Even at the dawn of the birth of human history, one of the most ancient religions of the world was formed. According to Egyptian mythology, which existed for a much longer period than Christianity, birds or animals, with which many legends were associated, played the role of a deity.
For many centuries, the pantheon of Egyptian gods was constantly changing, someone was forgotten, and other figures came to the fore. Modern scholars are interested in the oldest religion that governs many aspects of people's lives.
Holy river
In ancient Egypt, the Nile River was always revered as sacred, because it allowed society to form. On its shores, tombs and temples were built, and in the waters that fed the fields, powerful priests performed mysterious rituals. Ordinary inhabitants idolized the river and were afraid of its destructive power, therefore it is not surprising that the god Sebek played a special role in Ancient Egypt.
Crocodile god
The patron saint of the inhabitants of the Nile and the protector of the fishermen had an unusual appearance: at first he was depicted as a crocodile, and later humanized. According to researchers, the mythical image in religion came from ancient beliefs and took a dominant place in the divine pantheon.
The dangerous crocodile, which personified the natural forces, has always been a threat to human life, and the population tried to do everything possible to agree with him. There is a known fact of the deification of predators in northeast Africa, when tribes declared toothy animals as their relatives. So there was the Egyptian god Sebek, whose spirit dwelt in the Nile crocodiles.
Alligator Special Honor
In many cities of the most ancient world civilization, they kept a sacred animal, previously caught in the river. The predator was especially revered in some areas of Ancient Egypt, for example, in the Fayyum oasis, where temples were built in honor of God and the sacred lakes where crocodiles lived were dug. Reptiles were decorated with jewelry, gold and silver, and their natural death was not a problem for residents: they made a mummy from a predator and buried them in sarcophagi, as did people. There were even special priests who placed the alligator’s body on a stretcher and embalmed it.
After the death of one sacred crocodile, there was a new one personifying the spirit of God, however, no one knows by what criteria the reptile that people prayed for was selected.
Scientists were surprised by an unusual archaeological find near one settlement: more than two thousand mummies of crocodiles were found in the necropolis, embalmed, wrapped in papyrus and buried with special honors.
Holiness of the crocodile and its victims
The beliefs of the Egyptians, who believed that the holiness of the crocodile extends to its victims, are also interesting. Herodotus also wrote about how the corpses of victims of ferocious animals were embalmed, richly dressed and buried in tombs. Nobody had the right to touch the dead, except for the priests who buried the dead. The body of a man killed by a crocodile became sacred.
No human sacrifice evidence
In I. Efremov’s novel “Thais of Athens” there is a description of how the main character, who was sacrificed, awaits the attack of a crocodile with fear. True, many researchers consider this a literary fiction, because the predators were fed with bread, animal meat and wine, and not human, and no evidence of bloody sacrifices was found.
The Egyptians, who wanted to be protected by the god Sebek, drank from the lake where the alligator lived, and fed him various delicacies.
Mysterious pedigree
As you know, in the mythology of ancient Egypt, you can trace the genealogy of each deity, but it is extremely difficult to do this with Sebek. The history of its origin is very mysterious, and there are several options that researchers do not stop arguing about.
Many scholars are inclined to believe that the god Sebek was a generation of the most ancient deities: the patron of river animals was born of the primary ocean (Nun). However, there are theories that he was a descendant of the patron saint of all the pharaohs - Ra, with whom Sebek could not compete in terms of his degree of influence.
Sun worshipers and crocodile worshipers
The huge reptile caused not only sacred fear, but also strong disgust, and it is reliably known that not all Egyptians became crocodile worshipers. An interesting situation existed in the country when God-fearing people, due to their negative attitude towards the alligator, could not worship a deity with the face of a predator.
Differences in views created a unique situation in which the Egyptians were divided into two groups: for some, the god Sebek was the main one, while others sacredly revered the embodiment of the sun - the creator of the world of Ra. Pharaoh of the XII dynasty even erected a huge temple in Fayyum, which was dedicated to the patron of fishing. Animal mummies were also found there. And found letters, beginning with the words: “May Sebek protect you,” spoke of the deity’s popularity. The God of Egypt defended the people who revered him, and gave the necessary abundance to the landowners.
But the inhabitants of the ancient city of Dendera on the west bank of the Nile hated alligators, exterminated them and were at odds with those who worshiped a predator.
Cult of god
The heyday of the cult of God came at a time when the XII dynasty of the Pharaohs ruled, and the kings emphasized the veneration of Sebek by adding his name to his (Sebekhotep, Nefrussebek). Gradually, the patron of the water element was considered the embodiment of Amun-Ra. As scientists explain, sun worshipers defeated those who deified reptiles.
The god Sebek, who took the guise of a crocodile, always helped ordinary Egyptians. His head was crowned with a sparkling crown like the sun, which indicated the high position of the fisherman’s protector. In the found papyrus she was praised and considered the main weapon against all enemies.
The Many-Faced Sebek - God of Water
It is curious that in various myths the deity was considered good and at the same time dangerous. In the legend of Osiris - the king of the underworld - it is the crocodile who brings out the body of his son Geb. The Egyptian god Sebek helped Ra fight the darkness and did it successfully. According to other legends, he was in the retinue of the evil Set-destroyer, sowing death and chaos. The myth of the giant crocodile, which entered into battle with the almighty Ra, is known.
Often the god Sebek, whose photo of the sculptures surprise with an unusual appearance, was identified with Ming, who was responsible for a good harvest. It was believed that the spilled Nile “fertilizes” the earth, and it was during this period that small crocodiles hatched from laid eggs. This circumstance connected the ancient Egyptians ' ideas about a good harvest with an alligator.
Sebek was also a real inventor who gave people a fishing net. In addition, residents believed that God helps the souls of the dead to get to Osiris. And the record found, in which the man asked for help in the conquest of the woman, testifies to the management of God by many aspects of the Egyptians' life. He was called the one who hears prayers, and I must say that only Sebek was awarded such a title from the entire pantheon.
The God of Egypt had a wife - Sebeket, who was portrayed as an imperious woman with the head of a lion. The center of her cult was the Fayyum oasis, where they honored the great mistress.