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A second point to consider is the Egyptians' attitude toward animals. Up until recent times it was generally thought that the ancient Egyptians worshipped animals. This view, however, is probably too simplistic. It is true that the Egyptians often depicted their gods with the heads and/or bodies of animals and that some animals, such as the cat and the bull, were considered sacred by certain groups. Rather than saying that the Egyptians worshipped the animals themselves as gods, though, it is probably more accurate to say that they worshipped the special qualities with which they believed the animals to be endowed. Also, just as some animals were considered helpful and beneficent, others were considered evil and harmful. Among the "harmful" animals were the pig, the lion, the crocodile, and the hippopotamus.
The hippopotamus came to be associated most closely with the god Seth and the goddess Taueret. It also figured in the representation of the monster Ammut.
Many of the stories involving Seth focus on the competition between him and his nephew, Horus, for the throne of Egypt. Horus was the son of Seth's sister, Isis, and his brother, Osiris. A few surviving stories indicate that Seth murdered Osiris, the original king, in order to claim the throne for himself. Thus the stage was set for an epic power struggle: Did the throne of Osiris belong to his brother, murderer though he was, or to his son? After many struggles and arguments, Horus was declared the victor and awarded the crown. There are differing accounts of Seth's fate. In one version, Seth was appeased by being invited to join the sun-god Re in the sky, where his voice became the sound of thunder. In another version, Horus utterly destroyed Seth.
In one story, Seth suggested a rather bizarre contest to determine whom would be crowned king. He proposed that he and Horus change themselves into hippopotamuses and dive into the Nile for three months. If either returned to the surface before the three months was over, the other would be declared the winner. Horus readily agreed to Seth's conditions. Isis, however, feared for her son, for the hippopotamus was one of Seth's natural forms, and she was afraid that Seth would kill Horus while they were submerged beneath the murky waters. Secretly, she fashioned a harpoon from copper and yarn. After Seth and Horus had become hippopotamuses and disappeared into the river, Isis threw her harpoon after them, hoping to pierce Seth. Instead, the harpoon struck Horus in the flank, and he came to the surface and cried to his mother for help. Horrified, Isis called her magic weapon back to her and threw again. This time the harpoon struck Seth. Struggling to the surface, Seth cried to his sister for mercy. Moved by her brother's pleas, Isis again called the harpoon back to her. Horus was so enraged that his mother had shown Seth mercy that he came flying out of the river, cut off her head, and carried it off into the desert. (Isis was eventually brought back to life, but that's another story.)
In another of the Seth vs. Horus stories, Seth proposed a boat race. Specifically, he proposed that he and Horus make boats of stone and race them down the Nile. Horus agreed, but, while Seth was busy carving a boat from a huge boulder, Horus secretly built a boat from wood and covered it with plaster to make it look like stone. Naturally, when the boats were launched, Seth's boat sank straight to the bottom of the river, while Horus floated away, laughing scornfully at Seth's plight. Furious, Seth became a hippopotamus again, swam after Horus, and tore his boat to pieces. Horus then picked up a weapon and came after Seth, but the gods who had gathered to watch the contest prevented him from harming Seth.
| In the city of Edfu there is a temple dedicated to Horus. Carved into the walls of the temple are a series of vignettes depicting the victory of Horus over Seth. Horus is shown standing on the back of a hippopotamus (Seth) and stabbing it with a harpoon. Since Horus represented kingship and divine rule, these scenes symbolized the triumph of the pharaoh over the forces of chaos. |  |
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Taueret (a.k.a. Taweret, Thoeris, Apet) was one of the minor deities in the Egyptian pantheon. She was the goddess of childbirth and the protectress of pregnant women. Egyptian women who were expecting often wore amulets bearing her image. Taueret was depicted as a pregnant hippopotamus with human breasts, the hind legs of a lioness, and the tail of a crocodile. She was usually shown standing upright and leaning on a sa, a plait of rolled papyrus which symbolized protection. Temples dedicated to Taueret can be found in the cities of Thebes and Deir el-Bahri. |
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Ammut, "the Devourer of Evil Hearts," was a fearsome monster who lived in the underworld. A combination of animals greatly feared by the Egyptians, Ammut had the head of a crocodile, the front legs and torso of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. The Egyptians believed that the souls of the deceased had to pass a series of tests on their journey through the underworld. In one test, the god Anubis used a scale to weigh the heart of the deceased person against Mayet, or Truth, symbolized by a feather. If the heart, weighed down by its sins, proved heavier than the feather, it was thrown to Ammut to be devoured, thus inflicting a second death on the deceased. |
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