Even at the dawn of human history, one of the most ancient religions in the world was formed. According to Egyptian mythology, which existed for a much longer period of time than Christianity, birds or animals acted as deities, with which many legends were associated.
For many centuries the pantheon of Egyptian gods has been constantly changing, someone was forgotten, and other figures came to the fore. Modern scientists are interested in the oldest religion that controlled many aspects of people's lives.
Sacred River
In ancient Egypt, the Nile River has always been revered as sacred, because it allowed society to form. Tombs and temples were built on its banks, and in the waters that fed the fields, powerful priests performed mysterious rituals. Ordinary residents idolized the river and were afraid of its destructive power, so it is not surprising that the god Sebek played a special role in ancient Egypt.
Crocodile god
The patron saint of the inhabitants of the Nile and the protector of fishermen had an unusual appearance: at first he was depicted as a crocodile, andlater humanized. According to the researchers, the mythical image in religion came from ancient beliefs and took a dominant place in the divine pantheon.
The dangerous crocodile, which personified natural forces, has always been a threat to human life, and the population tried to do everything to negotiate with it. The fact of the deification of predators in northeast Africa is known, when the tribes declared toothy animals as their relatives. This is how the Egyptian god Sobek arose, whose spirit infused the crocodiles of the Nile.
Special reverence for alligators
In many cities of the most ancient world civilization they kept a sacred animal, previously caught in the river. The predator was especially revered in some areas of Ancient Egypt, for example, in the Faiyum oasis, where temples were built in honor of the god and sacred lakes were dug in which crocodiles lived. The reptiles were decorated with jewels, gold and silver, and their natural death was not a problem for the inhabitants: a mummy was made from a predator and buried in sarcophagi, like people. There were even special priests who placed the body of an alligator on a stretcher and embalmed it.
After the death of one sacred crocodile, there was a new one, personifying the spirit of God, however, no one knows what criteria were used to select a reptile that people prayed to.
Scientists were surprised by an unusual archaeological find near one settlement: more than two thousand mummies of crocodiles were found in the necropolis, embalmed,wrapped in papyri and buried with special honors.
The sanctity of the crocodile and its victims
Interesting are the beliefs of the Egyptians, who believed that the holiness of the crocodile extends to its victims. Herodotus also wrote about how the corpses of those who suffered from ferocious animals were embalmed, richly dressed and buried in tombs. No one had the right to touch the dead, except for the priests who buried the dead. The body of a person killed by a crocodile became sacred.
No evidence of human sacrifice
In I. Efremov's novel "Thais of Athens" there is a description of how the main character, sacrificed, fearfully awaits the attack of a crocodile. True, many researchers consider this a literary fiction, because predators were fed bread, animal meat and wine, and not human flesh, and no evidence of bloody sacrifices was found.
The Egyptians, wishing to be patronized by the god Sebek, drank from the lake where the alligator lived and fed it with various delicacies.
Mysterious pedigree
As you know, in the mythology of Ancient Egypt, you can trace the genealogy of each deity, but it is extremely difficult to do this with Sebek. The story of its origin is very mysterious, and there are several options that researchers do not stop arguing about.
Many scientists are inclined to the version that the god Sebek was a generation of the most ancient deities: the patron of river living creatures was born from the primary ocean (Nun). However, there are also theories that itwas a descendant of the patron of all pharaohs - Ra, with whom Sebek could not compete in terms of the degree of his influence.
Sun worshipers and worshipers of crocodiles
The huge reptile caused not only sacred fear, but also strong disgust, and it is reliably known that not all Egyptians became crocodile worshippers. There was an interesting situation in the country when God-fearing people, because of their negative attitude towards the alligator, could not worship the deity with the face of a predator.
Differences in views created a unique situation in which the Egyptians were divided into two groups: for some, the god Sebek was the main one, while others sacredly revered the incarnation of the sun - the creator of the world Ra. The pharaoh of the 12th dynasty even built a huge temple in Faiyum, which was dedicated to the patron of fishing. Animal mummies were also found there. And the found letters spoke about the popularity of the deity, beginning with the words: “Let Sebek keep you.” The god of Egypt protected the people who revered him and gave the necessary abundance to the landowners.
But the inhabitants of the ancient city of Dendera on the west bank of the Nile hated alligators, exterminated them and were at enmity with those who worshiped the predator.
Cult of God
The heyday of the cult of God came at a time when the XII dynasty of the pharaohs ruled, and the kings emphasized the veneration of Sebek by adding his name to their own (Sebekhotep, Nefrusebek). Gradually, the patron of the water element began to be considered the incarnation of Amon-Ra. As scientists explain, worshipers of the sun still defeated those who deifiedreptile.
God Sebek, who took the form of a crocodile, always helped ordinary Egyptians. His head was crowned with a crown sparkling like the sun, which spoke of the high position of the protector of the fishermen. In the papyri found, she was praised and considered the main weapon against all enemies.
Many-faced Sebek - the god of water
It is curious that in different myths the deity was considered good and at the same time dangerous. In the legend of Osiris - the king of the underworld - it is the crocodile that carries the body of the son of Geb. The Egyptian god Sebek helped Ra fight the darkness and did it successfully. According to other legends, he was in the retinue of the evil Seth the destroyer, sowing death and chaos. There is a myth about a giant crocodile that entered into a fight with the almighty Ra.
Often the god Sebek, photos of whose sculptures surprise with their unusual appearance, was identified with Ming, who was responsible for a good harvest. It was believed that the flooded Nile "fertilizes" the earth, and it was during this period that small crocodiles hatched from the laid eggs. This circumstance connected the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about a good harvest with the alligator.
Sebek was also a real inventor who gave people a fishing net. In addition, the inhabitants believed that God helps the souls of the dead to get to Osiris. And the record found, in which a man asked for help in conquering a woman, testifies to the control of God in many aspects of the life of the Egyptians. He was called the one who hears prayers, and it must be said that only Sebek was awarded such a title from the entire pantheon.
The God of Egypt had a wife - Sebeket, who was depicted as a domineering woman with a lion's head. The center of her cult was the Fayum oasis, where the great lady was revered.
