Buchis

**Buchis**

Bouchis, Bacis, Bakha, Bukhe
 * Other Names:**


 * Titles:**

“Bull of the Mountains of Sunrise and Sunset”


 * Family:**

He was considered the living //ba// (soul) of the god Ra, Osiris, or Montu.

Like the Apis, the Buchis bull was a real, living animal, chosen from the herd and worshiped as a god. The Buchis was held sacred by being white with a black face, and having the figure of a vulture on its back. Several fanciful descriptions of the bull survive, claiming that it had a coat of hair that grew backwards, and changed color every hour. Unlike other bull cults of Egypt, the Buchis had to be caught in the wild, instead of being chosen from a domestic herd. Renowned for its strength and ferocity, the Buchis was depicted as participating in fights with other bulls which were staged in a special arena.

As was the case with other sacred bulls, the Buchis was thought to deliver oracles and was famed for curing diseases, especially those of the eye. In images it was often shown smelling a lotus flower and wearing a Two Feathers Crown on its head. The bull wore jewels and golden necklaces and had a staff of twenty to wait on him.

When the Buchis died it was mummified and buried in a sacred cemetery known as the Bucheion. The mothers of the Buchis bulls, known as the //Baqariyyah//, were also buried there. The average age of the Buchis was about twenty years. The worship of the Buchis lasted until about 362 C.E., when it was destroyed by rising Christian fundamentalism in the Roman Empir e. Other ancient bull cults of Egypt were that of Mnevis and Apis.

Hymn to the Buchis

Egyptian Deities - B