HORUS THE YOUNGER

Horus the Younger (Ancient Egyptian: Heru-pa-khered) is the specific manifestation of Horus born to Isis and Osiris. He must be distinguished from Horus the Elder (Heru-wer), the ancient sky god who was the brother of Osiris.

Ancient Egyptian Name	𓅃𓀔 (Ḥr pꜢ ẖrd)
Common Epithets	Horus, Son of Isis (Harsiese) Horus the Child (Harpocrates)
Greek Name	Harpocrates
Primary Role	Royal Heir, Avenger of his Father

He represents the rightful heir who claims his inheritance and restores order after chaos.

Horus the Younger is the central deity of Egyptian kingship. Every living Pharaoh was considered the earthly incarnation of Horus. When a king died, he became Osiris, and his successor became the new Horus.

• Divine Authority: He provides the legal precedent for succession.
• Ma'at (Order): His victory over Set symbolizes the triumph of law over lawlessness.
• Protector: He guards the borders of Egypt just as he guarded his father's throne.

Horus stands at the end of the Great Ennead, representing the generation that rules the earth.

Relation	Deity	Role
Father	Osiris	The Murdered King / Lord of the Dead
Mother	Isis	The Magician / Divine Mother
Uncle/Enemy	Set	The Usurper / God of Chaos
Aunt	Nephthys	Protector / Nurse

Following the murder of Osiris, Isis conceived Horus through magic. She hid him in the floating papyrus swamps of Chemmis in the Delta to protect him from the wrath of Set.

Harpocrates & The Cippi

As a child, Horus was vulnerable. He survived scorpion stings, snake bites, and illness through his mother's magic. This led to the creation of Horus Cippi (magical stelae) depicting the child Horus standing on crocodiles and holding snakes. Egyptians used these stelae to heal snakebites, pouring water over them to absorb the god's healing power.

The "Contendings of Horus and Seth" is an epic saga of legal trials and physical battles that lasted eighty years. The gods were divided, but Horus eventually proved his claim through:

• Legal Right: Proving he was the legitimate son of Osiris.
• Physical Victory: Defeating Set in contests (like the boat race and the hippopotamus trial).
• Divine Judgement: Geb and the Ennead finally awarded him the Double Crown of Egypt.

Horus the Younger appears in two distinct forms:

• The Royal God: A man with a falcon head, wearing the Pschent (Double Crown), holding the Was-scepter and Ankh.
• Harpocrates (The Child): A naked boy with a sidelock of youth (a hairstyle worn by children), often sucking his finger or seated on Isis's lap.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most important site for Horus the Younger (worshipped there as Horus of Behdet). Built during the Ptolemaic period, it is the best-preserved temple in Egypt. Its walls recount the myth of Horus defeating Set (depicted as a hippopotamus) and the annual "Feast of the Beautiful Reunion" with his consort Hathor.

Horus represents the ideal of the "Just King." He does not rule by brute force alone (like Set) but by legitimacy and the maintenance of Ma'at. He symbolizes the hope that justice will ultimately prevail over injustice and that the son will honor the father.

Primary Role	God of Kingship & Divine Heir
Manifestation	The Living Pharaoh
Key Symbol	The Wedjat Eye, Double Crown
Child Form	Harpocrates (Healer)
Main Temple	Edfu