THOTH
Real Name:
Djehuti (Thoth is his later Greek name)
Occupation:
God of time, speech and learning, former god of the moon, vizier to Osiris,
patron god of scribes, former pharaoh
Legal Status:
Citizen of Celestial Heliopolis
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Thoth except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases:
Djhuty, Dhouti, Djehuty, Zehuti, Tehuty, Thout, Toth, (alternate spellings),
Ibis, Sheps, Hermes Trimegistrus,
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives:
Shu (alleged father), Tefnut (alleged mother), Geb (possible half-brother), Nut
(possible half-sister), Atum-Re
(alleged grandfather), Osiris,
Seth, Horus I,
Khnemu, Hapi I (nephews), Isis,
Nephthys, Hathor
(half-sisters), Seshat (wife), Anubis,
Bata, Horus II,
Anhur, Neper, Min, (grand-nephews),
Group Affiliations: The Gods of Egypt
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: (as Ibis) Conan the Barbarian I #7, (as Thoth) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II #5, (actual) Thor: Blood Oath #5
History: Thoth is one of a member of an
extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Ogdoad, one of the oldest
pantheons of gods in the universe. Before written history, he was worshipped as
one of the most important gods of the Hyborian Age. In Nemedia (now part of
modern Libya), Thoth was worshipped as Ibis and often invoked against the Elder
God Set. After the end of the Hyborian Age, he gained prominence as one of the
Gods of Egypt and Set became the basis behind the snake-god Apophis. Thoth also
served as vizier and adviser to Ammon-Ra, who he had backed into becoming leader of the
gods. He took the cobra-goddess, Sheshat, as his wife. As goddess of libraries,
Seshat became caretaker of Thoth's writings. Thoth was credited by the
Egyptians as inventing hieroglyphics and mathematics.
In ancient times, the Egyptian gods lived among mortals on
Earth as pharaohs. Eventually,
Thoth's mother, Tefnut, became estranged with her father, the primeval sky-god,
Atum-Re, and departed Egypt in the form of a lioness for Nubia. In her absence
over the power of rain, Egypt suffered a great drought and Atum-Re sent Thoth
and Shu to search Nubia to return Tefnut to Egypt. Taking the forms of baboons,
Thoth and Shu found Tefnut near modern Begum and implored her to return to
Egypt, but she refused uninterested to return with them. Thoth refused to
concede defeat and plied her conscience with tales of gloom in their homeland.
Eventually, Tefnut relented and returned to Egypt with her power over rain.
Along the way, Thoth kept her entertained with stories and reunited her with her
estranged father.
Geb, god of earth and son of Shu, fell in love with the goddess Nut and desired
to make her his wife. Atum-Ra took offense by their union and ordered Shu to
separate them. Geb pined so much for Nut that he appealed to Thoth to allow him
a few more hours of night to conceal his night of love-making with Nut. Thoth
was able to gamble with Selkhet, the sun-goddess, in a game of stakes for up to
five days for Geb and Nut to be together and they had five children, Osiris,
Isis, Horus, Seth and Nephthys, borne for each day of the week they were
together.
Eventually, Ammon-Ra retired in his role as ruler of the gods
and appointed Osiris to be his successor. Thoth
lost the title of god of the moon to Khonshu, Ammon-Re's son, and became god of
time. (In some accounts, Thoth took the title from Montu, son of Ammon-Ra, to
grant it to Khonshu.) He also served as a scribe in the underworld recording the
names of those souls who passed over. However, Seth grew to hate Osiris and
imprisoned him in a sarcophagus he cast into the Nile in order to seize the
throne of Egypt for himself. Isis searched for Osiris, but Seth appeared once
more to rip Osiris apart and scatter his remains to the winds. After Isis
recollected the portions of her husband and put him back together, Thoth as well
as several of the Egyptian gods donated part of their life-forces to restore him
to life.
Horus, the son of Osiris, meanwhile fought against Seth for control of Egypt and to gain his place as the rightful heir to the throne. Thoth supported Horus in his struggle, and after Seth managed to poison the young god, Horus came to Thoth to have the poison driven from his body.
After each generation of the Egyptian gods had retired from rule, they retired for another plane of existence later known as Celestial Heliopolis. Seth soon managed to defeat Horus and imprisoned several of the gods in a pyramid that later vanished under the sands of Egypt. Other gods such as Thoth meanwhile escaped to Celestial Heliopolis where Thoth ruled in place of Osiris as king of the gods. During the time Osiris was imprisoned, he gained control over the pyramid and forced it to appear in the United States where it attracted the attention of the Asgardian gods Odin and Thor sensing the gods trapped within it. Odin fought Seth to free the captive gods and eventually defeated Seth, freeing the trapped gods as a result.
Thoth had also advised the ancient mage Nabu to grant the Helmet of Destiny to Kent Nelson who used it to become the powerful mystic known as Doctor Fate, and a member of the wartime All-Star Squadron. In recent years, however, Thoth with an alliance of Egyptian gods had granted it to Inza Cramer, not knowing they were being manipulated distantly by the sorceress Circe (not to be confused with the goddess by that name) who was remotely stirring a war between the pantheons of earth in a bid for power. Cramer, however, proved to be more than a worthy opponent for Circe and was allowed to keep the helmet for a time.
Since appearing to Nelson, Thoth has rarely appeared on earth, but his wrath was invoked when Thor and the Warriors Three dared to continue their feud at the site of one of his forgotten and neglected temples on Earth. Banishing them back to their own lands, he retreated once more back to Celestial Heliopolis in peace eager to appreciate his retirement as a god.
Height: 7' 3"
Weight: 510 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Unusual Physical Features: Thoth sometimes appears on
earth with the head of an ibis or as a baboon.
Strength Level: Thoth possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift
(press) over 50 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Thoth possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the Egyptian gods. Like all Egyptian gods, he is extremely long-lived, but he
is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He has aged at an extremely slow rate since
reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all
Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow
wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It
would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his
bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
a god of significant power, such as Ammon-Ra, Osiris or Ptah or for a number of
Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive him. Thoth also possesses
superhuman strength and his Olympian metabolism provides him with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman
strength and weight.)
Thoth also has abilities to tap into and manipulate mystical energies; his level of expertise is so great that his mastery is said to be above any other Egyptian god except from Ammon-Ra himself. He can seemingly control time and reality around him, enabling him to conjure eclipses, freeze time and send matter through different dimensions. He has considerable clairvoyant and precognitive abilities to have visions of the past and future. He can change his form into that of animals, such as a baboon. In ancient times, he appeared to his worshippers with the head of ibis, a bird that became sacred to him. He can cast images of himself from atmospheric and stellar matter, enabling him to appear at extreme height to other gods. He also has powers as a healer enabling him to sense and cure gods and mortals of illness.
Abilities: Thoth is an ingenious and capable inventor credited with crediting hieroglyphics and the first calendar. He also attributed with creating mathematics to design the first pyramids. He is also described as a benign, scrupulously fair deity who recorded the souls of mortal beings that entered the afterlife.
Paraphernalia: Thoth often carries implements of
writing as well a palm leaf upon which he uses as a marker for dates and years.
Clarifications: Thoth is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 12/05/06