Ptah - Origin and Symbolism

Origin and Symbolism

Ptah is the patron of construction, metalworking, and sculpture. He is also the patron saint of carpenters and shipbuilders in general.

From the Middle Kingdom onwards, he was one of five major Egyptian gods with Ra, Isis, Osiris and Amun.

He wears many epithets that describe his role in Egyptian mythology and its importance in society at the time:

• Ptah the beautiful face
• Ptah lord of truth
• Ptah master of justice
• Ptah who listens to prayers
• Ptah master of ceremonies
• Ptah lord of eternity

Ptah is the creator god par excellence: He is considered the demiurge who existed before all things, and by his willingness, thought the world. It was first conceived by Thought, and realized by the Word: Ptah conceives the world by the thought of his heart and gives life through the magic of his Word. That which Ptah commanded was created, with which the constituents of nature, fauna, and flora, are contained. He also plays a role in the preservation of the world and the permanence of the royal function.

In the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, the Nubian pharaoh Shabaka would transcribe on a stela known as the Shabaka Stone, an old theological document found in the archives of the library of the temple of the god at Memphis. This document has been known as the Memphite Theology, and shows the god Ptah, the god responsible for the creation of the universe by thought and by the Word.