![]() ![]() Īs Amun’s cult grew in power, he assumed the roles (and occasionally the names) of these now-smaller gods. During this time, he shared his cosmological space with the gods Montu, Wast, and Min. During the era of the Middle Kingdom (2066-1780BCE), and thus prior to his ascendency, Amun was simply a local god based in a town outside of Thebes. Family TreeĪmun rose to mythological supremacy relatively recently, only becoming the most powerful god during the New Kingdom (c. According to the Ogdoad, Amun took Amunet as his wife (or consort). The competing religious cult of Hermopolis held that Amun was a member of the Ogdoad-a group of eight primordial gods and goddesses who created the universe. ![]() The other members of this triad were Amun’s wife Mut, and their son Khonsu. According to Theban beliefs, Amun was part of a group known as the Theban Triad. FamilyĬompared with other Egyptian deities, Amun had a relatively simply family tree. While Amun was frequently depicted as having blue skin, later representations used red as well.Īmun’s other representations included a ram-headed man, a ram-headed serpent, a primordial goose, and a ram-headed sphinx. He often wore a short kilt and a feather-patterned tunic. Īmun was depicted in a variety of ways, with the most common being that of a bearded man wearing a dual-feathered plume. The Egyptians believed that if a mortal were to learn Amun’s true name, the knowledge would kill them instantly. Amun’s true name, however, was hidden from gods and mortals alike. To know someone’s name was to have power over them, a fact exploited by a number of Egyptian deities (see Extorting the Sun: Isis Poisons Ra). He was frequently referred to as the “hidden” god, a term with a very specific meaning. Amun’s omnipresence was radically different from the presence of other Egyptian gods, though such a trait is often associated with the gods of the Abrahamic tradition.Īmun’s omnipresence was also paired with an uncommon omnipotence. Though his presence could always be felt, it was never seen. While other Egyptian gods were thought to reside in specific locations (desert, underworld, sky,etc.), Amun was everywhere at once (hence his connections to the wind). Protector of kings, travelers, traders, and mariners During this transformation, he merged with a number of other deities and absorbed the attributes of those he displaced.Īmun’s attributes were legion, and he was variously identified as: Over the course of his worship, Amun grew from a small, but significant local deity to the single most powerful god within the Egyptian pantheon. ![]() The Greeks took his title very seriously, and by the Ptolemaic period Amun had become associated with their chief god Zeus. Among these titles were:įinally, “Amonrasonther,” the Greek name for Amun, was likely a transliteration of the Egyptian name Amun-Re Nesu Netcheru (Amun Ra, King of the Gods). Great Honker/Great Shrieker (An allusion to his mythological role as the goose whose cry created the universe) Īmun gained several additional titles after he was merged with other prominent Egyptian gods. Amun’s name meant “the hidden one,” a reference to his omnipresence. ![]()
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