KHNUM
![](304px-Khnum.svg.png)
The
Egyptian god Khnum was usually depicted with the head of a ram
Name
in hieroglyphs :
![](hiero_E10.png)
Major cult center : Elephantine, Esna
Symbol : The potter's wheel
Consort : Heqet, Satis, and Neith
Offspring : Heka, Serket and Anuket
Khnum
or also romanised Khnemu was one of the earliest-known Egyptian
deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile. Since the
annual flooding of the Nile brought with it silt and clay, and
its water brought life to its surroundings, he was thought to
be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made
at a potter's wheel, from clay, and placed in their mothers' wombs.
He was later described as having moulded the other deities, and
he had the titles "Divine Potter" and "Lord of
created things from himself".
General
information :
The worship of Khnum centered on two principal riverside sites,
Elephantine and Esna, which were regarded as sacred sites. At
Elephantine, he was worshipped alongside Satis and Anuket. At
Esna, he was worshipped alongside Menhit, Nebtu, Neith and Heka.
Khnum was regarded as the guardian of the source of the Nile River.
His significance led to early theophoric names of him, for children,
such as Khnum-Khufwy "Khnum is my Protector", the full
name of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Khnum
has also been related to the deity Min.
Temple
at Elephantine :
The temple at Elephantine was dedicated to Khnum, his consort
Satis, and their daughter, Anuket. The temple dates back to at
least the Middle Kingdom. By the Eleventh Dynasty, Khnum, Satis
and Anuket are all attested at Elephantine.
During
the New Kingdom, finds from the time of Ramesses II show Khnum
was still worshipped there.
Opposite
Elephantine, on the east bank at Aswan, Khnum, Satis and Anuket
are shown on a chapel wall dating to the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
Temple
at Esna :
![](563px-Cnouphis-Nilus_(Jupiter-Nilus,_Dieu_Nil),_N372.2.jpg)
Cnouphis-Nilus
(Jupiter-Nilus, Dieu Nil), N372.2, Brooklyn Museum)
In Esna, a temple was dedicated to Khnum, Neith and Heka, among
other deities. This temple began construction in Ptolemaic times,
but most of the surviving parts of the temple were built in Roman
times.
Khnum
is sometimes depicted as a crocodile-headed god. Nebt-uu and Menhit
are Khnum's principal consorts and Heka is his eldest son and
successor. Both Khnum and Neith are referred to as creator deities
in the texts at Esna. Khnum is sometimes referred to as the "father
of the fathers" and Neith as the "mother of the mothers".
They later become the parents of Ra, who is also referred to as
Khnum-Re.
Other
:
![](DendaraMamisiKhnum-10.jpg)
Khnum,
accompanied by the goddess Heqet, moulds Ihy in a relief from
the mammisi (birth temple) at Dendera Temple complex, Egypt
The Temple of Beit el-Wali of Ramesses II contained statues of
Khnum, Satis and Anukis, along with statues of Isis and Horus.
In
other locations, such as Herwer (Tuna el-Gebel perhaps), as the
moulder and creator of the human body, he was sometimes regarded
as the consort of Heket, or of Meskhenet, whose responsibility
was breathing life into children at the moment of birth, as the
k ("ka"). [citation needed]
Artistic
conventions :
In art, Khnum was usually depicted as a ram-headed man at a potter's
wheel, with recently created children's bodies standing on the
wheel. He was also shown holding a jar from which flowed a stream
of water.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khnum