Thoth was the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, magic, medicine and the moon. He was seen as the creator of languages and the inventor of writing, as well as the representative of the sun god Ra.
The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphs, a very important part of their history and culture.
Appearance of Thoth the god of wisdom
Generally, the god of wisdom is represented as a man with the head of an ibis. He is also represented as a baboon or an ibis, his sacred animals.
He is known as the counter of time and the seasons, the author of every work in this branch of knowledge, the one of divine words and the one who is like the Ibis.
Worship of Thoth
Thoth was worshiped since the predynastic period, beginning in Lower Egypt. His worship continued during the last dynasty of ancient Egypt.
The main center of worship of the god of wisdom was in Hermopolis, but he was worshiped throughout Egypt. His priests were highly educated scribes and he was closely associated with the ruling class.
Both noble and common ancient Egyptians wore amulets intended to provide protection and wisdom to Thoth.
Mummified ibises and baboons, the sacred animals of Thoth, were sold at festivals and used as offerings. Burial sites of thousands of these mummified animals have been found in Egypt.
Thoth was the patron god of scribes. It was said that scribes would spill a drop of ink to honor the god of wisdom before beginning their work.
Mythology of the god of Wisdom
There are several versions of how Thoth was created. According to one story, he was «born from the lips of Ra» at the beginning of time and was a motherless god.
In another story, Thoth simply appeared as an ibis at the beginning of time. He laid the egg from which all creation was born.
A third story explains that Thoth was born from the forehead of Set. In all versions, the god of wisdom is a scribe who offers advice to the gods. He is wise and just.
Thoth also helped protect the goddess Isis during her pregnancy. When Set destroyed the eye of his son Horus, Thoth used his magical powers to repair it.
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The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth created knowledge related to law, medicine, writing, science, philosophy, religion, and more.
Thoth was also the scribe of the underworld. In the underworld, the hearts of the ancient Egyptians were weighed against the pen of truth. If the heart were lighter, the person could go to paradise.
The mansion of the god of wisdom in the underworld was a place where souls could go to rest and even receive magical spells to help them reach paradise.
The ancient Egyptians also believed that Thoth had written magical books filled with all his wisdom of life and the afterlife. These hidden books would give great power to anyone who found them but the seeker would also be cursed.
Other interesting facts about Thoth
- Thoth was the scribe, interpreter and messenger of the gods. The Greeks associated Thoth with Hermes, their messenger god. They called him Hermes Trismesgistos (Thoth, the thrice great).
- People who feared they would not be able to pass the judgment safely in the afterlife were encouraged to ask Thoth for help.
- Thoth was so trusted by the other gods and Ra that he was chosen to find Ra's daughter and bring her back when she sometimes escaped to distant lands.
- Thoth also had a seat of honor in the boat that crossed the skies each day. He helped drive away the serpent Apophis who tried to defeat the sun god.
- Thoth was considered the inventor of the 365-day calendar and was thought to measure and record time.
- He had two sons: Hornub and Neferhor.