While researching for a translation, I came across this old Scandinavian tool used for winding thread. It’s called a spinnekrok, and there’s a picture of it on the following link:
[www.spinartiste.com]
The image here is only of the top section. A short youtube film shows that the spinnekrok is handheld, the handle not very long. Thoth holds a tool with a body-length handle. At the bottom there are two prongs. If this is indeed a weaver’s instrument, the prongs might serve to separate warp threads. Examples of almost identical ancient Egyptian tools to the was, called djam, have long spiralling handles with a needle-hole at the bottom which could well have been used to filter the thread that was being wound around the top. The thread would be pulled up in a snake-like movement around the spirals, thus avoiding knotting in the process. In the case of the was, the bundle of raw wool (or whatever material) would have been the equivalent of the head of a snake, held down and neutralized by the two prongs.
Easy research on internet shows that it wasn’t only Thoth linked to this tool. I have no specialist knowledge of ancient Egyptian imagery, and haven’t gone into the subject to any depth. Perhaps the above hypothesis has already been put forward and rejected thanks to substantiated arguments unknown to me. But I would be interested to know. Thanks.
Madeleine
[www.spinartiste.com]
The image here is only of the top section. A short youtube film shows that the spinnekrok is handheld, the handle not very long. Thoth holds a tool with a body-length handle. At the bottom there are two prongs. If this is indeed a weaver’s instrument, the prongs might serve to separate warp threads. Examples of almost identical ancient Egyptian tools to the was, called djam, have long spiralling handles with a needle-hole at the bottom which could well have been used to filter the thread that was being wound around the top. The thread would be pulled up in a snake-like movement around the spirals, thus avoiding knotting in the process. In the case of the was, the bundle of raw wool (or whatever material) would have been the equivalent of the head of a snake, held down and neutralized by the two prongs.
Easy research on internet shows that it wasn’t only Thoth linked to this tool. I have no specialist knowledge of ancient Egyptian imagery, and haven’t gone into the subject to any depth. Perhaps the above hypothesis has already been put forward and rejected thanks to substantiated arguments unknown to me. But I would be interested to know. Thanks.
Madeleine