One of the most famous and greatest deities worshiped by the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt was Thoth - the god of wisdom and knowledge. He is also known as Atlant (since he was the successor to the wisdom of the fallen Atlantis). In Greek mythology, Hermes Trismegistus, who is the central figure of Hermeticism and the founder of alchemy, corresponds to Thoth. It is about this most important and interesting deity that will be discussed in our article.
Thoth's life
According to legends that have survived, He was the deified king of Ancient Egypt. He lived several tens of thousands of years BC, in an era called by historians the reign of the Gods. He was also called Atlanta. It was believed that he possessed secret knowledge inherited from the civilization of the fallen Atlantis.
God Tot married Maat, the patroness of the Essence and Order. A close relative of his was Seshat, the goddess of writing.
What did god Thoth do?
It was believed that Atlas is the personal scribe of the great god Ra. No ancient gods were portrayed as often in Ra's society as Thoth. It was also believed that he was engaged in the accounting and classification of deceased souls during the trial of Osiris. At the same time, his wife Maat determines the degree of sinfulness of the deceased by weighing their hearts on special scales. In accordance with this, one can trace the faith of the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt in the fact that justice in the form of the Ma'at and wisdom in the image of Thoth should be inseparable as a husband and wife.
In addition, Atlas was a mediator between the gods and people. In accordance with Egyptian mythology, he was considered the patron of not only wisdom, but also letters, accounts,
exact sciences and scribes. In addition, Thoth was called the creator of the calendar and the lord of the time. The ancient Greek
philosopher Plato, in his surviving writings, wrote that this god revealed to his people numbers and letters, as well as geometry and astronomy. Among the ancient Greeks, Thoth corresponds to a god named Hermes.
God of the moon
Initially, Thoth was associated in mythology with the image of the night luminary, but later Khnum took his place. According to modern historians, the god Thoth became the patron of wisdom precisely because of his connection with astronomy, astrology and the moon.
Historical footprint
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Thoth left a noticeable mark, proving himself to be the wisest deity. Despite the fact that he was not destined in any plot for the main
role, in all events he showed himself from the best side. So, for example, in one of the myths, the god Thoth acts as a mediator between Ra and Isis, not interfering in their complex relationship. At the same time, he manages to help Isis save her son Horus from the bite of a poisonous creature. Speaking in his defense, Thoth built his speech in such a way that, if necessary, it could be interpreted as support for the god Set. Thus, the patron saint of wisdom also possessed admirable diplomatic talent.
In addition, Thoth was the builder of the Great Pyramid in Giza, where he allegedly integrated his ancient knowledge and hid the secrets of the civilization of the fallen Atlantis.
Also, this god directed the work of the most important archives of ancient Egyptian civilization. He patronized the very popular and famous library of Hermopolis to this day . In addition, according to the ancient Egyptians, He dominated all the languages of the world, and he himself was the language for another deity named Ptah.
Disguise
Tatar was considered the avatar (or the incarnation of God on earth) as the ibis bird. However, today, birds of this species (scientifically called forest ibis) no longer exist, as they were replaced by other birds. Until now, researchers have not been able to accurately answer the question of why the ibis was chosen as the patron of wisdom and knowledge. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians gave such authority to a bird for some traits of its character or due to the fact that its feathers were used for writing.
Another sacred animal of the god Thoth was a baboon. Today, of course, few people agree that these monkeys are wise, but the inhabitants of ancient Egypt, however, like the Chinese and Indians, were confident in the high intelligence of the animals mentioned.
Be that as it may, the god Thoth appears in most images with the head of an ibis.
Worship
Apparently, in the time of Ancient Egypt, science was not in one of the first places in the list of state subsidies. Despite the fact that the god of wisdom, Thoth was very revered, to this day the temples intended for worshiping him have practically not survived. So, only the remains of two sanctuaries were preserved: Tuna El Gebel with a destroyed labyrinth, and Ashmunein, which was called the Great Germopolis by the ancient Greeks, located ten kilometers from it. According to numerous archaeological studies, it was Germopolis that acted as the main place of worship of Thoth. It is likely that it was for this reason that the ancient Egyptians did not erect many other shrines.
Attributes
The invariable attribute of Thoth, present in all his images, is the magic wand "Caduceus". According to legend, it was thanks to him that the mortal man became the
god Hermes and gained access to three worlds: the Gods, the dead and the living. The rod is a rod crowned with the sun and wings, which entwine two snakes with open mouths. "Caduceus" symbolizes the energy of Kundalini. It also reflects everything that happens in the Universe in the form of triune processes.
Another integral attribute of Thoth is the scribe’s palette, personifying his patronage of languages, writing and a variety of exact sciences.
Emerald tablet
According to legend, the ancient Egyptian god Thoth was the author of a huge number of books on astrology, alchemy, medicine and chemistry. It is believed that in all he wrote more than 36 thousand works, the main of which is the famous Emerald Tablet. The ancient Egyptians believed that on an emerald plate of small size, the deity managed to fit all the wisdom of our universe. According to another belief, the "Tablet" was discovered in the grave of Thoth, who was buried in the Great Pyramid of Giza by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
Emerald plates have survived to this day, so it is not surprising that many scientists have studied them and continue to study them. According to one of them, Dr. Maurice Doreal, who published the translation of the text “Tablets” in the 30s of the last century, the letters on it date back to about 36 thousand years BC. The researcher claims that after the death of the legendary Atlantis, Totom established a colony in Ancient Egypt. Confirmation of this is the presence on the “Tablets” of the signs of the language, which, most likely, the ancient Atlanteans spoke.
It is also believed that part of the knowledge that the god of Egypt Thoth transmitted to people is concluded
in the Tarot system, the cards of which are descended from gold plates - pages in the amount of 78 pieces. Also, according to the traditions of esoteric orders, 22 paintings of the Tarot Major Arcana are depicted on the walls of twenty-two rooms in one of the
Egyptian temples, where the magicians were ordained into secret rituals by their mentors.
Another proof of the existence of Hermes is the ancient papyri, describing how the pharaoh Cheops (or Khufu) was searching for the "ark of the wisdom of Thoth." This relic has survived to this day, was studied by scientists using the most modern methods and is now stored in the Berlin Museum.