THOTH by Scott Milch

Appearance of Thoth A man with the head of an ibis holding a scribe's palette and stylus. He was also shown as a full ibis, or sometimes as baboon.

What he did… Originally, Thoth was a god of creation, but was later thought to be the one who civilized men, teaching them civic and religious practices, writing, medicine, music and magic. The god of learning was also reputed to have been a god of measuring the passage of time, and thus the god of the Egyptian calendar.

More of what he did… He was the one who made calculations concerning the heavens, the stars, and the earth He was the reckoner of times and of seasons Measured out the heavens and planned the Earth God of the equilibrium and master of the balance Scribe of the company of the gods He was the voice of Ra Author of every work on every of knowledge branch

Thoth’s Birth One legend says that he was born out of the skull of Set. Another claims that he was born out of the heart of Re. Still another story says that Thoth created himself through the power of the spoken word: he said his own name, and he then came into existence.

Area of Worship Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, his cult center was Hermopolis.

Thoth’s Acheivements Overcame the curse of Ra, allowing Nut to give birth to her five children, with his skill at games. It was he who helped Isis work the ritual to bring Osiris back from the dead, and who drove the magical poison of Set from her son, Horus with the power of his magic. He was Horus' supporter during the young god's deadly battle with his uncle Set, helping Horus with his wisdom and magic.

Book of Thoth The magical powers of Thoth were so great, that the Egyptians had tales of a Book of Thoth, which would allow a person who read the sacred book to become the most powerful magician in the world. The Book which “the god of wisdom wrote with his own hand” was, though, a deadly book that brought nothing but pain and tragedy to those that read it, despite finding out about the “secrets of the gods themselves” and “all that is hidden in the stars

“The Weighing of the Heart” As the god of scribes, Thoth is also a divine record-keeper. Before the soul of a dead person could join Osiris in the afterlife, it had to pass a test called "The Weighing of the Heart”. Anubis, the god of mummification, stands under a scale and verifies that it's working correctly as Thoth waits to record the results. The heart of the dead person is weighed against "the feather of truth," a symbol of Ma'at (the goddess of truth, justice, and order). If the heart weighs less, the spirit is free to go on to meet Osiris in the afterlife. But if the heart is heavy with sin, it is thrown to Ammut, "the devourer of the dead," who gobbles it up, denying the spirit an afterlife and causing it to cease to exist.

The End