Thoth

Thoth (Djehuty or Tehuti) is the august supreme god of sacred wisdom, of the invention of hieroglyphs (medu netjer), of cosmic geometry, mathematics, astronomy, magical rites and the moon in ancient Egypt. Depicted iconographically either as a noble man with the head of the sacred ibis, its long curved beak like the crescent moon, or as a wise green cynocephalus baboon enthroned upon astronomical altars, Thoth is the 'Heart and Tongue of Ra', the celestial scribe charged with putting into articulated words the divine thoughts that created the cosmos. Supreme judge and impartial arbiter in the disputes among the gods, famous for healing the torn-out eye of Horus (the Udjat Eye) and recording with his reed brush the verdict of the weighing of the heart in the Hall of the Two Truths before the tribunal of Osiris, Thoth defeated the Moon in a divine game of senet to win five supplementary days (the epagomenal days) that allowed the creator gods to be born. He personifies superior intelligence, the rectitude of writing, mathematical justice and the harmony that sustains the universe. His sacred word and his scales of justice uphold the cosmic order of Maat, illuminating minds with pure knowledge, moral rectitude and eternal wisdom. His geometric mind and his incorruptible pen guide upright men through all the ages of history toward supreme truth. The god of the sacred ibis is the imperishable light of writing and mathematics that preserves the truth of civilization across the millennia.

15 min read · Reviewed on September 28, 2026 · How we research

Ibis, baboon, scribe's palette, the crescent moon and the reed pen

Primary sources

• Raymond O. Faulkner, The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. translation: British Museum Publications, 1985.
• Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature. translation: University of California Press, 1973.

Studies

• Jan Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press, 2001.
• Garth Fowden, The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind. Cambridge University Press, 1986.