| Harsomtus | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Name inhieroglyphs |
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| Major cult center | Edfu andDendera | |||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Heru-Behdeti andHathor | |||||||||||||||||
Harsomtus (also known asHarsomptus andSomtus[1]) was an ancient Egyptian child god with main cult places atDendera[2] andEdfu.[3] This less-known deity was worshipped from theOld Kingdom period all the way toGraeco-Roman Egypt. Popularity of Harsomtus, along with other child gods, greatly increased in the Graeco-Roman period, with most information coming from that era.[2] The connection with Horus had formed early,[1] and Harsomtus is considered by researchers to be a form ofRa orHorus. His name translates to "Horus who unites the two lands."[4]
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Harsomtus usually appears as a naked child sitting on alotus flower. He can also appear as a snake that emerges from a lotus flower as seen in several reliefs at thetemple ofDendera.[5][6]
Due to connection with Horus, Harsomtus can appear with a falcon head.[1]
Harsomtus simultaneously embodies sun, primordial, and creator god: the emergence of the world from the primordial matter is linked to the daily sunrise.[2]
Harsomtus is the son ofHathor[2] and Horus[7] in the form ofHeru-Behdeti, with these two gods he formed theTriad ofEdfu. Harsomtus is very similar toIhy because both were child deities that were the son ofHathor andHorus.[citation needed]
In Thebes during the late New Kingdom, Harsomtus became the firstborn son ofAmun and Hathor-chief-of-Thebes, a local Theban form of the goddess Hathor. He was worshiped in the Mammisi of the Hathor Temple inDeir el-Medina as well as in the Ptah Temple in Karnak. Hathor and Harsomtus were frequently equated withIsis and another childform of Horus named Hariese ("Horus, the son of Isis").[8]
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