Sobek – Enigmatic Crocodile God Of Ancient Egypt

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com -Sobek (also spelled Sebek, in Greek' Suchos') was, in ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the violent power embodied in crocodiles and his chief sanctuary, located in Faiyum province.

This relief from the Temple of Kom Ombo shows Sobek with typical attributes of kingship, including a was-scepter and royal kilt. The ankh in his hand represents his role as an Osirian healer and his crown is a solar crown associated with one of the many forms of Ra. Image credit: Hedwig Storch - CC BY-SA 3.0

This powerful deity with many essential associations was worshiped from at least the Old Kingdom (c. 2700-2200 BC). According to the "Pyramid Texts," Sobek - the 'raging one' - is the son of the goddess Neith. He is the one who 'takes women from their husbands whenever he wishes but also makes green the herbage of the fields and river banks. (PT 507-10)

He is considered one of the oldest deities mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, inscribed on tomb walls. Sobek, the lord of the crocodiles, was depicted with a crocodile head.

Many believed Sobek created order in the universe and the world when he emerged from the "Dark Water" and that he was the creator of the Nile River. He was often associated with fertility. However, due to his somewhat unpredictable nature (ferocity and quick movements), the deity was also associated with chaos.

Who was this larger-than-life deity with the body of a man and the head of a crocodile? Did his worship originate in Faiyum, where he was known as the Lord of Faiyum?

Was Sobek an early fertility god or associated with death and burial before becoming a significant deity and patron of kings in the Middle Kingdom (c.1938–c. 1630 BC)?

Sobek was often shown wearing a plumed headdress with a horned sun disk or the Atef Crown. He was shown to carry a wand and the ankh sign of life in his hands. His sacred animal, the crocodile, was both revered and reviled by the people of Egypt - in some areas, a tame crocodile was worshiped as the god Sobek himself, while in other places, the reptiles were killed.

Left: Map of Egypt; Right: A wall relief from Kom Ombo showing Sobek with solar attributes. Right image credit: Hedwig Storch - CC BY-SA 3.0

Mummified crocodiles representing the god have been found in many ancient tombs. The Egyptians mummified both infant and mature crocodiles and even interred crocodile eggs and fetuses with the deceased to enlist the protection of Sobek in the afterlife.

The Egyptians seemed to both respect and fear the power of the crocodiles, which were not always seen as benevolent. Sometimes, they were believed to be messengers of Seth, the god of destruction.

With a complex nature, Sobek has ties to many other gods. He was associated with Horus because Horus took the form of a crocodile to retrieve the parts of Osiris' body that were lost in the Nile. Yet Sobek was also thought to have assisted Isis when she gave birth to Horus. He was also associated with the cults of specific other deities such as Amus, Osiris, and the sun god in the form of Sobek-Ra.

As often depicted wearing either the headdress of Amun or the sun disk of Ra, Sobek was worshiped as the manifestation of Amun-Re. However, he was also associated with Set, Osiris's enemy.

Legend has it that one of Egypt's first kings, Hor-Aha, built a temple to Sobek in the Faiyum. Sobek was also said to be 'Lord of Bakhu,' the mythological mountain of the horizon, and this epithet is frequently related to him.

The worship of Sobek continued into Ptolemaic and Roman times. Cemeteries of mummified crocodiles have been found in Faiyum and at Kawm. Even in Greco-Roman times, Sobek was honored.

In his Geography, Strabo discusses the Faiyum during his time as the city of Arsinoe, a.k.a. Crocodopolis (the City of the Crocodile). He says, "The people in this Nome hold in very great honor the crocodile, and there is a sacred one there which is kept and fed by itself in a lake and is tame to the priests."

The ancient Egyptians worshiped Sobek from the times of the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period, but the particular prominent time of this worship is dated to the Middle Kingdom. It is attested by the names of several rulers belonging to the 12th and 13th dynasties who had titles like Sobekneferu ("beautiful of Sobek") and Sobekhotep ("Sobek is satisfied").

Written by A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated December 15, 2023

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