Gods of Ancient Egypt - list and description. Sebek - Egyptian god of water

For the oldest inhabitants Our planet is characterized by the deification of the forces of nature and animals. The latter were endowed with holiness and were worshiped with offerings and sacrifices. Ancient Egypt was no exception. In this state, not only cute and harmless animals were endowed with divine characteristics, but also reptiles that had a terrifying appearance and posed a mortal danger. We are talking about crocodiles.

Historical information has long been confirmed vital role Nile in the life of the Egyptians. The existence of the river, stretching like a life-giving thread from north to south, made it possible for ancient peoples to settle along its banks; their lives depended on the floods of the Nile waters. Regular floods made the fields adjacent to the river fertile, which provided residents good harvest and guaranteed the absence of hunger. To predict the harvest, the Egyptians monitored the rise in the water level of the Nile using nilometers they constructed.

Dependence on the forces of nature caused people to worship their power and strive to earn the favor of the gods - the patrons of the Nile and its inhabitants. The largest and most unusual creatures that lived for a long time in the Nile - crocodiles - were considered its guardians and masters of the river. By their behavior, the Egyptians could determine the time of the flood.

Worship of Sobek

Egyptian civilization had a wide pantheon of gods. The god Sebek occupied an important place in this series. He was depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile, crowned with a magnificent crown. Sebek was the ruler of the nurse river, the ruler of the movement of its waters, and personified eternity.

In the territory Ancient Egypt in the Fayyum Valley there was a city called Shedit, later called Crocodilopolis by the Greeks who came there. The site, located in a fertile valley around Lake Merida, was the center of worship for Sebek. Crocodiles were considered the living embodiment of God.

Not far from Shedit, Pharaoh Amenemhet III built an entire complex dedicated to crocodiles. In addition to the traditional construction of the pyramid, the ruler ordered the construction of a sacred structure, similar to a labyrinth, for the residence of the son of Sebek, the earthly representative of God - the crocodile. The area of ​​the building has not been preserved; there are only remains of ruins. According to Herodotus, the area of ​​the labyrinth was about 70 thousand square meters. meters, it had several levels, many rooms where the crocodile chosen by the priests, the son of Sebek, could walk.

Serving the Chosen Crocodile

To achieve a decent life, priests were assigned to the crocodile, bringing food and treats. After the death of the “master of the labyrinth,” the same priests mummified the body of the deceased animal and chose the next crocodile.

If a person died from a river predator, it was considered a great success: he received the protection of God and, after embalming, was honored to be buried in a sacred grave.

To this day, the area of ​​the Fayoum Valley has not been fully explored. In the future, we will be able to find out whether the labyrinth in Crocodilopolis really existed or whether it is just a meaningful myth. The worship of the crocodile god throughout Egypt is also evidenced by the temple of Sebek in the city of Kom Ombo, not far from which a whole burial with mummies of crocodiles was found.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ancient Egypt is the civilization of the Nile; without this great African river, a large and highly developed society could not have arisen and existed in this generally barren space. Therefore, the ancient Egyptian religion had to somehow reflect the significance that the Nile had for the entire society - and this is how the deities of the Nile arose, one of which, Sebek, was perhaps the most colorful in the entire pantheon.

The Egyptians would have tried not to make a crocodile a god...

The coloring of the god Sebek for modern perception is, first of all, in his appearance - since he was depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile (images in the image of a crocodile, without humanoid elements, were rare and most often belonged to more ancient cults). Almost all experts agree that Sebek is a classic case of the transformation of more ancient totemic beliefs into an element of a highly developed complex pagan religious system. It is quite natural that in the early stages of existence human society on the banks of the Nile, in the era of the primitive communal system, the crocodile was one of the most dangerous neighbors for people. In Africa, even today, hundreds of people annually become victims of crocodiles attacks, and in ancient times the confrontation was probably even more fierce.

Ancient people tried to cope with various dangers not only by practical, but also by magical means - declaring certain predators as their relatives and patrons (totems), as well as deifying them. This is exactly what apparently happened with the crocodiles of the Nile, who in the era of Ancient Egypt turned into Sebek, the god of the Nile, “responsible” for fresh water, the ruler of all animals living in the river, the patron saint of fishermen and also having certain functions as the god of fertility.

The details of the veneration of Sebek in Egypt are unknown, but there is evidence that in every city there was a practice of keeping a sacred crocodile - that is, a specially captured animal in which, according to beliefs, the spirit of Sebek lived. Most likely, the sacred crocodiles changed every year: since in just one of the cult places of veneration of Sebek, two thousand crocodile mummies were discovered, embalmed and buried according to a special ritual. There is still no clarity on the question of Sebek’s mythological pedigree: according to one version, he was the son supreme god and the father of the gods Ra, according to another, was a representative of an older divine generation.

If Sebek is happy, everything is fine

Sebek's position among other Egyptian gods and his meaning to the Egyptians was quite ambiguous. On the one hand, he could never compete in terms of influence and significance of the cult with the supreme Egyptian gods (Ra, Horus , Osiris and others). In addition, he was not alone in his own “diocese”. The fact is that the Egyptians’ deification of the Nile gave rise to other divine characters besides Sebek. Thus, in a number of nomes (regions) of Egypt, a deity named Hapi was especially revered, who was considered solely responsible for the flood of the Nile, that is, for the event that led to the formation of a fertile strip along the river. Hapi was depicted as a humanoid creature with obvious external signs, characteristic of fertility cults: a combination of male and female traits (developed muscles and female breasts), corpulent forms and accentuated reproductive organs.

So where there was a cult of Hapi, Sebek was deprived of his functions as responsible for the flood of the Nile and thereby turned into a more uncontrollable and elemental deity, reflecting the powerful and often dangerous nature of the river. In the same place where Hapi had no special significance or was completely absent from supernatural characters, Sebek had full magical power over the Nile. At a certain stage in the history of Ancient Egypt, Sebek even became one of the popular gods - it was not for nothing that a number of pharaohs bore the throne name dedicated to the crocodile-headed god, “Sebekhotep,” which meant “Sebek is pleased.” There was also a special cult center for the veneration of Sebek - the city of Shedit, located in the fertile Fayum oasis in Middle Egypt. In Shedita there was a majestic temple complex dedicated to Sebek, it was here that the most famous and revered “living incarnations” of the crocodile gods were kept, and it was here that thousands of mummies of these sacred crocodiles were discovered.

Alexander Babitsky

Sebek is the god of the watery abyss, the personification of the Nile flood. Worshiped in the form of a crocodile. One of the oldest gods of Ancient Egypt, most often depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile. Reverse versions of his image are also known - a crocodile with a human head. In the hieroglyphic record, the image of Sebek is represented as a crocodile lying on a pedestal of honor, similar to how Anubis was depicted as a dog on a pedestal. Single option correct pronunciation no, his two names are most widespread: Sebek and Sobek.
Both fishermen and hunters who hunt in the reed thickets prayed to him. He was asked to help souls of the dead on their way to the halls of Osiris. Records have been preserved in which a certain man turns to Sebek, as an oracle, and asks him to tell him whether a certain woman will belong to him. Obviously, Sebek, according to the ancient Egyptians, had influence on many sides human life. Moreover, in one of the hymns of praise, he is awarded the title of “listening to prayers,” which was not noted for any of the other gods of Ancient Egypt.

Sebek's origins are obscure. There are two main versions (according to the number of known sources). First: Sebeka created or gave birth to Ra, like other gods of the first generation. Second: Sebek, like Ra and everyone else, gave birth to the primary ocean Nun. There is also historical evidence calling him the son of Neith, but such sources are very few. And absolutely nothing is known about whether he had a wife. Here is such a mysterious god, reminiscent in his habits of a cunning counterintelligence officer in the service of Ra, but enjoying the sympathy of mortals, as evidenced by the ubiquity of miniature amulets.

If there was an animal in Ancient Egypt worthy of entering the pantheon, it was undoubtedly the crocodile. Under the name Sebek, he quickly became a highly revered, formidable and trustworthy deity. The Egyptians believed that this reptile was one of the first to be created. Until recently, it was found in abundance in the swamps of the Delta and on the banks of the Nile.
The best known images of Sebek were found at Kom Ombo. These expressive portraits depict a furious god, sometimes becoming a victim of his own gluttony. However, Sebek was not only a formidable, but also a highly respected god of the Egyptian pantheon. Sebek can take the form of a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile. Of course, magical properties were attributed to his image.

Most often, Egyptian artists depicted him wearing a solar crown, consisting of two feathers, a solar disk resting on two horizontal horns, and two uraei guards. This unusual crown was worn by two gods: Sebek and Tatenen. Sebek could also be depicted wearing an atef crown; this attribute was considered honorable, because it belonged to Osiris himself.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the god Sebek, the ruler, occupies a special place water element, god of water, on whom the Nile flood depends. Its zoomorphic form was a crocodile. There were 2 forms of his images: with the head of a crocodile and a human body, or vice versa - with the head of a man and the body of a crocodile. On hieroglyphs he was depicted lying on an honorary pedestal. In terms of pronunciation of his name, there are also 2 options: Sobek and Sebek.

Crocodiles were considered an avatar of the god Sebek. To do this, the Egyptians caught crocodiles en masse, chose the best one, recognized him as the incarnation of a deity and decorated the reptile’s paws with bracelets and ears with earrings. For this purpose, silver and gold jewelry and jewelry were chosen. There were cases when several crocodiles were chosen at once for worship. However, most often the Egyptians expected natural death one crocodile to again choose the avatar of the god among the young reptiles. The dead crocodile was carefully mummified.

More than 2 thousand mummies of these sacred reptiles were discovered near Kiman Faris (Crocodilopolis). If we calculate mathematically, taking as a basis the lifespan of an ordinary crocodile (which was often longer than the lifespan of a human), we can assume that the tradition of choosing and worshiping Sebek crocodiles goes back about 20 thousand years. All this may indicate the high veneration of this deity in Egyptian society.

In ancient Egyptian mythology there is information about the veneration of the crocodile Petsukhos as a real embodiment of the god Sebek. The Egyptians believed that he lived in a lake that was adjacent to the main sanctuary of the deity. They drank water from this lake to gain magical protection and protection from Sebek, and also fed the crocodile Petsukhos with various delicacies.

good deity

Despite the frightening avatar of the crocodile, Sebek himself, in the minds of the Egyptians, was not evil or even cruel. This can be judged at least based on the fact that he:

• gave life;
• monitored the Nile floods;
• brought a good harvest;
• provided life for all river creatures.

Fishermen, as well as hunters who hunted in the reeds, turned to Sebek in their prayers. He was asked for assistance in transporting dead souls to the palace of the god Osiris.

There is some evidence that Sebek was even approached as a fortuneteller. And unlike other ancient Egyptian gods, he receives the title of an attentive and listening god to prayers.

Versions of origin

There is no consensus among Egyptologists and other scientists regarding the origin of Sebek. According to one version, he (like other primary gods) was born by the god Ra. According to the second version, he (like the god Ra himself) was given birth to by Geb and Nut. There is also another version that he is the son of Neith, who was revered as the great mother of other gods, the mistress of war and hunting, the water and sea elements, and the mother of the terrifying serpent Apophis. However, nothing is known about Sebek’s wife. This may indicate the secrecy and cunning of Sobek in the ideas of the ancient Egyptians.

Inventor of fishing nets

According to one surviving legend, the Egyptian god Ra once tried to find the two sons of the god Horus - Amset and Hapi. They hid from Ra in the Nile. The god Ra himself could not find these two sons of Horus, and therefore he ordered Sebek to find his own great-great-great-grandchildren. He began to sift the silt of the Nile through his fingers. So he found Amset and Hapi. And thus the idea of ​​fishing nets arose.

There are other episodes when Ra instructed Sebek to find something in the Nile. So, one day Sebek went in search of the severed hands of the god Horus, which were thrown into the Nile. The hands lived on their own and were very difficult to catch. But Sebek, after pursuing them as a fisherman, managed to fish them out and return Ra. God Ra made a second pair, which, as a relic, was kept for a long time in the city of Nekhen.

Sebek and his veneration

The popularity of Sebek among the Egyptians is evidenced not only by the mummification of crocodiles. This is evidenced by some facts:

• his name constantly appears in the most ancient Egyptian correspondence found;
• archaeologists find separate papyri dedicated to the glorification of individual objects of Sebek (for example, 12 hymns to his crown alone in one of the papyri);
• Sebek had a crown, which indicates high role in the divine hierarchy;
• statues have been preserved in which Sebek carries the mummy of Osiris on his back, and according to legend, the missing reproductive organ of Osiris was eaten by a certain crocodile (which indicates the great role of Sebek in the life of Osiris);
• The Egyptians often attributed magical and healing properties to images of Sebek;
• the people believed that the more crocodiles there were on the banks of the Nile, the better the flood and harvest would be;
• During the 2nd millennium BC, pharaohs often called themselves Sebekhotep, which literally translates as “Sebek is pleased.”

Sebek and the water element

Sebek was called the one who forces greenery to grow on water banks. The main agricultural resources were located on the banks of the Nile. And it is not surprising that he, as the lord of the waters, was worshiped and numerous sanctuaries were built. This is how the city of Crocodilopolis arose (which literally translates as the city of the crocodile). There are also many variations of the names of the god Sebek: Pneferos (beautiful-faced), Soknebtunis (lord of Tebtunis); Soknopayos (lord of the island), etc. Many water religious rites associated with the god Sebek are also known. So, in early July, ancient Egyptian priests threw wax figurines of crocodiles into the river. People believed that thanks to magic, the figurines came to life and crawled ashore in the form of living reptiles, which foreshadowed good luck and fertility.

Sobek's Gluttony

Legends about his insatiability are also associated with the god Sebek. According to one story, he single-handedly attacked an enemy horde and devoured them alive. After this, Sebek showed the bitten off heads to the other gods, threatening them too. Then the other gods offered to bring him a lot of bread to satisfy his endless hunger. According to another story, Set killed Osiris, dismembered his body, and threw the pieces into the Nile. Then Sebek wanted to profit from pieces of the body and rushed into the Nile. For this impudent behavior, the other gods cut off Sebek's tongue as punishment. For this reason, crocodiles lack a tongue.

There is also a mythological version about the hiding of the evil god Set in the body of Sebek to avoid retribution for the murder of the god Osiris.

Kom Ombo Temple

The Kom Ombo Temple is one of the most important evidence of the veneration of the god Sebek in Ancient Egypt. It is located near Aswan and is dedicated to two gods: Horus and Sebek. It is very original from an architectural point of view, because... the goal was to please two great gods at once, while preserving the typical architectural canons (sanctuary, courtyard, pylon, hall of offerings). In the temple, all parts were doubled, but the feeling of unity was preserved due to outer wall temple. There were also two parallel sanctuaries to both gods: in the north - Horus, in the south - Sebek. By the way, this is another fact confirming the importance of Sebek - the south was more important to the Egyptians than the north. Sebek was depicted on the walls of the temple, surrounded by his family.

Killing the sacred crocodile in the name of love

On special occasions, men sought to prove their love to their beloved by killing the most dangerous and powerful crocodile. This was considered a feat. But at the same time, such killing of a sacred animal was allowed only in the name of love.

Healing statues of the god Horus standing on crocodiles

The ancient Egyptians often turned to special statues for help, in which the god Horus stood on crocodiles and held snakes in his hands. The Egyptians believed that spells carved on stone could provide a person with magical power against the bites of snakes and scorpions. For such protection, you just need to pour water on this statue, then collect this water and drink it. It was believed that Magic force from the text moves to water through stone. For this reason, the Egyptians everywhere made miniature stone amulets to provide themselves with magical protection.

The temple at Kom Ombo was built under the Ptolemies from 180 to 47 AD. BC, however, it may have more ancient roots. The temple is located on the right bank of the Nile, 40 kilometers north of Aswan. It is usually visited by tourists who necessarily stop here when traveling along the Nile by boat.

Sebek - a god depicted with the head of a crocodile, is considered a creator god and protector from evil forces. His wife (according to one version) is considered to be Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, and his son is Khonsu, the god of the moon and wisdom. True, Hathor is also considered the wife of Horus. The main place of worship of Sebek is considered to be Lake Fayum in northern Egypt, where the city of Crocodipolis (Shedit) was located, but practically nothing remains of it except several thousand mummies of crocodiles. Therefore, the Temple of Sebek, and even in Upper Egypt, is the only one, and therefore unique.

However, the uniqueness of the Kom Ombo temple does not end there; it is a double temple, Right side which is dedicated to the god Horus, that is, the god of the sun and sky, one of the main gods in the Egyptian pantheon. As in the case of Sebek, a place in the temple was found for both his wife and his son. According to some myths, Horus and Sebek are brothers, which explains the filling of the temple.

After the construction of the temple, almost nothing is known about it; after the spread of Christianity in Egypt, it was used by Copts for some time, but then it was completely abandoned. Since the temple was located close to the Nile, the river during floods destroyed the temple gates and part of the facade. And in 1893, it was accidentally discovered by a French archaeologist; the temple was covered with sand up to the roof.

On the other side of the temple there is still a decent sized dune

On the right are the remains of the gate

In the foreground is all that remains of the pylon

Just in case, I give you a drawing of the temple plan

From the courtyard with columns along the perimeter, only the bases of the columns remain

The entrance to the temple, as you can see, is double - on the left for Sebek, on the right for Horus

As can be seen from the plan and from the first photos of the temple’s facade, the temple is quite badly damaged, for Egypt this is quite poorly preserved, although the central halls, having lost their roof, are still more or less preserved. But what has definitely been preserved well are the drawings and images on the walls, some of which were carved as if yesterday.

Entrance to part of the Temple of Sebek

Angle of Horus

Sebek

Most of the inscriptions on the walls talk about the gods, and in some parts there is a list of what was donated to the sanctuary

Corridor on the right

Hypostyle Hall

To the left of the image of the goddess Sekhmet there is a calendar, only a small piece got into the frame, otherwise there is a whole wall there

Calendar

On some parts of the frame, mainly ceiling beams, traces of the original color painting remain

Vestibule in front of the altar

View from the end of the temple

At the end of the temple there were, as I understand it, two altar stones. Only one has survived to this day. It is located in part of Sebek

At the very end of the temple there is a row small rooms, closed with iron bars, but you can look into it

As befits Egyptian temples, they were enclosed by a wall along the outer perimeter; here the reliefs on the walls of the temple are well preserved

Passage to the left of the temple

Passage behind the temple

Star. The vaults of the tombs in the pyramids were decorated with similar ones 2.5 thousand years before the construction of this temple

Passage to the right of the temple

To the left of the main rear temple and behind the temple, some kind of excavations are actively underway, but if you can’t go behind the temple on the hill, then you can on the site on the left. There is a small temple of Sebek (ruins), as well as two nilometers.

Nilometers played an important function in the life of the ancient Egyptians, firstly, a deep hole clearly showed the water level in the river, and secondly, based on this, taxes were levied - drought - less, flood - more.

It seems there was another nilometer at the entrance to the complex

The purpose of these structures (steps) and the small house behind it is unknown, some believe that it is a source of water, others believe that sacred animals, that is, crocodiles, lived here.

Temple, left view

To the right of the temple, near the small temple of Hathor, the head of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and a headless statue were found

Mini Temple of Hathor

View of the temple on the right

Among the interesting drawings in the temple, one can note the image surgical instruments, but unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to them

But my collection of interesting images includes this animal - a mixture of a bee, a cat and a goat

The photo shows that there are several police officers and caretakers on duty at the temple. But this is a rare case when they did not try to sell us their guide services.

Like all other sites in Egypt, the temple is open until sunset. Ticket price is 80 Egyptian pounds, for students 40 pounds. The ticket price also includes the Sobek Museum, this is a small hall where mummy crocodiles and a number of ritual paraphernalia are exhibited. The cost of filming here is £50, but no one pays much attention.

In the New Kingdom, the residence of totem animals at temples was a frequent tradition. In the case of crocodiles, they lived at the temples all their lives, were cared for and well fed, and when they died, they were mummified and buried. Crocodiles from this museum were found in the Temple of Hathor at the main temple, as well as in the El-Shatb necropolis nearby

Bronze figurine of Sebek

Devices for mummification of crocodiles

Mummies of crocodiles

Mummies of crocodiles - layout

Crocodile eggs

On the embankment, ships with tourists are waiting for crowds of merchants. One of them was actively trying to trick me into buying something. He offered a T-shirt for 5 pounds (30 cents), an excellent price, thought about buying something, said what size he needed and left to see the temple. At the exit, the seller was waiting for me, only now he wanted 200 pounds ($12) for the T-shirt. And about the 5 pounds, he admitted that it was like British pounds. This is such a scam for simpletons in the hope that, like, I will appreciate his efforts and buy it anyway. As a result, the last price he offered me was, in my opinion, 80 pounds - 5 dollars. You can buy it if you need it, but I didn't need it.

Cruise ship moored offshore

Embankment in front of the temple

If you are staying in Aswan, I recommend a small Nubian-style hotel for accommodation.