File:Khnum.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Khnum
Sign in to saveKhnum, also romanised Khnemu (; , ), was one of the earliest-known Egyptian deities in Upper Egypt, originally associated with the Nile cataract. He held the responsibility of regulating the annual inundation of the river, emanating from the caverns of Hapi, the deity embodying the flood. Since the annual flooding of the Nile brought with it silt and clay, and its water brought life to its surroundings, he eventually became known as the creator of human bodies and the life force kꜣ ("ka"). Using a potter's wheel and clay, he fashioned these entities and placed them within their mothers' wombs.
Khnum was an ancient Egyptian god first worshipped in Upper Egypt who was believed to control the annual flooding of the Nile River and create human bodies from clay on a potter's wheel. He mattered to ancient Egyptians because the Nile's yearly floods—which brought fertile silt and life-giving water—were essential to their survival, making Khnum a deity responsible for both the river's vital inundation and human life itself.
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Egyptian
- Deity.name
- Khnum
- Deity.image
- Khnum.svg
- Deity.caption
- The Egyptian god Khnum was usually depicted with the head of a ram.
- Deity.hiero
- W9-E10
- Deity.cult_center
- Elephantine, Esna
- Deity.symbol
- the potter's wheel
- Deity.consort
- Heqet, Satis, Neith, Menhit, and Nebtuwi
- Deity.offspring
- Heka, Serket and Anuket
- Deity.equivalent1_type
- Lower Egyptian
- Deity.equivalent1
- Banebdjedet
via Wikipedia infobox