Seker ( / ˈ s ɛ k ər / ; also spelled Sokar , and in Greek , Sokaris or Socharis ) is a hawk or falcon god of the Memphite necropolis in the Ancient Egyptian religion , who was known as a patron of the living, as well as a god of the dead. He is also in some accounts a solar deity as for The Temple of Seker in Memphis.
16-563: Sokar may refer to: Seker , a falcon god in Egyptian mythology Sokar (Stargate) , a character in television series Stargate Sokar (yacht) (formally the Jonikal ), a yacht owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Sokar . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
32-404: A hawk-headed mummy holding an ankh, which does at least indirectly suggest the connection. Underworld The underworld , also known as the netherworld or hell , is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths , located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. The concept of an underworld
48-566: Is found in almost every civilization and "may be as old as humanity itself". Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people making journeys to the underworld , often for some heroic purpose. Other myths reinforce traditions that the entrance of souls to the underworld requires a proper observation of ceremony, such as the ancient Greek story of the recently dead Patroclus haunting Achilles until his body could be properly buried for this purpose. People with high social status were dressed and equipped in order to better navigate
64-462: Is possibly preserved in a personal name ⲥⲉⲛⲥⲓⲭⲟⲗ, "daughter of Sokar". Seker was usually depicted as a mummified hawk and sometimes as a mound from which the head of a hawk appears. Here he is called 'he who is on his sand' . Sometimes, he is shown on his hennu barque which was an elaborate sledge for negotiating the sandy necropolis. One of his titles was 'He of Restau' which means the place of 'openings' or tomb entrances. Like many other gods, he
80-574: The Imhet (also called Amhet , Ammahet , or Ammehet ; meaning 'filled up'). B C D F G H I K M N P Q R S T U W Seker, possibly through his association with Ptah, has a connection with artisans . In the Book of the Dead , he is said to fashion silver bowls and at Tanis a silver coffin of Sheshonq II has been discovered decorated with
96-409: The "Legends and Lore" rulebooks. In this setting, Seker is described as the Egyptian lesser god of light and, among other details, he casts rays of light from his hands which destroy all undead. His Alignment is given as Neutral Good, and it is noted he protects Egyptian souls of the same Alignment after their death. No specific mention is made of the later triple persona, though his symbol is given as
112-624: The Egyptians in the Pyramid Texts linked his name to the anguished cry of Osiris to Isis 'Sy-k-ri' ('hurry to me'), or possibly skr, meaning "cleaning the mouth". In the underworld , Seker is strongly linked with two other gods, Ptah the Creator god and chief god of Memphis , and Osiris the god of the dead . In later periods, this connection was expressed as the triple god Ptah-Seker-Osiris . The Faiyumic Coptic form ⲥⲓⲭⲟⲗ
128-476: The form of Seker-Osiris, not Ptah-Seker-Osiris, deliberately excluding the aspects of Ptah. The lyrics call him "ancient and dead", a trait held by Osiris, but also describe him as being “shunned by Ra,” which would place the Seker they describe in the context of Heliopolis rather than Memphis. The fantasy role playing game "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" includes Seker in its 1st edition, "Deities and Demigods", and
144-588: The god on a Henu barque, which was a boat with a high prow shaped like an oryx. In the film The Ten Commandments (1956), the Pharaoh Rameses II invokes the same deity to bring his deceased firstborn son back to life, while wearing a dark blue robe with a silver bow. In the show Stargate SG-1 , the Goa'uld villain Sokar is named after Seker. Sokar appears as a powerful and sadistic Goa'uld who chose
160-543: The iconography of Seker. Seker's cult centre was in Memphis, and festivals in his honor were held there on the 26th day of the fourth month of the akhet (spring) season. While these festivals took place, devotees would hoe and till the ground, and drive cattle, which suggests that Seker could have had agricultural aspects about him. Seker is mentioned in The Journey of Ra : the myth used to explain what happens during
176-403: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sokar&oldid=611146450 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Seker Although the meaning of his name remains uncertain,
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#1732800926934192-594: The night when Ra travels through the Underworld. According to the myth, Seker rules the Fifth Kingdom of Night, which is called "Hidden", and is tasked with punishing the souls of evildoers by throwing them into a boiling lake. As part of the festivals in akhet, his followers wore strings of onions around their necks, showing the Underworld aspect of him. Onions were used in embalming people - sometimes
208-527: The role of the Devil rather than a god like the rest of his species. He is killed when the moon he uses as his own personal version of Hell is blown up, destroying Sokar's ship in orbit and Sokar himself. American technical death metal band Nile wrote the title track of their album “ Annihilation of the Wicked ” about the domain, occupation, and appearance of Seker. Curiously, the lyrics seem to describe Seker in
224-515: The skin, sometimes the entire onion. When just the skin was used, it would be placed on the eyes and inside the ears to mask the smell. Also, the god was depicted as assisting in various tasks such as digging ditches and canals. From the New Kingdom a similar festival was held in Thebes, which rivaled the great Opet Festival . Other events during the festival including floating a statue of
240-601: The underworld. A number of mythologies incorporate the concept of the soul of the deceased making its own journey to the underworld, with the dead needing to be taken across a defining obstacle such as a lake or a river to reach this destination. Imagery of such journeys can be found in both ancient and modern art. The descent to the underworld has been described as "the single most important myth for Modernist authors". This list includes underworlds in various religious traditions, with links to corresponding articles: Echeide , Guayota This list includes rulers or guardians of
256-533: Was often depicted with a Was -scepter . In the New Kingdom Book of the Underworld , the Amduat , he is shown standing on the back of a serpent between two spread wings; as an expression of freedom this suggests a connection with resurrection or perhaps a satisfactory transit of the underworld. Despite this, the region of the underworld associated with Seker was seen as difficult, sandy terrain called
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