The pantheon of Ancient Egypt is very extensive, in this country many gods worshiped. Some of them, for example 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 common in these cities. In mythology there are countries of the pyramids and ancient gods who created all the others. One of them is Tefnut, with interesting facts about which we offer to get acquainted.
Appearance
Often the ancient Egyptian goddess Tefnut was depicted as a cat or lioness, on the frescoes you can also see her representation as a woman with a lion's head. In this case, on the head of Tefnut there was a fire disk and a sacred snake, in the hands - ankh and a rod - the escape of papyrus. The goddess was depicted in gold jewelry worn by the noble Egyptians of that time. Primary colors - red, brown, green.
You can also find images in which Tefnut appears in the guise of a lioness, with her back turned to the lion - her brother-wife Shu.
Value
The Nubian cat (which was sometimes called the goddess Tefnut) was considered a deity of moisture. It was by her will that life-giving water, so important for soil fertility: rain, dew, fell on the ground. Therefore, the role of Tefnut in the pantheon was very significant, because without liquid all crops in the fields would 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 solar god made his daily walk around the horizon, the Eye shone on his head, it was Tefnut. Often, the goddess was identified with the keeper of Ra Uto.
A family
According to the mythology of Ancient Egypt, the family of the goddess Tefnut included:
- Ra (Atum) is the father.
- Shu is a spouse and at the same time a twin brother.
- Children - Nut and Geb.
It is interesting that, following the example of mythical gods, quite real pharaohs often entered into closely related marriages, which led to mutations and degeneration of the genus. In some myths, the Tefnut husband is called the progenitor god of Ptah (Pt).
Sacred animals and attributes
The lioness was considered the sacred animal of Tefnut. Also, cats and snakes were identified with this deity, which, however, were not dedicated exclusively to the Nubian cat. It is interesting that in ancient Egypt, lions were encountered quite often, but now you can not meet these formidable predators in the country. Tefnut elements were considered 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 story of the goddess of moisture is directly related to 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 scattered among the three largest religious centers, one of which was Heliopolis. The priests of this sunny city explained the appearance of the world and the birth of the goddess Tefnut:
- From the initial fluid, the god Atum (Ra) spontaneously spawned.
- He created Benben (the sacred stone) by the power of his will.
- Standing on a stone, Atum created the first pair of gods - Shu (air deity) and Tefnut. They were not only brother and sister, but also spouses.
- From the first divine pair, Nut (the goddess of heaven) and Geb (earth) were born.
- Then Geb and Noot gave birth to two more pairs of deities, who were also both brother and sister and spouses: Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephthys. Osiris began to rule the underworld, Isis was credited with the functions of the fertility goddess. 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, which entered the ennead of Heliopolis.
Tests for the Egyptians
The most famous is one of the myths in which Tefnut appears. The plot of it is as follows. The ancient Egyptians lived comfortably in the Nile Valley.
The sunny god Ra generously endowed his beloved people with the warm rays of the heavenly luminary.
Goddess Tefnut ensured regular rainfall, which is why the land did not lose its fertility.
The god of the Nile (Hapi) was responsible for the spills of the great river, which made the arable land even richer thanks to the wonderful silt.
The Egyptians were grateful to their gods and performed songs of praise for them, erected temples and statues, and made donations. But once Tefnut quarreled with her father - the goddess decided that people should exclusively 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.
Drought began in the Nile Valley, the rains completely stopped. Farmers were left without a crop: he died under the scorching rays of the sun. The soil became solid, the grass turned yellow and wilted, the cattle had nothing to eat, its death, famine and pestilence began. Then sandstorms fell upon the Egyptians. That 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 escape a terrible fate. The meat and blood of people served as food for the offended Tefnut, her breathing became fiery, and her eyes spewed tongues of flame.
Goddess return
Ra, who most of all his children loved precisely the goddess of life-giving moisture, was very homesick without her and wanted to return. Therefore, he decided to send the gods to Nubia to help return Tefnut. The choice fell on two deities:
- the wife of a lioness, Shu;
- the god of wisdom, Thoth, who was often portrayed with the head of an ibis.
Immortals took the form of baboons (these monkeys in Egypt were revered as sacred animals) and headed for the hard way. The terrible lioness unfriendly met uninvited visitors, and only the wisdom of Thoth helped to return her. God began to describe the beauties of Egypt, this amazing land rich in fertile green meadows, amazingly beautiful temples and inhabited by grateful people. God told that Tefnut did not have to do anything to get food, they would respect and praise her in songs. She succumbed to persuasion and, together with Tot and Shu, headed home. The god of wisdom cast magic spells all the way so that the lioness would not change her mind.
Having bathed in the waters of the Sacred Lake, the goddess lost the appearance of a lioness 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 her beloved daughter again.
According to another version of the myth of 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 difficult it is for the Egyptian people without their beloved patroness. Arable lands have dried up, people are starving to death, the Tefnut temples are closed, and the priests put on mourning robes and mourn their goddess in desperation. The heart of the Nubian cat melted, her anger subsided, she agreed to return.
Worship of the goddess
The myth of the flight and return of the goddess of Egypt Tefnut became 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 in order to appease her.
The main center of veneration of the lioness goddess was Heliopolis. 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:
- First, a dance was performed to appease the wayward Tefnut. They tried to choose a calm and harmonious melody for the dance.
- Then there were the offerings of wine, which the severe lioness loved very much. Game was also used as a victim.
- Then the priests read prayers.
The goddess was very fond of offerings, so often other gods (or rather their sculptural images) sent gifts to her. The priests placed before the statue of Tefnut small statues of Heh, a symbol of eternity, and Maat - the goddess of a fair trial. This symbolized the presentation of the gift of Tefnut to other deities. Often a water clock served as an offering, since the Nubian cat was identified with the concept of time.
Temples of the goddess
Several Tefnut temples have survived to our days, which help to understand how significant it 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 of not only Tefnut itself, but also other lion-headed deities: Sekhmet, Mahesa, was located. Statuettes of bronze lions found in abundance here testify to the fact that these animals inspired the ancient Egyptians not so much with horror as with reverence.
The Tefnut shrines existed in Nubia, they have survived to this day in the best condition, but they are not distinguished by such wealth 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.