Gods of Ancient Egypt - list and description. God Hapi

The name of the god of the Nile - Hapi - is usually not included in the pantheon of the great gods of Egypt. However, this does not mean that he did not enjoy special respect and honor among the ancient Egyptians. The reason for such inattention to Hapi is apparently due to the fact that researchers have at their disposal almost exclusively texts and drawings related to the funeral cult, and the Nile was identified with earthly life.

Earlier, speaking of Osiris, we emphasized in his image the fusion of the features of god and man. In addition, Osiris was the lord of the kingdom of the dead, and in this capacity he was accompanied by the patron of the dead Anubis - a god in the form of a jackal or with the head of a jackal (dog). However, we must not forget about one more incarnation of Osiris - as a dying and resurrecting god. And if Anubis was his companion among the dead, then among the living he was compared with the divine Nile.

Hapi was revered as the god of the Nile, the giver of moisture, the patron of the harvest. He was not only a powerful natural body, but also a cosmic deity, a product of the primordial Nun. The center of his cult was the region of the rapids - the Gebel-Silsile gorge and the island of Elephantine. Here he is usually depicted as a man with a ram's head. However, he was also worshiped in Upper and Lower Egypt; their emblems - lotus and papyrus, respectively - were his attributes.

Most often, Hapi appeared in the form of a large fat man with a large belly and female chest, with a papyrus tiara on his head and with vessels filled with water in his hands.

He was identified, as is generally characteristic of the Egyptian pantheon, with other gods Amon, Osiris, but most often with Sebek, the god of water and the floods of the Nile. The popularity of Se-bek was especially great in the Nile delta, which was teeming with crocodiles, so this god was portrayed as a man with a crocodile head. True, sometimes Sebek acted as a deity hostile to Ra and Osiris, as a representative of the dark forces of evil. But such contradictions did not bother the Egyptians, who knew how to distinguish mythological characters from real objects.

In this regard, one more god should be mentioned - Khnum, who was considered the guardian of the sources of the Nile and the god of fertility (ram-headed). It was believed that he had power over human destiny, and this is not surprising, given how much the waters of the Nile and its annual floods, fertilizing the fields with fertile silt, meant a lot to the well-being of the Egyptians.

The fact that the Nile and its silt is a guarantee of the stability of life in the Nile Valley (as well as, we add, the extraordinary stability of the Egyptian civilization, which did not experience catastrophic soil depletion), the Egyptians understood a very long time ago. This is evidenced, in particular, by the hymn to the Nile, fragments of which are given below:

Glory to you, Nile, coming out of the earth,

Going to revive Egypt.

Irrigating the fields, created by Ra,

To bring all animals to life.

Filling the desert, alien to water.

Its dew descends from heaven...

If he hesitates, his breath is interrupted

And people are getting poorer.

If he is angry, trouble is all over the country,

Great and small are getting poorer.

And he rises - and the earth rejoices,

And all living things are happy.

Everyone's back is shaking with laughter

Each tooth chews hard.

Bringer of bread, rich in food,

Creator of all things beautiful.

Filling barns, expanding bins,

Caring for the poor too.

Producing trees at will of anyone,

And there is no shortage of them.

They don't know where he's from

And they did not find its caves in the scriptures.

Your young men and your children rejoice

And they greet you like a king.

Constant in customs

Facing south and north.

Light out of darkness!

Fat for his cattle!

The power that creates everything

And there are none living in ignorance of it.

In this hymn, the Nile appears not so much in the guise of a deity, but as a great creation of nature (by the way, this river is the longest in the world). Behind some poetic turns are references to natural phenomena. So, the expression “if he hesitates” means a delay in the flood of the Nile, and the anger of the Nile is not associated with its powerful floods, as one might assume, but, on the contrary, with a low rise in water, which was perceived as a punishment for people.

When the flood of the Nile is likened to the rising of the sun, the river becomes like a life-giving heavenly body. The “constancy in customs” of the Nile (its floods) and the fact that, thanks to this, there is an abundant food for the cattle, is rightly praised.

Of particular note is the reference to the abundance of trees. In all likelihood, in those days the Nile Valley was not poor in groves, or even forests. With the development of shipping, and then monumental construction, the forests in the Nile Valley began to disappear, and at the same time, the onset of deserts began. And only the regular floods of the Nile saved Egyptian civilization from being swallowed up by the Sahara, as was the case with the prehistoric cultures of that gigantic region which is now the world's greatest desert.

All sacred symbols, symbols of power, jewelry, clothing, furniture and even vessels for the domestic use of the pharaohs served the same purpose - to preserve and transmit to the future sacred secrets about the divine Universe . For example, games in ancient Egypt - The sacred origins of the games of antiquity - Senet from ancient Egypt, chess, backgammon and a number of other games.

Let's turn to the sacred Nilu – Hapi:

The origin of the name Hapi is unknown. , perhaps earlier the Nile River itself was called that, since then it has been customary to say that the Nile originates between Mu-Hapi And Kher-Hapi, where two tributaries flow into a common channel (the beginning of one of the tributaries gives Lake Victoria). However, Hapi was not just a god of the Nile. He was friends with Geb (the god of the earth) and with the "lord of Neper" (the god of grain).

Variety of others distinguishing features Hapi, varied depending on the region of Egypt and the presence of images of this god. For example, in Lower Egypt, it was decorated with images of papyri and frogs that lived in this region and were symbols of this land. At the same time, in Upper Egypt, it was decorated with lotus flowers and crocodiles, which in in large numbers were present in this area and were symbols associated with the god Hapi . Hapi often depicted making offerings of food or amphorae with jets of water pouring from them, in rare cases he was depicted as a hippopotamus.

When the gods of the Egyptian pantheon were depicted in pairs (husband / wife), the god Hapi from time to time a wife named Meret (meaning " Darling"). However, the Nile was connected to the earth, and Hapi said, that he will become the husband of the patroness of the earth; in Upper Egypt . She was a goddess Nekhbet, and in Lower Egypt the goddess Wajit . After some time, they began to identify him with the primordial ocean Nun, whose wife Naunet was created in the primary waters, together they personified the sky and were the first of the gods of the Hermopol Ogdoad.

It was believed that Hapi lived in a cave in one of the sources of the Nile, not far from Aswan. For the most part, cult Hapi was on Elephantine. Priests of God Hapi performed special rituals to provide Egypt with stable annual floods of the river. The priests of Elephantine had a special measuring device " nilometer”, with which it was possible to predict and control the level of incoming water.

Excerpt from Anthem of the annual spill Nile:

Feeding the flocks

Mighty image of everything

Nobody can live without it

People are dressed in clothes made from flax that grows in his fields.

You ennoble all the lands and satiate them unceasingly,

Coming down from heaven ».

Rice. 2. The figure on the left shows a pharaoh seated on a throne. At the base of the throne is a rectangle with a symbolic image denoting the concept - union, union . In the center of the image in the form of a letter T hieroglyph - Sma – unite. On the right, this fragment is shown on an enlarged scale. "During the 19th Dynasty, Hapi was often depicted as a pair of figures, each of which holds and stretches a long stem of a plant, symbolically linking Upper and Lower Egypt. . This image is also a separate hieroglyph meaning " union». This symbol was often carved into the base of the throne on which pharaoh. ".

A COMMENT:

He who says: “This cannot be, this cannot happen,” let him look into the Inmost. Every day God makes sure that the Earth learns the secrets of His creation. (from " Teachings of Ankhsheshonk» I millennium BC) .

Let's start our research. Let's turn to the original ancient Egyptian artifacts depicting Hapi. One of the famous artifacts is Relief with the image Hapi- unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt from Temple of Amun in Luxor. 19th dynasty, 13th century BC.

Rice. 3. Relief with the image Hapi (Heavenly Nile) unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt. Temple of Amun in Luxor. 19th dynasty, 13th century BC e. Cairo Museum.

Let's combine this image on the Relief with the matrix of the Universe.

Rice. 4. The figure shows the result of combining relief- with picture Hapi- the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt with the matrix of the Universe. The image was combined with the matrix at the transition point between the Upper and Lower worlds of the matrix of the Universe. BUT- the area of ​​​​the two sacred Tetractysov. In the upper and lower triangle - Tetractys is located in 10 positions (circles) of the matrix of the Universe. IN– the horizontal bracket shows the location of the vertical hieroglyphic inscriptions on the Relief. The top of the pyramid of the Lower World of the matrix of the Universe was aligned with the " node"on the Relief, which is drawn between two " image » Hapi. « Knot ” and the top of the Matrix Nether pyramid are circled in bold. Below in the figure is the place of the Relief (" knot ”) will be shown on an enlarged scale. You can clearly see the exact alignment of all the main details of the image on the relief with the matrix of the Universe. From this follows the obvious conclusion that the image on the relief was made on the basis of " basis - template ”, which was the matrix of the Universe. We see the Relief image, but " basis - pattern ", which belonged to the sacred knowledge of the priests, becomes us" visible »only after the Relief has been combined with the matrix of the Universe.

Rice. five. An enlarged figure shows " knot ", which is tightened between two " image » Hapi.

Rice. 6. Ancient Egyptian drawings are known, in which, as " Uniters» Upper and Lower Egypt portrayed not Hapi (heavenly Nile ), but Gore And Set. The plot of the drawings was similar. On the image Gore on the left, and Set on right.

Compatible with the matrix of the Universe the image on the Relief and the hieroglyphic record " name» Hapi (heavenly Nile ).

Rice. 7. The figure shows the result of combining with the matrix of the Universe the image on the Relief and the hieroglyphic record " name» Hapi (heavenly Nile ). At the top of the picture is the phrase " Oh creator of light coming from the dark …” from the hymn quoted above. An excerpt from the Anthem of the annual flood of the Nile : « Oh creator of light coming from the dark , Feeding the flocks, Mighty image of everything , Nobody can live without it , People are dressed in clothes from flax that grows in its fields, You ennoble all the lands and saturate them incessantly, Coming down from heaven ". From this text it becomes clear that for the priests of ancient Egypt, God Hapi was " creator of light coming from darkness ". Therefore, the river Nile, which gave life to living beings on the land of Egypt, was " made » by the priests of the earthly counterpart « Heavenly Nile - Hapi ". In fact, people simultaneously worshiped the original divine Hapi and its terrestrial counterpart - river nile. Therefore, we can consider the hieroglyphic notation " name» Hapi in the matrix of the Universe as " The stream of light of the heavenly Nile - Hapi ". This " light » « descends "from the Upper world to the Lower world of the matrix of the Universe or from" Of the invisible world", which the Egyptian priests called in a hymn darkness . The hieroglyph is shown on the left. Sma – Sema (Sma or Sema), which translates to union, union , and in fact is the end of " name» Hapi. Then the whole record HapiSma- translated - hapi combiner. The unifier of two worlds - the Upper and Lower worlds of the matrix of the Universe!! say that Hapi combiner Upper and Lower Egypt according to the position " relief” in our drawing is not entirely correct, since from our work - The Secret Knowledge of the Egyptian priests about the matrix of the Universe. Part two. Nomes of Egypt in the section " Egyptology"we know that in the representations of the priests" Upper Egypt» was located above the 20th level of the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe , but "Lower Egypt" extended below this level . And one more important note. If we turn to our work - the Runic alphabet Futhark, Odin, Valhalla, Brahma and Zeus in the matrix of the Universe in the section " Author's articles”, then we will see that it was from the 20th level of the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe and below that the following worlds were located: In ancient Egypt -“ Lower Egypt”, in German-Scandinavian mythology, the kingdom Odin (Asgard, Valhalla), in the Vedas of ancient India - the kingdom Lord Brahma, in Greek mythology- the kingdom of the supreme Olympian god Zeus! Is this an amazing coincidence? Rather, we see an example of the continuity of the sacred knowledge of the sages of antiquity from different countries and peoples .

"Celestial Rivers"

"Celestial Rivers", similar Hapi to Nilu « flow " on the " earth » in the religious traditions of different peoples.

In the Slavic priestly book - " Veles Book» — "RA RIVER" flows from the 24th level of the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe . We talked about this in an article on the site - The sacred meaning of the first chapter of the Veles book Glorification of the Great Triglav, in the section " Ancient Slavs”, Figure 10.

The space of the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe from the 24th and below in Hinduism is space Sada Shiva(Always good Lord Shiva) Mantra Om Namah Shivaya to address Lord Shiva in the matrix of the Universe, section " Prayers and mantras”, Figure 11.

Lord Shiva, which the " up four levels » in the matrix of the Universe Lord Brahma, famous for taking on his " head » crushing stream heavenly river Ganges:

Rice. 8. The descent of the Ganges from the sky, which is expected Shiva, Bhagiratha, Parvati (wife Shiva) and bull Nandi(Mount - vahana Lord Shiva)».

Thus, it becomes clear to us that since - " At the beginning of time, the Ganges was an exclusively celestial river, inaccessible on earth, but later it was lowered to Earth …», then at the beginning of the time of the Ganges " flowed» above the 24th level of the Upper world of the matrix of the universe .

Ancient Egyptian alabaster incense vases

Rice. nine. Alabaster perfume vase . Tomb of Tutankhamen. Cairo Museum.

Rice. 10. Alabaster perfume vase. Egypt.

Rice. eleven. The figure shows a frontal image of an alabaster vase from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Cairo Museum.

Let's combine the images of Egyptian alabaster vase with the matrix of the Universe. The key for combining images of vases with the matrix of the Universe will be " knot image » Hapi.

Rice. 12. The figure shows the result of combining the frontal image of an alabaster vase for aromatic substances from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun with the matrix of the Universe. The key for combining images of vases with the matrix of the Universe was " knot"Similar to the one in Figure 5, two " image» Hapi . To the right and left of the vase on the table are the figures of two " images » Hapipattern ” or a sacred basis for the manufacture of this product by ancient craftsmen. The remaining details of the combination are visible in the figure.

Rice. 13. The figure shows the result of combining the image of an alabaster vase for aromatic substances (Figure 10) with the matrix of the Universe. The key for combining images of vases with the matrix of the Universe was " knot "Similar to the one in Figure 5, two " image » Hapi. It can be seen that the image of the vase is well combined with the matrix of the Universe, which obviously was " pattern ” or a sacred basis for the manufacture of this product by ancient craftsmen. Unfortunately, we could not find the frontal image of this vase. For this reason, the reader will have to mentally » Rotate the image to the front position. The remaining details of the combination are visible in the figure.

At the beginning of the article, we said that the sages of antiquity, in order to preserve their sacred knowledge about the divine Universe, arranged everything on the territory of ancient Egypt so that it was possible with the help of earthly " milestones » find by analogy secret knowledge about « heaven ". For example, in the sacred Invisible world» matrices of the Universe there were two Egypt – Upper and Lower Egypt. Likewise on earth appeared» two Egypt - Upper and Lower and Nomes of Upper and Lower Egypt . In this work, we found confirmation of our working hypothesis. In heaven - the divine Hapi, and on earth " appeared"or an analogue was chosen - the Nile River . Moreover, water flows in the Nile River, and Hapi in the "Invisible World" " flowing"from heaven as the life-giving and supporting all divine light . It is significant that " invisible world" is primary and acts as the main one in relation to " To the visible world». « Processes » going to « Invisible world» lead to a change « processes " in " visible world».

This is confirmed by Figure 4, which shows how two " image » Hapi pull together" knot» at the top of the pyramid The lower world of the matrix of the Universe. This " knot» also tightened on the middle part of the hieroglyph Sma (sma), which, in turn, is inscribed or " connects » 1st, 3rd and 5th levels « peaks» pyramids of the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe, and the feet of the two exposed legs " images » Hapi rest on the bottom of the hieroglyph Sma (sma). Therefore, in fact, it turns out that two image » Hapi« bind », « hang up " or attach the Lower world of the matrix of the Universe to the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe .

More detailed information about the matrix of the Universe can be obtained by reading the articles on the site in the section "Egyptology" - The secret knowledge of the Egyptian priests about the matrix of the Universe. Part one. Pythagoras, Tetractys and the god Ptah,

One comment: “The light of the heavenly Nile is Hapi in the matrix of the Universe”

Now I’m reading the lines “All sacred symbols, symbols of power, jewelry, clothes, furniture and even vessels for the household use of the pharaohs served the same purpose - to preserve and transmit into the future the sacred secrets of the divine Universe” and I involuntarily think: how much our human civilization has been crushed . Shards of past knowledge are scattered everywhere. Separate icebergs, however, have been preserved. Nevertheless, practically everything that is “going on” in our human culture, everything that is produced in it, is empty. How did it happen?! Where is the moment when people turned away from true knowledge?!
How wonderfully you explained the plot with Shiva, who held Alaknanda (Ganga) on his head for 100 heavenly years!!!
“Two “images” of Hapi “connect”, “suspend” or attach the Lower world of the matrix of the Universe to the Upper world of the matrix of the Universe” - so “who” is Hapi? If the matrix of the Universe is “a certain configuration of divine energies”, then it turns out that the hieroglyphic record of the “Name” of Hapi Sma actually describes the nature of the interaction of “energies-light” in the transition area between the Upper and Lower worlds of the matrix of the Universe?!

The great African river, the second longest in the world, Nile, originating in the regions of Equatorial Africa, directs its course to the Mediterranean Sea, flowing into it with two mouths. In ancient times, as the great historian of antiquity Herodotus tells about it, there were seven mouths. With its floods, the river created favorable conditions not only for the creation of settled settlements, the growth of their population and the development of agriculture, but also for the establishment of centralized power. The floods of the Nile were at times as destructive as they were favorable, and people needed some effort to curb the water element. One family was not able to perform this task, and the great river itself pointed out to the inhabitants of its banks the need to unite efforts. The Nile and the mercilessly scorching Sun are the two deities on which the life of the Egyptians depended. Alexander Moret expressed this idea figuratively and succinctly: "The Nile demanded that the Egyptians unite their efforts, and the Sun revealed to them that a single force rules the world."

The Egyptians called this water stream simply "Great River" ( itr-aa) or "river", sometimes, probably during the peak of the flood, - "Sea" (iuma), Arabs - El-Bari ("river"). The name by which the Egyptian river became known to the whole world - Neilos, Nile, first appears in Hesiod and its origin is unknown. The Egyptians themselves imagined the river as "a god in human form" and called it Hapi, a name whose meaning is also unknown. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus cites the following opinion of the Egyptian priests, who learned that the Hellenic land is irrigated with rain: "The Hellenes will someday be deceived in their firm hopes [for heavenly help] and experience a terrible famine." This opinion eloquently indicates that the Egyptians considered fertility not a gift from heaven, but from the underworld, in which the source of the living water of the Nile was hidden. And although the belief in the afterlife starry Duat, where the sources of the heavenly Nile are located, explained that "this sacred water comes to earth from the sky", the prevailing opinion was that it comes "by secret ways - from the Lower World." A. More cites an excerpt from the hymn of the Nile, referring to the Theban period: "Hail to you, Hapi, who comes to give life to Egypt; to the one who secretly comes in the dark on the day when we sing of your arrival; a wave covering the gardens created Ra, who gives life to all who are thirsty and refuses to water the desert with water pouring from the sky! In any case, all the pharaohs continued to address the Nile, and not the sky, with orders to start flooding, solemnly throwing scrolls with the royal decree into the river water.

For many millennia, the location of the sources of the Nile was a mystery to the Egyptians. Herodotus, who was interested in this issue during his stay in Egypt, wrote: "No one can say anything definite about the origins of the Nile." The Romans even came up with a saying denoting vain efforts: "Caput Nili quaerere -" Look for the origins of the Nile. It was assumed that they flow from two vessels of the zodiacal Aquarius, often depicted in ancient times in this way - with two stellar vessels, or from two caves in the region of the First Thresholds: “Hapi comes out of two caves to nourish the sacrificial bread of the gods. When it spills, the sacrifices are doubled for it, ”say the lines of the Hapi hymn of the 19th dynasty.

After passing the First Rapids, the river "enters the territory of Egypt." At the same time, the width of its channel is already more than 457 meters, reaching downstream to 804. “This giant stream of water makes its way between two endless waterless deserts stretching along the river all the way to the sea ... the black silt that the river carries , gradually captures the reddish-brown soil, dressing it in green. ... Wherever the waters of the Nile reach, the soil is covered with a layer of this humus, which forms the Black Earth kem- t...". The entire soil of the Nile valley and its delta were formed by these sediments. At the very height of summer, when the sun threatened to burn the earth, turn it into a petrified mass, a grandiose picture of the Hapi flood began to unfold, protecting it with its waters from fiery death. In the words of Diodorus: “The flood of the Nile is a phenomenon that astonishes those who see it, and seems completely incredible to those who hear about it. For, unlike other rivers that dry up to summer solstice and decreasing more and more from that moment, one Nile begins to grow, its waters rise day after day until they overflow, flooding almost all of Egypt.

The personification of the Nile was the anthropomorphic god Hapi, depicted with a female breast and a pendulous belly. Sitting naked in a secret cave entwined with a serpent, with a wreath of lotus stems on his head, Hapi, who combines the signs of an androgynous deity, held a jug in both hands, like the star Aquarius. Meanwhile, the representation of Hapi as a bisexual deity, according to Max Müller, was erroneous: “Hapi is not a hermaphrodite, as Egyptologists usually claim (he had two wives). The drooping chest is repeated in many Egyptian depictions of obese men; and the excessive fullness of Hapi symbolizes the fertility that the life-giving river brings.

One of the two spouses of Hapi was Nekhbet, who in ancient times was revered under the name "Water", which was considered "moisture, the primeval beginning of the Universe and the mother of all things." Nekhbet was a vulture goddess associated with the prehistoric capital of Upper Egypt. She was constantly represented as "flying over the king and holding a ring or other royal emblems." She wore the white crown of Upper Egypt, so she was called "the one that is white", and her cities Nekhbet and Nekhen were also called "white cities". The notion of Nekhbet as the wife of the Nile god is "a very ancient tradition". It was believed that "she stands at the entrance to the underworld", accepting the dead. The wife of the Nile was also considered Mu(u)t (or Muit), "Water Stream". Both wives of Hapi were not inferior to him in obesity, and the “ocean” Nun (lit. “Great Green”) himself, the oldest and wisest god, considered the father of the Nile and the “mysterious gods”, was depicted as an obese man, at times with a frog head (once - with cowhide), later - with two plumes crowning a human head.

Hapi was not always depicted as obese, but always as a man with a female breast, which “may indicate the remnants of matriarchy” and testify in favor of the possible existence of a female image of the river in the most ancient era. Not only the presence of a female breast can serve as an argument reinforcing such an assumption (for example, in the Sumerian tradition it was believed that the Tigris and Euphrates flowed from the nipples of Tiamat), but also the change in the color of the Nile water, due to the connection with childbirth, which could not be correlated with the male deity. A simple observation of the spill could lead to the idea of ​​the personification of the deity of the river in female image: the first arriving water was colored green, then the water changed its color to red. The ancient Egyptians, unaware that the green color was caused by the remains of plants, and the red came from the ferruginous rocks of Ethiopia, explained the change in color by the fact that the green water was the water leaving during childbirth, and it became red from the blood shed during childbirth by the goddess - mother, "who annually brought the baby Horus, who gives the renewal of life." Add to this that all the cows dedicated to Isis were drowned in the river, while the bones of bulls were brought from all over the country to an island in the Delta and buried there. Sacred bulls were mummified and also buried in tombs.

In fact, the Nile water was due to the green color of the White Nile, which slowly flowed through the swamps of equatorial Africa. And the Blue Nile, swift and fast, owing its origin to the melting of snow on the Abyssinian plateau, carried with it glandular mud, torn from rocks, which dyed the water blood red. A green wave, reaching Memphis on June 15, heralded the imminent onset of the spill, and a month later the Blue Nile sent a red wave, with the arrival of which on July 19 the spill entered into full force. During the flood period, the mass of water increased 10 times, the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the entire area around. The arrival of the Big Hapi was celebrated by a national holiday - after all, it was the sediment from the silt that made it possible to grow fabulous crops. Hymns of the Theban period glorify the Nile in this way: "Hail to you, Hapi, Coming out of this land, Coming to nourish Egypt ... When it rises, the earth rejoices, All people are in joy ...".

Used materials:

1. Herodotus. History. Book 2;
2. N.V. Mamun. Mystery Zodiac;
3. A. More. Nile and Egyptian Civilization;
4. Max Muller. Egyptian mythology;
5. A.M. Impostors. Mythology of the East.

Without the Nile River, Egypt would be a lifeless desert. The Egyptians understood this very well, therefore, with deep reverence, they treated both the river itself and the deity personifying it. The god Hapi was in charge of the Nile.

The Nile played an important role in the life of Egypt. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the view of the Egyptians, the god of the Nile performed many useful functions. First of all, he was the patron saint of the harvest. The annual flooding of the Nile, resulting in fertile silt, was considered the coming of Hapi.

The Egyptians believed that thanks to the efforts of this deity, the banks did not dry out, the fields gave generous harvests, and lush grass grew in the meadows. It was Hapi who was considered the creator of grain. He also kept the cosmos in balance.

Hapi had many honorary titles. He was called: “father of the gods”, “ruler of fish and marsh birds”, “ruler of the river”. Little is known about the origin of the name Hapi. According to one version, in ancient times this was the name of the Nile River.

Unlike many other representatives of the Egyptian pantheon, Hapi was considered a generous and kind god. It symbolized abundance, wealth, prosperity and fertility. To call a person "rich as Hapi" meant to recognize his influence, wealth and strength.

According to legend, this god arose from the primeval ocean of Nun. The wife of the god Nile was the patroness of the earth. In Upper Egypt this role was played by the goddess Nekhbet, and in Lower Egypt by the goddess Wajit.

How was God portrayed?

Usually Hapi was portrayed as a plump man with a large belly and drooping chest. These features indicated the fertility of the Nile. The head of this Egyptian deity was decorated with a water plant. The god's only garment was a loincloth. In his hands he held a vessel of water.

Hapi had several incarnations. For example, if he acted as the god of the Upper Nile, he was depicted in a headdress of lilies and lotuses. In Lower Egypt, Hapi was decorated with images of frogs and papyri. His colors were blue and green. With the named shades, the artists painted the skin of the deity, thus hinting at the colors of the river water.

During the reign of the 19th dynasty in ancient Egypt, Hapi began to draw in the form of a paired figure. Thus, the connection between Upper and Lower Egypt was emphasized. Since this symbol had political overtones, it was usually depicted on the throne of the pharaoh.

Greek artists also had their own idea of ​​Hapi. They portrayed him as a large man with a beard and curls. The deity was surrounded by 16 children. It was 16 cubits that the water level in the Nile usually rose during the flood. One of the images can be seen in the Luxor Temple. This is a beautiful relief placed on the throne of the statue of Ramesses II.

How was Hapi revered?

The gorge Gebel-Silsile, located at the first rapids of the Nile, was considered the abode of the god. Near this place is the island of Elephantine. In ancient times, it was here that the center of the Hapi cult was located.

To ensure a stable annual flood of the Nile, the priests performed special rituals. Invaluable assistance was provided to them by the "nilometer" - a measuring device that allows you to predict the level of incoming water. In ancient Egypt, religion often went along with science.

Hapi was often celebrated in hymns. His holiday was considered the day of the flood of the Nile. The pharaoh took an active part in the celebrations. During the festival, thousands of sacrifices were made in the form of vessels filled with oil, wine or milk. They were thrown into the river with the wishes of a fruitful year.

In Egyptian mythology, it is difficult to find a more positive character than Hapi. Perhaps for this reason, he is practically unknown to modern popular culture, which favors the "bad guys".

According to some researchers, there were five thousand gods in ancient Egypt. Such a huge number of them is due to the fact that each of the many local cities had their own gods. Therefore, one should not be surprised at the similarity of the functions of many of them. In our list, as far as possible, we tried not only to give a description of this or that celestial, but also to indicate the center in which he was most revered. In addition to the gods, some monsters, spirits, and magical creatures are listed. Our table gives the characters in alphabetical order. The names of some gods are designed as hyperlinks leading to detailed articles about them.

The table of gods can be used at school to prepare 5th grade students.

Top 10 Gods of Ancient Egypt

Amat- a terrible monster with the body and front legs of a lioness, the hind legs of a hippopotamus and the head of a crocodile. It lived in the fiery lake of the underground kingdom of the dead (Duat) and devoured the souls of the dead, who were recognized as unrighteous at the court of Osiris.

Apis- a black bull with special marks on the skin and forehead, which was worshiped in Memphis and throughout Egypt as a living embodiment of the gods Ptah or Osiris. The living Apis was kept in a special room - Apeion, and the deceased was solemnly buried in the necropolis of the Serapeum.

Apop (Apophis)- a huge serpent, the personification of chaos, darkness and evil. He lives in the underworld, where every day after sunset the sun god Ra descends. Apep rushes to Ra's barge to swallow it. The sun and its defenders fight nightly with Apophis. The ancient Egyptians also explained solar eclipses by the serpent's attempt to devour Ra.

Aton- the god of the solar disk (or rather, sunlight), mentioned as early as the era of the Middle Kingdom and proclaimed the main god of Egypt during the religious reform of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Unlike most other representatives of the local pantheon, he was depicted not in a "beast-human" form, but in the form of a solar circle or a ball, from which arms with palms stretch to the earth and people. The meaning of Akhenaten's reform, apparently, consisted in the transition from a concrete-figurative religion to a philosophical-abstract one. It was accompanied by severe persecution of adherents of former beliefs and was canceled shortly after the death of its initiator.

Atum- the solar god revered in Heliopolis, who created himself from the original chaotic Ocean of Nun. In the midst of this Ocean, the primordial hill of the earth also rose, from which all the dry land originated. Having resorted to masturbation, spitting out his own seed, Atum created the first divine couple - the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut, from whom the rest of the Ennead descended (see below). In archaic antiquity, Atum was the main solar god of Heliopolis, but later he was pushed into the background by Ra. Atum began to be revered only as a symbol setting sun.

Bastet- the cat goddess from the city of Bubastis. It personified love, female beauty, fertility, fun. It is very close in religious meaning to the goddess Hathor, with whom she often united.

Bes- (Demons) dwarf demons favorable to a person with an ugly face and crooked legs. Peculiar kind brownies. In ancient Egypt, figurines of Demons were widespread.

Maat- the goddess of universal truth and justice, the patroness of moral principles and firm legality. Depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. During the trial in the kingdom of the dead, the soul of the deceased was placed on one scale, and the “feather of Maat” on the other. The soul, which turned out to be heavier than a feather, was recognized as unworthy of eternal life with Osiris. She was devoured by the terrible monster Amat (see above).

Mafdet- (lit. "fast running") the goddess of harsh justice, the protector of sacred places. It was depicted with the head of a cheetah or in the form of a genet - an animal from the viverrid family.

Mertseger (Meritseger)- the goddess of the dead in Thebes. Depicted as a snake or a woman with a snake head.

Meskhenet- the goddess of childbirth, who enjoyed special honor in the city of Abydos.

Min- a god revered as the giver of life and fertility in the city of Koptos. Depicted in itiphallic form (with pronounced male sexual characteristics). The worship of Ming was widespread in the early period of Egyptian history, but then he receded into the background before his own local Theban variety - Amun.

Mnevis- a black bull who was worshiped as a god in Heliopolis. Reminds me of the Memphis Apis.

Renenutet- a goddess revered in the Faiyum as the patroness of crops. Depicted in the form of a cobra. Nepri, the god of grain, was considered her son.

Sebek- the crocodile god of the Faiyum oasis, where there was a large lake. Its functions included managing the water kingdom and ensuring earthly fertility. Sometimes he was revered as a kind, benevolent god, to whom they prayed for help in illnesses and life's difficulties; sometimes - like a formidable demon, hostile to Ra and Osiris.

Serket (Selket)- the goddess of the dead in the western part of the Nile Delta. A woman with a scorpion on her head.

Sekhmet- (lit. - "mighty"), a goddess with the head of a lioness and a solar disk on it, personifying the heat and scorching heat of the Sun. The wife of the god Ptah. Terrible avenger, exterminating creatures hostile to the gods. The heroine of the myth about the extermination of people, which the god Ra entrusted to her because of the moral corruption of mankind. Sekhmet killed people with such fury that even Ra, who decided to abandon his intention, could not stop her. Then the gods poured red beer all over the earth, which Sekhmet began to lick, mistaking it for human blood. From intoxication, she involuntarily had to stop her slaughter.

Seshat- the goddess of writing and counting, the patroness of scribes. Sister or daughter of the god Thoth. During the accession of the pharaoh, she wrote down the coming years of his reign on the leaves of the tree. Depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed star on her head. The sacred animal of Seshat was the panther, so it was represented in a leopard skin.

Sopdu- "falcon" god, revered in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. Close to Horus, identified with him.

Tatenen- a chthonic god revered in Memphis along with Ptah and sometimes identified with him. His name literally means "rising (i.e. emerging) earth."

Tawart- a goddess from the city of Oxyrhynchus, depicted as a hippopotamus. Patroness of birth, pregnant women and babies. Drive away evil spirits from dwellings.

Tefnut- the goddess, who, together with her husband, the god Shu, symbolized the space between the firmament and the firmament. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut.

Wadget- the snake goddess, considered the patroness of Lower (Northern) Egypt.

Upout- the god of the dead with the head of a jackal, revered in the city of Assiut (Lykopolis). By appearance and the meaning strongly resembled Anubis and gradually merged with him in one image.

Phoenix- a magical bird with golden and red feathers, which, according to Egyptian legend, flew to the city of Heliopolis once every 500 years to bury the body of its deceased father in the temple of the Sun. It personified the soul of the god Ra.

Hapi- the god of the Nile River, the patron of crops provided by its spill. He was depicted as a man of blue or green color (the color of the Nile water at different times of the year).

Hathor- the goddess of love, beauty, joy and dance, the patroness of childbirth and nurses, the "Heavenly cow". It personified the wild, elemental force of passion, which could take cruel forms. In such an unbridled image, she was often identified with the lioness goddess Sekhmet. Depicted with the horns of a cow, inside of which is the sun.

Hekat- Goddess of moisture and rain. Depicted in the form of a frog.

Khepri- one of the three (often recognized as three attributes of the same being) solar gods of Heliopolis. personified the sun during sunrise. Two of his "colleagues" - Atum (the sun On the Sunset) and Ra (the sun at all other hours of the day). Depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.

Hershef (Herishef) – chief god the city of Heracleopolis, where he was worshiped as the creator of the world, "whose right eye is the sun, the left is the moon, and the breath animates everything."

Khnum- a god revered in the city of Esna as a demiurge who created the world and people on a potter's wheel. Depicted with a ram's head.

Khonsu- moon god in Thebes. Son of the god Amun. Together with Amon and his mother, Mut formed the Theban triad of gods. Depicted with a crescent moon and a disk on his head.