Deeds
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Tatenen / Ta-tenen T3-ṯnn |
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The god Tatenen (proper name spelling ), Ta-tenen ( T3 ṯnn , also T3-nn , Tnn ) (meaning perhaps raised land ), is initially an earth god in Egyptian mythology . In the Ramesside period he became the god of the primeval waters and the primeval hill, which arose from the primordial ocean when the earth was formed. From the 18th dynasty until the late period , Tatenen has also been a primordial and creator god.
Testimonies
Tatenen is first documented in the Middle Kingdom on coffin texts from Assiut , as well as on steles from Sinai and Wadi Gawasis as the god of ores and minerals.
Tatenen gains importance in the underworld books of the New Kingdom . In the Amduat he rules over the waters of the Taten and stands in the sixth hour at the head of a divine unity . But he is also associated with the sun god Re , as in the eighth hour of the Amduat and the sun litany , where he is equated with Re.
In the gate book , Tatenen embodies the entire underworld and thus also gains a cosmic meaning, comparable to the sky goddess Nut .
In private graves of the 18th dynasty, Tatenen is also considered the primordial and creator god for the first time.
Merging with other gods
Tatenen entered into a syncretic connection with the royal god Horus as "Horus-Tatenen" early on . At the end of the 18th dynasty, Tatenen was also equated with Osiris . From the 19th dynasty onwards, there is evidence of a merging “ Ptah - Sokar- Osiris-Tatenen”. In the time of Ramses II , Tatenen becomes a Memphite god through his association with Ptah as "Ptah-Tatenen" . Furthermore, since that time Tatenen has been equated with the primeval waters of Nun and the primeval hill.
Finally, in the late period, Tatenen was also connected to the god of creation and to Khnum .
Representations
Tatenen is depicted in the Amduat as a fire-breathing snake staff, in the Sun litany, on the other hand, as a mummy with ram's horns and a feather crown on its head. In the Ptah-Tatenen connection, he has an articulated human body and rams horns, as well as a solar disk framed by two feathers on his head.
See also
literature
- Hermann A. Schlögl , in: Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ), Volume 6: Stele - Cypress. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1986, ISBN 3-447-02663-4 , columns 238-240 with further literature.
- Hermann A. Schlögl: The god Tatenen. Based on texts and images of the New Kingdom (= Orbis biblicus et orientalis. Vol. 29). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1980, ISBN 978-3-525-53335-2 .
Individual references / comments
- ↑ Wadi Gawasis is located south of Wadi Gasus .