In the religion of the ancient Egyptians, the Zed (or Djed), translated as ‘stability’, ‘presence’, is the representation of the spine of the god Osiris, king of the Underworld. For the Egyptians, the spine was the seat of the vital fluid, and symbolised stability (ḍdi, the word from which ‘Djed’ originates, means ‘to be stable’) and eternal life. The hieroglyph representing it resembles a pillar. It was an important sacred symbol for the people of the Nile (so much so that in wall paintings it is coloured with precious turquoise), and was already present before it was associated with Osiris: in Neolithic times it was represented as a kind of fetish or amulet. Another school of thought sees it as a representation of the victory of good over evil, as in the myth of the death of Osiris, killed by his brother Seth but avenged by Horus, or a trunk. Sometimes holding a rod or staff, it was anthropomorphised. Made of olive wood, this marvellous support of Egyptian magic is used, held in rooms, to bring stability and balance the energies of the place, creating a harmonious and positive environment.