Khonsu & the Khensu Crater - San Jose, CA
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Metro2
N 37° 20.008 W 121° 55.376
10S E 595414 N 4132409
This sculpture is in San Jose's San Jose's Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
Khonsu, the Egyptian moon god, is sometimes known as Khensu.
Waymark Code: WMN6W5
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2015
Views: 1
This small sculpture of the moon god Khonsu depicts the god seated with a moon disc on his head.
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"Khonsu (alternately Chonsu, Khensu, Khons, Chons, or Khonshu) is an Ancient Egyptian god whose main role was associated with the moon. His name means "traveller" and this may relate to the nightly travel of the moon across the sky. Along with Thoth he marked the passage of time. Khonsu was instrumental in the creation of new life in all living creatures. At Thebes he formed part of a family triad with Mut as his mother and Amun his father. At Kom Ombo he was worshipped as son of Sobek and Hathor.
Mythology
His name reflects the fact that the Moon (referred to as Iah in Egyptian) travels across the night sky, for it means "traveller", and also had the titles "Embracer", "Pathfinder", and "Defender", as he was thought to watch overnight travelers. As the god of light in the night, Khonsu was invoked to protect against wild animals, increase male virility, and aid with healing. It was said that when Khonsu caused the crescent moon to shine, women conceived, cattle became fertile, and all nostrils and every throat was filled with fresh air.
"Khonsu" can also be understood to mean "king's placenta", and consequently in early times, he was considered to slay the king's (i.e. the pharaoh's) enemies, and extract their innards for the king's use, metaphorically creating something resembling a placenta for the king. This bloodthirsty aspect leads him to be referred to, in such as the Pyramid texts, as the "(one who) lives on hearts". He also became associated with more literal placentas, becoming seen as a deification of the royal placenta, and so a god involved with childbirth."
As for the crater, Wikipedia (
visit link) includes this information for craters on the list of craters on Jupiter's moon Ganymede:
"Khensu 1.0°N 152.9°W 14.2 1997 Khensu, Egyptian moon god."