Nile+Crocodile

The Crocodile in Ancient Egypt

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Called the "Great Fish of Horus," the Nile Crocodile was both feared and respected in ancient Egypt. This dangerous aquatic reptile was recognized by its "wrinkled and rough face," its form, described as a combination of jackal and snake, and its color, designated as "turquoise-green."

Since it emerged from the waters like the sun god, the crocodile was connected with the forces of life and renewal, and the deceased makes a transformation into a crocodile on their journey through the Duat. Protective crocodile amulets, made from faience and carnelian, were highly popular. Many fish were regarded as creatures of chaos, so as fish eaters, crocodiles were believed to help to establish order.

The crocodile represented the symbolic strength of the ruler of Egypt. The crocodile’s power to snatch and destroy its prey was thought to be symbolic of the might of the pharaoh - the strength of the reptile was a manifestation of the pharaoh’s own power. The hieroglyphic for “sovereign” was written with two crocodiles and a falcon. Crocodiles were also used to write words such as “snarer,” “seizer,” and “robber.” Given the awe people felt for them, it is no wonder that crocodiles often figured in Egyptian curses: "May the crocodile be against him in the water, may the snake be against him on land, if he does anything against this tomb."

The ancient Egyptians used the crocodile in war - as recorded by the 2nd century B.C.E. Greek historian Diodorus, the Egyptians filled the moats around a fort at Sile with crocodiles, and were probably as well protected as we are today by defensive weapons. The British Museum holds an ancient set of body armor and a helmet made out of crocodile skin, dated to the 3rd century C.E. It was most likely worn by priests to absorb the animal's strength and power.

The crocodile was credited with great wisdom and foreknowledge – it was declared that wherever on the bank the female crocodile built a nest and laid her eggs would be the extent of the inundation for the season. When crocodiles seized people, they were thought to be carrying out the vengeance of the gods or the decrees of fate. Powerful magicians were fabled to be able to ride across the river on the backs of crocodiles.

The crocodile was associated with the holy number sixty – it was believed that the female carried her eggs for sixty days before she laid them, that the number of the eggs was sixty, that they took sixty days to hatch, that a crocodile had sixty vertebrae in its spine, and sixty nerves, and sixty teeth in its mouth, that its life was sixty years, that its annual period of winter fasting was sixty days, etc.

Crocodiles were strongly associated with the Nile-god Sobek, who took the form of a crocodile. Crocodile eggs were incubated in mounds of sand in special nurseries, and the resulting small Sobeks were carefully reared. Herodotus visited a city dedicated to Sobek and wrote: "The City of Crocodiles is more amazing than the Pyramids. It has twelve covered courtyards surrounded by a huge wall. There are three thousand rooms, half of which are underground. They are built of fine stone and decorated with beautiful figures, and it is hard to believe that men built them."

Sacred crocodiles, called the //Petsuchos//, were kept in temple pools. Considered to be the living incarnation of the god Sobek, these crocodiles were ornamented with gold and glass jewelry on their heads and bracelets on their forefeet, and hand-fed roasted fish, beef, geese, cakes, milk, and wine by priests. Pilgrims flocked to Sobek’s temples to help feed the sacred crocodiles; it was considered a sign of benevolence if the crocodiles accepted food from the pilgrim. Aelian reported an ominous augury of one of the sacred crocodiles: "Ptolemy was calling to the tamest of the crocodiles, but it paid him no attention and would not accept the food he offered. And the priests realized that the crocodile knew that Ptolemy's end was approaching . . ."

Because they were held as holy, crocodiles were mummified and buried in special cemeteries when they died. Over 10,000 mummified crocodiles have been found, one of them more than 17 feet (5.18 meters) long. One animal was surround by fifty tiny crocodiles that had just left the egg, possibly the crocodile's brood. They were arranged in a little army, marching toward the head of the mummy. Baby crocodiles that had died were sometimes placed within a mummified adult's mouth, echoing the way mother crocodiles carry their young to the water.

According to Herodotus, those killed by crocodiles enjoyed a special status: "Whenever any one, either of the Egyptians themselves or of strangers, is found to have been carried off by a crocodile, the people of any city by which he may have been cast up on land must embalm him and lay him out in the fairest way they can and bury him in a sacred burial-place, nor may any of his relations or friends besides touch him, but the priests of the Nile themselves handle the corpse and bury it as that of one who was something more than man."

Crocodile metaphors and similes are common in ancient Egyptian writings:

"When the crocodile shows itself its reputation is measured."

"A crocodile in fury harms its brothers."

"A crocodile does not die of worry, it dies of hunger."

"If a woman loves a crocodile she takes on its character." "There is the evil man who is calm like a crocodile in water."

"Men goes to crocodiles of their own accord."

"If a crocodile loves a donkey it puts on a wig."

"Guard your heart at night against the crocodiles of the dark."

Repelling a Crocodile

The Reptiles and Amphibians of Ancient Egypt