| Nemty | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Illustration of Nemty on a boat | |||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
| ||
| Major cult center | Tjebu,Badari | ||
| Symbol | Falcon | ||
InEgyptian mythology,Nemty (Antaeus in Greek, but probably not connected to theAntaeus inGreek mythology) was agod whose worship centered atAntaeopolis in the northern part ofUpper Egypt.
Nemty's worship is quite ancient, dating from at least the2nd dynasty, at which point he already hadpriests dedicated to his cult. Originally, Nemty appears to have been the patron of the ancient area aroundBadari, which was the center of the cult ofHorus. Due to lack of surviving information, it is not very well known what the original function of Nemty was or whether he was more than just a title of Horus referring to some specific function.[1]
Over time, Nemty became considered simply as the god offerrymen and was consequently depicted as afalcon standing on aboat, a reference to Horus, who was originally considered as a falcon. As god of ferrymen, he gained the titleNemty, meaning "(one who) travels". His later cult center was inAntaeopolis, but also inPer-Nemty (House of Nemty) in the 12th Upper Egyptian nome.
Nemty appears in the taleThe Contendings of Horus and Seth which describes the settlement of the inheritance of Osiris, seen as a metaphor for the conquest ofLower Egypt by Upper Egypt (whose patron wasSeth), at the beginning of theOld Kingdom. In this tale, one of Seth's attempts to gain power consists of his gathering together the gods and providing good arguments, convincing all of them (in later traditions, all exceptThoth). Seth fearsmagical intervention byIsis, Horus' wife (in early Egyptian mythology), and so holds the gathering on anisland, instructing Nemty not to allow anyone resembling Isis to be ferried there. However, Isis disguises herself as an old woman and unknowingly Nemty takes her across after being paid a gold ring, having rejected the first offer ofgruel, resulting in the disruption of the council by her use of magic. Nemty is punished for his error, by having histoes cut off, which is more severe than it appears, since as a falcon, he would no longer be able to perch and thus would not be able to reside on the boat.[2]
Two pharaohs bore theophoric names incorporating Nemty's, both during theSixth Dynasty of Egypt at the end of the Old Kingdom period,Merenre Nemtyemsaf I andMerenre Nemtyemsaf II. HereNemtyemsaf means "Nemty is his protection".
In older literature, the hieroglyphs of the god were read asAnti orAnty. Several studies confirmed that this reading is not correct.[3]
"Nemty" is also the name of aransomware program.[4]
