[1] The picture of the Horus name is made of two basic elements: A sitting or walking figure of a certain deity holds a rectangular, ornamental vignette, imitating the floor plan of a palace facade and the royal courtyard.

The name of the pharaoh was written inside the free space that represents the royal courtyard.

This is based on the Egyptian tradition and belief[citation needed] that a living king was commonly[vague] the herald and earthly representative of Horus.

[5] Scholars point to the symbolic and expressive strength of the Horus falcon: hovering high in the sky, stretching out his wings widely and seemingly looking over all of Egypt, this heraldic animal represented omnipresence and an outstretching power.

During the 2nd Dynasty, the serekh names of the kings reveal a rather peace-seeking nature, expressing the wish of the pharaohs to rule over an unwavering world full of order and harmony: the epitheton of the Horus name of King Sekhemib, Per-en-ma'at (meaning "he who achieves Ma'at"), is the clearest early expression of this.

[4] In a few cases, especially during the midst of the 2nd Dynasty, at least two serekh names seem to contradict the Horus tradition.

Maybe said kings simply wished to express this dualism by willingly changing the appearance of the serekh and replacing divine figures on its top.

[3] During the 1st Dynasty, an odd fashion can be observed: On several clay seals from the Abydene tombs of king Hor-Aha, Qa'a and queen Meritneith, the Horus names of all archaeologically detected kings from Narmer to Qa'a are listed in one single and smooth row.

The exact reason for this is unknown, but it demonstrates complexity within the tradition of royal titulary, which is not fully understood even today.

Most possibly it points to Lower Egypt and Sinai, since Double Falcon's name has been found only at these two sites.

For a long time it was believed by scholars that the royal title of a serekh was reserved for male rulers only.

For this reason, it was long thought that Meritneith was a man, until mud seal impressions revealed the female title mwt nesw ("mother of (the) king").

Nonetheless, these cases show that exceptions in the gender allocation of the serekh as a royal title were always possible.