Nefertem (; possibly "beautiful one who closes" or "one who does not close"; also spelled Nefertum or Nefer-temu) was, in

Egyptian mythology Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian pantheon, Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world around them. The beliefs that these myths express are an important part ...

, originally a lotus flower at the creation of the world, who had arisen from the primal waters.Nefertem page a
Ancient Egypt: the Mythology
retrieved June 21, 2008. Nefertem represented both the first sunlight and the delightful smell of the Egyptian blue lotus flower, having arisen from the primal waters within an Egyptian blue water-lily, ''

Nymphaea caerulea ''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''caerulea'', is a water lily in the genus '' Nymphaea'', a botanical variety of '' Nymphaea nouchali''. It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern h ...

''. Some of the titles of Nefertem were "He Who is Beautiful" and "Water-Lily of the Sun", and a version of the ''

Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...

'' says: Nefertem was eventually seen as the son of the creator god

Ptah Ptah ( ; , ; ; ; ) is an ancient Egyptian deity, a creator god, and a patron deity of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertem. He was also regarded as the father of the ...

, and the goddesses

Sekhmet In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet ( or Sachmis , from ; ) is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of medicine. Sekhmet is also a solar deity, sometimes given the epithet "the Eye of Ra, eye of Ra". She is often associated with the goddesses Hatho ...

and Bast were sometimes called his mother. In

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, Nefertem is usually depicted as a beautiful young man having blue water-lily flowers around his head. As the son of Bastet, he also sometimes has the head of a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

or is a lion or cat reclining. The ancient Egyptians often carried small statuettes of him as good-luck charms. One of the most notable depictions of Nefertem is the Head of Nefertem, a wooden bust depicting a young king

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

as Nefertem with his head emerging from a lotus flower.

Gallery

File:Abydos Sokar Nefertem 08.jpg, Nefertem (middle left) depicted with the head of a lion with a falcon and lotus atop his head. File:Egyptian - Nefertem - Walters 541972.jpg, Nefertem,

The Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially by major American art an ...

. File:Nefertoum E3502 mp3h8834.jpg, Closeup of a statuette of Nefertem. File:Tête de Toutânkhamon enfant (musée du Caire Egypte).jpg, The Head of Nefertem, found in the

Tomb of Tutankhamun The tomb of Tutankhamun (reigned ), a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, is located in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb, also known by its List of burials in the Valley of the Kings, tomb number KV ...

. File:Memphis Museum 37.jpg, The Colossal Triad of Memphis, with Nefertem depicted standing at Ptah's right and Sekhmet at his left. File:Memphite Triad on barge.svg, The Memphite Triad on a

Solar barque thumb Solar barques were the vessels used by the sun god Ra in ancient Egyptian mythology. During the day, Ra was said to use a vessel called the Mandjet () or the Boat of Millions of Years (), and the vessel he used during the night was known ...

including

, and Nefertem.

Gallery

References

Further reading