sistrum

sistrum in American English (ˈsɪstrəm) nounWord forms: plural -trums, -tra (-trə) an ancient Egyptian percussion instrument consisting of a looped metal frame set in a handle and fitted with loose crossbars that rattle when shaken.

It was used by female temple singers. It was believed to drive away evil forces; the sistrum is also shaped like the "ankh" or the hieroglyph for "life" and came to represent life for the ancient Egyptians.

The sistrum was a sacred instrument in ancient Egypt. Perhaps originating in the worship of Bat, it was used in dances and religious ceremonies, particularly in the worship of the goddess Hathor, with the U-shape of the sistrum's handle and frame seen as resembling the face and horns of the cow goddess.

The instrument consists of a U-shaped frame on a handle. Rattles or bells are suspended on connectors between the two sides of the U. Shake the handle and the rattles make a sharp jingling noise.

The trombone is said to have been invented in the middle of the 15th century, at which time it was closely associated with Christian church music. The trombone began to be used for other kinds of music during the 18th century, but for this reason it was often used to symbolize God or supernatural phenomena.

A piano can be mellow and can represent contentment or, from another angle, romance. French horns represent nobility, accomplishment, loneliness, and solitude. The trumpet, trombone, and other brass instruments represent excitement and energy.

Ihy is a god in ancient Egyptian mythology who represents the ecstasy of playing the sistrum. His name means "sistrum player". This is in allusion to his relationship with the goddess Hathor who was often said to be his mother. Ihy's symbols are the sistrum and a necklace.

Isis was the wife of Osiris, the god of the afterlife, and the mother of Horus, the god of the sun. Isis is most closely associated with being a mourner, protector, and a mother. Symbols used to represent Isis include the moon disk, cow horns, wings, the kite hawk, and sycamore trees.

Egypt The sistrum and particularly the temple-shaped one, the so-called Naos sistrum, appeared in Egypt for the first time during the Ancient Kingdom period (2700-2200 B.C.).

There were two types of ancient sistra, which we know as the naos sistrum and the hoop sistrum. In a naos sistrum, the top of the rattle is shaped like a small shrine (naos in Greek); in a hoop sistrum, the top is an elongated hoop.

Originally from Egypt and first seen in the Old Kingdom, the instrument was closely associated with ritual rites in honour of Isis. Indeed, in Egyptian art, the goddess and her priestesses are often depicted holding a sistrum.

The sound of the sistrum is metallic, produced by a number of metal disks or squares, strung onto a set of transverse bars, set horizontally into a frame of varying design.