THE HARPOONER

This Egyptian sculpture is one of a pair of similar figures found together in one of the black wooden shrines set against the south wall of Tutankhamun's tomb. Carved in wood, the figure of the king is coated with gesso and gilded.

Here, King Tut is believed to be engaged in a religious rite. Impersonating the god Horus, whose earthly embodiment he was thought to be, the king is attacking the legions of Seth (the god of evil). According to legend, Seth's warriors changed themselves into hippopotami and crocodiles in order to attack the sun god in his boat. The hippopotamus of Seth would not be shown for magical reasons, because his presence might be a source of danger to the king in his journey to the other world.