Thoth

From New World Encyclopedia
Thoth, depicted with an ibis head.

Thoth was considered one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon, who was often depicted with the head of an ibis. His chief shrine was at Khemennu, where he was the head of the local company of gods, later renamed Hermopolis by the Greeks (given his identification with the Greek God Hermes) and Eshmûnên by the Arabs. Shrines in his honor were also constructed in Abydos, Hesert, Urit, Per-Ab, Rekhui, Ta-ur, Sep, Hat, Pselket, Talmsis, Antcha-Mutet, Bah, Amen-heri-ab, and Ta-kens.

He was considered to be the heart and tongue of Ra, as well as the means by which Ra's will was translated into speech.[1] Given this association with divine speech/will, he has also been likened to the Logos of Plato and to the mind of God. In Egyptian mythology, he has played many vital and prominent roles, including being one of the two gods (the other being Ma'at) who stood on either side of Ra's boat during its daily circumnavigation of the human world and the underworld. Also, his relationship with the divine will meant that he was affiliated with arbitration (specifically with regards to the souls of the deceased), magic, writing, and science.[2]

Name

Etymology

Common names for Thoth[3]
in hieroglyphs
G26t
Z4
,
dHwt
Z4
R8
,
G26
t Z4

According to Theodor Hopfner, Thoth's Egyptian name written as ḏḥwty originated from ḏḥw, claimed to be the oldest known name for the ibis although normally written as hbj.[4] The addition of -ty (an associative suffix), which denotes the possession of attributes, means that his name could be roughly translated as "He who is like the ibis".[5]

The Egyptian pronunciation of ḏḥwty is not fully known, but may be reconstructed as *ḏiḥautī, based on the Ancient Greek borrowing Θωθ Thōth or Theut and the fact that it evolved into Sahidic Coptic variously as Thoout, Thōth, Thoot, Thaut as well as Bohairic Coptic Thōout. The final -y may even have been pronounced as a consonant, not a vowel.[6] However, many write "Djehuty", inserting the letter 'e' automatically between consonants in Egyptian words, and writing 'w' as 'u', as a convention of convenience for English speakers, not the transliteration employed by Egyptologists.[7]

Alternate names

Djehuty is sometimes alternatively rendered as Tahuti, Tehuti, Zehuti, Techu, or Tetu. Thoth (also Thot or Thout) is the Greek version derived from the letters ḏḥwty.

Over and above differences in spelling, Thoth, like many other Egyptian deities, had many names and titles. Some of his alternate names included A, Sheps, Lord of Khemennu, Asten, Khenti, Mehi, Hab, and A'an. In addition, Thoth was also known by specific aspects of himself, for instance the moon god A'ah-Djehuty, representing the moon for the entire month, or as jt-nṯr "god father".[8]

Further, the Greeks related Thoth to their god Hermes, due to the similarities between their attributes and functions. One of Thoth 's titles, "three times great" (see Titles) was translated to the Greek τρισμεγιστος (Trismegistos) which yielded the composite deity Hermes Trismegistus.[9]

Thoth in an Egyptian Context

As an Egyptian deity, Thoth belonged to a religious, mythological and cosmological belief system that developed in the Nile river basin from earliest prehistory to around 525 B.C.E.[10] Indeed, it was during this relatively late period in Egyptian cultural development, a time when they first felt their beliefs threatened by foreigners, that many of their myths, legends and religious beliefs were first recorded.[11] The cults were generally fairly localized phenomena, with different deities having the place of honor in different communities.[12] Yet, the Egyptian gods (unlike those in many other pantheons) were relatively ill-defined. As Frankfort notes, “If we compare two of [the Egyptian gods] … we find, not two personages, but two sets of functions and emblems. … The hymns and prayers addressed to these gods differ only in the epithets and attributes used. There is no hint that the hymns were addressed to individuals differing in character.”[13] One reason for this was the undeniable fact that the Egyptian gods were seen as utterly immanent—they represented (and were continuous with) particular, discrete elements of the natural world.[14] Thus, those Egyptian gods who did develop characters and mythologies were generally quite portable, as they could retain their discrete forms without interfering with the various cults already in practice elsewhere. Furthermore, this flexibility was what permitted the development of multipartite cults (i.e. the cult of Amun-Re, which unified the domains of Amun and Re), as the spheres of influence of these various deities were often complimentary.[15]

The worldview engendered by ancient Egyptian religion was uniquely defined by the geographical and calendrical realities of its believers' lives. The Egyptians viewed both history and cosmology as being well ordered, cyclical and dependable. As a result, all changes were interpreted as either inconsequential deviations from the cosmic plan or cyclical transformations required by it.[16] The major result of this perspective, in terms of the religious imagination, was to reduce the relevance of the present, as the entirety of history (when conceived of cyclically) was defined during the creation of the cosmos. The only other aporia in such an understanding is death, which seems to present a radical break with continuity. To maintain the integrity of this worldview, an intricate system of practices and beliefs (including the extensive mythic geographies of the afterlife, texts providing moral guidance (for this life and the next) and rituals designed to facilitate the transportation into the afterlife) was developed, whose primary purpose was to emphasize the unending continuation of existence.[17] Given these two cultural foci, it is understandable that the tales recorded within this mythological corpus tended to be either creation accounts or depictions of the world of the dead, with a particular focus on the relationship between the gods and their human constituents.

Mythological Accounts

Attributes

Egyptologists disagree on Thoth's nature depending upon their view of the Egyptian pantheon. Most egyptologists today side with Sir Flinders Petrie that Egyptian religion was strictly polytheistic, in which Thoth would be a separate god.[18] His contemporary adversary, E. A. Wallis Budge, however, thought Egyptian religion to be primarily monotheistic where all the gods and goddesses were aspects of the God Ra, similar to the Trinity in Christianity and devas in Hinduism. In this view, Thoth was characterized as the heart and tongue of Ra, representing the both the cosmic order (Ma'at) and the means through which it was incanted into the created world.[19]

Regardless of the overall characterization of the god, it is undeniable that his roles in Egyptian mythology were both numerous and varied. First, Thoth served as a mediating power, especially between the forces of good and evil, making sure neither had a decisive victory over the other. This aspect was particularly relevant in his arbitration of the conflict between Set and Horus. Likewise, Thoth's mediative role was also evident in his netherworldly alterego A'an, the god of equilibrium, who monitored the posthumous judgment of deceased mortals and recorded the results in a celestial ledger.[20]

Thoth was also understood to serve as the scribe of the gods, and was resultantly credited with the invention of writing and alphabets. As a result, he was also acknowledged as the progenitor of all works of science, religion, philosophy, and magic. In the Hellenistic period, the Greeks further declared him the inventor of astronomy, astrology, numerology, mathematics, geometry, surveying, medicine, botany, theology, civilized government, the alphabet, reading, writing, and oratory. They further claimed he was the true author of every work of every branch of knowledge, human and divine.[21]

In the cultic system centered in Hermopolis, Thoth was also characterized as a creator deity: the self-begotten and self-produced One. In this context, he was understood to be the master of both physical and moral law, both of which corresponded to the proper understanding and application of Ma'at. As such, he was credited with making the calculations for the establishment of the heavens, stars, Earth, and everything in them, and to direct the motions of the heavenly bodies. The Egyptians believed that without these words, the gods would not exist.[22] His power was almost unlimited in the Underworld and rivaled that of Ra and Osiris.[23]

Accounts

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, the son of Osiris, and Set. In each instance, the former god represented good while the latter represented evil. If one god was seriously injured, Thoth would heal them to prevent either from overtaking the other.

Thoth was also prominent in the Osiris myth, being of great aid to Isis. After Isis gathered together the pieces of Osiris' dismembered body, he gave her the words to resurrect him so she could be impregnated and bring forth Horus, named for his uncle. When Horus was slain, Thoth gave the formulae to resurrect him as well. Similar to God speaking the words to create the heavens and Earth in Judeo-Christian mythology, Thoth, being the god who always speaks the words that fulfill the wishes of Ra, spoke the words that created the heavens and Earth in Egyptian mythology.

Mythology also accredits him with the creation of the 365 day calendar. Originally, according to the myth, the year was only 360 days long and, on an unrelated note, Nut was unable to bear children. Thoth gambled with Khonsu, the moon, for 1/72nd of its light (360/72 = 5), or 5 days, and won. During these 5 days, she gave birth to Kheru-ur (Horus the Elder, Face of Heaven), Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nepthys.

In the Ogdoad cosmogony, Thoth gave birth to Ra, Atum, Nefertum, and Khepri by laying an egg while in the form of an ibis (or, according to some accounts, a goose).

Depictions

Throughout the various developmental periods of Egyptian mythology, Thoth, like the majority of multi-faceted Egyptian gods, has been depicted in a variety of forms. Most often, he is portrayed as an humanoid figure with the head of an ibis, which is in keeping with the etymology of his name. When not depicted in this common form, he is sometimes represented entirely zoomorphically, as either an ibis or a baboon, or entirely anthropomorphically (as in the form of A'ah-Djehuty).[24]

In many of these forms, Thoth's identification with the moon is visually represented by the presence of the lunar disk atop his head. Conversely, when he is depicted as a form of Shu or Ankher, the god will often be portrayed wearing the respective god's headdress. Also, in some later images that stress the god's relationship with the ruling dynasty, he is sometimes shown wearing either the atef crown or the double crown (which symbolizes the rulership of both Upper and Lower Egypt).[25]

Cultic History

Thoth, in his ibis-headed form, enthroned.

He was originally the deification of the moon in the Ogdoad belief system. Initially, in that system, the moon had been seen to be the eye of Horus, the sky god, which had been semi-blinded (thus darker) in a fight against Set, the other eye being the sun. However, over time it began to be considered separately, becoming a lunar deity in its own right, and was said to have been another son of Ra. As the crescent moon strongly resembles the curved beak of the ibis, this separate deity was named Djehuty (i.e. Thoth), meaning ibis.

The Moon not only provides light at night, allowing the 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 Ra, and with Ma'at (truth/order) stood next to Ra on the solar barque's nightly voyage through the underworld.

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 worshiped by ancient Egyptian Scribes. Many scribes had a painting or a picture of Thoth in their "offices." Likewise, one of the symbols for scribes was that of the ibis.

During the [late period of Egyptian history, a cult of Thoth gained prominence, due to its main center, Khnum (Hermopolis Magna) becoming the capital. This led to millions of dead ibises being sacrificed, mummified and buried in his honor. The rise of his cult also led his followers to adjust the mythological corpus to give Thoth a greater role.

Thoth was inserted in many tales as the wise counsel 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 (conversely) 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. This also led the Greeks to name Thoth's cult center "Hermopolis," meaning city of Hermes.

It should be noted that Thoth was the God of Scribes and not a messenger. Anubis was viewed as the messenger of the gods, as he traveled in and out of the Underworld, to the presence of the gods, and to humans, as well. Some call this fusion Hermanubis. It is in more favor that Thoth was a record keeper, and not the messenger.

There is also an Egyptian pharaoh of the sixteenth dynasty named Djehuty (Thoth) after him, and who reigned for three years.

Titles

Titles belonging to Thoth[26]
in hieroglyphs
Scribe of Ma'at in the Company of the Gods
Y4Aa11
t
C10N10
t
R8


Lord of Ma'at
V30
Aa11


Lord of Divine Words
R8S43D46
t Z1 Z1 Z1


Judge of the Two Combatant Gods
F13rV28Z4G43A40A40


Judge of the Rekhekhui,
the Pacifier of the Gods,
who Dwelleth in Unnu,
the Great God in the Temple of Abtiti


G26
t Z4
A40F13
r
V28V28Z7
Z4
A40A40Z1
Z1
Z1
sY2
t p
Z4
Y1
R8R8R8A40Z1
Z1
Z1
G17W6 O1
n
E34
n
W6
t Z1
O49R8
A40O29
D36
Y1
G17O6t
O1
ibt
Z4
T26t
O49


Twice Great
O29
O29


Thrice Great
G29O29
O29
O29


Three Times Great, Great
O29
O29
O29
G36
r
Y1

Thoth, like many Egyptian gods and nobility, held many titles. Among these were "Scribe of Ma'at in the Company of the Gods," "Lord of Ma'at," "Lord of Divine Words," "Judge of the Two Combatant Gods," "Judge of the Rekhekhui, the pacifier of the Gods, who Dwelleth in Unnu, the Great God in the Temple of Abtiti," "Twice Great," "Thrice Great," and "Three Times Great, Great."[27]

Notes

  1. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 401: Different creation accounts describe the origin of the god, with some saying that he was born from the skull of Set and others that he emerged from the heart of Ra.
  2. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 400, 401, 403, 405, 407, 415; Pinch, 209-211.
  3. Hieroglyphs verified in Budge (1969), Vol. I, 402; Collier and Manley, 161.
  4. Theodor Hopfner. Der tierkult der alten Agypter nach den griechisch-romischen berichten und den wichtigeren denkmalern. Wien, In kommission bei A. Holder, 1913.
  5. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 402.
  6. Information taken from phonetic symbols for Djehuty, and explanations on how to pronounce based upon modern rules, described in Collier and Manley 2-4, 161.
  7. Collier and Manley, 4.
  8. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 402-403, 412-3.
  9. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 402, 415; Wilkinson, 216.
  10. This particular "cut-off" date has been chosen because it corresponds to the Persian conquest of the kingdom, which marks the end of its existence as a discrete and (relatively) circumscribed cultural sphere. Indeed, as this period also saw an influx of immigrants from Greece, it was also at this point that the Hellenization of Egyptian religion began. While some scholars suggest that even when "these beliefs became remodeled by contact with Greece, in essentials they remained what they had always been" (Erman, 203), it still seems reasonable to address these traditions, as far as is possible, within their own cultural milieu.
  11. The numerous inscriptions, stelae and papyri that resulted from this sudden stress on historical posterity provide much of the evidence used by modern archeologists and Egyptologists to approach the ancient Egyptian tradition (Pinch, 31-32).
  12. These local groupings often contained a particular number of deities and were often constructed around the incontestably primary character of a creator god (Meeks and Meeks-Favard, 34-37).
  13. Frankfort, 25-26.
  14. Zivie-Coche, 40-41; Frankfort, 23, 28-29.
  15. Frankfort, 20-21.
  16. Assmann, 73-80; Zivie-Coche, 65-67; Breasted argues that one source of this cyclical timeline was the dependable yearly fluctuations of the Nile (8, 22-24).
  17. Frankfort, 117-124; Zivie-Coche, 154-166.
  18. Petrie's view is described in detail in The Religion of Ancient Egypt (London: Archibald Constable & Co, 1906). 2-7. The entire text can also be accessed online at archive.org.
  19. Budge, Egyptian Religion, 17-18, 29.
  20. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 403, 405, 408, 414; Pinch, 209-211.
  21. Hall, 224; Budge (1969), Vol. I, 414; Wilkinson, 216.
  22. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 408.
  23. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 401, 407-408; Pinch, 209-210.
  24. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 401, 403. For an example of these forms, see the plate between 408-9. See also: Wilkinson, 216-217.
  25. Budge (1969), Vol. I, 402.
  26. Hieroglyphs verified in Budge (1969), Vol. I, 401, 405, 415.
  27. Budge, Vol. I, 401, 405, 415.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

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  • Bleeker, Claas Jouco. "Hathor and Thoth: Two Key Figures of the Ancient Egyptian Religion." Studies in the History of Religions 26. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1973.
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