The Crocodile God Who Terrorized the Nile
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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Sobek, a god depicted as either a crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile. Infamously known for snatching women from their husbands whenever the mood struck him, he was the god of water, especially the waters of the Nile, of river banks and marshlands, the patron of fishermen, and depending on the version, either a force for order or a force for chaos.Alright, let's get into it. Sobek, whose name means crocodile, was worshiped from at least as far back as the Old Kingdom, a period that began nearly 5,000 years ago, and he was revered for his power, the locus of which was rooted in, among other aspects, common crocodile haunts. The Pyramid Texts show him to be the son of Neith, a creator goddess who embodied the primordial waters of Nun, who was extolled with names like the Great Mother and the Terrifying One. In these same texts, Sobek was called the "raging one [who] takes women from their husbands whenever he wishes according to his desire". His consort, depending on the source, was either Renenutet, the harvest goddess, or Hathor, goddess of women, the sky, love, and fertility. In some places, such as Crocodilopolis, somewhere we'll cover in greater detail later on in the video, Sobek was worshiped as the great male god who emerged from the primordial waters. He was most feared and most venerated where people had to be wary of crocodiles. Moreover, he became the patron god of fishermen, who worked on his waters and had to contend with his great lurking predators on a daily basis, so fishermen invoked him for protection and prosperity.