Horus Behdetite dissertation

Thanks to E.B., I downloaded a dissertation by Randy L. Shonkwiler.  While this is only about a “specific manifestation of Horus”, I decided to read it and post about the items I find the most interesting.  In my casual searches, I have not had much luck in finding papers to read that do not involve Horus as child of Isis.  Hence the little bit of geeky thrill to have this. It is a very long dissertation and will take me some time to read.  So this will be a multi-part blog post.  

Chapter 1

• most commonly depicted deity in Ancient Egypt.  Appears over most temple doorways and stelae as a winged sun disk or falcon.
• Horus Behdetite is the protector of the person of the king from the 3rd Dynasty until the end of Pharaonic history.
• The sun disk represents the union of Horus and the sun god, the union of the “Two Lands” of Egypt, the border between mortal and divine and a symbol of rebirth, first for kings then later for non-royalty.
• footnote states that Behdetite also appears in the form a griffon and as fully human, which I find more interesting than the author does as he states that they are rare appearances and not of great importance.
• Behdetite is identified with nb Msn “Lord of Mesen” which is derived from another form of Horus as a harpooning god and god of the Nile Delta.

Chapter 2 – The Falcon

• Falcon is Behdetite’s basic form, with the sun disk bearing falcon wings,  the sphinx/griffon bearing a falcon head, human body with head of a falcon.  He does appear as a sun disk with two uraei and sun disk with one or no uraei.  He is sometimes described as a lion but not depicted as such before the Greco-Roman period when he also appears as a human headed  sphinx.  The falcon hovering over the king is a unique form to Behdetite.
• Behdetite is recognized as a sun god in falcon form, later identified with Re-Horakhty.
• Horus probable definitions “The Distant One (in the sky)” or “The One on High” or even “He Who is Above”.
• One of the models for Horus-falcon is the Peregrine Falcon which is the largest and swiftest falcon in Africa.  Falcons also tend to be territorial and have “violent” hunting skills.
• Footnote states that falcon tends to have masculine connotations whereas kites and vultures tend to have feminine.
• Wings are sometimes interpreted as the sky.  Horus in the Pyramid Texts is identified as ruler of the sky and not the sky itself, however if he is a god of cosmos whose eyes are the sun and moon, then why would the sky not be part of his body?  Others claim that wings on the winged sun are those of a vulture, aka Nut.
• Footnote talks about Behdetite and the sun god’s alternative form is a scarab beetle.
• falcon poses with items in claws represent gifts to the king usually shen-ring or ankh.  Other representations of the falcon where paint is preserved show red on the tips, likely associating with with the solar nature of the god.
• “Behdetite, the Great God of Multicolored Plumage, Who Comes Forth from the Horizon”, “the Perfect God (ntr nfr), Lord of Crowns” (perfect in the sense of complete)
• In the Coffin Texts and later, twin feathers are identified with twin uraei and the eyes of the sun god.
• There are some representations of an ithyphallic falcon at Dendera boasting the virility of the god.The phalluses end with in the form of lions or snakes.
• Horus and Seth can appear together as falcons for Seth was worshipped as a falcon in the oases.
• Behdet appears to be the sacred term for Edfu, secular name is Djeba.