The emblem, which means mountain, depicts two peaks with the Nile valley in the between. The Egyptians thought that the sky were supported by a cosmic mountain range. The western top of this mountain range was named Manu, and the eastern peak was named Bakhu. Heaven was said to have rested atop these summits.
A lion deity guarded each summit of this mountain chain, whose task it was to protect the sun as it rose and set. Because most Egyptian tombs were located in the mountainous terrain bordering the Nile valley, the mountain was also a symbol of the tomb and the afterlife. Anubis, the tomb’s guardian, is referred as as “He who is atop his mountain” in various sources.
When Hathor takes on the characteristics of an afterlife divinity, she is referred to be “Mistress of the Necropolis.” She’s depicted as a cow’s head sprouting from a mountainside.