Who the God Khepri is
In ancient Egyptian religious system, Khepri is considered as one of the three forms of the Sun god. He was regarded as the sun god who belongs to the morning time. He basically represents the solar disk or in general sun rising on the eastern horizon. Because of his solar origin, he is thought to belong to Heliopolitan mythology which was based on the solar origin of the universe.
The Meaning of the Name ‘Khepri’
Earlier, the name of the god came as ‘kheprer’. It refers to scarab or dung beetle which is scientifically known as Scarabaeus Sacer. This insect uses to roll a ball of mud or dung along the ground which is similar to the god Khepri pushing the solar disk across the sky. This is the reason why ancient Egyptians used the image of scarab as the symbol of god Khepri.
The name ‘Khepri’ is also linked to an Egyptian verb ‘kheper’ which means ‘develop’ or ‘come into being’.Thus, Khepri was a developing god who was considered as the god of the first sunrise at the dawn of creation.
Iconography of Khepri
Khepri is generally represented in the form of the scarab beetle with various types of designs. The colour of the scarab beetle varies from blue to black. Lapiz Lazuli used to be utilized in stylizing the image of Khepri in order to show his association with the heavens. He may be seen alone or pushing the solar disk with his front legs.
Sometimes, the god is depicted in a semi-anthropomorphic form as a man with a scarab beetle on his head. This type of image has been reported from the tombs in the Valley of the Queens.
The depiction of Creation Event
The episodes of the funerary papyri and other scenes provide an iconography of the god which symbolizes the event of creation. In this type of scene, he is depicted in the standing posture in a boat which is being lifted by primaeval water god Nun towards the heavens.
The Representation of Atum-Khepri
Khepri and Atum are considered as two different forms of Sun god during morning and evening respectively. A combined iconography of both the gods can be seen with the head of a ram on a scarab body. This probably indicates the combined rising-setting sun.
Depiction with Atef Crown of Osiris
Sometimes, Khepri is depicted with the Atef crown of Osiris. Such kind of image came from 4th century BCE tomb of Petosiris at Tuna-el-Gebel. This iconography of Khepri probably indicates the unification of solar and netherworld realms.
Association with Concept of Resurrection
God Khepri was believed to reborn each morning after the completion of the journey through the body of Sky-goddess, Nut in the night time. Thus, he is associated with the concept of resurrection.
According to scholars, the underground tunnels of scarab found in the Mastaba tombs of the Old Kingdom take the same form of verticle shaft and horizontal passage and the pupae of the insect resemble the bandaged mummy of the deceased.
Worship of Khepri
It is true that probably Khepri did not have his own cult, but on the basis of archaeological evidence, his wide acceptance and uses of him as a noble symbol of creation can easily be recognized. His wide incorporation into temple architecture indicates how much the god was honoured in ancient Egypt.
Scarab beetle amulets have been reported from the 5th dynasty. A good number of scarab seals have been reported from the Middle Kingdom times onwards. Specimens of colossal stone statues of Khepri has also been found.
