Moral Code

The morality of Thoth leaves no question to be asked because it is clear what Thoth seeks and surely finds through the ancient stories told. Balance, order and wisdom are the main characteristics we get from the stories of Thoth. From the stories of Thoth’s creation whether being born from Set’s forehead, self creation or the lips of Ra we have a steady correlation pointing focus to reason for Thoth’s birth. Thoth being born between the battle of Set and Horus was to bring balance back to the Pantheon and Earth. Thoth being self created at the beginning of creation and laying a cosmic egg holding all of creation has a deeper meaning in my belief. To be created at the beginning of time but to also lay an egg holding all of creation is puzzling when the question of “how could you not be the chief god” comes to mind. If this myth serves on a literal word basis then this means that Thoth would have also created Ra, but it still seems that Ra becomes the king and that leaves a question of “why”. There isn’t a way to go back and ask the ancient storytellers what they meant by this version of myth, but we can assess the information we have about Thoth. Thoth had the most wisdom out of any God and I am sure there would be no problem turning himself into a king if he had wanted to, but it seems that Thoth had no desire for this title. I believe that thoth had no desire to be king because he was already king not by a title given to him by his peers but by heart and by mind. So, this birth myth of Thoth dictates a state of ultimate wisdom to my knowledge, showing humanity that no matter your status in society or among your peers you are nothing and will fall to hardship without wisdom and knowledge. Moving on to Thoth being created from the lips of Ra. Thoth being created from the lips of Ra symbolizes the notion in the power of the tongue in other words speaking your ambitions into existence showing humanity the power that words hold among the universe. All of the stories of Thoth giving help to his fellow gods teach you to always hold order and balance highly in your life to some degree for success because without Thoth the pantheon would have eventually fallen, plaguing the world into chaos. Some examples that we can take into account are the myths of how Thoth brings back balance by helping his fellow gods.  The story of Isis and Osiris shows that without Thoth Set would have the world plagued with chaos and if Thoth would have never brought Tefnut back home the world would be plagued with a drought. But, Thoth’s care for his fellow gods also stretches down to humanity because ultimately humans would take the brunt of the impact. It seems that Thoth is favored by the ancient Egyptians for a reason and this could be because of the love he showed humanity and the many lessons that he left behind even if he forbade humans from ever reading the Book Of Thoth and this could be because humans were and still are not ready for that level of wisdom.

Thoth’s moral code to my understanding is that wisdom is true power. Thoth teaches to always be a student of balance and order, but most importantly to gain wisdom and use it to not only help yourself but also your neighbor. Thoth has no myth to his lonesome and that is because he was meant to be of service to my belief and I believe as are we. As stated above Thoth could have sought out his own values selfishly, but it seems that he decided not to. Maybe he was just that different from all of the other gods or maybe it was because his wisdom gave him power to foresee his outcome. Through the myths of Thoth we can see how the gods love Thoth and hate each other. Thoth to my imagination can be that middle line in between opposing forces and even though that line is thin it’s stronger than both sides, but this is not because of the force that Thoth holds, it is because of the knowledge that he holds. Ancient Egyptians held knowledge to a very high standard and my belief is that Thoth was the reason. Without wisdom and knowledge what are you? Helpless and in need of another is the answer. The point is that if we gain wisdom through knowledge, order and balance we would be of greater service to ourselves and others. Having wisdom brings even greater responsibility, that is the moral code I receive when learning about the Egyptian god Thoth.

-Jameek Braggs

“Wisdom is power and Power is Wisdom” - The Emerald Tablets of Thoth translated by Maurice Doreal