If you missed my last Gods of Smite article on Fafnir, you can find it here.
Hey everyone, I am back after a little bit. I moved and you know how that goes, so much packing and unpacking. Today we will be talking about Sobek. He is one of the gods I learned about back when I was in middle school. It was during world history that I learned about, and fell in love with, the Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses and it set me on the journey to learn about the deities around the world. Writing this series of articles has been a learning experience too. I have learned about the Chinese, Japanese, and Voodoo gods for example. Let’s get back to Sobek, the Egyptian god of the Nile.
Sobek (also known as Sebek, Sochet, Sobki), is the god of the Nile River, crocodiles, protection, and fertility. The fertility part is due to his connection to the Nile which was vital for crops to grow. He has the head of a crocodile and is sometimes fully crocodile. His depictions often show him without a tongue, I’ll explain later. Sobek is a violent but benevolent, feared but revered, god. Warriors would pray to him for strength and protection, and women for fertility.
Sobek’s mother is Neith, a mother goddess associated with the cosmos and fate. His father, Set, is the god of the desert and deceit, and the murderer of Osiris. Sobek’s wife is Renenutet, the goddess of the harvest and kings. Their son is Khonsu, the god of the moon and time.
In the same way that cats were sacred to ancient Egyptians because of the goddesses Bast and Sekhmet, crocodiles were also sacred. The Nile Crocodile, also known as the African crocodile, is one of the more dangerous breeds of crocodile, and they kept them as house pets. Can you imagine having one of those in the same vicinity much less house as your kids? Sheesh. They were seen as protectors, they were believed to ward off bad spirits or the evil eye, and bringers of blessings. I suppose in a roundabout way.
To explain Sobek’s tongue being cut out, when Set slew Osiris, Set butchered Osiris and threw his pieces in the Nile. Sobek, who knew of what happened and what status Osiris was, ate Osiris’s body anyway. Sobek was charged with sacrilege and brought before the gods of the Egyptian counsel for trial. Upon being found guilty, they cut out his tongue.
Sobek did, however, save Horus’s four sons from dying. Horus’s four sons, Imsety, Hapi, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef (don’t worry, I couldn’t dream of pronouncing the last two names either), are important because they are protectors of the dead on their journey to the afterlife. The fact that Sobek ate Osiris but saved the four sons gives credence to the dangerous/benevolent god dichotomy I spoke of earlier.
What do you think of Sobek? Have you played him in Smite? How is he? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
