Mysterious Ancient Egypt gave humanity many discoveries and wonderful legends. The beliefs of the Egyptians were distinguished by sophistication and always attracted with their unusualness. The Egyptians extolled our smaller brothers, depicting their gods with animal heads. However, there were also such animals that were themselves considered gods. One such rare animal was the black bull Mnevis. This sacred bull in ancient Egypt was considered the incarnation of the god Ra. Different areas of Egypt worshiped different animals or gods. Because of this, religious wars often broke out.
When a sacred animal died, its body was embalmed, placed in a sarcophagus and buried. It is curious that some animals were buried in a special way. For example, cats were buried in Bubastis in a sacred crypt, dead crocodiles were thrown into the Nile, ibises - exclusively in Hermopolis, and bulls are always exactly where they died. Surprising finds of sarcophagi of fish, beetles, snakes,ichneumons.
Sacred Bull in Ancient Egypt
Since agriculture was an important part of the life of the Egyptians, it was simply impossible to do without such an animal as a bull. Apparently, out of gratitude, they made him sacred. Many will be interested in the name of the sacred bull of ancient Egypt. In fact, there are several names. Bulls were used for complex agricultural work, without them it would be very difficult to get a good harvest and properly cultivate the land. The sacred bull in ancient Egypt personified fertility. Cows were also revered as nurses, representatives of the sky, which is closely connected with the cult of Hathor and Isis, as a result, a separate cult of the sacred Heavenly Cow was formed.
Apis - god of Egypt
The Egyptians considered Apis to be the god of resurgent nature. Who is Apis, the god of what is he in Egypt? Apis is considered the god of fertility, according to legend, he impregnates the sacred cow, from their copulation a golden calf (solar disk) is born. The sacred bull of the ancient Egyptians lived in the temple of Ptah in Memphis, where oracles also lived, who, studying the behavior of the animal, built their predictions. The ritual run of this bull brought prosperity and fertility to the inhabitants of Egypt. Having figured out who Apis is, the god of what exactly he was in ancient times, let's move on. When the Apis died, they were solemnly buried in the underground Necropolis of Memphis, the ceremony took place west of the Nile. Previously, the animals were mummified and placed in sarcophagi decorated with amulets andexpensive jewelry. After the death of Apis, a new Egyptian sacred bull must be found by the priests. However, this is not easy, the successor must have special signs. Herodotus described these signs. According to his descriptions, the new Apis was to be born from a cow, which after him could never be born again. The young calf, which will be chosen as Apis, must be black, have a white triangle on the forehead, double stripes on the tail (29 signs in total). The new Sacred Bull in Ancient Egypt was supposed to be found by the priests in 60 days. While the search was going on, the priests were fasting. When the animal was found, it was solemnly carried along the Nile to the temple of Ptah, all the way to Memphis. The people met Apis on the shore to greet and show their respect.
Sacred bulls
The sacred animals of Egypt are diverse, but bulls occupy one of the leading places among them. The bull Mnevis was called "solar" because he was the incarnation of the sun god. Bukhis was also deified, this bull was black and depicted with a solar disk between the horns. Regarding the color of Buhis, it was believed that he was able to change color every hour. They revered the white bull (Mina), as well as the spouse of the Heavenly Cow, who entered into an intimate relationship with her.
Anubis-associated animals
Jackals, dogs, wolves are associated with this god. In the Kinopol nome there was a cult of jackals and dogs. The cult of Upuazta is associated with wolves.
Sacred goats and rams
Even Herodotus spoke about the cult of goats. itthe animal is associated with the gods Shai and Banebdjedet. Sheep were universally respected by the inhabitants of Egypt. It was believed that these sacred animals of Egypt were associated with the soul of the Egyptians, they personified fertility. Amona was considered special - a ram with crooked and curved horns. Sheep with long horns did not give, unlike Amon, wool. Sheep were very revered by the Egyptians, just because they tried not to kill them, it was even forbidden to appear in the temple in clothes made from their wool.
Crocodiles
Crocodiles were compared with the god of the Nile waters Sebek. These sacred animals of Egypt, after the creation of an irrigation system and the appearance of a reservoir, increased their population. It was believed that crocodiles could command river floods, which brought useful silt to the fields. Just as the sacred bull was selected, the sacred crocodile was also selected. The chosen one lived in the temple, was revered by people, and soon became completely tame. In Thebes, it was forbidden to kill crocodiles, even if they were a threat to life. Despite the fact that the crocodile is a sacred animal, it is considered the embodiment of evil and the enemy of the sun god, the assistant of Set.
Snakes, frogs
Frogs, like many other living creatures of Egypt, were revered due to the fact that they symbolized fertility. however, Frogs were also considered animals of the goddess Heket, who was the patroness of childbirth. In ancient Egypt, they believed that the frog had the function of spontaneous generation, therefore it was associated with the cult of the afterlife and resurrection after leaving foranother world.
From Herodotus it also became known about the sacred snakes, they were dedicated to the god Ra and buried in the Karnak temple.
Birds
Birds were also revered in Egypt, including mythical ones, they included the Great Gogotun and Bentu. From real birds, the falcon, ibis, kite were revered. They were executed for killing sacred birds. Ibis was revered in Egypt as a serpent fighter, the Egyptians learned to "cleanse" by seeing how she "empties" and washes herself.
God Ba was depicted as a falcon with a human head, the bird itself was considered the soul of God. In ancient Egypt, there was a belief that the falcon was the protector of the pharaohs.
Kite symbolized the sky and the gods Nekhbet and Mut.
Scarab
An image of a scarab beetle can be found in any tomb. This beetle was also sacred in ancient Egypt, it was associated with the cult of the sun. The Egyptians believed that scarabs, like frogs, had the function of spontaneous generation. Beetles protected from evil, were amulets for the Egyptians, saved from snake bites and helped to resurrect after death (of course, according to legend).
Hippos
The goddess Tawrt was depicted in Egypt as a pregnant female hippo, but despite the popularity of the goddess herself, the cult of the animal was not a common phenomenon, they were revered only in the Paprimite district. Oddly enough, these animals, like crocodiles, were considered enemies of the god Ra and personifiedevil.
Pigs
These animals were considered unclean in Egypt. Plutarch said that the Egyptian people believed that if you drink the milk of a pig, then the skin becomes covered with scabs and leprosy. Once a year a pig was sacrificed and eaten. There was a legend that once the great Typhon hunted a boar in the full moon, and the beast led him to the wooden coffin of Osiris. The pig is associated with the sky, she is like the moon, and her cubs are the stars.
Cats and lions
Egypt is believed to be the birthplace of cats. This animal was revered due to the fact that the state was agrarian, and only cats could save from rodents, so they paid tribute to them. Cats were also considered the keepers of the hearth. When a cat died in the house, mourning was declared. Animals were buried with special honors. Bast (goddess of love) is associated with a cat, even the great god Ra is depicted as a red cat. There was a death pen alty for killing a cat. The love of the Egyptians for these animals once brought them grief: the Persian king Cambyses ordered his soldiers to tie a cat to the shield, so Egypt surrendered without a fight. Lions symbolized the power and authority of the pharaohs. The cult was not universal. Cult center - Leontopol.
Egypt is an amazing country in which many different animals have been worshiped for many centuries. It doesn't matter if they personified evil or good, the Egyptians treated our smaller brothers with respect. The history of sacred animals is fascinating, interesting, and also instructive. In the framework of our narrative, only a smallpart of this culturally rich world. The history of Ancient Egypt, its rituals, rituals associated with sacred animals is a separate world into which you plunge and get carried away forever.
