Thoth
A very busy god. (The Bus 1.18)
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ARCHIVE EDITION - ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 6 JUNE 2022
The Stop
In the complicated pantheon of ancient Egyptian religion, Thoth1 was god of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, science, and magic. The patron of scribes, he created the art of writing, invented the calendar, and controlled space and time. At night, as god of the moon, Thoth replaced the sun god, Ra.
Worship of Thoth began most likely in the Pre-Dynastic Period (ca. 6000-3150 BCE) and continued until around 30 BCE - the longest veneration of any Egyptian god, or in fact any deity from any civilisation. Often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis,2 Thoth is usually portrayed holding a scribe’s palette and stylus. Thoth often accompanied Osiris3 in the role as scribe of the underworld.
A deceased person’s soul would appear before Osiris and their heart would be weighed on a set of scales against a feather - the symbol of Ma’at, the ‘established order of things,’ ‘what is right’ or ‘truth.’ In ancient Egypt, the heart was believed to be the seat of emotions, intellect and character - in other words, it represented the good and bad aspects of a person’s life. When weighed, if the heart balanced or was lighter than the feather, the deceased’s soul would proceed into the afterlife. However, if the heart was heavier than the feather, the soul was devoured by a strange crocodile-lion- hippopotamus beast - and condemned to non-existence. In addition to all of his other tasks, Thoth was responsible for keeping an account of every person’s life for reference at death and recording the outcome of the weighing. Due to this role, he was given the epithets “He who Balances”, “God of the Equilibrium,” and “Master of the Balance”. He was also credited with creating law, philosophy and religion - and his followers believed him an infallible judge with the ability to make completely just decisions.
Though revered throughout the Egyptian empire, Thoth’s main centre of worship was at Hermopolis.4 As with other gods, his temples and shrines were a focal point for the local community, with the priests providing advice, counsel and general aid in distributing food or medical attention.5 Though the priests of Thoth were highly educated scribes and his cult was associated with the ruling class, he was a very popular god amongst everyday Egyptians. The ancient Greeks admired Thoth so highly they credited him as the originator of all knowledge on earth and in the heavens, eventually associating him with their god Hermes.6
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to another photography-linked article, this one about the impact of fairground photography in the 19th century. Interesting throughout and a good reminder that photography - not so long ago - was very different.
The Weird, Wonderful History of Fairground Photography
The Recommendation
Today’s book is Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Many of you might know the story from the classic 1975 Miloš Forman film starring Jack Nicholson, but the novel on which the film is based is another experience entirely.7 The book was inspired by Kesey’s experience working the graveyard shift at a mental health clinic and voluntarily participating in a drugs research programme8 in which he was given LSD, mescaline, Ditran and the rather mysterious IT-290. It is an understatement to say this experience changed his life with one result being this amazing novel. It’s a good summer read, if you don’t mind a challenge while you sit by the pool.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist contains five songs which are connected only by the fact I like them: ‘Karma Police’ (Radiohead, 1997), ‘Starfish and Coffee’ (Prince, 1987), ‘Green Onions’ (Booker T. & the M.G.’s, 1962), ‘My Drug Buddy’ (The Lemonheads, 1992) and ‘Gold’ (Nu, 2018). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from the British philosopher, logician, essayist and social critic Bertrand Russell:9
“Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.”
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
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Until the next stop …
Like most deities - certainly extremely ancient ones - there are multiple stories of Thoth’s birth. One has him being born from the lips of Ra at the beginning of time. In another, he created himself through the power of language; in another Thoth - as an ibis - laid the cosmic egg containing all creation; and in yet another version he was created during a fight between the gods Horus and Set, during which Set accidentally swallowed Horus’s semen. Which by any standard means it must have been quite the fight …. The sources for today’s Stop include Thoth (Britannica), Thoth (World History) and The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris (World History)
Thoth was also known as Djehuty, meaning ‘He who is like the ibis.’ And thus the reason he is the ibis-headed god.
Osiris was a major deity in the Egyptian religion. He possibly began as an underworld fertility god, but by 2400 BCE had also become identified as ruler of the dead and source of the power from the underworld that granted all life from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile. See: Osiris (Britannica)
Originally named Khemenu, the city was renamed Hermopolis by the Greeks after connecting Thoth to their god, Hermes.
Not unlike a major role of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc. today.
Originally associated with fertility, in the Odyssey Hermes is portrayed as a messenger and conductor of the dead to Hades. See: Hermes (Britannica)
Kesey notoriously hated the screenplay and refused to see the film.
Which was, unknown to Kesey, part of the CIA’s MKUltra programme. See: Smithsonian
For a very in-depth biography and look at his work, see: Bertrand Russell (Stanford)