I worship Min, I extol arm-raising Horus:
Hail to you, Min in his procession!
Tall-plumed, son of Osiris,
Born of divine Isis.
Great in Senut, mighty in Ipu (i.e. Panoplis=Akhmim),
You of Coptus, Horus strong-armed,
Lord of awe who silences pride,
Sovereign of all the gods!
Fragrance laden when he comes from Medja-land,
Awe inspiring in Nubia,
You of Utent, hail and praise!Hymn to Min of the Deputy-treasurer Sobk-iry, Middle Kingdom
M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.1, p.204
Symbols: phallus, lettuce, bull
Cult Center: Koptos, Akhmin
Min was a fertility god who was believed to bestow sexual powers to all men. He also was a god of the rain who was a generative force of nature. In one of the most important Min festivals, the Pharaoh would hoe the fields as Min looked on. At the harvest festivals, the Pharaoh would ceremoniously hoe the fields under Min's supervision. When the Pharaoh begot his heir, he was also identified with Min.
He was portrayed as an ithyphallic bearded man, with his legs close together and wearing the same headdress as Amon. Min is shown with one arm raised wielding a thunderbolt.
His sacred animal was a white bull and his special plant, long lettuce, lactuca sativa, was believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Lettuce is believed to be associated with him, not due to its vaguely phallic shape, but rather to its white milky sap which is reminiscent of semen.
Min was a predynastic god. In the earliest times he was a sky-god called the "Chief of Heaven". Until the Middle Kingdom he was identified with Horus the Elder and he was called the son of Re or Shu. In the New Kingdom, Min became closely linked to Amon-Re. During this time, Min became immensely popular and orgiastic festivals were held in his honor.
Min's cult was centered in the Delta city of Chemmis and Koptos.
From: HEREPatron of: fertility, sexuality, and travelers through the eastern Sahara.
Appearance: a man with a large erect penis. Sometimes he is shown in the garb of a pharaoh, wearing a feathered crown and carrying a flail.
Description: a very ancient god, Min has become rather popular in the modern era, a sort of resurgence of his cult. Min was honored with a variety of ceremonies, some involving the harvest, others praying for a male heir to the pharaoh. Lettuce was his sacred plant, for it was believed by the Egyptians to be an aphrodisiac. The Greeks identified him with their god Pan, and the Romans believed Min to be the same god as Priapus.
Worshipped: Worshipped widely throughout Egypt by the end of the New Kingdom, his cult centers were at Koptos and Akhmin (Panopolis).
From: HERE(...)
Min was always a god of fertility and sexuality. He was shown as a human male with an erect penis. In Egyptian times, he was usually an ithyphallic bearded mummiform man, standing with both legs together, an arm raised holding his symbol or a flail and wearing the same low crown with twin plumes as Amen. (The way he holds his flail might be symbolic of sexual intercourse - the flail forms the V while his upraised forearm seems to thrust inside the V.) The Egyptian paintings and reliefs on tomb walls and temples didn't show Min's other arm, but the statues of the god show him with his hand encircling the base of his penis. During New Kingdom times he was sometimes shown as a white bull, an animal sacred to the fertility god.
.. Min, Bull of the Great Phallus,
...
You are the Great Male, the owner of all females.
The Bull who is unites with those of the sweet love, of beautiful face and of painted eyes,
Victorious sovereign among the Gods who inspires fear in the Ennead.
...
The goddesses are glad, seeing your perfection.
-- Hymn to Min
He was associated with the Egyptian cos lettuce - an aphrodisiac to the ancient Egyptians because the lettuce was tall, straight and secreted a milky substance when pressed! (This was also a favourite food of Set.) Min was often shown standing before offering tables, covered with heads of lettuce.
The fertility god was associated both with Horus the Elder (Min-Horus) in the Middle Kingdom and with Amen (Amen-Min) in New Kingdom times to show the creative force of both gods. At times, even some goddesses have been shown with the body of Min!
The goddess Sekhmet as the Eye of Ra, for instance, showing that Min also has a destructive side, rather than just creative. (There are some indications that there was a ritual in the Egyptian military for ensuring the subjugation of prisoners - as in the story of Set and Horus - it involved 'impregnating' (and so emasculating) the prisoner, and so the erect state of the penis could relate to victory over the enemy.) The flail was often used to show the pharaoh's supremacy over his enemies, and was therefor linked to both power and destruction.
(...)
Min wasn't just a fertility god, such as Hapi or Osiris, who only presided over the fields - he was also a god of male fertility who could give the pharaoh (and other men) the power to father a child. He also presided over the sed (jubilee) festival of the pharaoh (where the pharaoh had to run around a course set by the priests, carrying different objects), symbolically rejuvenating the pharaoh to give him long life... and the fertility of his youth.
(...)
He was also a god of the Eastern Desert, and it has been suggested that the description in the Pyramid Texts - 'the one who raises his arm in the east' - is actually talking about Min. With his association with the east, Min became a god who offered protection to travellers and traders - the caravan route went through Gebtu and headed out east to the Red Sea. At Wadi Hammamat (on the trade route), prayers and thanks to the god Min were found. Min was also worshiped by the men who worked the mines and the men who quarried the stone at Hammamat. At this particular Wadi, Min was given the title "Min, the Male of the Mountain", a title with the word 'male' being similar to the hieroglyph for 'foremost'.
(...)
Despite being a god of the desert, Min was still a fertility god, and rather than being painted red (such as the desert god Set), he was painted black to represent the fertile land along the Nile. Min was also a moon god - lunar gods tended also to be gods relating to moisture and thus of fertility. As a lunar deity Min was sometimes given the title "Protector of the Moon". In this capacity, the god was related to the Egyptian calendar - the last day of the lunar month was consecrated to the deity, and the day was known as "The Exit of Min".
For the FULL article see: MIN, GOD OF FERTILITY, POWER AND THE EASTERN DESERT
Min is an Ancient Egyptian god whose cult originated in predynastic times (4th millennium BC).[1] He was represented in many different forms, but was often represented in male human form, shown with an erect penis which he holds in his left hand and an upheld right arm holding a flail. As Khem or Min, he was the god of reproduction; as Khnum, he was the creator of all things, "the maker of gods and men".[2]
As a god of fertility, he was shown as having black skin. His cult was strongest in Coptos and Akhmim (Panopolis), where in his honour great festivals were held celebrating his “coming forth” with a public procession and presentation of offerings.[1] His other associations include the eastern desert and links to the god Horus. Flinders Petrie excavated two large statues of Min at Qift which are now in the Ashmolean Museum and it is thought by some that they are pre-dynastic. Although not mentioned by name a reference to 'he whose arm is raised in the East' in the Pyramid Texts is thought to refer to Min.[3]
His importance grew in the Middle Kingdom when he became even more closely linked with Horus as the deity Min-Horus. By the New Kingdom he was also fused with Amen in the deity Min-Amen-kamutef (Min-Amen - bull of his mother). Min's shrine was crowned with a pair of bull horns.[4]
As the central deity of fertility and possibly orgiastic rites Min became identified by the Greeks with the god Pan. One feature of Min worship was the wild prickly lettuce Lactuca virosa and Lactuca serriola of which is the domestic version Lactuca sativa which has aphrodisiac and opiate qualities and produce latex when cut, possibly identified with semen. He also had connections with Nubia. However, his main centres of worship were Qift (Coptos) and Akhmim (Khemmis).
As a god of male sexual potency, he was honoured during the coronation rites of the New Kingdom, when the Pharaoh was expected to sow his seed — generally thought to have been plant seeds, although there have been controversial suggestions that the Pharaoh was expected to demonstrate that he could ejaculate — and thus ensure the annual flooding of the Nile. At the beginning of the harvest season, his image was taken out of the temple and brought to the fields in the festival of the departure of Min, when they blessed the harvest, and played games naked in his honour, the most important of these being the climbing of a huge (tent) pole.
In Egyptian art, Min was depicted as wearing a crown with feathers, and often holding his penis erect in his left hand and a flail (referring to his authority, or rather that of the Pharaohs) in his upward facing right hand. Around his forehead, Min wears a red ribbon that trails to the ground, claimed by some to represent sexual energy. The symbols of Min were the white bull, a barbed arrow, and a bed of lettuce, that the Egyptians believed to be an aphrodisiac, as Egyptian lettuce was tall, straight, and released a milk-like substance when rubbed, characteristics superficially similar to the penis.
Even some war goddesses were depicted with the body of Min (including the phallus), and this also led to depictions, ostensibly of Min, with the head of a lioness. Min usually was depicted in an ithyphallic (with an erect and uncovered phallus) style. Christians routinely defaced his monuments in temples they co-opted and Victorian Egyptologists would take only waist-up photographs of Min, or otherwise find ways to cover his protruding penis. However, to the ancient Egyptians, Min was not a matter of scandal - they had very relaxed standards of nudity: in their warm climate, farmers, servants, and entertainers often worked partially or completely naked, and children did not wear any clothes until they came of age.
In the 19th century, there was an alleged erroneous transcription of the Egyptian for Min as ḫm ("khem"). Since Khem was worshipped most significantly in Akhmim, the separate identity of Khem was reinforced, Akhmim being understood as simply a corruption of Khem. However, Akhmim is an alleged corruption of ḫm-mnw, meaning Shrine of Min, via the demotic form šmn.
From: Wiki
Also see:
Henadolgy article: MIN
Article
Longer article
Kemet.org Names of Netjer : Min
Showing posts with label Egyptian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egyptian. Show all posts
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Min
Bes
Patron of: the home, childbirth, infants, humor, song and dance.
Appearance: A fat bearded dwarf, ugly to the point of being comical. He is often shown sticking out his tongue and holding a rattle. When carved or painted on a wall, he is never shown in profile, but always full-face, almost unique in Egyptian art. There are also depictions of Bes with feline or leonine features.
Description: Bes is a very unusual god. He does not appear to be Egyptian at all, but where he does come from his largely unknown. He resembles gods found in central and southern Africa, and his function is very much like that of the Fool Shaman. Bes was primarily the protector of childbirth. During the birth, Bes would dance about the room, shaking his rattle and yelling to frighten away demons that would otherwise put a curse on the child. After the child was born, Bes would stay by the cradle entertaining the child. When a baby laughed or smiled for no apparent reason, it was believed that Bes was somewhere in the room making funny faces.
Bes' role as demon-queller also extended to driving off mischievous beings that were believed to cause minor misfortune, like tripping people and souring food. Bes was so ugly that even a statue of him would frighten away wicked creatures. Thus, many houses would keep a statue of Bes near the door to guard it.
Worship: Though there are no temples to Bes, and no formal ritual, shrines to him were found in many homes, especially those with children or pregnant women.
From: here
Also see:
Article
Good article about him
Terracotta figurine with description
Short summary
Wepwawet Wiki profile
House of Netjer forum thread about him
And another HON thread
And one last HON thread
Short summary
Bes « Henadology
Appearance: A fat bearded dwarf, ugly to the point of being comical. He is often shown sticking out his tongue and holding a rattle. When carved or painted on a wall, he is never shown in profile, but always full-face, almost unique in Egyptian art. There are also depictions of Bes with feline or leonine features.
Description: Bes is a very unusual god. He does not appear to be Egyptian at all, but where he does come from his largely unknown. He resembles gods found in central and southern Africa, and his function is very much like that of the Fool Shaman. Bes was primarily the protector of childbirth. During the birth, Bes would dance about the room, shaking his rattle and yelling to frighten away demons that would otherwise put a curse on the child. After the child was born, Bes would stay by the cradle entertaining the child. When a baby laughed or smiled for no apparent reason, it was believed that Bes was somewhere in the room making funny faces.
Bes' role as demon-queller also extended to driving off mischievous beings that were believed to cause minor misfortune, like tripping people and souring food. Bes was so ugly that even a statue of him would frighten away wicked creatures. Thus, many houses would keep a statue of Bes near the door to guard it.
Worship: Though there are no temples to Bes, and no formal ritual, shrines to him were found in many homes, especially those with children or pregnant women.
From: here
Originally a deity of protection of the pharaoh, he became a popular
god of the every day Egyptian people, and was often depicted on
household items such as beds, headrests, chairs, mirrors and ointment
pots and even painted on the walls of the house. He was also depicted on
various weapons, such as daggers, due to his fighter aspect. He was
also often depicted of 'magic wands' that the Egyptian magicians used
for their spells or on an amulet to ward off evil. His use as a god of
protection for the daily people came to be a sign of joy and good
humour, because he drove away ill humour and evil. He was thought to
also be able to protect people from dangerous creatures of all types,
especially when he was connected with the child Horus in the story of
his growing up in the Delta area of Egypt:
Bes, Overlooking the Young Horus You protect me against all the wild beasts of the desert,
All the crocodiles of the river,
All the snakes and scorpions,
All the insects that bite with their mandibles and sting with their tail,
All the kinds of reptiles that attack in their caves.
-- On stela showing a young Horus protected by the face of Bes
He also became a god of childbirth, frightening away all of the evil spirits that could kill of the baby of newborn child. If problems arose during labour, a clay statue of Bes was often placed at the head of the expectant mother while spells were recited to the god, asking for his help. He was even depicted at royal birth scenes, especially in later times. He was linked with the hippo goddess of childbirth, Taweret, as they were both very popular deities of childbirth. Until Greek times, she was regarded as Taweret' wife. Amulets of both Bes and Taweret were found even at Akhetaten, the city of Akenaten. He could not banish these favourites - the Aten was no replacement for these two!
Come down, placenta, come down! I am Horus who conjures in order that she who is giving birth becomes better than she was, as if she was already delivered... Look, Hathor will lay her hand on her with an amulet of health! I am Horus who saves her!
-- Part of the birthing spell that was recited four times over the image of Bes
His status as a god of birthing became so great that, from the New Kingdom times he was often represented in the mammisi (Champollion's invented term meaning 'birth house') of temples. The first of these depictions was at Hatshepsut's (1473-1458 BC) mortuary temple, where her mother is to give birth to the child who would become Egypt's female pharaoh.
A Musician with a Bes Tattoo on her Thigh As another form of protection, an image of the dwarf god was tattooed on some women - different depictions of women, such as girls swimming, female dancers, acrobats and musicians, show them with Bes painted on their skin. The women with the image of Bes tattooed on her upper thigh an around the pubic area might be sacred 'prostitutes', the tattoo being used to ward off venereal disease. This was probably because of his association with music and entertainment, as well as being a protector of women and children. It could have also been a tattoo relating to sexuality or fertility.
In the Ptolemaic period, 'incubation' or Bes chambers were built at Anubieion with figures of Bes and a naked goddess - probably Beset - on the inside walls. Pilgrims might have spent the night there to have healing - or maybe erotic - dreams to renew their sexual power.
The Egyptians also saw Bes as one who not only protected but entertained children - when a child smiled for no reason, it was thought that Bes was pulling faces at the child to make him or her laugh! He was thought to entertain through dancing and singing, and so he was also thought to be a god of happiness and joviality.
Despite his fun-loving nature, he was also regarded as a god of war from early times. He used his lion-like, ferocious nature to destroy or scare the enemies of pharaoh, as well as the evil spirits that were thought to plague the people of Egypt (including sickness, dangerous creatures and other such troubles). He was thought to be especially protective of women and children.
(snipped)
From: Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment by Caroline Seawright
Bes, Overlooking the Young Horus You protect me against all the wild beasts of the desert,
All the crocodiles of the river,
All the snakes and scorpions,
All the insects that bite with their mandibles and sting with their tail,
All the kinds of reptiles that attack in their caves.
-- On stela showing a young Horus protected by the face of Bes
He also became a god of childbirth, frightening away all of the evil spirits that could kill of the baby of newborn child. If problems arose during labour, a clay statue of Bes was often placed at the head of the expectant mother while spells were recited to the god, asking for his help. He was even depicted at royal birth scenes, especially in later times. He was linked with the hippo goddess of childbirth, Taweret, as they were both very popular deities of childbirth. Until Greek times, she was regarded as Taweret' wife. Amulets of both Bes and Taweret were found even at Akhetaten, the city of Akenaten. He could not banish these favourites - the Aten was no replacement for these two!
Come down, placenta, come down! I am Horus who conjures in order that she who is giving birth becomes better than she was, as if she was already delivered... Look, Hathor will lay her hand on her with an amulet of health! I am Horus who saves her!
-- Part of the birthing spell that was recited four times over the image of Bes
His status as a god of birthing became so great that, from the New Kingdom times he was often represented in the mammisi (Champollion's invented term meaning 'birth house') of temples. The first of these depictions was at Hatshepsut's (1473-1458 BC) mortuary temple, where her mother is to give birth to the child who would become Egypt's female pharaoh.
A Musician with a Bes Tattoo on her Thigh As another form of protection, an image of the dwarf god was tattooed on some women - different depictions of women, such as girls swimming, female dancers, acrobats and musicians, show them with Bes painted on their skin. The women with the image of Bes tattooed on her upper thigh an around the pubic area might be sacred 'prostitutes', the tattoo being used to ward off venereal disease. This was probably because of his association with music and entertainment, as well as being a protector of women and children. It could have also been a tattoo relating to sexuality or fertility.
In the Ptolemaic period, 'incubation' or Bes chambers were built at Anubieion with figures of Bes and a naked goddess - probably Beset - on the inside walls. Pilgrims might have spent the night there to have healing - or maybe erotic - dreams to renew their sexual power.
The Egyptians also saw Bes as one who not only protected but entertained children - when a child smiled for no reason, it was thought that Bes was pulling faces at the child to make him or her laugh! He was thought to entertain through dancing and singing, and so he was also thought to be a god of happiness and joviality.
Despite his fun-loving nature, he was also regarded as a god of war from early times. He used his lion-like, ferocious nature to destroy or scare the enemies of pharaoh, as well as the evil spirits that were thought to plague the people of Egypt (including sickness, dangerous creatures and other such troubles). He was thought to be especially protective of women and children.
(snipped)
From: Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment by Caroline Seawright
Images of the deity were kept in homes and he was depicted quite
differently from the other gods. Normally Egyptian gods were shown in
profile, but instead Bes appeared in portrait, ithyphallic, and
sometimes in a soldier's tunic, so as to appear ready to launch an
attack on any approaching evil.
Bes was a household protector, throughout ancient Egyptian history becoming responsible for such varied tasks as killing snakes, fighting off evil spirits, watching after children, and aiding (by fighting off evil spirits) women in labour (and thus present with Taweret at births).
Since he drove off evil, Bes also came to symbolize the good things in life - music, dance, and sexual pleasure. Later, in the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history, chambers were constructed, painted with images of Bes and his wife Beset, thought by Egyptologists to have been for the purpose of curing fertility problems or general healing rituals.
Many instances of Bes masks and costumes from the New Kingdom and later have been uncovered. These show considerable wear, thought to be too great for occasional use at festivals, and are therefore thought to have been used by professional performers, or given out for rent.
In the New Kingdom, tattoos of Bes could be found on the thighs of dancers, musicians and servant girls.[3]
Like many Egyptian gods, the worship of Bes was exported overseas, and he, in particular, proved popular with the Phoenicians and the ancient Cypriots.
The cult of Saint Bessus in northern Italy may represent the Christianization of the cult associated with Bes; St. Bessus was also invoked for fertility, and Bessus and Bes are both associated with an ostrich feather in their iconography.[4]
From: Wiki
Bes was a household protector, throughout ancient Egyptian history becoming responsible for such varied tasks as killing snakes, fighting off evil spirits, watching after children, and aiding (by fighting off evil spirits) women in labour (and thus present with Taweret at births).
Since he drove off evil, Bes also came to symbolize the good things in life - music, dance, and sexual pleasure. Later, in the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history, chambers were constructed, painted with images of Bes and his wife Beset, thought by Egyptologists to have been for the purpose of curing fertility problems or general healing rituals.
Many instances of Bes masks and costumes from the New Kingdom and later have been uncovered. These show considerable wear, thought to be too great for occasional use at festivals, and are therefore thought to have been used by professional performers, or given out for rent.
In the New Kingdom, tattoos of Bes could be found on the thighs of dancers, musicians and servant girls.[3]
Like many Egyptian gods, the worship of Bes was exported overseas, and he, in particular, proved popular with the Phoenicians and the ancient Cypriots.
The cult of Saint Bessus in northern Italy may represent the Christianization of the cult associated with Bes; St. Bessus was also invoked for fertility, and Bessus and Bes are both associated with an ostrich feather in their iconography.[4]
From: Wiki
A guardian god. Bes was a foreign god, an import from the land of
Nubia. He was jolly, fond of music, and dancing. He was a popular god
who was adopted by the middle classes; he was considered a tutelary god
of childbirth and, strangely enough, of cosmetics and female adornments.
Bes chased away demons of the night and guarded men from dangerous
animals. His image was carved on bedpost. He eventually became a
protector of the dead and, amazingly, competed with even the refined and
magnificent god Osiris for the attentions of men. He was originally the
protective deity of the royal house of Egypt, but came to be a popular
household deity throughout Egypt.
From: here
From: here
...He was particularly protective of women and children and was
often depicted with the young Horus protecting him as he matured. As a
result, he also became a god of childbirth. It was thought that he could
scare off and evil spirits lurking around the birthing chamber by
dancing, shouting and shaking his rattle. If the mother was experiencing
a difficult birth, a statue of Bes was placed near her head and his
assistance was invoked on her behalf. Rather sweetly, Bes remained at
the child's side after birth to protect and entertain them. It was said
that if a baby laughed or smiled for no reason, it was because Bes was
pulling funny faces. By the New Kingdom he was a regular feature of the
illustrations on the walls of the mammisi ("birth house").
Bes also drove away the evil spirits who caused accidents and created mischief (just as mediaeval gargoyles were thought to scare evil spirits away from churches). Many Ancient Egyptians placed a statue of Bes near the door of their house to protect them from mishap. His protection could also be invoked by tattooing his image directly onto the body. Performers often had tattoos of Bes because of his association with dancing and music. It is also thought that sacred prostitutes may have had a tattoo of Bes placed near their pubic area in order to prevent venereal diseases, but it is also possible that the tattoos related to fertility.
It is often suggested that he was not a god of Egyptian origin, instead being imported from Africa during the Middle Kingdom. Certainly Bes was described in inscription as "Coming from the Divine Land" and was known as the "Lord of Punt". However, he is also mentioned in records found in Upper Egypt dating to the Old Kingdom suggesting that he may well be Egyptian, but that his worship was not widespread until the New Kingdom. At present there is insufficient evidence regarding his origins to be sure either way.
(...)
However, it was during the Ptolemaic Period that the worship of Bes reached it height. He appears in numerous temple reliefs, thousands of amulets and charms were made in his image, and there were even oracles of Bes to allow people to benefit from his wisdom. He was given a new wife, known as Beset, who was a female version of himself ."Incubation" or Bes chambers were constructed with images of Bes and a naked goddess (most likely Beset) painted on the walls. It is thought that these chambers were meant to promote healing, remedy certain fertility problems or promote erotic dreams. The Romans also loved Bes and depicted him dressed as a legionnaire.
From: here
Bes also drove away the evil spirits who caused accidents and created mischief (just as mediaeval gargoyles were thought to scare evil spirits away from churches). Many Ancient Egyptians placed a statue of Bes near the door of their house to protect them from mishap. His protection could also be invoked by tattooing his image directly onto the body. Performers often had tattoos of Bes because of his association with dancing and music. It is also thought that sacred prostitutes may have had a tattoo of Bes placed near their pubic area in order to prevent venereal diseases, but it is also possible that the tattoos related to fertility.
It is often suggested that he was not a god of Egyptian origin, instead being imported from Africa during the Middle Kingdom. Certainly Bes was described in inscription as "Coming from the Divine Land" and was known as the "Lord of Punt". However, he is also mentioned in records found in Upper Egypt dating to the Old Kingdom suggesting that he may well be Egyptian, but that his worship was not widespread until the New Kingdom. At present there is insufficient evidence regarding his origins to be sure either way.
(...)
However, it was during the Ptolemaic Period that the worship of Bes reached it height. He appears in numerous temple reliefs, thousands of amulets and charms were made in his image, and there were even oracles of Bes to allow people to benefit from his wisdom. He was given a new wife, known as Beset, who was a female version of himself ."Incubation" or Bes chambers were constructed with images of Bes and a naked goddess (most likely Beset) painted on the walls. It is thought that these chambers were meant to promote healing, remedy certain fertility problems or promote erotic dreams. The Romans also loved Bes and depicted him dressed as a legionnaire.
From: here
Symbols: Lion, knives, bells, drums
Cult Center: the private home; during the Greek Period, Abydos
Bes was the god of music and dance, the god of war and slaughter, and a destroying force of nature. He was also a protector of children. Bes is most likely of equatorial African origin, although some think he is Semitic (Middle Eastern).
Bes was usually portrayed as a dwarf with a large head. He is bearded with his tongue sticking out. He has a flat nose, bushy eyebrows and hair, large projecting ears. Around his body, he wears the skin of an animal and its tail hangs down behind him and touches the ground. He wears on his head a tiara of feathers, suggesting an African origin. Sometimes he is shown in profile, but he is usually seen full face (highly unusual in Egyptian artistic conventions). As a god of music he is sometimes shown playing a harp. As a warrior he wears a short military tunic and holds a shield and a short sword.
One of the earliest portrayals of Bes is in the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a female Pharaoh of the New Kingdom.
From: here
Cult Center: the private home; during the Greek Period, Abydos
Bes was the god of music and dance, the god of war and slaughter, and a destroying force of nature. He was also a protector of children. Bes is most likely of equatorial African origin, although some think he is Semitic (Middle Eastern).
Bes was usually portrayed as a dwarf with a large head. He is bearded with his tongue sticking out. He has a flat nose, bushy eyebrows and hair, large projecting ears. Around his body, he wears the skin of an animal and its tail hangs down behind him and touches the ground. He wears on his head a tiara of feathers, suggesting an African origin. Sometimes he is shown in profile, but he is usually seen full face (highly unusual in Egyptian artistic conventions). As a god of music he is sometimes shown playing a harp. As a warrior he wears a short military tunic and holds a shield and a short sword.
One of the earliest portrayals of Bes is in the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a female Pharaoh of the New Kingdom.
From: here
Protector of Women.
Protector and Entertainer of Children.
Guardian against Nightmares and Dangerous Animals of the Night.
Patron of Warriors, Hunters and Travelers.
Patron of Joy, Music, Dancing and Merrymaking.
Guardian of Families and Keeper of Domestic Happiness.
God of Good Fortune, Luck and Probability.
God of Commerce.
Guardian of the Vineyards.
Guardian Against All Manner of Misfortune.
From: Story of Bes (see site for more details about each aspect)
Protector and Entertainer of Children.
Guardian against Nightmares and Dangerous Animals of the Night.
Patron of Warriors, Hunters and Travelers.
Patron of Joy, Music, Dancing and Merrymaking.
Guardian of Families and Keeper of Domestic Happiness.
God of Good Fortune, Luck and Probability.
God of Commerce.
Guardian of the Vineyards.
Guardian Against All Manner of Misfortune.
From: Story of Bes (see site for more details about each aspect)
Bes - (Meaning unknown, but may be derivative from the same root as the Netjer-name of Bast)
A Name of Netjer with unknown but probably Sub-Saharan origin, Bes is
unusually depicted as a man of dwarf stature, facing forward (as
opposed to the nearly universal canonical profile), wearing the mask
and tail of a lion and carrying a large knife. Bes is the Name
associated most strongly with protection of the household and
specifically its children and pregnant women; he was also seen
(possibly also explaining his depiction as a Pygmy-like being, as
Pygmies were known to serve a court-jester function in the Old Kingdom)
as the patron of laughter, dancing, happiness and fertility. Bes's
masked face with lolling tongue can be seen on amulets and pieces of
furniture throughout Kemetic history as well as funerary stelae of the
Late Period.
From: House of Netjer
From: House of Netjer
Blessing: Bes is a powerful protective deity, with a special concern
for pregnant women and young children. His grotesque appearance and
thunderous dances frighten away demonic spirits. He is also a god of
fertility and sensuality, and presides over healing and oracles.
Epithets: Forthcoming
Alternate forms of name: Besa, Bsw (Besu), Aha
Equated with: Pan, Seilenos, Min; ”Pantheistic Deity”, often linked with Tawret in paintings and reliefs but not known to be fully syncretized with any other deity.
Associations: Knives, feathered plume, mask, sistrum, doorways and entrances; dancing and performance, especially comedy; tambourines, sistrums, and percussion instruments; mirrors, khol, make-up, perfumes and scented oils; eroticism, fertility, and childbirth; soldiers and guards; apotropaic wands; lions and lion skins, cats and felines; tattoos and prophecy.
Festivals: Besia (15 Payni); dancers dressed as Bes were also known to attend performances on regular festival days, in particular feast days to Bast.
From: Neos Alexandria
Epithets: Forthcoming
Alternate forms of name: Besa, Bsw (Besu), Aha
Equated with: Pan, Seilenos, Min; ”Pantheistic Deity”, often linked with Tawret in paintings and reliefs but not known to be fully syncretized with any other deity.
Associations: Knives, feathered plume, mask, sistrum, doorways and entrances; dancing and performance, especially comedy; tambourines, sistrums, and percussion instruments; mirrors, khol, make-up, perfumes and scented oils; eroticism, fertility, and childbirth; soldiers and guards; apotropaic wands; lions and lion skins, cats and felines; tattoos and prophecy.
Festivals: Besia (15 Payni); dancers dressed as Bes were also known to attend performances on regular festival days, in particular feast days to Bast.
From: Neos Alexandria
Also see:
Article
Good article about him
Terracotta figurine with description
Short summary
Wepwawet Wiki profile
House of Netjer forum thread about him
And another HON thread
And one last HON thread
Short summary
Bes « Henadology
Anuket/Anqet/Anukis
In Egyptian mythology, Anuket (also spelt Anqet, and in Greek,
Anukis) was originally the personification and goddess of the Nile
river, in areas such as Elephantine, at the start of the Nile's journey
through Egypt, and in nearby regions of Nubia.
Anuket was part of a triad with the god Khnum, and the goddess Satis. It is possible that Anuket was considered the daughter of Khnum and Satis in this triad, or she may have been a junior consort to Khnum instead. [1] Anuket was depicted as a woman with a headdress of feathers [1] (thought by most Egyptologists to be a detail deriving from Nubia). Her sacred animal was the gazelle.
During the New Kingdom, Anuket’s cult at Elephantine included a river procession of the goddess during the first month of Shemu. Inscriptions mention the processional festival of Khnum and Anuket during this time period. [3]
Ceremonially, when the Nile started its annual flood, the Festival of Anuket began. People threw coins, gold, jewelry, and precious gifts into the river, in thanks for the life-giving water and returning benefits derived from the wealth provided by her fertility to the goddess. The taboo held in several parts of Egypt, against eating certain fish which were considered sacred, was lifted during this time, suggesting that a fish species of the Nile was a totem for Anuket and that they were consumed as part of the ritual of her major religious festival.
From: Wikipedia
Anuket was part of a triad with the god Khnum, and the goddess Satis. It is possible that Anuket was considered the daughter of Khnum and Satis in this triad, or she may have been a junior consort to Khnum instead. [1] Anuket was depicted as a woman with a headdress of feathers [1] (thought by most Egyptologists to be a detail deriving from Nubia). Her sacred animal was the gazelle.
During the New Kingdom, Anuket’s cult at Elephantine included a river procession of the goddess during the first month of Shemu. Inscriptions mention the processional festival of Khnum and Anuket during this time period. [3]
Ceremonially, when the Nile started its annual flood, the Festival of Anuket began. People threw coins, gold, jewelry, and precious gifts into the river, in thanks for the life-giving water and returning benefits derived from the wealth provided by her fertility to the goddess. The taboo held in several parts of Egypt, against eating certain fish which were considered sacred, was lifted during this time, suggesting that a fish species of the Nile was a totem for Anuket and that they were consumed as part of the ritual of her major religious festival.
From: Wikipedia
Her name means "Embracing Lady", and like most ancient Egyptian
concepts this could be understood in two senses; either the protective
embrace or the life-quenching strangling one.
She was probably of Nubian origin though it is believed that she encompasses the Egyptian idea of a deity existing beyond the southern border. She was worshipped in the 1st cataract area, especially at the islands of Elephantine and Sehel, where she goes back to the Old Kingdom Period, and when she was regarded as the daughter of the sun-god Ra. The name of Anuket has been found together with Satet on a great number of inscriptions from quarry expeditions in that area.
In the New Kingdom Period she was included in the Elephantine triad as the daughter or consort of Khnum and his consort Satet. Together they protected the waters of the Nile in the cataract area.
Anuket is depicted as a woman wearing a tall feather crown, some say of ostrich plumes, others say of reed. She sometimes holds a papyrus sceptre. Thre is an ostracon on which she is depicted in the form of a gazelle and called 'lady of heaven' and 'mistress of the gods', though she is mostly shown in human form. Her image can be seen in the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and at other Nubian temples.
Main center of worship:
Abu/Elephantine, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt.
Kom Meir, near Esna, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt.
Festival Days: (dates not historically verified)
End of July - Beginning of August Thuthi - Feast of Anuket: Welcoming the rising of the Nile
From: Here
She was probably of Nubian origin though it is believed that she encompasses the Egyptian idea of a deity existing beyond the southern border. She was worshipped in the 1st cataract area, especially at the islands of Elephantine and Sehel, where she goes back to the Old Kingdom Period, and when she was regarded as the daughter of the sun-god Ra. The name of Anuket has been found together with Satet on a great number of inscriptions from quarry expeditions in that area.
In the New Kingdom Period she was included in the Elephantine triad as the daughter or consort of Khnum and his consort Satet. Together they protected the waters of the Nile in the cataract area.
Anuket is depicted as a woman wearing a tall feather crown, some say of ostrich plumes, others say of reed. She sometimes holds a papyrus sceptre. Thre is an ostracon on which she is depicted in the form of a gazelle and called 'lady of heaven' and 'mistress of the gods', though she is mostly shown in human form. Her image can be seen in the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and at other Nubian temples.
Main center of worship:
Abu/Elephantine, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt.
Kom Meir, near Esna, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt.
Festival Days: (dates not historically verified)
End of July - Beginning of August Thuthi - Feast of Anuket: Welcoming the rising of the Nile
From: Here
An(u)ket (GR Anukis) - "Embracing Lady," consort (or alternately,
daughter) to Khnum, Anuket is depicted as a woman wearing an unusual
tall crown of ostrich feathers, probably a Nubian headdress. She is,
along with Khnum and Satet, one of the three Names worshipped at Abu
(Elephantine) in Upper Kemet, and can be seen on the walls of the temple
of Ramses II at modern-day Abu Simbel, as well as in other Nubian
temples. As a Name of Netjer associated with Elephantine and Sehel
Island, in the area considered by Kemetics to be the source of the Nile,
Anuket is a protectress of the mighty river (see Hapi). In earliest
times She is also called a daughter of Ra.
From: House of Netjer
From: House of Netjer
The ancient Egyptian Goddess Anuket (also known as Anket, Anqet,
Anjet or Anukis) was a personification of the Nile as "Nourisher of the
Fields". She was also a goddess of the hunt and was worshipped as a
protective deity during childbirth.
She was associated with the lower cataracts (near Aswan) and probably originated in Nubia or Sudan. Specifically, she was associated with Setet Island (Sehel island) and Abu (Elephantine) 1st nome of Upper Egypt, and was goddess of everything south of the Egyptian border. She was widely worshipped in Nubia, and given the title "Mistress of Nubia". In southern Nubia, Khnum merged with the ram-headed Amun, so Anuket and Satet (Satis) in some places also appear as wives of Amun.
She was originally the daughter of Ra, but seems to have been associated with Satet since ancient times. In fact both these goddesses were called the "Eye of Ra" (along with Sekhmet , Bast and Hathor, amongst others). Similarly, both Anuket and Satet were linked to the Ureas (the royal cobra on the god's crown). During the New Kingdom she was placed in the Abu triad with Khnum and Satet. These three water deities protected the Nile cataracts and the area the Egyptians believed to be the source of the Nile. In later times she was identified with Nephthys at the temple "Per-Mer" due to Satet's links with the goddess Isis and Khnum's link with Osiris. However both Satet and Anuket are closely linked to Isis, who took on the attributes of the fertile waters of the Nile as well as being a form of the star Sirius.
Anuket was generally depicted as a woman wearing a tall headdress made either of reeds or of ostrich feathers, often holding a sceptre and the ankh symbol, but was occasionally shown in the form of a gazelle.
Her name means "embrace" and may have originally referred the embrace of the waters of the inundation. She was also depicted suckling the pharaoh during the New Kingdom, and became a goddess of lust during later periods. In this form, she gained association with cowrie shells, which resemble the vagina. The Festival of Anuket was held when the innundation began. People threw coins, gold, jewelry, and precious gifts into the Nile to please the goddess.
From: Here
She was associated with the lower cataracts (near Aswan) and probably originated in Nubia or Sudan. Specifically, she was associated with Setet Island (Sehel island) and Abu (Elephantine) 1st nome of Upper Egypt, and was goddess of everything south of the Egyptian border. She was widely worshipped in Nubia, and given the title "Mistress of Nubia". In southern Nubia, Khnum merged with the ram-headed Amun, so Anuket and Satet (Satis) in some places also appear as wives of Amun.
She was originally the daughter of Ra, but seems to have been associated with Satet since ancient times. In fact both these goddesses were called the "Eye of Ra" (along with Sekhmet , Bast and Hathor, amongst others). Similarly, both Anuket and Satet were linked to the Ureas (the royal cobra on the god's crown). During the New Kingdom she was placed in the Abu triad with Khnum and Satet. These three water deities protected the Nile cataracts and the area the Egyptians believed to be the source of the Nile. In later times she was identified with Nephthys at the temple "Per-Mer" due to Satet's links with the goddess Isis and Khnum's link with Osiris. However both Satet and Anuket are closely linked to Isis, who took on the attributes of the fertile waters of the Nile as well as being a form of the star Sirius.
Anuket was generally depicted as a woman wearing a tall headdress made either of reeds or of ostrich feathers, often holding a sceptre and the ankh symbol, but was occasionally shown in the form of a gazelle.
Her name means "embrace" and may have originally referred the embrace of the waters of the inundation. She was also depicted suckling the pharaoh during the New Kingdom, and became a goddess of lust during later periods. In this form, she gained association with cowrie shells, which resemble the vagina. The Festival of Anuket was held when the innundation began. People threw coins, gold, jewelry, and precious gifts into the Nile to please the goddess.
From: Here
Other Names: Anket, Anqet, Anukis.
Patron of: the Nile and its inundation.
Appearance: a woman wearing a crown of reeds and ostrich feathers, often accompanied by a gazelle.
Description: Anuket was most likely an imported goddess from Nubia, and was worshiped as the "nourisher of the fields," referring to the annual inundation of the Nile that deposited a layer of rich silt on the agricultural areas. She formed a triad with Khenmu and Satis, and in later times was identified with Nephthys. Her name means "embrace" and may refer to the banks of the Nile which yearly would embrace the fields to bring fertility to the land.
Worship: Worshiped throughout Nubia, her Egyptian cult center was at Elephantine.
From: Here
Patron of: the Nile and its inundation.
Appearance: a woman wearing a crown of reeds and ostrich feathers, often accompanied by a gazelle.
Description: Anuket was most likely an imported goddess from Nubia, and was worshiped as the "nourisher of the fields," referring to the annual inundation of the Nile that deposited a layer of rich silt on the agricultural areas. She formed a triad with Khenmu and Satis, and in later times was identified with Nephthys. Her name means "embrace" and may refer to the banks of the Nile which yearly would embrace the fields to bring fertility to the land.
Worship: Worshiped throughout Nubia, her Egyptian cult center was at Elephantine.
From: Here
Also see:
Anqet, The Embracer, Goddess of Fertility and the Nile at Aswan by Caroline Seawright
Anuket article, has info
Anqet - "Embracing Lady"
Cult Center: Elephantine
Wiki - Elephantine
On MW:
Other members of the Abu/Elephantine triad--
Khnum {God of the Week}
Satis/Satet {Goddess of the Week}
Neith/Nit/Net
Symbols: bows and arrows, shields and weapons, Red Crown, weaving shuttle
Cult Center: Sais, Esna
Neith is one of the oldest Egyptian goddesses. Early in Egyptian history she was honored throughout Egypt. Later on, she was mostly recognized in her cult center of Sais.
She was sometimes depicted as a woman wearing the crown of the north and holding either a sceptre or a bow and two arrows. At other times she was shown as a woman wearing a shuttle (a tool used in weaving) on her head.
It is believed that she was originally a goddess of war (due to the bow and arrows imagery) and may have become later a goddess of weaving (when wearing the shuttle). She was occasionally shown suckling a crocodile who represented her son, Sobek. She was self-produced and the Egyptians believed she was of both a masculine and feminine nature. It was said that Neith gave birth to Re while she was still in the waters of Nun. Neith was the protectoress of Duamutef, the guardian of the deceased's stomach.
During the dispute between Seth and Horus for the throne of Egypt, the gods could not decide how to resolve the issue. They sent a letter to Neith requesting her advice. She suggested that Horus be made king and Seth be given two Semetic goddesses as consolation. All the gods (but Seth) agreed with the wisdom of her solution.
Her largest temple, Sapi-meht, was located at Sais, the capital of the fifth nome of Lower Egypt. In Upper Egypt, she was portrayed with the head of a lioness. Here her husband was Khnemu, the ram-headed creation god of the First Cataract, and her son was Tutu. Tutu was a form of the god Shu.
FROM: Neith
Other links:
Cult Center: Sais, Esna
Neith is one of the oldest Egyptian goddesses. Early in Egyptian history she was honored throughout Egypt. Later on, she was mostly recognized in her cult center of Sais.
She was sometimes depicted as a woman wearing the crown of the north and holding either a sceptre or a bow and two arrows. At other times she was shown as a woman wearing a shuttle (a tool used in weaving) on her head.
It is believed that she was originally a goddess of war (due to the bow and arrows imagery) and may have become later a goddess of weaving (when wearing the shuttle). She was occasionally shown suckling a crocodile who represented her son, Sobek. She was self-produced and the Egyptians believed she was of both a masculine and feminine nature. It was said that Neith gave birth to Re while she was still in the waters of Nun. Neith was the protectoress of Duamutef, the guardian of the deceased's stomach.
During the dispute between Seth and Horus for the throne of Egypt, the gods could not decide how to resolve the issue. They sent a letter to Neith requesting her advice. She suggested that Horus be made king and Seth be given two Semetic goddesses as consolation. All the gods (but Seth) agreed with the wisdom of her solution.
Her largest temple, Sapi-meht, was located at Sais, the capital of the fifth nome of Lower Egypt. In Upper Egypt, she was portrayed with the head of a lioness. Here her husband was Khnemu, the ram-headed creation god of the First Cataract, and her son was Tutu. Tutu was a form of the god Shu.
FROM: Neith
Patron of: war, impartiality, mummification wrappings, the funeral bier.
Appearance: A woman carrying weapons of war, usually a bow and arrow and a shield.
Description: In the Old Kingdom she was a war deity, invoked as a blessing for weapons, both for the soldier and the hunter. Often weapons were placed in tombs surrounding the mummy as protection against evil spirits. These weapons were consecrated to Neith.
In the New Kingdom her association with funerary rites is even greater. She stands, along with Isis, guarding the funeral bier of the pharaoh. In the New Kingdom the mummy wrappings were considered the "gifts of Neith."
In may stories Neith is found being asked to arbitrate between two sides, her combination of military prowess and impartiality renders her very similar to Athena.
Worship: Cult centers in the Delta in the same area as Sobek, her son.
FROM: TourEgypt's short Neith article
Appearance: A woman carrying weapons of war, usually a bow and arrow and a shield.
Description: In the Old Kingdom she was a war deity, invoked as a blessing for weapons, both for the soldier and the hunter. Often weapons were placed in tombs surrounding the mummy as protection against evil spirits. These weapons were consecrated to Neith.
In the New Kingdom her association with funerary rites is even greater. She stands, along with Isis, guarding the funeral bier of the pharaoh. In the New Kingdom the mummy wrappings were considered the "gifts of Neith."
In may stories Neith is found being asked to arbitrate between two sides, her combination of military prowess and impartiality renders her very similar to Athena.
Worship: Cult centers in the Delta in the same area as Sobek, her son.
FROM: TourEgypt's short Neith article
Neith is a goddess of Lower Egypt
particularly associated with Sais but soon incorporated into the
national pantheon with a sanctuary at Memphis. According to legend Neith
emerged from the primeval water to create the world. She followed the
course of the Nile to the sea, and when reaching the Delta she formed
the city of Sais.
In the New Kingdom she was regarded as the "god's mother who bore Re," whereby she assumed the position of a primeval goddess who was neither male nor female. She was the first to "create the seed of gods and men." She is the mother of Egyptian rulers. Also she was a mortuary goddess who watched over Osiris' brier along with Isis, Nephthys and Serket. The deceased received her divine power by means of the mummy's wrappings, for the bandages and shrouds were considered gifts of Neith, who was regarded as the patroness of weaving. Possibly there was an earlier proposal that her symbol was the weaver's shuttle.
When depicted in human form she wears the red crown of Lower Egypt, and in ancient times her pre-anthropomorphic symbol was a shield bearing crosses because she also was a local war goddess. This goddess of war also blessed hunters' weapons. The practice of placing weapons around the coffin in ancient Egyptian times could be traced to the goddess' protective functions. She was sometimes asked to give advice and judgment, as, for example, in the eight-year war of the gods between Seth and Horus, which she advised Re in favor of Horus. In other legends she was the consort of Seth and mother of the crocodile god Sobek, which explains the proximity of her cult center in the Delta.
FROM: Pantheon.org "Neith"
In the New Kingdom she was regarded as the "god's mother who bore Re," whereby she assumed the position of a primeval goddess who was neither male nor female. She was the first to "create the seed of gods and men." She is the mother of Egyptian rulers. Also she was a mortuary goddess who watched over Osiris' brier along with Isis, Nephthys and Serket. The deceased received her divine power by means of the mummy's wrappings, for the bandages and shrouds were considered gifts of Neith, who was regarded as the patroness of weaving. Possibly there was an earlier proposal that her symbol was the weaver's shuttle.
When depicted in human form she wears the red crown of Lower Egypt, and in ancient times her pre-anthropomorphic symbol was a shield bearing crosses because she also was a local war goddess. This goddess of war also blessed hunters' weapons. The practice of placing weapons around the coffin in ancient Egyptian times could be traced to the goddess' protective functions. She was sometimes asked to give advice and judgment, as, for example, in the eight-year war of the gods between Seth and Horus, which she advised Re in favor of Horus. In other legends she was the consort of Seth and mother of the crocodile god Sobek, which explains the proximity of her cult center in the Delta.
FROM: Pantheon.org "Neith"
- Wikipedia article
- Neith
- Litanies of Neit
- Nit (Neith), Goddess of Weaving, War, Hunting and the Red Crown, Creator Deity, Mother of Ra by Caroline Seawright
- Neith
- From Asetnet:
- Nefertum, Nephtys, Nun, Nut, Neith, Nekhbet --festival dates and some info.
- From Philae.nu:
- From Shrine of a Shemsu:
- Neith
- Myths of the Sands - Saite Pantheon
- Creatrix The Neith fanlisting
- House of Netjer summary: Neith
Maahes/Mihos
Maahes (also spelled Mihos, Miysis, Mios, Maihes, and Mahes) was an ancient Egyptian lion-headed god of war, whose name means "he who is true beside her". He was seen as the son of the feline goddess (Bast in Lower Egypt or Sekhmet in Upper Egypt) whose nature he shared. Maahes was a deity associated with war and weather, as well as that of knives, lotuses, and devouring captives. His cult was centred in Taremu and Per-Bast.
The first recorded reference to Maahes is from the New Kingdom. Some Egyptologists have suggested that Maahes was of foreign origin; [3] indeed there is some evidence that he may have been identical with the lion-god Apedemak worshipped in Nubia and Egypt's Western Desert.
As a lion-god and patron, he was also considered the son of Ra and of Bast,[4] the feline war goddess and patron of Lower Egypt as well as Sekhmet, the lioness war goddess and patron of Upper Egypt. Since his cult was centred in Per-Bast (Bubastis in Greek) or in Taremu (Leontopolis in Greek), he was more known as the son of Bast. As he became a tutelary deity of Egypt, his father was said to be the chief male deity at the time - either Ptah, or Ra who had by this time already merged with Atum into Atum-Ra. In his role of son of Ra, Maahes fought the serpent Apep during Ra's nightly voyage.
Considered to have powerful attributes, feline deities were associated with the pharaohs, and became patrons of Egypt. The male lion hieroglyphic was used in words such as "prince", "mashead", "strength", and "power".
Name
The name of Maahes begins with the hieroglyphs for the male lion, although in isolation it also means (one who can) see in front. However, the first glyph also is part of the glyph for Ma'at, meaning truth and order and so it came to be that Maahes was considered to be the devourer of the guilty and protector of the innocent. Some of the titles of Maahes were Lord of Slaughter,[5] Wielder of the Knife, and The Scarlet Lord.
Depictions
Maahes was pictured as a man with the head of a male lion, occasionally holding a knife and wearing the double crown of Egypt, or the atef crown. [6] Sometimes he was identified with Nefertem[7] and was shown with a bouquet of lotuses near him, but he also was depicted as a lion devouring a captive.
Sacred animals
Tame lions were kept in a temple dedicated to Maahes in Taremu, where Bast/Sekhmet were worshipped, his temple was adjacent to that of Bast. [8] The ancient Greek historian Aelian wrote: "In Egypt, they worship lions, and there is a city called after them. (...) The lions have temples and numerous spaces in which to roam; the flesh of oxen is supplied to them daily (...) and the lions eat to the accompaniment of song in the Egyptian language", thus the Greek name of the city Leontopolis was derived.
From: Wiki
Maahes was thought to be the guardian of sacred places, and the one who attacks captive enemies. He protected the innocent dead and condemned the damned. He was thought to be one of Osiris' executioners, and a defender of the solar barque against the attack of the snake-demon Apep and his followers. He protected the pharaoh while he was in battle, just as he protected the sun god Ra. He was also a god, and a protector of the horizon, due to his leonine form - lions were connected to the horizon by the Egyptian mind. He was also thought to be the personification of the summer heat, just as the Eye of Ra - different lioness goddesses - were thought to represent the burning heat of the sun.
(...)
Thought to be the son of either Bast and Ptah at Per-Bast (Bubastis) or the son of Sekhmet and either Ptah or the sun god Ra. In the tale of "The Taking of Joppa", Thothmose III was called 'Maahes, Son of Sekhmet'. The Egyptians confused the two goddesses, and their children. He was linked to Nefertem and Shesmu, both being lion-headed deities who were also related to perfumes and oils. Nefertem and Maahes were probably especially confused by the Egyptians due to their respective mothers - Sekhmet and Bast. He was also connected with the war-god Onuris as well as with the sky god Shu. There are suggestions that he might have been an assimilation of the Nubian lion-god Apedemak.
(...)
His cult centre was at Leontopolis in Lower Egypt, but he was worshiped around Upper Egypt, and in Nubia. Maahes was depicted in the temple of Debod, which was moved to Madrid, Spain, before the Aswan Dam building would have flooded and destroyed it. Osorkon III (Dynasty XXII) build a temple to him in Per-Bast (Bubastis) while Nay-ta-hut (Leontopolis) housed a necropolis for lions, his sacred animal. Other major cult centres for Maahes included Djeba (Utes-Hor, Behde, Edfu), Iunet (Dendera), Meroe (the royal city of the Meroitic rulers of Nubia) and the Bahriya and Siwa Oases
From: MAAHES, GOD OF WAR AND PROTECTION, THE LEONINE LORD OF SLAUGHTEROther Names: similar to the Furies of Greek mythology being called "The Kindly Ones," Mahes was rarely referred to by name and was instead referred to as "The Lord of the Massacre." His name is also found spelled "Maahes." Patron of: punishment of those who violate Maat, the universal order.
Appearance: a man with the head of a young lion, often shown carrying a knife.
Description: Another feline deity, Mahes was the son of Bast and Ptah and may be an Egyptian assimilation of the Nubian lion-god Apedemak. When Maat was violated, the other gods would work to set it aright, but Mahes would be sent to punish the one who had committed the transgression. Interestingly enough, he encompassed his own opposite, and his name was invoked as a protection for the innocent.
Worship: Cult center at Leontopolis, also worshipped alongside Bast at Bubastis. The Greeks also worshipped him for a time, possibly aligning him with the Furies.
From: here(...)
His name can be translated directly as "(one who can) see in front". However, the first part of his name is also the first part of the word "ma" (lion) as well as the verb "maa" (to see) and it is spelled with the symbol of a sickle for the sound "m", linking it with the word Ma´at (truth or balance). As a result, another possible translation is "True Before Her" (referring to Ma´at).
However, Maahes was rarely referred to by name. Rather he was usually referred to by his most common epithet, "The Lord of the Massacre". He was given a number of other bloodcurdling epithets including; "Wielder of the Knife", "The Scarlet Lord" (referring to the blood of his victims) and "Lord of Slaughter". Yet, he was not seen as a force of evil. He punished those who violated the rules of Ma´at and so promoted order and justice. Thus he was also known as the "Avenger of Wrongs" and "Helper of the Wise Ones". The Greeks associated him with the Furies (who were also potentially dangerous but not specifically evil) and gave him their epithet "The Kindly One."
(...)
For the full article, see: HereEpithets:
"Wielder of the Knife"
"Helper of the Wise Ones"
"The Initiator," (I wonder where this came from?)
"Lord of the Slaughter"
"Manifestor of Will"
"Avenger of Wrongs"
"Lord of the Land of Daughters" (apparently there is a place in the Duat where his priestesses reside?)
"Scarlet Lord"
"Great of Roaring" (c3 hmhm)
"Great of Strength" (c3 phty/ wr phty)
"Powerful of Arms" (nHt cwy)
"Raging Lion."
"Lion with the Ferocious Gaze"
and "Soul of Bast"
**
Lion
"The Lion"
"The Living Lion"
Attributes
"He of the Strong Body"
"He of the Great Power"
"Whose Arms are Strong"
"Whose eyes are reddened"
"He who stands on his knee"
"Who is strong with his arms"
Relationships
"The Son of Bast"
"The Heir of the Pillar"
"The heir of the pillars"
The Son of the Goddess"
"He who advocates his father Re"
"He who seeks the leg of his father"
"He who advocates for his father Re"
"He who brings the leg of the one who has sired him"
Lord
"The Lord of Debod"
"The Lord of Bubastis"
"The Lord of the Foreign Lands"
"The Lord of the 10th Nome of Upper Egypt"
"The Lord of Xois, resp. of the Nome of Xois"
Principal
"The Principal of the Gods"
"The Principal of the site of stabbing"
"The Principal of the Temple of Bast in Lower Egypt"
"The Principal of the site of the part/share of the two Lords"
"The Principal of the divine farmland (in the 18. Nome of Lower Egypt)"
Nobel God
"The Noble God"
"The Noble Power"
Violent God
"He of the loud roar"
"He of the great roar"
"He of the grim face"
"He who robs hearts"
"He who devours hearts"
"He of the great respect"
"He of the raging moment"
"He who lives off the blood of Rechit"
"He who dwells/is in the midst of the oasis"
"He who pursuits the rebels with swift strides"
"He who dwells/is with a grim face amongst his enemies"
Punishing God
"He who drives off Set"
"He who kills adversaries"
"He who breaks rebellion"
"He who kills the nile horse"
"He who kills enemies on both shores"
"He who brings about the downfall of rebels"
"He who takes the blood of the associates of Set"
"Who drives his Gabelstoc into the back of his enemy"
"He who throws the gazelles of the desert down to the ground"
"He who stabs the rebels with his blazing breath/breath of blaze"
Protecting God
"The Great Protector"
"He who tramples down"
"He who protects Foreigners"
"He who protects sanctuaries/shrines from bad/evil"
"He who dwells/is in midst of the throne seat of Heru"
"He who drives off the enemy from the great throne seat"
"He who drives off the enemies from the Island of Raging"
(thanks to Taysat for translating these from Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen)
From: House of Nejer ThreadAlso see:Maahes or Mihos, the lion-god, son of Bast, called Miysis by the Greeks. He is portrayed as a man with the head of a lion, sometimes wearing the Atef crown. He is sometimes also portrayed as a lion devouring a captive.
He first appears as a deity in the story "The Taking of Joppa", in which Thutmosis III is referred to as "Maahes, son of Sekhmet". He is often confused with Sekhmet because at times he is shown holding a khopesh (knife or sword) or two. He is a war-god, and in this role is associated with other war-like deities such as Horus and Nefertem, whose floral head-dress Maahes sometimes wears. He is the guardian of sacred places and an aggressor who attacks and mauls a captive enemy. His local roots were at Leontopolis (modern Tell el-Muqdam) in nome 11 of Lower Egypt. The Pharaoh Osorkon III (Dynasty XXII) erected a temple to him at Bubastis, the town sacred to the god's mother. Mihos' name is also found in papyri of the late New Kingdom.
Main Temple: Per Bast / Bubastis, 18th Nome, Lower Egypt Priesthood:
Other Temples: Nay-ta-hut / Leontopolis / Tell el-muqdam, 11th Nome, Lower Egypt
Festival Days:
The festival days of Maahes were celebrated with those of his mother, Bast.
From: Akhet
Wepwawet Wiki page
House of Netjer Maahes thread
Henadology - MIHOS
Mihos
Another article
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Montu/Monthu
Egyptian god of war, the personification of those aspects of kingship to do with conquering other countries. Montu was the old chief god of the Theban nome, before Amun took over this role. The first traces of a cult of Montu are therefore to be found in the Theban area. Four rulers of the 11th Dynasty, ruling from that town, bore the name Mentuhotep (Montu is satisfied), which indicates the importance of the god at that time. The first large temples for Montu were also built then. In the 12th Dynasty the god became somewhat overshadowed by Amun - the most popular king's name of that time was, for example, Amenemhat (Amun is in front) - but Montu always kept the title 'Lord of Thebes'. As time went on he was linked with the sun god in the form of Montu-Re, but eventually also with Amun as Amun-Montu-Re. Montu was also identified with a special form of Amun, that of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis. The Buchis bull, the sacred bull of Hermonthis, was a manifestation of Montu. The god was usually depicted with the head of a falcon and a headdress consisting of two feathers and a sun disk. From the Late Period there are also depictions of Montu with the head of a bull.
From: here(...)
Montu was also thought to act as a guardian of happy family life. He is referred to in marriage documents to ensure that each party lived up to their commitment. Infidelity is described as "the abomination of Montu" and was definitely frowned upon. He was one of the deities who protected Ra on his nightly journey through the underworld and battled the serpent of chaos (Apep).
Montu was often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon wearing a headdress of two long plumes, a solar disk and the double uraeus (like that of Amun). He is generally armed, but uses a variety of weapons. Because of his links to the bull cults he was also depicted with the head of a bull (wearing the same headdress).
Montu was closely associated with Ra as a solar god and often appears as Montu-Ra. He was also merged with Atum and even associated with Set (possibly because of his martial aspect or because he could counteract the negative side of Set). The Greeks considered Montu to be a form of Ares, the god of war.
He was thought to be married to Tjenenet, Iunyt and Rettawy. It was sometimes suggested that the child of Montu and Rettawy (who like Iunyt was a female aspect of Ra) was Horus the child, linking Montu with Horus and therefore the pharaoh. When Amun became the national god, he and his wife Mut were sometimes described as the (adoptive) parents of Montu.
From: HereIn Ancient Egyptian religion, Monthu was a falcon-god of war. Monthu's name, shown in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right, is technically transcribed as mntw. Because of the difficulty in transcribing Egyptian, it is often realized as Montu, Montju, or Menthu.
Monthu was an ancient god, his name meaning nomad, originally a manifestation of the scorching effect of the sun, Ra, and as such often appeared under the epithet Monthu-Ra. The destructiveness of this characteristic led to him gaining characteristics of a warrior, and eventually becoming a war-god.
Because of the association of raging bulls with strength and war, Monthu was also said to manifest himself in a white bull with a black face, which was referred to as the Bakha. Egypt's greatest general-kings called themselves Mighty Bulls, the sons of Monthu. In the famous narrative of the Battle of Kadesh, Ramesses II was said to have seen the enemy and "raged at them like Monthu, Lord of Thebes".
From: WikiAlso see:Symbols: weapons, bulls, falcons
Cult Center: Hermonthis
Montu was the falcon-headed god of war. He was called the "lord of Thebes" even though his chief seat of worship was 10 miles to the south in Hermonthis. Hermonthis was the capital of the Theban nome.
Montu was portrayed as a falcon-headed man wearing a headdress consisting of the sun-disc encircled by the uraeus topped by two plumes. In his hands he would hold various weaponry, including the schimtar, bows and arrows, and knives.
Early in Theban history, Montu was an important and prominent god. Later when Amon rose in popularity, Montu became overshadowed and was incorporated into the Theban worship of Amon. He was sometimes shown with a bull's head during this period. He was said to be the destructive element of the sun's heat. Also, Montu was said to slay the sun's enemies from the prow of the night-boat of the sun.
From: Here
Montu, Solar and Warrior God
Montu « Henadology
Montu
Montu @ Thebes
Precinct of Montu
Montu
Ammut/Ammit
Ammut, whose name means ‘Devourer of the Dead’, is a Goddess of the netherworld depicted with the head of a crocodile, the front legs of a lion or leopard and the rear of a hippopotamus. Ammut is generally known for her role at the famous judgment scene (Book of the Dead spell 125), in which the heart is weighed against Ma’et, where Ammut sits on all fours waiting to consume the heart which has not been purified. In spell 168, however, she is said to keep the soul sound in the netherworld insofar as she has received offerings from one while alive.
From: Hendalogy
From: Hendalogy
Ammut was a creature which dwelled in the Hall of Ma'at awaiting the judgement of the deceased that passed through there. Those souls who were found unworthy to dwell in the Afterlife were devoured by her. The process of judgement involved the weighing of the deceased person's heart against the feather of Ma'at. If the heart (the seat of the soul, according to the ancient Egyptians) was found to be heavy with sin and impurities and did not balance with the feather, Ammut would devour them.
The goddess was depicted with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
From: here
The goddess was depicted with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
From: here
Other Names: Eater of the Dead, the Devourer.
Patron of: destruction of the souls of the wicked.
Appearance: a demon with the head of crocodile, the torso of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
Description: Ammit sits beneath the Scales of Justice before the throne of Osiris where she waits for the daily flow of souls to come before Osiris for judgment. During the Judging of the Heart, if the deeds of the soul being judged are found to be more wicked than good, Anubis feeds the soul to Ammit. This results in the total annihilation of the person, and there is no hope of further existence.
From: here
Patron of: destruction of the souls of the wicked.
Appearance: a demon with the head of crocodile, the torso of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
Description: Ammit sits beneath the Scales of Justice before the throne of Osiris where she waits for the daily flow of souls to come before Osiris for judgment. During the Judging of the Heart, if the deeds of the soul being judged are found to be more wicked than good, Anubis feeds the soul to Ammit. This results in the total annihilation of the person, and there is no hope of further existence.
From: here
(...)
In the The Book of the Dead, Ammut sat at the judgement of the dead in The Hall of Double Ma'at (when the deceased's heart was weighed on the scales against Ma'at), ready to devour the souls of the unworthy - the final death for an Egyptian! It has even been suggested that she was also a protector of Osiris, because of her position at the Judgement.
She was also known as the 'Dweller in Amenta' or the 'Devourer of Amenta', the place where the sun sets. Amenta, as used by the Egyptians, was applied to the west bank of the Nile - Egyptian cemeteries and funerary places were all on the west. To the Egyptians, west was a direction linked to death. Amenta was also the name of the underworld - the place where Ra traveled during the night. Ammut, therefore, was not only a demoness of death, but a demoness of the underworld. In at least one papyrus, Ammut was depicted as crouching beside the lake of fire in the infernal regions of the underworld!
The The Book of the Dead is a selection of spells, designed to assist the deceased through the trials of the underworld. This also, of course, assists the dead to not get eaten by Ammut. The papyrus of Ani, in a speech made by the gods to Thoth, says:
The Osiris [the scribe Ani], whose word is true, is holy and righteous. He has not committed any sin, and he has done no evil against us. The devourer Ammut shall not be permitted to prevail over him.
From: Ammut, Great of Death, Easter of Hearts, the Devourer
In the The Book of the Dead, Ammut sat at the judgement of the dead in The Hall of Double Ma'at (when the deceased's heart was weighed on the scales against Ma'at), ready to devour the souls of the unworthy - the final death for an Egyptian! It has even been suggested that she was also a protector of Osiris, because of her position at the Judgement.
She was also known as the 'Dweller in Amenta' or the 'Devourer of Amenta', the place where the sun sets. Amenta, as used by the Egyptians, was applied to the west bank of the Nile - Egyptian cemeteries and funerary places were all on the west. To the Egyptians, west was a direction linked to death. Amenta was also the name of the underworld - the place where Ra traveled during the night. Ammut, therefore, was not only a demoness of death, but a demoness of the underworld. In at least one papyrus, Ammut was depicted as crouching beside the lake of fire in the infernal regions of the underworld!
The The Book of the Dead is a selection of spells, designed to assist the deceased through the trials of the underworld. This also, of course, assists the dead to not get eaten by Ammut. The papyrus of Ani, in a speech made by the gods to Thoth, says:
The Osiris [the scribe Ani], whose word is true, is holy and righteous. He has not committed any sin, and he has done no evil against us. The devourer Ammut shall not be permitted to prevail over him.
From: Ammut, Great of Death, Easter of Hearts, the Devourer
In ancient Egyptian religion, Ammit (also spelled Ammut and Ahemait, meaning Devourer or Soul Eater) was a female demon with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included "Devourer of the Dead", "Eater of Hearts", and "Great of Death".
Ammit lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis weighed the heart of a person against Ma'at, the goddess of truth, who was sometimes depicted symbolically as an ostrich feather. If the heart was judged to be not pure, Ammit would devour it, and the person undergoing judgement was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality. Once Ammut swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called "to die a second time". Ammit was also sometimes said to stand by a lake of fire. In some traditions, the unworthy hearts were cast into the fiery lake to be destroyed. Some scholars believe Ammit and the lake represent the same concept of destruction.
Ammit was not worshipped, and was never regarded as a goddess; instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at.
Ammit has been linked with the goddess Tawaret, who has a similar physical appearance and, as a companion of Bes, also protected others from evil. Other authors[who?] have noted that Ammit's lion characteristics, and the lake of fire, may be pointers to a connection with the goddess Sekhmet. The relation to afterlife punishment and lake of fire location are also shared with the baboon deity Babi.
From: Wiki
Ammit lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian underworld. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis weighed the heart of a person against Ma'at, the goddess of truth, who was sometimes depicted symbolically as an ostrich feather. If the heart was judged to be not pure, Ammit would devour it, and the person undergoing judgement was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality. Once Ammut swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called "to die a second time". Ammit was also sometimes said to stand by a lake of fire. In some traditions, the unworthy hearts were cast into the fiery lake to be destroyed. Some scholars believe Ammit and the lake represent the same concept of destruction.
Ammit was not worshipped, and was never regarded as a goddess; instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at.
Ammit has been linked with the goddess Tawaret, who has a similar physical appearance and, as a companion of Bes, also protected others from evil. Other authors[who?] have noted that Ammit's lion characteristics, and the lake of fire, may be pointers to a connection with the goddess Sekhmet. The relation to afterlife punishment and lake of fire location are also shared with the baboon deity Babi.
From: Wiki
(...)
Her name, is generally translated as "Devourer", but could also be the chilling "Bone Eater", and she was known as "Devourer of millions" leading to the suggestion that the god Am-heh was one of her aspects. Some scholars have linked Ammit with the Hippopotamus goddess Tawaret, because of the similarities in their appearance and their role in fighting evil. According to some traditions, she lived by the scales of justice, but other sources suggested that she (like Am-heh) lived by a lake of fire into which the souls of the guilty were thrown. According to these traditions, she did not devour the souls, but protected the lake. This has led some to suggested that she may be linked to Sekhmet due to her lionine characteristics and her role in protecting a lake of fire.
She was generally depicted as a demon with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. However, she also took human form.
(...)
From: here
Her name, is generally translated as "Devourer", but could also be the chilling "Bone Eater", and she was known as "Devourer of millions" leading to the suggestion that the god Am-heh was one of her aspects. Some scholars have linked Ammit with the Hippopotamus goddess Tawaret, because of the similarities in their appearance and their role in fighting evil. According to some traditions, she lived by the scales of justice, but other sources suggested that she (like Am-heh) lived by a lake of fire into which the souls of the guilty were thrown. According to these traditions, she did not devour the souls, but protected the lake. This has led some to suggested that she may be linked to Sekhmet due to her lionine characteristics and her role in protecting a lake of fire.
She was generally depicted as a demon with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. However, she also took human form.
(...)
From: here
Also see:
| Egypt: Judgment of the Dead in Ancient Egypt Book of Coming Forth by Day |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Selket/Serqet
****
SELKET (Selqet, Serket, Serqet)
Symbols: Scorpion
Selket was the goddess of scorpians and magic. She was depicted in the form of a woman with a scorpian on her head.
Her roles in Egyptian mythology were many, mostly as a beneficial goddess. She watched over Qebehsenuef, one of the four sons of Horus, who in turn protected the intestines of the deceased. Other connections with the afterlife include her epithet, "Lady of the Beautiful Tent" which referred to her as a protector of the embalmer's tent. In the Afterlife she was said to watch over a dangerous twist in a pathway. She was also credited with guarding the snake, Apep following his imprisonment in the Underworld. Selket was also associated with childbirth and nursing. Contrary to her typical benficial characterization, she was also related to the sun's scorching heat. In the Book of the Dead, she is a protector of the deceased and his teeth are identified with hers.
Magically, Selket was a protector from venomous bites. She was the patroness of magicians who dealt with poisoness bites. Suprisingly though, it was usually Isis who was invoked in spells against scorpion stings.
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/selket.htm
Her name means 'She who causes to breathe' and refers to her power of protecting from, or curing poisonous stings of scorpions and serpents.
In Egyptian mythology, Serket (also spelt Serket-hetyt, Selket, Selkis, Selchis, and Selkhit) was originally the deification of the scorpion. Scorpion stings lead to paralysis, and Serket's name describes this, as it means (one who) tightens the throat. However, Serket's name can also be read as meaning (one who) causes the throat to breath, and so, as well as being seen as stinging the unrighteous, Serket was seen as one who could cure scorpion stings, and other poisons, such as snake bites.
In art, Serket was shown as a scorpion, or as a woman with a scorpion on her head, and although Serket doesn't appear to have had temples, she had a sizable priesthood. The most dangerous species of scorpion resides in North Africa, and its sting can kill, so Serket was considered a highly important goddess, and was sometimes considered by pharaohs to be their patron. As the protector against poisons, and snake bites, Serket was often said to protect the gods from Apep, the great snake-god of evil, sometimes acting as the guard when Apep was captured.
As many of the venomous creatures of Egypt could prove fatal, Serket was also considered a protector of the dead, particularly being associated with poisons, and fluids causing stiffening. She was thus said to be the protector of the tents of embalmers, and of the canopic jar associated with poison —the jar of the small intestine— which was deified as Qebehsenuf, one of the Four sons of Horus.
As the guard of one of the canopic jars, and a protector, Serket gained a strong association with Aset (Isis), and Nebet Het (Nephthys), who also performed a similar function. Eventually, long into Egyptian history, Serket began to be identified as Isis, sharing imagery, and parentage, until, finally, Serket became said to be merely an aspect of Isis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serket
Here are some Kemetic Texts about her:
(I am) Serqet, mistress of heaven and lady of all the gods.
I have come before you (Oh) King's Great Wife,
Mistress of the Two Lands,
Lady of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Nefertari, Beloved of Mut,
Justified Before Osiris Who Resides in Abtu (Abydos),
and I have accorded you a place in the sacred land,
so that you may appear gloriously in heaven like Ra.
-- Inscription in the Tomb of Nefetari, Serqet speaking to Nefertari
"I embrace with my two arms that which is in me. Everday I make protection for Qebehsenuef, which is in me. The protection of Osiris is the protection of Qebehsenuef, for Osiris is Qebehsenuef."
-attributed to Selkit in an inscription of an ancient canopic jar."The teeth of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, are the teeth of Serqet."
-Egyptian Book of the Dead,Here are some sites with more information about her:
LadyMoondancer's Goddess Selket Page
Egypt: Serqet, Goddess of Scorpions and Venomous Creatures, Magical Protection and the Afterlife
Selket
Selket the Goddess of Magic
Goddess of Magic, Selket
Selket
Selket
Selket
Serket -- Kemet.org
Serqet
Selket statues
Dua Serqet -- a LJ community/Temple for Selket
Serket -- lists attributes and things
Mut
MUT
Patron of: the sky, mothers.
Appearance: A vulture-headed woman or a woman wearing a vulture for a crown.
Description: The very word Mut means "mother" and Mut was the great mother goddess of Egypt, even outranking Isis. Often Mut was believed to be a sort of grandmother figure, as Isis was the mother figure for the world. She was said to be the consort of Amun, and their son was the moon-god Khonsu.
The three formed a sort of heavenly family for their people. Each year a festival would be held celebrating the marriage of Amun and Mut. The high priest of Amun would lead a procession from Karnak to the temple at Luxor.
Worshipped: Amun, Mut and Khonsu were worshipped as a trinity in Luxor.
FROM: http://touregypt.net/godsofegypt/mut.htm
Mut (Maut) was the mother goddess, the queen of the gods at Waset (Thebes), arising in power with the god Amen. She came to represent the Eye of Ra, the ferocious goddess of retribution and daughter of the sun god Ra. Originally a local goddess, probably from the delta area, she became a national goddess during the New Kingdom and was adored at one of the most popular festivals at the time - the Festival of Mut.
She was either depicted as a woman, sometimes with wings, or a vulture, usually wearing the crowns of royalty - she was often shown wearing the double crown of Egypt or the vulture headdress of the New Kingdom queens. Later she was shown as woman with the head of a lioness, as a cow or as a cobra as she took on the attributes of the other Egyptian goddesses. The ancient Egyptian link between vultures and motherhood lead to her name being the ancient Egyptian word for mother - mwt
FROM: Mut, Mother Goddess of the New Kingdom, Wife of Amen, Vulture Goddess
In Art, Mut was pictured as a woman with the wings of a vulture, holding an ankh, wearing the united crown of Upper and Lower Egypt and also a dress of bright red/blue, with the feather of Maat at her feet. Alternatively, as a result of her assimilations, she is sometimes depicted as a cobra, a cat, a cow, or as a lioness. Some of Mut's titles included World-Mother, Eye of Ra, Queen of the Goddesses, Lady of Heaven, Mother of the Gods, and She Who Gives Birth, But Was Herself Not Born of Any.
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mut
Symbols: Double Crown, vulture, cobra, lioness, queen
Cult Center: Thebes
Her name means "mother" and in many ways she was regarded by the Egyptians as the great "world mother," and mother of the pharaohs.
It appears that Mut was originally the female counterpart of Nun. However, in Thebes she replaced Amaunet to become the wife of the great god Amon. Her son was the local god of the moon, Khonsu. Together, the three formed the triad of Thebes that would dominate Egypt during the New Kingdom.
Mut is one of the few goddesses who were self-created. She was called, "Mut, who giveth birth, but was herself not born of any."
The goddess is usually portrayed as a woman wearing the united crowns (or Double Crown) of the North and the South. In her hands she holds the papyrus sceptre and the emblem of life, ankh. Other images show her as a woman standing upright. Her arms are stretched out at 90 degree angles to her body and have large wings attached to them. The feather of Ma'at is at her feet. Some portraits depict Mut with the heads of a man, a woman, a vulture and a lioness. She has a phallus, a pair of wings and the claws of a lion.
The center of her worship was a quarter of Thebes called Asher (Ashrel, Ashrelt, Isheru). Her temple, Het-Mut, was just south of that of Amen-Ra.
FROM: Mut
In the Unas texts, the following prayer is given:
"O Ra, be good to him on this day since yester-"day" {sic}
After this come the words;
"Unas hath had union "with the goddess Mut, Unas hath drawn unto himself the flame "of Isis, Unas hath united himself to the lotus," etc. The only mention of Mut in the Theban Recension Book of the Dead is found in a hymn to Osiris, which forms the clxxxiiird Chapter ; the deceased is made to say to the god, Thou risest up like an "exalted being upon thy standard, and thy beauties exalt the face of man and make long footstep{s}. I have given unto thee the sovereignty of the father Seb, and the goddess Mut, thy mother, who gave birth to the gods, brought thee forth as the first-born of five gods, and created thy beauties and fashioned thy members."
FROM: Mut Post
The principal female counterpart of Amen-Ra, the king of the gods, in the New Empire was Mut, whose name means "Mother." and in all her attributes we see that see was regarded as the great "world-mother." who conceived and brought forth whatsoever exists. The pictures of the goddess usually represent her in the form of a woman wearing on her head the united crowns of the South and of the North, and holding in her hands the papyrus scepter and the emblem of life. Elsewhere we see her in female form standing upright, with her arms, to which large wings are attached, stretched out full length at right angles to her body. She wears the united crowns, as before stated, but from each shoulder there projects the head of a vulture; one vulture wears the crown of the North, and the other two plumes, though sometimes each vulture head has upon it two plumes, which are probably those of Shu or Amen-Ra. In other pictures the goddess has the head of a women or man, a vulture, and a lioness, and she is provided with a phallus, and a pair of wings, and the claws of a lion or lioness. In the vignette of clxivth Chapter of Book of the Dead she is associated with the two dwarfs, each of whom has two faces, one of a hawk and one of a man, and each of whom has an arm lifted to support the symbol of the god Amsu or Min, and wears upon his head a disk and plumes. In the text which accompanies the vignette, though the three-headed goddess is distinctly called "Mut" in the Rubric, she is addressed as "Sekhet-Bast-Ra, a fact which accounts for the presence of the phallus and the male head on a women's body, and proves that Mut was believed to possess both the male and female attributes of reproduction.
FROM: Tour Egypt: Mut
Other Links:
Kemet.org Names of Netjer : Mut The Temple of Mut -- details, images
FORMS OF MUT
TEMPLE OF MUT (another)
MUT AND NU
RealMagick Article: Mut/Mewet by Mirjam
The Precinct of The Goddess Mut Queen of the Gods
Statue of Mut, goddess of motherhood, unearthed at Karnak
This relates more to Amun's worship, but I think it's worth mentioning the God's Wives (of Amun) with Mut as in essence they are reinacting Mut and Amun's union and creations.
Here are some links and articles about the God's Wives:
- The God's Wives of Amun (scroll down to the bottom for the links to the other articles)
- Egypt: Women in Ancient Egyptian Religion, Part II, The Divine Adoratrice and God's Wife of Amun in the Third ...
- women in ancient egyptian religion 2
- Egypt: God's Wife of Amun
- The Divine Adoratrices
- Divine Adoratrice of Amun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- God's Wife of Amun- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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