; the Trope Namer, Wadjetnote and Ra. It's also sometimes called the Eye Of Ranote ; even though the Sun Disk was just as likely to be used to represent Ra's "Eye" in Ancient Egypt, and has been used as a title for various goddesses who worked with Ra in some fashion. Aside from the temples of the before mentioned gods it was also commonly found on the bow of ships and as funerary amulets for mummies in an attempt to protect them. It also may have been the inspiration for the Eye Of Providence and the RX symbol, but there's little evidence to support this.
Nowadays, what it originally stood for is all but completely forgotten and now simply serves as a way to show that something is in some way related to Egypt, its history and mythology; beyond said symbol's existence of course. Naturally if the Eye Of Horus can be easily affiliated with any of the above paragraphs it is a Subverted Trope, with the only exceptions being with royal power a.k.a. the pharaoh and Ra. The pharaoh is excepted from this because it wasn't a symbol they used every day, you'd probably be lucky to even see it in the form of eyeliner. The god Ra is excepted because his "eye" can be the Wadjetnote or the Sun Disk, meaning when the Wadjet is used it's likely a Invoked Trope or the creator simply didn't know about the Sun Disk.
Compare and contrast with Build Like an Egyptian where it's the architecture that's Egyptian, though the two may overlap. Distinct from, but often confused with, the Eye of Providence.
Examples
open/close all folders
Anime and Manga
- Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Millennium Puzzle has the Eye Of Horus on it. It's ultimately a Subverted Trope though since the puzzle contains the soul of Pharaoh Atem, which the Eye is meant to protect. The Millennium Symbol or Eye Of Anubis though are clearly still based off the Eye Of Horus.
Comic Books
- Smite: Ra's throne (for everything else see Video Games below).
- Zatanna (2010): When the Mummy Hassan speaks his Speech Bubbles are filled with Egyptian Hieroglyphs which include the "Eye" and even Ra's sun disk, with neither one actually being words in the Egyptian language just religious symbols.
- Blue Beetle: Being a superhero based on Egyptian Mythology, The Eye of Horus appears as an evil deitynote that fights this superhero in the Charlton era, but also appears in DC era pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths as described below:
- Charlton Comics: The Eye of Horus is an ancient entity that takes on the appearance of a stylized Egyptian green eye. It comes from Egypt and desires to enslave the entire world. Those it enslaves become hawk-headed creatures who do its bidding. The Eye battled the former wielder of the Blue Beetle Scarab and thus was imprisoned for millennia to come. In the 20th century, Dan Garrett the first Blue Beetle encountered this weapon and defeated it by speaking its true name in vowels - The Eye of Ra.
- DC Comics: The Eye returned when it was excavated from an ancient pyramid by Helen Rock, the reincarnation of Hawkman's eternal enemy Hath-Set, and was used against Infinity, Inc.
- Doctor Fate: With it's roots in Egyptian Mythology it naturally appears.
- Sometimes the "Helmet Of Fate"note is depicted with them over the helmet's eyeholes◊. This makes sense because it's creator Nabu was Egyptian, and without them you wouldn't know of it's relation to Egypt with it looking more like a Greek helmet◊.
- Can sometimes be seen inside the Tower of Fate.
- Sometimes the "Helmet Of Fate"note is depicted with them over the helmet's eyeholes
- John Constantine: In the issue "Voice In The Fire" Anubis appears and has the "symbol" around his eyes. Dr. Fate also appears and they're on his helmet.
- Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder: "The Heliopic Brotherhood Of Ra" uses this as their symbol.
- Subverted in PS238: The Revenant uses a stylised and reversed Eye of Horus (making it resemble an 'R') as his logo, but it's eventually revealed it has nothing to do with ancient Egypt and everything to do with him being a fan of The Alan Parsons Project.
Films — Live-Action
- Night at the Museum: The "Eye Of Horus" can sometimes be seen on the Tablet Of Ahkmenrah, which likely make it a example of this trope, unless the "good health" symbolism is being used to mean bring everything to life at night. Though the third film make this even more unlikely with the reveal that the tablet's power comes from the Egyptian deity Khonsu, the moon god.
- The Mummy (2017): A very large "Eye Of Horus" is seen among the hieroglyphics in Princess Ahmanet's tomb.
- Stargate: The Eye is seen by Jackson in the town (he calls it the Eye of Ra however), indicating the people are descended from ancient Egypt originally.
Literature
- The Kane Chronicles: In the series' title the word "Kane" is heavily stylized to resemble the Eye Of Horus; the actual Horus is a major Recurring Character, but it's still being used to symbolize the stories roots in Egyptian Mythology.
- Theodosia: Though the third book Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus doesn't follow the trope all of the other ones do often having various letters like the "Js" and "Ss" stylized to resemble the Eye Of Horus.
- Reignited: A companion book to the Reawakened Series; which is itself is based on Egyptian Mythology, has a Eye Of Horus on it's cover.
- The Kings Man Trilogy: It's present on each book's cover.
- The Queue: It's present on the book's cover.
- The Ancient Egypt Series: The cover of The Quest has the "Eye Of Horus" present on it.
- The Mummy, Or Ramses The Damned: The page labeled part 1 has the "Eye" on it. Though it could be there to remind the reader that the Mummies were pharaohs, this is unlikely though since the fact that Ramses and Cleopatra were pharaohs has little to do with the story.
- Soul Eater Series: The first book in the series Hidden Blade◊ possess the "eye" on it's cover, which likely serves as a way to quickly alert the reader to this series' use of Egyptian Mythology.
- Fall Of Egypt Series: On some covers of the first book Cleopatra's Shadows◊ the "eye" present.
- An Athenian Mystery: From the series The Singer From Memphis has several Egyptian hieroglyphs on the books cover, including the "Eye". Naturally as the book's title implies it takes place in Memphis, Egypt.
- Lord Meren Series: On some covers of the fourth book Eater Of Souls◊ the "Eye Of Horus" is present.
- Numerous history books such as Pyramid Builders.
- 3-D Thrillers!: The 3-D glasses for some versions of the Mummies book are Egyptian themednote and have the Wadjet for the eyes.
- The Time Traveling Cat: The cover of the Egyptian Goddess book has the eye on it.
- Ra The Mighty Cat Detective: The "R" in "Ra" is made to look like the eye. Normally this wouldn't be allowed, but seeing as this Ra is a cat...
- Gods and Warriors: Bronze Age Egypt note is the setting place of the penultimate book, and one of the recurring characters is an Egyptian slave named Userref who has worn his brother's wedjat amulet made of bronze ever since he was enslaved.
Live-Action TV
- Farscape an Interion artifact has the "Eye of Horus" on it, which leads Crichton to conclude that, even though he's incredibly far from Earth, his species and the Interions are somehow related.
- Stargate: Ra's symbol is the "Eye Of Horus" instead of the sun disk. This could simply be a mistake on the producers part though with the "Eye" sometimes being mistaken as the "Eye Of Ra"note .
- House of Anubis: Downplayed, the "Eye Of Horus Locket" is not the proper symbol.
- Doctor Who: The villain Sutekh has them and his people the Osirans helped create what would be known as Ancient Egypt.
- Monty Python's Flying Circus: The trippy song used for the introduction to "It's The Mind" (In the "Deja Vu" sketch) is called "Eye Of Horus."
Music
- Subverted by The Alan Parsons Project. It is the cover of Eye In The Sky, but there is nothing "Egyptian" about the album.
- The Title Track of Iron Maiden's Powerslave is about a Pharaoh in his deathbed, and the opening line is "Into the abyss I fall\The Eye of Horus". The album cover◊, featuring a pyramid, has many Sphinx statues with the Eye of Horus in both their sockets.
Tabletop Game
- Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Eye is used as the icon for the Sun God Ra and his associated nemeses: The Ennead, Anubis, and Ammut.
- Weird N Wild Creatures: Anubis is depicted with them.
Toys
- LEGO: The Vampyre Castle of the Monster Fighters series set come with the Mummy Moonstone piece; which naturally has the "Eye Of Horus" on it, as a reference to the Mummy as opposed to some other Egyptian themed item.
Video Games
- Overwatch: Pharah and her mother Ana, the two playable Egyptian characters, have an eye of Horus tattoo. However, Ana subverts the trope since she had it for being a symbol of "protection". Pharah zig-zags this trope, though; initially having the symbol to honor her mother's passingnote (as opposed to something else), she eventually appreciates it as a symbol of protection (and a sign of her duty as a protector).
- Civilization: The Eye of Horus has remained the icon of the Egyptian civilization since icons were introduced in IV.
- An Egyptian Tale, a game set in ancient Egypt (yeah, what else?) have the eye repeatedly showing up on walls, pillars, and murals.
- Smite: Aside from being present with some of the gods (see below) it's also part of the Egyptian Pantheon icon and present on many of the Egyptian gods attack icons. Ironically, Horus himself is only joined the roster in 2019, seven years after the game's release.
- Ra's staff has the "Eye" present on it; possibly due to being mistaken as the "Eye Of Ra", his eyes also have marking around them making his eye's resemble it.
- Isis has it present in her design.
- Thoth's Hieroglyphic Assault attack.
- Horus himself uses it three times to provide subverted examples (after all, it's...actually him) - a bright-green one serves as the icon for his passive Resolute, Protector's Surge has the symbol used as the indicator for the protection buff it provides and also appears over the head of the target prior to use as Horus is selecting the target (fittingly, as the ability consists of dashing to an ally to help them, healing Horus and all allies near the target and giving Horus and the target a buff to protections, it essentially exemplifies all of the symbol's associations all by itself), and the Eye of Horus appears over the area that Horus is teleporting to with To the Skies!.
- Even Set uses it for a subversion in a small way - as he is the enemy of Horus, an Idle Animation has Set magically draw one over the ground before he angrily backhands it away.
- Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile: The "Eye" is on the games cover.
- The Sims 3: Several in the World Adventures expansion pack.
- Two of the most useful relics that can be found in Egypt are the "Eyes of Horus". They don't seem to have any relationship with its classic use.
- A tapestry of King Nayr has it◊.
- Tomb Raider: Several times, see below.
- Tomb Raider I: The "Eye" can be found in the "Obelisk Of Khamoon" as one of four keysnote needed to move forward.
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary: Same as the original version, see above for more.
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation: The "Eye" exists as a key in "The Tomb of Seth" level.
- Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris: A "Eye of Horus" can be found as a target in the "Tomb of the Timekeeper" level.
- Assassin's Creed Origins: The franchise's usual logo is merged with the Eye Of Horus.
- DC Legends: The icon for Doctor Fate's "Spectacle of Osiris" ability is the Eye.
- Submachine features the Eye of Horus in the ninth game, The Temple, with several other Egyptian motifs throughout the series.
- ARK: Survival Evolved: Raia; who's Egyptian, has her Explorers Notes separated from the other notes with this.
- Diggys Adventure: Appears in some Egyptian tombs.
- Minecraft: The symbol is present on Acacia Doors and possibly large chestsnote in the Egyptian Mythology pack.
- La-Mulana: "Sleep under Wadjet" is one of the puzzles. If you already know what "Wadjet" means, you can solve this one a little sooner than you're meant to.
Web Animation
- Overly Sarcastic Productions' episode "Sekhmet/Eye of Ra" begins by noting how ubiquitous this is as a symbol of ancient Egypt, then segues into explaining the myth behind it (namely, Ra plucking his eye out to create the War Goddess Sekhmet).
Western Animation
- Mummies Alive!: Presley Carnovan has it on his amulet, which makes sense since he's the reincarnation of a Egyptian prince. A better example would be the Hot-Ra.
- Teen Titans Go!: The episode "Rad Dudes With Bad Tudes" has it appear on a bike when Starfire is talking about the "ancient Earth times" with the entire scene done to look like it's carved in stone, Ancient Egyptian style.
- Robot Chicken: In the episode Your Mouth Is Hanging Off Your Face, the Egyptian vase that Alf eats kitty soup from has a large eye of Horus on it, to help make it look Egyptian.
- Subverted on Gargoyles, where an Artifact of Doom called the Eye of Odin actually has a design vaguely like this. Word of God admits that this bugs him, especially since it premiered in a video game where it did have a fittingly Nordic design.
Real Life
- The Horus Music Group may be a case of this since they are Italian and Egypt once was part of Ancient Rome, where the Egyptian religion was practiced.
- In the Second Battle Of El Alamein some tanks had the Eye painted on them for luck.
- Naomi Campbell's Eco House on Sedir Island, which is also known as Cleopatra Island.
- Aleister Crowley: The eye in the center of the triangle on his hat is the Eye of Horus. This makes sense as the religion/philosophy of Thelema he created takes a lot of cues from Ancient Egypt and its myths.
