አባይ የሚለው ስም ከየት መጣ? ትርጉሙ ምን ማለት ነው?
Posted: 23 Jul 2020, 14:18
አባይ የሚለውን የጥቁር አባይ (የብሉ ናይል) ስም የሰጡት እጅግ ጥንታዊ ግብጾች ነበሩ ።
ሃፒ (ሃቢ፣ሃቢይ) የአባይ አምላክ ነበር፤ እንዲያውም የአምላኮች አባት ይባል ተብሎ ይመለክ ነበር ። አቢ (ሃቢ) ማለት አባት ማለት ሲሆን እሱም እሱም ህይወት የሚሰጥ፣ (Life Giver) ማለት ነው ።
ዛሬ ባብዛኛው የኢትዮጵያ ቋንቋዎች ያለው ቃል ማለትም አቢ፣ አባ አቦ አባት፣ አቡን፣ አባቴ፣ የሚሉት ስምች ሁሉ የዚህ ዝርያ ናቸው ። አብ ማለት ስጥ፣ አበ ሰጠ ማለት ነው። አብነት ማለት ስጦታ፣ የተሰጠ ማለት ነው። አባት ማለት ሀይወት የሚሰጥ የሚለው አለ ምንም ለወጥ ለብዙ ሺ አመታት እንዳለ ይዘነው አለን ። ከዚህ በታች ስለ አባይ አምላክ (የዛሬዎች ሰፋሪ አረቦች ሳይሆን) ጥንታዊ ግብጾች ያሉትን ሁሉ ተመልከቱ ። ኢትዮጵያ የአባይ አምላክ አገር፣ ኢትዮጵያ የፈጣሪ አገር የተባለው ከዚህ ተነስቶ ነው ።
ይህ ሃቅ ሺ ቦታ ተጽፎ ቅድመ ክርስትና የአባይ መቅደሶች ዛሬም አሉ ፣ ከአረብ ጥፋት የተረፉት ። ኢትዮጵጵያ የግብጾች አምላክ መኖሪያ ምድር ናጥ ይህ ነው ለ5 ሺ ዘመን የሚታወቀው ሃቅ! ለምን ቢሉ የግብጽ ህይወት የሚመነጨው ከኢትዮጵያ ስለሆነ !!!
ሰዕሎቹን ለማየት ዊኪፔዲያ ጉግል አድርጉ
Hapi (Nile god)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Egyptian Nile god. For Hapi, one of the Four sons of Horus, see Hapi (Son of Horus). For Hapi-ankh, bull deity of Memphis, see Apis (god).
Hapi, shown as a pair of genies symbolically tying together upper and lower Egypt.
Hapi
in hieroglyphs
Hapi was the god of the annual flooding of the Nile in ancient Egyptian religion. The flood deposited rich silt (fertile soil) on the river's banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.[1] Hapi was greatly celebrated among the Egyptians. Some of the titles of Hapi were, Lord of the Fish and Birds of the Marshes and Lord of the River Bringing Vegetation. Hapi is typically depicted as an intersex person with a large belly and pendulous breasts, wearing a loincloth and ceremonial false beard.[2]
Contents
• 1 Mythology
• 2 Iconography
• 3 References
• 4 Further reading
• 5 External links
Mythology
Another depiction of Hapi, bearing offerings
The annual flooding of the Nile occasionally was said to be the Arrival of Hapi.[1] Since this flooding provided fertile soil in an area that was otherwise desert, Hapi, as its patron, symbolised fertility. He had large female breasts because he was said to bring a rich and nourishing harvest. Due to his fertile nature he was sometimes considered the "father of the gods",[1] and was considered to be a caring father who helped to maintain the balance of the cosmos, the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system.[1] He was thought to live within a cavern at the supposed source of the Nile near Aswan.[3] The cult of Hapi was mainly located at the First Cataract named Elephantine. His priests were involved in rituals to ensure the steady levels of flow required from the annual flood. At Elephantine the official nilometer, a measuring device, was carefully monitored to predict the level of the flood, and his priests must have been intimately concerned with its monitoring.
Hapi was not regarded as the god of the Nile itself but of the inundation event.[1] He was also considered a "friend of Geb" the Egyptian god of the earth,[4] and the "lord of Neper", the god of grain.[5]
Iconography
Although male and wearing the false beard, Hapi was pictured with pendulous breasts and a large belly, as representations of the fertility of the Nile. He also was usually given blue [2] or green skin, representing water. Other attributes varied, depending upon the region of Egypt in which the depictions exist. In Lower Egypt, he was adorned with papyrus plants and attended by frogs, present in the region, and symbols of it. Whereas in Upper Egypt, it was the lotus and crocodiles which were more present in the Nile, thus these were the symbols of the region, and those associated with Hapi there. Hapi often was pictured carrying offerings of food or pouring water from an amphora, but also, very rarely, was depicted as a hippopotamus. During the Nineteenth dynasty Hapi is often depicted as a pair of figures, each holding and tying together the long stem of two plants representing Upper and Lower Egypt, symbolically binding the two halves of the country around a hieroglyph meaning "union".[2] This symbolic representation was often carved at the base of seated statues of the pharaoh.[2]
References
1.
• Wilkinson, p.106
• • Wilkinson, p.107
• • Wilkinson, p.108
• • Wilkinson, p.105
5. • Wilkinson, p.117
• Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05120-8.
Further reading
• Bonneau, Danielle (1964). La Crue du Nil: Divinité égyptienne, à travers mille ans d'histoire 332 av.–641 ap. J.–C., d'après les auteurs grecs et latins (in French). C. Klincksieck.
External links
Hapi, God of the Nile, Fertility, the North and South
by Caroline Seawright
August 21, 2001
Updated: December 19, 2012
10 Comments
Hapi (Hep, Hap, Hapy) was probably a predynastic name for the Nile - later on, the Egyptians just called the Nile iterw, meaning 'the river' - and so it became the name of the god of the Nile. ('Nile' comes from the Greek corruption - Neilos - of the Egyptian nwy which means 'water'.) He was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts ("who comest forth from Hep") where he was to send the river into the underworld from certain caverns, where he was thought to have lived at the First Cataract. The Nile was thought to have flowed from the primeval waters of Nun, through the land of the dead, the heavens and finally flowing into Egypt where it rose out of the ground between two mountains which lay between the Islands of Abu (Elephantine) and the Island of Iat-Rek (Philae). Hapi was also mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as a destructive power, but one that worked for the pharaoh.
Homage to thee, O Hapi, thou appearest in this land, and thou comest in peace to make Egypt to live. Thou art the Hidden One, and the guide of the darkness on the day when it is thy pleasure to lead the same. Thou art the waterer of the fields which Ra has created, thou givest life unto all animals, thou makest all the land to drink unceasingly as thou descendest on thy way from heaven.
-- Spence, L. 2008, Myths & Legends of Ancient Egypt, p. 171
Image © Cristoph Gerigk
As a water god, Hapi was a deity of fertility and fecundity - he provided water, food and the yearly inundation of the Nile. He was also known as 'Lord of the Fishes and Birds of the Marshes,' indicating that he provided these creatures to the Egyptians along with the Nile itself. Without Hapi, Egypt would have died, and so he was sometimes revered even above Ra, the sun god. The depiction of Hapi himself, though, was that of a rather well-fed, blue or green man with the false beard of the pharaoh on his chin. Other than showing his status as a god of fertility by his colour, the Egyptians showed Hapi as having rather large breasts, like those of a mother with a baby. According to Donald A. MacKenzie (1922), the "whitish muddy Nile may have been identified with milk". Thus, these white, muddy waters that flowed from the breasts of Hapi were probably linked to nurturing and suckling, and thus also to fertility.
At a very early period he absorbed the attributes of Nun, the primeval watery mass from which Ra, the Sun-god, emerged on the first day of the creation; and as a natural result he was held the father of all beings and things, which were believed to be the results of his handiwork and his offspring. When we consider the great importance which the Nile possessed for Egypt and her inhabitants it is easy to understand how the Nile-god Hapi held a unique position among the gods of the country, and how he came to be regarded as a being as great as, if not greater than Ra himself.
-- Tour Egypt, Hap, or Hapi, The God of the Nile
Hapi was also both god of Upper and Lower Egypt - this duality was shown by having twin Hapi deities, one wearing the papyrus of the north (Lower Egypt) as a headdress, the other wearing the south's (Upper Egypt) water lily (lotus) as a headdress. The Upper Egyptian Hapi was called 'Hap-Meht' while the Lower Egyptian Hapi was known as 'Hap-Reset'. They were depicted together, pouring water from a carried vase or together, tying the two plants of the northern or southern region into a knot with the sema hieroglyph, symbolising the union of Upper and Lower Egypt.
He was thought to be the husband of the vulture goddess Nekhbet in Upper Egypt, and of the cobra goddess Wadjet (Edjo) in Lower Egypt. When he took on the attributes of Nun (Nu), Hapi became husband to Nun's wife, the primeval goddess Naunet of the Ogdoad. He was also linked with Osiris - another water-related fertility god - and thus Nekhbet and Wadjet were also seen as a form of Isis, Osiris' wife.
...the Egyptians had no clue how or why the Nile flooded each year. They believed that the gods Khnum, Satet, and Anqet were the guardians of the source of the Nile. Their duty was to make sure that the right amount of silt was released during the yearly inundation. Hapi was in charge of the waters that flowed during the floods. The flood was commonly known as the "arrival of Hapi".
-- McDevitt, A., Hapi
During the inundation flood, the Egyptians would throw offerings, amulets and other sacrifices into the Nile at certain places, sacred to Hapi. Hapi was thought to come with the inundation (the 'Arrival of Hapi') with a retinue of crocodile gods and frog goddesses, and the sacrifices were given in the hopes that the flood would not be too high, nor too low. If the inundation was too high, many homes would be destroyed (the Egyptians built their homes and even palaces out of mud brick, which was easily washed away in a large flood). On the other hand, if the flood was too low, there would not be enough water for the fields and cattle - Egypt would be in drought. A great flood was known as a 'large Hapi', whilst a low flood was a 'small Hapy'. During inundation, statues of Hapi were carried about through the towns and villages so that the people could honor and pray to him - it was a solemn occasion.
Image © The Great Mirror
Even Akhenaten, the 'heretic king', could not banish Hapi completely as he did with the other gods. Instead, he tried to suggest that Hapi was an incarnation of the Akenaten himself:
Praises to thee, O Ua-en-Re (Akhenaten). I give adoration to the height of heaven. I propitiate him who lives by truth (Ma'at), the Lord of Diadems, Akhenaten, great in his duration; the Nile-god by whose decrees men are enriched; the food (kau) and fatness of Egypt; the good ruler who forms me, begets me, develops me, makes me to associate with princes; the light by sight of which I live - my Ka day by day.
-- Frankfort, H. 1978, Kingship and the Gods, p. 69
Hapi was the mighty one in his cavern, whose true name was unknown. He was 'lord of the fishes and birds of the marshes' who 'greens the Two Banks'. He was the 'maker of barley and wheat', the 'master of the river bringing vegetation'. However, there are no known temples of Hapi, but his statues and reliefs are found in the temples of other deities. He was worshipped throughout the land of Egypt, but especially at Swentet (Aswan) and Gebel El-Silisila.
________________________________________
Further Information about Hapi
• Hapi (Nile god) - Wikipedia
• Hapi - Encyclopedia Mythica
• Hapi - Tour Egypt
• Anubis - André Dollinger
• The Hymn to the Nile Flood - Digital Egypt
Hapi
Hapi (Hep, Hap, Hapy) was a water and fertility god who was popular throughout Ancient Egypt. It is thought that his name was originally the predynastic name for the Nile. however, by the Dynastic period the Nile was known as "iterw" ("the river") and the word was used to refer to the god of the Nile (the name "Nile" derives from the Greek word "Neilos" which was a corruption of the Egyptian word "nwy", meaning "water"). He was worshiped throughout Egypt, but was particularly popular around Aswan and Gebel El-Silisila.
Hapi was the patron of Upper and Lower Egypt. In this capacity he was described as twin deities named Hap-Reset (Upper Egypt) and Hap-Meht (Lower Egypt). Therse deities were depicted either pouring water from a jug (representing the innundation) or tying together the heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt (the papyrus and the lotus respectively) in a knot which resembled the hieroglyphic word "sema" ("joined"). This role, together with his connection with the Nile and the innundation, made him one of the most popular and powerful deities of Ancient Egypt and yet no temple has been discovered which was specifically dedicated to him.
One of the oldest references to Hapi is in the Pyramid Texts of Unas. Hapi (here called Hep) is linked to the Nome of Kenset (including the First Cataract and the islands of Elephantine, Sahel, Philae, and others) and to (Wepwawet (the opener of the ways).
The texts implore Hapi and Wepwawet send a good innundation. According to myth, the river flowed from Hapi´s home (near the First Cataract) through the heavens and the land of the dead before emerging from a cave somewhere in the mountains. The innundation was referred to as the "Arrival of Hapi" and during the flood the Egyptians would place statues of the god in the towns and cities so that they could implore his assistance at that time. They would throw offerings into the river at places sacred to the god in order to ensure the innundation was not too low (leaving insufficient water for the crops) or too high (risking the destruction of their mud-brick homes).
The gods Khnum, Anqet and Satet were the guardians of the source of the Nile who ensured that the correct amount of silt was left by the waters, but Hapi controlled the water itself. He was also associated with the Delta and given the epithet "Lord of the Fishes and Birds of the Marshes".
As a god of water, he was often associated with Nun (the personification of the primeaval waters of chaos in the Ogdoad theology from Heliopolis) and was described as the husband of Naunet (Nun´s wife and female aspect). Because the sun god (Ra or Atum) emerged from the waters of Nun on the first day of creation, Hapi was sometimes considered to be the father of the sun god and therefore the father of all life forms. It is probably because of these solar connections that Akhenaten did not reject hapi along with Amun and the majority of the other gods, instead describing him as an incarnation of The Aten
He was also associated with Osiris because of his link to the Nile and fertility. As a result, Isis was sometimes considered to be his female counterpart or his wife. The Pyramid Texts make it clear that many of the ancient goddesses (for example Mut) were linked with Hapi as aspects of Isis. He was also the husband of Nekhebet in Upper Egypt and Wadjet in Lower Egypt, both goddesses were at times associated with Isis.
Hapi was depicted as a plump man with large breasts and blue or green skin wearing the false beard of the pharaoh. The female breasts and his skin colour are a reminder that he is a fertility god, while the false beard reaffirms his link to the pharaoh. As the patron of Upper and Lower Egypt and so was often depicted as twin deities; Hap-Reset who wears the papyrus of Upper Egypt on his headdress and Hap-Meht who wears the lotus of Lower Egypt on his headdress. When he is depicted as a single god he often carries both the papyrus and lotus.
copyright J Hill 2010
Hapi
Hapi
(Hapy)
Symbols: running water
Hapi is the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile. He is ancient not only to us of the modern world, but to the Egyptians as well. In fact, "hep", the root of Hapi's name is probably an ancient name for the Nile.
Hapi was portrayed as a man with women's breasts and protruding belly. The full breasts and stomach indicate fertility and his ability to nourish the land through the Nile's annual floods. Just as Egypt was divided into two parts (the north and the south) so was Hapi's domain, the Nile. As a god of the northern Nile, Hapi was depicted wearing papyrus plants, a symbol of Lower Egypt, on his head. In this form, he was called "Hap-Meht". The Nile-god of Upper Egypt was "Hap-Reset" and wore lotus plants (a symbol of the south) on his head. When an artist was attempting to portray Hapi as a god of the entire Nile, he holds both lotus and papyrus plants in his hands or two vases.
The female counterpart and wife of Hapi in the south was Nekhebet, who was a goddess of the south in general and portrayed as a vulture. The wife of the Hapi of the north was Buto, who was depicted as a cobra and the equivalent of Nekhebet in the south.
Osiris was originally a water or river god and eventually Hapi was identified with him. However, in his own right, Hapi was recognized as one of the greatest Egyptian gods and he was declared not only the maker of the universe, but the creator of everything from which it and all things sprang. Hapi was also associated with Nun, as the Nile's source was believed to be located somewhere in the watery chaos of Nun's domain.
Hapi had a certain mysteriousness about him. The Egyptians believed that the Nile rose out of the ground between two mountains (Qer-Hapi and Mu-Hapi) between the islands of Elephantine and Philae. However, the Egyptians had no clue how or why the Nile flooded each year. They believed that the gods Khnemu, Anqet, and Satet were the guardians of the source of the Nile. Their duty was to make sure that the right amount of silt was released during the yearly inundation. Hapi was in charge of the waters that flowed during the floods. The flood was commonly known as the "arrival of Hapi". The Egyptians would toss sacrifices, amulets and other offerings into the Nile at special places to appease Hapi and to ensure that he would provide an adequate inundation to water their fields.
Temple of Hapi-The Egyptian God of the Nile
Hapi is the God of the Nile...His name comes from the ancient Egyptian word for the Nile; Hep. He is worshiped not in temples but upon the river itself.
His worship extended through both upper and lower Egypt and in fact all the way to Rome. (The picture below is me with the 'God of the Nile' statue at Capitoline Museum in Rome.)
Hapi was sometimes shown with a Hippo head, or as a buff hunk-God when the Romans were doing the art,
like the statue above from my 2009 Rome trip...but He was usually shown as a man with flabby chest and stomach
(likely referring to his fertility and abundance blessings)
holding papyrus and lotus plants in each hand.
Often He was shown as blue (Likely because the Nile was blue...but many ancient Egyptian and Hindu Gods were shown as blue-skinned.)
The Lotus and Papyrus plants of course gave the people paper, and perfume oil that were both highly prized.
Offerings were made to Hapi by food being thrown into the river. Many prayers were addressed to him, for the yearly flood that made farming the desert lands possible,
and for the blessings the river brought forth, like fish, papyrus, lotus, and other plants, that the Egyptians used in daily life.
Hapi is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts; Utterance 581: "Those who see the Nile when it surges, tremble, the meadows laugh, and the riverbanks are inundated."
Though the yearly floods were destructive the Ancient Egyptians also noted that the floods brought life
to the land by way of water and fertile top soil for the farmers to grow food from in the coming season, so the troubling yearly inundation
was in deed worshiped nonetheless as a blessing by Hapi.
Below are excerpts from the Hymn to the flood- ancient text translated by M. Lichtheim
Hail to you, Hapy, Sprung from earth,
Come to nourish Egypt!
Of secret ways,
A darkness by day,
To whom his followers sing!
Who floods the fields that Re has made,
To nourish all who thirst;
Lets drink the waterless desert,
His dew descending from the sky.
.....
When you overflow, O Hapy,
Sacrifice is made for you;
Oxen are slaughtered for you,
A great oblation is made to you.
Fowl is fattened for you,
Desert game snared for you,
As one repays your bounty.
One offers to all the gods
Of that which Hapy has provided,
Choice incense, oxen, goats,
And birds in holocaust.
Mighty is Hapy in his cavern
His name unknown to those below,
For the gods do not reveal it.
You people who extol the gods,
Respect the awe his son has made,
The All-Lord who sustains the shores!
Oh joy when you come!
Oh joy when you come, O Hapy,
Oh joy when you come!
You who feed men and herds
With your meadow gifts!
Oh joy when you come!
Oh joy when you come, O Hapy,
Oh joy when you come!
ሃፒ (ሃቢ፣ሃቢይ) የአባይ አምላክ ነበር፤ እንዲያውም የአምላኮች አባት ይባል ተብሎ ይመለክ ነበር ። አቢ (ሃቢ) ማለት አባት ማለት ሲሆን እሱም እሱም ህይወት የሚሰጥ፣ (Life Giver) ማለት ነው ።
ዛሬ ባብዛኛው የኢትዮጵያ ቋንቋዎች ያለው ቃል ማለትም አቢ፣ አባ አቦ አባት፣ አቡን፣ አባቴ፣ የሚሉት ስምች ሁሉ የዚህ ዝርያ ናቸው ። አብ ማለት ስጥ፣ አበ ሰጠ ማለት ነው። አብነት ማለት ስጦታ፣ የተሰጠ ማለት ነው። አባት ማለት ሀይወት የሚሰጥ የሚለው አለ ምንም ለወጥ ለብዙ ሺ አመታት እንዳለ ይዘነው አለን ። ከዚህ በታች ስለ አባይ አምላክ (የዛሬዎች ሰፋሪ አረቦች ሳይሆን) ጥንታዊ ግብጾች ያሉትን ሁሉ ተመልከቱ ። ኢትዮጵያ የአባይ አምላክ አገር፣ ኢትዮጵያ የፈጣሪ አገር የተባለው ከዚህ ተነስቶ ነው ።
ይህ ሃቅ ሺ ቦታ ተጽፎ ቅድመ ክርስትና የአባይ መቅደሶች ዛሬም አሉ ፣ ከአረብ ጥፋት የተረፉት ። ኢትዮጵጵያ የግብጾች አምላክ መኖሪያ ምድር ናጥ ይህ ነው ለ5 ሺ ዘመን የሚታወቀው ሃቅ! ለምን ቢሉ የግብጽ ህይወት የሚመነጨው ከኢትዮጵያ ስለሆነ !!!
ሰዕሎቹን ለማየት ዊኪፔዲያ ጉግል አድርጉ
Hapi (Nile god)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Egyptian Nile god. For Hapi, one of the Four sons of Horus, see Hapi (Son of Horus). For Hapi-ankh, bull deity of Memphis, see Apis (god).
Hapi, shown as a pair of genies symbolically tying together upper and lower Egypt.
Hapi
in hieroglyphs
Hapi was the god of the annual flooding of the Nile in ancient Egyptian religion. The flood deposited rich silt (fertile soil) on the river's banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.[1] Hapi was greatly celebrated among the Egyptians. Some of the titles of Hapi were, Lord of the Fish and Birds of the Marshes and Lord of the River Bringing Vegetation. Hapi is typically depicted as an intersex person with a large belly and pendulous breasts, wearing a loincloth and ceremonial false beard.[2]
Contents
• 1 Mythology
• 2 Iconography
• 3 References
• 4 Further reading
• 5 External links
Mythology
Another depiction of Hapi, bearing offerings
The annual flooding of the Nile occasionally was said to be the Arrival of Hapi.[1] Since this flooding provided fertile soil in an area that was otherwise desert, Hapi, as its patron, symbolised fertility. He had large female breasts because he was said to bring a rich and nourishing harvest. Due to his fertile nature he was sometimes considered the "father of the gods",[1] and was considered to be a caring father who helped to maintain the balance of the cosmos, the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system.[1] He was thought to live within a cavern at the supposed source of the Nile near Aswan.[3] The cult of Hapi was mainly located at the First Cataract named Elephantine. His priests were involved in rituals to ensure the steady levels of flow required from the annual flood. At Elephantine the official nilometer, a measuring device, was carefully monitored to predict the level of the flood, and his priests must have been intimately concerned with its monitoring.
Hapi was not regarded as the god of the Nile itself but of the inundation event.[1] He was also considered a "friend of Geb" the Egyptian god of the earth,[4] and the "lord of Neper", the god of grain.[5]
Iconography
Although male and wearing the false beard, Hapi was pictured with pendulous breasts and a large belly, as representations of the fertility of the Nile. He also was usually given blue [2] or green skin, representing water. Other attributes varied, depending upon the region of Egypt in which the depictions exist. In Lower Egypt, he was adorned with papyrus plants and attended by frogs, present in the region, and symbols of it. Whereas in Upper Egypt, it was the lotus and crocodiles which were more present in the Nile, thus these were the symbols of the region, and those associated with Hapi there. Hapi often was pictured carrying offerings of food or pouring water from an amphora, but also, very rarely, was depicted as a hippopotamus. During the Nineteenth dynasty Hapi is often depicted as a pair of figures, each holding and tying together the long stem of two plants representing Upper and Lower Egypt, symbolically binding the two halves of the country around a hieroglyph meaning "union".[2] This symbolic representation was often carved at the base of seated statues of the pharaoh.[2]
References
1.
• Wilkinson, p.106
• • Wilkinson, p.107
• • Wilkinson, p.108
• • Wilkinson, p.105
5. • Wilkinson, p.117
• Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05120-8.
Further reading
• Bonneau, Danielle (1964). La Crue du Nil: Divinité égyptienne, à travers mille ans d'histoire 332 av.–641 ap. J.–C., d'après les auteurs grecs et latins (in French). C. Klincksieck.
External links
Hapi, God of the Nile, Fertility, the North and South
by Caroline Seawright
August 21, 2001
Updated: December 19, 2012
10 Comments
Hapi (Hep, Hap, Hapy) was probably a predynastic name for the Nile - later on, the Egyptians just called the Nile iterw, meaning 'the river' - and so it became the name of the god of the Nile. ('Nile' comes from the Greek corruption - Neilos - of the Egyptian nwy which means 'water'.) He was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts ("who comest forth from Hep") where he was to send the river into the underworld from certain caverns, where he was thought to have lived at the First Cataract. The Nile was thought to have flowed from the primeval waters of Nun, through the land of the dead, the heavens and finally flowing into Egypt where it rose out of the ground between two mountains which lay between the Islands of Abu (Elephantine) and the Island of Iat-Rek (Philae). Hapi was also mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as a destructive power, but one that worked for the pharaoh.
Homage to thee, O Hapi, thou appearest in this land, and thou comest in peace to make Egypt to live. Thou art the Hidden One, and the guide of the darkness on the day when it is thy pleasure to lead the same. Thou art the waterer of the fields which Ra has created, thou givest life unto all animals, thou makest all the land to drink unceasingly as thou descendest on thy way from heaven.
-- Spence, L. 2008, Myths & Legends of Ancient Egypt, p. 171
Image © Cristoph Gerigk
As a water god, Hapi was a deity of fertility and fecundity - he provided water, food and the yearly inundation of the Nile. He was also known as 'Lord of the Fishes and Birds of the Marshes,' indicating that he provided these creatures to the Egyptians along with the Nile itself. Without Hapi, Egypt would have died, and so he was sometimes revered even above Ra, the sun god. The depiction of Hapi himself, though, was that of a rather well-fed, blue or green man with the false beard of the pharaoh on his chin. Other than showing his status as a god of fertility by his colour, the Egyptians showed Hapi as having rather large breasts, like those of a mother with a baby. According to Donald A. MacKenzie (1922), the "whitish muddy Nile may have been identified with milk". Thus, these white, muddy waters that flowed from the breasts of Hapi were probably linked to nurturing and suckling, and thus also to fertility.
At a very early period he absorbed the attributes of Nun, the primeval watery mass from which Ra, the Sun-god, emerged on the first day of the creation; and as a natural result he was held the father of all beings and things, which were believed to be the results of his handiwork and his offspring. When we consider the great importance which the Nile possessed for Egypt and her inhabitants it is easy to understand how the Nile-god Hapi held a unique position among the gods of the country, and how he came to be regarded as a being as great as, if not greater than Ra himself.
-- Tour Egypt, Hap, or Hapi, The God of the Nile
Hapi was also both god of Upper and Lower Egypt - this duality was shown by having twin Hapi deities, one wearing the papyrus of the north (Lower Egypt) as a headdress, the other wearing the south's (Upper Egypt) water lily (lotus) as a headdress. The Upper Egyptian Hapi was called 'Hap-Meht' while the Lower Egyptian Hapi was known as 'Hap-Reset'. They were depicted together, pouring water from a carried vase or together, tying the two plants of the northern or southern region into a knot with the sema hieroglyph, symbolising the union of Upper and Lower Egypt.
He was thought to be the husband of the vulture goddess Nekhbet in Upper Egypt, and of the cobra goddess Wadjet (Edjo) in Lower Egypt. When he took on the attributes of Nun (Nu), Hapi became husband to Nun's wife, the primeval goddess Naunet of the Ogdoad. He was also linked with Osiris - another water-related fertility god - and thus Nekhbet and Wadjet were also seen as a form of Isis, Osiris' wife.
...the Egyptians had no clue how or why the Nile flooded each year. They believed that the gods Khnum, Satet, and Anqet were the guardians of the source of the Nile. Their duty was to make sure that the right amount of silt was released during the yearly inundation. Hapi was in charge of the waters that flowed during the floods. The flood was commonly known as the "arrival of Hapi".
-- McDevitt, A., Hapi
During the inundation flood, the Egyptians would throw offerings, amulets and other sacrifices into the Nile at certain places, sacred to Hapi. Hapi was thought to come with the inundation (the 'Arrival of Hapi') with a retinue of crocodile gods and frog goddesses, and the sacrifices were given in the hopes that the flood would not be too high, nor too low. If the inundation was too high, many homes would be destroyed (the Egyptians built their homes and even palaces out of mud brick, which was easily washed away in a large flood). On the other hand, if the flood was too low, there would not be enough water for the fields and cattle - Egypt would be in drought. A great flood was known as a 'large Hapi', whilst a low flood was a 'small Hapy'. During inundation, statues of Hapi were carried about through the towns and villages so that the people could honor and pray to him - it was a solemn occasion.
Image © The Great Mirror
Even Akhenaten, the 'heretic king', could not banish Hapi completely as he did with the other gods. Instead, he tried to suggest that Hapi was an incarnation of the Akenaten himself:
Praises to thee, O Ua-en-Re (Akhenaten). I give adoration to the height of heaven. I propitiate him who lives by truth (Ma'at), the Lord of Diadems, Akhenaten, great in his duration; the Nile-god by whose decrees men are enriched; the food (kau) and fatness of Egypt; the good ruler who forms me, begets me, develops me, makes me to associate with princes; the light by sight of which I live - my Ka day by day.
-- Frankfort, H. 1978, Kingship and the Gods, p. 69
Hapi was the mighty one in his cavern, whose true name was unknown. He was 'lord of the fishes and birds of the marshes' who 'greens the Two Banks'. He was the 'maker of barley and wheat', the 'master of the river bringing vegetation'. However, there are no known temples of Hapi, but his statues and reliefs are found in the temples of other deities. He was worshipped throughout the land of Egypt, but especially at Swentet (Aswan) and Gebel El-Silisila.
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Further Information about Hapi
• Hapi (Nile god) - Wikipedia
• Hapi - Encyclopedia Mythica
• Hapi - Tour Egypt
• Anubis - André Dollinger
• The Hymn to the Nile Flood - Digital Egypt
Hapi
Hapi (Hep, Hap, Hapy) was a water and fertility god who was popular throughout Ancient Egypt. It is thought that his name was originally the predynastic name for the Nile. however, by the Dynastic period the Nile was known as "iterw" ("the river") and the word was used to refer to the god of the Nile (the name "Nile" derives from the Greek word "Neilos" which was a corruption of the Egyptian word "nwy", meaning "water"). He was worshiped throughout Egypt, but was particularly popular around Aswan and Gebel El-Silisila.
Hapi was the patron of Upper and Lower Egypt. In this capacity he was described as twin deities named Hap-Reset (Upper Egypt) and Hap-Meht (Lower Egypt). Therse deities were depicted either pouring water from a jug (representing the innundation) or tying together the heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt (the papyrus and the lotus respectively) in a knot which resembled the hieroglyphic word "sema" ("joined"). This role, together with his connection with the Nile and the innundation, made him one of the most popular and powerful deities of Ancient Egypt and yet no temple has been discovered which was specifically dedicated to him.
One of the oldest references to Hapi is in the Pyramid Texts of Unas. Hapi (here called Hep) is linked to the Nome of Kenset (including the First Cataract and the islands of Elephantine, Sahel, Philae, and others) and to (Wepwawet (the opener of the ways).
The texts implore Hapi and Wepwawet send a good innundation. According to myth, the river flowed from Hapi´s home (near the First Cataract) through the heavens and the land of the dead before emerging from a cave somewhere in the mountains. The innundation was referred to as the "Arrival of Hapi" and during the flood the Egyptians would place statues of the god in the towns and cities so that they could implore his assistance at that time. They would throw offerings into the river at places sacred to the god in order to ensure the innundation was not too low (leaving insufficient water for the crops) or too high (risking the destruction of their mud-brick homes).
The gods Khnum, Anqet and Satet were the guardians of the source of the Nile who ensured that the correct amount of silt was left by the waters, but Hapi controlled the water itself. He was also associated with the Delta and given the epithet "Lord of the Fishes and Birds of the Marshes".
As a god of water, he was often associated with Nun (the personification of the primeaval waters of chaos in the Ogdoad theology from Heliopolis) and was described as the husband of Naunet (Nun´s wife and female aspect). Because the sun god (Ra or Atum) emerged from the waters of Nun on the first day of creation, Hapi was sometimes considered to be the father of the sun god and therefore the father of all life forms. It is probably because of these solar connections that Akhenaten did not reject hapi along with Amun and the majority of the other gods, instead describing him as an incarnation of The Aten
He was also associated with Osiris because of his link to the Nile and fertility. As a result, Isis was sometimes considered to be his female counterpart or his wife. The Pyramid Texts make it clear that many of the ancient goddesses (for example Mut) were linked with Hapi as aspects of Isis. He was also the husband of Nekhebet in Upper Egypt and Wadjet in Lower Egypt, both goddesses were at times associated with Isis.
Hapi was depicted as a plump man with large breasts and blue or green skin wearing the false beard of the pharaoh. The female breasts and his skin colour are a reminder that he is a fertility god, while the false beard reaffirms his link to the pharaoh. As the patron of Upper and Lower Egypt and so was often depicted as twin deities; Hap-Reset who wears the papyrus of Upper Egypt on his headdress and Hap-Meht who wears the lotus of Lower Egypt on his headdress. When he is depicted as a single god he often carries both the papyrus and lotus.
copyright J Hill 2010
Hapi
Hapi
(Hapy)
Symbols: running water
Hapi is the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile. He is ancient not only to us of the modern world, but to the Egyptians as well. In fact, "hep", the root of Hapi's name is probably an ancient name for the Nile.
Hapi was portrayed as a man with women's breasts and protruding belly. The full breasts and stomach indicate fertility and his ability to nourish the land through the Nile's annual floods. Just as Egypt was divided into two parts (the north and the south) so was Hapi's domain, the Nile. As a god of the northern Nile, Hapi was depicted wearing papyrus plants, a symbol of Lower Egypt, on his head. In this form, he was called "Hap-Meht". The Nile-god of Upper Egypt was "Hap-Reset" and wore lotus plants (a symbol of the south) on his head. When an artist was attempting to portray Hapi as a god of the entire Nile, he holds both lotus and papyrus plants in his hands or two vases.
The female counterpart and wife of Hapi in the south was Nekhebet, who was a goddess of the south in general and portrayed as a vulture. The wife of the Hapi of the north was Buto, who was depicted as a cobra and the equivalent of Nekhebet in the south.
Osiris was originally a water or river god and eventually Hapi was identified with him. However, in his own right, Hapi was recognized as one of the greatest Egyptian gods and he was declared not only the maker of the universe, but the creator of everything from which it and all things sprang. Hapi was also associated with Nun, as the Nile's source was believed to be located somewhere in the watery chaos of Nun's domain.
Hapi had a certain mysteriousness about him. The Egyptians believed that the Nile rose out of the ground between two mountains (Qer-Hapi and Mu-Hapi) between the islands of Elephantine and Philae. However, the Egyptians had no clue how or why the Nile flooded each year. They believed that the gods Khnemu, Anqet, and Satet were the guardians of the source of the Nile. Their duty was to make sure that the right amount of silt was released during the yearly inundation. Hapi was in charge of the waters that flowed during the floods. The flood was commonly known as the "arrival of Hapi". The Egyptians would toss sacrifices, amulets and other offerings into the Nile at special places to appease Hapi and to ensure that he would provide an adequate inundation to water their fields.
Temple of Hapi-The Egyptian God of the Nile
Hapi is the God of the Nile...His name comes from the ancient Egyptian word for the Nile; Hep. He is worshiped not in temples but upon the river itself.
His worship extended through both upper and lower Egypt and in fact all the way to Rome. (The picture below is me with the 'God of the Nile' statue at Capitoline Museum in Rome.)
Hapi was sometimes shown with a Hippo head, or as a buff hunk-God when the Romans were doing the art,
like the statue above from my 2009 Rome trip...but He was usually shown as a man with flabby chest and stomach
(likely referring to his fertility and abundance blessings)
holding papyrus and lotus plants in each hand.
Often He was shown as blue (Likely because the Nile was blue...but many ancient Egyptian and Hindu Gods were shown as blue-skinned.)
The Lotus and Papyrus plants of course gave the people paper, and perfume oil that were both highly prized.
Offerings were made to Hapi by food being thrown into the river. Many prayers were addressed to him, for the yearly flood that made farming the desert lands possible,
and for the blessings the river brought forth, like fish, papyrus, lotus, and other plants, that the Egyptians used in daily life.
Hapi is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts; Utterance 581: "Those who see the Nile when it surges, tremble, the meadows laugh, and the riverbanks are inundated."
Though the yearly floods were destructive the Ancient Egyptians also noted that the floods brought life
to the land by way of water and fertile top soil for the farmers to grow food from in the coming season, so the troubling yearly inundation
was in deed worshiped nonetheless as a blessing by Hapi.
Below are excerpts from the Hymn to the flood- ancient text translated by M. Lichtheim
Hail to you, Hapy, Sprung from earth,
Come to nourish Egypt!
Of secret ways,
A darkness by day,
To whom his followers sing!
Who floods the fields that Re has made,
To nourish all who thirst;
Lets drink the waterless desert,
His dew descending from the sky.
.....
When you overflow, O Hapy,
Sacrifice is made for you;
Oxen are slaughtered for you,
A great oblation is made to you.
Fowl is fattened for you,
Desert game snared for you,
As one repays your bounty.
One offers to all the gods
Of that which Hapy has provided,
Choice incense, oxen, goats,
And birds in holocaust.
Mighty is Hapy in his cavern
His name unknown to those below,
For the gods do not reveal it.
You people who extol the gods,
Respect the awe his son has made,
The All-Lord who sustains the shores!
Oh joy when you come!
Oh joy when you come, O Hapy,
Oh joy when you come!
You who feed men and herds
With your meadow gifts!
Oh joy when you come!
Oh joy when you come, O Hapy,
Oh joy when you come!
