Today I'll wrap up this series on Egyptian mythology with a short post about the Nile river.
The role of the Nile river in Egyptian life - and particularly in their mythology - is fascinating to me. The Nile river floods annually, and the silt contained in its waters makes the lands it floods more fertile. This allows a greater yield of crops, and so the productivity of Egypt's land is directly tied to the floods of the river.
Understandably, this relationship with the river led to associations of deities with the Nile. I would have thought that there would be only one god tied to the river, but in fact there are two in mythology - and the Nile itself is sometimes regarded as a third divine being.
The gods Khnum and Hapi were both tied to the Nile river. Both were associated with the river's flooding, and sacrifices and prayers were offered to both. As far as I can tell, Khnum is generally regarded as the god who controlled the annual rising of the Nile. Hapi is primarily tied to the fertility of the river, and the fish, birds, and plants contained within and around it. One of the two gods, though the stories I've found vary on which one, is considered the deity of the source of the Nile's waters.
What interests me most about the Nile river is the way it is almost personified as a deity itself. The best example of this is the Hymn to the Nile, which you can read in full here if you'd like.
I'll highlight one line from the Hymn here:
"But all is changed for mankind when He comes; He is endowed with the qualities of Nun. If He shines, the earth is joyous, every stomach is full of rejoicing, every spine is happy, every jaw-bone crushes (its food)."
This quote fascinates me for several reasons. First of all, the gods Khnum and Nut are not mentioned anywhere in this Hymn - a prayer, effectively. The "He" of which it speaks is the river itself.
I've grown up a Christian. I'm used to references to my God having the pronouns capitalized, and that capitalization being a way to denote the fact that my deity is being referred to. To see the same thing done to denote the Nile river is fascinating to me. It shows that the ancient Egyptians truly regarded the river as a god in its own right.
The importance of the Nile is easily seen in this verse. The "Nun" who it references is the Egyptian deity of water. This water that the Nile has brings prosperity to the people of Egypt, allowing prosperity in food, and thus joy.
I find the entire Hymn quite beautiful, and would encourage you to read it if you have time.
With this I'll conclude my series on Egyptian mythology for the time being. Thank you so much for reading!
Tune in next week as I begin a series of posts on a mythology I haven't covered yet...that of the Romans.
I'll see you then!
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