Khnum

Khnum the Egyptian god Khnum was usually depicted with the head of a ram. God of creation and the waters Major cult center Elephantine Symbol the potter's wheel Consort Satis Khnum in hieroglyphs In Egyptian mythology, Khnum (also spelled Chnum, Knum, or Khnemu) was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile River. Since the annual flooding of the Nile brought with it silt and clay, and its water brought life to its surroundings, he was thought to be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made at a potter's wheel, from clay, and placed in their mothers' wombs. He later was described as having molded the other deities, and he had the titles Divine Potter and Lord of created things from himself. Contents 1 General information 2 Temple at Elephantine 3 Temple at Esna 4 Other 5 Artistic conventions 6 References // General information Originally one of the most important deities, when other areas arose to greater prominence it was the secondary function as potter, that became his whole realm of authority. The Nile was then considered the god Hapy, who was the Nile god in the more powerful areas. Khnum's name derives from this secondary association, – it means builder. However, Khnum's earlier position as 'molder' of the other deities, leads to him being identified as Ra, or more particularly as the Ba of Ra. Since Ba was also the word for a Ram, he became thought of as having a Ram's head.citation needed The worship of Khnum centred on two principal riverside sites, Elephantine Island and Esna, which were regarded as sacred sites. At Elephantine, he was worshipped alongside Anuket and Satis as the guardian of the source of the River Nile. His significance led to early theophoric names of him, for children, such as Khnum-khufwy – Khnum is my Protector, the full name of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid.1 Due to his importance, as an aspect of the life-giving Nile, and also the creator, Khnum was still worshipped in some semi-Christian sects in the second or third centuriescitation needed. Khnum has also been related to Min (god) 2 Temple at Elephantine The temple at Elephantine was dedicated to Khnum, his consort Satis and their daughter Anukis. The temple dates back to at least the Middle Kingdom. By the 11th dynasty Khnum, Satis and Anukis are all attested at Elephantine. During the New Kingdom finds from the time of Ramesses II show Khnum was still worshipped there.3 Opposite Elephantine, on the east bank at Aswan, Khnum, Satis and Anukis are shown on a chapel wall dating to the Ptolemaic time.3 Temple at Esna In Esna (Letopolis), known as Iunyt or Ta-senet, to the Ancient Egyptians, a temple was dedicated to Khnum, Neith and Heka, and other deities.3 The temple dates to the Ptolemaic period. Khnum is sometimes depicted as crocodile headed god. Nebt-uu and Menhit are Khnum's principal consorts and Heka is his eldest son and successor. Both Khnum and Neith are referred to as creator deities in the texts at Esna. Khnum is sometimes referred to as the "father of the fathers" and Neith as the "mother of the mothers". They later become the parents of Re, who is also referred to as Khnum-Re.4 Other The Beit el-Wali Temple of Ramesses II contained Statues of Khnum, Satis and Anukis, along with statues of Isis and Horus.3 In other locations, such as Her-wer (Tuna el-Gebel perhaps), as the molder and creator of the human body, he was sometimes regarded as the consort of Heket, or of Meskhenet, whose responsibility was breathing life into children at the moment of birth, as the Ka.citation needed Artistic conventions In art, he was usually depicted as a ram-headed man at a potter's wheel, with recently created children's bodies standing on the wheel, although he also appeared in his earlier guise as a water-god, holding a jar from which flowed a stream of water. However, he occasionally appeared in a compound image, depicting the elements, in which he, representing water, was shown as one of four heads of a man, with the others being, – Geb representing earth, Shu representing the air, and Osiris representing death. 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Oxford University Press. 2000. ISBN 0-19-280458-8 ^ Bechtel, F. (1907). "Ammon". The Catholic Encyclopedia. I. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01430d.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-27.  ^ a b c d Wilkinson, Richard H., The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, 2000, ISBN 0-500-05100-3 ^ Kathryn Bard, Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Psychology Press, 1999