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In Egyptian mythology,
Nefertem (also Nefertum, Nefer-Tem, Nefer-Temu) was originally
just the young Atum (his name means beautiful
Atum, i.e. youthful Atum),
at the creation of the world, who had arisen from the primal
waters, in the Ennead cosmogeny. Since
Atum was a solar deity, Nefertum represented
sunrise, and since Atum had arisen from
the primal waters in a lotus bud, Nefertum was associated with
the (blue) lotus. Later, as time wore on, Atum
became assimilated into Ra (as Atum-Ra),
and so it came to be that people regarded Nefertum as a separate
deity. Some of the titles of Nefertem were He Who is Beautiful
and Water Lily of the Sun, and a version of the Book
of the Dead says Rise like Nefertem from the lotus, to the
nostrils of Ra, and come forth upon the
horizon each day.
As the power of Memphis grew, their chief god, Ptah,
was said to be the original creator, and thus of all the other
gods, including any lesser creators, who create the remaining
gods having first being created by Ptah.
Consequently, the creator aspect of Atum-Ra, namely Nefertum,
came to be merely the son of Ptah,
rather than the creator proper. As son of Ptah,
it was said that either Sekhmet,
or Bast (whichever was considered wife of Ptah),
was his mother. As a god now only associated with the lotus
rather than creation, he became a god of perfume and luck.
In art, Nefertum is usually depicted as a beautiful young
man having lotus flowers around his head, although, as the
son of Bast, he also sometimes has the head of a lion or is
a lion or cat reclining. Nefertem was associated both with
the scent of the lotus flower and its narcotic effect, which
in ancient Egypt was used for medical anesthetics. The ancient
Egyptians often carried small statuettes of him as good-luck
charms.
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