House Ankhaf

**House Ankhaf of Hamunaptra** is a Court House, being involved in the Pharaoh's Court since Sekhemperamun's Age, when Ankhhaf of the Second Clan became a member in his council. Their seat is at Hamunaptra in Khalem on Per-Ankhaf, the biggest mansion in the citadel because they hold the Netjerus' Ankh. Their nickname is usually depicted as *Mekutiu Ankh*, translated as "Protectors of the Ankh", shown unofficially written in hieroglyphs under the Ankhaf banner. The patriarch or matriarch of the family receive the title "Neb Ankhaf of Hamunaptra" or "Nebet Ankhaf of Hamunaptra" if it is a female, as well as their consorts.

The creation of the bow and arrow is attributed to them, as they are known to be masters of archery; a talent that is inherited in their blood. Two crossed arrows with an Ankh cross in the middle became their official symbol as a Court House.

According to legend, House Ankhaf was given the divine task by the Netjeru to guard the Ankh, i.e. the godly Wasu, which would be hidden in Per-Ankhaf and would be recovered by the Setepnetjeru during the prophesized Age of the Chosen Ones. Additionally, they have had command over the Medjay mercenary forces for centuries.

Their patron deity is Neith, goddess of the hunt.

## Coat of Arms

A golden-armored Celestial Warrior shooting an arrow forward to the right with a resting hawk at his left side and a sitting wolf to the right, on a silver field. The banner is flanked by two arrows with an Ankh in the middle of each arrow, their sigil. Sometimes, the words *Mekutiu Ankh* in hieroglyphs below.

In ancient times only the arrows and ankh were their symbols, but the hunting hound also appeared in depictions of members of House Ankhaf. Even the staircase leading to the main entrance of Per-Ankhaf is bordered by statues of seated hounds. Therefore, the hunting hound has been deemed as an unofficial symbol of the House.

## Origins

### The Second Clan

After the First Arising the Netjeru created five groups of people from each of the Five Stars and put them in different parts of the world, giving them the instruction to reach its heart, where their human representatives would be. Years passed and each Clan finally reached the Benben and kneeled before Auron and Ket, filling the Khalemian Valley with humankind.

The Second Clan, who began their journey in valleys and forests, brought the newly invented bow and arrows as a resource for hunting.

### Ankhhaf

Seven centuries later, when the first Pharaoh, Sekhemperamun I, was crowned as one, a member of each Clan joined the Pharaoh's Court to give council to the Pharaoh. Ankhhaf was the candidate of the descendants of the Second Clan to become a Neb.

Ankhhaf received a divine message from the Netjeru where they gave him the task to build a house where they would hide their Ankh, and for his descendants to protect them until the Age of the Chosen Ones came. Ankhhaf initiated the construction of Per-Ankhaf in Hamunaptra, where the Netjeru indicated him, and he personally oversaw every detail. The story says that the house began to change its structure and create new spaces that were not there before, but Ankhhaf knew it was the work of the Netjeru. The majority of the base structure of the mansion was completed days before he passed away. With due time, his children and grandchildren took his name as their their family's identity, and so House Ankhaf of Hamunaptra was born.

## Trivia

* Because of an ancient tradition, all Ankhafs are born in Per-Ankhaf. It is considered a bad omen if they are not born in their ancestral home. In contrast, many Ankhafs have taken the tradition to be buried in Per-Ankhaf grounds, and if they were not, at least a mortuary shrine or chapel had to be built on the estate.