Amun (deity)

Symbols: Bull; goose; ram

Country: Egypt

Children: Khonsu

Amun was one of the most important and influential gods in the Egyptian pantheon. He was an ancient god, who started off as a small, local god of the Theban region, but went on to become the supreme god and was worshipped all over Egypt. He came to prominence during the twentieth century BCE with the rise of the Theban kings. The kings in their gratitude elevated Amun’s status, making him the most important god of the Egyptian pantheon. As Amun’s cult grew bigger, he went on to imbibe the attributes of other deities/divine beings and came to be seen as a universal god.

It is believed that Amun’s name means "that which is concealed" or "invisible," and he was initially seen as a mysterious, hidden god with an imperceptible nature. He was also revered as a god of fertility, who went on to assimilate the powers of a sun god. Amun had a strong warrior aspect and the pharaohs credited him for the successful military campaigns they undertook. It was said that Amun protected the king in battle, and was the Lord of Victory and Lover of Strength, therefore playing an important role in military victories.

Amun was often depicted as a man with bronzed features wearing a short kilt, a feather-patterned tunic, and a crown with two tall plumes. In one hand he holds a scepter (a symbol of authority) and in the other is the ankh (the symbol of life). He was also shown seated on a throne like a pharaoh or standing with a whip raised above his head. Amun was sometimes also depicted with the head of a ram with curled horns. The Nile goose was considered his sacred animal. Amun’s consort was the mother goddess Mut and their son Khonsu was a moon god.

In Mythology

It was believed that as Amun-Min (known as the Bull of His Mother), Amun had fathered himself on his mother the cow, who was seen as the goddess of creation and the sky. It was also believed that all other gods traced their being back to him. Amun was also worshipped as the god of fertility, as ancient Egyptians saw the bull as a symbol of fertility and strength. He was also depicted as a ram, which was another Egyptian symbol of fertility.

In one of his manifestations, Amun was worshiped as a primeval creator god in the form of a snake that regenerated itself by shedding its skin. He was credited with bringing the world into being.

As Amun’s popularity grew over the centuries, his cult enhanced his divinity by making him a manifestation of the powerful sun god Ra, and so he became Amun-Ra. In this form he had all the powers of the solar god.

Considered to be the father and protector of the pharaohs, many kings called themselves Mery-Amun ("beloved of Amun") and incorporated Amun’s name in their titles.

Origins and Cults

Amun was a local Theban god who rose to prominence from the twentieth century BCE onwards. In the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries BCE, the Theban kings made Thebes the center of their fight against the invading Hyksos (a group of mixed Asiatic migrants who took over the Nile delta). When the Hyksos were finally driven out, the pharaohs credited Amun for their military victories. So in the sixteenth century BCE Amun was elevated to the position of supreme state god. The pharaohs went on to proclaim themselves Sons of Amun, and saw him as a powerful patron god who would always give them victory over their enemies.

Money, riches, slaves, spoils of war, and numerous tributes flowed to the Theban cult center of Amun. As Amun’s worship spread throughout Egypt, so did the influence and wealth of his priesthood. By the fourteenth century BCE, Amun’s priesthood exerted immense political power. There began a movement in the royal family to worship Aten of the Day, a different aspect of the sun god, a deity whose power lay in the sun disk. This came to a head during the reign of Akhenaten who, concerned over the growing influence of Amun and his cult, decided to replace Amun with Aten as the state god. Akhenaten moved his capital from Thebes to Akhenaten, which he specially constructed for the worship of Aten. Akhenaten went on to lead a campaign to remove Amun’s name and depictions from all public works and temples throughout Egypt. Amun’s statues were broken, his name removed from royal tablets, and his riches given to Aten. However, the new state religion was short-lived and failed to survive after Akhenaten’s death. When his son came to power, he changed his own name from Tutankhaten ("living image of Aten") to Tutankhamun ("living image of Amun") and restored the cult of Amun. Successive pharaohs were instrumental in rebuilding the cult of Amun to its former glory.

By the time of Ramesses III in the twelfth century BCE, Amun’s properties included one-third of all cultivable land in Egypt, and among other riches he owned 81,322 slaves and 421,362 cattle. Centuries later, when the Assyrians invaded Thebes in the seventh century BCE, Amun still occupied his place of power in Egyptian religion.

During the height of his cult, grand monuments were built for his worship throughout Egypt. Two temples, however, stand out in their scale and splendor on the eastern bank of the Nile River—the main temple of Amun at Karnak and Luxor Temple. Each year, during the popular Festival of Opet, Amun’s statue was carried in a procession from Karnak to Luxor to celebrate his union with his consort, the goddess Mut. Other cult centers of Amun were Deir el-Bahri, Medinet Habu, Perunefer, Per Ramesses, and Tanis. Temples were also built further south in Nubia, where Egypt enjoyed great influence.

Bibliography

Wilkinson, Richard. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames, 2003. Print.

Hart, George. The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.

Bunson, Margaret. Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. New York: Facts on File, 2012. Print.

The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology. Trans. Richard Aldington and Delano Ames. London: Hamlyn, 1959. Print.