Shed, god of Egypt

Fact 1 on Shed:

The child god emerged as an Egyptian god following the turbulent era in history known as the Amarna period during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom
 

Fact 2 on Shed:

During the Amarna period a religious revolution was initiated by the 'heretic pharaoh' Akhenaten who attempted to prevent the worship of all the old gods of Egypt in favor of one god, referred to as the Aten.
 

Fact 3 on Shed:

His name translates as 'Saviour' and his role encompassed saving or protecting ancient Egyptians from danger presented by deadly animals, poison and sickness.
 

Fact 4 on Shed:

Representing the concept of salvation he is identified with "Horus the Child".
 

Fact 5 on Shed:

The concept of the name changes in documents and monuments of the late New Kingdom, and the eras that followed, including the Ptolemaic stone tablets called cippus or cippi. These indicate that his name had the meaning of the 'Reciter' in respect of magical charms, amulets and spells of the 'Enchanter'.
 

Fact 6 on Shed:

He was particularly favored by the ordinary Egyptians who were highly superstitious and made significant use of amulets and talismans.
 

Fact 7 on Shed:

The base and the reverse of the "Metternich Stele" pictured above was covered with magical spells and texts and depicted many ancient Egyptian symbols, such as the 'Eye of Horus' and the lotus which strongly featured on talismans and amulets.
 

Fact 8 on Shed:

He was primarily worshipped as a private, household god and his symbols, such as the Sa, were depicted in the homes and shrines of the tomb workers in Deir el-Medina.

The Sa Symbol
 

Fact 9 on Shed:

Other popular protective household gods were the Dwarf god Bes and Taweret, the Egyptian hippopotamus goddess.
 

Fact 10 on Shed:

He is also associated with Meretseger, the cobra or serpent-goddess, was worshipped in order to avert the danger posed by the cobra in the desert areas surrounding Deir el-Medina.
 

Fact 11 on Shed:

The "Metternich Stele" shown in the above picture reveals many interesting elements in relation to the worship of this protective child god. Depictions in ancient Egyptian art conveyed important information about the gods, their affiliations and their symbols.
 

Fact 12 on Shed:

The main purpose of the "Metternich Stele" was to provide magical healing of poisons, mostly caused by animals. Water was poured over the Stele and then collected and drunk by the person suffering from illness especially those caused by poison.
 

Fact 12 on Shed:

Shed is depicted as a child god which is indicated by his side lock. A side lock was a plaited lock of hair worn on the side of an otherwise shaven head. Ancient Egyptian boys would stop wearing the side lock once they had reached fourteen years of age.
 

Fact 13 on Shed:

His figure is mounted by the head of Bes, who was another adversary of evil and was believed to  guard against evil spirits and misfortune.
 

Fact 14 on Shed:

He is standing on a crocodile indicating his power and dominance of the most dangerous of all the creatures known to the ancient Egyptians.
 

Fact 15 on Shed:

In his hands he holds deadly serpents and scorpions. Snakes were feared not only for the lethal poison they could inflict but also as a source of evil and danger.
 

Fact 16 on Shed:

He also holds a lion and an oryx (a type of antelope) which indicated his prowess as a hunter.
 

Fact 13 on Shed:

His figure is mounted by the head of Bes, who was another adversary of evil and was believed to  guard against evil spirits and misfortune.
 

Fact 14 on Shed:

He is standing on a crocodile indicating his power and dominance of the most dangerous of all the creatures known to the ancient Egyptians.
 

Fact 15 on Shed:

In his hands he holds deadly serpents and scorpions.
 

Fact 16 on Shed:

He also holds a lion and an oryx (a type of antelope) which indicated his prowess as a hunter.
 

Fact 17 on Shed:

The lotus stands next to the god. Prayers and offerings, typically of the lotus, were made to the god in the hope that snake bites from the cobra could be avoided or cured.
 

Fact 18 on Shed:

The top corners of the picture depict the "Two Ladies". Nekhbet, the white vulture goddess and guardian of Upper Egypt (south) and Wadjet, the Egyptian cobra goddess, the protector of Lower Egypt.
 

Fact 19 on Shed:

The other gods featured were the Sun-god Ra, the ibis-headed Thoth and Mut the Mother Goddess.