Entry 17 / Symbols & amulets
Eye of Ra
The sun’s power, given a life of its own.
The Eye of Ra is an expression of the sun god’s power, often personified as a goddess who acts on his behalf. Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet and other goddesses could fulfil this role in different traditions. It is a religious identity and force, not only the name of an eye-shaped design.
Take a closer look ↓
Written in signs
Name & hieroglyphs
- Transliteration
- Jrt Rꜥw
- Familiar names & readings
- Eye of Ra / Eye of Re
One documented spelling, shown in a simple left-to-right line. Ancient spellings and the arrangement of signs varied. Transliteration records consonants; familiar readings supply conventional vowels.
The Egyptian phrase jrt Rꜥw means “eye of Ra”: jrt is “eye,” followed by the sun god’s name. The t belongs to the feminine noun for eye. The phrase is a title or designation, not the personal name of just one goddess.
The spelling shown writes both parts: an eye with its sound and word signs, followed by Ra’s name and a divine classifier. Different goddesses could embody the Eye of Ra. That helps explain why identifying it requires the surrounding story or inscription, not only the direction an eye motif faces.
01 / The story
More than a mirrored eye
Modern jewellery charts often place two eye drawings side by side and give each a simple meaning. Ancient evidence is richer. The Eye of Ra can act as a goddess: protecting the sun god, expressing his force and sometimes becoming dangerously distant or angry.
In traditions about the returning or distant goddess, a formidable divine presence is brought back and pacified. The same power that threatens disorder can then bring blessing. This is why a lioness-headed goddess can be relevant to the Eye of Ra even when no separate eye symbol appears.
02 / The story
Why show Sekhmet here?
The object illustrated here is an amulet of Sakhmet, another spelling of Sekhmet. Her lioness head and solar associations make her one expression of the Eye of Ra. The photograph illustrates a goddess who can embody the role; it is not being relabelled as an eye-shaped amulet.
For a comparison, follow the Eye of Horus entry. That symbol is rooted in the restoration of an injured eye. The two ideas share a wider Egyptian language of protection, but their stories help us understand the differences more carefully than a left-versus-right diagram alone.
Train your eye
Three details to notice.
Look beyond a drawn eye
An Eye of Ra goddess may appear as a lioness-headed woman or another powerful divine form.
Solar attributes
A sun disk and cobra can help establish a solar setting, though they are not exclusive to one goddess.
Read the name and story
Inscriptions and context are needed to identify which goddess or aspect is present.
A little more understanding
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Is the Eye of Ra a goddess?
It can be personified by a goddess. The role is associated with several named goddesses, rather than always being a separate deity with one fixed appearance.
Is the Eye of Ra the same as Sekhmet?
Sekhmet can embody the Eye of Ra, but the role is not exclusive to her. Other goddesses can also express it.
Can I identify the two eyes just by their direction?
Direction alone is not a reliable substitute for context. Names, surrounding imagery and the specific object’s history give a stronger interpretation.
How do you say Eye of Ra in Egyptian?
The phrase is conventionally transliterated jrt Rꜥw: jrt means “eye,” followed by Ra’s name. The vowels in modern readings are conventional.
Is Eye of Re a different term from Eye of Ra?
No. Ra and Re are two familiar renderings of the sun god’s name, so the two English phrases refer to the same designation.
Why can more than one goddess be the Eye of Ra?
The Eye is a divine role and expression of solar power. Different traditions identify that power with different goddesses rather than assigning it to one fixed person.
Can the Eye of Ra be protective and dangerous?
Yes. Its fierce power can defend the sun god and royal authority while also threatening enemies. Protection and destructive force are connected in these traditions.
Does every eye-shaped amulet represent the Eye of Ra?
No. Many eye amulets are identified as wedjat eyes. An inscription and the surrounding imagery are more reliable than a modern label based only on appearance.
From the library to your home
Keep the story close.
Explore pieces in our shop connected with this subject. The museum objects above are historical references; shop items have their own materials and descriptions.
Explore Sekhmet, an Eye of Ra goddess
Follow the connections
There’s more to this story.
The evidence behind the entry
Bibliography & image credits
Museum records, language references and published research used for this entry. Name spellings and interpretations are documented here alongside the historical sources.
- The Met — Assyria to Iberia, discussion of the Faraway Goddess
- The Met — Sakhmet amulet
- The Met — Wedjat eye amulet
- Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae — Jrt Rꜥw, lemma 28380 (accessed 20 October 2026)
Photograph: Sakhmet Amulet, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.43.13. Bequest of Mary Anna Palmer Draper, 1915. CC0 / Public domain. Resized for display; the complete photograph is preserved.