This is an apotropaic rod – it was used to ward off harmful spirits. It comes in four segments, which might be related to the “birthing bricks” used to protect women during childbirth. And it’s covered in protective motifs, particularly protective animals.

This is a Middle Kingdom object but the animals on the top remind me a lot of some Early Dynastic objects that are also in the Met. I don’t know if they had the same meaning or not – the earlier frog & crocodile were donated to temples, these are magic in a domestic setting.

It’s not known where this rod was found, but it’s now in the Met Museum (acc. no.: 26.7.1275).

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1640
Frog & Crocodile Early Dynastic figurines: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1396
Lion Early Dynastic figurines: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1397

I’ve written about frogs on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2019/12/21/hundreds-of-thousands/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=16f85b538b17
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=26cad3d879fe