Egyptian mythology
Nefertem
God of Beauty, Perfume, and the Sunrise
- Mythology
- Egyptian mythology
- Group
- Creation · Nature · Healing · Love · Divine · Sun · Earth
- Appears in
- Ptah and the Memphite Creation
Nefertem is the god of the blue lotus, perfume, and the dawn, born from the flower that rose out of the primordial waters of Nun at the first sunrise. The young sun was said to emerge from this lotus, so Nefertem is closely tied to Ra's daily rebirth; one text calls him "the lotus blossom at the nose of Ra." He is shown as a youth crowned with a lotus, sometimes flanked by tall plumes, or as a lion-headed figure. At Memphis he is counted the son of Ptah and Sekhmet, completing that city's divine triad. His fragrance carries the promise of renewal.
Related figures
Listen to the stories of Nefertem
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