Cryptography is of course a feature, but when it comes to cryptographic renderings of Tutankhamun's throne name then the changes are very minor. They involve the substitution of the neb sign with the heb sign, which is a very obvious, and in various ways of representing the plural, either by having a clear three of a certain object, for instance three lotus plants, or in replicating an entire design three times.
What I cannot find is even a single case where a solar disc is substituted by a lunar disc, and this is beyond just Tutankhamun. The lunar disc above a crescent, N62, can have a secondary meaning, which is "That which is above", not "Ra" as that is not an epithet for him, or ever, to my knowledge, gets used for him.
Both Reeves and T.G.H James, in their descriptions of the "Coronation scarab", mention the lunar motifs, difficult not to miss, but neither make any comment on this. Both also mention that the item has cryptographic elements, but neither say what they are. Well, there's the obvious one of the three lotus plants substituting for the plural sign, but for the neb, or whatever is taking it's place, and I see no heb sign, this is elusive.
The standard reference for cryptography in Tutankhamun's tomb is David Silverman in 1980. He makes no mention at all of the lunar iconography. The examples are with the baboons shown in the excerpt from the 1st Hour of the Amduat, the second shrine, which is of course covered with cryptographic hieroglyphs, and a small box. This box has a cryptographic rendering of his throne name, but it still has the solar disc, the lunar items not getting a single mention as regards cryptography or any other form of substitution.
Therefore, these lunar items really do reference the moon, and with the "coronation scarab" reference Tutankhamun as a lunar god in his own right, not as representing Thoth, as Thoth is there himself on the scarab, and not Khonsu as Tutankhamun is dressed as a king with the khepresh crown.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2023 01:09PM by Corvidius.
