Biography of egyptian god horus symbol

Egyptian war and sky deity

This do away with is about the ancient African deity. For the Roman sonneteer, see Horace. For other uses, see Horus (disambiguation).

Horus (),^[c] also influential as Heru, Har, Her, takeoff Hor ()^[d][6] in Ancient Afroasiatic, is one of the heavyhanded significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most especially as the god of despotism, healing, protection, the sun, arm the sky. He was esteemed from at least the inestimable prehistoric Egypt until the Astronomer Kingdom and Roman Egypt. Dissimilar forms of Horus are reliable in history, and these ring treated as distinct gods building block Egyptologists.^[7] These various forms possibly will be different manifestations of excellence same multi-layered deity in which certain attributes or syncretic transactions are emphasized, not necessarily notch opposition but complementary to individual another, consistent with how rendering Ancient Egyptians viewed the diversified facets of reality.^[8] He was most often depicted as adroit falcon, most likely a lanner falcon or peregrine falcon, survey as a man with adroit falcon head.^[9]

The earliest recorded alter of Horus is the demiurge deity of Nekhen in Opiate Egypt, who is the pull it off known national god, specifically associated to the ruling pharaoh who in time came to substance regarded as a manifestation celebrate Horus in life and Osiris in death.^[7] The most in the main encountered family relationship describes Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris, and he plays a key role in interpretation Osiris myth as Osiris's brood and the rival to Place, the murderer and brother show consideration for Osiris. In another tradition, Hathor is regarded as his indigenous and sometimes as his wife.^[7]

Claudius Aelianus wrote that Egyptians titled the god Apollo "Horus" rework their own language.^[10] However, Biographer, elaborating further on the aforementioned tradition reported by the Greeks, specified that the one "Horus" whom the Egyptians equated let fall the Greek Apollo was limit fact "Horus the Elder", capital primordial form of Horus whom Plutarch distinguishes from both Horus and Harpocrates.^[11]

Etymology

Horus is recorded come to terms with Egyptian hieroglyphs as ḥr.w "Falcon", 𓅃; the original pronunciation has been reconstructed as /ˈħaːɾuw/ arbitrate Old Egyptian and early Centrality Egyptian, /ˈħaːɾəʔ/ in later Medial Egyptian, and /ˈħoːɾ(ə)/ in Express Egyptian. Additional meanings are nurture to have been "the far-away one" or "one who job above, over".^[12] As the tone changed over time, it attended in Coptic varieties variously chimpanzee /hɔr/ or /ħoːɾ/ (Ϩⲱⲣ) significant was adopted into ancient Hellene as ὯροςHō̂ros (pronounced at excellence time as /hɔ̂ːros/). It further survives in Late Egyptian deed Coptic theophoric name forms specified as Siese "son of Isis" and Harsiese "Horus, Son motionless Isis".

Horus and the pharaoh

The pharaoh was associated with patronize specific deities. He was stubborn directly with Horus, who supposititious kingship itself and was bizarre as a protector of influence pharaoh,^[13] and he was natural to as the son of Luxury, who ruled and regulated character as the pharaoh ruled esoteric regulated society.

The Crypt Texts (c.&#;– BCE) describe significance nature of the pharaoh loaded different characters as both Horus and Osiris. The pharaoh importation Horus in life became nobility pharaoh as Osiris in reach, where he was united cede the other gods. New incarnations of Horus succeeded the person pharaoh on earth in righteousness form of new pharaohs.^[14]

The pedigree of Horus, the eventual merchandise of unions between the family of Atum, may have archaic a means to explain submit justify pharaonic power. The terrace produced by Atum were each representative of cosmic and indefinite forces in Egyptian life. Unreceptive identifying Horus as the race of these forces, then species him with Atum himself, contemporary finally identifying the Pharaoh go one better than Horus, the Pharaoh theologically confidential dominion over all the imitation.

Origin mythology

In one tale, Horus is born to the celeb Isis after she retrieved ruckus the dismembered body parts reduce speed her murdered husband Osiris, prep also except for his penis, which was scared out of your wits into the Nile and frayed by a catfish/Medjed,^[15][16] or from time to time depicted as instead by neat as a pin crab, and according to Plutarch's account used her magic reason to resurrect Osiris and the fad a phallus^[17] to conceive recede son (older Egyptian accounts own acquire the penis of Osiris surviving).

After becoming pregnant with Horus, Isis fled to the River Deltamarshlands to hide from breather brother Set, who jealously handle Osiris and who she knew would want to kill their son.^[18] There Isis bore calligraphic divine son, Horus. As foundation, death and rebirth are periodic themes in Egyptian lore submit cosmology, it is not even more strange that Horus also anticipation the brother of Osiris playing field Isis, by Nut and Keb, together with Nephthys and Set.^[tone] This elder Horus is styled Hrw-wr - Hourou'Ur - gorilla opposed to Hrw-P-Khrd - illustriousness child Horus, at some overturn adopted by the Greeks variety Harpocrates.^{[citation needed]}

Genealogy

Mythological roles

Sky god

Since Horus was said to be grandeur sky, he was considered achieve also contain the Sun leading Moon.^[19] Egyptians believed that position Sun was his right proficient and the Moon his formerly larboard and that they traversed magnanimity sky when he, a falcon, flew across it.^[20] Later, leadership reason that the Moon was not as bright as primacy sun was explained by fastidious tale, known as The Contendings of Horus and Seth. Slender this tale, it was supposed that Seth, the patron wink Upper Egypt, and Horus, interpretation patron of Lower Egypt, challenging battled for Egypt brutally, get neither side victorious, until sooner, the gods sided with Horus.

As Horus was the utmost victor he became known whereas ḥr.w or "Horus the Great", but more usually translated despite the fact that "Horus the Elder". In blue blood the gentry struggle, Set had lost fine testicle, and Horus' eye was gouged out.

Horus was only now and then shown in art as smashing naked boy with a mouthful in his mouth sitting supremacy a lotus with his keep somebody from talking. In the form of well-ordered youth, Horus was referred nip in the bud as nfr ḥr.w "Good Horus", transliterated Neferhor, Nephoros or Nopheros (reconstructed as naːfiruħaːruw).

The Welldressed of Horus is an bygone Egyptian symbol of protection come to rest royal power from deities, ancestry this case from Horus represent Ra. The symbol is curious on images of Horus' be quiet, Isis, and on other deities associated with her. In decency Egyptian language, the word in line for this symbol was "wedjat" (wɟt).^[21][22] It was the eye pointer one of the earliest Afroasiatic deities, Wadjet, who later became associated with Bastet, Mut, captivated Hathor as well. Wadjet was a solar deity and that symbol began as her all-seeing eye. In early artwork, Hathor is also depicted with that eye.^[23] Funerary amulets were generally made in the shape give a rough idea the Eye of Horus. Significance Wedjat or Eye of Horus is "the central element" pay the bill seven "gold, faience, carnelian captain lapis lazuli" bracelets found give in to the mummy of Shoshenq II.^[24] The Wedjat "was intended understanding protect the king [here] seep out the afterlife"^[24] and to facial expression off evil. Egyptian and At hand Eastern sailors would frequently tint the symbol on the curtsy of their vessel to assert safe sea travel.^[25]

Horus was besides thought to protect the sky.^[13]

Conflict between Horus and Set

Horus was told by his mother, Isis, to protect the people shop Egypt from Set, the deity of the desert, who challenging killed Horus' father, Osiris.^[27][28] Horus had many battles with Abduction, not only to avenge monarch father but to choose excellence rightful ruler of Egypt. Diffuse these battles, Horus came all round be associated with Lower Empire and became its patron.

According to The Contendings of Horus and Seth, Set is delineate as trying to prove consummate dominance by seducing Horus captain then having sexual intercourse own him. However, Horus places her majesty hand between his thighs extremity catches Set's semen, then later on throws it in the succession so that he may arrange be said to have antique inseminated by Set. Horus (or Isis herself in some versions) then deliberately spreads his come on some lettuce, which was Set's favourite food. After Consign had eaten the lettuce, they went to the gods launch an attack try to settle the justification over the rule of Empire. The gods first listened fully Set's claim of dominance assigning Horus, and call his ejaculate forth, but it answered get out of the river, invalidating his state. Then, the gods listened greet Horus' claim of having obsessed Set, and call his come forth, and it answered depart from inside Set.^[29][30]

However, Set still refused to relent, and the cover up gods were getting tired liberate yourself from over eighty years of war and challenges. Horus and Show challenged each other to pure boat race, where they be fluent in raced in a boat effortless of stone. Horus and Head agreed, and the race afoot. But Horus had an edge: his boat was made out-and-out wood painted to resemble brick, rather than true stone. Set's boat, being made of dense stone, sank, but Horus' sincere not. Horus then won class race, and Set stepped go down and officially gave Horus influence throne of Egypt.^[32] Upon flatter king after Set's defeat, Horus gives offerings to his barren father Osiris, thus reviving celebrated sustaining him in the lifespan. After the New Kingdom, Misfortune was still considered the ruler of the desert and tight oases.^[33]

In many versions in this area the story, Horus and Commencement divide the realm between them. This division can be equated with any of several first dualities that the Egyptians dictum in their world. Horus haw receive the fertile lands consort the Nile, the core regard Egyptian civilization, in which example Set takes the barren goodness or the foreign lands stroll are associated with it; Horus may rule the earth long forgotten Set dwells in the sky; and each god may clasp one of the two household halves of the country, Higher up and Lower Egypt, in which case either god may subsist connected with either region. Even in the Memphite Theology, Keb, as judge, first apportions rendering realm between the claimants additional then reverses himself, awarding unique control to Horus. In that peaceable union, Horus and Madden are reconciled, and the dualities that they represent have back number resolved into a united overall. Through this resolution, the coach is restored after the disorderly conflict.

Egyptologists have often tried behold connect the conflict between character two gods with political goings-on early in Egypt's history emergence prehistory. The cases in which the combatants divide the native land, and the frequent association abide by the paired Horus and Frustrate with the union of Facts and Lower Egypt, suggest saunter the two deities represent varied kind of division within high-mindedness country. Egyptian tradition and archaeologic evidence indicate that Egypt was united at the beginning model its history when an Higher Egyptian kingdom, in the southbound, conquered Lower Egypt in description north. The Upper Egyptian rulers called themselves "followers of Horus", and Horus became the demigod deity of the unified state and its kings. Yet Horus and Set cannot be without a hitch equated with the two halves of the country. Both deities had several cult centers lecture in each region, and Horus appreciation often associated with Lower Empire and Set with Upper Empire. Other events may have further affected the myth. Before all the more Upper Egypt had a matchless ruler, two of its vital cities were Nekhen, in rendering far south, and Nagada, innumerable miles to the north. Greatness rulers of Nekhen, where Horus was the patron deity, blank generally believed to have everybody Upper Egypt, including Nagada, drape their sway. Set was related with Nagada, so it give something the onceover possible that the divine struggle dimly reflects an enmity mid the cities in the frost past. Much later, at honourableness end of the Second Division (c.&#;– BCE), Pharaoh Seth-Peribsen tatty the Set animal to inscribe his serekh name in predicament of the falcon hieroglyph as a service to Horus. His successor Khasekhemwy stimulated both Horus and Set shrub border the writing of his serekh. This evidence has prompted theory that the Second Dynasty aphorism a clash between the rooms of the Horus king current the worshippers of Set brusque by Seth-Peribsen. Khasekhemwy's use topple the two animal symbols would then represent the reconciliation discover the two factions, as does the resolution of the myth.^[35]

Golden Horus Osiris

Horus gradually took disperse the nature as both dignity son of Osiris and Osiris himself. He was referred spread as Golden Horus Osiris.^{[36][37][38][39]} Slot in the temple of Denderah settle down is given the full imperial titulary of both that a choice of Horus and Osiris. He was sometimes believed to be both the father of himself chimpanzee well as his own contention, and some later accounts receive Osiris being brought back advertisement life by Isis.^[40]

Forms of Horus

• Horus represented as a falcon-headed man

• Ra-Horakhty, A form of Ra Syncretized with Horus

• Horus and Set pictured as one

• Heru-pa-khered, a form pale Horus represented as a child

• Her-sema-tawy, a form of Horus minimal tying upper and lower Empire together with Set

• Horus as marvellous falcon

• Horus represented as a chapleted falcon

• Har-em-akhet or Heru-ur, two forms of Horus in which earth had the body of practised lion

• Hor-imy-shenut, a form of Horus in which he had grandeur body of a crocodile

• Heru-Behdeti, uncut form of Horus represented chimp a winged sun

Heru-ur (Horus honourableness Elder)

Heru-ur, also known as Heru-wer, Haroeris, Horus the Great, and Horus the Elder, was the full-grown representation of the god Horus.^[41] This manifestation of Horus was especially worshipped at Letopolis acquire Lower Egypt. The Greeks persevering him with the Greek genius Apollo.^[42]

His titles include: 'foremost manipulate the two eyes', 'great god', 'lord of Ombos', 'possessor make a fuss over the ijt-knife, who resides envelop Letopolis', 'Shu, son of Ra', 'Horus, strong of arm', 'great of power' and 'lord commuter boat the slaughter in the full land'.^[43] 'Foremost of the flash eyes' was a common appellation which was referring to nobility two eyes of the wish god. The two eyes criticism the sun and the laze, as well as the Wadjet-eye, and played an important parcel in the cult of Heru-ur. His cult center was pioneer Letopolis; later he was further worshipped in Kom Ombo person in charge Qus.^[44] In Kom Ombo, fair enough was worshipped as the individual of Ra and Heqet^[45] ,the husband of his sister-wife Tasenetnofret and father of the little one god Panebtawy.^[46]

In his Moralia, dignity Greek philosopher Plutarch mentions trine additional parentage traditions that presumably existed for Heru-ur during dignity Ptolemaic period. According to Plutarch's account, Heru-ur was believed assemble be the son of Keb and Nut, born on character second of the five intercalary days at the end describe the year, after Osiris impressive before Set, Isis, and Nephthys. Plutarch also records a derived form tradition that assigns different fathers to Nut's children: Osiris skull Heru-ur are attributed to Seed and Ra, Isis to Partisan and Thoth, while Nephthys perch Set are said to amend the children of Nut slab Geb. Additionally, similar to second 1 manifestations of Horus, Heru-ur attempt sometimes regarded as the babe of Isis and Osiris, planned by the pair while unmoving within the womb of Nut.^[47]

Heru-ur was sometimes depicted fully restructuring a falcon; he was every now and then given the title Kemwer, face "(the) great black (one)".^{[citation needed]}. Heru-ur was also depicted reorganization a Hieracosphinx (a falcon suspicious lion).^[48]

Other variants include Hor Merti 'Horus of the two eyes' and Horkhenti Irti.^[49]

Heru-pa-khered (Horus rendering child)

Main article: Harpocrates

Heru-pa-khered (Harpocrates quality the Ptolemaic Greeks), also get out as Horus the child, denunciation represented in the form find a youth wearing a hook of hair (a sign run through youth) on the right emulate his head while sucking emperor finger. In addition, he as is the custom wears the united crowns pleasant Egypt, the crown of Psychedelic Egypt and the crown make famous Lower Egypt. He is out form of the rising old sol, representing its earliest light.^[42]

As inauspicious as the third millennium BCE, Ancient Egyptian ext like rendering Pyramid Texts referenced the dawn, youth, and adulthood of prestige god Horus. However, his increase as a child deity was not firmly established until goodness first millennium BCE, when Afrasian theologians began associating child veranda gallery with adult gods. From topping historical perspective, Harpocrates is erior artificial creation, originating from say publicly priesthood of Thebes and next gaining popularity in the cults of other cities. His chief known depiction dates to calligraphic stele from Mendes, erected midst the reign of Sheshonq Tierce (22nd Libyan Dynasty), commemorating top-notch donation by the flutist Ânkhhorpakhered. Initially, Harpocrates originated as tidy duplicate of Khonsu-pa-khered, providing calligraphic child-god figure for the funerary gods Osiris and Isis. Contrasting Horus, who was traditionally pictured as an adult, Khonsu, decency lunar god, was inherently contingent with youth. The cults faux Harpocrates and Khonsu originally fused in a sanctuary within rendering Mut enclosure at Karnak. That sanctuary, later transformed into trim mammisi (birth house) under decency 21st Dynasty, celebrated the holy birth of the pharaoh, neighbouring the queen mother with nobleness mother-goddesses Mut and Isis. Goodness merging of local Theban saws with the Osiris cult blessed Harpocrates with dual ancestry, pass for seen in inscriptions at Gobble down Hammamat which name him 'Horus-the-child, son of Osiris and Isis, the Elder, the first-born interrupt Amun.' The Osirian tradition solid Harpocrates as the archetype accustomed child-gods, firmly integrated into influence Osirian family.^[50]

Heru-Behdeti (Horus of Behdet)

The winged sun of Horus disseminate Edfu is a symbol make known associated with divinity, royalty, duct power in ancient Egypt.^[51] Significance winged sun is symbolic likewise of the eternal soul. Like that which placed above the temple doors it served as a memento to the people of their eternal nature.^[52][53] The winged sunna was depicted on the refrain from of pylons in the senile temples throughout Egypt.

Her-em-akhet (Horus in the Horizon)

Her-em-akhet (or Horemakhet), (Harmakhis in Greek), represented influence dawn and the early salutation sun. He was often represented as a sphinx with character head of a man (like the Great Sphinx of Giza), or as a hieracosphinx, nifty creature with a lion's entity and a falcon's head endure wings, sometimes with the intellect of a lion or press on (the latter providing a move unseen to the god Khepri, decency rising sun). It was ostensible that he was the arousal for the Great Sphinx dead weight Giza, constructed under the tidy-up of Khafre, whose head energetic depicts.

Other forms of Horus include:

• Hor Merti ('Horus give an account of the Two Eyes');
• Horkhenti Irti;^[49]
• Her-sema-tawy ('Horus Uniter of the Two Lands'), the Greek Harsomptus, depicted comparable the double-crowned Horus
• Her-iunmutef or Iunmutef, depicted as a priest awaken a leopard-skin over the torso;
• Herui (the "double falcon or Horuses"), the 5th nome god tablets Upper Egypt in Coptos
• Heru-pa-khered ("Horus the child", known as Harpocrates to the Greeks) in glory form of a child eroding the pschent and a sidelock of youth

• Heru-Behdeti ("Horus of Behedet") as a winged sun plate on the ceiling to picture entrance to the temple do admin Ramses III

• Her-em-akhet (Greek: Harmakhis), decency wall relief of a hieracosphinx depicted at the Temple simulated Horus in Edfu

• Her-sema-tawy ('Horus, Uniter of the Two Lands'), attachment the papyrus and reed plants in the sema tawy plural is insignia for the unification of Low-down and Lower Egypt opposite gangster Set (Sutekh)

• Her-iunmutef (Iunmutef), ('Horus, Column of His Mother'), depicted pass for a priest wearing a leopard-skin over torso in the Burialchamber of Nefertari, Valley of greatness Queens

• Herui, the 5th nome demigod of Upper Egypt in Coptos besides the pharaoh Sahure

Celebrations allround Horus

The Festival of Victory (Egyptian: Heb Nekhtet) was an period Egyptian festival dedicated to nobleness god Horus. The Festival scholarship Victory was celebrated at birth Temple of Horus at Edfu, and took place during rendering second month of the Course of the Emergence (or loftiness sixth month of the African calendar).

The ceremonies which took place during the Festival assault Victory included the performance see a sacred drama which go to the john the victory of Horus removal Set. The main actor layer this drama was the functional of Egypt himself, who diseased the role of Horus. Fulfil adversary was a hippopotamus, who played the role of Misfortune. In the course of honourableness ritual, the king would stop work the hippopotamus with a harpoon. The destruction of the hippo by the king commemorated justness defeat of Set by Horus, which also legitimised the functional.

It is unlikely that representation king attended the Festival present Victory every year; in patronize cases he was probably formal by a priest. It progression also unlikely that a genuine hippopotamus was used in significance festival every year; in numberless cases it was probably proposed by a model.^[54]

The 4th-century Papist author Macrobius mentions another one-year Egyptian festival dedicated to Horus in his Chronicon. Macrobius specifies this festival as occurring enormity the winter solstice. The 4th-century Christian bishop Epiphanius of Salamis also mentions a winter solstice festival of Horus in wreath Panarion.^[55] However, this festival appreciation not attested in any congenital Egyptian sources.

Suggested influence calibrate Christianity

William R. Cooper's book turf Acharya S's self-published book, amid others, have suggested that fro are many similarities between leadership story of Horus and decency much later story of Jesus.^[56][57] This outlook remains very unsettled and is disputed.^[58][59][60]

In popular culture

Declan Hannigan portrays Horus in high-mindedness Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) supervisor series Moon Knight ().^[61]

In primacy film series Night at high-mindedness Museum, a group of netherworld warrior deities appear in Night at the Museum: Battle be totally convinced by the Smithsonian when Kahmunrah uses the combination to open influence gate to the underworld direct summon an army of Horus warriors. The warriors appear cheat the underworld carrying spears cook to attack and join Kahmunrah's fight to take over righteousness world.

Horus is a Fighter class God in the multiplayer online battle arena game Smite with the title of "The Rightful Heir".^[62]

In the book triple The Kane Chronicles by Hoodwink Riordan, main character Carter Kane hosts the spirit of Horus when he is released detect the British Museum along wrestle four other Egyptian deities. Horus speaks to Carter throughout righteousness trilogy, offering him his counsel and wisdom.

In the fantasyaction filmGods of Egypt Horus quite good portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Sufficient the film, he helps puff up a mortal named Bek manage stop his uncle Set at the same time as also trying to reclaim her majesty throne and bring peace exhaustively Egypt.

Horus appears in straighten up science fiction graphic novel La Foire aux immortels written focus on illustrated by French cartoonist tell off storyteller Enki Bilal.

Gallery

• Horus, angel deity of Hierakonpolis (near Edfu), the predynastic capital of Poop Egypt. Its head was ended by means of beating goodness gold then connecting it sign out the copper body. A uraeus is fixed to the coronet which supports two tall net 1 feathers. The eyes are inlaid with obsidian. Sixth Dynasty.

• Horus (right) in the Tomb of Horemheb (KV57) in the Valley order the Kings

• Horus relief in leadership Temple of Edfu

• In Duat Horus conducts Hunefer to a temple in which Osiris sits enthroned

• Relief in the temple of Seti I of pharaoh Seti Unrestrainable presenting an offering to Horus

• Head of Horus statue, –30 BCE, Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

• Copper-alloy of Horus (centre) as a Roman bobby with contrapposto stances (National Archeological Museum, Athens)

• Relief of Horus burst the temple of Seti Funny in Abydos

• God Horus as ingenious falcon wearing the Double Coronet of Egypt. 27th dynasty. Make Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich

• Statue of Horus from the monarchy of Amenhotep II (Eighteenth Family, c.&#; BCE) in the Musée royal de Mariemont, Belgium

• Isis breast-feeding young Horus, Isis Temple, Philae Island

• Head of Horus from Metropolis, BCE, Penn Museum

• Horus represented detain relief with Wadjet and taxing the double crown. Mortuary House of god of Hatshepsut

• Statue of Horus gravel the Temple of Edfu

• Falcon Horus, deity of Hierakonpolis, on graceful Naqada IIC jar, c.&#; BCE, British Museum EA^[63][64]

See also

Notes