Nekhen Ptah

Iwy em hotep!

Welcome to Nekhen Ptah - the shrine of Ptah. This space is meant to be a repository for historical and modern information on the worship of Ptah, inspired by projects such as Per-Sabu, Per-Bast, and Per-Sebek. Special thanks to Sedjafai for help with verifying translation and transliteration of the Names of Ptah.

Names of Ptah

Over the course of history, Egyptian religious cults assimilated as various ruling cities united with and overthrew each other. Ptah's home city of Memphis, long the capital of Egypt, was no exception to this. The Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen, an eight volume text listing titles and functions of the Egyptian Gods over time, lists the following as names of this god:

Ptḥ (Ptah), Ptḥ-Ꜥꜣ (Ptah-A'a), Ptḥ-wr (Ptah-wer), Ptḥ-Wsir (Ptah-Wesir), Ptḥ-Wsir-wr (Ptah-Wesir-wer), Ptḥ-Bꜣ-Ḏdt (Ptah-Banebdjet),Ptḥ-n-Msḏr-sḏm (Ptah, Hearer of Prayers), Ptḥ-Nwn (Ptah-Nun), Ptḥ-Nwn-Wr (Ptah-Nun-wer), Ptḥ-Nwn-wr-Tꜣ-ṯnn (Ptah-Nun-wer-Tatenen), Ptḥ-Nwnt (Ptah-Nunet), Ptḥ-*Nb-Wꜣst (Ptah, Lord of Waset [Gr. Thebes]), Ptḥ-n-Rꜥ-ms-sw-ḥḳꜣ-Iwnw (Ptah of Ramessu, Lord of Iunnu [Gr. Heliopolis]), Ptḥ-n-tꜣ-St-nfrw (Ptah of the Valley of the Queens), Ptḥ-n-pꜣ-sbꜣ-ꜥꜣ (Ptḥ-n-pꜣ-sbꜣ-ꜥꜣ), Ptḥ-Šw (Ptah-Shu), Ptḥ-m-šmyt (Ptah of the Necropolis), Ptḥ-Dḥwty (Ptah-Djehuty).

However, the LGG also lists three additional forms of Ptah who are fully realized as distinct gods: Ptah-Sokar, Ptah-Sokar-Wesir, and Ptah-Tatenen. Each of these gods also has a list of epithets, similar to but separate and unique from Ptah's own list.

Epithets of Ptah

These translations come from Das Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen. I have translated them myself, but my German is rusty. If you are interested in proofing them, please contact me.

Lord of the Cosmos

God of the Sky and Horizon
  • Ir-pt-tꜣ: "Who creates the heaven and the earth"
  • Ir-pt-tꜣ-mw-ḏww: "Who creates heaven, earth, water, and hills"
  • ꜥḥ-pt: "Who lifts the sky"
  • ꜥḥ-pt-m-ḥp.f.: "Who raises heaven with His hand"
  • ꜥh-pt-smn-Rꜥ-im.s: "Who lifts the sky and fixes Ra in it"
  • ꜥḫ-pt-m-kꜣt-ꜥwy.fy: "Who raises the sky with the work of His two arms"
  • Wr-m-pt: "Who is great in the sky"
  • Wḏ-mdw-m-ꜣḫt: "Who issues commands in the horizon"
  • Bꜣ-nb-hꜣyt: "The Ba, the lord of heaven"
  • Pr-m-ꜣḫt: "Who emerges from the horizon"
  • Pẖr-idbwy-nw-pt: "Who crosses the two shores of the sky"
  • Nb-pt: "The lord of the horizon"
  • Nb-pt-mw-ḏww: "The lord of the sky, the waters, and the mountains"
  • Nb-pt-tꜣ-mw-ḏww: "The lord of the sky, the earth, the waters, and the mountains"
  • Rmn-pt: "Who carries the heavens"
  • Ḫy-nnt: "Who lifts the heavens"
  • Ḫpr-m-ꜥẖ-pt: "As the one who raises and creates the sky"
  • Ḫnty-ꜣht-tꜣwy: "The ruler of the horizons of the Two Lands"
  • Ḫnty-ḥrt: "The ruler of the sky"
  • Sꜥh-ꜣḫt: "The mummy of the horizons"
  • Snhp-Nwn-n-pt: "Who allows the Nun to come forth from the sky"
  • Sštꜣ-ꜣḫt: "Who makes the horizon mysterious"
  • Sḳdd-itn.f-m-ẖt-nt-Nwt: "Who drives the solar disk through the body of Nut"
  • ḳmꜣ-pt-tꜣ: "Who creates the heavens and the earth"
  • Twꜣ-di-mrt: "Who lifts the sky"
  • Dmḏ-m-ꜣẖt-tꜣwy: "Who united the horizon of the Two Lands"
God of the Sun and Moon
  • Iꜣḫw-n-hrw: "The shining of the day"
  • Itwn-wr: "The great sun-disk"
  • Itn-n-pt: "The sun-disk of the heavens"
  • Wbn-m-Rꜥ: "Who rises as Ra"
  • Wn-wꜣt-n-ḥḏ: "Who opens the way for light"
  • Nb-ḥḏḏwt: "Who creates the light"
  • Sḥḏ-idbw: "Who illuminates the banks [of the Nile]"
  • Sḫḏ-rḫyt-m-irty.fy: "Who illuminates the people with His two Eyes"
  • Sḫḏ-ḥr-ẖꜣwt-ntyw-m-dwꜣt: "Who illuminates the bodies of those in the Duat"
  • Sḥḏ-tꜣwy-m-ꜣẖty.fy: "Who Illuminates the Two Lands with His bright Eye"
  • Sḳdd-itn.f-m-ẖt-nt-Nwt: "Who drives the solar disk through the body of Nut"
  • Iꜥẖ-m-grḥ: "The Moon in the Night"
God of Earth and Water
  • Ir-pt-tꜣ-mw-ḏww: "Who creates the heavens, the earth, the water, and hills"
  • Ir-Nwn: "Who creates the Nun"
  • Ir-tꜣw-nbw-idbw-Wꜣḏ-wr: "Who creates all countries, shores, and seas"
  • Ptḥ-nt: "Who Creates the Flood"
  • Nb-pt-mw-ḏww: "The Lord of the Heavens, the Waters, and the Hills"
  • Nb-pt-tꜣ-mw-ḏww: "The Lord of the Heavens, the Earth, the Waters, and the Hills"
  • Ḫnty-Nwn: "The Master of the Nun?"
  • Sprr-mw-tp-ḏww: "Who Allows Water to Come Forth from the Mountains"
  • Snhp-Nwn-n-pt: "Who Allows the Nun to come forth from the Sky?"
  • ꜣkr: "Aker"
  • Ir-pt-tw-mw-ḏww: "Who creates the heavens, the earth, the water, and the hills"
  • Ir-tꜣ: "Who creates the earth"
  • Ir-tꜣ-m-Inbw-ḥḏ: "Who creates the earth in Memphis"
  • Ir-tꜣw-nbw-idbw-Wꜣḏ-wr: "Who creates all countries, the shores, and the sea"
  • ḥmw-tꜣ: "Who formed the Earth"
  • Ḫnty-tꜣ: "The Ruler of Countries"
  • Sꜥnẖ-tꜣ: "Who Keeps(?) the Land Alive"
  • Smn-sꜣṯw: "Who Attached the Earth?"
  • Smn-tꜣ: "Who Attached the Earth?"
  • Sḥḏ-idbw: "Who Illuminates the Shore?"
  • ḳmꜣ-pt-tꜣ: "Who created Heaven and Earth"
  • ḳmꜣ-tꜣ: "Who created the Land"
  • Kꜣ-tꜣ: "The Bull of the Earth"
  • Grg-tꜣ-m-pr-im.f: "Who establishes the Land with what comes from it?"
  • Tꜣ-m-wḏ.f: "Under whose command the earth is"
  • Dr-sꜣtw: "Who spreads open the earth"

Future updates will include:

  • Further epithets from the LGG
  • Devotee perspectives on Ptah
  • Rituals and prayers written for Ptah