An introduction to my favourite divinity

I’d like to introduce you to my favourite god since high school. He is not from the Mahayana pantheon. Rather, he is from the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. His name is Dhwty, or Thoth in his Hellenized name. He was the creator deity of Hermopolis, and the trusted subordinate of Re, who was creator god of Heliopolis. In both cities he held a greatly important role. Tonight’s post consists of a slightly edited excerpt from an essay paper I wrote in 2004.

As the spirituality linked to Thoth developed, he became the god of many other aspects, and these were far beyond even Re’s scope of power. So many godly attributes were credited to him that he was seen to be far more powerful than Re. An inscription at the temple of Dendera describes Thoth as: “Thoth, twice great, the most ancient of all, master of the city of Khemennu the great… heart of Re, tongue of Atum, throat of the god whose name is hidden [Amun], Lord of Time… Thoth, he who rests on truth. What issues from his heart immediately comes into existence; his utterances subsist for eternity.” (Budge, 1904:164)

Of all deities in ancient Egypt, Thoth was the strangest. He was either the son of Horus and Seth, having sprang from Seth’s head, or he was self-begotten, the one who uttered the first sound in the universe, creating the first matter. He made calculations concerning the establishment of the heavens and nature. His role as the universal demiurge that, as the divine ibis, hatched the world egg, shunted the original architect god Ptah to one side as his servant. He was credited with all the arts, including science, mathematics and in particular hieroglyphic writing. He was declared to be the author of the funeral works by which the deceased obtained eternal life. The Book of the Dead gives him a unique position among the gods, and he is represented as the possessor of powers which are greater than those of Osiris, god of the dead, and even those of Re. The priests of Thoth went a step further, claiming he was the Lord of Magicians and controlled spells that gave him dominion over the natural world and over the gods themselves. It is notable that the priests at Hermopolis had always been preoccupied with the concept of duality. Thoth was the god of equilibrium and cosmic balance. He was not only the moon-god who regulated time itself, he was also a mediator between conflicts between gods, most notably that of Horus and Seth. The symbolism is obvious, that he is the balancer of good and evil, and all opposites. In the Book of the Dead, Thoth states: “…I have pacified Horus, I have calmed the Rivals in their time of raging, I… have washed away the blood, I have calmed the tumult and washed away everything evil.” (Faulkner, 1972:181) In this respect Thoth is seen as a god of not only the essential functioning of the universe, but also as the master of law in both its physical and moral conceptions. It is easy to see his increasing importance as one of Egypt’s prominent gods, perhaps the main reason why Hermopolis rose to prominence in Egyptian society.

Scribes took to heart the importance of learning and writing correctly, and they believed Thoth would guide their pen. Thoth was himself seen as a divine scribe, as well as in the Book of the Dead: “I am Thoth the skilled scribe whose hands are pure, an Ennead of purity, who drives away evil, who detests falsehood, who writes all that is true, whose pen defends the laws of all, master of laws who interprets writings…” (Faulkner, 1972:181) indeed, the master scribes of Egypt were expected to be able to come close to such incredible tasks, so important was their duty to the pharaoh. Scribes were the ‘wise men’ of Egypt, influential and knowledgeable in their understanding of worldly human matters.

It was only during the Greco-Roman period in the fourth century that his city of Hermopolis was called such, being named after the Greek god Hermes, whom the Greeks felt Thoth had much in common with. The mystique of Thoth fascinated the Greeks. They saw the Egyptians as one of the wisest peoples on Earth. It was unavoidable that they saw the Egyptians as such, having such a profoundly more positive religion than the Greeks and having gods such as Thoth whose attributes transcended any Greek god. During the time, a cult of Hermes had been established in Hermopolis, no doubt based around the Egyptian concept of Thoth, and during its holy festivals the cult was taken very seriously as well. In a letter salvaged from the ruins of Hermopolis, a member, Anatolius, has written to his master Sarapion, telling he has decided to stay for the Holy Month’s festival to Hermes. “At all events, though often I was eager and ready for action, unavoidable reasons kept me from reaching you – on the one hand, the illnesses of my daughters… on the other, the inexorable water of the cult of the god Hermes who protects.” (Rees, 1964:4). Thoth also played an important part in Greek mysticism – Hermes had never been known as thrice greatest before. We know during this time, Anatolius had written a letter to a self-proclaimed prophet, Ambrosius, in praise of the good harvest and political prospects current in Egypt: “May Hermes Thrice-greatest and all the gods grant you permanent happiness! To the all-wise… chief prophet.” (Rees, 1964:6). This thriving cult the mysterious Anatolius belonged in soon evolved into one of the largest and most famous secret societies ever – the Freemasons, complete with their own beliefs and spiritual culture. The Freemasons, while not as secretive and mysterious as they were hundreds of years ago, have taken Thoth as inspiration for one of their most important spiritual figures – Hermes Trismegistus. It is clear that the lore of Thoth still continues today, along with the mystique of other Egyptian gods.

How Thoth was able to perform all the various duties, which were assigned to him by the Egyptians and the Greeks, is still difficult to understand through modern conceptions. It is quite clear that Thoth held in minds a position which was quite different from that of other gods, and that the attributes that were ascribed to him were unlike the majority of any member of the Egyptian/Freemason pantheon. The character of Thoth is a lofty and beautiful conception, and is perhaps the highest idea of deity ever fashioned in the Egyptian mind (which was somewhat prone to dwell on the more practical side of divine matters).

Even gods die, and Thoth’s religion is long gone and his priests have turned to dust underneath the desert sands they worshiped him on. But if he really was as benevolent as the myths make him out to be, who knows – he may return one day to help other sentient beings. Either way, his proud voice still resounds.