Description
Defender of the Nile and protector of Pharaoh's power, Sobek was the crocodile-headed god of ancient Egypt from the Old Kingdom period through to the Ptolemaic dynasty and beyond. As such, crocodiles were venerated for their violent, primal qualities, and were even bred on temple sites as a living personifications of the god, and mummified when they died. This was especially the case in the fertile Faiyum region and the cities of Kom Ombo, Shedet and Krokodilopolis, where many mummified specimens of adults and babies, as well as eggs, have since been found. At some point in his history, Sobek became associated with Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Ra, adding healing, solar, and protective aspects to his primitive aggression, using this connection to ward off evil and protect the people of Egypt in the same, surprisingly tender, manner that crocodiles care for their young. With titles such as 'One who buries of the bodies of the crocodile-gods of the Land of the Lake' and 'prophet of the crocodile-gods', the priests of the cult of Sobek served him completely in the main temple at Shedet in defence of the Pharaoh and his subjects.
