According to some researchers, there were five thousand gods in Ancient Egypt. Such a huge number of them is due to the fact that each of the numerous local cities had their own gods. Therefore, one should not be surprised at the similarity in the functions of many of them. In our list, whenever possible, we tried not only to give a description of this or that celestial being, but also to indicate the center in which he was most revered. In addition to gods, some monsters, spirits and magical creatures are listed. The list gives the characters in alphabetical order. The names of some gods are designed as hyperlinks leading to detailed articles about them.
10 main gods Ancient Egypt
Amat- a terrible monster with the body and front legs of a lioness, the hind legs of a hippopotamus and the head of a crocodile. It lived in the lake of fire underground kingdom the dead (Duat) and devoured the souls of the dead, who were recognized as unrighteous at the trial of Osiris.
Apis- a black bull with special markings on its skin and forehead, which was worshiped in Memphis and throughout Egypt as the living embodiment of the gods Ptah or Osiris. The living Apis was kept in a special room - Apeion, and the deceased was solemnly buried in the Serapeum necropolis.
Apophis (Apophis)- a huge snake, the personification of chaos, darkness and evil. Lives in the underworld, where every day after sunset the sun god Ra descends. Apep rushes onto Ra's barge to swallow it. The sun and its defenders wage a nightly battle with Apep. The ancient Egyptians also explained solar eclipses as an attempt by the serpent to devour Ra.
Aten- god of the solar disk (or rather, sunlight), mentioned back in the Middle Kingdom and proclaimed the main god of Egypt during the religious reform of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Unlike most other representatives of the local pantheon, he was depicted not in a “bestial-human” form, but in the form of a solar circle or ball, from which arms with palms extended towards the earth and people. The meaning of Akhenaten’s reform, apparently, was the transition from a concrete-figurative religion to a philosophical-abstract one. It was accompanied by severe persecution of adherents of former beliefs and was canceled shortly after the death of its initiator.
Atum- the solar god revered in Heliopolis, who created himself from the original chaotic Ocean of Nun. In the middle of this Ocean arose the primordial hill of the earth, from which all the land originated. Having resorted to masturbation, spitting out his own seed, Atum created the first divine couple - the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut, from whom the rest of the Ennead descended (see below). In archaic antiquity, Atum was the main solar god of Heliopolis, but later he was relegated to the background by Ra. Atum began to be revered only as a symbol coming in sun.
Bastet- cat goddess from the city of Bubastis. She personified love feminine beauty, fertility, fun. Very close in religious meaning to the goddess Hathor, with whom she was often united.
Demon– (Demons) dwarf demons who are favorable to humans with an ugly face and crooked legs. Kind of good brownies. In Ancient Egypt, figurines of Demons were widespread.
Maat- goddess of universal truth and justice, patroness of moral principles and firm legality. She was depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. During the judgment in the kingdom of the dead, the soul of the deceased was placed on one scale, and the “feather of Maat” on the other. A soul that turned out to be heavier than a feather was considered unworthy eternal life with Osiris. She was devoured by the terrible monster Amat (see above).
Mafdet– (lit. “fast running”) goddess of harsh justice, protector sacred places. It was depicted with the head of a cheetah or in the form of a genet - an animal from the civet family.
Mertseger (Meritseger)- goddess of the dead in Thebes. She was depicted as a snake or a woman with a snake's head.
Meskhenet- the goddess of childbirth, who enjoyed special honor in the city of Abydos.
Min- a god revered as the giver of life and fertility in the city of Koptos. He was depicted in an ithyphallic form (with pronounced male sexual characteristics). Worship of Min was widespread in early period Egyptian history, but then he faded into the background in front of his own local Theban variety - Amon.
Mnevis- a black bull that was worshiped as a god in Heliopolis. Reminiscent of Memphis Apis.
Renenutet- a goddess revered in the Fayum as the patroness of harvests. Depicted as a cobra. The grain god Nepri was considered her son.
Sebek- crocodile-shaped god of the Fayum oasis, where there was big lake. His functions included managing the water kingdom and ensuring earthly fertility. Sometimes revered as a kind, benevolent god, to whom people prayed for help in illnesses and life's difficulties; sometimes - like a formidable demon, hostile to Ra and Osiris.
Serket (Selket)- goddess of the dead in the western Nile Delta. Woman with a scorpion on her head.
Sekhmet- (lit. - “mighty”), a goddess with the head of a lioness and a solar disk on it, personifying the heat and scorching heat of the Sun. God's wife Ptah. A formidable avenger who exterminates creatures hostile to the gods. The heroine of the myth about the extermination of people, which the god Ra entrusted to her because of the moral corruption of humanity. Sekhmet killed people with such fury that even Ra, who decided to abandon his intention, could not stop her. Then the gods spilled red beer all over the earth, which Sekhmet began to lick, mistaking it for human blood. Due to intoxication, she was forced to stop her slaughter.
Seshat- goddess of writing and accounting, patroness of scribes. Sister or daughter of the god Thoth. During the reign of the pharaoh, Ished was written on the leaves of the tree. coming years his reign. She was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed star on her head. Seshat's sacred animal was the panther, so she was represented in leopard skin.
Sopdu- a “falcon” god, worshiped in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. Close to Horus, identified with him.
Tatenen- a chthonic god, worshiped in Memphis along with Ptah and sometimes identified with him. His name literally means “rising (i.e., emerging) earth.”
Taurt- a goddess from the city of Oxyrhynchus, depicted as a hippopotamus. Patroness of birth, pregnant women and babies. Drives away evil spirits from homes.
Tefnut- a goddess who, together with her husband, the god Shu, symbolized the space between the earth’s firmament and the firmament. From Shu and Tefnut the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut were born.
Wadget- a snake goddess, considered the patroness of Lower (Northern) Egypt.
Upoutout- the god of the dead with the head of a jackal, worshiped in the city of Assiut (Lycopolis). By appearance and the meaning strongly resembled Anubis and gradually merged with him in one image.
Phoenix- a magical bird with golden and red feathers, which, according to Egyptian legend, flew to the city of Heliopolis once every 500 years to bury the body of its deceased father in the Temple of the Sun. She personified the soul of the god Ra.
Hapi- god of the Nile River, patron of the harvests provided by its flood. Depicted as a man of blue or Green colour(color of Nile water in different times of the year).
Hathor- goddess of love, beauty, joy and dancing, patroness of childbirth and nurses, “Heavenly Cow”. She personified the wild, elemental power of passion, which could take cruel forms. In such an unbridled form, she was often identified with the lioness goddess Sekhmet. She was depicted with the horns of a cow, inside of which there is the sun.
Hekat- goddess of moisture and rain. Depicted as a frog.
Khepri- one of the three (often recognized as three attributes of the same being) solar gods of Heliopolis. Personified the sun at sunrise. His two “colleagues” are Atum (sun On the Sunset) and Ra (the sun at all other hours of the day). Depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.
Hershef (Herishef)- the main god of the city of Heracleopolis, where he was worshiped as the creator of the world, “whose right eye is the sun, whose left eye is the moon, and whose breath animates everything.”
Khnum- a god revered in the city of Esne as a demiurge who created the world and people on a potter's wheel. Depicted with the head of a ram.
Khonsou- lunar god in Thebes. Son of the god Amun. Together with Amon and his mother, Mut formed the Theban triad of gods. Depicted with a lunar crescent and a disk on his head.
Crocodiles and Egyptian mythology
Egyptian mythology could not ignore such an animal as the Nile crocodile. This is a large reptile, reaching a length of 6 meters; the largest individuals weigh more than a ton.
The Nile crocodile evoked sacred awe among the ancient Egyptians - their whole life was connected with the Nile, and the real masters of the river were crocodiles. With one blow of its mighty tail, a hungry crocodile could capsize a fishing boat and drag an unlucky fisherman under the water.
And on land, near water and swamps, it was impossible to feel safe - crocodiles, including Nile crocodiles, can even run at a kind of gallop, showing amazing agility for such, at first glance, clumsy animals outside the water.
Terrible jaws with huge teeth, closing with enormous power, break the bones of large animals and crack the shells of turtles. It is interesting that crocodiles' teeth change many times during their lives - new and sharp ones grow to replace old and worn ones.
A crocodile can survive without food for a very long time. long time- up to a year, no mammal can compare with him in this. And one more feature - crocodiles do not have a tongue in the usual sense - its tongue is spread along the lower jaw and tightly attached to it.
That is, unlike a number of animals endowed with largely fantastic features, crocodiles have such real-life qualities and properties that simply could not help but make them important characters Egyptian myths, dating back to ancient times.
First mentions of Sebek
The Egyptian god with the head of a crocodile has been revered since ancient times.
In Kom Ombo, the Temple of Sebek is unique in that it is part of a double temple built in the Greco-Roman era. The northern part is dedicated to the triad of gods led by Horus (Horus, Tasenetnofret and their son Panebtavi), and the southern part to the triad of gods led by the crocodile god (Sebek, Hathor and their son Khonsu).
In addition to these large temples, there were numerous sanctuaries and smaller temples throughout Egypt dedicated to the Egyptian god of water. Among them, the temples at Gebel el-Silsil and Gebelin should be noted.
Ambivalence towards crocodiles
The Greek writer Herodotus noted that crocodiles were revered as sacred animals in some parts of Egypt. Temple complexes dedicated to the crocodile god included special pools in which sacred reptiles lived.
Their heads were decorated with earrings, and their paws were decorated with bracelets with precious stones. After death, their bodies were mummified and buried in a special cemetery (such a cemetery was found in Kom Ombo).
However, there were also areas in Egypt where crocodiles were hunted and killed.
This polarity found its explanation and reflection in myths. The Egyptian god Sebek in them is very multifaceted and ambiguous. He can merge with 
the image of Amun or the solar god Ra, sometimes in the form of the god Sebek-Ra, can act as a hypostasis of the god Khnum or Osiris, or can be assimilated with the image of Set - the worst enemy of Osiris and Horus.
In other myths, Sebek shares with Horus the title of “King of Egypt” and provides him with assistance (in particular, he finds in the waters of the Nile and brings his hands, cut off from Horus in a fit of anger by his mother Isis, which Isis herself then returns to their place with the help of magic) .
Mythological consciousness does not obey the laws of formal logic and there is no contradiction for it in the fact that the same god can be both good and evil.
Sebek - patron saint of the pharaohs
When the pharaohs of the XII Dynasty, who came from the Fayum, began to rule in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, Sebek began to be revered as the patron god of the pharaohs.
The legendary female pharaoh from this dynasty bore the name Sebekneferu - “Sebek the Beautiful” (c. 1790-1786 BC). Her pyramid complex, built at Mazgun (4 km south of Dashur), is one of the last pyramids built in Egypt.
The tradition of including the name Sobek in their names was continued by the pharaohs of the XIII dynasty, many of whom were called Sebekhotep - “Sebek the pleased” (Sebekhotep I, II, III, IV, V).
Some pharaohs of the 17th dynasty (c. 1650 - 1567 BC) also bore similar names - Sebekemsaf I and Sebekemsaf II. The inclusion of the name of God in the name of the pharaoh speaks of the enormous importance of the cult of Sebek in that period.
With the advent of the New Kingdom period, Egyptian pharaohs no longer bear the name of the crocodile god. However, a statue depicting the relatively small ninth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III (c. 1402 - 1364 BC) and the much larger Sebek sitting next to him (now located in the Luxor Museum), suggests that The crocodile god did not lose his functions as the patron and protector of the Egyptian pharaohs during this period. These same features remained with him almost until the end of the era of the pharaohs, including the pharaoh kings of the Greco-Roman period.
Family connections of the crocodile god
If Neith was considered Sebek’s mother, then with other family ties everything is more complicated. The consort of the crocodile god could be Hathor, sometimes the harvest goddess Renenutet.
His son from the goddess Hathor in the Kom Ombo triad was the god Khonsu, and in the Fayum oasis from his marital union with Renenutet his son was the god Horus.
In a number of myths, Horus himself appears in the form of a crocodile during a search in the Nile for parts of the body of his father Osiris, who was treacherously killed and dismembered by the cruel Set.
Why don't crocodiles have a tongue?
And Egyptian myths give their answer to this question.
When Set killed and hacked Osiris, he scattered the body parts of his murdered brother throughout Egypt, and threw his phallus into the waters of the Nile.
Sebek, despite repeated warnings from the gods not to eat meat, ignored these words and, seeing the phallus, swallowed it.
Although he did not know at that moment who this part of the body belonged to, the punishment of the gods was cruel - Sebek’s tongue was cut out.
This is why, as the Egyptians believed, crocodiles do not have a tongue.
Egyptian god with crocodile head
Since many people are associated with Sebek mythological images, then its images differ significantly.
Traditionally, Sebek was depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile, with a headdress that included a sun disk with high feathers, a uraeus (sometimes two), and often elaborate horns.
Characteristic of this image of the crocodile god is the presence of a three-sided wig.
Slightly less often, the atef crown (a tall pin-shaped crown with two feathers on the sides) or the combined crown of Upper and Lower Egypt is depicted as a headdress.
The Egyptian god of water could also be depicted in a zoomorphic form - in the form of a crocodile with a similar headdress.
In the image of Sobek, Ra is depicted as a crocodile with a solar disk and a uraeus on its head.
As such, Horus could be depicted as a crocodile with the head of a falcon.
In addition, the Egyptian god Sebek could be depicted with the head of a ram, lion or bull.
Protective amulets in the form of a crocodile were widespread in Egypt not only among the nobility, but also among ordinary people.
During the Greco-Roman period, the solar aspects in Sebek were so significant that the Greeks often identified him with Helios, the Greek god of the sun.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, a special place is occupied by the god Sebek - the lord of the water element, the god of water, on whom the flood of the Nile depends. Its zoomorphic form was a crocodile. There were 2 forms of his images: with the head of a crocodile and a human body, or vice versa - with the head of a man and the body of a crocodile. On hieroglyphs he was depicted lying on an honorary pedestal. In terms of pronunciation of his name, there are also 2 options: Sobek and Sebek.
Crocodiles were considered an avatar of the god Sebek. To do this, the Egyptians caught crocodiles en masse, chose the best one, recognized him as the incarnation of a deity and decorated the reptile’s paws with bracelets and ears with earrings. For this purpose, silver and gold jewelry and jewelry were chosen. There were cases when several crocodiles were chosen at once for worship. However, most often the Egyptians waited for the natural death of one crocodile in order to again choose the avatar of the god among the young reptiles. The dead crocodile was carefully mummified.
More than 2 thousand mummies of these sacred reptiles were discovered near Kiman Faris (Crocodilopolis). If we calculate mathematically, taking as a basis the lifespan of an ordinary crocodile (which was often longer than the lifespan of a human), we can assume that the tradition of choosing and worshiping Sebek crocodiles goes back about 20 thousand years. All this may indicate the high veneration of this deity in Egyptian society.
In ancient Egyptian mythology there is information about the veneration of the crocodile Petsuhos as a real embodiment of the god Sebek. The Egyptians believed that he lived in a lake that was adjacent to the main sanctuary of the deity. They drank water from this lake to gain magical protection and protection from Sebek, and also fed the crocodile Petsukhos with various delicacies.
good deity
Despite the frightening avatar of the crocodile, Sebek himself, in the minds of the Egyptians, was not evil or even cruel. This can be judged at least based on the fact that he:
- gave life;
- monitored the Nile floods;
- brought a good harvest;
- provided life for all river creatures.
Fishermen, as well as hunters who hunted in the reeds, turned to Sebek in their prayers. He was asked for assistance in transporting dead souls to the palace of the god Osiris.
There is some evidence that Sebek was even approached as a fortuneteller. And unlike others ancient egyptian gods he receives the title of an attentive and listening god to prayers.
Versions of origin
There is no consensus among Egyptologists and other scientists regarding the origin of Sebek. According to one version, he (like other primary gods) was born by the god Ra. According to the second version, he (like the god Ra himself) was given birth to by Geb and Nut. There is also another version that he is the son of Neith, who was revered as the great mother of other gods, the mistress of war and hunting, the water and sea elements, the mother of the terrifying serpent Apop. However, nothing is known about Sebek’s wife. This may indicate the secrecy and cunning of Sobek in the ideas of the ancient Egyptians.
Inventor of fishing nets
According to one surviving legend, the Egyptian god Ra once tried to find the two sons of the god Horus - Amset and Hapi. They hid from Ra in the Nile. The god Ra himself could not find these two sons of Horus, and therefore he ordered Sebek to find his own great-great-great-grandchildren. He began to sift the silt of the Nile through his fingers. So he found Amset and Hapi. And thus the idea of fishing nets arose.
There are other episodes when Ra instructed Sebek to find something in the Nile. So, one day Sebek went in search of the severed hands of the god Horus, which were thrown into the Nile. The hands lived on their own and were very difficult to catch. But Sebek, after pursuing them as a fisherman, managed to fish them out and return Ra. God Ra made a second pair, which, as a relic, was kept for a long time in the city of Nekhen.
Sebek and his veneration
The popularity of Sebek among the Egyptians is evidenced not only by the mummification of crocodiles. This is evidenced by some facts:
- his name constantly appears in the most ancient Egyptian correspondence found;
- archaeologists find separate papyri dedicated to chanting individual items Sebek (for example, 12 hymns to his crown alone in one of the papyri);
- Sebek had a crown, which indicates high role in the divine hierarchy;
- statues have been preserved in which Sebek carries the mummy of Osiris on his back, and according to legend, the missing reproductive organ of Osiris was eaten by a certain crocodile (which indicates big role Sebek in the life of Osiris);
- The Egyptians often attributed magical and healing properties to images of Sebek;
- the people believed that the more crocodiles there were on the banks of the Nile, the better the flood and harvest would be;
- During the 2nd millennium BC, pharaohs often called themselves Sebekhotep, which literally translates as “Sebek is pleased.”
Sebek and the water element
Sebek was called the one who forces greenery to grow on water banks. The main agricultural resources were located on the banks of the Nile. And it is not surprising that he, as the lord of the waters, was worshiped and numerous sanctuaries were built. This is how the city of Crocodilopolis arose (which literally translates as the city of the crocodile). There are also many variations of the names of the god Sebek: Pneferos (beautiful-faced), Soknebtunis (lord of Tebtunis); Soknopayos (lord of the island), etc. Many water religious rites associated with the god Sebek are also known. So, in early July, ancient Egyptian priests threw wax figurines of crocodiles into the river. People believed that thanks to magic, the figurines came to life and crawled ashore in the form of living reptiles, which foreshadowed good luck and fertility.
Sobek's Gluttony
Legends about his insatiability are also associated with the god Sebek. According to one story, he single-handedly attacked an enemy horde and devoured them alive. After this, Sebek showed the bitten off heads to the other gods, threatening them too. Then the other gods offered to bring him a lot of bread to satisfy his endless hunger. According to another story, Set killed Osiris, dismembered his body, and threw the pieces into the Nile. Then Sebek wanted to profit from pieces of the body and rushed into the Nile. For this impudent behavior, the other gods cut off Sebek's tongue as punishment. For this reason, crocodiles lack a tongue.
There is also a mythological version about the hiding of the evil god Set in the body of Sebek to avoid retribution for the murder of the god Osiris.
Kom Ombo Temple
The Kom Ombo Temple is one of the most important evidence of the veneration of the god Sebek in Ancient Egypt. It is located near Aswan and is dedicated to two gods: Horus and Sebek. It is very original from an architectural point of view, because... the goal was to please two great gods at once, while preserving the typical architectural canons (sanctuary, courtyard, pylon, hall of offerings). In the temple, all parts were doubled, but the feeling of unity was maintained due to the outer wall of the temple. There were also two parallel sanctuaries to both gods: in the north - Horus, in the south - Sebek. By the way, this is another fact confirming the importance of Sebek - the south was more important to the Egyptians than the north. Sebek was depicted on the walls of the temple, surrounded by his family.
Killing the sacred crocodile in the name of love
On special occasions, men sought to prove their love to their beloved by killing the most dangerous and powerful crocodile. This was considered a feat. But at the same time, such killing of a sacred animal was allowed only in the name of love.
Healing statues of the god Horus standing on crocodiles
The ancient Egyptians often turned to special statues for help, in which the god Horus stood on crocodiles and held snakes in his hands. The Egyptians believed that spells carved on stone could provide a person with magical power from snake and scorpion bites. For such protection, you just need to pour water on this statue, then collect this water and drink it. It was believed that magical power from the text passes to water through the stone. For this reason, the Egyptians everywhere made miniature stone amulets to provide themselves with magical protection.
Crocodile was the sacred animal of the god of water and the flood of the Nile Sebek (Greek Sukhos). This deity was depicted in the form of a man, a crocodile, or a man with the head of a crocodile. It was believed that Sebek gives fertility and abundance. The two main centers of the cult of Sebek were in Fayum and Sumenu, south of Thebes. In Shedit e, the main city of the Fayum oasis, he was considered the main god, for which reason the Greeks gave this city the name Crocodilople. In different places of the oasis, different forms of Sebek were worshiped. In the Fayum he was considered a demiurge and was an object of veneration: “Praise be to you, who raised yourself from the original silt...”. They saw him as a beneficial force and turned to him with prayers for the cure of illnesses and for help in difficult situations in life. It was also believed that Sebek cared about the fate of the deceased in the other world.
Herodotus was a witness to the worship of the god Sebek. Here is how he describes the cult of the crocodile in Ancient Egypt: “If any Egyptian or (which is the same) foreigner is dragged away by a crocodile or drowns in a river, then the inhabitants of the city where the corpse washed up on the shore are certainly obliged to embalm him and it is possible to bury him richer in a sacred tomb. Neither his relatives nor his friends are allowed to touch his body. The priests of the god [of the river] Nile themselves bury the deceased with their own hands as some kind of being higher than man.” Already in the Pyramid Texts Sebek is mentioned as the son of Neith, ancient goddess, whose fetish was two crossed arrows. It was believed that, as the goddess of water and sea, Neith gave birth to the crocodile god Sebek during the Nile flood. She was often depicted breastfeeding 2 small crocodiles. Neith was associated with the mortuary cult, being the head of the “house of embalming” and, together with Isis, Nephthys and Serket, was depicted on sarcophagi.
The name Sebek is included as a component in the theophoric names of the pharaohs of the XIII dynasty. His cult enjoyed particular favor among the kings of the XII dynasty, in particular among Pharaoh Amenemhat III, the Ptolemies and the Roman emperors. In Rome, the prevailing belief was that anyone who smeared himself with crocodile fat could swim safely between crocodiles and that the crocodile skin on the courtyard gate protected from harm. caused by hail. Unlike many other Egyptian deities, Sebek did not have a triad and only one appears in religious texts. In demotic texts from the Fayum, a goddess appears accompanying Sebek, Sebeket. Her name is the feminine form of Sebek. She was depicted in an anthropomorphic form or as a woman with the head of a lion.
As a kind, benevolent god, Sebek acts as an assistant to the god Ra in his fight against the forces of darkness. He is the same in the myth of Osiris. According to one version of the myth, it is the crocodile that carries the body of the drowned Osyras. Crocodiles, considered his incarnations, were mummified after death. However, elsewhere in Ancient Egypt, Sebek was considered a dangerous aquatic predator and was included in the retinue of the evil god Set, considered hostile to both Ra and Osiris. The giant crocodile Maga, as a creature associated with the water element and primeval chaos, acts as an opponent of the solar Ra. In the Harris Papyrus we read: “Back, Maga, son of Set! / May you not control your tail! / May you not grab with your hands! / May you not open your mouth! / The water will become a breath of fire before you, / And let the fingers of the seventy-seven gods be in your eye." Set himself turns into a giant crocodile guarding two Eyes of Wadjet. Anubis manages to take possession of them, taking the form of a winged serpent with knives instead of feathers, and bury them in another place. They sprout to become vines. On the reliefs of the temple in the city of Edfu (Egyptian Behdet) in Upper Egypt, where the cult of Horus was transferred, he is depicted standing on a boat in front of Ra, holding a harpoon with which he kills a crocodile. In the "Teachings of Merikara" in lines 130-134 the following is said about Ra: He created the heavens and the earth... he eliminated the crocodile from the waters."
The lord of the waters, Sebek, was identified with Min, the god of fertility, the “producer of the harvest.” The flood waters “fertilized” the land and contributed to the growth of crops. With the beginning of the flood, crocodiles hatched from the laid eggs, and this circumstance connected the crocodile with fertility, with ideas about a bountiful harvest, and with the prediction of the size of the upcoming flood. Noting the honor that the crocodile enjoys among the Egyptians, Plutarch cites a legend that the place where the female crocodile lays eggs marks the limit of the Nile flood: “They lay sixty eggs, hatch them for the same number of days, and the longest crocodiles live for the same number of years, and this number is the first of those who deal with the heavenly bodies." Here great philosopher refers to a period of 60 years, called in ancient times the Great Year, because every 60 years “meetings” of Jupiter and Saturn took place. The completion of the Nile flood and the appearance of black earth in ancient times occurred when the Sun was in the sign of Scorpio. “In classical astrology, the sign of Scorpio is water. Water is a symbol of life,” and the crocodile lives in water. "The Egyptian hieroglyph for black was the tip of a crocodile's tail. Not because it's actually black; it's just that the crocodile's eyes represented sunrise and its tail represented sunset or darkness." In those ancient times, the sun god was incarnated in the form of a crocodile - Sebek-Ra.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ancient Egypt is the civilization of the Nile; without this great African river, a large and highly developed society could not have arisen and existed in this generally barren space. Therefore, the ancient Egyptian religion had to somehow reflect the significance that the Nile had for the entire society - and this is how the deities of the Nile arose, one of which, Sebek, was perhaps the most colorful in the entire pantheon.
The Egyptians would have tried not to make a crocodile a god...
Coloring of the god Sebek for modern perception, first of all, in his appearance - since he was depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile (images in the image of a crocodile, without humanoid elements, were rare and most often belonged to more ancient cults). Almost all experts agree that Sebek is a classic case of the transformation of more ancient totemic beliefs into an element of a highly developed complex pagan religious system. It is quite natural that early stages existence of human society on the banks of the Nile, in the era of the primitive communal system, the crocodile was one of the most dangerous neighbors for people. In Africa, even today, hundreds of people annually become victims of crocodiles attacks, and in ancient times the confrontation was probably even more fierce.
Ancient people tried to cope with various dangers not only by practical, but also by magical means - declaring certain predators as their relatives and patrons (totems), as well as deifying them. This is exactly what apparently happened with the crocodiles of the Nile, who in the era of Ancient Egypt turned into Sebek, the god of the Nile, “responsible” for fresh water, the ruler of all animals living in the river, the patron saint of fishermen and also having certain functions as the god of fertility.
The details of the veneration of Sebek in Egypt are unknown, but there is evidence that in every city there was a practice of keeping a sacred crocodile - that is, a specially captured animal in which, according to beliefs, the spirit of Sebek lived. Most likely, the sacred crocodiles changed every year: since in just one of the cult places of veneration of Sebek, two thousand crocodile mummies were discovered, embalmed and buried according to a special ritual. There is still no clarity on the question of Sebek’s mythological pedigree: according to one version, he was the son of the supreme god and father of the gods Ra, according to another, he was a representative of an more ancient divine generation.
If Sebek is happy, everything is fine
Sebek's position among other Egyptian gods and his meaning to the Egyptians was quite ambiguous. On the one hand, he could never compete in terms of influence and significance of the cult with the supreme Egyptian gods (Ra, Horus 
, Osiris and others). In addition, he was not alone in his own “diocese”. The fact is that the Egyptians’ deification of the Nile gave rise to other divine characters, besides Sebek. Thus, in a number of nomes (regions) of Egypt, a deity named Hapi was especially revered, who was considered solely responsible for the flood of the Nile, that is, for the event that led to the formation of a fertile strip along the river. Hapi was depicted as a humanoid creature with obvious external signs characteristic of fertility cults: a combination of male and female features (developed muscles and female breasts), corpulent forms and accentuated reproductive organs.
So, where there was a cult of Hapi, Sebek was deprived of his functions as responsible for the flood of the Nile and thereby turned into a more uncontrollable and elemental deity, reflecting the powerful and often dangerous nature of the river. Where Hapi had little or no significance among the supernatural characters, Sebek had full magical power over the Nile. At a certain stage in the history of Ancient Egypt, Sebek even became one of the popular gods - it was not for nothing that a number of pharaohs bore the throne name dedicated to the crocodile-headed god, “Sebekhotep,” which meant “Sebek is pleased.” There was also a special cult center for the veneration of Sebek - the city of Shedit, located in the fertile Fayum oasis in Middle Egypt. In Shedita there was a majestic temple complex, dedicated to Sebek, it was here that the most famous and revered “living incarnations” of the crocodile gods were kept, and it was here that thousands of mummies of these sacred crocodiles were discovered.
Alexander Babitsky
