Editing Harpocrates

{{short description|God-child of Greek and egyptian mythology}}
{{Distinguish|Hippocrates|Carpocrates}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Harpocrates
| parents = [[Isis]] and [[Osiris]] or [[Serapis]]. or [[Banebdjedet]] and [[Hatmehit]] (at [[Mendes]])
| image = Horus the child.svg
| hiero = <hiero>G5-Z1-p-X:r:d-Xrd</hiero>
| cult_center = [[Alexandria]] and [[Mendes]]
}}
[[File:Estatuilla de Harpócrates (23789510203).jpg|thumb|150px|One of two known [[Phoenician Harpocrates statues]]]]

'''Harpocrates''' ({{langx|grc|Ἁρποκράτης}}, [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]: 𐤇𐤓𐤐𐤊𐤓𐤈,<ref>[[Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften|KAI]] 52</ref> <small>romanized:</small> ḥrpkrṭ,  {{Langx|cop|{{coptic|ϩⲁⲣⲡⲟⲕⲣⲁⲧⲏⲥ}}}} ''harpokratēs'') is the [[god]] of [[silence]], secrets and [[confidentiality]] in the [[Hellenistic religion]] developed in [[History of Alexandria#Ptolemaic era|Ptolemaic Alexandria]] (and also an [[Hope#In mythology|embodiment of hope]], according to [[Plutarch]]). [[ancient Greece|Greeks]] [[syncretism | adapted]] Harpocrates from the [[ancient Egyptian religion|Egyptian child-god]] [[Horus]], who represented the newborn sun, rising each day at dawn. The name "Harpocrates" originated as a Hellenization of the [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] ''Har-pa-khered'' or ''Heru-pa-khered'', meaning "Horus the Child".

Horus the Child was portrayed as a naked boy with his finger to his mouth as if sucking on it, an Egyptian artistic convention for representing a child.<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. (1992). ''Reading Egyptian Art''. Thames & Hudson. p. 21</ref> Greeks and Romans misunderstood this pose as a gesture of silence and interpreted Harpocrates as the god of secrecy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Collections Online {{!}} British Museum|url= https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG53587 |access-date= 2021-10-11|website= www.britishmuseum.org}}
</ref>

==Horus==
[[File:Isis Sarapis Harpocrates Dionysos Louvre Ma3128.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Isis, [[Serapis]] and their child Harpocrates ([[Louvre]])]]

In [[Egyptian mythology]], [[Horus]] was the child of [[Isis]] and [[Osiris]]. Osiris was the original divine [[pharaoh]] of Egypt, who had been murdered by his brother [[Set (deity)|Set]] (by ''[[interpretatio graeca]]'', identified with [[Typhon]] or [[Chaos (cosmogony)|Chaos]]), mummified, and thus became the god of the underworld. The Greeks melded Osiris with their underworldly [[Hades]] to produce the essentially Alexandrian [[syncretism]] known as [[Serapis]].

Among the Egyptians, the full-grown [[Horus]] was considered the victorious god of the sun who each day overcomes darkness. He is often represented with the head of a [[Eurasian sparrowhawk]], which was sacred to him, as the hawk flies high above the Earth. Horus fought battles against Set, until he finally achieved victory and became the ruler of Egypt. Thereafter, the pharaohs of Egypt were seen as [[reincarnation]]s of the victorious Horus.

"[[Horus on the Crocodiles]]" steles depicting Heru-pa-Khered standing on the back of a crocodile and holding snakes in his outstretched hands were erected in [[Egyptian temple]] courtyards, where they would be immersed or lustrated (purified) in water; the water was then used for blessing and healing purposes as the name of Heru-pa-Khered was itself attributed with many protective and healing powers.

In the Alexandrian and Roman renewed vogue for the [[Greco-Roman mysteries]] at the turn of the millennium into the common era — mystery cults had already existed for centuries — the worship of Horus became widely extended, linked with his mother Isis and his father [[Serapis]].

[[File:BegramHarpocrates.jpg|thumb|150px|Bronze statuette of Harpocrates, [[Bagram]], [[Afghanistan]], 2nd century.]]{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
In this way Harpocrates, the child Horus, personifies the newborn sun each day, the first strength of the winter sun, and also the image of early vegetation. Egyptian statues represent the child Horus, pictured as a naked boy with his finger on his chin with the fingertip just below the lips of his mouth, a realization of the hieroglyph for "child" that is unrelated to the Greco-Roman and modern gesture for "silence". Misunderstanding this sign, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of silence and secrecy, taking their cue from [[Marcus Terentius Varro]], who asserted in ''De lingua Latina'' of ''Caelum'' (Sky) and ''Terra'' (Earth).
{{quote|These gods are the same as those who in Egypt are called [[Serapis]] and [[Isis]], though Harpocrates with his finger makes a sign to me to be quiet. The same first gods were in Latium called [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]] and [[Ops]].<ref>Marcus Terentius Varro, ''De Lingua Latina'' 5.10</ref>}}
[[Ovid]] described Isis:
{{quote|Upon her Isis' brow stood the crescent moon-horns, garlanded with glittering heads of golden grain, and grace of royal dignity; and at her side the baying dog [[Anubis]], dappled [[Apis (deity)|Apis]], sacred [[Bastet|Bubastis]] and the god who holds his finger to his lips for silence sake.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' 9:688 - 9:692.
:aut stetit aut visa est. inerant lunaria fronti
:cornua cum spicis nitido flaventibus auro
:et regale decus; cum qua latrator Anubis,
:sanctaque Bubastis, variusque coloribus Apis,
:quique premit vocem digitoque silentia suadet;
([http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/OviLMet.html ''Metamorphoses'' on-line)]</ref>}}

One other tale relates the story about the Greek gods. [[Aphrodite]] gave a rose to her son [[Eros]], the god of love; he, in turn, gave it to Harpocrates to ensure that his mother's indiscretions (or those of the gods in general, in other accounts) were kept under wraps. This gave roses the connotation of secrecy (a rose suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber pledged all present – ''[[sub rosa]]'' "under the rose"), which continued through the Middle Ages and through the modern era.

[[File:Harpocratic Eros Louvre Myr805.jpg|thumb|upright|Harpocratic Eros, terracotta figurine made in [[Myrina, Greece]], c. 100–50 B.C. ([[Louvre]])]]

Inexpensive cast [[terracotta]] images of Harpocrates, suitable for house shrines, are found scattered throughout the [[Roman Empire]]. Thus [[Augustine of Hippo]] was aware of the iconic gesture of Harpocrates:
{{quote|And since in practically all the temples where Serapis and Isis were worshiped there was also a figure that seemed to enjoin silence by a finger pressed against its lips, Varro thinks this had the same meaning, that no mention should be made of their having been human beings.<ref>Augustine, ''[[The City of God (book)|The City of God]]'', XVIII.</ref>}}
[[Martianus Capella]], author of an allegorizing textbook that remained a standard through the Middle Ages recognized the image of the "boy with his finger pressed to his lips" but neglected to mention Harpocrates' name: "[Q]uidam redimitus puer ad os compresso digito salutari silentium commonebat". The boy was identified, however, as [[Cupid]] in glosses,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kinney|first1=Dale|title=Spolia from the Baths of Caracalla in Sta. Maria in Trastevere|journal=The Art Bulletin|date=14 August 2014|volume=68|issue=3|page=391 note 73|doi=10.1080/00043079.1986.10788359|url=https://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=hart_pubs}}</ref> a syncresis that had already resulted in the figure of Harpocratic Cupid.

[[Plutarch]] wrote that Harpocrates was the second son of Isis and that he was born prematurely with lame legs. Horus the Child  became the special protector of children and their mothers. As he was healed of a poisonous snake bite by [[Ra]] he became a [[Hope#In mythology|symbol of hope]] in the gods looking after suffering humanity.<ref name="Pinch2004">{{cite book|last=Pinch|first=Geraldine|author-link=Geraldine Harris|title=Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hgGNb6wM2kC|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517024-5|page=147}}</ref>

Another solar cult, not directly connected with Harpocrates, was that of [[Sol Invictus]] "the Unconquered Sun".

<gallery>
File:Amuleto raffigurante il dio Arpocrate 1SA18882.tif|Amulet depicting the god Harpocrates. [[Egyptian faience]], between 722 and 332 BC, [[Late Period of ancient Egypt]]. [[Museo Egizio]], Turin.
File:Statuetta del dio Arpocrate 1AC4881C409.tif|Bronze statuette of Harpocrates. Late Period, between 722 and 332 BC. Museo Egizio. Turin.
</gallery>

==Modern occultist uses==
Modern [[occultists]] display his image, loosely connected now with [[Hermeticism|Hermetic]] [[gnosticism]]. Typically, "Harpocrates is the Babe in the Egg of Blue that sits upon the lotus flower in the Nile". He may be termed the 'god of silence' and said to represent the higher self and be the [[Holy Guardian Angel]] and more in similar vein, adapted from [[Aleister Crowley]]'s often-reprinted ''[[Magick (Book 4)]]''.

Many [[Discordians]] consider [[Harpo Marx]] to have been a contemporary [[avatar]] of Harpocrates. Because of this, Discordians often [[Invocation|invoke]] Harpocrates as a [[trickster god]] or god of humor in addition to his classical attribution of god of silence.<ref name="Hine">{{cite book | last = Hine | first = Phil | title = Prime Chaos | publisher = Chaos International Press| year = 1999 | location = London | isbn = 0-9521320-0-1}}</ref>

==Cultural uses==
{{See also|Sub rosa|Language of flowers}}
[[Rose]]s, a [[symbol]] [[Rose (symbolism)#In the world today|strongly associated]] with Harpocrates, can sometimes be seen painted or else plastered upon borders around the ceilings of rooms intended for the receiving of guests (dining rooms, parlours, etc.), as a sign that topics discussed within the room are not to be discussed or else repeated outside of the room and other outside parties. Similarly, roses may be placed over confessionals to symbolize confidentiality.<ref name="mw_rose">{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sub-rosa|title=Definition of Sub-rosa by Merriam-Webster|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster, Incorporated]]|access-date=4 November 2017}}</ref>

==Archaeology==

In 2018, archaeologists discovered a bone figurine depicting the god dating back to the [[1st century BC]]. In addition to the god, two [[satyr]]s and a goose are depicted. It was discovered during excavations at the ancient Greek city of Tiritaka at [[Crimea]]. A statue of Harpocrates was also found in Saudi Arabia at [[Qaryat al-Faw]], the capital of the [[Kingdom of Kinda]] in [[late antiquity]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/67574/Heracles-Harpocrates-statues-unveiled-in-Greece|title = Heracles, Harpocrates statues unveiled in Greece|date = 27 March 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Elpis (mythology)|Elpis]], Greek goddess of [[Hope#In mythology|Hope]].
* [[Fides (deity)|Fides]], Roman goddess of [[trust (emotion)|trust]] and confidentiality.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
* [[Franz Cumont]], ''The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism,'' Dover Publications, 1956.
* Harry Thurston Peck, ''Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities,'' 1898: "Harpocrates."
* David Sacks, ''Language Visible: Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet,'' Random House 2003.

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Malaise |first=Michel |title=Pour une terminologie et une analyse des cultes isiaques |language=fr |publisher=Académie Royale de Belgique |year=2005 |isbn=978-2-8031-0217-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Malaise |first=Michel |title=À la découverte d'Harpocrate à travers son historiographie |language=fr |publisher=Académie Royale de Belgique |year=2011 |isbn=978-2-8031-2853-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Sandri |first=Sandra |title=Har-pa-chered (Harpokrates): Die Genese eines ägyptischen Götterkindes |language=de |publisher=Peeters |year=2006 |isbn=978-90-429-1761-3}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Harpocrates}}
{{commons category|Harpocrates}}
* [http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Harpokrates.html Theoi Project: Harpocrates]
* [http://www.kemet.org/taxonomy/term/83 A brief definition]
* [http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch//idd/prepublications/e_idd_harpocrates.pdf Iconography of Harpocrates (PDF-article)]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Harpocrates}}

{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer}}
{{Thelema series}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harpocrates}}
[[Category:Greek gods]]
[[Category:Hellenistic Egyptian deities]]
[[Category:Horus]]
[[Category:Solar gods]]
[[Category:Silence]]
[[Category:Secrecy]]