Mehen

Mehen ( " roll up " after the ancient Egyptian verb for " wrap " or " surround " ) is the name of a deity in the mythology of Ancient Egypt. He was a beyond God and one of the numerous protector of the sun god Re.

Description

Mehen was a serpent god, whose body was either tortuous or shown completely rolled up. In later times his head could be human. He was often depicted spitting fire.

Evidence

Mehen is first mentioned in writing and pictorially in the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom during the 5th Dynasty. But since a considerably longer time, he already seems to have been known since it was dedicated to a particular board game called " Mehen " and this has been played since about 3000 BC. The cult of Mehen flourished during the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom was Mehen for solid gods ensemble of the so-called "underworld books" ( Imydwat ) in which he was called along with other protective deities.

Mythological role

Mehen was something beyond God, who in the underworld ( Duat ) the late King or the sun god took Re in reception and escorted in then on his journey through the underworld and protected by wrapped the head of the king / the Re or the entire body. In the Old Kingdom, it was still primarily in the Pyramid Texts, the deceased king, who should be protected, from the Middle Kingdom it was only Re.

In the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom the role of the Mehen is apparently not yet defined implicitly as him there often get varying roles and responsibilities. He also mentioned there only whole four times. The Pyramid Texts primarily the rise of the late king in the sky on the topic. After a safe ascension, the king must join to the gods, Mehen is intended to stand by his side.

In saying 332, for example, Mehen is directly equated with the late king: " The deceased has come out as ' Mehen ' and ascended with fiery breath, turning it." In saying 626 ( from the pyramid of Queen Neith ) is Mehen deceased with the linked to the queen: " Neith has come out as a swallow, she ended up as a hawk! Her face is that of Mehen who accompanies " In saying 659, however, the deceased with the falcon god Horus is identified who is looking for his father Osiris :" Take these white teeth that are in Mehen and which are all around sore, because they are called " arrows", "! This call is based on Re and is addressed to the king in the form of Horus. Mehen there plays a rather passive role.

From the New Kingdom Mehen were assigned different hours during the night in the underworld, where he had his performances. The most important of these were the seventh hour, had to play in the return against his mythological nemesis Apophis, and the eleventh hour, was praised in the Mehen for his protection. Only when Apophis was defeated, Re could rise on the eastern horizon and usher in the new day.

The texts show that the Sun God Mehen never changed the whole time and cupped his post or even left. However, in the dead books, other deities such as Khnum and Osiris are mentioned, they were guarded by Mehen (most common quote: " He who is in the Mehen "). Mehens main item was the so-called "daily bark of Re ". The only sure took epithet of Mehen is ankh ( "life" ).