A Who's Who of World Mythology : Thoth


Aah-te-huti is an Egyptian Moon god, symbolized by an ibis head crowned by a crescent and a disk. He is a manifestation of Thoth, one of the earliest Egyptian gods, who is also depicted with the head of an ibis or a dog on the body of an ape. He carries a pen and scrolls to record all things.

Thoth is responsible for the invention of writing, numbers, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy in Egyptian belief. He is the patron deity of scribes, scientific, medical, and magical knowledge and religious literature. It was widely believed that Thoth invented the magical and hermetic arts, and so the Tarot deck is frequently identified as the "Book of Thoth."

Thoth acts as arbiter between the gods and has the knowledge of the magic formulae needed by the dead to pass safely through the underworld. Acting as a type of fate, he is also responsible for measuring out the span of life a person is allotted. As a dog-headed ape, he sits on the top of the balance that weighs the heart of the deceased to determine if it is as light as Ma'at. The concept of Ma'at is one of truth, justice, and "that which is straight". The baboon Thoth informs the ibis-headed Thoth when the heart is at balance. The ibis-headed Thoth reports to the other gods who judge the deceased.

In some texts he is described as the son of Ra, but according to early Egyptian mythology, he was born from the head of the god Seth. It has also been said that Thoth was self-created in the beginning along with his consort, the goddess Ma'at (truth). These two produced eight children, the most important being Amon. He and Ma'at were believed to stand on either side of Re in his boat as he traveled across the sky, and it was thought that they also may have directed the course that the boat took. As the sun vanished, Thoth as the Moon tried to dispel the darkness with his light.

Before the birth of Osiris, Ra was so infuriated at the faithlessness of Nut that he decreed that her children should not be born in any month of the year. Thoth gambled with the moon for a seventy-second part of the day and eventually won five days, which were added to the Egyptian lunar year of 360 days, thus enabling not only Osiris but his four brothers and sisters to be born out of any month. The addition of these days, known as the Epact, to the year in connection with the birth of Osiris, shows that it was at this time that the adjustment of the calendar took place. Thoth is also associated with Khnemu, Maat, and Ptah in the Egyptian creation mythology. Other names for this god include Djehuti (or Djeheuty), Tehuti (or Tahuti) and Zehuti.

The centers of his worship included Khemnu or Hermopolis, Sinai, Nubia, and the Dakhleh oasis. As a moon god, Thoth dates back to the earliest times (pre-dating sun worship) and was so popular that he was absorbed into the religion of Osiris and Ra. The first month of the Egyptian calender is the month of Thoth. Though he is considered a benign deity who is scrupulously fair and honest, he is also depicted decapitating the enemies of truth and snatching out their hearts.