen to their inner guides, they are always free to take a deep dive without fear. If more people were willing to swim there, this world might find a great deal more peace.

Video by Tablets and Temples:

More about the Oxyrhynchus Papyri from “Wrestling with God:

Featured image: Tilapia via Wikimedia Commons, Oxyrhynchus via Wikimedia Commons, Lepidotos via Wikimedia Commons