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Who
was Thoth?
Thoth was the Egyptian ibis-headed god of knowledge,
magic and wisdom. The ibis was used as a recognition aid and a device to visually convey the powers, identity and attributes of Thoth.
An ibis is a large wading bird with a long
slender down-curved bill, long neck, and long
legs. Thoth is also connected with baboons who
were guardians of the first gate of the
underworld.
Facts about Thoth
The following facts and profile provides a fast
overview of
Thoth.
Alternative Names: Djehuty, Djhuty,
Tehuty and Tehuti.
Thoth Profile & Fact File
Role & Function:
The roles of the moon god Thoth
include the development of science,
the arts of magic, the system of
writing, arbitration and the
judgment of the dead.
Status:
He was a mediating power between
good and evil, the secretary of Ra
and the scribe of the Underworld.
Symbols: The
ibis, moon disk, reed pen, papyrus scroll,
palm branch, baboon, was scepter and ankh
Cult Center:
Hermopolis (Khmunu) in the Nile
Delta lands of Lower Egypt
Titles:
The "Lord of the reed pen", "Twice
Great", the "Scribe of Ma'at in
the Company of the Gods", "Lord of the
Sacred Words"
Name in Hieroglyphics:
Translation of Hieroglyphics for Thoth: The
ibis, bread (giver of food), the two strokes
of duality symbolizing his association with
earth and the Underworld, Thoth as the
seated god
Thoth in Egyptian Mythology
Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge, featured in
the stories, myths and legends in Egyptian
Mythology. According to one myth Horus lost his left
eye in his war with Set who tore the eye into six
pieces. Thoth, the god of wisdom and magic, was able
to reassemble the eye and return it to Horus who gave the reassembled eye to his murdered
father Osiris, thereby bringing him back to life.
He is associated with jackal-headed god
Anubis at the 'Weighing of the Heart' and
with the Seshat, his female counterpart and
the goddess of writing and libraries. Thoth
also plays an important role in the legend
concerning the Tree of Life. He is sometimes
referred to as the consort of
Ma'at, the goddess of
truth, justice, morality and balance.
Priestess of Thoth and the sacred ibis
The Role of Thoth
The attributes and accreditations given to
Thoth, in his role as the god of knowledge
and wisdom, were numerous and complex but
included:
-
Lord of Wisdom
-
Inventor of Hieroglyphic Writing
-
Keeper of Records
-
Scribe of the gods and secretary of Ra
-
Arbitrator and Messenger of the gods
-
Master of passing time, the lunar cycle and
the movement of the stars - the God of
Chronology
-
Creator of the 365 day calendar.
-
The inventor of mathematics, astronomy and
engineering
-
God of justice and "supreme judge"
-
Author of all works of science, religion,
philosophy and magic
-
The Creator of spells and Lord of Magic
The profession of scribes was under his
protection, as the writing of hieroglyphics
was a sacred and magical act. Scribes were
one of the most respected professions in
ancient Egypt and Thoth was their patron,
his image was present in their place of work
and one of the symbols for scribes was the
ibis refer to the article on
Seshat for facts
and information about the ancient Egyptian
scribe.
The Library of Thoth
Thoth was believed to have created a great
library of scrolls containing all of his
knowledge and his magic spells. His books of
magic contained 'formulas which commanded
all the forces of nature and subdued the
very gods themselves'. His consort, Seshat
the goddess of writing, was the "Mistress of
the House of Books" indicating that she also
took care of his great library of spells and
scrolls. He was revered as the great teacher
who taught mankind the art of writing and as
a great magician.
Thoth - The Moon and Magic
Thoth was an important lunar god and linked
to astronomy. The Moon enabled the ancient
Egyptians to measure time without the sun.
The phases of the moon gave it a significant
importance in early Egyptian astrology and
astronomy. The cycles of the moon were
central to the organization and timing of
both civil and religious ceremonies,
rituals, and events. As time passed Thoth
gained prominence as the knowledge of the
ancient Egyptians increased and was
consequently seen as the god of wisdom, the
measurement of time and the regulator of
events. His association with the mysterious
elements of astrology and astronomy resulted
in his position as the god of magic.
Thoth and the Ibis
The Egyptian name for Thoth is 'Tehuti'
which is derived from the Egyptian word 'tehu',
the oldest name of the Ibis in Egypt. The
association between Thoth and the ibis can
be traced to the Pyramid Texts from the
second half of the Old Kingdom:
"...the king can transform himself into a
bird whose wing feathers are those of Thoth,
the mightiest of gods"
Iconography -
Thoth and the Ibis
Thoth is usually represented as an ibis (Threskiornis
aethiopicus) or a man with the head of an
ibis. As an ibis, Thoth often appears
perched on a standard as on the relief at
the temple at Kom Ombo. However, he most
common representation of Thoth is as an ibis
headed man, holding a reed pen and a
scribe's palette.
Thoth as an Ibis at the temple
at Kom Ombo.
Thoth relief Luxor Temple
Thoth and the Baboon
In ancient Egyptian mythology
Thoth is connected with baboons but it is
unclear that Thoth the god was actually
represented as a baboon as most would
suggest.
The baboon was a symbol of Thoth
and seen to undertake work he directed.
Baboons are often shown directing scribes in
their work and involved with duties relating
to the measurement of time. Many of the gods of the most
ancient Egyptians were
subsumed (meaning absorbed) into
new deities. The
practice of creating new deities,
by combining them with the
attributes of old gods,
is called 'syncretism'. It is
possible that this was the case with Hedjwer, Babi and then
Thoth. The Ancient Egyptians identified the
baboon with at least two main deities before
Thoth - refer to the article on Baba for
associations between Thoth and the baboon.
Cult Center of Thoth - Hermopolis (Khnum)
Cities that were cult centers became
extremely rich and therefore powerful. The
Egyptian Priests of Hermopolis vied for
position and power, re-inventing gods and
creation myths to ensure that Hermopolis
retained its position as one of the great
cult centers of ancient Egypt. The city of Hermopolis
had been a cult center for the worship of
Baba and Hedjwer and as time passed its own version
of the creation myth in respect of
the
Ogdoad of
Hermopolis
was created. During the late
period of Egyptian history Khnum (Hermopolis
Magna), in Lower Egypt also becoming the
capital. The cult gained prominence
with Thoth as the creator god.
Thoth and the Creation Myth
In ancient Egyptian mythology, in the Ogdoad
creation myth, Thoth gave birth to Atum Ra
by laying an egg, while in the form of an
ibis. The sound of his song was thought to
have created four frog gods and snake
goddesses of the Ogdoad who sang the song of
Thoth, helping the sun journey across the
sky.
Cult Center for the Worship of Thoth
The Cult Center at Hermopolis housed the
Great Temple of Thoth, and also had a
sanctuary that was one of the great centres
of Egyptian learning for priests and was
called Het Abtit, 'The House of the Net'.
The priests were taught various secret
spells, ceremonies and rituals in relation
to survival in the Underworld increasing
their powers in ancient Egyptian society.
There were secret halls containing
historical records which had been kept for
thousands of years including forty-two
sacred writings of Thoth (42 Books of Thoth)
encapsulating all the training and knowledge
of Egyptian priests and scribes and described the
instructions for achieving immortality.
There were both priests and priestesses,
mysteries and initiations rituals for each
separately, and ceremonies for both. The
priests were taught the secret rites and
observances, astrology, law, music, writing,
cosmography, geography, medicine,
mathematics and measures. Ibises were reared
specifically for sacrificial purposes and
millions of dead ibis were mummified and
buried in honor of Thoth. A great annual
festival called the Feast of Thoth was
celebrated in the Inundation season.
Temple
of Thoth at Hermopolis
Thoth and Hermes - The Emerald
Tablets of Thoth
Thoth and the Greek god Hermes were
both gods of writing and of magic in
their respective cultures and during
the Greco-Roman Period (332 BC
- 641 AD) the two gods were
worshipped in what had been the
Temple of Thoth in at Hermopolis.
"The Emerald Tablets of Thoth" or
the "Secret of Hermes" as the
Hermetic Corpus was a table made of
green stone that contained a series
of sacred texts. These secret and
sacred texts were believed to reveal
the secret of life, the primordial
and all other substances and
provided the key to the ideas of the
earth, fire, the sun and the moon.
The Emerald Tablets of Thoth were
believed to be a combination of the
knowledge and wisdom of Hermes and
Thoth in layers of cryptic meanings.
The sacred texts contained in the
Emerald Tablets of Thoth survived in
eastern Byzantine libraries. Their
re-discovery and translation into
Latin during the late-fifteenth
century was sought by European
alchemists looking for the recipe
for alchemical gold and the secrets
of raising the consciousness to a
new degree. The Emerald Tablets of
Thoth became a core element in the
foundation of alchemy and
commentaries and/or translations
were published by famous people
including Roger Bacon, Aleister
Crowley, Albertus Magnus, C.G. Jung
and Isaac Newton.
Thoth and the Tree of Life
Thoth, the secretary of the
sun god Ra and scribe of the
Underworld, played an important role
in the myths relating to the
Tree of
Life. The Tree
of Life was believed to hold the Knowledge
of the Divine Plan or the equivalent to a
map of destiny which existed from when the
world was created, marking the beginning of
time. Thoth wrote the king's name
and the length of his reign on the
Tree of Life which protected the
ruler and perpetuated his name.
Thoth and his counterpart
Seshat were the guardians of the
sacred hieroglyphs.
Role of Thoth in the Underworld
Thoth was always present in the Judgement
Hall of the Two Truths during the Weighing
of the Heart ceremony in which the eternal
fate of a soul of the dead was determined.
The role of Thoth, as the scribe of the
Underworld, wrote the results of the
judgement of every soul.
Papyrus of Ani (Book of the Dead) - Thoth
records the judgements
Facts about
Thoth in Egyptian Mythology
Discover interesting information and research facts
about
Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge. The facts
about Thoth provides a list detailing
fascinating additional info to increase your
knowledge about Thoth in Egyptian Mythology.
History, Mythology and Facts about Thoth
Fact 1:
He was the moon god and revered
as a god of wisdom, magic, music, astronomy,
geometry, drawing and writing.
Fact 2:
One of his roles was as the secretary of Ra
in the Underworld.
Fact 3:
The god was generally depicted in human form
with the head of an ibis.
Fact 4:
Khonsu
was the mathematical aspect of Thoth
Fact 5:
The Greeks identified Thoth with their
god Hermes and named him “Thoth, the thrice
great”
Fact 6:
Thoth gave Isis the words to resurrect
Osiris
Fact 7:
Only the king and the Priests of Thoth were
allowed inside the temple and the priests
would undergo ritual purification in a deep
stone pool before they entered the Inner
Sanctum of the Temple |
