Pics of the house with Egypt symbols. Oh & an unrelated moth/visitor.

[UTUSN]

The property is only a double-city-lot, but it's on a dominant corner of a very busy intersection of major thoroughfares, sort of protrudes/dominates the intersection and is almost moated by the two streets, plus the alley in the back, such that only one side adjoins neighboring property, which is a tract of acreage, such that there are no real neighbors in the sense of human contact. The structure and fence/wall are of 1950s type of elongated brick, vaguely of the ranch style, with wrought iron gate and topping to the wall.

It has been in the same abandoned condition since 1986 when the apparently original owner died. The ankh is the one appearing the most times on the gates. The "Was" symbol a couple of times. The "Uraeus" a couple of times. The one I haven't found so far is the full bird with upraised wings like the Harley Davidson eagle.

What, did a deposed pharoah take up residence in this house?!1 All of the symbols I've tracked down so far are of the maximum POWER/authority/sovereignty and the ankh = life itself. If there was one owner, this in the decades when the town was much smaller, with the location being in a then exclusive tract, this walled place with its decorations still stood out from its peers and CALLED ATTENTION TO ITSELF. Was the owner (not an Egyptian) a scholar, an artist, a cultist, what?!1

Oh, and the moth at the bottom has nothing to do with this topic. Am just trying not to clutter with my presence. It was (napping?) in the shade, so the pic doesn't do justice to the incredibly textured thing.



************QUOTE**********

http://www.egyptartsite.com/symlst.html

Was

This is a symbol of power and dominion. The Was scepter is carried by deities as a sign of their power. It is also seen being carried by kings and later by people of lesser stature in mortuary scenes



http://buffaloah.com/a/archsty/egypt/illus/illus.html


Uraeus (you REE us) (plural: Uraei or Uraeuses)

Wadjet (spitting cobra) and Sun disk. Nekhbet, vulture wings added later.

Spitting cobra:

The Uraeus is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt.

The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet , one of the earliest of Egyptian deities, who often was depicted as a cobra. The center of her cult was in Per-Wadje. She became the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of all of Lower Egypt



*************UNQUOTE*********

My visitor:

[Kali]

1. You are in Phx, right?

What intersection? I can ask my sister, she might know something anout.it. I grew up in the area, but it doesnt ring any bells for me.

[UTUSN]

2. Thanks, but not there. I've challenged a local to come up with the story.

I'm really not being nosy or busybody about it, just am fascinated. As I say, the decoration is flamboyant for this town, calling attention to itself. Haven't located an obituary or anything for the original owner.

[csziggy]

3. The bird with the upraised wings could be a ra harakhte symbol

I don't think it is a hieroglyph, just a symbol often used in Egyptian art.


I am currently stitching a needlepoint piece of the ra harakhte that was sold by the Metropolitan Museum of Art back when the original Tut Exhibit tour was going around the country in 1977-78.

[UTUSN]

4. That looks like it!1 I couldn't get close because of the height

not to mention my being self-conscious parading up and down the street taking pictures in way plain view of two streams of oncoming traffic. Thanks!1

[csziggy]

5. There are some other harakhte symbols

One with a beetle. And there are vultures with their wings spread, also. Both have been found in Egyptian tombs in the same colors and gold as the one I posted from Tut's tomb.

But I didn't think either would remind you of an eagle! The ra version is sometimes shown without the sun symbols on its head and in its claws.

[UTUSN]

13. Well, it was the upward, stylized curvature of the wings I was reacting to

which I had seen in one Harley rendition (as opposed to the more realistic depictions, not so curved), and Harley's is an eagle. I'm not "up" on the Egyptian symbols, so sorry I mentioned an eagle!1

Here are the only Harley depictions I could find that were stylized in curvature of the wings instead of realistic. Oh, I'll post a "realistic" wing curvature below these:

q=tbn:ANd9GcQzyINWxCQ45VTD4DdXBJYsJvYNwwg6S1aD3fuDBUV7pX7x4M-t http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQzyINWxCQ45VTD4DdXBJYsJvYNwwg6S1aD3fuDBUV7pX7x4M-t



What I mean by "more realistic" is the pronounced "shoulders" in the wings, like this:



instead of the stylized curving wings without "shoulders."

[LibertyLover]

6. The uraeus is also for protection

It and the vulture symbol of the Goddess Nekhbet were on the crowns of the Pharaohs to protect them, as well as to represent Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Wadjet was the Goddess of Lower Egypt and Nekhbet was the Goddess of Upper Egypt. Unfortunately I can't see the photos of the house on my computer at work, or I might be able to give you a bit more information. Actually, the description you've given makes it sound like the signs could have been put there for protection rather than to indicate sovereignty, which could indicate the former owner was some type of magick user. Or, the owner may have been a member of a fraternal order, like the Masons, that used Egyptian motifs and he decorated his house with them and they are no more than that. Still very interesting. When I get home and can see the photos on my home computer, I may be able to offer some other suggestions. And I want to see the moth.

[LaurenG]

7. That is one heck of an extensive fence

I wonder if the fence cost as much to put up as the house.

typo

[siligut]

8. That is my first impression

That wall looks like it was built to keep people out. Then the symbols seem to be for protection and defense. So the owner might have been a bit of a paranoid mason or mormon or both.

[MorningGlow]

9. Not necessarily paranoid

Many people who follow an esoteric spiritual path know that protection is very important--to guard against people who practice gray or black magick (with the intent to harm), and to prevent not-so-nice entities from invading our psyches and immediate environment. Because when you open yourself up to the spiritual world, you can also make yourself quite vulnerable to...um, let's call it incorrect energy.

So for us, setting up a protective perimeter is a given. Believe in the best in others, but guard your ass at all times. Just in case. ;)

[siligut]

10. Thank you MorningGlow

This is quite informative. So the owner, following an esoteric path, not only creates a spiritual barrier, but a physical barrier as well. This explains so much.

[MerryBlooms]

11. Fascinating, lovely and a bit of a mystery

Thanks for sharing this. I have a brother and a few friends down that way. I will show them your pics and see if they have any info.

[UTUSN]

12. Last pic. I had deleted it for being redundant (not gratuitous).

Thought it didn't add more. The uraeus is seem from its back, no decorative detail. Is it actually the ureaus (spitting cobras) or the cow's horns? The graphic of the two women was here because it had two of the symbols, the uraeus headdress and the ankh being fed to the other passing into the afterlife.

[haele]

14. I like the lotus circle pattern along the top of the gate -

The person who owned the property certainly seemed to be involved either in archeology or some form of spiritulism.
You said in your earlier post you believed the house was built in the 50's? I've seen some wall brickwork like that in SoCal on some of the Arts and Crafts houses from the 1910's and 1920's.
Just from your pictures, I get the feeling the neighborhood was built up around the house.
Interesting house - if the original owner died almost 30 years ago, I wonder why it's still there, and empty. One would think that with the property boom that has been going on, someone would have sold it or modified it for their own use (or perhaps they're still using it, and it only seems abandoned...)

I'm sure there's a good story to go along with it.

Haele

[gratuitous]

15. Let's give 'em something to talk about

A little myst'ry to figure out.

The house has been vacant for 25 years? Do you have anything like portlandmaps.com for your city? On portlandmaps.com, you can view the ownership, tax history and other public records for a property in the city limits of Portland, Oregon. Is the house vacant, but owned privately? Been repo'd by the local taxing authority? It sounds like a nice piece of real estate to have sat idle for a quarter century.

Hmmm. {Puts on Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap}

[UTUSN]

16. I'm one deer ahead of your stalker

As I said earlier, I've contacted a city native (born & schooled), well connected in the civic scene, for history. He's my local pet wingnut who responds to all my political taunts. But he hasn't responded so far to this. I'm thinking the original owner must have been prominent, and not only prominent, but flamboyant since this decoration is attention grabbing.

So, my speculation (limited as am I) runs to the: Scholar, artist. Others have added spiritualist, Mason, Satanist.

I've already done a recon into the county tax rolls and there was just ONE transfer of deed (3 are allowable to be listed), and that one took place the year afte he died. Google/obituary searches have been zilch. The geneology/Social Security Death Index resulted in date of death. It went to another private property owner. I moved here five years after the transfer and noticed that place then and it was in exactly the same state as it is now. Somebody cuts the grass, but I've never seen anybody doing it, never seen the gates open, never seen a human there. There are no "extras" (like watering) done, just the grass (wild grass; whatever grows) kept cut. The appraisal value (low balling) is $200+K, so, even just the location itself that is a prime commercial crossroads, would push it way higher in a sale. The current owner must be elderly by now and owns ten other properties, about three in this appraisal bracket, the rest lower but still pricey.

I'm basically curious about the intentions for the meticulous installing of the Egyptian symbols, the story. If the local wingnut doesn't respond, WHY?!1 Was there a scandal?!1 The longevity of the original owner would mitigate against the scandal part. We're back to scholar/artist/Mason.


FLAP those deerstalker flaps!1

[haele]

17. Gotta be .... Vampires.... :)

Hmmm, if the new private owner owns several other properties, but it still remains empty, chances are they knew the original owner and are holding it for a personal reason. Perhaps it's a secret love nest, or the new owner is keeping it for a "crazy uncle" or someone who is otherwise unable to function in public. It could be a scientific experiment.

There's a house up a couple streets from us that is equally mysterious - a typical 1940's bunglow on a little side street over a canyon where the front door is a heavy duty security door and all the windows are pretty much boarded over with white aluminum shutters - and have been for a decade before we moved in. Our next-door neighbors who have lived around here all pretty much their lives remember the original owner, but the house was sold sometime during the early 90's, and they never knew even if it had been moved into. It was for sale, and then it was sold. Then the shutters went up.
Someone lives there - there's a truck with tinted windows in the driveway occasionally in the evenings, and the front is mowed and watered, and the house is somewhat maintained, but no one is ever seen going in and out. The way the windows are shuttered, I'm thinking someone who is extremely sensitive to sunlight lives there.
It's a quiet house. The neighbors just shrug when I ask if someone lives there - but they certainly keep their kids away from that property.


Haele

[UTUSN]

18. The realtor said, "There's something you should know..."

This was about my little shack after the first month or so of opening negotiations. She was really nervous. The big news was that the owner had died in the house. She was a smoker and had died of smoke inhalation. (ON EDIT: The death had occurred the year or two before the sale; the seller was the daughter.)

Apparently, somebody having died in a house had (has?) a scariness for superstitious people. I don't know what it says to or about me. I've had some Art BELL episodes of the Old Hag nightmares and the occasional waking "paralysis" dream thing, but nothing I would connect to the house?

[Curmudgeoness]

19. What that said was you should have gotten a really good price

for that house....you know, because so many people have hangups. Hope you did.

[UTUSN]

21. Haha. I wish I had thought to use it as a bargaining chip, but the key words were "my little shack"

I'm sure it is well below any average in size and price, even for most Democrats like me.

[haele]

20. The place we're living in now had someone die in it -

In fact, I found out from the neighborhood old timer who found her three days later, I'm probably sitting in the same location right now - where she was sitting and had a stroke, dying alone, here in the dining room, with her dinner untouched in front of her, about ten years ago...

Funny, I've been developing a headache...
...whistle....
:evilgrin:
No, it's just the lack of caffine and having to watch college football.

Apparently, that's why the house was move-in ready and the rent was so cheap. But the way I figure it, any house that was built before 1970 runs a big chance that someone has died in it. No biggie.


Haele

[UTUSN]

22. I hope it was renovated/ cleaned-up well?!1 Mine was all

freshly painted (at least), don't know of any fire damage or repairs, and wall-to-wall carpeted. I would never have known about the fire. I guess they have to disclose that? And I hate carpet for being hard to clean and keep clean. Friends told me to wait awhile and enjoy the new carpet before getting rid of it. After a couple of years I ripped it all out and and had ceramic tile put down-----tile being WONDERFUL, easy to sweep and swab. NOT that I *do* sweep and swab --- JOKING (sort of)!1 But every time I make little piles of dust I bless tile and curse carpet.

[haele]

23. Well, the heirs had their neice and her BF live there while she was going to SDSU

for a couple years. She apparently cleaned the house out - errr, up. Then they decided to rent it out until they retired. I hope they were saving their rent income for a remodel - along with the A/C system and a few new appliances they're probably still paying off, there's a lot of work that needs to be done on this going on 70 year old house - including re-tilling and possibly re-grading the yards, landscaping, replacing all the original windows (they already had to replace the bathroom window because of dry-rot), remodeling the kitchen and bathroom (pretty much still original - and beginning to fall apart), upgrading the wiring, probably a new roof and new insulation...
There's a good $50 - $75K worth of work just to renovate the house up to a safe, comfortable, healthy, energy efficient condition while keeping it's WWII era bungelow "charm". If they want to modernize or expand it some, that will be even more money.

Haele