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| It's rare that Thoth, in his ibis or dog-faced baboon form doesn't get a mention in my adventure and archaeology thrillers |
"Okay," she said.
"But to believe in the Stela of Thoth, you’ve got to believe in Thoth. An
Egyptian god with a bird’s head."
“We
don’t know who, or what, Thoth may have been,” Anson Hunter said. “But even putting aside
the question of whether or not a race called the Neteru, or the gods, actually
existed at some distant age, consider it a case of inspired agency. Like the
Bible. Egyptian religion and mythology tells us that Thoth was the first
example of the divine mind, the logos, or the ‘word’ of creation as Christians
call it. He was known as the master of wisdom, writing and time, symbolised by
both the sacred ibis and the dog-faced baboon.”
“A
bird and a baboon as the god of wisdom?”
“Not so unexpected. Have you ever looked
at an ibis? The curve of its beak echoes a crescent moon, or perhaps the rim of
an eclipse. Watch the measured way an ibis strides, picking out small fish,
snakes, frogs and insects like a master scribe judiciously selecting his words.
Thoth was also the god of time and measurement. Picture the way the ibis
strides the fields of Egypt, pace by measuring pace, like a scribal surveyor of
ancient times re-measuring the land and setting boundaries after mud from the
inundation covered the river banks.”
“And a baboon?”
“Before man could utter words, baboons
were facing the rising sun and chattering. Look into those deep-set eyes and
it’s possible to believe that you’re looking into the depths of mysterious
wisdom and it was mainly in the form of a baboon that scribes revered Thoth as
the ‘Lord of Script.’”
(The Ibis Apocalypse)
(The Ibis Apocalypse)
'The power of words' in Egypt fiction - Kindle and selected titles in paperpack.
