Horus the Child

Picture: King Iuput in the guise of Horus the Child seated upon the lotus flower which rose from the primeval waters of creation. Detail of faience plaque. 23rd dynasty. Royal Museum, Scotland.

The name 'Horus the Child' was given to a number of related forms of divine infant. Most of these were the son of Osiris and the goddess Isis whom she bore in the papyrus marshes of Chemmis in the northern Delta and raised in secret there is fear of the god Seth. Occasionally, however, the infant god was included in temple groupings as the child of other divine parents - as at Medamud where he was the son of Montu and Raettawy.

Already in the Pyramid Texts the god is referred to as 'the child with his finger in his mouth'; and in this form he was known as Har-hery-wadj or 'Horus upon his papyrus plants' and sometimes as 'Horus hidden behind the papyrus' in reference to the myth of his origins. The god was most commonly called Har-pa-khered (Greek Harpokrates), which translates as 'Horus the Child' and was often depicted in this from seated on the lap of Isis, or standing, alone, as depicted in the amuletic plaques known as Cippi of Hosurs. A Harsiese, 'Horus son of Isis', the god was clearly identified in his role as the goddesses' legitimate son and heir of Osiris. This is also true of the related names Horus iun-mutef or 'Horus pillar of his mother' and Har-nedj-itef (Greek Harendotes) or 'Horus saviour of his father'.

Picture: Cippus or amuletic plaque of Horus depicting Horus the Child grasping noxious creatures and standing upon the heads of crocodiles beneath a mask of Bes. Such magical stelae symbolized the god's power to protect from, and to heal, the bites and stings of wild creatures. Ptolemaic Period. Egyptian Museum. Cairo.