Sobek, The crocodile god
Sobek is a river god, representing the produce of the Nile. In some accounts, he is the son of Set and the goddess Neith. He is the patron god of crocodiles, and his worshippers would sacrifice to him in order to get protection from the crocodiles in the Nile River, which were much feared. Because of his fierce nature, he was also the patron of the Pharoah's army. see: Ancient Egypt Gods and Goddesses names.Sobek is typically depicted as a Man with the head of a crocodile and a headdress of feathers and a sun-disk.Sobek was connected with the Nile, and protected the king. Live crocodiles were kept in pools at temples built to honour Sobek. Sobek, the crocodile god, was associated with the might of the Pharaoh. He was worshiped as a solar diety as Sobek-Re.
One of his cult centers was Herakleopolis. The other cult center, Kom Ombo is the site of a beautiful Ptolomaic temple that is usually part of the itinerary of any of the Nile Cruises. The Cult of Sobek and those of other animal gods used mumification of the animals as part of their ritual. The mumified animals were sold to worshipers as offerings to the God.
Mummies of cats, ibis and crocodiles, as well as baboons have been found. In one recently excavated temple to Sobek, a hatching nursery was found. The eggs were presumably stolen from the crocodile nest and taken to the temple to hatch. There were a series of ponds to grow the crocodiles to size. Today, crocodiles are still given deference in places where they cohabitate with man.
This man-crocodile relationship is still one of wonder and respect, as the crocodile is believed to be crucial to the health of the watering places, but they will still take their toll in livestock and sometimes humans. The crocodile is, after all, one of the natural predators of man, the other being the Jaguar.
Mummies of cats, ibis and crocodiles, as well as baboons have been found. In one recently excavated temple to Sobek, a hatching nursery was found. The eggs were presumably stolen from the crocodile nest and taken to the temple to hatch. There were a series of ponds to grow the crocodiles to size. Today, crocodiles are still given deference in places where they cohabitate with man.
This man-crocodile relationship is still one of wonder and respect, as the crocodile is believed to be crucial to the health of the watering places, but they will still take their toll in livestock and sometimes humans. The crocodile is, after all, one of the natural predators of man, the other being the Jaguar.