30 August: Thoth

10 things you didn't know about the Egyptian god Thoth:

1. Thoth is the Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom, the Moon, judgment, balance and the dead.
2. Not only was he said to have made the calculations for the creation of the heavens and Earth and everything in them, but according to one myth, he even created himself. Another myth says he was born from the forehead of Set and still another says he was born from the lips of Ra.
3. His name means “He Who is Like the Ibis”. He is often pictured with the head of an ibis. The ibis was a sacred bird in Egypt associated with wisdom. Its curved beak, in addition, resembles the curve of a crescent moon. Sometimes, he's pictured with a baboon's head, instead. both ibises and baboons were mummified in his honour.
4. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth invented the written word and gave it to mankind as a gift. Thoth also made good use of the written word himself. Not only did he keep records about everything that happened in the world, and therefore gets the credit for inventing the calendar, but he was a prolific author as well. He is believed to have written 42 books which between them contain... wait for it... the answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Two of his books were “Books of the Dead” and the “Book of Breathings”. The latter was a book with all the spells the Egyptians used. “The Book of Thoth” is said to contain the answers to all the mysteries of gods and men and all the secrets of the universe. Anyone who reads it will become the most powerful sorcerer in the universe. However, a bit like eating the Apple in the Garden of Eden, all this knowledge comes at a price, and is cursed. However, if you're not put off by that, the book is said to be hidden in a secret chamber in the Great Pyramid.
5. Scribes in ancient Egypt would pour out one drop of ink in honour of Thoth before they started their work.
6. Because Thoth was believed to be the scribe, interpreter and messenger of the gods, the Greeks associated him with their own messenger god, Hermes. They called him Hermes Trismesgistos (“Thoth, the thrice great”) and declared that as well as reading and writing, he was the inventor of astronomy, Astrology, mathematics, geometry, surveying, medicine, botany, theology, civilized government, the alphabet and oratory.
7. When Ra, fearful of his throne being taken from him, declared that his daughter Nut could not give birth on any day of the year, Thoth made a bargain with the moon for the equivalent of five days of moonlight. This allowed Nut to give birth to five children, namely Osiris, Isis, Horus the Elder, Set and Nephthys. While you might expect Ra to be furious, he actually commended Thoth for his wisdom in beating the curse. He's also the one who helped Isis recover the body parts of her murdered consort Osiris and was the referee in the fight between Set and Horus for the throne of Egypt.
8. In another myth called The Myth of the Distant Goddess, Ra's daughter, known as the Eye of Ra, has an argument with her father and flounces off in a huff. Ra actually needed her with him as the personification of his power and tried to force her to return, without success. Ra then asked Thoth to use his wisdom and way with words to persuade her. It was a challenge even for him – it's said he had to ask her 1077 times before she finally agreed.
9. Three different goddesses are said, in various myths, to have been the consort of Thoth. The Goddess Nehemetawy “She Who Embraces Those In Need”, a protector goddess, was said to have been his reward from Ra for persuading his daughter to come back. Seshat, goddess goddess of writing, keeper of books and patron goddess of libraries and librarians is another. She is said to have played a part in bringing reading and writing to mankind. Then there is the goddess Ma’at, who is the Goddess of truth, balance, order, law, justice and mortality, also said to have been the wife of Thoth.
10. Thoth is said to assist Ma'at in the judgement of souls in the afterlife. He also presides over the Mansion of Thoth where souls rest before starting their journey to the afterlife. There, they learn spells to help them defeat the demons they will encounter on the way.

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