Who is the Egyptian god of wisdom

The Egyptian god of wisdom is called Thoth.

There are many different cultures where it was customary to worship various deities. Each one of them was given special powers and one represented several aspects of daily life, such as home, war, agriculture, etc. Obviously, some were more important than others. In the culture of Ancient Egypt, One of the most notable deities was the Egyptian god of wisdom, known as Thoth.

In this article we will explain who he is, what are the family ties with other Egyptian gods and How is it usually represented? If you like Egyptian culture and stories about its various gods, I recommend that you keep reading.

Who was the god of wisdom in Egypt?

The Egyptian god of wisdom is the recorder and messenger of the Ancient Egyptian deities

While it is true that Thoth does not literally receive the title of Egyptian god of wisdom, he is a deity who he is considered patron of the scribes and master of knowledge. When we speak of him, we refer to the god of sacred texts, of the moon, of science, of mathematics and of magic. In addition, he will stand out as the recorder and messenger of the deities of the Old Egypt.

Among his functions was to help the funerary deities, occupying the place of messenger, and at the same time keeping their records. Therefore, Thoth was responsible for recording all the verdicts of the weighing-of-the-heart ceremonies. During these ceremonies it was decided whether the deceased could continue to the afterlife or not.

Surely you are wondering how that ceremony worked. Well, if the heart, which would basically be the spirit of the person in question, was equal in the scales with the Pen of Truth of Ma'at, then he could pass into the afterlife. On the other hand, if it turned out that the heart was heavier, the deceased could not pass. The Egyptian god of wisdom Thoth was the one who provided some guidance to the various gods and who helped the daily complaints they used to receive. In addition, he created new laws. In fact, according to the Egyptians, it was the god Thoth who suggested that a group should meet in assembly to discuss problems that could not be solved.

What is Maat?

In case you are wondering what is the Ma'at that we have mentioned before, don't worry, we are going to explain it. It is a very important concept, because the Egyptian religion focused a lot on it. translated means "which has to do with truth, justice and order." According to this culture, these concepts were the laws of the universe that all human society had to comply with. The word Ma'at has existed since the universe was created and without it there would be no cohesion or order.

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Egyptian religion and its characteristics

Despite its importance, in the Egyptian religion there was a belief that this term was constantly under threat, thus endangering the world order. For this reason it was vital that the society of Egypt maintain justice and order. This basically means that each person had to help, contribute and coexist in the society of that time. In this way they managed to raise the cosmic level. Consequently, the forces of nature, or the force of all the Egyptian gods, came together in order to achieve a balance on earth.

For this reason, maintaining order and contributions in society was one of the main purposes of the Egyptian religion. It also explains why the Egyptians wanted to preserve Ma'at in the cosmos and why they were required to perform various ceremonies and offerings to the gods. In this way they managed to keep away both lies and disorder in the population and stay the course on the path of truth.

Who is the father of Thoth?

The Egyptian god of wisdom Thoth has always had a close association with Ra

According to an Egyptian story about the deities, Thoth was born at the beginning of creation, from the lips of his father. This was, nothing more and nothing less, than the god of gods: Ra. It is the god of the sun and the deity of the origin of life in Egyptian culture. As expected, Ra symbolizes the light of the sun, of creation, of life, of death and also of resurrection. In short: he is the creator of life and responsible for the cycle of death. However, Thoth does not have a mother in this myth, which is why he was also called "the motherless god".

There is also another story that says that Thoth was his own creator at the beginning of time. Like an ibis, a very characteristic bird of the Nile River, she laid the egg that contained the cosmos and all of creation. Regardless of the version that was told at that time, everything indicates that Thoth has always had a close association with Ra and the concepts of justice and divine order.

How is Thoth represented?

Thoth is usually depicted as an ibis

The reason why the ibis bird is alluded to in the above story is very simple: Thoth's Egyptian name is djehuty, which would translate as "He who is like the Ibis." It is therefore not surprising that it was usually represented as this bird, or even as a baboon, a kind of monkey. The most common is to find paintings and sculptures of the Egyptian god of wisdom in which he has an ibis head and a human body. The places where he is known to have been most worshiped are Serabit el-Khadim, Hermopolis Magna Hermopolis Parva. However, tributes have been found in various places in Egypt.

I hope that all this information about the Egyptian god of wisdom has been interesting for you. Thoth was, without a doubt, one of the main deities of the Ancient Egyptian and it never hurts to know a little about the various cultures that predominate in this world. Although it is true that the ancient gods are no longer worshiped, they continue to form part of the history and cultural heritage of civilizations.


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