Geb - The God of Earth - Gods of Ancient Egypt

Geb - The God of Earth - Gods of Ancient Egypt

Geb who is one of the most important gods in ancient Egypt was known as the God of the earth. He is known to have come from an important line of gods and he was the son of Shu who was the god of Air and Tefnut who was the goddess of moisture. Geb and Nut had four children who were Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. However, Geb may also be referred in a number of other ways in various literatures as Seb, Keb, Kebb or Gebb. After Atum the four deities Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut recognized the Cosmos, whereas the second set of deities Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys interceded between humans and the cosmos. The ancient Egyptians believed that earthquakes that occurred were the laughter of Geb.

Representation

Geb was represented usually as a man wearing a combination of the white crown and the Atef crown, although he was also depicted as a goose - his sacred animal. In the form of a man, Geb is depicted as personifying the earth and is shown green colored with vegetation growing from his body. As the earth he is often seen lying on his side with one knee bending towards the sky. In compositions and hymns, Geb is often shown as the erpat i.e. hereditary and is considered a very important god in the Book of the Dead who plays a part in watching weighing of the heart of the dead at the judgment Hall of Osiris.

Origin of Geb

Heliopolis is believed to be the birthplace of the gods worshipped in Egypt it’s said that here the work of creation began. Many papyruses indicate this and even show that after the Sun-god appeared in the sky he rose into the sky and sent his rays on earth. These papyruses even show Geb having a prominent position where he is shown lying on the ground with one hand stretched on it and the other pointing towards the heaven. In Ptolemaic times, Geb became identified with the God Kronos worshipped in Greek mythology.

It’s believed that worship of God Geb began in Lunu during the pre-dynastic era during which he was largely worshipped as a goose which is his scared animal. Edfu was called the "Aat of Geb," and Dendera was also known as "the home of the children of Geb". Having a male earth god may seem unusual, but some say that Geb was bisexual. In his shrine at Bata he is said to have laid the great egg from which the sun god rose in the form of a phoenix or Benben. Geb was given the epithet the great cackler because of the sound that came when the egg got laid.

The many roles he played

It’s said that earthquakes where the laughter’s of Geb and it was him who supplied precious stones and minerals which could be found in the caves and mines so he was recognized as the god of the mines and caves. As a god of the harvest, he was sometimes considered to be the spouse of Renenutet, the cobra goddess.