Khonsu

Toth told Newt that he had a plan.

The first step was paying a visit to the moon god, Khonsu.

Hey there, Khonsu.

How's it shakin'? How's it shakin'? I am the moon god.

I do not shake.

Because I have come to challenge you to a game.

A

game? Toth could see Khonsu tingle with excitement.

In a pre-industrial society without light pollution, a full moon on a clear desert night is not just a beautiful sight to behold, it also makes ordinary daytime activities possible at odd hours of the night, providing just enough light to see one's surroundings.

So the ancient Egyptians considered the moon to be important too, right? Well, of course they did, most notably in the form of the god Khonsu.

But the mythology surrounding the Egyptian conception of the moon is not quite as straightforward as it is for the sun.

The various Egyptian beliefs and practices regarding the moon are complex and deeply interconnected.

Mythological conceptions of the moon can be difficult to find in the available ancient sources, mainly because it must be drawn together from many different sources whose relationships are not always obvious at first glance.

In this video, we'll address the scattered nature of this evidence and consider the role of the moon in Egyptian beliefs in all its various manifestations.

Our ultimate goal is to arrive at a complete portrait of the god Khonsu, the quintessential moon god.

In one mythological conception, the sun and moon are the eyes of the god Horus.

Other cultures had their own lunar deities.

In Ancient Egypt, Khonsu was a major moon god.

Khonsu stood for the passage of time, healing, and protection.

He was part of the important Theban Triad, alongside Amun and Mut.

Earlier Egyptian lunar deities included Ihya, who was eventually absorbed into Khonsu.

Khonsu is a lot of fun.

Tell us about Khonsu.

I tried to learn a bit about Egyptian mythology, and it's-

The priests of Amun emerged from shadow, their shaved heads glistening with oil beneath the torches of Karnak.

They led processions through Thebes once more, raising statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.

The air filled with the scent of lotus and myrrh.

Drums thundered like distant storms.

The moonlight filtered through the high columns.

The statues of the gods loomed around him.

Amun, Mut, Khonsu, all eternal, all watching.

He paused before the image of Amun-Ra and whispered, "If my father was wrong, let me make it right." The silence that followed felt heavy, almost listening.