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Mythos Atlas

Egyptian Pantheon

Thoth

Also known as Djehuty, Tehuti, Three Times Great

Illustration of Thoth, a deity of the Egyptian Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Thoth. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • wisdom
  • writing
  • magic
  • moon
  • time
  • knowledge
  • judgment

God of wisdom, writing, and magic. Inventor of hieroglyphs and scribe of the gods. He records the results of the weighing of hearts ceremony.

About Thoth

Scribe of the Gods

Thoth is the ibis-headed god of wisdom, writing, magic, and the moon. He invented hieroglyphs and is credited with creating all branches of knowledge, including science, philosophy, mathematics, and religion. His precise calculations and record-keeping maintain cosmic order.

The Divine Arbiter

Thoth serves as the divine mediator and arbiter, ensuring balance between good and evil, order and chaos. During the great contest between Horus and Set for the throne of Egypt, Thoth presided over the proceedings and recorded the judgments. He restored the Eye of Horus after Set damaged it, making the Wedjat a symbol of wholeness and healing.

Lord of Time and the Moon

As a lunar deity, Thoth governs time, calendars, and the measurement of seasons. He added five extra days to the calendar through a clever wager with the moon god Khonsu, allowing Nut to give birth to her children (Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder).

Sacred Animals and Cult Centers

Thoth appears as an ibis or a baboon, both sacred to him. His primary cult center was Hermopolis (Khemenu), where he was worshipped as a creator god. Greeks later identified him with Hermes, calling him Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice-Great").

Origin story

Thoth's origins are mysterious, befitting the god of hidden knowledge. In some traditions, he was self-created, emerging from the chaos at the beginning of time through the power of language itself. Other accounts describe him as born from the lips of Ra, created from the sun god's words. In Hermopolitan theology, Thoth was among the primordial eight deities (the Ogdoad) who existed before creation. His role in establishing cosmic order through writing and calculation made him essential to the functioning of the universe from its very beginning.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Thoth's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Thoth

Ibis, baboon, and the scribe's kit. He records the weighing of the heart and invents writing. Priests of the House of Life worked in his shadow. Moon and word are one office.

Sacred sites

  • Hermopolis Magna (Khmun)
  • House of Life scriptoria in major temples

Festivals

  • Thoth festivals of the lunar calendar
  • New Year scribal observances

In the atlas

Where Thoth appears

In the museums

Thoth in art

Real objects in public collections, released into the public domain by the museums that hold them. Dates refer to when each object was made. Objects made within the tradition come first, later depictions after.

  • Faience statuette of the ibis-headed god Thoth striding forward. Photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (opens the museum record)

    Ancient object

    Striding Thoth (opens the museum record)

    Egyptian, Ptolemaic Period · 332–30 BCE · Faience

    A faience statuette the museum titles as Striding Thoth, shown in his ibis-headed form as god of writing and knowledge. Faience figures of Thoth were common votive gifts at his cult centers.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 26.7.860 · Public Domain (museum record)

  • Bronze statuette of the ibis-headed god Thoth. Photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (opens the museum record)

    Ancient object

    Ibis-headed god, Thoth (opens the museum record)

    Egyptian, Late Period–Ptolemaic Period · 664–30 BCE · Bronze or cupreous alloy

    A bronze statuette the museum identifies as the ibis-headed god Thoth. Thoth's ibis form referenced the bird's association with wisdom and the recording of knowledge.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 10.130.1360 · Public Domain (museum record)

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Book of the Dead, spell 182 (composite Egyptian scribal tradition)

    Catalog date: c. 1550–50 BCE

Appears in

Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.

  • Book of the DeadVarious Egyptian priests

    Ibis-headed divine scribe who records the verdict of the weighing of the heart (Spells 125, 182)

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Thoth's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree