Nubian Gods of
Ancient
Dedwen
Mythology of
Dedwen
Originally a Nubian deity,
Dedwen was known in Egypt from at least Old Kingdom times
when the king is identified with 'Dedwen, who presides over
Nubia' in the Pyramid Texts (PT 994, 1476). At a very early
date Dedwen had come to present not only Nubia but also its
resources, and especially incense - which was imported into
Egypt from the south. The God was thus identified as the
supplier of incense for the gods and was also said to burn
incense at royal births (PT 803, 1017).
Iconography of
Dedwen
Picture: Dedwen embracing
Tuthmosis III
Depicted anthropomorphically, Dedwen portrayed
as a male deity, usually with no special characteristics and
sometimes differentiated only by name. In the Old Kingdom
his name was sometimes written with hieroglyphic sign for a
certain type of bird, but the god himself was not depicted
in avain form or with the head of a birth. At Kalabsha
Dedwen is depicted with the head of a lion, and the god
could also be assimilated to Amun or Khnum in the form of a
ram.
Worship of
Dedwen
Apart from his association
(through incense) with the cults of Egyptian gods and kings,
the worship of Dedwen seems to have remained largely limited
to Nubia itself. However, the god was honored in many
pharaonic temples built in Nubia. Dedwen was included, for
example, with other deities in a small temple by Tuthmosis
III at el-Lessiya; and on the island of Uronarti near Semna,
a temple (perhaps of Middle Kingdom origin) was dedicated to
Dedwen and Senwosret III by Tuthmosis. A Late Ptolemaic
granite chapel at Kalabsha, re-erected in the 1960s on the
new site just south of Aswan, was also dedicated to
Dedwen.
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