Akhekh

Appearance

All descriptions of the creature have it as a quadruped with bird's wings, though different sources diverge: one description is that of an Oryx with a bird's wings and beak as well as serpent's tail, while French archaeologist Paul Pierret gave it in a book of his as a winged lion akin to the griffin of European mythology.

Some Egyptian traditions depict the Akhekh as a dragon with a serpentine shape and a crocodile-like snout, though other interpretations portray it with a bird-like head, resembling the griffin or hippogriff (and the axex may be the same as it). Additionally, it is often interpreted as a seclusive dragon or serpent of darkness, as well as a creature of the night. The term Akhekh has frequently been cited as an Egyptian term for dragons. A common trait of the Akhekh is that its body resembles an antelope and its head is adorned with three uraei (snake heads).

Role

The Akhekh was associated with the god Set, as well as his domains of darkness, the western desert, chaos, and water. Much like the Sha, it was either an ally of the god or an incarnation of Set. It also symbolised power and strength of the pharaoh during wartime, such as Ramesses II being compared to the Akhekh as he conquered the Hittites and terrorised them. The Metternich stele in particular depicts an Akhekh pulling an archer's chariot over two crocodiles.