The Pantheon of Ancient Egypt is very extensive, many gods were worshiped in this country. Some of them, such as Ra, Osiris, Horus, were revered everywhere, others had only local significance. So, the bloody goddess Sekhmet was the patroness of Memphis and Heliopolis, and her cult was widespread in these cities. There are in the mythology of the Land of the Pyramids and the ancient gods who created all the rest. One of them is Tefnut, with interesting facts about which we offer you to get acquainted.
Appearance
Often, the ancient Egyptian goddess Tefnut was depicted as a cat or a lioness; on the frescoes you can also see her representation as a woman with a lion's head. In this case, a fiery disk and a sacred snake were located on the head of Tefnut, in the hands - ankh and a wand - a papyrus shoot. The goddess was depicted in gold jewelry worn by noble Egyptians of that time. Primary colors are red, brown, green.
You can also find images in which Tefnut appears in the guise of a lioness, turned her back to the lion - her brother-husbandShu.
Meaning
The Nubian cat (this is how the goddess Tefnut was sometimes called) was considered the deity of moisture. It was by her will that life-giving water, so important for soil fertility, fell on the earth: rains, dew. Therefore, the role of Tefnut in the pantheon was very significant, because without liquid, all crops in the fields will dry up, and Egypt in those days was primarily an agricultural state.
Also, the functions of the Eye of Ra were often attributed to the deity. When the sun god made his daily round of the horizon, the Eye shone on his head, this was Tefnut. Often the goddess was identified with the guardian Ra Uto.
Family
According to the mythology of Ancient Egypt, the family of the goddess Tefnut included:
- Ra (Atum) - father.
- Shu is a husband and twin brother at the same time.
- Children - Chickpeas and Geb.
Interestingly, following the example of the mythical gods, quite real pharaohs often entered into closely related marriages, which led to mutations and degeneration of the clan. In some myths, the progenitor god Ptah (Ptah) is called Tefnut's husband.
Sacred animals and paraphernalia
The sacred animal Tefnut was considered a lioness. Cats and snakes were also identified with this deity, which, however, were not dedicated exclusively to the Nubian cat. Interestingly, in ancient Egypt, lions were encountered quite often, but now you will not find these formidable predators in the country. The elements of Tefnut were fire and water.
Origin and place in the pantheon
The Goddess Tefnut in Ancient Egypt was one of the nine ancient gods, the so-called Heliopolis Ennead. Therefore, the history of the goddess of moisture is directly connected with mythological ideas about the creation of the world. On the territory of the country there were no unified views on this issue, ideological ideas were dispersed among the three largest religious centers, one of which was Heliopolis. The priests of this solar city explained the appearance of the world and the birth of the goddess Tefnut in this way:
- The god Atum (Ra) was spontaneously born from the original liquid.
- He created Benben (the sacred stone) by the power of his will.
- Standing on a stone, Atum created the first pair of gods - Shu (the deity of the air) and Tefnut. They were not only brother and sister, but also spouses.
- From the first divine couple, Nut (goddess of heaven) and Geb (earth) were born.
- Then Geb and Nut gave birth to two more pairs of deities who were also brother and sister and spouses at the same time: Osiris and Isis, Set and Nephthys. Osiris began to rule the underworld, Isis was credited with the functions of the goddess of fertility. Set was the god of the desert, Nephthys the goddess of death and healing.
- A little later, a barren desert was created.
Thus, 9 deities appeared, included in the ennead of Heliopolis.
Trials for the Egyptians
The most famous is one of the myths in which Tefnut appears. Its plot is like this. The ancient Egyptians lived comfortably in the Nile Valley.
The solar god Ra generously endowed his beloved people with the warm rays of the heavenly body.
The Goddess Tefnut ensured regular rainfall, which made the lands not lose their fertility.
The god of the Nile (Hapi) was responsible for the floods of the great river, which made the arable land even richer thanks to the miraculous silt.
The Egyptians were grateful to their gods and sang songs of praise for them, erected temples and statues, and made donations. But one day Tefnut quarreled with her father - the goddess decided that people should only thank her alone. Turning into a lioness, she left Egypt, as it seemed to her, forever, even the great father could not stop the angry goddess.
A drought has begun in the Nile Valley, the rains have completely stopped. The farmers were left without a crop: he died under the scorching rays of the sun. The soil became hard, the grass turned yellow and withered, the cattle had nothing to eat, their death, famine and pestilence began. Then sandstorms hit the Egyptians. This is how the myth of the wrath of the goddess Tefnut begins.
The lioness began to live in the deserts of Nubia, attacking people and tearing them to shreds. In anger, the goddess was terrible, not a single person who accidentally met her could avoid a terrible fate. The meat and blood of people served as food for the offended Tefnut, her breath became fiery, and her eyes spewed out flames.
Return of the Goddess
Ra, who loved the goddess of life-giving moisture more than all his children, missed her very much and wanted to return. So he decided to send the gods to Nubia to help bring back Tefnut. The choice fell on two deities:
- wifelioness, Shu;
- the god of wisdom Thoth, who was often depicted with the head of an ibis.
The immortals took the form of baboons (these monkeys were revered as sacred animals in Egypt) and set off on a difficult path. The formidable lioness unfriendly met the uninvited visitors, and only the wisdom of Thoth helped bring her back. God began to describe the beauties of Egypt, this amazing region, rich in green fertile meadows, temples of amazing beauty and inhabited by grateful people. God said that Tefnut would not have to do anything to get food for herself, she would be respected and praised in songs. She succumbed to the persuasion and, together with Thoth and Shu, headed home. The god of wisdom cast magic spells all the way so that the lioness wouldn't change her mind.
After bathing in the waters of the Sacred Lake, the goddess lost her lioness appearance and became like an ordinary woman of incredible beauty. It was in this form that she appeared before Ra, who was immensely happy to see his beloved daughter again.
According to another version of the myth about the return of the goddess Tefnut to Egypt, the sage Thoth acted alone. He did not skimp on compliments to the strength and power of the lioness, praised her in every possible way and did not forget to add how hard it is for the Egyptian people without their beloved patroness. The arable lands have dried up, people are dying of hunger, the temples of Tefnut are closed, and the priests put on mourning robes and mourn their goddess in despair. The heart of the Nubian cat melted, her anger subsided, she agreed to return.
Worshiping the Goddess
The myth of flight and returnEgyptian goddess Tefnut was the reason for the appearance of the pyramids in the country. Every year, shortly before the flood, the Egyptians played a scene about the departure and return of the goddess to appease her.
Heliopolis was the main center of worship for the lioness goddess. She was distinguished by a formidable disposition, so all the rites in the temples were carried out with the main goal - to pacify her. The following descriptions of religious actions have survived to this day:
- A dance was first performed to appease the wayward Tefnut. They tried to pick up a calm and harmonious melody for the dance.
- Then there were offerings of wine, which the stern lioness loved very much. Game was also used as a sacrifice.
- Further, the priests read prayers.
The goddess was very fond of offerings, so often gifts were sent to her even by other gods (or rather, their sculptural images). The priests placed in front of the statue of Tefnut small figurines of Heha, the symbol of eternity, and Maat, the goddess of justice. This symbolized the gift of Tefnut by other deities. Often, a water clock served as an offering, as the Nubian cat was identified with the concept of time.
Goddess Temples
Several temples of Tefnut have survived to this day, which help to understand how significant she was in the Egyptian pantheon. In addition to the already mentioned Heliopolis, the place of veneration of the formidable lioness was Leontopol, otherwise the city of lions. It was here that the sanctuary was located not only of Tefnut herself, but also of other lion-headed deities: Sekhmet, Mahesa. Bronze lion figurines found here in abundancetestify that these animals inspired the ancient Egyptians not so much horror as reverence.
Tefnut shrines were also in Nubia, they have survived to this day in the best condition, but they are not as rich as the Egyptian ones. Also, the places of worship of the goddess were in Upper Egypt: in Kom-Ombo, Esna, Edfu. And scientists find images of the goddess in many tombs of the pharaohs.
The ancient Egyptian goddess Tefnut is one of the most revered, since it was she who, as the inhabitants of the Nile Valley believed, was responsible for the rains and provided life-giving moisture, without which a rich harvest could not be expected.
