Domains & Iconography
Domains: necropolis, Memphis, underworld
Iconography: falcon or mummiform, barque
Memphite Funerary Lord
Sokar (Seker) presides over Rostau—the necropolis region—particularly in Memphite theology. As a guardian of tomb realms, he oversees barques, caverns, and processions through which the dead and the sun navigate secure passage.
Ptah‑Sokar‑Osiris
In the first millennium BCE, Sokar merges with Ptah (craft/creation) and Osiris (regeneration) as Ptah‑Sokar‑Osiris. Votive figures of this triad placed in burials embody a program: craft shapes the corpse, ritual guards the passage, and regeneration completes the journey.
Iconography & Ritual
Sokar can appear as a mummiform figure or falcon, often upon a shrine‑barque. Underworld books (Amduat, Book of Gates) include Sokar’s regions with ropes, mounds, and guardian crews; rituals propel the barque over desert sands as if over dark waters.
Legacy
Tomb deposits and museum figures of Ptah‑Sokar‑Osiris preserve a pragmatics of hope: careful making, guarded passage, and promised renewal held together under Sokar’s aegis.