Thoth
From ArchaeoWiki
Thoth (Egyptian: Djehuty) was a lunar deity within the religion of ancient Egypt, who came increasingly to be associated with writing and knowledge, and therefore the patron of scribes and scribal arts. Thoth is most commonly depicted semi-anthropomorphically as an ibis-headed divine male figure; the god's other distinct rendering being in the form of a baboon—both animal manifestations, however, appear to be lunar-related. Thoth was later associated with the Greek deity Hermes, explaining the name of the god's primary ancient cult centre as Hermopolis.
Contents |
Origins
The ibis standard of Thoth features on slate palettes of the Egyptian Predynastic Period, indicating awareness and veneration of the god early in the development of Egyptian culture.
Somewhat later, Thoth's importance as a national deity by the Old Kingdom period is revealed in his frequent mentions within the Pyramid Texts: one of the "two companions" who daily traverse the sky, according to PT 128—the other being the sun-god Re—they travel together on the "wing of Thoth" across the river of the celestial sky [PT 594-596].
The Old Kingdom further witnessed the integration of Thoth within the solar theology, together with the god Osiris, which god Thoth is said to protect and to serve as a form of divine vizier, both in a direct fashion and in the service of the deceased king who became identified with Osiris.
Mythology
The solar and Osirid connections of the Old Kingdom period form the basis to the mythology of Thoth: Although frequently designated "the son of Re", the myth outlined in The Contendings of Horus and Seth, for example, reveals that Thoth was the son of Osiris' son Horus, who emerged from the head of Horus' rival Seth after the god had been tricked into eating lettuce laced with the semen of Horus. An alternative, later version of the myth had the seed of Horus appear on the head of Seth as a shining disk, subsequently taken by Thoth and placed upon his own head as his emblem. Thoth was claimed to have healed the damaged eye of Horus, associated with the moon. In mythology, Thoth frequently acts as messenger, intercessor and conciliator between the gods—a role that presumably made the Greeks' equation of the god with Hermes both straightforward and obvious.
Function
In addition to his role as messenger, intercessor and conciliator between the gods, Thoth was attributed several other important functions.
As the inventor of writing, Thoth acted as the scribe of the Ennead, the god who recorded divine words, utterances and judgements (not least the ultimate judgement of the heart of the deceased by Osiris, as portrayed in the Book of the Dead).
Forms and Iconography
As already noted, Thoth was most commonly depicted semi-anthropomorphically as an ibis-headed divine male figure. Animal depictions of the god were common, however, appearing in the form of a baboon and that of a sacred ibis: in purely zoomorphic rendering, Thoth's appearance as a baboon is slightly more common than that of the ibis.
Thoth appears in baboon form in both scribal and lunar contexts, normally depicted as the seated monkey (Papio cynocephalus) with a heavy mane, squatting on its rear with legs drawn up against the abdomen and hands resting on the knees. Occasionally, the baboon Thoth bears the lunar crescent and disk on his head. Whether, as has been suggested, the ancient Egyptians saw the form of the baboon in the lunar disk (as with the Western 'man in the moon') remains difficult to determine.
The wholly avian form of Thoth manifested itself in representations of the sacred ibis (Threshkiornis aethiopicus), the distinctive white plumage of the species bordered by black head, neck, feet and tail—and characterised by an elongated, crescent-shaped bill—perhaps holding some symbolic significance. In statues, Thoth was represented by the sacred ibis in many generalised depictions, without specific lunar attributes or scribal associations. The figure of the ibis could be portrayed both sitting and standing. In hieroglyphics, the profile drawing of the ibis figure perched on a standard was employed in writing the god's name, whether in full or abbreviated form.
Cult and Worship
The royal veneration of the god Thoth (Djehuty) in the early New Kingdom period especially is perhaps seen most clearly in the theophoric names of several Eighteenth Dynasty rulers that refer to the god: Thutmose, "born of Thoth". Several prominent private individuals also shared this name; one of the chief sculptors at Amarna, for example.
In the dynastic period at least, the primary cult centre for the worship and priesthood of Thoth was firmly established at Hermopolis (ancient Khemnu and modern el-Ashmunein) in Middle Egypt, although it remains uncertain as to whether this location represented the original focus for the worship of Thoth.
Within the realm of personal / practical religion and beliefs, a considerable number of amulets of the god—whether in the form of an ibis or ibis-headed male figure, or (more frequently) as a baboon—have been recovered, the depictions within these amulets sometimes also grasp the wadjet-eye as an additional feature. No doubt especially popular amongst scribes, these amulets were probably also worn in everyday life by many in the general population.
Bibliography
- Bleeker, Claas J. [1973], Hathor and Thoth: Two Key Figures of the Ancient Egyptian Religion, Leiden: Brill, 1973. ISBN 9004037349
- Černý, Jaroslav [1948], "Thoth as Creator of Languages", JEA 34 (1948), pp.121–122.
- Doxey, D.M., "Thoth", OEAE III, pp.398-400.
- Kurth, D., "Thoth", LdÄ VI, cc.497-523.
