kefira (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kefi) wrote,@ 2003-11-16 15:10:00 |
|
Maihes Essay
Updated Maihes. Need to check some accuracy.
Overview: Maihes is a lion netjer, a son of Bast. His father is given as Tem (Atum), Ra, or Ptah. Like many leonine netjeru he has a fierce, aggressive nature, though it may be less energetic than that of female leonine netjerut, such as Sekhmet. His force is a deliberate, inexorable force, of protection and lasting strength.
His name (mA-HsA) appears in the Pyramid Texts as a word meaning "lion," and it would appear he was worshiped from the Middle Kingdom on, especially in Ptolemaic times. His worship also seems to have traveled from the North to the South as far as Nubia where he was identified, and somewhat assimilated with the lion god, Apedemak.
It is the opinion of some that Maihes has the ability to portray himself as male or female, depending on the texts and the characteristics he desires to show. Personally, I doubt that this is one of his abilities, as I have not been able to find many valid sources for this idea. It seems highly unlikely that Maihes has a female side. I can say that, I, personally, have never experienced any feminine form of him. The name which is said to belong to his female side, "Maihesa" or "Mahesa" are both names attributed to Maihes as a male, and neither are in the feminine form, as should be expected for the name of a goddess. As far as I have been able to ascertain, both names mean "raging lion" or "wild lion." There is a possibility that Maihes was identified with a goddess named Menhyt, or Mehit. In one of the versions of the story of the Wandering of the Eye, Menhyt/Mehit is the netjert that travels from Egypt, and is retrieved by her husband, Anhur, who is identified with Maihes. I find it a bit easier to believe that Maihes was simply identified with Menhyt/Mehit, rather than taking a female's form. While Maihes may be many things, he does not have many of the attributes generally associated with bi-sexed gods. While he may be connected to Mafdet, she is a much older god then he is, so she cannot be his "female side."
According to those sources that do say that Maihes can become a female, as a female, he is shown as a lynx netjert, possibly connected with Mafdet, and is identified with Menhyt and Tefnut.
As a male, he has been said to have a consort named Tekhait or Tekait, a blood-drinking serpent netjert of fire. Her name appears in the Book of Am Tuat as one of 12 Uraei (cobras) who kindle fire in their mouths for the god Wesir and swallow the fire when he passes. They seem to live on the blood of those they kill, and have a role of protection in the Duat. However, I have been unable to find a primary source linking her as a consort of Maihes. Indeed, the only source of information I have been able to find on Tekait at all is in the Book of Am Tuat.
He is identified with Heru and Nefertem. His connection to Heru may be as simple as the fact that he is a son in a triad, as is Heru-sa-Aset. Maihes and Nefertem are somewhat interchangeable, depending on the texts, as Maihes has been called a son of Sekhmet, as in the story, "The Taking of Joppa," where the Pharaoh Thutmose III says "Look at the fierce looking lion, son of Sekhmet," calling himself "Maihes, Son of Sekhmet." According to some, Maihes appears to serve two functions, as a lion-god, and as a lion, especially as an epithet of the king.
Names: Maihes is known by many names, among them Maahes, Mahes, Mai-hesa, Ari-hes, Mihos (gk), and Miysis (gk). Some doubt may be cast on the likelihood of Ari-hes as a name of Maihes, however. Ari-hes-nefer is the name of a Nubian deity, very similar to Maihes, who is more known as Arensnuphis. There is a reference to "Ari-hes, son of Bast," and it may be possible that Maihes' worship extended to Nubia, and either assimilated into the worship of Arensnuphis, or that Maihes became Arensnuphis in the South. His name, Maihes, might be a variation on "Maihesa," which means "Wild Lion." As of yet, I haven't been able to find out for certain, but this seems to be the likeliest scenario. Maihes's name in hieroglyphs, and other variations on it, can be found here in Banu's Directory of Netjeru.
Respect epithets of Maihes include "Wielder of the Knife," a possible phallic reference, but more likely to mean the knives Maihes almost always is depicted carrying, "Helper of the Wise Ones," "The Initiator," "Lord of the Slaughter," "Manifestor of Will," and "Avenger of Wrongs." I've heard that He is also called "Lord of the Land of Daughters," which refers to a special paradise his priestesses resided in after death, "Scarlet Lord," a reference to his sacrifices, "Great of Roaring," (c3 hmhm) "Great of Strength," (c3 phty/ wr phty) "Powerful of Arms," (nHt cwy) and "Raging Lion." Also, "Lion with the Ferocious Gaze," and "Soul of Bast."
Duties/Characteristics: Maihes is generally known as a minor netjer, a punisher of transgressors of ma'at, and a protector of the innocent. He seems, however, to be much more. He is a netjer of healing of the mind and body, and of protection and strength. He is shown mauling the enemies of the king, and protecting him in battle. He is shown as a warrior battling the serpent Apep (Apofis). He protects his initiates, and statues of him were often placed outside temples as guardians. He guards the door to the astral plane, and his hand and eye were said to guard the gates of night. He repels evil and upholds the divine truth. He is a netjer of sight, a solar netjer of the Nile Delta, a god of Midsummer, and in Ptolemaic times, a god of wind and storms. He guards magical rites, and is invoked to bring forth souls of men, gods, or spirits for divination or to discover the truth of a matter.
Cult Centers: Maihes's cult seems to have begun in Lower Egypt, where he was worshipped in Leonopolis, where lion bronzes, stelae, and statuettes have been found, with Shu and Tefnut, and in Bubastis with Bast and Tem, where a temple was built to him. His cult center is given as the Afroditopolis nome. It then appears to have spread south to Dendera, Phyle, Debod, Menroe, Nubia, and the Oasises of Bahriya and Siwan.
Cult: Little, if anything, is known about the cult of Maihes, but this information comes from Teri Sharp, and is available from The Lady of the Flame, and previously was on her own website. Unfortunately, that seems to have gone down some time ago. I am curious about references to Maihes and magic or the astral. Were these Kemetic ideas? Sound rather strange to me. I also believe that Maihes was a solar netjer, like his mother, and I wonder about the reference to his left eye and the moon, since the left eye and the moon were associated with Heru. And the thing about his priestesses; what about his priests? Were priestesses common?
"Initiation into his cult was called "overcoming the lion," and "the little death." The initiated would face their worst fears, prejudices, failures, and emotions to progress to higher degrees. It also involved injury to and renewal of the left eye, associated with the moon and magic, to extend their sight from the earthly to the spiritual plane, enabling them to see the spirits of the dead. They did not fear death, believing after they died Maihes would carry them on his shoulders over the abyss, and his priestesses would reside in a special paradise. His rites were celebrated with processions, music, dancing, and orgies. His priesthood, like the others, wore white, and one of their duties was to take milk and honey offering to cliff caves. His cult accepted sacrifices, and the hearts of the victims would be fed to the lions which were bred in and guarded his temples. A sacred lion was kept for him, like other animal deities, and was mummified after death."
In 2001, the remains of a mummified lion were discovered, which likely could have been a sacred lion kept for Maihes, as it was found in an area dedicated to Bast. Two articles may be found here: Mummified Lion Unearthed and Egyptian Lion Mummy Found in Ancient Tomb. Keep in mind that not all the information presented is accurate.
Imagery: Maihes was depicted as a lion-headed man carrying knives like the ones the Re cat uses to slay Apep. He has been depicted as bare-headed or wearing the atef crown, the uraeus and disk, the hemhem crown, or the double crown as a lion-headed man. He also appears to be associated with the double cobra headdress. As a full lion, he is depicted as wearing the atef, the solar disk, or Nefertem's crown, and devouring a captive. Some of his images seem to have Persian influences, particularly in Leontopolis.
Philae: Maihes appears in the hypostyle hall of the Temple of Aset in Philae, as a seated lion with the inscription “Mahes, son of Bast.” He appears in the topmost of four registers, which contain the images of other protective gods. On the other side, there is a similar representation of gods, led by Tutu, the son of Nit. The purpose of these images and the accompanying inscriptions seems to be to create the ultimate protection for the king. Maihes also appears on the western jamb of Philae’s inner doorway, above text describing the procession of Aset and other gods to Wesir’s tomb. He is also a seated lion here, but with his tongue sticking out, with a knife between his paws and a lotus flower and two buds bent over his back. The inscription reads “To be said by Mahes: I enter against them, my hands holding the knife, in this my name of the Raging Lion.” Not far from this, he is shown again, here behind the king spearing a human enemy. He is also shown seated with a knife between his paws.
In the Temple of Het-hert, he also appears on the jamb of a doorway, here again with the lotus and two buds over his back, and holding the knife in his forepaws. These images seem to point to his function as a protective deity.
Other Imagery: On the naos of Saft el Henneh, Maihes is depicted as a lion-headed man with the atef crown, with a w3s-sceptre in his left hand and an ankh in the right, and identified in the inscription. He is also shown as a lion attacking a prisoner three times on the naos.
People: Some people important to Maihes were Osorkon II of the 23rd dynasty, who built the temple to him in Bubastis, Nesmihos, an ambassador to Nubia, and Nesmihos' father Pedimihos. Other folk who had names including Maihes were: m3-hs3-wsr (Ma-hesa-user?) "Maihes is powerful," and m3-hs3-htp (Ma-hesa-hotep) "Maihes is satisfied."
Photos:
My statue.
Hildesheim stelae, photo from Apedemak.
Heru-Maihes, photo from Apedemak.
Sources: Will eventually get around to putting these in some variety of MLA style prettiness, but for the moment this'll work.
Zabkar, LV. Apedemak: Lion God of Meroe. England: Aris and Phillips, Ltd. 1975
Tekait
Mai-hesa
Ari-hes
Previous Version
Updated Maihes. Need to check some accuracy.
Overview: Maihes is a lion netjer, a son of Bast. His father is given as Tem (Atum), Ra, or Ptah. Like many leonine netjeru he has a fierce, aggressive nature, though it may be less energetic than that of female leonine netjerut, such as Sekhmet. His force is a deliberate, inexorable force, of protection and lasting strength.
His name (mA-HsA) appears in the Pyramid Texts as a word meaning "lion," and it would appear he was worshiped from the Middle Kingdom on, especially in Ptolemaic times. His worship also seems to have traveled from the North to the South as far as Nubia where he was identified, and somewhat assimilated with the lion god, Apedemak.
It is the opinion of some that Maihes has the ability to portray himself as male or female, depending on the texts and the characteristics he desires to show. Personally, I doubt that this is one of his abilities, as I have not been able to find many valid sources for this idea. It seems highly unlikely that Maihes has a female side. I can say that, I, personally, have never experienced any feminine form of him. The name which is said to belong to his female side, "Maihesa" or "Mahesa" are both names attributed to Maihes as a male, and neither are in the feminine form, as should be expected for the name of a goddess. As far as I have been able to ascertain, both names mean "raging lion" or "wild lion." There is a possibility that Maihes was identified with a goddess named Menhyt, or Mehit. In one of the versions of the story of the Wandering of the Eye, Menhyt/Mehit is the netjert that travels from Egypt, and is retrieved by her husband, Anhur, who is identified with Maihes. I find it a bit easier to believe that Maihes was simply identified with Menhyt/Mehit, rather than taking a female's form. While Maihes may be many things, he does not have many of the attributes generally associated with bi-sexed gods. While he may be connected to Mafdet, she is a much older god then he is, so she cannot be his "female side."
According to those sources that do say that Maihes can become a female, as a female, he is shown as a lynx netjert, possibly connected with Mafdet, and is identified with Menhyt and Tefnut.
As a male, he has been said to have a consort named Tekhait or Tekait, a blood-drinking serpent netjert of fire. Her name appears in the Book of Am Tuat as one of 12 Uraei (cobras) who kindle fire in their mouths for the god Wesir and swallow the fire when he passes. They seem to live on the blood of those they kill, and have a role of protection in the Duat. However, I have been unable to find a primary source linking her as a consort of Maihes. Indeed, the only source of information I have been able to find on Tekait at all is in the Book of Am Tuat.
He is identified with Heru and Nefertem. His connection to Heru may be as simple as the fact that he is a son in a triad, as is Heru-sa-Aset. Maihes and Nefertem are somewhat interchangeable, depending on the texts, as Maihes has been called a son of Sekhmet, as in the story, "The Taking of Joppa," where the Pharaoh Thutmose III says "Look at the fierce looking lion, son of Sekhmet," calling himself "Maihes, Son of Sekhmet." According to some, Maihes appears to serve two functions, as a lion-god, and as a lion, especially as an epithet of the king.
Names: Maihes is known by many names, among them Maahes, Mahes, Mai-hesa, Ari-hes, Mihos (gk), and Miysis (gk). Some doubt may be cast on the likelihood of Ari-hes as a name of Maihes, however. Ari-hes-nefer is the name of a Nubian deity, very similar to Maihes, who is more known as Arensnuphis. There is a reference to "Ari-hes, son of Bast," and it may be possible that Maihes' worship extended to Nubia, and either assimilated into the worship of Arensnuphis, or that Maihes became Arensnuphis in the South. His name, Maihes, might be a variation on "Maihesa," which means "Wild Lion." As of yet, I haven't been able to find out for certain, but this seems to be the likeliest scenario. Maihes's name in hieroglyphs, and other variations on it, can be found here in Banu's Directory of Netjeru.
Respect epithets of Maihes include "Wielder of the Knife," a possible phallic reference, but more likely to mean the knives Maihes almost always is depicted carrying, "Helper of the Wise Ones," "The Initiator," "Lord of the Slaughter," "Manifestor of Will," and "Avenger of Wrongs." I've heard that He is also called "Lord of the Land of Daughters," which refers to a special paradise his priestesses resided in after death, "Scarlet Lord," a reference to his sacrifices, "Great of Roaring," (c3 hmhm) "Great of Strength," (c3 phty/ wr phty) "Powerful of Arms," (nHt cwy) and "Raging Lion." Also, "Lion with the Ferocious Gaze," and "Soul of Bast."
Duties/Characteristics: Maihes is generally known as a minor netjer, a punisher of transgressors of ma'at, and a protector of the innocent. He seems, however, to be much more. He is a netjer of healing of the mind and body, and of protection and strength. He is shown mauling the enemies of the king, and protecting him in battle. He is shown as a warrior battling the serpent Apep (Apofis). He protects his initiates, and statues of him were often placed outside temples as guardians. He guards the door to the astral plane, and his hand and eye were said to guard the gates of night. He repels evil and upholds the divine truth. He is a netjer of sight, a solar netjer of the Nile Delta, a god of Midsummer, and in Ptolemaic times, a god of wind and storms. He guards magical rites, and is invoked to bring forth souls of men, gods, or spirits for divination or to discover the truth of a matter.
Cult Centers: Maihes's cult seems to have begun in Lower Egypt, where he was worshipped in Leonopolis, where lion bronzes, stelae, and statuettes have been found, with Shu and Tefnut, and in Bubastis with Bast and Tem, where a temple was built to him. His cult center is given as the Afroditopolis nome. It then appears to have spread south to Dendera, Phyle, Debod, Menroe, Nubia, and the Oasises of Bahriya and Siwan.
Cult: Little, if anything, is known about the cult of Maihes, but this information comes from Teri Sharp, and is available from The Lady of the Flame, and previously was on her own website. Unfortunately, that seems to have gone down some time ago. I am curious about references to Maihes and magic or the astral. Were these Kemetic ideas? Sound rather strange to me. I also believe that Maihes was a solar netjer, like his mother, and I wonder about the reference to his left eye and the moon, since the left eye and the moon were associated with Heru. And the thing about his priestesses; what about his priests? Were priestesses common?
"Initiation into his cult was called "overcoming the lion," and "the little death." The initiated would face their worst fears, prejudices, failures, and emotions to progress to higher degrees. It also involved injury to and renewal of the left eye, associated with the moon and magic, to extend their sight from the earthly to the spiritual plane, enabling them to see the spirits of the dead. They did not fear death, believing after they died Maihes would carry them on his shoulders over the abyss, and his priestesses would reside in a special paradise. His rites were celebrated with processions, music, dancing, and orgies. His priesthood, like the others, wore white, and one of their duties was to take milk and honey offering to cliff caves. His cult accepted sacrifices, and the hearts of the victims would be fed to the lions which were bred in and guarded his temples. A sacred lion was kept for him, like other animal deities, and was mummified after death."
In 2001, the remains of a mummified lion were discovered, which likely could have been a sacred lion kept for Maihes, as it was found in an area dedicated to Bast. Two articles may be found here: Mummified Lion Unearthed and Egyptian Lion Mummy Found in Ancient Tomb. Keep in mind that not all the information presented is accurate.
Imagery: Maihes was depicted as a lion-headed man carrying knives like the ones the Re cat uses to slay Apep. He has been depicted as bare-headed or wearing the atef crown, the uraeus and disk, the hemhem crown, or the double crown as a lion-headed man. He also appears to be associated with the double cobra headdress. As a full lion, he is depicted as wearing the atef, the solar disk, or Nefertem's crown, and devouring a captive. Some of his images seem to have Persian influences, particularly in Leontopolis.
Philae: Maihes appears in the hypostyle hall of the Temple of Aset in Philae, as a seated lion with the inscription “Mahes, son of Bast.” He appears in the topmost of four registers, which contain the images of other protective gods. On the other side, there is a similar representation of gods, led by Tutu, the son of Nit. The purpose of these images and the accompanying inscriptions seems to be to create the ultimate protection for the king. Maihes also appears on the western jamb of Philae’s inner doorway, above text describing the procession of Aset and other gods to Wesir’s tomb. He is also a seated lion here, but with his tongue sticking out, with a knife between his paws and a lotus flower and two buds bent over his back. The inscription reads “To be said by Mahes: I enter against them, my hands holding the knife, in this my name of the Raging Lion.” Not far from this, he is shown again, here behind the king spearing a human enemy. He is also shown seated with a knife between his paws.
In the Temple of Het-hert, he also appears on the jamb of a doorway, here again with the lotus and two buds over his back, and holding the knife in his forepaws. These images seem to point to his function as a protective deity.
Other Imagery: On the naos of Saft el Henneh, Maihes is depicted as a lion-headed man with the atef crown, with a w3s-sceptre in his left hand and an ankh in the right, and identified in the inscription. He is also shown as a lion attacking a prisoner three times on the naos.
People: Some people important to Maihes were Osorkon II of the 23rd dynasty, who built the temple to him in Bubastis, Nesmihos, an ambassador to Nubia, and Nesmihos' father Pedimihos. Other folk who had names including Maihes were: m3-hs3-wsr (Ma-hesa-user?) "Maihes is powerful," and m3-hs3-htp (Ma-hesa-hotep) "Maihes is satisfied."
Photos:
My statue.
Hildesheim stelae, photo from Apedemak.
Heru-Maihes, photo from Apedemak.
Sources: Will eventually get around to putting these in some variety of MLA style prettiness, but for the moment this'll work.
Zabkar, LV. Apedemak: Lion God of Meroe. England: Aris and Phillips, Ltd. 1975
Tekait
Mai-hesa
Ari-hes
Previous Version
