Hauron

Picture: The god Hauron in falcon form.Statue of Ramesses II from Tanis.Egyptian Museum, Cairo.The statue base is inscribed 'Ramesses,beloved of Hauron'. 19th Dynasty.

Mythology of Hauron

The Canaanite god Hauron was a somewhat obscure deity of the desert and the earth, perhaps, according to Canaanite mythology, a son of Astarte, Hauron may have been a god associated with herdsmen and those who wandered the desert areas; in Egypt he was known as 'the victorious herdsman'. He is attested in Egyptian texts from Middle Kingdom times in the form of a Canaanite theophoric name, but the appearance of Hauron as an adopted Egyptian deity seems to date to around the time of Amenophis II at the earliest. The god was associated with the Great Sphinx at Giza, but the reason for the equation is not clear. Perhaps it was as a result of the presence of Canaanite or Syrian workers who were located in the area of the Sphinx, or it may have been as a result of some mythological connection which is no longer evident.

Iconography of Hauron

Hauron was usually depicted in anthropomorphic form as an armed man, but he could also appear in form as an armed man, but he could also appear in other ways. In a famous statue in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo the god is represented in the form of a falcon standing behind and protecting the crouching figure of Ramesses II who is shown as a child.

Worship of Hauron

A temple or chapel of this god, the 'house of Hauron', was constructed in front of the Great Sphinx at Giza in New Kingdom times. Hauron also obviously entered Egyptian popular religion in his capacity of divine herdsman, as a spell to be cast over a field is known which invokes a number of deities - including Hauron - to protect cattle from attacks by wild animals.