What was apis the god of

What does Serapis mean? Definition of Serapis. What does the bull mean in Greek mythology? The Cretan Bull was a bull that appeared in the myth of the Labours of Heracles, as well as the myth of the Minotaur, in Greek mythology. It was the creature that Pasiphae fell in love with, and became impregnated by, eventually giving birth to the Minotaur. What was the sin of the golden calf? According to the Bible, the golden calf??????

In Hebrew, the incident is known as? It is first mentioned in Exodus What does the bull symbolize in Greek mythology? The bull would be identified with a god, usually Dionysos, Zeus or Poseidon, and the sacrifice of the animal would symbolize the god's death and rebirth. Dionysos was also sometimes represented in man-bull form with horns and was honored at fertility festivals. Who is god of fertility? Priapus was a minor Greek fertility god best known for his large and permanently erect phallus.

There were strong parallels between the King and Apis — both were living gods who commanded nearly equal reverence and both became Osiris when in the afterlife. He was typically depicted as a man with a pharaoh's beard, green skin, partially wrapped like a mummy on his legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers on each side, and holding a symbolic crook and flail. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung shield made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more. Skip to main content Skip to acknowledgement of country Skip to footer This bronze statuette 16x14x6 cm represents the god Apis - portrayed as a bull with a solar disk between its horns, protected by an uraeus - cobra. He could be recognised by various white spots and, as the Greek historian Herodotus recounts, was killed at the age of 25 and, upon his death, the priests searched all the land for the new divine incarnation.

When dead, the bull Apis united with the god Osiris in the form of Osiris-Apis the Serapis of the Hellenistic Age , and was buried at Saqqarah, in the so-called Serapeum, inside a gigantic stone sarcophagus, embalmed and endowed with rich grave goods.

The Apis is described by the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus :. The Apis is the calf of a cow which is never afterwards able to have another. The Egyptian belief is that a flash of light descends upon the cow from heaven, and this causes her to conceive Apis. The Apis-calf has distinctive marks: it is black, with a white square on its forehead, the image of an eagle on its back, the hair on its tail double, and a scarab under its tongue.

The animal was venerated in Memphis , where a special shrine was built. It sometimes served as an oracle.