Scarab Meaning — Symbolism, Origins & Significance
Quick answer
The scarab (dung beetle) is an ancient Egyptian symbol of the sun, rebirth, regeneration, creation, and protection. Identified with Khepri, the rising sun god (the beetle rolling its ball like the sun across the sky), and seen as self-generating, it symbolises rebirth, new life, and the renewing power of the sun.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ancient Egypt; the dung beetle identified with the sun god Khepri |
| Primary meaning | The sun & rising sun (Khepri), rebirth, regeneration, creation; protection |
| Funerary use | The heart scarab — placed on the mummy for the 'weighing of the heart' & rebirth |
| Common tattoo placement | Chest, back, forearm, shoulder (often the winged scarab with the sun disc) |
| Related symbols | Ankh, Eye of Horus, phoenix, sun |
The scarab — the dung beetle, rendered as one of the most beloved and widely used symbols of ancient Egypt — was a powerful emblem of the sun, of rebirth and regeneration, of creation and renewal, and of protection. To the Egyptians, the humble dung beetle, rolling its ball of dung across the ground, was a living image of the sun god rolling the sun across the sky, and the beetle's apparent self-generation from the dung made it a symbol of spontaneous creation, rebirth, and new life. The scarab became one of the most common of all Egyptian amulets, worn by the living and placed with the dead, a symbol of the sun, rebirth, and protection. Because the scarab sat at the heart of Egyptian funerary belief, this entry treats it as the sacred object it was, not merely a decorative motif.
What gives the scarab its meaning is the behaviour of the dung beetle as the Egyptians understood it: the beetle rolls a ball of dung across the ground (in which it lays its eggs), and the Egyptians saw in this rolling ball an image of the sun being rolled across the sky each day, identifying the scarab with the sun god in his form as Khepri, the rising sun, the sun at dawn, the self-created and self-renewing sun; and because young beetles seemed to emerge spontaneously from the ball of dung (from apparently nothing, self-generated), the scarab became a symbol of spontaneous creation, self-generation, rebirth, regeneration, and new life arising. This made the scarab a symbol of the sun and the rising sun (Khepri), of creation, self-generation, and the coming-into-being, of rebirth, regeneration, and new life, and of protection and good fortune. This page explores the scarab's meaning, the god Khepri and the sun, its use as an amulet and especially the funerary 'heart scarab,' and its significance as a symbol — including as a tattoo.
What the Scarab Represents
The scarab's central meanings are the sun, rebirth, and creation, all flowing from how the ancient Egyptians understood the dung beetle. The Egyptians observed the dung beetle rolling a ball of dung across the ground, and saw in this a living image of the sun being rolled across the sky each day — identifying the scarab with the sun god, and specifically with Khepri, the god of the rising sun, the sun at dawn, the morning sun, the self-created and self-renewing sun. The scarab thus became a symbol of the sun, the rising sun, and the daily renewal and rebirth of the sun (the sun reborn each dawn). Because the sun's daily death (at sunset) and rebirth (at dawn) was, in Egyptian thought, the model and guarantee of resurrection and eternal life, the scarab — as the symbol of the rising, reborn sun — became a powerful symbol of rebirth, resurrection, regeneration, and eternal life.
The scarab is profoundly a symbol of creation, self-generation, and the coming-into-being. The Egyptians believed that the young beetles emerged spontaneously, self-generated, from the ball of dung (appearing as if from nothing), and this apparent self-creation made the scarab a symbol of spontaneous creation, self-generation, the coming-into-being from nothing, and the creative, self-renewing power of life and the sun. Khepri, the scarab god, was a creator and self-created god, the sun coming into being and renewing itself; his name is related to the Egyptian word for 'to come into being,' 'to become,' or 'to be created.' The scarab thus represents creation, becoming, self-generation, and the coming-into-being and renewal of life.
Flowing from these, the scarab is the great Egyptian symbol of rebirth, regeneration, and new life. The rising, self-renewing sun, the self-generating beetle, and the daily rebirth of the sun all made the scarab the emblem of rebirth, regeneration, renewal, new life, resurrection, and the hope of eternal life — one of the most important symbols of rebirth and resurrection in all of Egyptian belief, and so central to Egyptian funerary religion and the hope of life after death.
The scarab is also a powerful symbol of protection and good fortune. The scarab was the most common of all Egyptian amulets, worn by the living for protection, good fortune, and the renewing, life-giving power it represented, and placed with the dead for protection and rebirth in the afterlife. It was a protective and auspicious symbol, bringing the protection and the renewing power of the sun and of rebirth.
Underlying all of these is the scarab's quality as the ancient Egyptian symbol of the sun, rebirth, and creation — the rising sun (Khepri) and the daily renewal of the sun, creation, self-generation, and the coming-into-being, rebirth, regeneration, resurrection, and new life, and protection and good fortune — making it one of the most beloved, important, and widely used of all ancient Egyptian symbols, the humble beetle transformed into the emblem of the sun, creation, and the hope of rebirth and eternal life.
Historical Origins
The scarab has its origins in the religion and natural observation of ancient Egypt, where the dung beetle was identified with the sun god and became, over thousands of years, one of the most important and widely used symbols and amulets of Egyptian civilisation, central to beliefs about the sun, creation, rebirth, and the afterlife. The symbol arises from the Egyptians' close observation of the dung beetle and their religious interpretation of its behaviour.
The Egyptians observed the dung beetle (the scarab beetle, Scarabaeus sacer and related species) rolling a ball of dung across the ground — the beetle gathering dung, forming it into a ball, and rolling it to a chosen spot (laying its eggs within it, so that the young beetles develop in and later emerge from the dung ball). The Egyptians saw in this rolling ball of dung a living image and microcosm of the sun being rolled across the sky each day: just as the beetle rolled its ball across the ground, so a great divine beetle (or the sun god in beetle form) rolled the sun across the heavens. This identification led to the scarab being associated with the sun god, and specifically with Khepri, the god of the rising sun — the sun at dawn, the morning sun, the self-created and self-renewing sun, depicted as a scarab beetle or as a man with a scarab for a head, and associated with the sun's daily rebirth at dawn. Khepri's name is related to the Egyptian verb kheper, meaning 'to come into being,' 'to become,' or 'to be created,' linking the scarab to creation, becoming, and the coming-into-being.
Furthermore, because the young beetles seemed to emerge spontaneously and self-generated from the ball of dung (the Egyptians apparently believing the beetles created themselves from the dung, from nothing, with no visible parent), the scarab became a symbol of spontaneous creation, self-generation, and the self-renewing, self-created power of the sun and of life. The scarab thus combined the meanings of the sun (rolling across the sky), the rising and reborn sun (Khepri, the dawn), creation and self-generation, and rebirth and regeneration.
Because the sun's daily death and rebirth was the model of resurrection and eternal life in Egyptian religion, and because the scarab symbolised the rising, reborn, self-renewing sun and self-generation, the scarab became one of the most important symbols of rebirth, regeneration, and resurrection in Egyptian belief, and central to funerary religion. The scarab was the most common of all Egyptian amulets, used throughout Egyptian history: scarab amulets were worn by the living for protection, good fortune, and the renewing power they represented; scarabs were used as seals (scarab seals, with inscriptions on the flat underside, used to stamp and seal documents and objects, and as personal seals and commemorative objects); and, most significantly in funerary religion, the 'heart scarab' was placed with the dead. The heart scarab was a large scarab amulet placed over the heart of the mummy, inscribed with a spell (from the Book of the Dead) addressing the heart, used in connection with the crucial 'weighing of the heart' in the judgment of the dead (in which the heart was weighed against the feather of Maat, truth and order, to determine the soul's fate) — the heart scarab serving to protect the deceased and to ensure a favourable judgment and rebirth into the afterlife. Scarabs were also placed in tombs and on mummies for protection and rebirth.
The scarab appears throughout Egyptian art, jewellery, amulets, seals, and funerary objects across thousands of years of Egyptian history, one of the most ubiquitous and beloved of all Egyptian symbols. From its origins in the observation of the dung beetle and its identification with the sun god Khepri, the scarab became the great Egyptian symbol of the sun, creation, rebirth, and protection, and it entered the modern imagination as one of the most recognised and beloved symbols of ancient Egypt — a symbol of rebirth, transformation, and protection — popular in modern jewellery, design, and tattooing, and adopted in modern Egyptian-revival and esoteric spirituality.
Cultural Variations
Khepri & the sun
The scarab's identification with the sun, and specifically with the god Khepri, the rising sun, is the foundation of its meaning, making it one of the most important solar and creation symbols of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians, observing the dung beetle rolling its ball of dung across the ground, saw in it a living image of the sun being rolled across the sky, and identified the scarab with the sun god in his form as Khepri — the god of the rising sun, the sun at dawn, the morning sun, depicted as a scarab beetle or as a scarab-headed man. Khepri represented the sun in its aspect of rising, renewal, and self-creation: the sun reborn each dawn, the self-created and self-renewing sun, the sun coming into being. Khepri's name is related to the Egyptian verb kheper — 'to come into being,' 'to become,' 'to be created' — making the scarab and Khepri symbols of creation, becoming, and the coming-into-being. In Egyptian solar theology, the sun god was understood in three forms across the day: Khepri, the scarab, as the rising sun (dawn, morning, the sun coming into being and renewing itself); Ra, in his full form, as the sun at its zenith (midday, the sun in its full power); and Atum (or Ra-Atum) as the setting sun (evening, the sun completing its course). Khepri, the scarab, thus represented the crucial moment of the sun's daily rebirth and renewal at dawn — the sun rising again after its journey through the underworld of night, self-renewed and reborn, the guarantee of the daily and eternal renewal of the sun and, by extension, of resurrection and eternal life. The scarab as Khepri also represented the self-created, self-generating power of creation (the sun and the beetle both seeming to create and renew themselves). The Khepri and sun dimension of the scarab thus carries the central meanings of the rising, reborn, self-renewing sun (Khepri, the dawn), creation, becoming, and the coming-into-being (kheper), and the daily and eternal renewal and rebirth of the sun — the foundation of the scarab's symbolism, the humble beetle identified with the great sun god in his form of rising, self-renewing, creative power.
Funerary & the heart scarab
The scarab's most significant role in Egyptian religion was funerary, as a symbol of rebirth and resurrection placed with the dead, and especially in the form of the 'heart scarab' used in the judgment of the dead — central to the Egyptian hope of rebirth and eternal life. Because the scarab symbolised the rising, reborn, self-renewing sun (and the sun's daily rebirth was the model and guarantee of resurrection in Egyptian belief), and because it symbolised self-generation, creation, and new life, the scarab became one of the most important symbols of rebirth, regeneration, and resurrection in Egyptian funerary religion, used to ensure the rebirth and eternal life of the deceased. Scarab amulets were placed on mummies and in tombs to protect the dead and to grant them rebirth and renewal in the afterlife, drawing on the scarab's power of regeneration and its solar associations with the daily rebirth of the sun. The most important funerary use was the 'heart scarab': a large scarab amulet, often made of green or dark stone, placed over the heart of the mummy (in the wrappings or on the chest), inscribed on its underside with a spell from the Book of the Dead (Spell 30B) addressing the heart of the deceased. This was connected to the crucial moment of the judgment of the dead, the 'weighing of the heart': in the Egyptian belief about the afterlife, the deceased's heart (regarded as the seat of the person's character, conscience, and deeds) was weighed on a great scale against the feather of Maat (the goddess and principle of truth, justice, and cosmic order) in the Hall of Judgment, before Osiris and the gods, to determine the soul's fate — if the heart was light (free of the weight of sin and wrongdoing) and balanced against the feather, the deceased was judged 'true of voice' and granted eternal life, but if the heart was heavy with sin, it was devoured by the monster Ammit and the soul perished. The heart scarab's spell addressed the heart, asking it not to testify against the deceased or betray them in the judgment — to be a faithful and favourable witness — so that the deceased would pass the weighing of the heart and attain eternal life. The heart scarab thus served to protect the deceased, to ensure a favourable judgment, and to grant rebirth and eternal life in the afterlife. The funerary scarab and the heart scarab thus carry the central meanings of rebirth, regeneration, and resurrection (the scarab placed with the dead to grant new life), and the protection of the deceased and the ensuring of a favourable judgment and eternal life (the heart scarab in the weighing of the heart) — the scarab as one of the most important symbols of the Egyptian hope of rebirth and eternal life, central to funerary religion and the journey to the afterlife.
Amulets, seals & everyday use
Beyond its solar and funerary significance, the scarab was the most common and widely used of all Egyptian amulets and objects, employed throughout everyday life for protection, good fortune, and as seals and commemorative items — one of the most ubiquitous artefacts of ancient Egyptian civilisation. As an amulet, the scarab was worn by the living throughout Egyptian history for protection, good fortune, and the renewing, life-giving, and protective power it represented (the protection and renewal of the sun and of rebirth); scarab amulets, made in vast numbers from a wide range of materials (faience, stone, precious stones, glazed steatite, gold, and more), were among the most common of all Egyptian amulets and personal objects, worn as jewellery, on rings, and as protective charms. The scarab was also widely used as a seal: the flat underside of the scarab was carved with inscriptions, designs, names, titles, or symbols, and the scarab (often mounted on a ring or strung) was used as a personal or official seal to stamp impressions in clay or to seal documents and objects — scarab seals being a common form of seal in ancient Egypt, used by officials, individuals, and the state, and bearing names, titles, royal names, good-luck inscriptions, or designs. Some scarabs were 'commemorative scarabs,' larger scarabs inscribed to commemorate notable events (such as those issued by certain pharaohs to commemorate achievements, marriages, or events, which served almost as a form of news or proclamation). Scarabs were thus deeply woven into the everyday life, administration, personal adornment, and protective practice of ancient Egypt, used by people of all levels of society across thousands of years. The everyday scarab thus carries the meanings of protection and good fortune (the most common protective amulet, worn for protection and the renewing power of the sun and rebirth), the seal and the marking of identity, ownership, and authority (the scarab seal), and commemoration and proclamation (the commemorative scarab) — the scarab as one of the most ubiquitous, beloved, and useful objects of ancient Egyptian life, the humble beetle made into the most common amulet and seal of a great civilisation, carrying the protection and renewing power of the sun and of rebirth into everyday life.
The Scarab as a Tattoo
The scarab is a popular and meaningful tattoo, chosen for its striking, distinctive appearance and its powerful meanings of rebirth, transformation, protection, and ancient Egyptian wisdom. People choose scarab tattoos to represent rebirth, regeneration, and new life (the scarab's central meaning, drawing on the rising sun and the cycle of renewal), transformation and personal change (emerging renewed, like the self-generating beetle and the reborn sun), protection (the scarab as a protective amulet, warding off harm), resilience and renewal after a difficult time (rebirth and the rising again), a connection to ancient Egypt, its wisdom, and its mystique, or African heritage and Kemetic spirituality. It is a powerful symbol of rebirth and protection with a strong visual presence.
Read the full Scarab tattoo guide →Related Symbols
Scarab — FAQ
- What does the scarab symbolise?
- The sun, rebirth, regeneration, creation, and protection — an ancient Egyptian symbol. Identified with Khepri, the rising sun god (the dung beetle rolling its ball like the sun across the sky), and seen as self-generating, it symbolises rebirth, new life, and the renewing power of the sun.
- Why did the Egyptians revere the dung beetle?
- They saw the beetle rolling its ball of dung as an image of the sun being rolled across the sky, identifying it with the rising sun god Khepri; and the young beetles seeming to emerge spontaneously from the ball made it a symbol of self-creation and rebirth.
- Who is Khepri?
- The Egyptian god of the rising sun — the sun at dawn, the self-created and self-renewing sun — depicted as a scarab beetle or scarab-headed man. His name relates to the word for 'to come into being,' linking the scarab to creation, becoming, and renewal.
- What is a heart scarab?
- A large scarab amulet placed over the heart of a mummy, inscribed with a spell asking the heart not to betray the deceased in the 'weighing of the heart' — the judgment in which the heart was weighed against the feather of truth (Maat) to determine the soul's fate.
- What does a scarab tattoo mean?
- Usually rebirth, regeneration, and new life, transformation and personal change, or protection — drawing on the scarab's meanings of the rising sun and renewal. It also represents resilience after hardship and a connection to ancient Egypt; the winged scarab with the sun disc is the classic design.