The English name Egypt derives from an ancient Egyptian

name for Memphis, Hikuptah, which means "Home of the Soul

of Ptah". This entered Ancient Greek as (Aiguptos),
which entered Latin as Aegyptus, which developed into
English as Egypt.

In Egyptian mythology, Ptah (/pt/;[1] Egyptian: pt,

probably vocalized as Pita in ancient Egyptian)[2] is the
demiurge of Memphis, god of craftsmen and architects. In the
triad of Memphis, he is the spouse of Sekhmet and the father
of Nefertum. He was also regarded as the father of the sage
Imhotep.

Ptah is the Creator god par excellence: He is considered the

demiurge who existed before all other things, and by his
willfulness, thought the world. It was first conceived by
Thought, and realized by the Word: Ptah conceives the world
by the thought of his heart and gives life through the magic of
his Word. That which Ptah commanded was created, with
which the constituents of nature, fauna, and flora, are
contained. He also plays a role in the preservation of the world
and the permanence of the royal function.
Like many deities of ancient Egypt he takes many forms,
through one of his particular aspects or through syncretism of
ancient deities of the Memphite region. He is sometimes
represented as a dwarf, naked and deformed, whose
popularity would continue to grow during the Late Period.
Frequently associated with the god Bes, his worship then
exceeded the borders of the country and was exported
throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to the
Phoenicians, we find figures of Ptah in Carthage.

Ptah is generally represented in the guise of a man with green

skin, contained in a shroud sticking to the skin, wearing the
divine beard, and holding a sceptre combining three powerful
symbols of ancient Egyptian religion:

The Was sceptre

The sign of life, Ankh
The Djed pillar

These three combined symbols indicate the three creative

powers of the god: power (was), life (ankh) and stability (djed).

From the Old Kingdom, he quickly absorbs the appearance of

Sokar and Tatenen, ancient deities of the Memphite region.
His form of Sokar is found contained in its white shroud
wearing the Atef crown, an attribute of Osiris. In this capacity,
he represents the god of the necropolis of Saqqara and other
famous sites where the royal pyramids were built. Gradually
he formed with Osiris a new deity called Ptah-Sokar-Osiris.
Statuettes representing the human form, half-human, half-
hawk, or simply in its falcon form will be systematically placed
in tombs to accompany and protect the dead on their journey
to the West.

His Tatenen form is represented by a young and vigorous man

wearing a crown with two tall plumes that surround the solar
disk. He thus embodies the underground fire that rumbles and
raises the earth. As such, he was particularly revered by
metalworkers and blacksmiths, but he was equally feared
because it was he who caused earthquakes and tremors of
the earth's crust. In this form also, Ptah is the master of
ceremonies for Heb Sed, a ceremony traditionally attesting to
the first thirty years of the Pharaoh's reign.

The god Ptah could be corresponding with the sun god Re, or
Aten during the Amarna period, where he embodied the divine
essence with which the sun god was fed to come into
existence, that is to say to be born, according to the Memphite
mythological/theological texts. In the holy of holies of his
temple in Memphis, as well as in his great sacred boat, he
drove in procession to regularly visit the region during major
holidays. Ptah was also symbolized by two birds with human
heads adorned with solar disks, symbols of the souls of the
god Re: the Ba. The two Ba are also identified as the twin
gods Shu and Tefnut and are associated with the djed pillar of
Memphis.[3]

Finally, Ptah is embodied in the sacred bull, Apis. Frequently

referred to as a herald of Re, the sacred animal is the link with
the god Re from the New Kingdom. He even received worship
in Memphis, probably at the heart of the great temple of Ptah,
and its death was buried with all the honours due to a living
god in the Serapeum of Saqqara.

As god of craftsmen, the cult of the god Ptah quickly spread

throughout Egypt. With the major royal projects of the Old
Kingdom, the High Priests of Ptah were particularly sought
after and worked in concert with the Vizier, somehow filling the
role of chief architect and master craftsman, responsible for
the decoration of the royal funerary complexes.

In the New Kingdom, the cult of the god would develop in

different ways, especially in Memphis, his homeland, but also
in Thebes, where the workers of the royal tomb honoured him
as patron of craftsmen. For this reason, the oratory of Ptah
who listens to prayers was built near the site of Deir el-
Medina, the village where the workers and craftsmen were
confined. At Memphis, the role of intercessor with men was
particularly visible in the appearance of the enclosure that
protected the sanctuary of the god. Large ears were carved on
the walls, symbolizing his role as god who listens to prayers.

With the Nineteenth Dynasty, his cult grew and he became

one of the four great gods of the empire of Ramses. He was
worshipped at Pi-Ramesses as master of ceremonies and
coronations.

With the Third Intermediate Period, Ptah returned to the centre

of the monarchy where the coronation of the Pharaoh was
held again in his temple. The Ptolemies continued this
tradition, and the high priests of Ptah were then increasingly
associated with the royal family, with some even marrying
princesses of blood, clearly indicating the prominent role they
played in the Ptolemaic court.

Ptah or Phtha wIn the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, the Nubian

pharaoh Shabaka would transcribe on a stela known as the
Shabaka Stone, an old theological document found in the
archives of the library of the temple of the god at Memphis.
This document has been known as the Memphite Theology,
and shows the god Ptah, the god responsible for the creation
of the universe by thought and by the word.as the chief deity
of the city of Memphis. Ptah was the master artist and
craftsman. As the "maker of substance," he became known as
the ultimate source of all things and even "the creator of
gods."

Apis the sacred bull was an embodiment of Ptah.

Tatenen (also Ta-tenen, Tatjenen, Tathenen, Tanen, Tenen,

Tanenu, and Tanuu) was the god of the primordial mound in
ancient Egyptian religion. His name means risen land[1] or
exalted earth,[2] as well as referring to the silt of the Nile. As a
primeval chthonic deity,[3] Tatenen was identified with
creation. He was an androgynous protector of nature from the
Memphis area (then known as Men-nefer), the ancient capital
of the Aneb-Hetch nome in Lower Egypt.

With a staff Tatenen repelled the evil serpent Apep from the
Primeval Mound. He also had a magical mace dedicated to
the falcon, venerated as "The Great White of the Earth
Creator".[9] In one interpretation, Tatenen brought the Djed-
pillars of stability to the country,[9] although this is more
commonly attributed to Ptah.

Ptah-Tatenen

Both Tatenen and Ptah were Memphite gods. Tatenen was the
more ancient god, combined in the Old Kingdom with Ptah as
Ptah-Tatenen, in their capacity as creator gods.[2] By the
Nineteenth dynasty Ptah-Tatenen is his sole form, and he is
worshiped as royal creator god. Ptah-Tatenen can be seen as
father of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, the eight gods who
themselves embody the primeval elements from before
creation.[3
Tatenen's ambiguous portrayal may be a result of his being
merged with Ptah. He was always in human form, usually
seated with a pharaonic beard, wearing either an Atef-crown
(as Ptah-Sokar) or, more commonly, a pair of ram's horns
surmounted by a sun disk and two tall feathers.[3] As Tanenu
or Tanuu, obviously a chthonic deity, he carried two snakes on
his head.[3] He was both feminine and masculine, a
consequence of his status as a primeval, creator deity.[1]
Some depictions show Tatenen with a green complexion (face
and arms), as he had connections to fertility and a chthonic
association with plants

Memphis became the capital of Ancient Egypt for over eight

consecutive dynasties during the Old Kingdom. The city
reached a peak of prestige under the 6th dynasty as a centre
for the worship of Ptah, the god of creation and artworks. The
alabaster sphinx that guards the Temple of Ptah serves as a
memorial of the city's former power and prestige.[16][17] The
Memphis triad, consisting of the creator god Ptah, his consort
Sekhmet, and their son Nefertem, formed the main focus of
worship in the city.
The golden age began with the 4th dynasty, which seems to
have furthered the primary role of Memphis as a royal
residence where rulers received the double crown, the divine
manifestation of the unification of the Two Lands. Coronations
and jubilees such as the Sed festival were celebrated in the
temple of Ptah. The earliest signs of such ceremonies were
found in the chambers of Djoser.

MEMPHIS
The Shabaka Stone28 contains the famous Memphite Theology. Carved onto a
black granite slab by order of king Shabaka (716-702 BC)29 of the 25th Dynasty,
this stone was to preserve the writing of a worm-eaten document.30 Sadly, the
stone later suffered severe damage. The names of Shabaka and of the god Set
were intentionally chiseled out, and the stone was used to grind grain.31 The
Memphite theologians borrowed the Great Ennead of Heliopolis.32 Ptah replaced
Atum as the creator god, but Atum did not disappear from the new theology.
According to Mercer, He became the heart (understanding) and tongue (word) of
Ptah the Great, and in turn, Ptah was the heart and tongue of the Ennead
[sic]...Ptah (that is, Atum) was the ennead in emanation and manifestation. Thus,
the other eight deities of the Memphite ennead were merely Ptah himself in
manifestation.33 Line 55 of the Shabaka Stone supports Mercers assertion, and
reveals that Ptah creates by divine word. It says, His (Ptahs) Ennead is before
him as teeth and lips. They are the semen and the hands of Atum. For the
Ennead of Atum came into being through his semen and his fingers. But the
Ennead is the teeth and lips in this mouth which pronounced the name of every
thing, from which Shu and Tefnut came forth, and which gave birth to the
Ennead.34 In this text, Ptahs creation by word is contrasted with Atums
creation by masturbation, and Ptahs method is shown to be the real cause
behind Atums method of creation. The Memphite Theology does not portray Ptah
as using magic to call the world into being. The divine creator is not imagined as
a magician reciting his spells; he is seen as one who first conceived in his mind
that which should be created to form the world, and then brought it into being by
pronouncing the necessary command for it to be.35
The Egyptian god Ptah is given the title gitti 'Lord of Gath' in a prism from Lachish which

has on its opposite face the name of Amenhotep II (c. 14351420 BCE) The title gitti is
also found in Serbit text 353. Cross (1973, p. 19) points out that Ptah is often called the

Lord (or one) of eternity and thinks it may be this identification of l with Ptah that lead to

the epithet olam 'eternal' being applied to l so early and so consistently. [11](However in the
Ugaritic texts, Ptah is seemingly identified rather with the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis.)
[12]

The Egyptian god Ptah is given the title gitti 'Lord of Gath' in a prism from Lachish which

has on its opposite face the name of Amenhotep II (c. 14351420 BCE) The title gitti is
also found in Serbit text 353. Cross (1973, p. 19) points out that Ptah is often called the

Lord (or one) of eternity and thinks it may be this identification of l with Ptah that lead to

the epithet olam 'eternal' being applied to l so early and so consistently. [11] (However in the
Ugaritic texts, Ptah is seemingly identified rather with the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis.) [12

l is called again and again Tru l ("Bull l" or "the bull god"). He is btnyu binwti ("Creator
of creatures"), ab ban ili ("father of the gods"), and ab adami ("father of man"). He
is qniyunu lam ("creator eternal"), the epithet lam appearing in Hebrew form in the
Hebrew name of God l lam "God Eternal" in Genesis 21.33. He is tikuka ("your patriarch").
l is the grey-bearded ancient one, full of wisdom, malku ("King"), ab amma ("Father of
years"), El gibbr ("l the warrior"). He is also named lpn of unknown meaning, variously
rendered as Latpan, Latipan, or Lutpani ("shroud-face" by Strong's Hebrew Concordance).

"El" (Father of Heaven / Saturn) and his major son: "Hadad" (Father of Earth / Jupiter), are
symbolized both by the bull, and both wear bull horns on their headdresses. [20][21][22][23]

The etymological source of the name of Egypt is important since three 1835 prepublication
manuscripts of the LDS Book of Abraham read Zeptah instead of Egyptus as the name of the
elder Egyptus (1:25).[4][5][6] This variant name could very well reflect the Egyptian name St-
Pt, "Daughter-of-Ptah" (the -t- in St is silent) which is known from the Middle Kingdom into
the late period.[7] Moreover, This recalls the syncretic mythology in the Late Egyptian Hieratic
story of "Astarte and the Sea," wherein Semitic Astarte is also called "Daughter-of-Ptah."[8] She
is, therefore, the equivalent of Hathor (E.g. t-r "House-of-Horus [Sky]"), who is also the
daughter of Ptah,[9] and who is the same constellation as Virgo, and which is the first month of
the Inundation season (on the Palermo Stone, each king is accompanied by his mother's name
and by the measured height of the inundation in September[10]). For, after all, "when this
woman discovered the land it was under water" (Abr 1:24). Moreover, Hathor is the Eye and
Mother of Re, the first king of Egypt (Book of the Divine Cow).

The "Mother of the King of Upper & Lower Egypt" (mwt niswt-biti or mwt niswt), i.e., of the
living king, was addressed as "God's daughter" st nr,[11] namely the daughter of Ptah, as is
the apparent case here with Zeptah/Egyptus, who is both mother of the king of Egypt and the
granddaughter of Noah. This is significant since Ptah is a parallel for Noah in that, as the
Blacksmith-God of Thebes (Hephaistos-Vulcan), he is the equivalent of the Phoenician Craftsman-
God Khousor, which is Ugaritic Kr, Kothar, Kothar-wa-Khasis, "The-Very-Skillful-and-Intelligent-
One," which is the same character as the Sumero-Akkadian Noahs: Utnapishtim (in the Gilgamesh
Epic), Atra-ass, and Ziusudra (Khousor = Ptah at Ugarit).[12]
Theology of Memphis. This is one version of the Egyptian cosmogony. The political
unification of Egypt precedes the creation of the world. Similarly to the Enuma Elish, the most
important realities were created before the beginning of normal time (everyday reality is
placed within ultimate reality). Geb (god of earth) has two grandsons: Seth and Horus. He
first divides Egypt between them, then unites it under Horus, the king of lower Egypt, with its
capital at Memphis. Ptah is the god of Memphis, who represents speech, thought, intelligence.
Through rational speech, he first creates the Atum, the Totality (this is the g-d of Thebes,
incidentally) who creates all the g-ds, then humans and animals.

Ptah is in everyone as thought and speech, and unites the

world because he is in all g-ds, humans, and creatures.