Post by Auset on May 4, 2004 15:57:59 GMT -5
Please bare with me, i'm typing from reading a book so if i mispell something i apologize in advance. Taken from the book Egyptian Legends and Stories.
The deities that were particularly associated with writing were Sbeshat, Sefkhet-Abwy and Thoth. Sheshat, who was the earliest goddes shown in this connection dates from the Second Dynasty onwards. She is portrayed as a woman wearing a plain dress covered by a long panther skin robe with the tail hanging down to her feet. Her emblem appears as a star or rosette standing up from her headband, or possibly a frond of papyrus tucked into it.
Sheshat held pride of place and recorded not only the king's jubiees and the cattle count, but also the king's campaigns. When palm branch terminating in a tad pole, the ritual sign for one hundred thousand years, which in turn is set on the sign for eternity. She also acted as librarian and supervised the establishment of temple liberaries.
The other goddess of writing, Sefkhet-Abwy, does not appear until the Eighteenth Dynasty and may well be another form of Sheshat. she is shown as a woman with seven pointed star on her head, usually under an inverted bow. Among her functions was the encouragement of writing and attending the foundation ceremony of "Stretching the Cord", when the king with her help measured the ground plan of the temples before they were constructed. She also appears in her role of recorder, writing the king's name on the leaves of the sacred tree, the Ished tree.
Thoth was the vizier of the gods, presiding over scribers and learning. He was also the God of Wisdom. As one of the moon gods, he was regarded as the reckoner of time (the Egyptians used a lunar month). He wears on his head the crescent moon and disc. He was also considered to be the scribe of the Goddess Maat and of Re and was often shown carrying the writing reed and palette of the scribe. The principal seat of worship of Thoth was el-Ashmunein. Hermopolis (ancient Khemennu) in Middle Egypt where Re was supposed to have rested after creating the world. At Hermopolis, Thoth was head of an Ennead of eight gods who were primordial deities.
The deities that were particularly associated with writing were Sbeshat, Sefkhet-Abwy and Thoth. Sheshat, who was the earliest goddes shown in this connection dates from the Second Dynasty onwards. She is portrayed as a woman wearing a plain dress covered by a long panther skin robe with the tail hanging down to her feet. Her emblem appears as a star or rosette standing up from her headband, or possibly a frond of papyrus tucked into it.
Sheshat held pride of place and recorded not only the king's jubiees and the cattle count, but also the king's campaigns. When palm branch terminating in a tad pole, the ritual sign for one hundred thousand years, which in turn is set on the sign for eternity. She also acted as librarian and supervised the establishment of temple liberaries.
The other goddess of writing, Sefkhet-Abwy, does not appear until the Eighteenth Dynasty and may well be another form of Sheshat. she is shown as a woman with seven pointed star on her head, usually under an inverted bow. Among her functions was the encouragement of writing and attending the foundation ceremony of "Stretching the Cord", when the king with her help measured the ground plan of the temples before they were constructed. She also appears in her role of recorder, writing the king's name on the leaves of the sacred tree, the Ished tree.
Thoth was the vizier of the gods, presiding over scribers and learning. He was also the God of Wisdom. As one of the moon gods, he was regarded as the reckoner of time (the Egyptians used a lunar month). He wears on his head the crescent moon and disc. He was also considered to be the scribe of the Goddess Maat and of Re and was often shown carrying the writing reed and palette of the scribe. The principal seat of worship of Thoth was el-Ashmunein. Hermopolis (ancient Khemennu) in Middle Egypt where Re was supposed to have rested after creating the world. At Hermopolis, Thoth was head of an Ennead of eight gods who were primordial deities.
