Arbol. The Goddesses of The Egyptian Tree Cult

The Goddesses of the Egyptian Tree Cult
Authors(s): Marie-Louise Buhl

Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr., 1947), pp. 80-97
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/542585
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THE GODDESSES OF THE EGYPTIAN TREE CULT'
MARIE-LOUISE BUHL
NEITHER in prehistoric Egypt nor the meaning "refuge" when written with
the house terminative instead of the tree.b

at any time since has the practice
It is not surprising that the Egyptians

of forestry been conducted in the
should have believed that a spirit or god-

Nile Valley, and there has always been a
dess lived in a leafy tree with a well of

lack of wood for the building of houses,
water at its foot, and the sycamore as-

ships, and the like. With regard to garden
sumed a primary position in Egyptian

culture, however, the situation was quite
mythology and eschatology.

different, for the Egyptians exercised re-
Among the other sacred trees it is im-

markable talent in arranging their houses,
portant to mention the date palm, bnre-

temples, and tombs in the midst of gar-
the word means "sweet"-a garden tree

dens. This impression is clearly gained
common both in the dynastic period and

from pictures on the walls of tombs where,
in modern Egypt, because its fruit is one

for example, one sees representations of
of the main foods, and also the acacia

gardens around the Pharaoh's palace2 or
(snd), a tree which has always been very

estates of wealthy nobles with their groves
common.d
of trees and their lakes or pools teeming
The broad-leafed persea (i~d) tree,e

with fish and gay with lotus blossoms.3
whose fruit is mentioned in the texts from

Investigation of the Egyptian attitude
the oldest times, is described in the lists
toward sacred trees reveals the fact that,
of sacred groves in seventeen nomes of

in contrast to the animal cults, tree cults
Upper and Lower Egypt. Later on we

in the historical period began with purely
shall see that this tree was of great impor-

local cults which at an early time became
tance in the temple cult in Heliopolis and

connected with nonlocal deities as their
Herakleopolis, the capitals of the thir-

forms or attributes. Most plants other
teenth and twentieth Upper Egyptian

than trees played an important part only
nomes.
in magic, medicine, and folklore.
In addition to these trees, there are
I. THE MOST IMPORTANT SACRED TREES
many others which will be mentioned in
IN ANCIENT EGYPT
connection with the different sanctuaries.
Trees along the desert edge naturally
took a prominent part in the tree cult, II. NOMES WITH "'COATS-OF-ARMS
PROVING WORSHIP OF TREE

and the sycamore nh.ta was one of the
DIVINITIES
most important of all. The word has also
Egypt was divided into forty-two prov-
I Superior reference letters indicate Egyptian texts
cited in the discussion; these are reproduced in Figs. inces or nomes, twenty-two in Upper and
1-5.
twenty in Lower Egypt. A few words
2 Rosellini, Monumenti dell' Egitto et della Nubia,
must be devoted to the "coat-of-arms" of

Vol. II, P1. LXIX: Qurneh Tomb No. 96A (Sennufer),
Garden of Amenhotep II.

the thirteenth-fourteenth province, Ly-
a N. M. Davies, Ancient Egyptian Paintings, Vol.
konpolis-Kush, which together formed
II, P1. LXIX: The pool in the garden from an un-
located tomb at Thebes. originally only an older and larger prov-
80
11 0
3 Eileith iaolif k m nQ
groves; 1) The nomes of Upper Egypt:
Greek Name Egyptian Name Sacred Grove
1 Elephantbine d
2 Apollinopolis magna ' $Q gJ 'TQ
4. hT he bes HQ
5 Koptos
-ee
FIG. 1
81
7 Diospolis parva (Hu)
-T
8 Abydos _ Destroyed
9 Panopolis (Achmim) -w Destroyed
10 Aphroditopolis 2T
11 Hypsele T 9
T-
12 Hierakonpolis fQ
V--
13 Lykopolis 4 Q
14 Aphroditopolis Q
(Kussai)
15 Hermopolis Aa9
16 Nibis (Hebenu) L D Q HQ
17 Kynopolis A PQ p P
18 Hipponis 'Aa
19 Oxyrhynchus Not mentioned
20 Herakleopolis magna
(Ahnas)
FIG. 2
82
Greek Name Egvyptian Name Sacred Grove
21 Krokodilopolis 1Y 2Y-
22 Aphroditopolis A t Q
2) The nomes of Lower Egypt:
1 Memphis l4 JQ 7Q fl
2 Letopolis
3 Apis
4 Prosopis Q I
5 Sais Q Q
6 Xois 7jQ
7 Metelis ra a
8 Herakleopolis parva oQ
--r
9 Busiris 4 Q
10 Athribis - 7ji9
-11 Kabasa Not mentioned--
11 Kabasa Not mentioned
FIG. 3
83
Greek Name Eg1 tian Name Sacred Grove
12 Sebennytus ~ BQ
13 Heliopolis (On) Q P
14 Tanis ABff iQQQ
15 Hermopolis parva Il .Yb T1 TQ
16 Mendes <4t9 Q Ji9
17 Diospolis inferior
18 Bubastias C
19 Pelusium (Buto) 9YQ -VQ
20 Arabia (Phakusa) A. ,
z zaQa
p CICNw A\ IS 1 - Sb-- P" III i+ ,-
aSL Diu raC 51YL ~Z'b~"~~, o ;~r
FIG. 4
84
-up say ce Jr 4Et @?<09-2 2 ~ PB9~h g ~
S dd % ee ea
T, o
M' MM S1 diP^'t Cka
-= 4a) 99 hh n P
ii 9~~~s ~b~-gi9~9(dH99F JB
10 ~^^ & ^~5 Lu oo pp qq Prr
.4 03' -1 st a n-- a a p P
~~M8 mm nn u u M
vv hk 41M
FIG. 5
85
86 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
ince symbolized at first by a broad-leafed Prior to the Heliopolitan Hathor there
tree ndf.t' and later designated by the probably existed a still earlier tree-god-
compound word itf 3tf,g the interpretation dess. A similar situation prevailed in
of which is still unknown. The combined many other districts of Egypt. It is char-
twentieth-twenty-first Upper Egyptian acteristic of the Egyptians to identify the
province had an oleander (ncr.t;h cf. Coptic great deities of the country with local gods
and goddesses. Other goddesses such as
ZHNIC) as its sacred tree. Different
from the coat-of-arms of the thirteenth- Tefnut and Sakhmet were regarded as
fourteenth province, this tree is provided lion-goddesses.
with a ribbon hanging from the side of the In the neighborhood of Heliopolis there
trunk. From the Fifth Dynasty on, an was a shrine for the female counterpart of
arm is substituted for this ribbon, a fact the sun-god Atum. She was Saosis who
which indicates the intention of the Egyp- was a personification of the god's hand.
tians to anthropomorphize their tree di- In this place Atum's children, Shu and
vinities.4 Tefnut, were born, and here the sacred
In the thirteenth-fourteenth Upper acacia was worshiped. An execration text
Egyptian nome, Sethe thought to find the from the late period contains the following
prototype of the historical HIiathor of passage in connection with the god Seth :
Kusae.5 In the Old Kingdom, IHatbor was

"He has approached the wonderful hall
also identified with the tree-goddess, for of Saosis with the acacia tree in which life
instance in the famous Hathor cults at and death are contained."'
Memphis, where she was called "The Mis-

The acacia is described as the tree
tress of the Southern Sycamore" (nb.t.nh.t sacred to Horus in Pyramid Text 436a-b:8
rs.t).i "W. is Horus who comes forth from the
In K6m el HIien, the capital of the third

acacia to whom it was commanded: 'Be-
Lower Egyptian nome, whose coat-of-

ware of the lion.' May he come forth to
arms represented a falcon,j the falcon-god

whom it was commanded: 'Beware of the
Horus was worshiped. From this place he

lion.' "o Thus there is mentioned in the
made his way to the rest of Egypt. The

Horus myth a place where the god as a
goddess IHIatbor also had her home at

little child took refuge under an acacia.
K6m el IHIisn. Her name (WI.t-Hr)k means

In $aft el Henne in the twentieth Lower
the "house of Horus," that is to say, the

Egyptian nome, the main cult of which
"mother of Horus," for in the inscriptions

was called "The House of the Zizyphus
a mother is often called the house of her

tree (h.t nbs),"P will be found the probable
child. This local Hathor had other names,

rudiments of a male tree deity showing
such as "She who remembers Horus"

the god Sopdu in the form of a falcon idol
(S3.t .r),' and "The Mistress of the reclining on a bed and bearing the epithet,
Date Palms" (Nb.t im3w)m -im3w being

"He who is under his khb.t tree." See, for
the name of the male palm in distinction

example, Pyramid Text 436a-b: "They
to the above-mentioned bnr. (Nb.t im3w

praise P. as well as the Dw3w, as well as
also indicates that Hathor originally was

I13hs who is at the head of the Nubian
taken not for a cow but for a tree-goddess.

country, as well as Sopdu who lives under
Sethe, for example, supposed her to be a

his ksb.t trees" ;q also Pyramid Text 994b-
forest-goddess.)6
d: "The fields of Iaru praise thee in thy
4 Newberry, "The Tree of the Herakleopolite 7Schott, Urkunden VI, p. 20.
Nome," AZ, L (1912), 78.
s The Pyramid Texts mentioned in this article are
6 Urgeschichte. p. 57. 6 Ibid., p. 64.

cited from Sethe's edition.
THE GODDESSES OF THE EGYPTIAN TREE CULT 87
name of Dw3w, like Sopdu who lives under

guages. The list indicates that the syca-
his khb.t trees."''

more, the persea, the date palm, and the
The Pyramid Texts also associate the acacia were the most common.v
god Sobk with the khb.t trees:9 "(Like)

The geographical texts are arranged
Sobk, ruler of B3hw, thou wilt go through

and carved on the walls in the following
thy fields and through thy khb.t woods."''

manner: In the middle of the wall in the
Bahu was probably located in the neigh-

background the image of the main god is
borhood of the Fayyum, which is identical

shown in a double representation. He was
with the seventh Lower Egyptian nome.

considered as the patron saint of the whole
In the cult name, "He who is under his

province. On one side of the god the king is
moringa tree," there may be concealed an

represented wearing the white crown of
old male tree divinity. According to their

Upper Egypt in festival procession to-
names, these cult places were situated in

gether with the personified nomes of Up-
groves.
per Egypt. On the other side the same
However, it is clear that though there
scene is repeated, but here the king wears
may have been reliefs or statues of deities
the Lower Egyptian crown and is accom-
with their sacred animals in the shelter of
panied by the Lower Egyptian nomes.
a sacred tree serving as a place of worship
Each of the provinces is making sacri-
for the Egyptians, such gods were not re-
fice to the god. Behind each of them there
garded as tree deities. For instance, at the
are three vertical lines of hieroglyphs,
temple of Dakke "The House of the nbN
first the name of the nome, then that of its
tree"t shows the sacred baboon of Thoth
capital, and finally that of the chief god
sitting under a tree, yet he was never re-
of the nome. In addition, the names of
garded as a tree deity.1'
the high priest and priestess are included,
The beautiful gardens around the
as well as those of the sacred bark and the
tombs and mortuary temples mentioned
landing place. Finally, there follows the
above evolved from the sacred trees along
enumeration of the sacred groves accord-
the desert edge. At first they were only
ing to the list reproduced in the right col-
located in Upper Egypt, but later on they

umn of the table.
became popular in all the forty-two
III. THE TREE IN EGYPTIAN COSMOGONY

nomes, where they were located in the
vicinity of the necropolis on the elevated

Among the Egyptian ideas of the here-
terrain beyond the cultivation which was
after was that of a sycamore located in the
called the i3.t.u
eastern horizon, in the branches of which
In the topographical lists of the Ptole-

different deities were believed to dwell. It
maic temples there is a description of the
is associated in the myths with the sun-
individual trees in each grove of the differ-

god. The existence of a supernatural tree,
ent nomes." The accompanying list of sa-
or even of a "world tree," is found among
cred groves is intended to show how the

the cosmogonic conceptions of numerous
names of the provinces are written both

primitive peoples of the world.'2 For ex-
in the Greek (or Latin) and Egyptian lan-
ample, the ash Yggdrasil of Scandinavian
9 No. 456a.
mythology-the tree in which the gods
0 G. Roeder, Der Tempel von Dakke, Vol. II,

held council every day-was actually be-
Pls. 121a and 143.
lieved to support the sky. Some of its
11 The list of sacred groves is derived from Mol-
denke, Uber die in altaegyptischen Texten erwdhnten branches spread over the entire earth; one
Bdume und deren Verwerthung, p. 13, with corrections
from E. Chassinat, Le Temple d'Edfou, I (1897), 329-

12 T. H. Philpot, The Sacred Tree (London, 1897),
44.
pp. 109 ff.
great branch led to the Ases,'3 another to

god with falcon head and wearing the sun
the Frost-fighters, and a third to Nifl-

disk with uraeus. A spotted calf is placed
heim.1 Such trees may have been the an-

before the god, and the deceased is stand-
swer to man's speculation about the posi-

ing behind the calf. The vignette in the
tion of the sun, moon, and stars in the

Saitic recension is different. The sun-god
firmament of heaven, and the means by

indeed is represented with a falcon head
which, without falling, they held to their

and sun disk with uraeus; however, he is
courses above the earth. In one form or

now standing in a boat, while a calf with
another such trees existed in the mythol-

a shining star over its head is placed be-
ogy of India, Persia, China, Japan, and

fore him and the deceased behind him.
many other countries, sometimes as

The boat is sailing through the gate with
dwellings of the gods, frequently as

the two sycamores. Chapter 64, which is
sources of immortality, but often in situa-

believed to be one of the oldest chapters
tions of less significance."5 In the Egyptian

of the Book of the Dead, mentions only
texts the function of the tree is not always

one sycamore. Both versions are carved
consistent or easy to comprehend.

on the sarcophagus of Queen Mentuhotep
Pyramid Text 1485a describes one con-

of the Eleventh Dynasty. The inscription
cept of such a supernatural tree: "Hail. states that one of the versions dates from
thou Sycamore who protects the god un- the time of King Usephais of the First
der which the gods of the underworld are

Dynasty. This information is naturally
standing."'w See also Pyramid Text 916a-

not to be taken literally; the Egyptians al-
b: "The high places bring him to the places ways liked to romanticize their stories by
of Seth and to that high sycamore of the claiming that they dated from one of the
eastern sky when it has bent down (its first dynasties. Another version of chapter
branches) on which the gods are."x The 64 reads: "I have embraced the sycamore
text thus refers to the dead man and his and I have joined the sycamore."z The ac-
last journey to the sycamore in the eastern companying vignette from the papyrus of
horizon. The gods are accustomed to sit in

Nebsenu (early Eighteenth Dynasty)
this tree like those birds whose forms are shows a man with his hands in the usual
assumed by the souls of the dead.

attitude of adoration before a tree with a
sun disk rising over its top.

Chapter 109 of the Book of the Dead
gives a description of the two sycamores
IV. THE ROLE OF THE SACRED TREE IN
of turquoise which stand before the en-
THE. EGYPTIAN IDEAS OF LIFE
trance of the sky from which the sun-god

AFTER DEATH
Re comes forth every morning: "I know
The Egyptians conceived of a life in the
the two sycamores of turquoise between
hereafter which was not very dissimilar to
which Re comes forth, when he passes

their earthly existence; thus the deceased
over the supports of Shu to the gate of'
hoped to be able to walk in the shadow of
the lord of the east from which Re comes,
the trees which he had planted while he
forth."y The vignette in the papyrus of
was still alive. In the chapel of Ineni
Nu (Eighteenth Dynasty) shows the sun-
(Thutmosis I) is carved the following in-
scription:16 "He goes through his district

Is The Ases were the chief gods, such as Thor and
Odin.
in the west (that is, the necropolis) and re-
14 Niflheim, the land of shadows, corresponds to the
freshes himself under his nh.t trees7 and

Greek Hades; see further Finn Magnussen, Edda-
laeren.
'6 Brugsch, Rec. de mon., Pl. XXXVI.
6COf. Gen. 3:1-12; Kramer, Gilgamesh and the

17 The word nh.t in this case refers to trees in
Uuluppu- Tree.
general.
inspects those beautiful gardens which he sitting in the shade of the i4d tree, and
planted on earth while in the favor of this chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead gives
sublime god Amun the lord of Thebes."aa the following description:20 "I am the cat
Pyramid Text 808a-b describes how the who split the side of the i~d tree in the
different trees in the hereafter serve the night when the enemies of the All-Lord
deceased. "The im3 tree serves thee, the were destroyed. Who is that male cat? It
nbS tree turns its head to thee as Anubis is Re himself who is called miw because
does for thee (that is, as Anubis will cause of the speech of Sia. He is like that which
to be done for thee)."bb The soul (ba) of he has made, thus his name is cat." Vari-
the deceased already mentioned in Section ant: "It is Shu who takes care of the testa-
III was allowed, like the gods, to sit on ment of Geb in favor of Osiris. Concern-
ing the splititing of the side of the isd tree

the branches of the sacred tree.
It is in connection with the sacred isd in Heliopolis, it is the children of the weak
tree-the tree of the royal annals-that ones who correct what they have done."ee
the bennu bird (sometimes incorrectly The sentence could be translated, "He is
identified with the phoenix of the Greeks) the example of what he has done." Like
played its most important role, for in the Yahweh in the Jewish religion, Re cre-
annals it assumed the incarnation of the ated everything in his own image.
soul of Re. Thus it is stated on the Met-

In the New Kingdom the flowers of the
ternich stela:18 "Thou art the great Bennu

sacred i?d tree were very much desired by
which arises on the willow in the great

the Egyptians, who considered them as
hall of the princes in Heliopolis."ce

life-giving, and for that reason called
Several representations in temples of

them "flowers of life." The i4d and the
the long period beginning with Thutmosis

lotus flower were used for funerals, just as
III and extending into the late time show

flowers are still used in modern times.
Amen-Re, Thoth, and the librarian god-

Statues and coffins of the deceased were
dess Seshat writing the names of the reign-

decorated with garlands of flowers. For
ing king on the fruits and leaves of the sa-

example, a great many of them were found
cred tree. This ceremony is intended to

in the tomb of Tutankhamun.2t
give the king a long and happy life. In
V. THE DIFFERENT TOMBS OF OSIRIS

Medinet Habu a representation shows
AND THE SACRED TREES CON-
Atum, the lord of Heliopolis, conducting
NECTED WITH THEM
the king to the iZd tree, while his name is
being inscribed on its fruits by Amen-Re. The tomb of Osiris was assigned by the
Egyptians to many different places all

This cult was so important that it did not
stop with the decay of Heliopolis but con- over Egypt. As soon as his cult became
popular, a sacred grove was attached to

tinued well into the Ptolemaic period.
Heliopolis was nevertheless regarded as each cult place as a dwelling for the ba of
the place for the main cult, as is proved by the god. For instance, the tomb of Osiris
the inscription on the London obelisk:19 in Busiris was the oldest site of this type.
"The venerable i"d tree in the midst of The cult of Osiris was especially associ-
ated with Abydos, Memphis, Heliopolis,

the Bennu house."dd
It was also supposed that a cat was and Herakleopolis. In the last three places
it was combined with sacred groves out-
1s Golenischef, Metternichstele, 1. 77. Note that
the Metternich text has confused the willow tree

20 Budge, Book of the Dead, I (1910), 69, 54.
with the persea (i'd) of the annals.
21 Carter, The Tomb of Tut.Ankh.Amen, II, 125,
19 Budge, Cleopatra's Needles, p. 171. P1. XXII.
side the city. Finally, the island of Bigeh

into the water landed at Byblos in the
opposite Philae was regarded as a place

neighborhood of a tree which grew up
where Osiris was buried.

around the coffin and which inclosed it in
Each year the mysteries of Osiris were

its trunk. This representation occurs in
celebrated by the people in Abydos, where

the south temple of Osiris in Dendera.25
the tomb of Osiris was located behind the

On the south wall of the gate of Ha-
temple of Sethos I. A description of these

drian is an unusual' representation of
mysteries was found on the tombstone of

Osiris. He is clothed in the customary
Ichernofret.22 However, a better idea of

tight garments and is provided with the
the cult of Osiris and the mysteries con-

atef-crown, the crook, and the flail. But he
nected with him is afforded by inscriptions

stands in the midst of a tree which is
and representations on the walls of the so-

growing up from a small pool. Thus in this
called gate of Hadrian in Philae.23 Milk

case he is regarded as a tree-god, though
was poured out at the foot of the trees of

generally he is represented as a corn-god
the Abaton, the sacred tomb of Osiris.

with grain growing from his corpse-as,
The inscriptions tell that the milk liba-

for instance, in the great temple of Isis at
tions revived and rejuvenated the god, for Philae.
it was believed that he was to be born

In a ceremony described in Firmicus
again and would require milk after the

Maternus a cedar was felled; the pith was
manner of a small child.

taken out and an image of Osiris formed of
There is also at Philae a description of a

it, after which it was replaced in the
cedar tree in whose branches dwelt the

trunk.26 Those who worshiped Osiris as a
soul of Osiris. Plutarch tells that the cedar

tree-god were not allowed to damage trees
tree (which he called a methide plant)

or to fill up the wells necessary for irri-
was taller than the highest olive tree.24 A

gation.
similar scene with the soul of Osiris in the
VI. THE ANTHROPOMORPHISM OF FETISHES

shape of a bird is often shown in connec-
tion with the pictures of the tomb of

It is difficult to say exactly when the
Osiris in Diospolis parva. The coffin of

prehistoric Egyptians began to give hu-
Osiris is situated in the shade of a willow-

man forms to the objects which they wor-
like tree regarded by some Egyptologists
shiped; it was probably a natural develop-
as a tamarisk. The soul of Osiris is here

ment of their religion as they advanced in
represented in the form of a bennu-bird.

culture. It can at least be established that
Philae was believed to be unapproachable

the Egyptian desire to anthropomorphize
so that even birds and fish did not dare to

began already before the union of the two
come into its neighborhood. Nevertheless, lands. In distinction to the deities in ani-
at a certain time the priests sailed to the

mal forms, the fetishistic gods and god-
island with mortuary offerings and

desses were very often represented in hu-
adorned the tomb where it stood in the man form carrying their fetishes in their
shade of the cedar tree. This was probably hands or as an adornment on their heads.
reminiscent of the cedar at Byblos. Ac- Among the tree and plant deities which
cording to the legend, the coffin of Osiris were anthropomorphized, the god Nefer-
which his wicked brother Seth had thrown tem played an important role in the Mem-
phitic doctrine of creation. He is described

22 Sethe, Lesestiicke, p. 70.
in Pyramid Text 266a: "W. comes forth
23 Junker, Gotterdekret fiber das Abaton.
24 Hopfner, Monographien des Archiv orientalni, 26 Dendera, IV, 66.
"Plutarch uiber Osiris und Isis."
26 De errore profanarium religionum ii. 6.
as Nefertem, as the lotus at the nose of VII. GODDESSES IN THE TREE CULT IN
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
Re.""ff One of the myths of creation tells
how the sun first rose from a lotus in the It was not the Egyptian gods, however,
primeval ocean. When Nefertem was an- but the goddesses who played the greatest
thropomorphized, the lotus was placed on

part in the tree cult, and numerous de-
his head. scriptions of them occur in the religious
literature.
Some plants merely succeeded in be-
coming attributes of the gods, as for in- The Pyramid Texts quoted in Section
stance the lettuce plant which played a III only mention the sycamore without
role in connection with Min of Coptos,

connecting it with a particular deity. In
who is very often represented with a

the Book of the Dead, however, the god-
stand of lettuce behind him. This plant

desses in the tree are identified with Nut
(Lactuca sativa longifolia), together with

or Hathor. Chapter 59 of the Book of the
our so-called head lettuce, derives prob-

Dead, in the Papyrus of Any (dating from
ably from the wild Lactuca scariola L.

the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty), is
However, it must be remembered that the

called "The Chapter of Snuffing the Air
identification of Egyptian trees and plants and Having Dominion over the Water in
from painted or sculptured representa-

the Underworld."hh It gives the following
tions is rendered exceedingly difficult be-

description of the goddess:29 "Hail thou
cause of the marked tendency to stylize

sycamore of Nut, give thou to me of (the
these objects in art. Pictures in Karnak,

water and of) the air which are in thee.
Medinet Habu, and Edfu show the king

I embrace this throne in Heliopolis. I
presenting a lettuce plant to Min or

guard the egg of the great cackler; it
Amun. Such representations are accom-

grows, I grow; it lives, I live; it snuffs the
panied with the following short sentence,

air, I snuff the air; I the Osiris Any, tri-
"Giving lettuce to Min."27gg umphant."ii
The lettuce was associated with the

This chapter is of great importance be-
ithyphallic gods, almost certainly because

cause it confirms the assumption that the
of its milk-white sap which the Egyptians

sycamore of Nut was originally located in
probably connected with the sperm of the
Hermopolis. Here was the primeval hill,
gods and which naturally had to be re-

on the top of which was placed the egg
plenished if the procreative role of the god

which constituted the central point in the
was to continue effective. In addition, it

creation. From this egg the sun rose to the
can be mentioned that the Egyptians

sky in the form of a cackling fowl by
themselves ate considerable amounts of

means of which light and sound were cre-
lettuce and considered this plant a valu- ated.
able aid in the propagation of offspring.
The vignette of this chapter shows the
Min was often worshiped under the cy-
deceased kneeling at a pool in the midst of
presses, which were sacred to him.
which a sycamore is growing. In the tree
Other plants to which the Egyptians

itself the goddess is depicted in human
applied the epithet "sps" ("holy" or "sub-

form as far as the knees, with the lower ex-
lime") were dill and onion. The latter was

tremities hidden in the tree. The goddess
still worshiped as a god at Pelusium in the
extends her arms toward the deceased,
Christian Era.28
with a tray of food in one hand and a jar of
water in the other. This representation is
27 AZ, LIX (1924), 140.
28 Jacoby in Receuil de travaux, XXXIV (1912), 9.

29 Budge, Book of the Dead, I, 170, 1.
one of the most common methods of por- The most remarkable feature of this
traying goddesses in the tree cult. representation is that the goddess is
Chapter 68, which is called "The Chap- adorned with the sycamore on her head.
ter of Coming Forth by Day,"ji relates of The sacred tree is regarded here rather as a
Hathor and the sacred date palm:30 "In a symbol like the lotus on the head of Nefer-
clean place I shall sit on the ground be- tem as discussed in Section VI. This scene
neath the foliage of the date palm of was enlarged and altered a great deal in
Hathor who presides over the spacious the Nineteenth Dynasty. Already in the
disk. She advances to Heliopolis bearing tomb of Amenmose (which probably be-
the writings of the divine words of the li- longs to the reign of King Eye) the god-
brary of Thoth.'"kk The vignette of the

dess is standing in the tree distributing
papyrus of Nu which contains chapter 68 food and drink to the ba-birds of the de-
represents the deceased sitting at the feet

ceased under the tree.32 This representa-
of HIathor enthroned. The divinity is

tion of the birds perhaps reflects observa-
adorned with the famous Hatlhor crown

tion of nature; the Egyptians were accus-
consisting of two cows' horns inclosing

tomed to see the desert birds gathered
the sun disk with uraeus. In this case the

like Beduins under the shade of the syca-
sacred tree is behind both the deceased

more in order to quench their thirst at the
and the goddess, and Hath.or is likewise

well.
detached from the tree.

In the tomb of Userhet (period of
Sethos I) the deceased is depicted as he
VIII. REPRESENTATIONS OF TREE-
sits with his wife and mother in the shade
GODDESSES IN PICTORIAL ART
of a big sycamore. Before them is a small
A. IN THE THEBAN TOMBS
T-shaped lake from which two birds with
As early as the second part of the
human heads are drinking. Above the two
Eighteenth Dynasty a change was percep-
women are two ba-birds in flight. In the
tible in the representations on the walls of
background is the goddess Nut with a
the Theban tombs. Secular pictures gave
tree on her head. This, however, is more
way more and more to those of religious
stylized than in the example from the
content until in the Nineteenth Dynasty
tomb of Amenmose; the goddess is now
the latter prevailed altogether. Scenes
standing on the bank of a little rectangular
from the Book of the Dead which deal
pool as she offers a libation vase and a
with Osiris as a judge in the underworld,

tray with various loaves to the deceased
and representations of the goddess of the
and his family.33
sycamore who feeds the deceased, become
In the tomb of Tjanufer in Dirac Abu
very frequent. The earliest figure of this
'n-Naga (time of Ramesses II), there is a
goddess is twice depicted on the south
relief with the following scene: The owner
wall of the tomb of Nakht (reign of Thut-
of the tomb is seated at the right; before
mosis IV),31 where she stands on either

him is a ka-like table on a standard" be-
side of a sumptuous offering-table. In one
hind which stands a leafless sycamore tree
hand she is provided with a tray of food,
bearing a few figs. The tree goddess, stand-
while the other holds a long papyrus stem
ing among the main branches of the tree,
-the symbol of prosperity commonly
is represented in human form with only
shown in all periods as an attribute of
the feet hidden; she grasps in one hand a
goddesses.
32 Wreszinski, Atlas, Vol. I, Pl. 120.
30 Ibid., pp. 6, 10.
33 Davies; Two Ramesside Tombs at Thebes, Pls. I
31 Davies, The Tomb of Nakht at Thebes, Pl. X.. and X.
small basket with figs from the tree, while being offered to the couple. This picture is
the other pours several streams of water especially interesting because it is rem-
from a vase for a ba-bird with human head iniscent of the representations of the coat-
on the ground beneath.34 of-arms of the twentieth-twenty-first
Two paintings of special interest for the Upper Egyptian nome mentioned in Sec-
tree cult occur in the well-preserved tomb

tion II, where the beginning of the anthro-
of Sennedjem at Deir el-Medina (Nine-

pomorphism of the goddess in the tree is
teenth Dynasty). One of them illustrates to be seen.
chapter 59 of the Book of the Dead, from

Such scenes in which the goddess is in-
which a passage has already been trans-

dicated merely by two arms extended
lated in Section VII. The scene reveals the

from the tree became especially popular in
deceased and his wife kneeling at their

representations on offering-tables from
tomb. In front of them the goddess Nut is

Achmim in the Ptolemaic period. These
shown standing in a sycamore; her legs

limestone tables are in the form of the
and the lower part of her body are hidden

Egyptian htp sign.mm Besides the offering
in the trunk of the tree, which is laden

scenes they contain inscriptions from
with fruit and well covered with thick

chapters 59 and 62 of the Book of the
foliage. Nut offers the usual water jar and Dead. "
tray of bread, and Sennedjem and his wife

The rectangular slab of offering-table
are depicted as they extend their hands to

No. 23160 in Cairo has a line of inscrip-
receive the gifts.

tions extending all about the top edge.
The second painting illustrates chapter

Within the channel, chapter 59 of the
109 of the Book of the Dead (referred to in

Book of the Dead is carved in vertical
Sec. III). The sun-god is depicted with

columns. On the left is a relief represent-
falcon head, uraeus, and sun disk. Behind

ing the deceased sitting before a tree which
him stands the deceased on a much small-

is drawn only in outline and from which
er scale than the god. Beside these two

small twigs extend. The complete figure
figures and between two sycamore trees

of Nut is in the tree; she extends her arms
is a black-and-white spotted calf, the sym-

toward the deceased and is provided with
bol of the newborn sun-god. In addition,

two libation vases from which streams are
the sun is depicted as a disk illuminating

flowing into the hands of the deceased.
the tops of the trees.35
This picture is quite similar to representa-
tions which are found in the Theban
B. ON STELAS, OFFERING-TABLES, ETC.
tombs.
A rather different representation of the
No. 23162 is also adorned with inscrip-
sacred tree and its goddess, also dating
tions taken from chapters 59 and 62 of the
from the Nineteenth Dynasty, occurs on a
Book of the Dead. Two scenes are here di-
limestone stela in the Cairo Museum.36
vided by a large cnh sign and two libation
Here a man named Kamose is seen with
bases placed over a rectangular pool. On
his wife at the foot of the tree of Nut, from
both sides of the vases are beautiful
which two arms alone are extended. One
bunches of lotus flowers and all kinds of
arm grasps a libation vase, the other a
delicious dishes, including roast beef,
tray filled with numerous dishes which are
ducks, and miscellaneous loaves and
34 Wreszinski, Bericht ilber die photographische
cakes. On the right is the same scene as
Expedition von Kairo bis Wadi Halfa, Taf. 73.
the one shown on No. 23160. On the left
35 Campbell, The Miraculous Birth of King Amen-
hotep III and Other Egyptian Studies, pp. 149-50.
37Ahmed Bey Kamal, Tables d'offrandes, Vols.
36 Maspero, Guide (1884), p. 427, No. 6050. I-II, Pls. XLI-XLIV.
is a picture of the deceased standing be- the tree; she is not supposed to be growing
fore a tree, but here, as on the Nineteenth out of the tree as an inseparable part of it.
Dynasty stela mentioned above, the god- A few representations have survived of
dess is symbolized by two arms only, which a type of sacred tree associated with
are extended from among the branches Hathor which does not occur with other
holding the libation vase and a tray with deities and which likewise does not exist
fruit. elsewhere in Egyptian art. It is a leafless
The offering-tables have representa- and obviously a very ancient tree. Accom-
tions either of the tree with the anthro- panying inscriptions prove it to be the
pomorphized goddess or with the two southern sycamore at the temple of Ptah
arms alone. Sometimes water only is be- in Memphis (see Sec. II).
ing offered from the tree, while no food is

An Eighteenth Dynasty stela in Flor-
represented. The two texts of the Book of

ence38 shows a leafless treeoo standing in a
the Dead which accompany the pictures

container of clay intended to retain the
on the offering-tables are called "The

water which was provided for its nourish-
Chapter of Snuffing the Air and of Having

ment. In the tree Hathor is depicted in
ing Dominion over the Water in the Un-

human form except for a cow's head,
derworld." and "The Chapter of Drinking which is adorned with the special diadem
Water in the Underworld.""nn

of two cow's horns inclosing a sun disk
The latest development of the anthro-

with two long feathers. The lower extrem-
pomorphism of the tree-goddess in which

ities of the goddess are hidden in the tree.
the tree appears merely as a symbol adorn-

She extends her arms and with one hand
ing the head of the goddess, as represented

pours water from a libation vase to a
in the Theban tombs, is not to be found

woman on the right of the tree; the other
on the offering-tables, where the designer

hand supports a tray of bread. At the foot
became increasingly negligent with the

of the tree, a ba-bird with human head is
pictures of the trees. On No. 23161, which shown in highly naturalistic fashion drink-
shows Nut as a complete figure, the tree is ing from a pool.
indicated very indistinctly, with numer-

On the left of a limestone stela in the
ous small twigs which appear to be grow-

Cook collection39 is depicted a leafless tree,
ing from the body of the goddess.

the trunk of which is decorated with a
Representations of the tree-goddess

number of ribbons. It stands in a contain-
which appear to show a being partly hu-

er like that of the Florence stela men-
man and partly dendromorphous, as sug-

tioned above, but, in addition, a number
gested by the fact that her legs often dis-

of stones are shown on the container which
appear amid the branches, inevitably in the opinion of Fernande Hartmann,40
raise the question whether such a compos-

were employed to anchor the roots and to
ite divinity was envisaged by the Egyp-

provide a sort of filter for the seeping wa-
tians. In view of the fact, however, that

ter. The goddess in the tree, whose lower
contemporary scenes employed with iden-

limbs disappear in the trunk, wears the
tical purpose frequently depict a purely

Isis throne on her head, though she is
human divinity beside the tree, it must be

called nb.t imn.t, "Mistress of the West"pp
concluded that these incomplete figures

in the accompanying text. She carries in
merely represent an Egyptian effort at
s8 Lanzone, Dizionario, Tav. 322, 1.
realistic portrayal of what was conceived
39 Ancient Egypt (1917), p. 64.
to be visible. The missing portions of the
40 Hartmann, L'Agriculture dans l'ancienne Egypte,
goddess are simply concealed by parts of

p. 111.
the left hand a tray with the customary Isis also was associated with the tree
dishes and in the right a vase from which cult and mortuary offerings, but, unlike
four streams of water issue forth into the Nut and H.athor, she is not mentioned as
outstretched hands of the wife of the de- a tree-goddess in the Book of the Dead.
ceased who is standing behind him under A pillar in the tomb of Sennefer at
the tree. The ba-bird is lacking in this Thebes (reign of Amenophis II) bears a
scene. According to the inscription above representation of the deceased sitting on a
the picture, the stela belonged to a man chair together with his wife Meryt (who
named Mashakabu Djehutihetep; a sec- is shown on a much smaller scale than her
ond text beneath dates the monument to husband).44 Before them, on the left, is a
the Nineteenth Dynasty. leafy tree on a standard after the manner
Like that of Nut, the figure of .Hathor of the coats-of-arms of certain nomes. It
in the tree is more and more often omitted is interesting to observe how the artist has
in late times. A sarcophagus from the Per- depicted the roots of the tree sticking out
sian period represents a sycamore from below. A female figure in the tree is iden-
which two arms are extended in the act of tified by a hieroglyphic text as Isis. In
giving wine and bread. The adjacent text contrast,to the representations of Nut and
indicates that the tree belonged to H.athor, she is provided with neither liba-
Hathor.41 tion vase nor tray, nor is she characterized
In the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek42 there by the special Isis throne which she often
is a sarcophagus lid from the Saitic period carries on her head.rr
with the representation of a chapel-like A representation on a limestone stela of
building on the front of the rectangular the Eighteenth-Nineteenth Dynasty in
socle. On each side of this building the

the Kestner Museum in Hannover shows
same scene is repeated: the deceased is

that Isis does not need to be shown as a
kneeling before a tree in which a goddess

complete human figure.45 In the center of
is seen in full figure. She is presenting

the picture is a leafy tree in the midst of
water to the dead man and his ba, the

which are depicted a female breast and
latter in the usual form of a bird with hu-

two extended arms grasping a tray heaped
man head. The head of the goddess is

with food and a libation vase from which
adorned with the sign for west, imn.t,qq

water issues to a man and woman below.
which is the principal insignia of the

Under the tree are two ba-birds, one with
"Goddess of the West" with whom

a man's head, the other with that of a
IHathor already in olden time was iden-

woman. The text above the representation
tified.
relates that it is Isis who lives in the tree.
A sarcophagus in Cairo, probably from

She is called "Isis the Great, the God's
the Persian period, shows that Nut and

Mother."' 'ss
.Hatlor could appear together.43 On both
IX. THE TREE CULT IN MODERN EGYPT
the head and foot ends occur two syca-
mores separated from each other by fig-

Even today many Egyptian peasants
ures of Isis and Nephthys. In one place the

continue to believe in and worship sacred
text attributes the sycamore to Nut, in

trees. Almost every village possesses a sa-
another to H.athor.
cred tree which is usually connected with
the tomb of some famous sheikh.46 Some-
41 Maspero, Catalogue, No. 67.
42Valdemar Schmidt, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotekets 44 Receuil de travaux, XXII (1900), 96.
aegyptiske Samling, p. 303.
45 Miinchner Jahrbuch, I (N.F.), 212.
43Cairo Museum, No. 29301.

46 JEA, XI (1924), 56.
times the tree is the only "monument" in the sacred tree has survived through
which serves to decorate the tomb. Large several thousand years.
tombs often have more than one tree; that The tree cult has been very difficult to
of Sheikh Gadullah of Illahun, for exam- eradicate in civilized countries. One can
ple, is shaded by three sacred trees. The mention, for example, the sacred moun-
Egyptians frequently ascribe to them a tain ash of Finland, which the peasants
curative effect, and people are asked to still plant on their farms with deepest
show them the greatest respect and care, veneration.47
especially to refrain from breaking off
X. CONCLUSION
twigs or branches. It is believed, indeed,
As shown above, only three goddesses

that violators of such injunctions will im-
played a major role in the tree cult, name-

mediately suffer a great misfortune, and
ly, Nut, Hath.or, and Isis, all old sky-god-

the fellahin are naturally able to report
desses. On the other hand, Saosis and the

many examples of such judgments.
various male deities with whom sacred
Persons who have experienced curative
trees were connected were never identi-
powers of a tree often bring small votive
fied with the trees themselves. In no other
gifts such as handkerchiefs, candles, and
place in the world were deities so closely
the like. The trunks of many sacred trees
attached to their trees as in Egypt, wheth-
are studded with long nails hung with
er in the form of an arm extending from
small gifts representing prayers which
the branches of ,the tree or as a figure in its
people have spoken in their shade. When,
midst. However, the Egyptians did not
for instance, a man is cured of a headache,
have all the complex and mysterious
he drives into the trunk a nail with hair
world of fairies, nymphs, dryads, etc.,
wound about it.
which appeared in other countries. In con-
The tomb of Sheikh Seyd in Minah
tradistinction to the Egyptian tree deities,
plays a great role for childless women.
these other tr'ee spirits never enjoyed the
They flock to his tomb and perform vari-
same good reputation because many of
ous ceremonies intended to make them
them were regarded as enemies of man-
capable of childbirth.
kind.
The sheikhs buried in many of the
It will be of some interest to see how
tombs were said to have been murdered.
Nut, HTathor, and Isis came to play a
The fellahin, following an old tradition,
decisive role in the tree cult. As a sky-god-
were accustomed in such cases to mold a
dess, Nut already in the Pyramid Texts
clay figure representing the murdered man
had another function as a goddess of the
and to place it at the scene of the crime;
dead. No. 825a-d gives the following de-
the spirit of the deceased then took resi-
scription of her: "Thy mother Nut has
dence in the figure and ceased henceforth
spread over thee in order that she may
to haunt the spot. Gradually, as the figure
protect thee from all evil. Nut has pro-
weathered away, a tree sprang up from
tected thee from all evil, because thou art
the remains, and in this tree the spirit of
the greatest among her children.""tt
the sheikh was believed to dwell.
From the Eighteenth Dynasty onward
This custom closely corresponds to the

Nut is depicted on the inner side of the
account of the pith of the cedar which was coffin lid; according to the Egyptian belief
in the magical power of pictures, she was

formed in the image of Osiris as men-
tioned in Section V. It is interesting to see suspended over the dead in a protective
how the idea of the residence of the souls

47 Philpot, op. cit., p. 19.
capacity. Later, she was represented both from the spring which bathes its roots. It
on the bottom and on the sides of the coffin was thus very natural for his imagination
so that the deceased rested completely to attribute such gifts to a kindly dryad or
within her protective embrace. Gradually, tree spirit. In the hereafter, therefore, the
as the goddess became more and more im- deceased was satiated by a goddess of the
portant for the dead, she appropriated the dead in the form of a tree divinity. This is
various roles of the mortuary goddesses. quite consistent with another picture in
Already in the Thirteenth-Fourteenth the Pyramid Texts which has already
Dynasty, texts refer to Nut's presentation been described, in which the ba of the de-
of food and drink to the dead.48 In the ceased, in the shape of a bird, lived in a
Twenty-first Dynasty her pdsition as a sycamore on the eastern horizon.
goddess of the dead was established, and It may be emphasized that the role of
she was called nb.t imnt.t,uu the epithet of Nut-and Isis as tree-goddesses was closely
the goddess with whom Ij.athor formerly connected with the offerings for the dead,
was identified. while that of .Hathor began at an early
IHathlor appears as a goddess of the dead date in complete independence of mortu-
especially in Thebes, where she was wor- ary associations, but eventually was ab-
shiped in a rocky cave as the "Mistress of sorbed into the same mortuary functions
the Necropolis." Like Nut, she was be- as the other two.
lieved to take care of the dead. As this naive and appealing concept of
Isis-whose name DIU.t, according to the mortuary offering as the gift of a sa-
cred tree asserted itself with growing

Sethe,49 means "seat" or "throne"-ap-
pears to have been regarded as the per- force, it gradually, if somewhat belatedly,
made its appearance in the art. The pic-

sonification of the king's throne. She
tures occur first of all in the Theban

sometimes had the epithet ii.t wr.t, which
tombs of the Eighteenth Dynasty-no

in Egyptian is a term for the king's throne.
doubt as a result of the well-known Egyp-

Furthermore, according to Pyramid Texts
tian faith in the magical efficacy of tomb

1153b-1154b, she was identified with the
place to which the dead was brought in painting and sculpture-and they cul-
minate at the end of the Ptolemaic period

the sky: "She brings him to the great
on the. offering-tables from Achmim. Per-

throne which is made by the gods, which
haps the most striking feature of these

is made by Horus, which Thoth has pro-
representations, apart from the genuine

duced. Isis has received him, Nephthys
beauty and the remarkable variety of

has taken care of him; he has taken his
treatment with which they are handled in

seat on the great throne which is made of
different tombs, is the fact that the Egyp-

the gods."vv
tians reversed in them the normal histori-

When the Egyptians considered how
cal development from fetish to anthro-

the mortuary goddess cared for the dead,
pomorphized deities. For the ancient

their minds naturally drew upon analogies
artists began to represent the goddesses in

from their own daily life. It was a part of
anthropomorphized style beside the tree

their experience in the oases to find in the
or with the tree as a symbol on their

sycamore tree a source of refreshment to
heads, whereas they returned later on to a

the weary traveler, for he obtained fruit
partial anthropomorphism in which mere-

from the branches of the tree and water
ly an arm remained in the tree.
48 Rusch, Die Entwicklung der Himmelsgottin Nut
zu einer Totengottheit, p. 52.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
49 Lesestiicke. p. 102. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

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The Goddesses of the Egyptian Tree Cult

Authors(s): Marie-Louise Buhl

the house terminative instead of the tree.b

It is not surprising that the Egyptians

should have believed that a spirit or god-

dess lived in a leafy tree with a well of

water at its foot, and the sycamore as-

sumed a primary position in Egyptian

mythology and eschatology.

Among the other sacred trees it is im-

portant to mention the date palm, bnre-

the word means "sweet"-a garden tree

common both in the dynastic period and

in modern Egypt, because its fruit is one

of the main foods, and also the acacia

(snd), a tree which has always been very

The broad-leafed persea (i~d) tree,e

whose fruit is mentioned in the texts from

the oldest times, is described in the lists

toward sacred trees reveals the fact that,

of sacred groves in seventeen nomes of

Upper and Lower Egypt. Later on we

shall see that this tree was of great impor-

tance in the temple cult in Heliopolis and

Herakleopolis, the capitals of the thir-

teenth and twentieth Upper Egyptian

In addition to these trees, there are

I. THE MOST IMPORTANT SACRED TREES

many others which will be mentioned in

connection with the different sanctuaries.

Trees along the desert edge naturally

PROVING WORSHIP OF TREE

most important of all. The word has also

Egypt was divided into forty-two prov-

I Superior reference letters indicate Egyptian texts

twenty in Lower Egypt. A few words

2 Rosellini, Monumenti dell' Egitto et della Nubia,

must be devoted to the "coat-of-arms" of

Garden of Amenhotep II.

a N. M. Davies, Ancient Egyptian Paintings, Vol.

konpolis-Kush, which together formed

II, P1. LXIX: The pool in the garden from an un-

located tomb at Thebes. originally only an older and larger prov-

groves; 1) The nomes of Upper Egypt:

Greek Name Egyptian Name Sacred Grove

2 Apollinopolis magna ' $Q gJ 'TQ

7 Diospolis parva (Hu)

9 Panopolis (Achmim) -w Destroyed

19 Oxyrhynchus Not mentioned

2) The nomes of Lower Egypt:

Greek Name Egyptian Name Sacred Grove

-11 Kabasa Not mentioned--

11 Kabasa Not mentioned

14 Tanis ABff iQQQ

15 Hermopolis parva Il .Yb T1 TQ

16 Mendes <4t9 Q Ji9

19 Pelusium (Buto) 9YQ -VQ

p CICNw A\ IS 1 - Sb-- P" III i+ ,-

aSL Diu raC 51YL ~Z'b~"~~, o ;~r

M' MM S1 diP^'t Cka

10 ~^^ & ^~5 Lu oo pp qq Prr

ince symbolized at first by a broad-leafed Prior to the Heliopolitan Hathor there

twentieth-twenty-first Upper Egyptian acteristic of the Egyptians to identify the