THOTH

Thoth (Ancient Egyptian: Djehuty) is the revered god of wisdom, writing, and the moon. His name likely means "He Who is Like the Ibis," linking him to the bird known for its precision and dipping beak, reminiscent of a scribe's pen.

Ancient Egyptian Name	𓅝𓏏𓏭 (Ḏḥwty)
Phonetic Pronunciation	Djeh-hoo-tee
Greek Name	Thoth
Cosmic Role	Intellect, Writing, Magic, Law

He is the "Heart and Tongue of Ra," meaning he translates the sun god's will into speech and written law.

Thoth's influence was vast, governing every intellectual pursuit in ancient Egypt. He was credited with the invention of:

• Hieroglyphs: The "Divine Words" (Medu Netjer).
• Mathematics & Science: The foundation of architectural wonders like the Pyramids.
• Magic (Heka): He wrote the spells that protected the gods and the dead.
• Laws: He was the author of civil and religious law.

Thoth was the husband or male counterpart of Ma'at (Truth/Order). While Ma'at was the concept of balance, Thoth was the executor who ensured that balance was maintained. Without Thoth's records and calculations, the order of the cosmos could not be measured or sustained.

In the Hall of Two Truths, Thoth played a critical, impartial role. While Anubis operated the scales, Thoth stood ready with his palette and reed pen.

• He recorded the exact weight of the deceased's heart.
• He announced the verdict to Osiris: "Guilty" or "Justified" (Maa Kheru).
• His record was final and could not be altered, guaranteeing absolute justice.

As a lunar deity, Thoth measured time through the phases of the moon. He was the "Lord of Time" who divided years into months and days. In a famous myth, he gambled with the moon to win 1/72nd of its light, creating five extra days (the Epagomenal Days) to allow Nut to give birth to Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys, bypassing a curse that forbade them from being born on any existing day.

Thoth was often paired with Seshat, the goddess of writing, architecture, and astronomy. Together, they were the keepers of the royal archives. Seshat would record the names of the pharaohs on the leaves of the sacred Persea tree, granting them immortality, while Thoth ensured the accuracy of the records.

Thoth appears in two distinct animal forms:

Form	Symbolism
The Ibis	Elegance, precision, the scribe's beak.
The Baboon	Intelligence, the greeting of the sunrise (baboons chatter at dawn).

He is usually depicted as an Ibis-headed man holding a writing palette, or as a seated baboon crowned with a lunar disk and crescent.

Thoth's main cult center was Khmunu (Hermopolis Magna). Here, he was worshipped as the creator god who laid the cosmic egg from which the world hatched. Millions of mummified ibises and baboons have been found in the catacombs of Tuna el-Gebel, the necropolis of Hermopolis, left as offerings by pilgrims seeking his wisdom.

Thoth's legacy survived long after the fall of Egypt. The Greeks identified him with their god Hermes. This fusion created Hermes Trismegistus ("Thoth/Hermes the Thrice-Great"), the mythical author of the Hermetica. This tradition became the foundation of Western alchemy, astrology, and occult philosophy, preserving the essence of Egyptian wisdom for millennia.

Primary Role	God of Wisdom, Writing & Magic
Sacred Animals	Ibis, Hamadryas Baboon
Cult Center	Hermopolis (Khmunu)
Divine Consort	Ma'at or Seshat
Key Object	Scribe's Palette & Reed Pen