Akhty (deity)
| Akhty inhieroglyphs | ||||||
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Early Kingdom diction:
Netjer-akhty nṯr-ʳḫtj God of the horizon | ||||||
Later diction:
Akhty ʳḫtj He of the horizon | ||||||
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| Ancient Egyptianreligion |
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Akhty(also readNetjer-akhty) was anancient Egyptiandeity.He was seldom mentioned.
Depiction[edit]
Akhty was depicted as anorthern bald ibis.The bird depiction was often guided by the hieroglyphic sign for "god",Netjer.[1][2]See a picture on the statue of the priestRedjit[de].
Attestations[edit]
The earliest mention of this deity appears on stone vessel inscriptions from the reign of the2nd dynastyPharaohHotepsekhemwy.Egyptologists such asWolfgang Helckbelieve that Akhty was a dynasty deity and ancestor god. Akhty was also depicted (and thus worshipped) under Hotepsekhemwy's successors,RanebandNynetjer.During theOld Kingdomperiod, Akhty's name only appears in connection with private names (such asAkhetaa) and priest titles such asHem-netjer-Akhty( "god's servant of Akhty" ). In even later times, Akhty's names appears more and more seldom.[3]
Worship[edit]
According toancient Egyptian mythology,the Akh-bird was believed to be the representation of the human spirit (Egyptian:Akh). Most possibly this idea was inspired by the attractive shimmering and glittering of the bird's feathers, which was compared by the Ancient Egyptians to the glittering of the stars in the night sky. A similar belief is known fromPersianBedouins,who worship the northern bald ibis as a bearer of the deceased's soul.[1][2]
As Akhty's name suggests, he was believed to reside at the evening horizon, guiding the setting sun and carrying the spirit of the deceased safely into the night sky.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^abcEberhard Otto:Ach.In: Wolfgang Helck (Hrsg.):Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ),vol. 1. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1975,ISBN3-447-01670-1,p. 49-52.
- ^abcJan Assmann:Tod und Jenseits im Alten Ägypten, Sonderausgabe.C. H. Beck, München 2003,ISBN3-406-49707-1,p. 116-118.
- ^Wolfgang Helck, Eberhard Otto, Wolfhart Westendorf:Lexikon der Ägyptologie,vol. 2. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1977,ISBN3447018763,p. 430.