Khons God of Youth

Khons Ancient Egyptian God of Youth and the Moon
The son of Mut and Amun was Khons God, whose name probably meant “to travel, to move about, to run.” Although Amun was sometimes referred to as the Traveler, it was his son who was assigned duties as the messenger of the gods. He was associated with Thoth, who also served as a divine messenger at times, and because of this connection, Khons God was thought of as a god of the moon. In one of his forms he caused the crescent moon to shine upon the earth. In this capacity he helped women conceive children; cattle become fertile, and filled the nostrils and throats of living creatures with the air of life.

The typical representation of Khons God showed him as a man with the head of a falcon, and often on his head he wore a lunar disk sitting in the crescent moon. One of the more interesting representations of him was as a man with double falcons’ heads, on for the sun and the other for the moon. He had four vulture wings and stood on the heads of a pair of crocodiles.

The priests of ancient Egypt used numerous devices to encourage belief in the gods and maintain a steady flow of offering. One such practice was the oracle, through which the god spoke words of wisdom to supplicating humans who came for advice.

At Kom Ombo, for instance, one can see an underground tunnel used by the priests to transmit the voice of the “god” from the inner sanctuary, where no one but the high priest went, to the front where the supplicant awaited the god’s message. Carvings on a stone stele tell of a similar device used to enhance the power of Khons God . The form of Khons God involved in this myth was known as Khons God Neferhetep, who was supposed to have complete power over the evil spirits of the air who caused pain, sickness, and death.

There was a distant country called Bekhten that lay so far from Egypt the journey there took seventeen months, but even so, the Prince of Bekhten married his eldest daughter to the king of Egypt, thereby creating special ties between the two countries. Some time later the prince himself paid a visit to the court in Thebes and told the king that his younger daughter, the sister of Sypts queen, was seriously ill. None of the treatments prescribed in Bekhten had been effective and the prince asked that an Egyptian physician be sent to treat the girl. When the physic-arrived, he discovered that his patient was under the influence of an evil spirit, and since his medicine had no effect n the spirit, he eventually admitted defeat. The prince then returned to Thebes to ask for new assistance.

When the king of Egypt heard the details of the problem, he went to the temple of Khons God Neferhetep and prayed: “0 my fair lord, I have come once again to pray to you on behalf of the daughter of the prince of Bekhten.” The king begged the god Khons God himself to go to the country to deal with this extraordinary illness: “Grant that your magical power may go with him and let me send his divine majesty into Bekhten to deliver the daughter of the prince of that land from the power of the demon.”

This prayer was made in front of a statue of Khons God Neferhetep, and on the stele it is recorded that the god nodded twice to give his consent. Apparently the statue was rigged by the priests in such a manner as to permit the head to nod-at their command, of course when the answer to the request was to be positive. When the answer was negative, the statue probably sat there, still as stone. On this occasion, the statue nodded its assent and was asked to transfer magical powers to a second statue that would then act as a god and travel to cure the girl. It was believed that a god could transfer his power to a statue that represented him, and the statue of Khons God   Neferhetep was probably equipped so that when a statue of Khons God was brought near, the first statue-with priestly assistance-could lift an arm and give divine blessing to the second statue.

Assured of Khons God Neferhetep’s power, Khons God left on the long trip to Bekhten. He went straight to the sick room where the princess suffered and soon used his magical powers to drive the evil spirit from her body: the girl arose cured. Moreover, the evil spirit was so impressed by Khons’ powers, that he surrendered easily and volunteered to return to his own land without creating problems. He did ask before taking his leave, however, to sit with Khons God at a feast given in their honor by the prince of Bekhten- This was arranged: god, demon, and prince spent a pleasant day in each other’s company. Afterward the demon went home as had promised.

When the prince saw the power of Khons God , he determined to keep the god in Bekhten as long as possible and did, in fact, persuade him to stay for three years, four months, and five days. Eventually the god became ready to return home and flew out of his shrine in the form of a golden falcon. The prince then sent back to Thebes Khons’ chariot full of gifts for the Egyptians who had saved his daughter’s life. These presents were taken to the temple and laid at the foot of Khons God Neferhetep, who was thereafter worshipped as the god “who could perform mighty deeds and miracles and vanquish the demons of darkness.”

The chief shrine for the worship of Khons God was inside the complex of the Temple of Karnak. Ramesses III began the Temple of Khons God there and it was finished by his successors. Its wall carvings show the various kings responsible for the temple as they worship Khons God and his parents.