The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol of Eternal Life, and is thought to symbolize the joining of the masculine and feminine principal. In Egyptian art, especially that depicting the afterlife, their gods and goddesses are shown holding the Ankh by its loop as if it were a key. It is believed that this symbolically shows the Ankh would open the gates of death on to immortality. It is also known as the Key of the Nile, representing the union of Isis and Osiris.