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Sobek
A brief analysis of Sobek
The information on the god Sobek was gathered from an article posted on Wikipedia, for a more in-depth reading or for perusal of the original article please consult http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobek.
The crocodile in the card represents the god Sobek (also known as Sebek, Sochet, Sobk, Sobki, Soknopais and in Greek Suchos). This god originally was characterized as a demon and was deeply feared and revered by ancient egyptians due to the power and importance that the Nile river played upon their daily lives and their psyche.
They initially worshiped this diety in order to pacify the crocodiles and the dangers they posed to the inhabitants of the area. Sobek also symbolized the fertility of the Nile, and the ferocity of the crocodiles began to take a turn from the destroyer of the inhabitants that co-inhabited the shores of the Nile to a different degree where the inhabitants associated the might of the army being represented and aided by this ancient diety.
The original place of worship of the God Sobek was centered around the area of Al Fayyum (roughly 130 km southwest of Cairo) where to this day there remain temples and structures dedicated to this ancient God. In particular the town of Arsinoe the Greeks would give it the title of Crocodilopilis; where a tamed crocodile was kept his body adorned with rich jewelry. The Greeks called the resident crocodile Petsuchos which the Egyptians associated with the current incarnation of the God Sobek. Petsuchos translates to He of Suchos (Sobek).
The worship of Sobek flourished in and around the Twelfth Dynasty with other centers of worship in the ancient towns of Kom Ombo and Thebes . It is interesting to note that not all of Egypt regarded the crocodile with such deep reverence and in many areas they were hunted and killed.
Sobek was seen to be a repairer of the evil that had been committed rather then a Diety that represented Goodness. He would often travel to the Duat or the Underworld (also known as Tuat, Akert, Amenthes or Neter-Kheret) to restore the damage that the dead had undergone as a result of their demise. He was also responsible for calling on various gods and goddesses in order to protect the people (again we can see one of the reasons as to why the Egyptian Army identified itself with this God, as the protector); however in this situation we can see that Sobek doesn't play an active role but rather the role of a messenger rather then as the Diety that dispenses the protection. Due to this he became known as a primal God eventually becoming known as an avatar of the primal God Amun who at that time was the chief diety of the area. Amun merged with Ra eventually becoming Amun-Ra so therefore Sobek being an avatar would also become Sobek-Ra.
In the art of Ancient Egypt Sobek was represented as a crocodile or as a man with a head of the crocodile. When Sobek played the role of the Patron of the Pharaoh's army he would be wielding the uraeus . He was also seen carrying the ankh, further depicting his ability to cure evils and diseases. Upon becoming Sobek-Ra he often times had sun disc around his head further showing the merging of Sobek with Ra. Ra was commonly known as the Sun God.
“In myths that appear extremely late in Egyptian history, Sobek is credited with catching the four sons of Horus in a net, as they emerged from the waters of the Nile in a lotus blossom. This motif derives from the birth of Ra in the Ogdoad cosmogony, and the fact that as a crocodile, Sobek is the best suited for collecting items upon the Nile.” (Wikipedia Article).
The information on the god Sobek was gathered from an article posted on Wikipedia, for a more in-depth reading or for perusal of the original article please consult http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobek.
The crocodile in the card represents the god Sobek (also known as Sebek, Sochet, Sobk, Sobki, Soknopais and in Greek Suchos). This god originally was characterized as a demon and was deeply feared and revered by ancient egyptians due to the power and importance that the Nile river played upon their daily lives and their psyche.
They initially worshiped this diety in order to pacify the crocodiles and the dangers they posed to the inhabitants of the area. Sobek also symbolized the fertility of the Nile, and the ferocity of the crocodiles began to take a turn from the destroyer of the inhabitants that co-inhabited the shores of the Nile to a different degree where the inhabitants associated the might of the army being represented and aided by this ancient diety.
The original place of worship of the God Sobek was centered around the area of Al Fayyum (roughly 130 km southwest of Cairo) where to this day there remain temples and structures dedicated to this ancient God. In particular the town of Arsinoe the Greeks would give it the title of Crocodilopilis; where a tamed crocodile was kept his body adorned with rich jewelry. The Greeks called the resident crocodile Petsuchos which the Egyptians associated with the current incarnation of the God Sobek. Petsuchos translates to He of Suchos (Sobek).
The worship of Sobek flourished in and around the Twelfth Dynasty with other centers of worship in the ancient towns of Kom Ombo and Thebes . It is interesting to note that not all of Egypt regarded the crocodile with such deep reverence and in many areas they were hunted and killed.
Sobek was seen to be a repairer of the evil that had been committed rather then a Diety that represented Goodness. He would often travel to the Duat or the Underworld (also known as Tuat, Akert, Amenthes or Neter-Kheret) to restore the damage that the dead had undergone as a result of their demise. He was also responsible for calling on various gods and goddesses in order to protect the people (again we can see one of the reasons as to why the Egyptian Army identified itself with this God, as the protector); however in this situation we can see that Sobek doesn't play an active role but rather the role of a messenger rather then as the Diety that dispenses the protection. Due to this he became known as a primal God eventually becoming known as an avatar of the primal God Amun who at that time was the chief diety of the area. Amun merged with Ra eventually becoming Amun-Ra so therefore Sobek being an avatar would also become Sobek-Ra.
In the art of Ancient Egypt Sobek was represented as a crocodile or as a man with a head of the crocodile. When Sobek played the role of the Patron of the Pharaoh's army he would be wielding the uraeus . He was also seen carrying the ankh, further depicting his ability to cure evils and diseases. Upon becoming Sobek-Ra he often times had sun disc around his head further showing the merging of Sobek with Ra. Ra was commonly known as the Sun God.
“In myths that appear extremely late in Egyptian history, Sobek is credited with catching the four sons of Horus in a net, as they emerged from the waters of the Nile in a lotus blossom. This motif derives from the birth of Ra in the Ogdoad cosmogony, and the fact that as a crocodile, Sobek is the best suited for collecting items upon the Nile.” (Wikipedia Article).
Latest page update: made by daath
, Apr 12 2008, 12:57 PM EDT
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Moved from: Kem Study Group
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- complete history)
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| joseph486 | Sobek | 1 | Feb 16 2008, 12:18 PM EST by daath | |
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Thread started: Feb 14 2008, 5:35 PM EST
Watch
Greetings Daath. I would have preferred that you attatch this artice on the God Sobek to the section of the gods of ancient egypt which is under the section titled Gods of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and Pyramid Texts. But since im just happy someone made a post we can over look it just this once :) I found it entertaining for the crocodile to be tamed and adorned with jewelry lol, I had to laugh when i read that!
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| daath | Re: Sobek | 0 | Feb 5 2008, 8:23 AM EST by daath | |
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Thread started: Feb 5 2008, 8:23 AM EST
Watch
93,
To clarify the sentence "The crocodile in the card.....", the card here being Atu 0 on the Thoth Tarot. 93, 93/93 |
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