Heru-pa-Khered/Harpokrates - Heru-sa-Aset/Harseisis
Heru-pa-khered (G/R Harpocrates) - "Heru the Child" A specific form of Heru-sa-Aset as a youngster, written about profusely during the Greco-Roman periods, Heru-pa-Khered is depicted as a child holding one finger to his mouth (a direct copy of the hieroglyph for "child," not related to the modern meaning of "silence" we see in that gesture). Stele depicting Heru-pa-Khered standing on the back of a crocodile, holding snakes in His outstretched hands were erected in temple courtyards, where they would be immersed or lustrated in water; the water was then used for blessing and healing purposes as the Name was attributed with many protective and healing powers. It is perhaps ironic in this light that late myths describe Heru-pa-Khered as being both physically weak and incapable of protecting himself, relying upon the power of His mother Aset to protect Him until His manhood.
From: Kemet.org
From: Kemet.org
Horus the child was also known as Harseisis or HerusaAset (Horus son of Isis) and Harpokrates or Herupakhered (Horus the Child or Horus the Younger) while still an infant. He was the child of Isis and Osiris who was concieved after the death of Osiris at the hands of Set. He was brought up in secret by Isis and took up the battle against Set when he had come of age. As Herupakhred, he was depicted as an naked infant wearing the sidelock of youth with one finger held to his lips. In this role he represented both the royal heir and newborn sun. He is often depicted with his mother Isis in a pose which later became iconic for the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus in Christian art.
HerusaAset was thought to protect the deceased along with the "four sons of Horus" who protected the vital organs removed from the body and placed in canopic jars during mummification. Each of the four were associated with a point on the compass and a patron goddess as well as the specific organ they protected.
While as HerusaAset he fought Set to avenge his father's death and to regain the throne of Egypt. Once installed as King, he was known as Harnedjitef, ("Horus the savior of his father") in recognition of the fact that he successfully avenged his father´s death and regained the kingdom. At Nag´el Madamud (north of Luxor) the war god Montu was worshiped along with his consort Raettawy, and their son Harpokrates (Horus the Younger)
From: here
HerusaAset was thought to protect the deceased along with the "four sons of Horus" who protected the vital organs removed from the body and placed in canopic jars during mummification. Each of the four were associated with a point on the compass and a patron goddess as well as the specific organ they protected.
While as HerusaAset he fought Set to avenge his father's death and to regain the throne of Egypt. Once installed as King, he was known as Harnedjitef, ("Horus the savior of his father") in recognition of the fact that he successfully avenged his father´s death and regained the kingdom. At Nag´el Madamud (north of Luxor) the war god Montu was worshiped along with his consort Raettawy, and their son Harpokrates (Horus the Younger)
From: here
In late Greek mythology as developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria, Harpocrates is the god of silence. Harpocrates was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus. To the ancient Egyptians, Horus represented the new-born Sun, rising each day at dawn. When the Greeks conquered Egypt under Alexander the Great, they transformed the Egyptian Horus into their Hellenistic god known as Harpocrates, a rendering from Egyptian Har-pa-khered or Heru-pa-khered (meaning "Horus the Child").
In this way Harpocrates, the child Horus, personifies the newborn sun each day, the first strength of the winter sun, and also the image of early vegetation. Egyptian statues represent the child Horus, pictured as a naked boy with his finger on his mouth, a realization of the hieroglyph for "child" that is unrelated to the Greco-Roman and modern gesture for "silence". Misunderstanding this sign, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of Silence and Secrecy, taking their cue from Marcus Terentius Varro, who asserted in De lingua Latina of Caelum (Sky) and Terra (Earth)
"These gods are the same as those who in Egypt are called Serapis and Isis,[2] though Harpocrates with his finger makes a sign to me to be quiet. The same first gods were in Latium called Saturn and Ops."
Ovid described Isis:
"Upon her Isis' brow stood the crescent moon-horns, garlanded with glittering heads of golden grain, and grace of royal dignity; and at her side the baying dog Anubis, dappled Apis, sacred Bubastis and the god who holds his finger to his lips for silence sake."[3]
Inexpensive cast terracotta images of Harpocrates, suitable for house shrines, are found scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Thus Augustine of Hippo was aware of the iconic gesture of Harpocrates:
"And since in practically all the temples where Serapis and Isis were worshiped there was also a figure that seemed to enjoin silence by a finger pressed against its lips, Varro thinks this had the same meaning, that no mention should be made of their having been human beings"[4]
Martianus Capella, author of an allegorizing textbook that remained a standard through the Middle Ages recognized the image of the "boy with his finger pressed to his lips" but neglected to mention Harpocrates' name: "...quidam redimitus puer ad os compresso digito salutari silentium commonebat. The boy was identified, however, as Cupid in glosses,[5] a syncresis that had already resulted in the figure of Harpocratic Cupid.
Plutarch wrote that Harpocrates was the second son of Isis and that he was born prematurely with lame legs. Horus the Child became the special protector of children and their mothers. As he was healed of a poisonous snake bite by Re he became a symbol of hope in the gods looking after suffering humanity.[6]
Another solar cult, not directly connected with Harpocrates, was that of the Unconquered Sun, Sol Invictus.
From: Wiki
In this way Harpocrates, the child Horus, personifies the newborn sun each day, the first strength of the winter sun, and also the image of early vegetation. Egyptian statues represent the child Horus, pictured as a naked boy with his finger on his mouth, a realization of the hieroglyph for "child" that is unrelated to the Greco-Roman and modern gesture for "silence". Misunderstanding this sign, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of Silence and Secrecy, taking their cue from Marcus Terentius Varro, who asserted in De lingua Latina of Caelum (Sky) and Terra (Earth)
"These gods are the same as those who in Egypt are called Serapis and Isis,[2] though Harpocrates with his finger makes a sign to me to be quiet. The same first gods were in Latium called Saturn and Ops."
Ovid described Isis:
"Upon her Isis' brow stood the crescent moon-horns, garlanded with glittering heads of golden grain, and grace of royal dignity; and at her side the baying dog Anubis, dappled Apis, sacred Bubastis and the god who holds his finger to his lips for silence sake."[3]
Inexpensive cast terracotta images of Harpocrates, suitable for house shrines, are found scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Thus Augustine of Hippo was aware of the iconic gesture of Harpocrates:
"And since in practically all the temples where Serapis and Isis were worshiped there was also a figure that seemed to enjoin silence by a finger pressed against its lips, Varro thinks this had the same meaning, that no mention should be made of their having been human beings"[4]
Martianus Capella, author of an allegorizing textbook that remained a standard through the Middle Ages recognized the image of the "boy with his finger pressed to his lips" but neglected to mention Harpocrates' name: "...quidam redimitus puer ad os compresso digito salutari silentium commonebat. The boy was identified, however, as Cupid in glosses,[5] a syncresis that had already resulted in the figure of Harpocratic Cupid.
Plutarch wrote that Harpocrates was the second son of Isis and that he was born prematurely with lame legs. Horus the Child became the special protector of children and their mothers. As he was healed of a poisonous snake bite by Re he became a symbol of hope in the gods looking after suffering humanity.[6]
Another solar cult, not directly connected with Harpocrates, was that of the Unconquered Sun, Sol Invictus.
From: Wiki
As Harsiesis, he is "Horus, the son of Isis". Horus was conceived magically by Isis following the murder of his father, Osiris. Horus was raised by his mother on the floating island of Chemmis near Buto. He was in constant danger from his evil uncle Seth but his mother protected him and he survived.
Harpokrates
As a child, Horus was known as Harpokrates, "the infant Horus", and was portrayed as a baby being suckled by Isis. He was said to be stunted from the waist down. This may be because his father was dead when he was conceived or perhaps because he was born prematurely. In later times he was affiliated with the newborn sun. Harpokrates is pictured as a child sucking his thumb and having his hair fashioned in a sidelock that symbolized his youth. On his head he wore the royal crown and uraeus. Also, in Egyptian art, such as the example to the right, Harpokrates is shown as a child with the sidelock of youth standing on crocodiles and holding in one hand scorpions and in the other hand snakes.
From: here
Harpokrates
As a child, Horus was known as Harpokrates, "the infant Horus", and was portrayed as a baby being suckled by Isis. He was said to be stunted from the waist down. This may be because his father was dead when he was conceived or perhaps because he was born prematurely. In later times he was affiliated with the newborn sun. Harpokrates is pictured as a child sucking his thumb and having his hair fashioned in a sidelock that symbolized his youth. On his head he wore the royal crown and uraeus. Also, in Egyptian art, such as the example to the right, Harpokrates is shown as a child with the sidelock of youth standing on crocodiles and holding in one hand scorpions and in the other hand snakes.
From: here
Horus the Child
Probably one of the best known of the child deities was Horus the Child, which was actually a name given to a number of related forms of divine infant. Most were the son of Osiris and the goddess Isis whom she birthed in the papyrus marshes of Chemmis (Khemmis) in the northeast Delta and raised in secret there in fear of the god Seth. However, Horus the Child could also be grouped with other divine parents at specific temples. At Medamud he was the son of Montu and Raettawy, for example.
Horus the child might have more specific names. For example, in the Pyramid Texts this god is referred to as 'the child with his finger in his mouth'. In that form, he was called Harherywadj, or 'Horus upon his papyrus plants' and sometimes as 'Horus hidden behind the papyrus'. As 'Horus upon his papyrus plant', the child deity appears visually in a wall relief in the temple of Seti I at Abydos as a hawk on a column in the shape of papyrus reed.
The child deity was most frequently called Harpakhered (Greek Harpokrates), which translates as 'Horus the Child' and was often represented in this form as a vulnerable looking child seated on the lap of Isis while sucking his thumb, or he could be alone, depicted standing in the amuletic plaques known as cippi of Horus.
Note that at the top of some cippi of Horus, Bes is depicted. Bes could protect the solar child as part of the Hathor myth. However, the 'cippi' itself was that to act as an amuletic force warding off dangerous creatures.
As Harsiese, he was 'Horus son of Isis', and was clearly identified in his role as the goddesses' legitimate son and heir of Osiris. This was also the case with the related names, Horus iunmutef, or 'Horus pillar of his mother' and Harnedjitef (Greek Harendotes) or 'Horus savior of his father'.
From: here
Probably one of the best known of the child deities was Horus the Child, which was actually a name given to a number of related forms of divine infant. Most were the son of Osiris and the goddess Isis whom she birthed in the papyrus marshes of Chemmis (Khemmis) in the northeast Delta and raised in secret there in fear of the god Seth. However, Horus the Child could also be grouped with other divine parents at specific temples. At Medamud he was the son of Montu and Raettawy, for example.
Horus the child might have more specific names. For example, in the Pyramid Texts this god is referred to as 'the child with his finger in his mouth'. In that form, he was called Harherywadj, or 'Horus upon his papyrus plants' and sometimes as 'Horus hidden behind the papyrus'. As 'Horus upon his papyrus plant', the child deity appears visually in a wall relief in the temple of Seti I at Abydos as a hawk on a column in the shape of papyrus reed.
The child deity was most frequently called Harpakhered (Greek Harpokrates), which translates as 'Horus the Child' and was often represented in this form as a vulnerable looking child seated on the lap of Isis while sucking his thumb, or he could be alone, depicted standing in the amuletic plaques known as cippi of Horus.
Note that at the top of some cippi of Horus, Bes is depicted. Bes could protect the solar child as part of the Hathor myth. However, the 'cippi' itself was that to act as an amuletic force warding off dangerous creatures.
As Harsiese, he was 'Horus son of Isis', and was clearly identified in his role as the goddesses' legitimate son and heir of Osiris. This was also the case with the related names, Horus iunmutef, or 'Horus pillar of his mother' and Harnedjitef (Greek Harendotes) or 'Horus savior of his father'.
From: here
Horus the Child
Until the 26th dynasty Horus the Child, Hr.w-pA-xrd,[1] is only rarely mentioned, but from then on his name appears more and more frequently; and he is often referred to in the context of the myth of Isis and Osiris. In an inscription at Dendur dating to the reign of Augustus Horus the Child is referred to as lord of the burial place of Osiris, the abaton:
Horus the Child, son of Isis, son of Osiris, lord of the Abaton and of Philae.
Inscription at Dendur [2]
If as Hor-pa-khered his role as a child who has to be nurtured and protected, was stressed, as Harsiese, Hr.w-zA-As.t [3] his status as son of Isis endowed him with rights, which he had to defend against Seth.[4]
.... who (i.e. Isis) created the heir, who suckles the child in the solitude, without the place where he is, becoming known, who introduces him into the hall of Geb, when his arm is strong.
Osiris hymn, New Kingdom[11]
As Harendotis, Hr.w-nD-jt=f, [5] he was the protector of his father, or the support of his mother as Horus, Pillar of his Mother, Hr.w-jwn-mw.t=f . [6] The idea of Horus as protector or avenger is ancient and can be found in the Pyramid Texts:
[Horus has come, purified, so that he may protect] his [father] Osiris
PT 701A, Pyramid of Pepi I[10]
Harpocrates
During the Graeco-Roman period a number of gods were child deities referred to as Harpocrates, the graecized form of Egyptian Hor-pa-Khered. They were generally youthful forms of the god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, but also occasionally sons of other divine parents such as Montu and Raettawy at Medamud, of Banebdjedet and Hatmehit at Mendes, or of Amen as in Late Period bronze statuettes where he is sitting on a throne wearing the two-plumed headdress of Amen.[7] Harpocrates was assimilated with Amen as Horamen and Harpocramen.[8]
Representation
Harpocrates,son of Amen
Horus the Child was a thoroughly benign god, protective and generous towards humanity. He is at times represented holding a cornucopia, in his role as solar deity he is wearing the Double Crown. He is shown as a child or a juvenile wearing a sidelock, sometimes in the traditional pose of children holding a finger to his mouth, or grasping a pet hoopoe. He may be standing, crouching or sitting like Nefertem on a lotus flower. On cippi he is represented in his protective role standing on crocodiles, strangling snakes and the like with his hands. But the image which was to become the longest lasting of all was that of the Horus child being suckled by his mother Isis, an image adopted as Maria lactans by Christianity, which in the fourth and fifth centuries eradicated the memories of the ancient gods and replaced the old mythologies with its own tales.
Cult
The Ptolemaic cult of Harpocrates, as it is known from Alexandria, Memphis, Hermopolis Magna and many other cities, may have had its origins in the rites performed in the birth-houses, where the union of the parent deities, the birth of the child god and his raising by the mother were celebrated.[9] But the god was also venerated privately, with images placed in cult niches inside the homes, a practice which became ever more widespread in Roman times.[12]
From: here
Until the 26th dynasty Horus the Child, Hr.w-pA-xrd,[1] is only rarely mentioned, but from then on his name appears more and more frequently; and he is often referred to in the context of the myth of Isis and Osiris. In an inscription at Dendur dating to the reign of Augustus Horus the Child is referred to as lord of the burial place of Osiris, the abaton:
Horus the Child, son of Isis, son of Osiris, lord of the Abaton and of Philae.
Inscription at Dendur [2]
If as Hor-pa-khered his role as a child who has to be nurtured and protected, was stressed, as Harsiese, Hr.w-zA-As.t [3] his status as son of Isis endowed him with rights, which he had to defend against Seth.[4]
.... who (i.e. Isis) created the heir, who suckles the child in the solitude, without the place where he is, becoming known, who introduces him into the hall of Geb, when his arm is strong.
Osiris hymn, New Kingdom[11]
As Harendotis, Hr.w-nD-jt=f, [5] he was the protector of his father, or the support of his mother as Horus, Pillar of his Mother, Hr.w-jwn-mw.t=f . [6] The idea of Horus as protector or avenger is ancient and can be found in the Pyramid Texts:
[Horus has come, purified, so that he may protect] his [father] Osiris
PT 701A, Pyramid of Pepi I[10]
Harpocrates
During the Graeco-Roman period a number of gods were child deities referred to as Harpocrates, the graecized form of Egyptian Hor-pa-Khered. They were generally youthful forms of the god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, but also occasionally sons of other divine parents such as Montu and Raettawy at Medamud, of Banebdjedet and Hatmehit at Mendes, or of Amen as in Late Period bronze statuettes where he is sitting on a throne wearing the two-plumed headdress of Amen.[7] Harpocrates was assimilated with Amen as Horamen and Harpocramen.[8]
Representation
Harpocrates,son of Amen
Horus the Child was a thoroughly benign god, protective and generous towards humanity. He is at times represented holding a cornucopia, in his role as solar deity he is wearing the Double Crown. He is shown as a child or a juvenile wearing a sidelock, sometimes in the traditional pose of children holding a finger to his mouth, or grasping a pet hoopoe. He may be standing, crouching or sitting like Nefertem on a lotus flower. On cippi he is represented in his protective role standing on crocodiles, strangling snakes and the like with his hands. But the image which was to become the longest lasting of all was that of the Horus child being suckled by his mother Isis, an image adopted as Maria lactans by Christianity, which in the fourth and fifth centuries eradicated the memories of the ancient gods and replaced the old mythologies with its own tales.
Cult
The Ptolemaic cult of Harpocrates, as it is known from Alexandria, Memphis, Hermopolis Magna and many other cities, may have had its origins in the rites performed in the birth-houses, where the union of the parent deities, the birth of the child god and his raising by the mother were celebrated.[9] But the god was also venerated privately, with images placed in cult niches inside the homes, a practice which became ever more widespread in Roman times.[12]
From: here
House of Netjer, Kemetic Orthodox threads about him:
Neos Alexandria: Harpokrates profile (has snippets of ancient texts, etc)
Theoi: HARPOCRATES : Greek god of silence
Heru-ra-ha -- Thelema god
Wepwawet Wiki: Heru-sa-Aset
Shrine of a Shemsu: Heru-sa-Aset
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