#horus of shedet

[maverick-werewolf]

Mythology Fact #1 - Sobek, Egyptian Crocodile God

NEW SERIES! Mythology Facts will explore many elements of world mythologies, but with a particular focus on Greek, Egyptian, and Norse, especially at the start.

Easily the winner of the first poll about this new series as held on my Patreon is Sobek, the ancient Egyptian crocodile-headed god!

Head of a limestone statue of Sobek, as previously on display at the Met as part of a special collection; Met info on the statue head here

In ancient Egypt, like many ancient cultures, the most fearsome of beasts were highly regarded for their awe-inspiring endurance, power, and ferocity - a concept often little-understood today, as animals are now often seen as obstacles to be conquered or put out of the way, hence why it can occasionally be difficult to detail to the modern mind the relationship between men and wolves throughout history (but I'm not on that right now, so I'll stop). The people of ancient Egypt held great reverence for many animals, not least among them being the obviously very dangerous crocodile.

An integral part of life in ancient Egypt was the rise and fall of the Nile. Sobek was a centerpiece of the Nile life - crocodiles were abundant, a testament to their fertility and virility, and they were fearsome, strong, and enduring. Sobek's nature is intensely complex and his "domains," as we so often think of deities as having, were extensive, including but not limited to fertility, virility, illness, health, strength, pharonic power, military might, protection (especially protection from, essentially, bad luck), and the dangers and wonders of the Nile. By nature, he was considered animalistic, unpredictable, strong, protective but dangerous, and highly sexual, aspects frequently associated with the most powerful predators in a given region (notice all those things are also associated with wolves). Sobek was depicted variably as a crocodile and a crocodile-headed man, and holy crocodiles were kept in his name.

Given his association with the Nile and so many other things, Sobek was and mostly remained a very important figure, especially with his later fusion with/association with both Horus and Ra, two extremely important deities...

This is quite the lengthy post! More under the cut.

Among many other things, Sobek was said to have power of the fertility of the Nile's soil, as well as its waters, and thus also had great power over disease, as the Nile could also cause illnesses. Like so many ancient Egyptian deities, Sobek also had an association with the dead, being called upon to bring them sight and return their senses in the afterlife, as well as to assist in protecting them (along with many other deities, including but certainly not limited to Isis, Nephthys, and Anubis).

Sobek's strong association with fertility is found in his many epithets and even the name we use for him most - "Sobek" is thought to perhaps even come from a causative of "to impregnate" (though some scholars contend it instead means "to unite," especially in relation to the pieces of Osiris). Perhaps the first instance we have of Sobek in a text comes from the Pyramid Texts, in which a spell refers to Unis (the pharaoh) as a living incarnation of Sobek - the pharaohs were very often living incarnations of assorted deities at various times - and says that Unis "will copulate" very specifically and that he is the lord of something that would probably get this post censored, "who takes women from their husbands to the place Unis likes according to his heart's fancy."

Mummified crocodiles found in the Temple of Kom Ombo; we have found mummified crocodiles of all ages, even including fertilized eggs

Now let's talk about a thing called the petsuchos. Mummified crocodiles served as images of Sobek in various forms, one of which being Petsuchos, meaning "son of Sobek." It is thought one crocodile in particular took on the aspect of the petsuchos and was kept in Shedet, replaced by a new petsuchos whenever the previous died. Following the death of a holy crocodile, a great ritual took place to mummify the creature and then put it on display, as it remained ever sacred. Living crocodiles were sometimes kept in other temples and holy places, even including outdoor pools. They were adorned with gems and fed delicacies; some were even considered attractions, as feeding the holy crocodile brought good luck, given Sobek's apotropaic nature. There was even a divine crocodile breeding center established by Amenhotep III (who pushed the Sobek cult quite energetically).

There are many depictions of Sobek found throughout what we have of ancient Egypt, including many of its time periods. He is perhaps one of the oldest gods of ancient Egypt, having appeared as early as during the reign of King Narmer in the first dynasty. His importance during the Old Kingdom, as well, can be found in the Pyramid Texts. The entire region of Fayum was a cult center of Sobek, so great was his importance, the seat of which was - of course - the capital, Crocodilopolis or Shedet.

Also very worthy of note is Sobek-Ra, a combination of the gods Sobek and Ra, that appeared in very late-age Egypt in the New Kingdom (1150-1069 BC), and even continued into the Ptolemaic Period (around 332 BC to 390 AD). Sobek-Ra (or Sobek-Re if you want to go that way) may have first appeared during the reign of the first king of the Middle Kingdom, Montuhotep II, as addressed in the Coffin Texts used during the Middle Kingdom (in which Sobek is addressed as "he who rises in the east and sets in the west"). As a combination, depictions thereof often had the head of a falcon but the body of a crocodile, often wearing the solar disc and uraeus (cobra).

He combined aspects of both deities, which is also perhaps thanks to Sobek's association also with Horus. When Horus took on the aspect of a crocodile during his retrieval of Osiris's bodyparts, Sobek became associated with him, even considered an aspect of Horus. Likewise, however, Sobek also was said to have assisted Isis during Horus's birth. Such deity fusions, aspects, and deities becoming an aspect and/or appearing in various myths in nebulous forms were not uncommon in ancient Egypt, and Sobek was also combined with Horus at assorted other points. All of this continues to point to the association between Sobek and kings (pharaohs), especially when you reach the point of learning about Sobek of Shedet-Ra-Horus, but I won't go into all that here due to time constraints.

So, obviously, there's so much more to say that it's, frankly, crazy and almost overwhelming. The study of ancient Egypt is a complex undertaking, hence why we have an entire field called Egyptology. So, consider this very much a simplified overview. Hope you enjoyed the post!

And stay tuned for news and updates on a major [werewolf/fantasy/adventure/horror/epic] book release later this year! Likewise, if you enjoy mythology in general and Egyptian myth, be sure to check out my other works of fiction, including this one here--also available on Amazon.com and many other retailers. Sequel coming next year.

If you like my blog, be sure to follow me here and elsewhere for much more folklore and fiction, including books, especially on werewolves! You can also sign up for my free newsletter for monthly werewolf/vampire/folklore facts, a free story, book previews, and my other sundry projects and works.

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[egypt-museum]

Temple lintel of King Amenemhat III

Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1860-1814 BC. From Temple of Amenemhat III, Hawara, Faiyum. Now in the British Museum. EA1072

A rectangular limestone raised relief from a temple door lintel. The text is arranged symmetrically, with the central cartouche placed over the axis of the doorway. The text cannot be deciphered into a single sentence, since the elements are arranged according to heraldic rather than linguistic principles.

In the centre, the right-facing cartouche of Amenemhat III rests on the sign for gold; this is flanked by the name of the god ‘Horus who is in Shedet’, which is written similarly to the Horus name of the king, with a falcon (‘Horus’) perched on a enclosure including a sacred building associated with Shedet.

Read more

[ofspeckledplumage]

Sobek-Horus as a Syncrotization

“The passage of the ‘Coffin Texts’ mentioning Horus of Shedet and Senusret I’s statue from Medinet el-Fayyum with the name of Horus of Kom Ombo can also be interpreted as a prelude to the unprecedented event of the union of the two deities in a single one, Sobek-Horus of Shedet.”  (Zecchi, Sobek of Shedet).

[ayearinfaith]

𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰𝟳: 𝗦𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗸

Sobek is the crocodile god of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. He was one of the more prominent deities of Egypt despite falling outside of the pharaonic legends of Osiris, Horus, and Ra.

𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗲

Sobek is almost always credited simply as “the crocodile god”, and rarely the “god of crocodiles” or even the god of anything else. This is not because Sobek lacked dominion, but because it is difficult to understand his dominion without the simple knowledge that he is, first and foremost, a crocodile. Like a crocodile he is powerful, aggressive, and dangerous. For this reason he was the patron deity of the Egyptian military. Crocodiles are also rare amongst reptiles for protecting and nurturing their young after hatching. Thus, though fearsome, Sobek was a protector of the innocent which built into his military association and prompted his symbolism as wards against curses. Crocodiles live in the Nile, the great river that made agriculture possible. In this he was a creator god and a fertility god, especially associated with male virility; the name “Sobek” is believe to be derived from a root meaning “to impregnate”.

𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

Worship of Sobek lasted for an impressive 3000+ years, dating roughly from 2700 BCE to 350 CE. For the first 900 or so years he was a relatively minor deity, or more accurately a loose collection of different crocodile worshiping traditions. His cult came to major power around the reign of the 19th century BCE pharaoh Amenemhat III whose interest in Sobek was likely politically motivated. The center of Sobek’s cult was in what is now Faiyum, called Shedet by the Ancient Egyptians and Crocodilopolis by the Greeks and Romans. Faiyum is located between the socio-geographical regions of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, and control over it proved important for internal and external Egyptian unity and security. As part of his rise to major deity status Sobek became fused with the falcon god of the sun and kingship Horus, and then later with Ra. Sobek’s major temples maintained populations of crocodiles who would be mummified upon their deaths.

Image Credit: Head of a Statue of the God Sobek, 19th century BCE, from the mortuary temple of Amenemhat III, currently on display in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England

[evilpixiea]

So, I answered this ask earlier today and, well, a couple of beers later I decided I’m inspired enough to write a little something something for it. Be warned, this won’t be my best writing. But, by the gods, I’ll enjoy writing it.

“What are you doing here, brother?”

“Brother?” Dick shifted on his bed. “What an odd thing to say. Am I your brother, Anubis?”

Jason hated that name. “You’re something close,” he said and knelt by his basin of water to wash the blood off his hands.

It had been a hard day. None of the deaths he had seen to had been just. None of their burial's clean. None of them had an easy or obvious path into the next life.

But that was the way things were. Messy, uncertain, ugly.

It was a lesson he’d learnt long ago.

“Hm.” Dick watched him. He was in his favourite human form. A young male. Gorgeous and dressed in the blue and yellows of a middle class entertainer. His chest was bare, hair braided, and eyes framed with thick elaborate lines of kohl, pronounced even against the black of his skin. “Well, in that case, brother, the humans are celebrating the yield of shemu. There is music, dance, and enough snakes and rats to hunt even your jackal would be sated for the night.”

Jason didn’t tell him the jackal inside him would never be sated.

“Come with me,” Dick begged. “The family will be there. Even Horus.”

Jason snorted and dried his hands on the cloth wrapped around his waist. “Horus has been gracing this part of the kingdom a lot lately.”

“Yes.” Dick’s eyes sparkled. “I wonder why.” 

Sobek. Bruce. The old crocodile still had some life left in him it seemed. Enough to dazzle the son of the sun.

“Why do you want me to go? Sobek wound’t be happy to see me.”

“Yes he would,” Dick stood and walked towards him, every movement smooth. The gait of a cat. Perfect and slow. “He loves you, Jason.” His chosen name. His real name. “We all do. I know you don’t believe that but it’s true.”

Jason stood and turned to look at the other god.

Or goddess. Dick had been spending most of his time as female these last few decades and the humans had begun to worship him as such. It didn’t matter. They were creatures that existed beyond sex and gender. Still, the presence of Dick in his male form made Jason wonder.

He shifted. Let his half human, half jackal body fall away to be replaced by something simpler. A woman, lithe and muscly, her hair streaked with a single white lock.

Dick purred his appreciation and let his eyes track with unabashed lust over Jason’s new form. But instead of reaching out and taking him he cocked his head to the side.

“Why don’t you ever want to be with me in your true form?”

Jason thought of his true form. Unnatural, half monster, reeking of blood. “Why do you want my true form?”

“Because I want you,” Dick breathed. He leant forward and Jason felt himself leaning forward to meet him... but instead of a kiss he felt the rake of claws down his cheek.

He jerked back and frowned as he saw Dick, now a sleek black cat, flicking his tail in delight at having caught him unprepared. Before Jason realised what he was doing he’d shifted into a jackal and snapped at the troublesome feline. The cat fled. He chased.

And he knew. He knew Dick was leading him straight to the Shemu harvest festival. He knew Bruce would be there along with the rest of the family, and they would look at him in disgust for smelling of blood and death and hunger. But that was okay. Because Dick would be there too. Beautiful strange Dick who didn’t seem to have any purpose but being beautiful and lucky in life.

They bolted through the main marketplace of Shedet, knocking over pots and starling people. But to them they just looked like a dog chasing a cat. Nothing of note.

No one would know they were seeing the god of death and the god of luck and life playing one of their many games. Because no matter how many reasons why he shouldn’t want Dick, he could never quite say no to him.

[be1961]

Have you visited...the great Egypt..we deliver its beauty to you.Do you ...its history Sobek enjoyed a long-term presence in the family of Egyptian gods. From the ancient state (2686-2181 BC) through the Roman period (30 BC - 350 BC) he remained a deity with various attributes. It is known for the first time from several chapters of the famous Pyramids texts in the Old Kingdom, especially from chapter 317. Which describes the king praising him as a living embodiment of this crocodile god, including:Unas is a green-feathered sobek, with a warning face and a raised forehead, the rush that came from the thigh and tail of the great goddess in the sunshine... Unas has appeared Kasbak, son of Nate, and will eat Unas with his mouth, Unas will urinate and Unas will sleep with his penis, Unas He is the master of semen, who takes women from their husbands to the place of Unas as he loves according to the whims of his heart.Scholars debate the origin of his name, but many believe that it derives from the causal verb "to fertilize", from intercourse.And as Sobek was worshiped in the Old Kingdom, it also gained a prominent position in the Middle Kingdom (2050-1650 BC), especially during the reign of the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty, specifically Amenemhat III, who paid special attention to the Faiyum region, an area associated with closely related to yours. Amenemhat and many other kings of the dynasty built many projects to strengthen Sobek's authority as a deity, most of which were built in Fayoum. During this period, Sobek also underwent an important change: he was often united with the god Horus. This brought Sobek closer to the kings of Egypt, which gave him a more important position among the Egyptian deities. This union added another level of complexity to the nature of this deity, as Sobek was adopted into the trinity of Horus and his parents: Osiris and Isis.Sobek first acquired his role as a sun deity through his relationship with Horus, but this was reinforced in later periods with the advent of Sobek-Ra, a combination of Sobek and the chief sun deity Ra. Sobek Hor continued as a figure in the modern state (1550-1069 BC), but Sobekre did not come to the fore until the late Egyptian dynasties or in the late period. This understanding of God continued after the fall of the last Egyptian dynasties in the eras of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt (332 BC - 390 AH). The prestige of both Sobek and Sobekre was increasing in this time period and great importance was attached to him - both through the expansion of his temples and through religious research to bring this deity to the height of his power in the faith itself.worship him The entire area of ​​Faiyum - the "Land of the Lake" as it was known in ancient Egypt (referring specifically to Lake Qarun) - served as the center of Sobek's cult. Most of the Fayyum cities developed their own local versions of this deity, such as Sobek Neptunes in Umm al-Braijat, Sobku Nokuni in Kom al-Atl, and Soxe at an unknown location in the region. At Kom Osim, two forms of the deity were worshiped: Yneferus and Petsuchus. There, mummified crocodiles were used as sacred objects by Petsuchus.Sobek Shedite, patron of the central capital at Faiyum, Crocodilopolis (or Shedet as it was called in ancient Egyptian), was the most prominent form of the deity. Extensive structures were made in honor of Sobek at Shedet, and it was the capital of the entire Arsinoite (Fayum Province in Greco-Roman times) and thus the most important city in the region. It is believed that efforts to expand the main temple of Sobek were initially prompted by Ptolemy II. Specialized priests in the main temple at Shedet were only employed to serve Sobek, and held titles such as "Priest of the Crocodile Gods" and "He Who Buryes the Corpses of Crocodile Gods in the Land of the Lake".Outside of Faiyum, Kom Ombo, in southern Egypt, was the largest center of Sobek worship, especially during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Kom Ombo is located about 30 miles (48 km) north of Aswan, and a large temple was built there during the Greco-Roman period (332 BC - 395 AH). The temple at this site was called "Bar Sobek", meaning "the House of Sobek".Attributes and surrounding mythology....

[evilpixiea]

I wanted to write more of my Egyptian God AU... sorry.

Previous

The festival of Shemu was a colourful affair. People danced around massive fires wearing animal masks made of hide, reed, and glittering stones. Wine, meat, and bread was free, passed around in vast quantities while entertainers delighted the crowds with acrobatics and fire breathing. Children shrieked with laughter, adults did too, and there, among it all a man was planning to commit murder.

Bruce watched him. Waited.

He wasn’t poor. He wasn’t desperate. If he was he would be taking the food. No. This was revenge. A woman, the sandal maker’s daughter, had rejected his marriage proposal.

Bruce had watched it all. Watched the blackness pool in the man’s heart almost all harvest. Now thee woman was drunk and walking into a dark alleyway. Alone.

The man followed her.

And Bruce followed the man in the guise of a shadow.

It didn’t take long.

When they were out of sight the man gripped his blade, stepped forward... and hesitated. Bruce sensed his uncertainty. Felt it lighten his heart for a moment. A chance.

But the man didn’t take that chance. He steeled himself and stepped forward, grabbed the woman by her arm and spun her around.

“What are...” the woman’s eyes went wide as she saw him, saw the blade in his hand. “No!”

The man struck. But instead of sinking his knife into the soft flesh of a woman it dug into thick scaly hide.

The man blinked and then stared at Bruce, now between him and his intended victim, in the form of a crocodile, far larger than any creature that ever swam the Nile.

"Wh-wh...”

Bruce attacked. His tail pushed the woman to the side, his teeth sunk into the man’s arm. He threw him, slammed him against a wall, snarled...

And felt the man’s heart lighten with terror. He fled. His knife forgotten on the dusty stone.

The woman had already fled in the opposite direction. She may or may not remember what happened. She may believe she dreamt it when she woke up the next morning. But the man would remember. He would remember for the rest of his life.

“Working on a night like this?”

Bruce looked up. Clark. Horus. He sat on the edge of a roof in his godly form, half man half Falcon, his feathers glittering gold like the sun, looking as out of place as possible in among the dirt and crime of Bruce’s city. His face was human, dark skin flecked with gold, and eyes shining impossibly bright.

“What are you doing here?” Bruce asked.

“I came for the festival.”

“Shouldn’t you be at your capital’s festival, O pharaoh?”

Clark snorted. “Stuffy priests, grinning sycophants... I would rather be here in Shedet.”

“Why? What does our festival have that yours doesn’t?”

“You.” He said the word easily, as if he didn’t know how it made Bruce’s own heart lighten and beat as fast as a captured gazelle's.

“Hm...” he sunk back in his shadow form and headed back towards the noise and music.

Clark floated down beside him though, the sheer brilliance of his glowing feathers forcing Bruce to shift into his own god form. Sobek. Lord of Crocodiles. Protector of the city.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Clark answered lightly and interlocked their arms. “What are you afraid of? Everyone is in costume. They’ll think we are too.”

Bruce snapped his jaws. “Unlikely. You’re too splendid to be anything of this world.”

Clark laughed but dulled his feathers until he could maybe be mistaken for a human in a costume.. if he wasn’t still wearing his golden cape. Still, no one dropped to their knees when Horus and Sobek stepped arm and arm into the party.

Only a priest, head shaved and eyelids painted blue, seemed to notice. He stared as he watched the king of the sky and the ruler of the city step among the simple revelries, take a pot of wine, and move in close together.

Their bodies were warm where they touched. Clark’s touch electric, buzzing with power.

“Pharaoh,” Bruce muttered, unsure what he meant by it. Perhaps he was telling Clark to stop. Perhaps he was trying to warn him. Or perhaps he was trying to remind Horus - Clark - that he was something far more powerful and beautiful than Bruce could ever be. That this wasn’t the sort of match that could ever work. Clark didn’t listen though.

He never did.

“Bruce,” he said and then he kissed him. His lips, as always, were like the sun. Warm, fierce, and all consuming.

Bruce sunk into it... until a loud crash startled him. He pulled back in time to see a cat prance gleefully through the people followed by mangy jackal. They knocked over a stand of sweet breads, sent an entertainer flying, and finally ended up in a heap in the corner, the jackal holding the cat victoriously by the tail.

The cat for it’s part looked strangely pleased to have been caught by the predator. It rubbed itself against the dog in a very un-cat like way.

“Your boys are at it again.” Clark commented.

Bruce sighed.

[per-adu]

Lord of Ahet, rejoicing in His sceptre, Chief in Ta-sety. Hail to You in Ramuha, in the flood from which You came, Begetter of the ram in the midst of the pool, Lord of Thebes, Great in Semenu, the One Who rests in Cynopolis, Beautiful of coming in Anty, great of appearances in Rawakh, the son of Neith in Abydos, …in Iunesha, acclaimed with praise. (Incense on the flame!) High be your soul, who presents the God with what He loves! Raise yourself and fight for your body, so that the God shall exist! Rutting bull, savage lion, great of strength, beautiful of shape, Ruler of the foreign countries, Lord of incense in the midst of rituals, High of heart, Star which is in the fields, King Amenemhat has given this Your beautiful face, with which You look at Your mother Neith, and with which You are gracious to the Gods. (Incense on the flame!) This is for Sobek the Shedtite, Horus Who is in Shedet, Lord of myrrh

Ramesseum Paprys 6