Significance of Khnum
Khnum, an ancient Egyptian ram-headed deity, was worshipped at Elephantine and associated with the Nile's sources. He collaborated with Ptah in creation, fashioning humans and animals under Thoth's direction. Khnum, also called the 'Fashioner', was linked to abundance, smiting the ground to bring it forth. As lord of the First Cataract, he warned against attacks and was considered Net's husband by the people of Seni. Neglecting his worship was believed to cause famine, highlighting his importance to the region's prosperity.
Synonyms: Creator, Potter, Fashioner, Shaper, Builder, Artificer, Architect, Ram-headed god
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Classical concept of 'Khnum'
From: Legends Of The Gods
(1) Khnemu, the Lord of Her-urt, warns against repeated attacks and identifies himself as a god, asserting his divine authority.[1] (2) Khnemu is the god whose union occurs in Abu, who smites the ground with his sandals to bring abundance.[2] (3) This figure with four ram's heads rests between a pair of arms in the solar disk, supported on a lake of celestial water.[3] (4) Khnemu is the god of the First Cataract, whose worship was neglected, leading to the famine, according to the legend.[4] (5) Osiris embodied in his own person the might of Ra-Tem, Apis and Ptah, the Horus-gods, Thoth and Khnemu, illustrating his comprehensive power and influence.[5]
From: The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians
(1) The text mentions Khnemu groaning in sheer exhaustion, possibly personifying a deity or representing the land's depleted resources and strength.[6] (2) This deity is asked by Ra-Harmakhis to fashion a wife for Bata, so that he may not dwell alone.[7] (3) He is a god who was believed to control the springs of the Nile, with the river's sources said to be situated between two great rocks on Elephantine Island.[8] (4) A god who accompanied the four goddesses to Rut-tetet's house and bestowed health upon the bodies of the three boys after their birth.[9]
From: The Gods of the Egyptians Vol 1
(1) Khnemu was a fellow-worker with Ptah in carrying out commands concerning the creation of the universe issued by Thoth, fashioning man and animals while Ptah constructed the heavens and earth.[10] (2) The text mentions that the people of Seni (Latopolis) assigned to Net as husband the ram-headed god Khnemu, the lord of the First Cataract.[11] (3) This is one of the gods who march before Shetu, along with ten other gods, five of whom have no arms.[12] (4) Identifies a ram-headed deity whose cult was practiced at Elephantine, indicating the ancient religious traditions of the region.[13]
From: The Book of Gates
(1) One of the first seven gods in a company of thirteen, who meet the sun's boat in a specific section.[14] (2) "Khnemu" is a god whose symbol was a particular species of ram with horizontal, wavy horns that disappeared from Egypt before the XIIth Dynasty.[15]
From: Egyptian Magic
(1) This is an ancient Egyptian deity, also referred to as the 'Fashioner' of both humans and animals, credited with attributes mirroring those of the universe's Creator.[16]
From: The Book of Am-Tuat
(1) It is the ram-headed god in the Lower Register.[17]
From: The Book of the Dead
(1) Khnemu worked with Ptah in carrying out the work of creation ordered by Thoth, regarded as the chief god of the inundation and lord of the cataract at Elephantine, as well as the builder of men.[18]