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Khonshu, you may know him from the Marvel comics and will soon see him on screen on the upcoming series called Moon Knight. But is Khonshu just a character from the Marvel comics? No, he was actually a Moon God worshipped in the Ancient Egypt.
Wanna know more about this mysterious God? Then read this article till the end!
KHONSHU: THE GOD OF THE MOON
The Egyptians worshiped many deities that were embodiments of natural objects. Khonshu was one of them. He was the God of the moon. His name means "traveller", and this may relate to the perceived nightly travel of the Moon across the sky. Along with Thoth, he marked the passage of time.
Khonshu was the child of Amun and Mut. Like his parents, he was primarily worshiped at Thebes, even having part of the large Temple of Karnak, which focused primarily on Amun, built for him. As the moon god, Khonsu was the embodiment of the crescent moon's light. During the new moon, he was considered a mighty bull, but during the full moon, he was considered a neutered bull. Khonsu was supposedly powerful against the evil spirits in the world. Later in the New Kingdom of Egypt, Khonsu was worshiped not only as the moon god, but also as a god of love and fertility. He had the titles "Embracer," "Pathfinder," and "Defender," as he was thought to watch over those who travel at night and one of his names meant the "decider of the lifespan" indicating that he was also associated with time like the moon is.
As a moon god, Khonsu was sometimes associated with Shu, the god of the air, and also with Horus. And he participated in the reckoning of time like, and as an assistant to Thoth.
DEPICTION OF KHONSHU
Khonsu was usually depicted as a young man in a pose like a mummy with his arms crossed. He is sometimes shown wearing an eagle or falcon's head like Horus, with whom he is associated as a protector and healer, adorned with the sun disk and crescent moon.
KHONSHU IN LITERARY WORKS
Khonsu is mentioned in the early Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, in which he is depicted in a fierce and violent aspect. He is described bloodthirsty deity who assists the deceased king in catching and slaying those gods that the king "feeds upon" in order to absorb their strength. In other texts, he is named ''Khonsu who lives on hearts.''
KHONSHU IN MYTHOLOGY
Khonsu was a major Egyptian god with sanctuaries throughout the ancient land of Egypt, including temples at Memphis, Edfu and Hibis. However, his main cult center was at Thebes. His temple at Karnak is in a relatively good state of preservation, and on one of the walls is depicted a creation myth in which Khonsu is described as the great snake who fertilizes the Cosmic Egg in the creation of the world.
KHONSHU: THE GOD OF HEALING?
During later times, Khonsu's fame as a god of healing was widespread, and enhanced by the fact that he was believed to have personally healed one of Egypt's kings during the Greek Period, Ptolemy IV, who called himself "beloved of Khonsu who protects the king and drives away evil spirits. In fact, as a healing god, Khonsu came to be worshipped by the common people as well, who sometimes took the god's name as part of their own.
KHONSHU IN MARVEL UNIVERSE
In Marvel Comics, the character Moon Knight is the avatar of Khonshu and is also known as "The Fist of Khonshu". Khonsu grants him supernatural abilities to fight evil in his name, but also slowly drives him insane. Sometimes Khonshu himself takes control of Moon Knight does what he desires. Moon Knight's strength, endurance, and reflexes are enhanced depending upon the phases of the moon. The relationship between Khonshu and Marc Spector aka Moon Knight is very complicated and interesting. Some people think that Moon Knight is just a rip off of Batman and a boring character but he's not. He's so much different from Batman and his stories are so interesting and very unique. One of Batman's famous traits is that he won't kill. But Moon Knight kills bad people whenever he feels like. In one occasion, he rips off his enemy's face with a sharp crescent dart or a crescent moon like weapon.
What do you think about the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu and are you excited to see Moon Knight when it releases on Disney Plus? Comment below. Because I for one, can't wait to see it!
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