Meaning and Functions of the God Khonsu in the “Pyramid Texts” and “Coffin Texts”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2023.1.63.69Keywords:
archaeology, ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Khonsu, god of the Moon, funeral cult, liminal deity, god-protector, Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts.Abstract
In spite of a great scientific interest in the mythology and religion of ancient Egypt, the image of the god of the Moon Khonsu has not been well studied yet. The main reason for this is that very few sources that belong to the period of the Ancient and Middle Kingdom have come down to us, and sources from later periods, on the contrary, are available in great quantity. This has led to the fact that the image of the god Khonsu was more studied during the periods of its highest popularity in the religion of Ancient Egypt, i.e. in the period from the New Kingdom period to the Greco-Roman time. The first mention of the god Khonsu is found in the Pyramid Texts – a collection of funerary sayings inscribed inside the pyramids of the kings of the V and VI dynasties in order to realize the well-being of the dead pharaoh in the afterlife. With the end of the Ancient Kingdom religious literature underwent significant changes. Starting from the VI-VII dynasties, religious texts were carved on the surface of sarcophagi and were called the Coffin texts. God Khonsu is mentioned in sixteen sayings, performing various but interrelated functions. Studying the early stages of image formation of the god Khonsu will help to trace the evolution of his inherent functions and understand his role in the development of ancient Egyptian religion.
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