Egyptians loved animals

Posted on November 23rd, 2010 by

If you think the people of today’s society have a soft spot for animals you should have been alive when the Ancient Egyptians were in power.

It'll be spittin in her face momentarily

It'll be spittin in her face momentarily

The Egyptians put the heads of animals on the bodies of humans, that’s how important they were to them. Take for example Ra, with the head of a falcon his domain is the sun and sky, his head of course represents what the Egyptians saw every time they looked up into the sky of the harsh, dry desert they inhabited.

Seth’s head is another head that could represent the God’s responsibility. His head is a jackal. What do you think of when you hear the word jackal? Thoughts of troubling evil, and chaotic rage illuminate in my mind. The Egyptians rightfully placed the head of the jackal on the neck of the God of chaos, evil and hostility. If it was my decision I would have had Dan’s head placed in its spot instead.

Anubis is another example. When a rotting corpse is left in the desert what is the most likely animal to stumble upon the corpse and eat the remains? None other then the wild dog. Rightfully so with the dog being associated with death the Egyptians threw the head on the neck of a human and called it the god of funerals.

Thoth’s head is an Ibis which is known for bravery while flying through hurricanes. I’m not sure if the Egyptians ever witnessed a hurricane but if so that’s why they chose the Ibis head for “The Ares of Egypt”.

"Like the 'U' in the eighties...."

"Like the 'U' in the eighties...."

The connections between the heads and the god’s rituals and domains are easy to visualize. This shows the importance that the animal played in the Egyptian society. They valued their presence so much that they thought of them as equals, depending on the way you look at it. You know for sure that Michael Vick wouldn’t last 5 minutes in this culture. His funeral would probably be performed alive and in public fashion.

No wonder the NFL Hall of Fame wanted his jerzy after ripping apart the Redskins

No wonder the NFL Hall of Fame wanted his jerzy after ripping apart the Redskins

In today’s society you can argue many points in animal rights. For example, dog fighting is illegal, but is UFC fighting that much different? Both competitors are jacked up on ‘roids, enclosed in a cage, bleeding from all sorts of lethal blows, and also loving every bit of it. Why isn’t UFC illegal? If the UFC fighters today believed in Egyptian mythology they would pray to Ra to evolve into Ammit, so they could devour their opponents souls.

"Damn I wish I had the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hind legs of a hippo, I would have definitely won...."

"Damn I wish I had the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hind legs of a hippo, I would have definitely won...."

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Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Mummy Back

Posted on November 23rd, 2010 by
 

The Egyptian pantheon of gods and creatures may be one of the most easily recognizable, perhaps due to the bizarre anatomical features. What was it about the Egyptians that caused them to give their gods animalistic natures and features? Perhaps it’s due to the fact that animals displayed traits that were desirable for a god to have- quickness, strength or a sort of wisdom. But why, then, didn’t other mythos have non-anthropomorphic gods?

That's Zeus as the animal. I'm calling bull.

That's Zeus as the animal. I'm calling bull.

It’s unfair to say that most mythological figures were entirely human- er, well, godly “human”, but you know what I mean- because there were aspects of these gods that were distinctly bestial. For instance, gods could be represented or symbolized by animals. Some gods were so primalistic that it could be hard not to see a savage beast in them, such a state brings to mind animals hunting or competing. That aside, most mythos were humanized, making it easier for the worshipers to understand the gods.

Maybe he developed a sweet Thooth.

Did Egyptians develop sweet Thooths?

A fear of the unknown can be an amazing motivational tool. Because early civilizations didn’t really understand phenomenons such as lightining, or thunder, or unexpected drought, floods or war, giving a supernatural reason for these occurrences made perfect sense. Since there was little to no visible cause, it must be a higher power. And when the civilizations were labelling or creating their gods, it made it a little more familiar to make the gods appear similar to themselves. And really, when most of these peoples looked around and saw plants, animals and people, they ranked themselves at the top. Since the animals had nothing near sentient intelligence, it must be that the gods were humanoid. Worshiping a person similar to onself might be a little odd, but it also provided a relatively attainable standard to live up to, and a bit of an ego boost. Who doesn’t want to look like a god?

That said, why, then, were there animalistic gods in Egyptian mythology? Possibly it’s due to the fact that Egyptians did look around them and see that humans were great, but there are characteristics that were appealing in animals. It probably wasn’t the looks, although that did get thrown into the mix, but it was probably the fact that there was a different intelligence in the animals. Gods gained qualities that were distinctly animal-like, but wanted by the Egyptians. Anubis was dog-like, or perhaps a jackal, but he was a courier for the dead, and since dogs often played with bones or scavenged the dead, it wasn’t surprising that he was assigned the job of the underworld. Thoth, before he aquired the ibis head, was portrayed as a baboon-like creature. Monkeys have a surprising amount of intelligence, and as Thoth is the god of art, poetry, astronomry and other sensitive, artsy bits, it falls right in line that Thoth would have to be intelligent. Sekhmet, as a goddess of war and vengeance, was portrayed a the head of a lion- which is appropriate in two ways. Female lions do a lot of hunting for their cubs, and are therefore a bit aggressive, and two- lions are scary and they eat people, therefore it is proper for a lion to be associated with vengeance. These gods and goddesses with their animalistic parts are pretty accurate in the way the animals are characterized and how it falls in line with the gods and their patrons and duties.

While humans as creatures are quite awesome, it was sensible of the Egyptians to include animal characteristics in their gods. A marriage of human and animal instics creates the best of two worlds. And rather than creating a monster out of a half animal-half human god or thing, it’s only the good of the two. Since these things are being used for good and not evil, for the most part, it appears that it is a blessing to have bestial instincts. Egyptians set the standard with their gods, but somehow humanity decided they were far more important than the animals.

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Ammit-The Ultimate Terminator

Posted on November 22nd, 2010 by

Most people when asked who they worship don’t turn to their household pet, but instead turn to a person. So why is it that while in most other religions and mythologies it is people that are worshiped, that the Egyptians choose to worship the animals?

Mythologies such as the Greeks and Norse are based on human deities, gods that are a heightened vision of people while still being relatable. However, as is seen in Egyptian mythology, the gods are a morph of both humans and animals. By having the gods depicted as animals, they become more fearful, and unknown. This element of being unknown gives them more power over the people, makes everything they stand for more important. The Egyptians were unable to relate to the gods on a physical level, causing a higher level of worship and regard.

The fear that was instilled because the gods were animals is especially seen through Ammit. Ammit, the female demon with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippo is the equivalent of an underworld in Egyptian mythology. Ammit waits under the Scales of Justice to devour all souls that are overrun with sin.  Now, if I were an Egyptian, which would I be more afraid of, a crocodile-wild cat-hippo, or a regular guy that wears black. I’d say Ammit wins everytime. If, in place of Ammit there was a human god, the fear  of sinning would not be as high. Knowing that if you sin your soul will be eaten by a crazy monster and you have to watch it happen give you a little incentive not to sin.

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Vegetarianism began in Egypt.

Posted on November 22nd, 2010 by

In most ancient cultures, we see that the major deities are similar to, or even an exact representation of, the perfect human. However, this was hardly the case in Egypt, where the Gods had a tendency to sport horns, wings, or tails. The fact that the Egyptians chose to worship their Gods in animalistic forms tells us a number of things about their culture. Perhaps one of the most important things that can be seen in this choice is the perceived similarities by the Egyptians between animals and humans.

The environment in Egypt, particularly at this time in history, was hardly forgiving. Human beings combated the climate by living in one, secluded group, surrounding the river the Nile. However, on the outskirts of these villages, humans saw animals. Hippo’s, desert cats and jackals all managed to survive in the deadly sands, completely alone.

Granted, the people of Egypt did not understand the biological aspects that made it prudent for some creatures to live in this manner. And for that very reason, deities came to life exhibiting their characteristics. Humans looked up to the beings that did not rely on others to survive, and through this system of admiration, the Gods were born.

One might wonder why this was not the case in other regions of the world. You see that the Norse Pantheon does not boast any part humans, while their climate was undoubtedly as rugged as that of Egypt.

          (I am aware that this is a male, but please try to appreciate it!)

The answer to this is simple. The participants in the Norse religion were, if stated directly to the point, carnivores (or at the very least omnivores). This meant that they killed and consumed animals on a day to day basis. In Egypt, one could note that the animals chosen to be incorporated into deities, cats, birds of prey, jackals, are hardly used typically in a kitchen, even an ancient one (though it could be argued that this was for the minimal nutritional value that could be gleaned from eating the equivalent of half a squirrel). These animals were not typically killed for any reason, and so their level was placed beside, if not above, that of humans.

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Nature vs. humanity

Posted on November 21st, 2010 by

Across the globe, world mythology has reflected the cultures and needs of the people within its numerous gods. Frequently these gods display human elements, making them more feasible and palpable to their followers. Although gods such as Zeus and Odin were thought to possess supernatural powers and infinite knowledge, they human traits were meant to make them relatable to mankind. The Norse gods even had a mortal element of their composition, similar to humans which are exposed at the end of the world, Ragnorak when gods such as Thor and Loki perish. Opposing this idea of humanoid gods were the Egyptians, whose culture and mythology predate the Greeks and Norse by hundreds of years. Egyptian mythology reflects their connection to their biotic and abiotic environment, which they are influenced by animals, plants, and the seasons that affect their empire.

As seen throughout Egyptian mythology, the Egyptians related nature and their gods as one. Most of the gods/goddesses had some animalistic attributes such as Thoth whose head was that of an Ibis. Still these gods had human bodies, in order to connect themselves to humanity. At the same time, their unique characteristics made them feared and respected by their followers. As seen by Ammit, the devourer of souls; she was completely comprised of animal parts, having the head of a crocodile and the mane of a lion. Lacking any human traits and eating the souls of the fallen made Ammit quite feared throughout Egyptian mythology. This idea opposes Greek mythology where the gods strived to appear humanoid, but were often thought of as equals by those who were arrogant enough to believe so.

Another reason the Egyptians depicted their gods having animalistic traits resulted from their interdependence within their environment. Throughout the seasons, the Egyptians depended on the Nile to provide them with water as well as supplementing their crops. Thus, gods such as Hapi, the god of fertility and water were inspired and created in order to bring bountiful floods and crops each year. Based on what he represented, Hapi was depicted as a hamadryas baboon, a creature known for depending heavily on the Nile for food and water. The Egyptians also depicted gods as animals that were sacred to them, which can be seen in the goddess Bastet who is shown as a cat. Overall, the Egyptians relied heavily on their environment, both religiously and daily to provide for them, which are exhibited by their gods.

i just found this randomly

i just found this randomly

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Egyptian Gods… Snooty?

Posted on November 20th, 2010 by
Several Egyptian gods have the bodies of a human and just their head is that of a different animal, like Anubis with the head of a jackal, or Ra with the head of a falcon, while a god like Ammit is sometimes portrayed entirely as an animal. The reasons for this could be many, such as the fact that Ammit seems like the god that is least like a human.
(At least I hope no human is anything like Ammit).
She is a quadruped that is one third crocodile, wild cat, and hippopotamus.
Not my kinda house pet

Not my kinda house pet

Ammit, formally known as the “Devouress of the Dead”, is the god in charge of, you guessed it, devouring the hearts of the dead if after being weighed on the Scales of Justice it weighs more than a feather from Ma’at’s headband. The weight of the heart is determined by the sins committed during that person’s life. Therefore, if your heart weighs too much you do not deserve to be permitted into the afterlife, and after the joy of witnessing your heart being devoured by a hippo-cata-dile, your soul will vanish into thin air.

Scales

The fact that Egyptian gods are often represented as mostly human with animal heads or tails represents the fact that humans and gods are alike yet drastically different at the same time. The Egyptians gods are created in this way to show everyone that gods aren’t so different and terrestrial that they should be feared or ignored, but that they should be taken seriously by the humans created mostly in their image. However, they also provide the humans with a constant reminder such as a jackal head that gods are mighty and supreme above humans.

Gods live in a world completely different than ours. They live up in the majestic mysterious sky or in the dark scary underworld, both largely unattainable by human beings.

The reason for this is that gods are higher than us and possess powers that humans only dream of. For example, Ra the All-Father, represents the entire sun. He traveled each day through the sky to provide humans with light and warmth and to give nutrients to the earth in order for humans to survive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really know of an Egyptian citizen ever being as important as an entire sun. Humans can never equate themselves with the gods, however they can relate to them through myths. By having human bodies with animal parts or entirely animal bodies, the gods were able to make sure that there were definite ways to distinguish between a god and a measly human.

Those don't look like humans to me Those don’t look like humans to me

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Guess what humanity? You’re Nothing.

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by

Yeah Keaton, you too.

The Egyptians stumbled across something rather amazing along the course of creating their civilization, something innovative called ‘humility’. They realized that the cycle of life is pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of it all, so they created a belief structure that reflected this view. And this was not some simple reflection of humanity like that of Greece and China, it was a complete and utter humbling of the human race.

This humbling effect is present in the physical characteristics of their gods and goddess. They used anthropomorphism to an extent not exhibited in any other form of mythos. The forms that most of the deities of the Egyptian pantheon took were a combination of a part animal and part human. Why?

Simple. We as humans often envy animals. We don’t have the sight of a falcon nor the creepiness factor of a jackal. But what is stopping us from wanting? Add these characteristics to a human figure and suddenly you’ve created a whole new breed of super-humans. Gods. Gods with abilities that we as humans recognize that we will never have. From these physical traits one can derive a purpose of the traits, that we will never be gods. This is humbling, even to the highest of kings, the reality exists that even though one can claim such powers, he or she will never be an amalgamation of an animal and a human.

The physical features also serve another role. By being part human and part animal, it demonstrates godship over every living organism. With this relationship established, the human being is a very small thing indeed. So small in fact, that one wonders if the deities even have time for the plebeians. Regardless of how significant one may be to society, they are nothing in the eyes of the gods. The gods are gods, not humans, not an incarnation of humans, but solely, completely and utterly gods of everything in the universe.

The Egyptians mythos leaves humanity with the simple reminder that we are but dust in the world, the world dominated by the gods.

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Gods with the Heads of Animals? Why didn’t we think of that?

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by

Those ancient Egyptians must have been on some crazy drugs. Gods with human bodies?

Check.

Strange animals with mismatched bodies and the heads of humans, like the Sphinx?

Check.

Really, Egypt?

Really, Egypt?

In doing something so off the cuff with the figures of their gods, the ancient Egyptians showed what it is that they hold dear.

Animals.

Before all of these shenanigans with the absurdly rendered gods, the Greeks set the precedent of gods being shaped like human beings. This made it easier to relate to from a worshipper’s stand point, as you can comprehend what they look like.

Also, this humanoid shape of the gods reflected the Greek culture itself. There was a strong emphasis on the advancement of one’s self almost to the point of perfection, and Gods were no different. The Greeks even came up with the Olympics, a contest designed to prove who was better than everyone else, the winner being the “perfect” athlete.

The Egyptians, on the other hand, went a bit against the grain when choosing how their gods should look. A vast majority of them have human bodies with the heads of various different animals, ranging from falcons to the very noble “Egyptian Anteater”. This implies quite a few things about Egyptian culture as a whole.

First, its obvious that animals (and birds in particular) were held very dear to the general population of Egyptian citizens. You wouldn’t make the most important deity (found in Ra) have the head of a falcon unless this was the case.

Second, there may be another underlying reason for the inclusion of animals. The animal that is represented on the head of the god may suggest the nature of said god. Take Anubis for example. Anubis is graced with the head of a dog-like creature. The Egyptians of that day and age observed that dogs were commonly seen lurking in cemeteries. So is it coincedental that the god of funerals/ death (found in Anubis) possess the head of a dog?

Nope, not at all.

No coincidence here. Those clever Egyptians...

No coincidence here. Those clever Egyptians...

These animal-style heads foreshadowed heavily about the traits of the god in question, like in the case of Anubis. So with a mix of animal stylings and some very handy foreshadowing tools, the Egyptians created a unique mythos that was undoubtedly their own. Maybe they weren’t on crazy drugs after all…

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Should we want to be “The Bee’s Knees”?

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by

When you ask little kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” most would say firefighter, policeman, teacher, or a doctor. On the other hand, most kids would not say that they want to be an ant, a hippo, a lion, or a giraffe.

Key words: most kids

Key words: most kids

Humans generally aspire to bigger and better humans, not bigger and better animals.

We consider ourselves a higher race than animals, but what if an animal, such as a cat, was our god? Would we then aim to be the best “cat” that we could be?

What if we take the biggest cat in the world, a tiger, and combine it’s traits with a humans? That would be one sick individual. No longer human. No longer man. The only thing that is not human and not animal, which still contains a sense of being “alive” is a God. The Egyptians did just this. They took the important and prominent features of an animal and bound them to a man or woman, thus increasing the stature, abilities, understandings, and physical attributes of that human. Attached with these characteristics comes a sense of the unknown, which also adds to the essence and allure of gods.

I think a reason humans may tend to relate animals to gods is because it adds another step onto the staircase between themselves and the heavens. It adds traits and characteristics to gods, which are almost inconceivable for humans to obtain.

The Inconceivable Staircase to Heaven

The Inconceivable Staircase to Heaven

The Egyptians were very fond of representing gods as a combination of animals and humans. They respected animals and obviously considered them to have qualities worthy of being a god. They took animal traits and humanized them.

Where is that line drawn between a monster and a god?

In Egyptian mythology, either a wild dog or a jackal represented Anubis, god of the Egyptian Funeral. He was a well-respected god because the funeral rites of ancient Egypt were very well endowed and exceedingly appreciated. To the ancient Egyptians, the Jackal was seen as a symbol of death. This was because the Jackal was seen along the edge of the desert, where the dead were buried. A simple conclusion was drawn in the eyes of man and Anubis, a god, now contains physical or emotional characteristic that relates to his animal representation.

A Great Feat (We are now like gods): We look like dogs!

A Great Feat (We are now like gods): We look like dogs!

In Greek mythology however all of the animal characteristics go to monsters, the despised, and the rejected. The many monsters such as the Hydra, the Minotaur, and Scylla, which all reflected some kind of animal (serpent, bull, and dogs). A specific example that is interesting because of the opposition to the Egyptian mythology. Medusa, who was originally a beautiful woman, fell from being human to a wretched, cursed monster. Medusa is a monster that has snakes as her hair along with sharp fangs.

In Egyptian mythology, for a human to be related to an animal would bring up a reputation, but for Greek mythology it seems to do the exact opposite. This leads back to the culture of Egypt. Egyptian society held animals in high regards and they as humans wished to become more like animals in some ways because that is how they discerned their gods to be, a combination of human and animal.

Could the Egyptians have had it right?

Maybe what we are meant to do is to learn from those lesser in stature than us, and grow to be bigger and better through assessing and attaining the traits of those who are smaller than us.

Sometimes the small things make the biggest difference.

Sometimes the small things make the biggest difference.

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My God’s Better Than Your God.

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by

So Zeus looks like the crazy uncle in the family. And we all know the girls who claim they are a “living incarnation of Aphrodite.” There may even be that person who walks by you on the street and you can’t help but think “Thrud.” But how many people have you seen that have the head of an eagle? No? What about a jackal or a wild dog? Hmmm…the head of the Mysterious Egyptian aardvark, definitely.

The leg warmers make it mysterious.

The leg warmers make it mysterious.

Most gods that people are familiar with, whether from school, media, or just a love for knowledge, resemble human kind in one way or another. This is not because humans are unimaginative, although I’m sure for an English teacher flipping through essays, the argument might hold. No, the fact that traditional gods resembled humans, resembled us for the most part, all comes down to the fact that mankind is egocentric.

Think about it. Say you have long, blonde hair and blue eyes. Say you have a great personality, and everybody tells you that you look like Paris Hilton. That would bring up your self confidence, wouldn’t it? You would feel better about yourself because you are being told that you have a likeness to Paris Hilton.

paris-hilton_2

The same idea applies to the gods.

Humankind wanted to feel better about themselves. With the idea that man was created in the image of the gods, it made us more important. It elevated our status in the world to be above creatures such as dogs and lions and birds. In making the gods like us (or, in making us look like the gods), we were making a statement that human trumps all other creatures.

Now, the Egyptians were smarter than us. They knew that their gods had amazing, fantastic qualities that humans did not have. They could preform magic, for example. If you were Ammit, you had the pleasure of ripping apart hearts when they weren’t light enough to be spared. Their gods were above human status, and required parts of animals to showcase these qualities that they had.

The dog aspect of Anubis represents the carnal aspect of the god.

The dog aspect of Anubis represents the carnal aspect of the god.

Also, the gods were mysterious and unapproachable to the Egyptians. Christians can get closer to their god through the Bible, Greeks to theirs through shrines and stories which have been passed down. By depicting their gods as partially animal, they are accepting the fact that they are not like their gods- they do not have extraordinary powers, nor do they know much about their gods, except what they’ve been told through oral tradition.

Egyptians had a much more intellectual view on their gods. We are not like our gods, thus, we cannot represent them in our likeness.

Although today, Seth may be (very accurately) portrayed as a typical high schooler. Math_Cartoon_6

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