Egyptomania

Khonsu, Chons, or Khons is the god of the moon and the god of time in ancient Egypt. As a lunar god, Khonsu is associated with the other lunar god, Thot. He is originally part of the triad with Amun and Mut. He is the child of the union between the air and the sky. He was primarily worshipped at Thebes. In the north, he was considered the son of Ptah and Sekhmet. At the Greco-Roman Kom-Ombo Temple, Khonsu is the son of Sobek and Hathor . He has his own temple at the Karnak Complex. It is from there that his statue was transported, during the Thebian New Year Festival,  to join his parents at the Luxor Temple. Khonsu's Name  There has been a dispute about the meaning of his name. Some scholars suggested that it represented the royal placenta. It is more accepted that Khonsu is derived from the hieroglyphs for "wanderer" or "traveller". ( hns ) means to travel or to cross, referring to the journey of the moon through the sky. Khonsu's Appearance He is usually ...

Seth was also known as Sutekh or Set. He was often associated with the negative aspects of chaos, violence, disorder, war, storms, and foreign lands. He was the brother and husband of Nephthys and the brother of Isis and Osiris. This makes him the son of Geb (the Earth) and Nut (the Sky) and the main antagonist in the famous myth of Osiris.  His name in hieroglyphs is translated as "instigator of confusion" and "destroyer". It is believed that Seth was one of the two gods who gave the power and authority to the pharaohs and that’s why he was respected for his chaotic powers. Some kings used the animal that represented Seth as part of their emblem to evince their dominance and frightening power. Different forms of Seth The physical representation of Seth is different from any other Egyptian deity, whose physical representations were based on known animals, because the animal that represented him is so far unidentified. Seth was usually depicted as a man with an anima...

Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife in the form of a heavenly Field of Reeds (A'aru) that exactly mirrored their lives, albeit in a more perfect, immortal form.  This naturally makes funerary practices one of the most important, if not the most important, rituals in Ancient Egypt. The aim here was to preserve the different aspects of the deceased's life so that they may later relive it in peace after waking up from their temporary slumber. These funerals warranted the survival of the spirit in the Netherworld and so the mummification of the body was a central part in these rituals. For the body (khet) is the main vessel of the soul (Ka and Ba).  The family of the deceased had one of three options for the mummification and making of the coffin. This was a quality for money deal as families would strive for the second best or best option to ensure the safe journey for the deceased and avoid getting haunted by their trapped ghost. Funerary Processions were a given ev...

The Dendera Zodiacs have been one of the most baffling puzzles pertaining to Ancient Egypt. Most people may be familiar with the older circular zodiac which petty astrologers reduce to an Ancient Egyptian Horoscope. You may definitely align your western astrological sign with this zodiac and we may tell you how in a future article, but it certainly does not mean that you share characteristics with the gods of Egypt. The fundamental importance of these zodiacs lies in the actual astronomical science they signify. These zodiacs did not only threaten both established science and Catholic doctrine at some point in time but were also a key Champollion utilized to decipher the Rosetta Stone.  Description The older zodiac, also known as  Le Zodiaque de Paris  (the Zodiac of Paris) is circular and dates to about 50 BCE. It formed half of the ceiling in the Osiris chapel at the Dendera Temple. The second rectangular zodiac, which is about 80 years older is found as part of the Den...

This is a vivid and complex tale, dating to the reign of King Seti II of the 19th dynasty. This tale has a connection with a myth of two gods, namely Anubis and Bata. What is unique here is that these very gods are depicted as humans with minor super powers, not as the omnipotent beings we normally encounter in Ancient Egyptian mythology. This tale also has a very strong similarity with the tale of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Anubis who is the elder and married, and Bata, the younger bachelor. Anubis had a house and a wife, treating Bata as his own son. Bata was a perfect man, none like him in the whole land (a god's strength was in him). The two brothers worked together, farming land and raising cattle. One day when they were in the field, they had a need for seeds. The elder brother sends his younger brother Bata to bring the seeds from home. His sister in law tries to seduce him. Bata becomes very angry and resists her adamantly. Wh...

Folk stories are immortal stories transcending space and time. Folk tales were oral tales utilizing linguistic devices to be told in such a way to be remembered easily and shared with other people.  These tales reflect the beliefs and traditions, histories and even the psyches of the eras they belong to. All over the world, folk tales stand the test of time and highlight our human obsession with telling stories. The Islamic civilization was no exception with some of the richest accounts of folklore present. One Thousand and One nights (The Arabian Nights) are probably the strongest folklore account preserved in history. One of its most popular stories "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" was not actually part the original Arabian Nights, but was added anyways for its significance. Its original Arabic manuscript remains a mystery to this day. However, the tale has all the themes and elements in common with all Islamic folklore confirming its origins. The story does not only reflec...

Imi dw3t, means the book of what is in the Duat "Netherworld". It also means the book of the hidden chamber. It was an important funerary text of the New Kingdom of Egypt. It tells the journey of the sun god Re through the Netherworld. It is often believed that the king takes the same journey and becomes one with Re in eternal life. The Amduat is divided into twelve hours according to the twelve hours of the night: it begins when the sun sets in the west and rises again in the east. The boat of the sun god faces many obstacles and the journey becomes a drama. The earliest complete copies of the Amduat are retrieved from the tomb of Thutmose the Third. The hours of the Amduat The first hour: the sun god enters into the Netherworld "the gate which swallows all" represented as ram-headed Ba. It describes the Netherworld's inhabitants and there's  a list of 741 deities in the burial chamber. The second and third hour: it describes the  fertile farmlands of the...

Jason and the Golden Fleece  One day there was a king named Aeson who was ruling the province “Iolcus” in Thessaly. Until, Pelias, the half-brother of Aeson deposed him and took the throne of Iolcus, threatening to kill any who disputed his claim.  Meanwhile the queen Alcimede , wife of Aeson was pregnant with a boy. She claimed that the boy died as she was giving birth to protect the child.  Aeson sent his son Jason (Iason in Greek) to the old Centaur Chiron who was living on the mountain of Pelion in Thessaly. Chiron brought up Jason and taught him how to fight and use all kinds of weapons until Jason became a strong, well-built young man.  After many years, Jason decided to return to Iolcus to regain his kingdom from Pelias.  Pelias felt guilty for what he had committed against his half-brother, so he asked his Oracle about the fate of his throne. The Oracle gave him a prophecy warning him of (a man with one shoe). This man was no other than Jason who helped...

Khonsu was considered as the son of Amun and Mut, with whom he formed the Theban triad. He was a god of fertility and healing, as is recorded in the story of the “Princess of Bekheten”. Khonsu was believed to have the ability to drive out evil spirits. His name is derived from the Egyptian word "khenes" meaning "to travel" and this probably alluding to his nightly journey across the sky. A great temple was built for Khonsu in the Karnak complex at Thebes. It was begun by Ramesses III, in the New Kingdom but enlarged by later rulers. Although the good epithets that konsu got, he also had a dark side. Khonsu the devourer Khonsu was a benevolent god in the New Kingdom, but in early times specifically the Old Kingdom, he was not benevolent, but violent and horrible. There is a part of the Pyramid Texts described Khonsu as a bloodthirsty maniac, who killed and ate other gods’ hearts in order to absorb their powers. In other texts, he was described as “Khonsu who li...

The term “Ennead” is of Greek origin, it means "nine" and is (Pesedjet) in the Ancient Egyptian Language.This term refers to a group of nine deities who act together. However, Ennead's nine is sometimes used as general term that doesn’t literally express the number nine in some cases.  The most famous Ennead is The Great Ennead of Heliopolis which consists of : • Atum “father of The Ennead” • Shu & Tefnut “Atum’s children” • Geb & Nut “ Atum’s grandchildren” • Osiris , Isis , Seth , Nephthys “The great –grandchildren” The Myth of creation in Heliopolis & Atum “The creator god” The primeval mound was the first land to appear above the primeval ocean (Nun) from which all life came. This mound remained the centre of the cosmos taking a pyramidion shape (benben). Atum was identified with this mound as the creator god who began and ended the world, imagined as a bird such as a phoenix, a goose or an ibis. One day Atum felt very lonely, so he impregnated him...

Egypt is the Land of magic and mystery. Magic was not a delusion or trick to the Ancient Egyptians, magic was an integral part of this world the world had been created through magic.   Egyptians translated magic as Heka.  Magic was used to heal the people when they were sick, gave when the man had nothing, and assured them of eternal life after death.  Magic was used by the gods , magician-priests, some special people such as the kings, dwarfs, or those who were believed to inhabit the Netherworld. The God of magic Heka was the God of magic as well as medicine. For magic and medicine were inseparable to ancient Egyptians. Heka is the oldest God in ancient Egypt. As old as creation, he is this secret power holding the Universe together and driving the Gods. Heka can be seen living on in Greek culture under the term logos. He is the most important God in ancient Egypt. H e was represented in human form and sometimes as a child. In the funerary texts he is seen lea...

A curse that is casted upon anyone who disturbs the sleep of a king's mummy and is believed to cause illness, bad luck or even death! The curse shall befall he who disturbs the King's sleep The origin of the myth The gossip surrounding the mummy’s curse started around the 1920s when the king Tutankamun’s tomb was discovered by the famed archaeologist Howard Carter, the great discovery was followed by a series of unusual incidents and mysterious deaths amongst Carter’s team members and many people who came in contact with Tut’s burial objects later. The first unusual incident was reported when Carter sent his messenger on an errand to his house, the messenger claimed to have heard a “human cry” at the entrance and then he spotted a cobra snake inside Carter’s birdcage eating his canary. In ancient Egypt the cobra snake represents the symbol of goddess Wadjet (protective deity in ancient Egypt and was worn on a king’s crown as if to strike his enemies). Mysterious deaths ...