Nefertem

**Nefertem**


 * Other Names:**

Nefertemu, Tem

“Perfection”
 * Meaning of Name:**


 * Hieroglyphics:**




 * Titles:**

"Child of the Sun"

“He Who is Beautiful”

“The Great Lotus”

//Khener Tawy// ("Defender of the Two Lands")

“Water Lily of the Sun”


 * Family:**

Nefertem was thought to be the son of Sekhmet and Ptah. Sometimes he was considered to be the son of Bast, Wadjet, or Atum, and the brother of Imhotep.

A divinity of the sunrise, the god of fragrance and perfumes. In the Pyramid Texts, Nefertem was described as the “lotus blossom on the nose of Ra.” Nefertem was associated both with the scent of the lotus flower and its narcotic effect, which in ancient Egypt was used for medical anesthetics. It was Nefertem who brought lotuses to the sun god Ra, to help ease the suffering of his aging body.

In some myths Nefertem was thought to be born with every sunrise, maturing into Atum during the day, before passing into the world of the dead every sunset. He was held in great affection, and the ancient Egyptians carried small statuettes of Nefertem made of bronze, silver, glass, or faience as good-luck charms, similar to modern saint’s medals.

Nefertem was shown as the divine blue lotus or as a young man with a lotus and falcon headdress, wearing a short kilt, a //Menat// necklace, and holding a sickle-sword. Sometimes he was represented as a lion-headed man, or as a lion or cat reclining.


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

Hymns of Nefertem

Egyptian Deities - N