Khonsu Compare And Contrast

Carsten Wright

Mr. Thiele

Mythology

15 May, 2023

Khonsu, the Egyptian God of the Moon

Khonsu, also referred to as Khons, Khensu, Chonsu, or Khonshu, was one of the foremost Egyptian gods of the moon. As an Egyptian god that has existed in myths and stories for thousands of years, Khonsu has undergone numerous personality, name, and influence changes within Egyptian culture and lore. From his time in ancient Egypt as a violent and terrifying god, his rise to fame after his adoption into the Theban Triad, his fall from fame after the collapse of the new Egyptian kingdom, and his recent rise in popularity brought about by popular shows and books, Khonsu, the mighty Egyptian moon god, has lived in countless roles and personalities.

Khonsu has been

In ancient Egypt, before around 1600 B.C, Khonsu was portrayed as a terrifying and violent god. At his time, he was depicted in works such as the Cannibal Hymn as a guide for deceased pharaohs. Khonsu would lead them to other gods, who he would kill, giving their power to the pharaoh and eating their hearts. In the ancient Pyramid texts, depicting the same Khonsu, Khonsu was referred to as “Khonsu who lives on hearts” (“God Khonsu”). Later on, in the new Egyptian kingdom, Khonsu became known as “The Greatest of the Great Gods.” At this point, Khonsu’s behavior switched from that of a cannibal and guide to pharaohs to a protector and healer of the people.

This change in Khonsu was brought about almost singularly by his adoption into the Theban Triad as the son of Amun, a god of creation more important than Ra, Horus, or Set, and Mut, the mother of all life, two extremely important Egyptian gods. Before this point, various stories about Khonsu were conflicting on his character and personality, with most of his traits coming directly from an assortment of other gods, but after his adoption into the Theban triad, Khonsu’s personality was finally solidified into a much narrower range of attributes

In Egyptian mythology, a god could choose a mortal to bestow their power on, usually in exchange for the mortal’s compliance in acting out the intentions of the god in the mortal realm. In 1975, Khonshu, Marvel’s adapted take on the Egyptian deity, was depicted doing just that in the Marvel comic Werewolf by Night. Marc Spector, avatar of Khonshu, becomes Moon Knight, the crime fighting vigilante suffering from dissociative identity disorder (DID), possibly as a result of Khonshu’s many aspects as a god. This version of Khonshu depicted in Moon Knight appears as the mummified skeleton of a man with a bird’s head, although if any symbolism is meant by this, it has yet to be revealed. Later, in 2011, with the release of The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordian, Khonsu appeared briefly as a young bald man, wearing a sidelock of hair to represent his youth. This version of Khonsu was only briefly involved in the plot of the story, but in this time managed to help the protagonists by turning back time multiple