Thoth

The Egyptian deity of written learning, the author of the mystical treatises on medicine and sacred literature, called by the Greeks the Hermetic books, and himself, as the author of them, Hermes Trismeegistus, and, in his character of introducer of souls in Hades, Hermes Psychopompos. He had many names and occupations, which led to his identification with many of the chief divinities by virtue of a parity of offices. He was called on a statue in the Leyden Museum "He who is the good Savior;" and on some of the funeral papyri he takes the place of Anubis, or even Horus, with respect to the souls of the deceased. In the Hall of the Two Truths it was the duty of Thoth to weigh the souls of the deceased, and to read from his tablets a record of their actions in the past life. Thoth was also the god of all writing, and founder of all the sciences. He brought to the gods a translation of all the sacred books, and he was called the "Scribe of the Gods." and the "Lord of the Divine Words." In another form the god Thoth was identified with the moon, when he would be represented with the head of an ibis, surmounted by the horns and lunar disk; but oftentimes he was figured with a human head, having-that of the ibis as a coiffure, and wearing the Atef crown. As Thoth Axah, or Thoth the Moon, he was generally entirely naked, and in the figure of an infant with thin bowed thighs, possibly to indicate the moon in its first quarter. At other times he was represented as an adult man, bearded,-and wearing the short loin- cloth, or shenti, of the Egyptians; sometimes he carried in his hand the eye of Horus, the symbol of the full moon, the Cucufa or Uas scepter, and the crux ansata. In his latter characteristics Thoth was regarded as one and the same with Khonsu of Thebes. The Cynocephalus ape was also sacred to the god Thoth, and hieroglyphically figured for him. It was Thoth who revealed to the initiated certain mysterious words and formulas, thus imparting a knowledge of divine things which was supposed to elevate man to the height of the gods. It was only necessary to pronounce these formulas in the name of the deceased over his mummy, and to place a copy of them by his side in the coffin, to insure for him the benefit of their influence in the dangers which he had to combat in the lower regions. Should any one take possession of the magic-book composed by the god Thoth before he has been initiated supernatural catastrophes will assail him. He was also worshipped by the Phoenicians, Scythians, Germans, Gauls, and other ancient nations. His symbol was the ibis; and his festival was celebrated on the first day of the first moon in the year. —Cooper, Archaic Dict. s.v. SEE EGYPT.