Anicent Egyptian God Nefertum

 

Nefertum was the “god of perfume” who was originally thought of as a man with a pleasant blossom on his head. In ancient Egyptian history, he was shown as a beautiful young man who had arisen from primal waters and had the delightful smell of blue lotus flowers all around him. Not only this, Nefertum was also worshiped as the god of healing and was believed to be an aromatherapist.

The Beauty Of Nefertum

Nefertum was always depicted as extremely beautiful with lily blossoms on his head beautifully decorated. His body may or may not be depicted as wrapped like a mummy. He was thought of a human being emerging from the water lily.

God Atum

Nefertum was originally considered to be a major aspect of the god Atum. This signified that he was a beautiful creation who took birth from the water lily and filled the surroundings with blossoms and fragrances. This was the major reason why he was considered the god of perfume. In ancient Egyptian times, Atum depicted the sun and so Nefertum depicted the sunrise. It was believed that when he was born he cried thinking that he was alone. Also, with every sunrise, Nefertum was born and used to pass out during the sunset. This used to happen daily and was considered as one complete life cycle of Nefertum. 

Nefertum, As The Sun God

Nefertum was seen as both sun god himself and the grandson of the sun god. He was not originally worshiped in temples but was a major aspect of the sun god who later was found out to be the grandson of the sun god. For people in Egypt, he was their protector and their healer. People considered Nefertum to have a great power, constituting both

• The power to destroy
• The power to heal

Nefertum was both the flower of fertility and rebirth because he used to be born anew with each sunrise and die each sunset only to be reborn again the next day. Because of the dual power he had and the wonderful fragrance he depicted he was thus the “god of perfume” as well as the “god of healing."

His Closeness With Blue Lotus

Nefertum was closely associated with the blue lotus flower. This means he was thought to bring ease to suffering. He was known as “the lotus blossom which is before the nose of Re”. As time passed on Egyptians associated Nefertum with their other favorite flowers which included roses, geraniums, and cornflowers.