Khnum: The Divine Craftsman of Egypt’s Ancient Mysteries

We live in a world of diversification in beliefs, faith, and religion. Heterogeneity in faith with numerous mythologies. The study of these mythologies always has been an important aspect to date. The mythologies consist of a variety of documents and ancient texts. These serve as an important source for world history too. One of the oldest dated mythology is of Egypt. Khnum

Egyptian Mythology is a prime aspect in influencing other cultures. This was possible because, in 130 BCE, the city of Alexandria served as the center of trade. This led to the greater influence of Egyptian mythology and culture all around the world.

Fundamentals of Egyptian Mythology

It depicts the period of 4000 BCE to 30 BCE. Although Egyptian mythology is a bit complex but also a reflection of the natural; environment surrounding that period. The mythology illuminate that the sky was the place of dewing deities and the Nile the source of creation for the Egyptians. The mythology consists of a variety of deities. One of the oldest deities is Khnum.

It is the name that denotes ‘ to build’. It was called ‘Father of Fathers’. He was believed to create the first egg. The first egg gave birth to Ra, the sun god. Ra is known as the creator of human beings.

1. Khnum the Water God

The ancient texts of the Una’s pyramid serve as the source of Khnum. He was worshipped since the predynastic period. The old kingdom was worshipped as the main god. He was known as Water God. He was considered the source of the Nile River. The river Nile was only the source of water in Egypt. It is the longest river in the world. It is a part of various religious histories like Jews, Islam, and Christianity.

The river also brings clay and sand to the shores. This resulted in the belief of the Nile as the source of creation. Consequently, It was also called the ‘divine potter’. He believe to have a pottery wheel. He believed dot mold very living creator on the pottery wheel. Khnum was also believed to have placed a pottery wheel in the womb of women.

2. Khnum Representation

In most of the ancient texts and scripters, It is represented by an animal ‘ram’. He is symbolized as a man with a ram head. As the ram is a potent animal, so it was also considered to be the god of fertility. In many scripts, It is also exhibited to hold a jar through which a stream of water flows. This symbolizes him to be a source of Nule and the creator of all. Khnum is referred to as ‘Father of Fathers’ and ‘Mother of Mothers’. In a few ancient arts, It is also illustrated as a man with the head of a hawk. This symbolizes a solar connection.