If you missed my last article about Hou Yi, you can find it here.
We are getting close to the end of the roster of gods on Smite. The deities that are left are more of the lesser-known gods, which generally means less information to give you. Since this is the case, I will be doubling up gods for future editions. This is one of my favorite series I have written. Today, we are staying in Egypt with Anhur, the god of war like the Greek Ares, and Khepri, the god of the morning sun. Let’s get into it first, Anhur.
Anhur, also spelled Onuris, An-Her, and Inhert, among other spellings, is a war god in Ancient Egypt. His name can mean “Sky-Bearer” or “He Who Leads Back The Distant One.” He has epithets such as “Slayer of Enemies” and “The Lord Of Lances.” Anhur also has dominion over the air and sky.
Anhur’s father is Ra, and some of his siblings are Tefnut, goddess of moisture, Bast, protector goddess of Lower Egypt, and Shu, god of peace. He is married to Mehit, the same lioness goddess he was sent to retrieve from Nubia. Anhur is usually depicted with a long kilt and a crown with four feathers. Sometimes, he has a lance and a length of rope. He is also depicted with a lion head, but less frequently.
Anhur is the patron god of the Egyptian army. He also stood in front of Ra’s barque to defend him from Apep. One job Ra gave Anhur was to bring back the leonine goddess, Mehit, from Nubia. She turned her back on Egypt and took Ra’s eye.
Our second god is Khepri. Khepri, also spelled Khepera, Chepre, and others, is the god of the morning sun. Ra is the god of the midday sun, and Atum is the evening sun. His name means “to emerge” or “to come into being.” Khepri is also the god of resurrection, rebirth, and renewal, as he brings the sun to life every morning.
Khepri is said to be the one pushing the sun across the sky ahead of Ra’s barque. In the same way that a dung beetle pushes the ball of dung along, Khepri pushes the sun. Egyptians at that time believed the sun died every day and that it was Khepri who resurrected it to push it along all over again.
Khepri is a self-made god. Ancient Egyptians thought that the dung beetle miraculously was born from a ball of dung, and that is the same way Khepri came to be. As such, Khepri is a scarab-faced god and is depicted as a man with an entire scarab as his head. In the form of a man, he carries a wascepter and an ankh. He has also been depicted as a scarab with the head of a man.
Khepri has central roles in The Book of the Dead, aka The Book of Coming Forth By Day, and the Amduat, aka The Book of That Which Is In the Underworld or The Book Of The Secret Chamber. Scarab amulets were placed over the hearts of the dead when being mummified. Those are what are weighed against Ma’at’s (the goddess of justice who is his daughter) feather during judgment. They were spelled to prevent the heart from standing witness against the deceased.
Have you ever heard of these gods? How did you hear about them? I had to look for these two. Have you played them on Smite? How do you like their play? I suck at playing Smite, though. It is fun to play with my husband and kids. Let’s chat in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
