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Robin250 — Sobek

#netjeru #sobek #godsofegypt #crocodilegod #ancientegypt #crocodile #egyptiangods #egyptianmythology #ancientegyptiangod #ancientegyptianmythology
Published: 2021-04-10 03:42:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 4652; Favourites: 28; Downloads: 0
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Description "I eat while I mate, and I rend whom I will..."

Feared and revered, animalistic and unpredictable, and yet there are those who still call him the bringer of life, and even protector.  The son of Khnum: God of the Nile itself, and Neith: Goddess of the Hunt, Sobek is the Egyptian crocodile god of the Nile River.  It is his iconic crocodilian appearance that makes him easily recognizable.  It is Sobek's appearance itself that makes him truly terrifying and wonderful, as crocodiles are just one of the many different animals in Africa capable of eating humans which call the Nile their home.  Ruling the Nile River is no easy task, given the number of dangerous animals that call the river their home, but because Sobek has done so for at least four millennia, he is even more dangerous than the animals themselves.  Yet as he is the sole River God of Egypt and Bana-Mighdall, he is also the protector of the Nile itself, thereby also making him a god of fertility, as well as of crocodiles and the Nile itself.  It was Sobek who helped Isis recover the body parts of her deceased husband, Osiris, after he was murdered by his treacherous brother, Sutekh, and it was also Sobek who helped Isis' son by Zeus, Horus, in his subsequent quest for justice.  His most holiest of sites are in Lower Egypt, especially in the Faiyum Oasis in cities such as Soknopaiou Nesos, but perhaps his greatest and key holiest shrine is the ancient city of Crocodilopolis, where his temple housed a tamed sacred crocodile named "Petsouchos" said to be Sobek's son.  While the rise of Christianity and Islam in Egypt saw an end to these ancient rites, Sobek is still venerated in Upper Egypt and Nubia, specifically in Bana-Mighdall, where the Amazons of Neas Crocodilopolis still observe the ancient rituals of their foremothers.  Yet Sobek is also quite animalistic, much like the animal he represents, and is known to sire children with mortal women.  This was what led him to sleep with Pharaoh Antiope IX of Bana-Mighdall, and become the father of Princess Na-Nefru Sekhet: cousin of the famed Wonder Woman.  

And so, we now have the first of the Netjeru - the Egyptian Gods in the gallery.  These deities are among my favorites to draw, since some of them have the traits of animals.  Some people may find this disturbing, but I actually think that it is really cool.  Anyway, in the comics, there was a genetically modified crocodile made by Dr. Sivanna to act as an enemy of the Marvel Family, who was given the name Sobek by the Teen Titan, Osiris.  However, since I have been on this craze on the Amazons, I figured that it would only be right to include the true Sobek that was venerated by the Ancient Egyptians.  The dual feathers adorning his headdress indicate Sobek's association with Zeus/Amun, while the solar disk, or aten also associates him with Ra: the Egyptian God of the Sun.  The Amazons of Bana-Mighdall, and the people of Khandaq still practice the ancient rituals to honor and venerate Sobek, making offerings to sacred crocodiles in his temples.  When a sacred crocodile dies, it is mummified and given to Sobek as an offering.  He is also the husband of Renenutet: the cobra-headed goddess of the harvest. Yet Sobek also is a great ally of the Marvel Family, helping them in their battles against Black Adam as a way to punish him for the crimes he committed long ago in the New Kingdom.  Ironically, the only other deity Sobek fears is Taweret: the goddess of childbirth and fertility with the head and features of a hippopotamus, as hippos have been known to kill crocodiles in Africa.

Disclaimer: This take on Sobek belongs to DC Comics.
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Comments: 22

swallowim [2021-10-14 10:58:58 +0000 UTC]

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Club-Dreamiverse [2021-05-06 19:12:06 +0000 UTC]

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MegaBrony95 [2021-04-10 13:19:54 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to MegaBrony95 [2021-04-10 13:54:01 +0000 UTC]

Hmm. Now I’m a bit confused by what you mean by the Marvel comics. Like do you mean the SHAZAM series version?

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MegaBrony95 In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 14:23:15 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to MegaBrony95 [2021-04-10 20:57:51 +0000 UTC]

This Sobek is based on no incarnation in the comics, but in the very deity the Egyptians once worshipped, and Petsuchos is a divine animal, much like the Apis Bull that was said to be an incarnation of the god Apis on earth. I’d recommend you look into some books on Egyptian mythology and Ancient Egyptian religion, because it is absolutely fascinating because many aspects of Ancient Egypt’s culture were adopted and refined by the Greeks, and later by the Romans.

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MegaBrony95 In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 21:55:37 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to MegaBrony95 [2021-04-10 21:59:53 +0000 UTC]

Diana’s not part Egyptian. Let’s be clear about that. Antiope IX and Hippolyta II are both the direct descendants of Antiope I and Penthesileia respectively. If you read my History of the Amazons entries, you’ll understand a bit more where I’m going.

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MegaBrony95 In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 22:29:34 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to MegaBrony95 [2021-04-11 02:29:36 +0000 UTC]

There are two entries there for now, but I’m currently working on a third which explains the start of Bana-Mighdall in a way that is more in depth. In my planned mythos, it was Bana-Mighdall that paved the way for Themyscira’s rise, given its location as the nexus between sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean.

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PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:01:02 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:02:22 +0000 UTC]

Used to the Horseman of Apokolips version, were you?

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PeterVanHelsing In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 04:04:32 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:08:34 +0000 UTC]

Hehe! Well, expect to see a few more as well. I’ve been really deciding to build out the entirety of Bana-Mighdall itself: history, society, culture, etc. Though Sobek also is affiliated with the Olympians in this take, as the double feathers associate him with Amun - the Egyptian name for Zeus.

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PeterVanHelsing In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 04:10:13 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:12:03 +0000 UTC]

No, she’s not intended to be half crocodile. She takes more after her mother. Yet she does have her father’s adeptness for swimming and a few other attributes from him as well.

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PeterVanHelsing In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 04:12:45 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:13:58 +0000 UTC]

I would say complicated as an alternative, but the benefits of being a demigod are immense.

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PeterVanHelsing In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 04:14:41 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 04:51:21 +0000 UTC]

Well, Hercules was nursed by Hera when he was a baby. Athena brought him up to Olympus after his mother initially tried to leave him to die of exposure, and Athena wasn’t going to let her baby brother die.

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PeterVanHelsing In reply to Robin250 [2021-04-10 04:52:26 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I know. That's what I was referencing.

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Robin250 In reply to PeterVanHelsing [2021-04-10 13:55:56 +0000 UTC]

I get that. I was just clarifying since the Etruscan myths state that Hercules was nursed by Uni (their take on Hera) as an adult. Just trying to separate the Greek original from the Etruscan adaptation.

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