Khnum is an ancient Egyptian god
who was the God of the Nile
inundation from Elephantine where
he guarded the first cataract. Khnum
name also spelled as Chnum, Knum,
or Khnemu and he is one of the
oldest Egyptian gods. He is also
known as Chnoumis in Greek and his
name 'Khnum' means “builder”.
Khnum was worshipped from the 1st
dynasty (c. 2925–2775 bce) into the
early centuries ce. He was
represented as a ram with horizontal
twisting horns or as a man with a
ram's head. ... Khnum also had an
important cult at Esna, south of
Thebes.
Rams, seen as a symbol of fertility,
were identified with various gods,
notably Khnum, a creator god, and
Amun, the great god of the city of
Thebes. Ram-headed sphinxes flank
the entrance to the temple of Amun
at Thebes.
God of Water
Since Khnum was originally seen as
the god of water, it makes sense that
we should start our study of him
there. Other than traditional water
you or I might think of, Khnum was
also associated with the rivers and
lakes of the underworld. Khnum was
seen as the source of the Nile, the
most powerful river in Egypt. In
addition to providing water, the Nile
served as a way to irrigate crops and
transport goods. According to the
legend of Khnum, he made sure
there was enough black silt deposits
along the banks of the Nile to make
the land fertile. This same silt forms
clay, which link Khnum to his next
association—the potter god.
God of Fertility
Khnum was often depicted with
human hands so that he could work
his potter's wheel to create humans.
Khnum was believed to have created
humankind from clay. Not only did
he craft their physical bodies out of
clay, but he also created an
individual's 'ka' (spirit) and could
bless them with the gift of health.
Ancient Egyptians believed he also
created the gods that came after him
on his potter's wheel. Additionally,
they believe he created the 'First
Egg,' which is what the sun came
from. Because rams are very fertile,
he was also associated with fertility.
Deity of the Dead
In the Book of the Dead, spells call
on Khnum, and many Egyptians
were buried with heart-scarabs with
spells to Khnum. They did this
looking for protection and favor in
the afterlife.
Khnum guided Ra (the sun god) on
his journey through the underworld,
created the boat they used, and
defend him from the serpent that
tried to attack. Egyptians believed
that during the day, Ra road the boat
across the sky—bringing light and
warmth to the earth. Each night,
when the sun set, he made a
journey through the underworld.
This journey was difficult, so Ra
depended on Khnum and a few other
gods to help him on this difficult
journey. Because Khnum made sure
that Ra made this dangerous journey
safely, he was regarded as the
protective deity of the dead.
Worship
During the Old Kingdom (2613-2181
BCE), Khnum was the most
worshiped god. In fact, the pharaoh
even took the name Khnum-Khufu,
which means 'Khnum is his
protector.' Later, his popularity was
surpassed by Ra.
- (FA.1a)
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