Hapi was the personification of the rising Nile, the father of the gods, whose arrival causes joy among people. He was a bringer of gifts and could be relied upon to satisfy those who implored him:
It is (however), forsaken on the road, (for) no water came out of it. (But) if thou thyself say to thy father Hapi, the father of the gods: Let water be brought upon the mountain, he will do according to all that thou hast said
Kubban Stela, Ramses II
J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Three, §289
Hapi temples are rarely mentioned. Ramses III records offerings he made to Hapi, apparently at Khereha between Memphis and Heliopolis:
I made for thee great festival oblations in the house of Hapi, and all the gods of Khereha were in festivity.
J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Four, § 273
Offerings to Hapi were recorded in the Books of the Nile-God by Ramses III and were substantial, but, apparently, the god had no special cult much of the time. He is depicted as a well-fed man with what looks like female breasts offering his gifts to the pharaohs rather than being offered oblations himself.
|
