Thoth

"The ibis and the ink pot - these are blessed. For as the ibis pecks along the bank for a bit of food, so the scribe searches among his thoughts for some truth to tell.
All the work is his to speak, its secrets writ down in his heart from the beginning of time, the gods' words rising upwards through his dark belly, seeking light at the edge of his throat.
In the beginning and at the end, the book is opened and we see what in life we are asked to remember.
Hear then, my words, the ringing of my speech, as the heart and scroll of this life falls open.
Truth is the harvest scythe. What is sown - love or anger or bitterness - that shall be your bread.
The barley is no better than its seed, so let what you plant be good.
Let your touch on earth be light so that when earth covers you, the clods of dirt fall lightly.
The soul of a man forgets nothing. It stands amazed at its own being.
The body is a soul's record. And when a man's life ends, his body is given back to the gods and the gods shall see what use their laws have been.
They shall see the deeds its hands have made, the sparks of light its heart set in the world.
They shall see whether or not their love, their powers have been wasted, whether the plants it has grown were nourishing or poison.
And like the ibis, the gods shall circle about him, hunting for seeds that remain uncultivated, for ideas that lie dormant, thoughts left unexpressed.
They shall find new seeds from the plants he has tended.
And these shall be planted again in the clay of a new man and he shall be sent back to the world until all the gods have seen fit to create in man is cultivated, and then, in final death, he shall be welcomed home as one of them.”
- The Hymn of Thoth

The wisest of the Egyptian gods and the patron of scribes, who were known as the “Followers of Thoth.” He was thought to have invented writing and the languages, including the first hieroglyphics and the Book of the Dead. Thoth was claimed to be the true author of every work of every branch of knowledge, both human and divine.

As a god of the moon, Thoth was therefore the god who measured time. He recorded the passage of time and assigned long reigns to kings. Mythology credits Thoth with the creation of the 365 day calendar. He was also the director of the motions of the heavenly bodies.

Thoth was considered the “heart and tongue” of Ra as well as the means by which Ra's will was translated into speech. Without his words, the Egyptians believed, the gods would not exist. A common prayer was "May Thoth (the moon) follow Ra (the sun) and not fail to rise!"

Thoth's roles in Egyptian mythology were many. He served as a mediating power, especially between good and evil, making sure neither could gain an unfair advantage over the other so that the contest would be fair.

Thoth’s reputation for truth and integrity is seen in the common assertion that a person has conducted his life in a matter “straight and true like Thoth.” Thoth was described as the one "who reveals Ma’at and reckons Ma’at; who loves Ma’at and gives Ma’at to the doer of Ma’at." (Ma'at was the personification of truth and justice.)

Thoth is unusual among the Egyptian gods in that he overcame obstacles not by brute strength but by cunning, humility, and patience. This is well illustrated in the story of the Distant Goddess. According to the tale, the goddess Tefnut didn't feel valued enough by the other deities, and left for the desert to live as an angry lioness. Because she was the Eye of Ra (the sun), Egypt was plunged into darkness. Every god tried to bring her back, but Tefnut was too powerful. Finally the wise Thoth, disguised as a baboon, lured her back with jokes and funny stories, and songs of her beauty. According to one account he had to ask the goddess to come home 1,077 times, and at last succeeded.

Thoth was associated with justice and truth, and presided over secret knowledge. It was Thoth who weighed the heart of the deceased, and judged them worthy to enter the afterlife - "I have judged the heart of the deceased, and his soul stand as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him."

The Proclamation of Thoth states: “I am Thoth, the skilled scribe whose hands are pure, a possessor of purity, who drives away evil, who writes what is true, who detests falsehood, whose pen defends the Lord of All; I am the Master of Laws who interprets writing, whose words establish the Two Lands."

A prayer to Thoth from a scribe is as follows: “Come to me, Thoth, O noble Ibis, O letter-writer of the gods, O great scribe! Come to me and give me counsel, make me skillful in your calling! Better is your calling than all callings, it makes men great. He who masters it is found fit to hold office. I have seen many whom you have helped, so grant me your wisdom, O Thoth!"

Occasionally Thoth, in his ibis form, was said to have laid the Cosmic Egg from which the world was hatched. The beginning of Thoth’s name, dhw, is the oldest known name for the Sacred Ibis. Flocks of ibises were kept in temples dedicated to Thoth. The choice of the ibis as the animal representative of Thoth is thought to be related to the ibis' habit of dipping its curved bill into the waters of the Nile in search of food, which was a motion similar to a scribe dipping his pen into ink. The baboon was also his sacred animal.

Thoth was thought to have “sung” several gods and goddesses into existence, including the goddess Heket. Thoth was considered to be the son of Ra, and the husband of Ma’at. Occasionally he was thought to have been created by Set. Thoth was also said to be the brother-husband-father of Seshet, and to have laid a cosmic egg which hatched Amun, Nefertem, and Kherpi.