| Sokar | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sokar was depicted as a falcon-headed man wearing an Atef crown | ||||||||||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
| |||||||||||
| Major cult center | Memphis | |||||||||||
Sokar (/ˈsɛkər/; also spelledSeker, and inGreek,Sokaris orSocharis) is ahawk orfalcon god of theMemphitenecropolis in theAncient Egyptian religion, who was known as a patron of the living, as well as a god of the resurrected dead[1]. He is also in some accounts a solar deity as for The Temple of Sokar in Memphis.
Although the meaning of his name remains uncertain, the Egyptians in thePyramid Texts linked his name to the anguished cry ofOsiris toIsis 'Sy-k-ri' ('hurry to me'),[2] or possiblyskr, meaning "cleaning the mouth".[3] In theunderworld, Sokar is strongly linked with two other gods,Ptah the Creator god and chief god ofMemphis, and Osiristhe god of the dead. In later periods, this connection was expressed as thetriple godPtah-Sokar-Osiris[4].
TheFaiyumic Coptic form ⲥⲓⲭⲟⲗ is possibly preserved in a personal name ⲥⲉⲛⲥⲓⲭⲟⲗ, "daughter of Sokar".[5]
Sokar was usually depicted as a mummifiedhawk and sometimes as a mound from which the head of a hawk appears. Here he is called 'he who is on hissand'. Sometimes, he is shown on hishennu barque which was an elaborate sledge for negotiating the sandy necropolis. One of his titles was 'He of Restau' which means the place of 'openings' or tomb entrances. Like many other gods, he was often depicted with aWas-scepter[6]
In theNew KingdomBook of the Underworld, theAmduat, he is shown standing on the back of a serpent between two spread wings; as an expression of freedom this suggests a connection with resurrection or perhaps a satisfactory transit of the underworld.[2] Despite this, the region of the underworld associated with Sokar was seen as difficult, sandy terrain called theImhet (also calledAmhet,Ammahet, orAmmehet; meaning 'filled up').[7][8]
Sokar, possibly through his association with Ptah, has a connection withartisans. In theBook of the Dead, he is said to fashionsilver bowls[2] and atTanis a silvercoffin ofSheshonq II has been discovered decorated with the iconography of Sokar.[9]
Sokar's cult centre was in Memphis, and festivals in his honor were held there on the 26th day of the fourth month of the akhet (spring) season. While these festivals took place, devotees would hoe and till the ground, and drive cattle, which suggests that Sokar could have had agricultural aspects about him.[3]
Sokar is mentioned inThe Journey of Ra: the myth used to explain what happens during the night when Ra travels through the Underworld. According to the myth, Sokar rules the Fifth Kingdom of Night,[10] which is called "Hidden",[10] and is tasked with punishing the souls of evildoers by throwing them into a boiling lake.[10]
As part of the festivals in akhet, his followers wore strings of onions around their necks, showing theUnderworld aspect of him. Onions were used in embalming people - sometimes the skin, sometimes the entire onion. When just the skin was used, it would be placed on the eyes and inside the ears to mask the smell.[11]
Also, the god was depicted as assisting in various tasks such as digging ditches and canals. From the New Kingdom a similar festival was held in Thebes, which rivaled the greatOpet Festival.[3][9]
Other events during the festival including floating a statue of the god on a Henu barque, which was a boat with a high prow shaped like an oryx.[12]
In the filmThe Ten Commandments (1956), thePharaohRameses II invokes the same deity to bring his deceased firstborn son back to life, while wearing a dark blue robe with a silver bow.[citation needed]
In the showStargate SG-1, the Goa'uld villain Sokar is named after Him. Sokar appears as a powerful and sadistic Goa'uld who chose the role of the Devil rather than a god like the rest of his species. He is killed when the moon he uses as his own personal version of Hell is blown up, destroying Sokar's ship in orbit and Sokar himself.[citation needed]
American technical death metal bandNile wrote the title track of their album “Annihilation of the Wicked” about the domain, occupation, and appearance of Sokar. Curiously, the lyrics seem to describe Sokar in the form of Sokar-Osiris, not Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, deliberately excluding the aspects of Ptah. The lyrics call him "ancient and dead", a trait held by Osiris, but also describe him as being “shunned by Ra,” which would place the Sokar they describe in the context of Heliopolis rather than Memphis.[citation needed]
The fantasy role playing game "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" includes Sokar in its 1st edition, "Deities and Demigods", and the "Legends and Lore" rulebooks. In this setting, Sokar is described as the Egyptian lesser god of light and, among other details, he casts rays of light from his hands which destroy all undead. His Alignment is given as Neutral Good, and it is noted he protects Egyptian souls of the same Alignment after their death. No specific mention is made of the later triple persona, though his symbol is given as a hawk-headed mummy holding an ankh, which does at least indirectly suggest the connection.[13]
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