FairProspects Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 For history lit. today we were reading Egyptian Myths, the story where Thoth tricks the moon god, Khons, out of some moonlight so that Nut can birth her son, Osiris without incurring the curse of Ra. But, we also opened our Ancient Egyptian Toob, which came with a key stating that Thoth, not Khons, was the god of the moon. So, who is the Egyptian moon god, Khons or Thoth? And who is depicted as a bird's head with the moon above it? Why would this be different in different sources? Does the moon god change in different periods or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 For history lit. today we were reading Egyptian Myths, the story where Thoth tricks the moon god, Khons, out of some moonlight so that Nut can birth her son, Osiris without incurring the curse of Ra. But, we also opened our Ancient Egyptian Toob, which came with a key stating that Thoth, not Khons, was the god of the moon. So, who is the Egyptian moon god, Khons or Thoth? And who is depicted as a bird's head with the moon above it? Why would this be different in different sources? Does the moon god change in different periods or something? I'm sorry, I'm not able to help with your question, but could you be so kind to link the book that you're reading for me? I'd love to add it to my collection when we get that part in SOTW1. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 So, who is the Egyptian moon god, Khons or Thoth? And who is depicted as a bird's head with the moon above it? Why would this be different in different sources? Does the moon god change in different periods or something? Depends on which bird! An ibis head with a moon is Thoth; a falcon head with a moon is Khonsu. If that's not confusing enough, Thoth can also have a baboon head, and Khonsu can look like a mummy. They are both associated with the moon. And yes, the gods morph and change over time; some become more prominent and "take over" attributes and stories of other gods. Each god also generally has multiple forms and multiple names — it's much more complicated than Greek and Roman mythology! Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 I'm sorry, I'm not able to help with your question, but could you be so kind to link the book that you're reading for me? I'd love to add it to my collection when we get that part in SOTW1. Thanks! Sure! It is out of print, but our library has a copy. I also haunted Bookfinder last Spring until one came up at a reasonable price. Egyptian Myths Depends on which bird! An ibis head with a moon is Thoth; a falcon head with a moon is Khonsu. If that's not confusing enough, Thoth can also have a baboon head, and Khonsu can look like a mummy. They are both associated with the moon. And yes, the gods morph and change over time; some become more prominent and "take over" attributes and stories of other gods. Each god also generally has multiple forms and multiple names — it's much more complicated than Greek and Roman mythology! Jackie Ah, this makes more sense. I'm pretty sure it is an ibis head in the illustration I was referring to, so it supposed to be Thoth, since the figure opposite him is depicted as a mummy and that must be Khonsu. I had them reversed since there was a moon over Thoth's head! :svengo:This is going to be hard to keep straight as we proceed into further into the myths! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Pip Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 This happens A LOT in Eg myths. Eg was a divided country in it's early history. Ea town had it's own local deity & myths. As ea town was conquered & added to others, the gods were added as well. You see Pharaoh identified with Horus, but other times Ra, Amun, Amun-Ra. Gods get combined: Amun, Ra, Amun-Ra. People are made when Khnum formed them on his potter's wheel, or from Ra's tears. Take your pick:) Also, there were times when certain gods were more popular than others. Khnum was a very ancient creation god, whereas Amun-Ra became much more popular in the New Kingdom. This confusion didn't seem to bother the ancient egyptians. There is an explanation here: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/thegods.html nursing a wiggly baby, excuse bad english:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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