Djehuty
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| Djehuty in hieroglyphs |
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Djehuty, commonly known by the Greek name Thoth, was considered one of the more important gods of the Egyptian pantheon. His feminine counterpart was Maàt.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 400) His chief shrine was at Khemennu, where he was the head of the local company of gods, later renamed Hermopolis by the Greeks (in reference to him through the Greeks' interpretation that he was the same as Hermes) and Eshmûnên by the Arabs. He also had shrines in Abydos, Hesert, Urit, Per-Ab, Rekhui, Ta-ur, Sep, Hat, Pselket, Talmsis, Antcha-Mutet, Bah, Amen-heri-ab, and Ta-kens.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians p. 401)
He was considered the heart and tongue of Ra as well as the means by which Ra's will was translated into speech.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 407) He has also been likened to the Logos of Plato(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 407) and the mind of God.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 415)(See The All) In the Egyptian mythology, he has played many vital and prominent roles, including being one of the two gods, the other being his feminine counterpart Maàt, who stood on either side of Ra's boat.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 400) He has further been involved in arbitration(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 405), magic, writing, science(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 414), and the judging of the dead.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians p. 403)
Etymology
The name Djehuty is believed to have come from Djehu, the oldest known name for the ibis. The addition of -ty (alternatively -ti to Tehu) denotes that Djehuty possessed the attributes of the ibis.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 402)Pronunciation
The Egyptian pronunciation is not fully known, but one modern guess would be (Je-hu-teh-y) with a strong 'j' as in joke and the 'y' making a consonantal sound.Information taken from phonetic symbols for Djehuty, and explanations on how to pronounce based upon modern rules, revealed in (Collier and Manley pp. 2-4, 161) However, the insertion of the letter 'e' between consonants, and writing 'w' as 'u' is a convention of convenience for English speakers, not the transliteration employed by Egyptologists.(Collier and Manley p. 4)Alternate names
| Alternate names for Djehuty in hieroglyphs |
| A Sheps, lord of Khemennu Asten Khenti (not found) Mehi Hab Aan A'ah-Djehuty |
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 DHWTY. Not counting differences in spelling, Djehuty had more than one name, like other gods and goddesses. Similarly, each Pharoah, considered a god himself, had five different names used in public.(Collier and Manley p. 20) Among his alternate names are A, Sheps, Lord of Khemennu, Asten, Khenti, Mehi, Hab, and A'an.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 pp. 402-3) 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.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 pp. 412-3) Further, the Greeks related Djehuty to their god Hermes due to his similar attributes and functions.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians p. 402) One of Djehuty's titles, "Three times great, great" (see Titles of Djehuty) was translated to the Greek τρισμεγιστος (Trismegistos) making Hermes Trismegistus.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 415) The figure of Hermes Trismegistus is the central figure of Hermetism and Hermeticism.
Depictions of Djehuty
Djehuty has been depicted in many ways depending on the era and aspect the artist wished to convey. Usually, he is depected in human form with the head of an ibis.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) In this form, he can be represented as the reckoner of times and seasons by a lunar disk sitting in a crescent moon being placed atop his head. When depicted as a form of Shu or Ankher, he will wear the respective god's headdress. He also is sometimes seen wearing the atef crown and the United Crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 402)When not depicted in this common form, he sometimes takes the form of the ibis directly.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) He also appears as an ape when he is A'an, the god of equilibrium.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 403) In the form of A'ah-Djehuty he took a more human looking form.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 plate between pp. 408-9)
These forms are all symbolic and are metaphors for Djehuty's attributes. The Egyptians did not believe these gods actually looked like humans with animal heads. For example, Djehuty's counterpart Maàt is often depicted with an ostrich feather for a head.(Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 416)
Attributes
Egyptologists disagree on the nature of Djehuty depending upon their understanding of the Egyptian pantheon. Most egyptologists today side with Sir Flinders Petrie that Egyptian religion was strictly polytheistic, in which Djehuty would be a separate god. His contemporary adversary, E. A. Wallis Budge, however, thought Egyptian religion to be primarily monotheistic(Budge Egyptian Religion pp. 17-8) where all the gods and goddesses were aspects of the God Ra, similar to the Trinity in Christianity and devas in Hinduism.(Budge Egyptian Religion p. 29) In this view, Djehuty would be the aspect of Ra which the Egyptian mind would relate to the heart and tongue.His roles in Egyptian mythology were many. Djehuty served as a mediating power, especially between good and evil, making sure neither had a decisive victory over the other.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 405) He also served as scribe of the gods(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 408), credited with the invention of writing and alphabets (ie. heiroglyphs) themselves.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 414) In the underworld, Duat, he appeared as an ape, A'an, the god of equilibrium, who reported when the scales weighing the deceased's heart against the feather, representing the principle of Maàt, was exactly even.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 403)
The ancient Egyptians regarded Djehuty as One, self-begotten, and self-produced.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) He was the master of both physical and moral (ie. Divine) law,(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) making proper use of Maàt.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 407) He is creditted with making the calculations for the establishment of the heavens, stars, Earth(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401), and everything in them.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 407) Compare this to how his feminine counterpart, Maàt was the force which maintained the Universe.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 pp. 407-8) He is said to direct the motions of the heavenly bodies. Without his words, the Egyptians believed, the gods would not exist.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 408) His power was almost unlimited in the Underworld and rivalled that of Ra and Osiris.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401)
The Egyptians credited him as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy, and magic.(Hall The Hermetic Marriage p. 224) The Greeks further declared him the inventor of astronomy, astrology, the science of numbers, mathematics, geometry, land 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.(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 414)
Mythology
Djehuty 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, Djehuty would heal them to prevent either from overtaking the other.Djehuty 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, he gave the formulae to resurrect him as well. Similar to God speaking the words to create the heavens and Earth in Judeo-Christian mythology, Djehuty, 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 Nut with sterility during these days, unable to bear children. Djehuty gambled with Iabet, 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 myth, Djehuty gave birth to Ra, Atum, Nefertum, and Khepri by laying an egg while in the form of an ibis, or later as a goose laying a golden egg.
History
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.
Thoth became associated with the Moon, due to the Ancient Egyptians observation that Baboons (sacred to Thoth) 'sang' to the moon at night.
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 civil, and religious, rituals, and events. 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 counsellor of Ra, and with Maàt (truth/order) stood next to Ra on the nightly voyage across the sky, Ra being a sun god.
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.
In art, Thoth was usually depicted with the head of an ibis, deriving from his name, and the curve of the ibis' beak, which resembles the crescent moon. 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 judgement in the underworld, and 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, Khnum (Hermopolis Magna), also becoming the capital, and 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 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 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.
There is also an Egyptian pharaoh of the Sixteenth dynasty of Egypt named Djehuty (Thoth) after him, and who reigned for three years.
Titles of Djehuty
| Titles belonging to Djehuty in hieroglyphs |
| Scribe of Maàt in the Company of the Gods Lord of Maàt 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 Three Times Great, Great |
Thoth, like many Egyptian gods and nobility, held many titles. Among these were "Scribe of Maàt in the Company of the Gods," "Lord of Maàt," "Lord of Divine Words," "Judge of the Two Combatant Gods,"(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) "Judge of the Rekhekhui, the pacifier of the Gods, who Dwelleth in Unnu, the Great God in the Temple of Abtiti,"(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 405) "Twice Great," "Thrice Great,"(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 401) " and "Three Times Great, Great."(Budge Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 415)
Djehuty/Thoth in more recent times
One of the most popular and cited works on the Tarot was connected to this deity. Written by the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth is a philosophical text on the usage of Tarot and, most notably, Crowley's own created Tarot Deck, the Thoth Tarot which he also referred to as The Book of Thoth, where the name is taken from a "non-existent" (translations from papyrus of an actual book of thoth DO exist, titled 'The Ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth' by Jasnow and Zauzich) book in Egyptian mythology, believed to contain ancient knowledge originally brought to man by this deity. Crowley commissioned Lady Frieda Harris to assist him in painting the Thoth Deck.Thoth, as Tahuti, is recognized as a saint in The Gnostic Mass of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. He is listed amongst the magi of the A.'.A.'. for his declaration of "the true Word of Tahuti, AMOUN, whereby He made Men to understand their secret Nature, that is, their Unity with their True Selves, or, as they then phrased it, with God." (Liber 111). Tahuti is considered a perfect representation of the 9°=2ˑ, the Magus, due to his role as the Scribe who taught the occult sciences to man[[Citing sources citation needed]].
A text entitled The Emerald Tablets of Thoth-The-Atlantean has been claimed to have been translated by a man named Doreal. The introduction claims them to be written by an Atlantean Priest-King named Thoth, who settled a colony in Egypt after Atlantis sunk. Doreal further claims the texts are 36,000 years old. (Doreal p. i) Regardless of the authenticity of the text, it contains much Hermetic and Egyptian symbolism that Doreal misses.
Djehuty/Thoth in Pop Culture
- The Orbital Frame Jehuty, from the game, Zone of the Enders (published by Konami) is based on Thoth/Djehuty.
- Using the name 'Mister Ibis', Thoth works as a mortician alongside Anubis (as 'Mister Jacquel') in Cairo, Illinois, in Neil Gaiman's American Gods.
- [The Ring of Thoth] (aka: The Mummy) was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for The Cornhill Magazine published Jan 1890.
- Thoth was a minor Goa'uld scientist serving Anubis in the Kull Warrior R&D on the planet Tartarus. Thoth was killed by Samantha Carter. (Season 7 Stargate SG-1 episode "Evolution part II")
- Thoth is also a Carnival Krewe in New Orleans, Louisiana, which parades on the Sunday before Mardi Gras. The Krewe features a float decorated with a large depiction of the ancient deity.
- Djehuty is the name of a three-dimensional radiative hydrodynamical code for modelling stars at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.[link]
- Thoth is one of the six gods that empowers DC Comics character Black Adam, the first champion of Shazam. In the word "Shazam", the "z" stands for Zehuti.
- He is also the administrator of the Library where superhero/librarian Rex works, in the comic Rex Libris by James Turner
- In Age of Mythology, Thoth can be worshipped. He grants his followers Phoenixes, War Turtles and Meteors.
Endnotes
References
- Bleeker, Claas Jouco. 1973. Hathor and Thoth: Two Key Figures of the Ancient Egyptian Religion. Studies in the History of Religions 26. Leiden: E. J. Brill
- Boylan, Patrick. 1922. Thot, the Hermes of Egypt: A Study of Some Aspects of Theological Thought in Ancient Egypt. London: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted Chicago: Ares Publishers inc., 1979)
- Budge, E. A. Wallis. Egyptian Religion. Kessinger Publishing, 1900.
- Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Gods of the Egyptians Volume 1 of 2. New York: Dover Publications, 1969 (original in 1904).
- Černý, Jaroslav. 1948. "Thoth as Creator of Languages." Journal of Egyptian Archæology 34:121–122.
- Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
- Doreal. The Emerald Tablets of Thoth-The-Atlanean. Alexandrian Library Press, date undated.
- Fowden, Garth. 1986. The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Mind. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. (Reprinted Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993). ISBN 0691024987
- Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages. San Francisco: H.S. Crocker Company, 1928.