Thoth (part 2/2)
Mythology
Thoth has played a
prominent role in many of the Egyptian myths. Displaying his role as
arbitrator, he had overseen the three epic battles between good and evil. All
three battles are fundamentally the same and belong to different periods. The
first battle took place between Ra and Apep, the second between Heru-Bekhutet
and Set, and the third between Horus and Set . In each instance, the former god
represented order while the latter represented chaos. If one god was seriously
injured, Thoth would heal them to prevent either from overtaking the other.
Thoth was also prominent
in the Asarian myth, being of great aid to Isis. After Isis/Aset gathered
together the pieces of Asar's dismembered body, he gave her the words to
resurrect him so she could be impregnated and bring forth Horus. After a battle
between Horus and Set in which the latter plucked out Horus' eye, Thoth's
counsel provided him the wisdom he needed to recover it. Thoth was the god who
always speaks the words that fulfill the wishes of Ra.
This mythology also
credits him with the creation of the 365 day calendar. Originally, according to
the myth, the year was only 360 days long and Nut was sterile during these
days, unable to bear children. Thoth gambled with the Moon for 1/72nd of its light
(360/72 = 5), or 5 days, and won. During these 5 days, Nut gave birth to
Kheru-ur (Horus the Elder, Face of Heaven), Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys.
History
Thoth was originally a
moon god. The moon not only provides light at night, allowing time to still be
measured without the sun, but its phases and prominence gave it a significant
importance in early astrology/astronomy. The cycles of the moon also organized
much of Egyptian society's rituals and events, both civil and religious.
Consequently, Thoth gradually became seen as a god of wisdom, magic, and the
measurement and regulation of events and of time. He was thus said to be the secretary and
counselor of the sun god Ra, and with Ma'at (truth/order) stood next to Ra on
the nightly voyage across the sky.
Thoth became credited by
the ancient Egyptians as the inventor of writing, and was also considered to
have been the scribe of the underworld; and the Moon became occasionally
considered a separate entity, now that Thoth had less association with it and
more with wisdom. For this reason Thoth was universally worshipped by ancient
Egyptian scribes. Many scribes had a painting or a picture of Thoth in their
"office". Likewise, one of the symbols for scribes was that of the
ibis.
In art, Thoth was usually
depicted with the head of an ibis, possibly because the Egyptians saw curve of
the ibis' beak as a symbol of the crescent moon.[37] Sometimes, he was depicted
as a baboon holding up a crescent moon, as the baboon was seen as a nocturnal
and intelligent creature. The association with baboons led to him occasionally
being said to have as a consort Astennu, one of the (male) baboons at the place
of judgment in the underworld. On other occasions, Astennu was said to be Thoth
himself.
During the late period of
Egyptian history, a cult of Thoth gained prominence due to its main centre,
Khmun (Hermopolis Magna), also becoming the capital. Millions of dead ibis were
mummified and buried in his honour. The rise of his cult also led to his cult
seeking to adjust mythology to give Thoth a greater role.
Thoth was inserted in
many tales as the wise counselor and persuader, and his association with
learning and measurement led him to be connected with Seshat, the earlier
deification of wisdom, who was said to be his daughter, or variably his wife.
Thoth's qualities also led to him being identified by the Greeks with their
closest matching god Hermes, with whom Thoth was eventually combined as Hermes
Trismegistus, also leading to the Greeks' naming Thoth's cult centre as Hermopolis,
meaning city of Hermes.
It is also considered
that Thoth was the scribe of the gods rather than a messenger. Anpu (or
Hermanubis) was viewed as the messenger of the gods, as he travelled in and out
of the Underworld and presented himself to the gods and to humans. It is more
widely accepted that Thoth was a record keeper, not a divine messenger. In the
Papyrus of Ani copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead the scribe proclaims
"I am thy writing palette, O Thoth, and I have brought unto thee thine ink-jar.
I am not of those who work iniquity in their secret places; let not evil happen
unto me."[ Chapter XXXb (Budge) of the Book of the Dead is by the oldest
tradition said to be the work of Thoth himself.
There was also an
Egyptian pharaoh of the Sixteenth dynasty named Djehuty (Thoth) after him, and
who reigned for three years.
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