Hippopotamus

The Hippopotamus in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Deby or Dbj//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



Although the hippopotamus' habit of roaring at dawn and dusk connected the animal to the sun-god Ra, the animal was detested and often killed as a menace. The hippopotamus' aggressive nature and large size made them very dangerous indeed. The male hippopotamus was considered to be an agent of the evil god Set, because it grazed on the newly grown wheat and overturned boats, hurting and even killing people. The tusks of the male hippopotamus was Egypt's main source of ivory, and were used to make clappers, gaming pieces, statues, dishes, cosmetic instruments, jewelry, perfume vases, and magical wands. Hippopotamus leather was valued for making shields, helmets, and whips.

In ancient Egypt a royal hippopotamus hunt was known since the Old Kingdom, during which a male hippopotamus was ritually harpooned and destroyed. The pharaoh dealt the killing blow, identifying himself with the god Horus, while the hippopotamus was identified with Horus' rival, Set. This ritual was symbolic of victory over chaos, and was a common scene in reliefs.

A large, exotic menagerie, the world's first zoo, was excavated in Egypt in 2009. Dating to 3500 B.C.E., among the numerous animals uncovered were the remains of three hippopotamuses, including a baby. One of the hippopotamuses showed signs of bone fractures that can only have healed in a protected environment.

Unlike the male hippopotamus, which was thought to be an agent of chaos, the female hippopotamus was considered quite a motherly creature, an aquatic form of the cow. The kindly goddess Taweret was depicted as a hippopotamus. Amulets of female hippopotamuses, representing fertility and happy maternity, were extremely common among women. As a sacred creature, hippos were sometimes mummified.

The hippopotamus, like other aquatic creatures such as crocodiles and frogs, was a symbol of regeneration. <span class="wiki_link">Dating from as early as 4,000 B.C.E., hippopotamus amulets and figurines made of faience, terracotta, ivory, lapis lazuli, beryl, and bronze, decorated with vegetation, were buried with the dead in order to help with rebirth.

The Herbivores of Ancient Egypt