Eye of Ra Meme Takes TikTok by Storm, Inspired by Ancient Egyptian Symbolism

The Eye of Ra meme, a viral trend sweeping TikTok and other social media platforms, features a striking image of TikToker Rashad Bowens with a single cyclopean eye and fiery red dreadlocks. The meme, which gained traction in early January 2025, originated from a creative edit by TikTok and Instagram user Jeremiah Springfield, who transformed Bowens into a modern-day interpretation of the ancient Egyptian Eye of Ra symbol.

The Eye of Ra, an emblem representing the sun god Ra, is traditionally depicted as a sun disk and symbolizes both creation and destruction. In the meme, Bowens’ edited image has become a cultural phenomenon, blending humor, mythology, and internet absurdity. Bowens, an aspiring boxer and content creator known for his reaction videos, first gained attention in December 2022 with a now-iconic clip where he interrupts a cooking video, shouting, “Ay, yo, chill the f*ck out, yo!”

Springfield’s edit, posted on November 26, 2024, added a single red dread and a cyclopean eye to Bowens’ face, sparking the trend. The video quickly amassed over 1.8 million views and 292,000 likes, with users dubbing the image the “Eye of Ra.” The meme’s popularity surged further as it merged with other viral trends, such as “I Bought a Property in Egypt” and “Chopped Chin.”

Bowens, whose TikTok handles are @lilbotheme and @bothemess, embraced his newfound fame, even changing his profile picture to the cyclops edit. In an interview with the Daily Dot, Bowens reflected on the meme’s impact, stating, “I think it’s really an eye opener for people that’s trying to do anything in life because all it took was one video and the right person to see it.”

The Eye of Ra meme is part of a broader trend of “sludge content” on social media, characterized by surreal, absurdist humor. It draws parallels to the 2023 viral “Curse of Ra” meme, which humorously depicted modern-day individuals haunted by ancient Egyptian curses. Springfield, the creator of the original edit, expressed his amusement at the trend’s evolution, telling the Daily Dot, “I love how people take the video I edited of Rashad Bowens getting turned into a cyclope with one stiff red dread and make their own versions and remixes of it.”

As of January 2025, the Eye of Ra meme continues to dominate TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), with countless remixes and adaptations garnering millions of views. Its blend of ancient mythology and modern internet culture highlights the ever-evolving nature of digital humor.