What do rabbits symbolize in Egypt?
In Egypt it was probably associated with Osiris, the god of rebirth and immortality. As belief in immortality became more popular, the hare was increasingly used in funerary art. Early Christians accepted this rabbit symbolism and depicted rabbits on gravestones.
Who was Khnum in ancient Egypt?
Khnum, also spelled Khnemu, ancient Egyptian god of fertility, associated with water and with procreation. Khnum was worshipped from the 1st dynasty (c. 2925–2775 bce) into the early centuries ce. He was represented as a ram with horizontal twisting horns or as a man with a ram’s head.
What goddess is associated with rabbits?
Wenenut (Egyptian) – “Deified rabbit-headed goddess. Wenenut is the female counterpart of the hare-headed God, Weneu. In some texts, Wenenu is identified as a form of Osiris [who] is depicted with a knife in each hand, although she is seen with the ankh and the scepter (Miller & Taub, pg 169).
What is rabbit in Greek mythology?
Rabbits were sacred to Aphrodite, the. goddess of love, beauty, and marriage — for rabbits had “the gift of Aphrodite” (fertility) in great abundance. In Greece, the gift of a rabbit was a common love token from a man to his male or female lover.
Were frogs sacred in ancient Egypt?
In ancient Egypt, the frog appears as a symbol of fertility, water, and renewal. The water goddess Heket often appeared as a woman with the head of a frog. Also, frogs and toads were considered spirits of rain, and were used in many rituals intended to bring the rains.
Why was khnum worshiped?
The worship of Khnum centered on two principal riverside sites, Elephantine and Esna, which were regarded as sacred sites. At Elephantine, he was worshipped alongside Satis and Anuket. Khnum was regarded as the guardian of the source of the Nile River.
What is the story of Bastet?
Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women’s secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transfromation).