Thoth (pronounced "Toth," rhyming with "both," rather than with "goth") was one of the most important deities of ancient Egyptian religion and worship. Thoth was known as the tongue of Ra, who had cursed him, and he often spoke on Ra's behalf.
Did You Know?
Thoth is often portrayed with the head of an ibis, and wearing a crescent shaped crown, showing his connection to the moon.
Offerings of writing cases, palettes, inks and other tools of the scribe were often madeat Thoth's sacred temples.
Thoth is sometimes called upon for workings related to wisdom, magic, and fate.
Although he is referenced in some sources as being Ra's son, there is also a theory that Thoth managed to create himself by using the power of magical language. He is known as the creator of magic and the messenger of the gods. Thoth is also referred to in some stories as the keeper of divine records, adviser to the gods, and mediator in disputes.
Thoth enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in popularity when Aleister Crowley published The Book of Thoth, which is a philosophical analysis of the Tarot. Crowley also created a Thoth Tarot deck.
Many of the Egyptians' religious and civil rituals were organised according to a lunarcalendar. As Thoth was associated with writing and with the moon it is perhaps unsurprising that he was also linked to the creation of the calendar. As his association with the moon waned, he developed into a god of wisdom, magic and the measurement of time. Similarly he was considered to measure and record time.
Appearance
Because Thoth is a lunar deity, he is often portrayed wearing a crescent on his head. He is closely associated with Seshat, a goddess of writing and wisdom, who is known as the scribe of the divine. The Greeks saw him as Hermes, and so the center of Thoth's worship in the classical world was found in Hermopolis.
He is typically portrayed with the head of an ibis (a big, sacred wading bird), but in some images, his head is that of a baboon. Both the ibis and the baboon were considered sacred to Thoth.
Thoth appears in a significant role in the legend of Osiris and Isis. When Osiris was murdered and dismembered by his own brother, Set, his lover Isis went to gather up his pieces. It was Thoth who provided her with the magical words to resurrect Osiris so that she could conceive his child, Horus. Later on, when Horus was killed, Thoth appeared to help in his resurrection too.
Thoth is also credited with the creation of the sacred Egyptian Book of the Dead,a collection of spells and rituals. In addition, along with Isis, he is associated with theBook of Breathings, which is a collection of funerary texts that allow the deceased to continue existing in the realm of the dead.
Because his job was to speak the words that fulfilled Ra's wishes, Thoth is credited with creating the heavens and earth. He appears in a few legends as the god who weighs the souls of the dead, although many other stories assign that job to Anubis. At the very least, scholars seem to agree that no matter who was doing the weighing, it was Thoth who recorded the proceedings.
Worship and Celebration
During the late Egyptian period, Thoth was honored at his temple in Khmun, which later became the capital. In their book Greek and Egyptian Mythologies, authors Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger tell us that Thoth “enjoyed a daily worship in his temple, which essentially consisted of the care of his body, meals, and adoration.” Specific offerings of writing cases, palettes, inks and other tools of the scribe were often made in his name.
Honoring Thoth Today
Thoth is sometimes called upon for workings related to wisdom, magic, and fate. Here are some ways you might call upon Thoth for assistance today:
Make an offering of handcrafted writing tools – inks, paper, or a quill pen - if you're working on anything to do with writing or communications — creating a Book of Shadows or writing a spell, for instance.
Are you speaking words of healing or meditation, or mediating a dispute? Offer a prayer to Thoth, praising him for his wisdom and guidance.
Water, beer or bread are typically acceptable offerings for any deities in the Egyptian pantheon – use these in rituals honoring Thoth. Bonus points if you brew the beer or bake the bread yourself!
Sources
Budge, E. A. Wallis.The Book of the Dead. N.Y.: University Books, 1960.
Cerny, Jaroslav. “Thoth as Creator of Languages.”The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 34, 1948, p. 121., doi:10.2307/3855370.
Hill, J. “Thoth.”Ancient Egypt Online, https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/thoth/.
Stadler, M. A. (2012). Thoth.UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1). Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xj8c3qg
Thoth was the Egyptian God of writing, wisdom and magic. He was associated with order and justice and was an advisor and mediator to the Gods. Patron of the scribes, his female counterpart was Seshat, Goddess of writing and keeper of books, Thoth created language and Seshat gave his words to the People.
Thoth, in Egyptian religion, a god of the moon, of reckoning, of learning, and of writing. He was held to be the inventor of writing, the creator of languages, the scribe, interpreter, and adviser of the gods, and the representative of the sun god, Re. His responsibility for writing was shared with the goddess Seshat.
The Egyptian deity of written learning, the author of the mystical treatises on medicine and sacred literature, called by the Greeks the Hermetic books, and himself, as the author of them, Hermes Trismeegistus, and, in his character of introducer of souls in Hades, Hermes Psychopompos.
Thoth became credited by the ancient Egyptians as the inventor of writing (hieroglyphs), and was also considered to have been the scribe of the underworld. For this reason, Thoth was universally worshipped by ancient Egyptian scribes. Many scribes had a painting or a picture of Thoth in their "office".
Thoth was a busy god. He had many different roles in Egyptian mythology, particularly to ensure that good triumphed over evil. Represented as the Ibis-headed god, and less commonly with a baboon head, Thoth also worked alongside Ma'at to ensure the correct management of the cosmic order.
Thoth was the Egyptian God of writing, wisdom and magic. He was associated with order and justice and was an advisor and mediator to the Gods. Patron of the scribes, his female counterpart was Seshat, Goddess of writing and keeper of books, Thoth created language and Seshat gave his words to the People.
He was the god of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences, magic, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes. His Egyptian name was Djehuty, which means “He who is like the Ibis.” He was depicted as an ibis bird or a baboon.
The center of Thoth's worship was the city of Hermopolis in Upper Egypt. Thoth was usually portrayed as a human male figure with the head of an ibis, a curve-billed aquatic bird native to the Nile River region. Sometimes he was represented by the ibis alone.
Weaknesses. Power Limitation: Despite Thoth's intelligence being vast, his answers can be sometimes incorrect. His mind is also a vulnerable spot, as Set was able to enter his head and literally pull it out, leaving Thoth in a mindless state or possibly dead.
He was known for being the creator of writing, as well as being a god of the moon, wisdom, and magic. As Ra's intermediary between the living and the dead, he often served as the messenger of the gods. As Ra's trusted advisor, Thoth was responsible for recording all of the events that occurred.
The fictional Book of Thoth appears in an ancient Egyptian short story from the Ptolemaic period, known as "Setne Khamwas and Naneferkaptah" or "Setne I".
Thoth's Egyptian name was Djehuty (also dhwty) meaning "He Who is Like the Ibis". The ibis was a sacred bird in ancient Egypt as well as a popular pet and associated with wisdom.
Only Set and his followers were seen as true enemies of Thoth, though he was known to intervene in the actions of the Red Wizards of Thay as well. Thoth felt indifference towards the rest of Faerun's deities of magic.
Depictions. Thoth has been depicted in many ways depending on the era and aspect the artist wished to convey. Usually, he is depected in human form with the head of an ibis. In this form, he can be represented as the reckoner of times and seasons by a lunar disk sitting in a crescent moon being placed atop his head.
Thoth was the ancient Egyptian Keeper of the Mysteries. He was the god of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences, magic, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes.
Thoth's Egyptian name was Djehuty (also dhwty) meaning "He Who is Like the Ibis". The ibis was a sacred bird in ancient Egypt as well as a popular pet and associated with wisdom.
Etymology. According to Theodor Hopfner, Thoth's Egyptian name written as ḏḥwty originated from ḏḥw, claimed to be the oldest known name for the ibis although normally written as hbj. The addition of -ty denotes that he possessed the attributes of the ibis. Hence his name means "He who is like the ibis".
He was the oldest son of Ra. His feminine counterpart (sometimes portrayed as a wife or daughter) was Seshat, and his wife was Nehemetaway, sometimes portrayed as Ma'at.
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