| Akhty | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 modern drawing of theHieroglyph for anorthern bald ibis which Akhty was associated with | |||||||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
| ||||||||
Akhty (also readNetjer-akhty) was anancient Egyptiandeity. He was rarely mentioned.
Akhty was depicted as anorthern bald ibis. The bird depiction was often guided by the hieroglyphic sign for "god",Netjer.[1][2] See a picture on the statue of the priestRedjit [de].
The earliest mention of this deity appears onstone vessel inscriptions from the reign of the2nd dynasty PharaohHotepsekhemwy. Egyptologists such asWolfgang Helck believe that Akhty was a dynasty deity and ancestor god. Akhty was also depicted (and thus worshipped) under Hotepsekhemwy's successors,Raneb andNynetjer. During theOld Kingdom period, Akhty's name only appears in connection with private names (likeAkhetaa) and priest titles such asHem-netjer-Akhty ("god's servant of Akhty"). In even later times, Akhty's names appears more and more rarely.[3]
According toancient Egyptian mythology, the Akh-bird was believed to be the representation of the human spirit (Egyptian:Akh). Most possibly this idea was inspired by the attractive shimmering and glittering of the bird's feathers, which was compared by the Ancient Egyptians to the glittering of the stars in the night sky. A similar belief is known fromPersianBedouins, who worship the northern bald ibis as a bearer of the deceased's soul.[1][2]
As Akhty's name suggests, he was believed to reside at the evening horizon, guiding the setting sun and carrying the spirit of the deceased safely into the night sky.[1][2]
