NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 13Catfish were depicted on several sig-
nificant tomb reliefs from this early
period. One of the most well known is
the mastaba of Ty, a 5th-dynasty noble
whose tomb in Saqqara features several
friezes of catfish and fishermen. Anoth-
er example is the mastaba of Kagemni,
vizier to the 6th-dynasty king Teti, at
Saqqara. A relief in this tomb depicts a
fishing scene in which men in papyrus
skiffs appear to be pursuing fish of differ-
ent types, including whiskery catfish.
Fishy Symbols
Many species of catfish live in the Nile.
The one on the Narmer Palette has been
identified as belonging to the genus
Heterobranchus. Another type of catfish,
Malapterurus electricus, the electric cat-
fish, was, very literally, a source of shock
and awe to Egyptians: Its maximum
charge of 350 volts can stun prey and de-
ter predators, and deliver a nonlethal but
painful shock to humans. Its representa-
tion on Old Kingdom reliefs of fishermen
are the world’s earliest known depictions
of these creatures.
Egyptians attributed rich symbolic and
mythological roles to the catfish. The
upside-down catfish especially was im-
bued with symbolic importance. Belly-up
on the surface, it appeared dead but was
clearly alive, suggesting regeneration.
Amulets of these creatures have beenfound throughout Old and Middle
Kingdom sites in Egypt. These ob-
jects, it was believed, prevented
drowning and were worn as neck laces
or as hair ornaments.
The catfish’s ability to navigate the
murky bottom of the Nile seemed to
give it magical qualities. The Egyp-
tians believed that the catfish could
guide the solar bark that bore the sun
disk through the darkness of the
underworld. Since the underworld
was conceived of as a watery realm,
the catfish could continue to protect
people after death as well as in life.—Elisa CastelAKG/ALBUMBARBELED CATFISH SWIM UNDER A
BOAT MADE OF PAPYRUS REEDS. THIS
6TH-DYNASTY RELIEF IS FROM THE
MASTABA OF KAGEMNI AT SAQQARA.
LATE THIRD MILLENNIUM B.C.