Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

128 HorkosHorkosGod of oaths. Greek. The son of ERIS (strife).HORUS [Greek] (the high one)ORIGIN Egyptian. Sky god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilend of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Har (Egyptian); HAROERIS; Har-pakheredor Harpokrates (Greek); HARSIESE. AlsoHar-nedj-itef or Harendotes (Greek); Har-mauor HARSOMTUS (Greek); HARAKHTI; Har-emakhetor HARMACHIS (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT universal throughout areasof Egyptian influence but particularly Mesen[Edfu] in Upper Egypt; Behdet in the delta;Nekhen or Hierakonpolis (Greek) [Kom el-Ahmar]; Khem or Letopolis (Greek) [Ausim];also at Buhen close to the second Nile cataract;Aniba in lower Nubia.ART REFERENCES pre-dynastic monuments;sculptures throughout Egyptian period.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin texts,etc.Horus is one of the most universally importantgods in the Egyptian pantheon attested from theearliest recorded period. By tradition born atKhemmis in the Nile delta region, Horus’s fatherwas the dead OSIRIS, his mother was ISIS, but acomplex genealogy recognized him distinctly asHorus, Horus the child (HARPOKRATES) andHorus the elder. In legend he was the first rulerof all Egypt after an eighty-year struggle forsupremacy with his brother and rival SETH.Horus’s symbol is the falcon and he is generallydepicted either wholly as a hawk or in humanform with a falcon’s head. In some places the traditionby which his mother hid him in the papyrusmarshes of the delta is recognized by depicting afalcon standing atop a column of papyrus reeds.He is also recognized as the “eye of Horus”—ahuman eye embellished with a typical Egyptiancosmetic extension and subtended by the markingsof a falcon’s cheek. As Horus the child, he istypically drawn naked and with fingers in mouth.Horus is a form of the sun god. The alternativename Harakhti translates “Horus of the horizon”and he is sometimes depicted as a sun disc mountedbetween falcon’s wings. He is also the symbol ofthe god kings of Egypt. In early dynastic times theruler was a “follower of Horus” but by 3000 BC hebecame Horus in life and Osiris in death.As Harpokrates, Horus is depicted naked andbeing suckled on Isis’s knee and he often appearson amulets extending protection against lions,crocodiles, snakes and other dangerous animals.As the adult son of Isis, Haroeris, he performedthe “opening of the mouth” ceremony on his deadfather, Osiris, and avenged his death, regainingthe throne of Egypt from Seth. Horus can also bethe son of Horus the elder and HATHOR.The “eye of Horus” arises from the legendaryincident in which Seth tore out Horus’s eye,which was later restored by his mother. The symbolcan represent security of kingship, perfectionand protection against the evil influence of Seth.HoteiGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of seven gods offortune known in Shintoism. He is depicted witha large belly and dressed in the robes of a Buddhistpriest. Attributes include a fan and a largesack on his shoulder which “never stops to give,despite continuous demand.”Hotr(a) (invoker)Minor goddess of sacrifices. Hindu (Vedic). Sheis invoked to appear on the sacrificial field beforea ritual and is particularly identified with the actof prayer. Usually associated with the goddessSARASVATI.