The Winged Polymorphic God, Associated to the Two Udjat-Eyes and the Solar Creation

In a recent conference organized by the University of Fribourg, Luca Miatello presented considerations on the complex iconography of a deity, attested in numerous sources of the Late and Ptolemaic Period, and depicted also on a large number of gems of the Roman period.
Miatello propose here a more detailed study of iconographic elements and textual sources related to the image of this deity, here identified as “the winged polymorphic god”. The analysis will be focused on three sources of the Late Period containing texts, which provide important elements to shed light on the symbolism of the image of the god and its iconographic variants: the Metternich stela in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a statuette in bronze in the Louvre Museum; and the “Illustrated magical papyrus” in the Brooklyn Museum. Interesting elements of judgment are provided also by iconographic variants of the winged polymorphic god in “healing statues” and magical stelae of the Late Period. Sources of the Ptolemaic period, in particular the hypocephali, papyri of the Roman period written in Greek, and magical gems, provide further indications on the symbolic significance of the winged polymorphic god.