According to legend, the Egyptian god Osiris had a son, Horus.  His jealous brother, Seth, killed Osiris.  Horus then attacked Seth to revenge his father’s death.  During the epic battle, Horus lost his eye.  The god Thot came to Horus’s aid and was able to restore the eye to health.  Horus then fed the eye to his father, Osiris, bringing him back to life. 

Horus’s eye thus became a symbol of power, protection and health.    

The shape of the Eye of Horus is actually a mixture of a human eye and a stylized falcon.  The elongated eyelids and brow are part of the human element representing the god Horus, while the projections along the bottom represent the legs and tail of the falcon from the more ancient sun god, Heru-Ur.  The Eye of Horus is often seen in ancient hieroglyphics and on modern Egyptian goods. 

Over the many centuries, the Eye of Horus symbol has been adapted by other cultures. For example it was adapted by early Christians to represent the Eye of God.  A symbol of power and protection, the Eye of God is often depicted in the sky with rays shining from it like the sun.  The Eye of God can be found on German coins in the late 1600s and was often used by the Freemasons.  In 1776 the United States Congress adopted the symbol upon the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin, who was a Masonic officer.   The Eye of God was renamed the Eye of Providence and was approved as part of the great seal of the United States.  Later it was printed on the one-dollar bill, positioned hovering over an Egyptian pyramid, emphasizing its origins.