Harsomtus

Harsomtus (also known as Harsomptus and Somtus^[1]) was an ancient Egyptian child god with main cult places at Dendera^[2] and Edfu.^[3] This less-known deity was worshipped from the Old Kingdom period all the way to Graeco-Roman Egypt. Popularity of Harsomtus, along with other child gods, greatly increased in the Graeco-Roman period, with most information coming from that era.^[2] The connection with Horus had formed early,^[1] and Harsomtus is considered by researchers to be a form of Ra or Horus. His name translates to "Horus who unites the two lands."^[4]

Harsomtus
Name in hieroglyphs	or or
Major cult center	Edfu and Dendera
Parents	Heru-Behdeti and Hathor

Iconography

The so-called Dendera light depicting Harsomtus as a snake emerging from a lotus

Harsomtus usually appears as a naked child sitting on a lotus flower. He can also appear as a snake that emerges from a lotus flower as seen in several reliefs at the temple of Dendera.^[5][6]

Due to connection with Horus, Harsomtus can appear with a falcon head. ^[1]

Mythology

Harsomtus simultaneously embodies sun, primordial, and creator god: the emergence of the world from the primordial matter is linked to the daily sunrise.^[2]

Harsomtus is the son of Hathor^[2] and Horus^[7] in the form of Heru-Behdeti, with these two gods he formed the Triad of Edfu. Harsomtus is very similar to Ihy because both were child deities that were the son of Hathor and Horus.^{[citation needed]}

In Thebes during the late New Kingdom, Harsomtus became the firstborn son of Amun and Hathor-chief-of-Thebes, a local Theban form of the goddess Hathor. He was worshiped in the Mammisi of the Hathor Temple in Deir el-Medina as well as in the Ptah Temple in Karnak. Hathor and Harsomtus were frequently equated with Isis and another childform of Horus named Hariese ("Horus, the son of Isis").^[8]