Thoth

Thoth


 * Other Names:**

Djehuty, Djehowtey, Tehuti, Dhouti, Thout, Tuth, Zehuti, Dhwty


 * Meaning of Name:**

“Truth” and “Time”


 * Hieroglyphics:**

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 * Titles:**

“Reckoner of Times and Seasons” “The Silent Being”

“Silver Aten (sun)”

"He Who Balances"

“Maker of the Palette and the Ink-Jar”

"The Beaked One"

"Voice of Ra"

“Beautiful of Night”

“Counter of the Stars and Measurer of the Earth”

“Three Times Great”

“Lord of the Reed Pen”

"Scribe of the Gods"

"Excellent of Understanding"

“Bull Among the Stars”

“Lord of the Sacred Books in the House of Life”


 * Family:**

Thoth was thought to have “sung” several gods and goddesses into existence, including the eight deities of the Ogdoad and Heket. Thoth was considered to be the son of Nun or Ra, and the husband of Ma’at or Nehemtawy. Occasionally he was thought to have been created by Set. Thoth was also said to be the brother-husband-father of Seshat, and to have laid a cosmic egg which hatched Amun, Nefertem, Atum, and Khepri.

The wisest of the Egyptian gods and the patron of scribes, who were know as the “Followers of Thoth.” He was thought to have invented writing and the languages, including the first hieroglyphics and the Book of the Dead. His roles in Egyptian mythology were many. Thoth served as a mediating power, especially between good and evil, making sure neither had a decisive victory over the other. He was the scribe of the gods, and the director of the motions of the heavenly bodies.

Mythology credits him with the creation of the 365 day calendar. Without his words, the Egyptians believed, the gods would not exist. Thoth was associated with justice and truth, and presided over secret knowledge. It was Thoth who placed the deceased's heart on the Scales of Truth against the feather of Ma’at, and judged the deceased worthy to enter Sehet Aaru, the kingdom of the dead - "I have judged the heart of the deceased, and his soul stand as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him."

As a god of the moon, Thoth was therefore the god who measured time. As the “Lord of Time” and “Reckoner of Years,” Thoth recorded the passage of time and assigned long reigns to kings. He was the patron of all areas of knowledge, and written treatises of all kinds fell under his care - scriptoria and libraries were attached to his temples. Thoth’s reputation for truth and integrity is seen in the common assertion that a person has conducted his life in a matter “straight and true like Thoth.”

Thoth set a divine example as a just judge and incorruptible official, and acted as a //Tjaty// (vizier or prime minister) to Ra. According to one hymn to Thoth, the "eye of the baboon" watched out for scribes who took advantage of their skill by using it for self-gain. Thoth was, naturally, particularly venerated by scribes, who made a small libation to the god by pouring a drop of water out of the pot in which they dipped their brushes at the beginning of each day. Many scribes had a painting or a picture of Thoth in their “office.”

Thoth was claimed to be the true author of every work of every branch of knowledge, both human and divine. A common prayer was "May Thoth (the moon) follow Ra (the sun) and not fail to rise!" Amulets of Thoth, made of silver, faience, gold, bronze, lapis lazuli, copper, and glass were popular, especially with scribes. Thoth is unusual among the Egyptian gods in that he overcame obstacles not by brute strength but by cunning, humility, and patience. Myths say that Thoth's reign on earth was 7,726 years, a legendary time of peace.

The gods were said to travel on the “wing” of Thoth across the river of the heavens. Massive, 30-ton statues of Thoth were set up by Amenophis III at his main cult centre. Thoth was considered the “ heart and tongue ” of Ra as well as the means by which Ra's will was translated into speech. He has been likened to the Logos of Plato and the Mind of God. In Egyptian mythology, he played many vital and prominent roles, including being one of the two deities (the other being Ma’at ) who stood on either side of Ra's barque.

Thoth was pictured as a Sacred Ibis or as an ibis-headed man holding a writing palette, wearing on his head a crescent moon or the Atef Crown. Occasionally Thoth, in his ibis form, was said to have laid the Cosmic Egg from which the world was hatched. The beginning of Thoth’s name, //dhw//, is the oldest know name for the Sacred Ibis. Flocks of ibises were kept in temples dedicated to Thoth. After death, the birds were mummified and placed in pots or wooden coffins, sometimes painted with images of Thoth.

Thoth was also pictured as an Olive Baboon with a green mane and blue body and legs, and tribes of sacred baboons were kept in his temples, and mummified when they died. By the Late Period, titles such as “Priest of the Living Baboon” were held by individuals who served Thoth in his sanctuaries. Thoth’s sacred temple baboons often had individual names, such as “Thoth-has-come,” “Thoth-is-the-one-who-has-given-him,” and “Thoth-has-been-found.” One of these baboons would have been singled out as an oracular and given the name, “The-face-of-the-baboon-has-spoken.” Colossal statues of baboons flanked the entrance to Thoth's greatest temple at Hermopolis.


 * Feast and Holy Days:**

July 1st (Month of Thoth)

July 19th (Feast of Thoth)

August 6th (Chief Festival of Thoth)

August 20th (Thoth Heals the Eye of Horus)

October 23rd (Ceremony of Thoth) December 13th (Day of Oaths to Thoth)

January 24th (Thoth Comes Forth)

January 27th (Thoth and the Spirits Go Forth)

April 3rd (Day of Counting of Thoth)

May 14th (Thoth Appears)


 * Quotes from the Book of the Dead and other sources:**

“The King can transform himself into a bird whose wing feathers are those of Thoth, the mightiest of Gods.”

Hymns of Thoth


 * Egyptian Names Honoring This Deity****:**

Thothemhab, Hay-Thoth, Thothrekh, Zat-Thoth, Tuthmose (“Born of Thoth”), Thothhotep ("Thoth is Satisfied"), Tuthnefer ("Beautiful of Thoth"), Sit-Thoth ("Daughter of Thoth"), Djehuty (“Lord Thoth”)


 * Outside of Egypt:**

Thoth’s qualities lead to him being identified by the Greeks with their closest matching god - Hermes, with whom Thoth was eventually combined, as "Hermes Trismegistus." This led the Greeks to name Thoth’s cult centre Hermopolis, meaning “City of Hermes.”


 * Modern Influence:**

Thoth's reputation for mystery has endured - magician Aleister Crowley's tarot deck was called the "Book of Thoth" and was heavily influenced by Egyptian mythology. One of the largest parades at the New Orleans Mardi Gras is the Krewe of Thoth.

Egyptian Deities - T