The title of bull was given to gods, kings, and
sometimes queens. Slate pallets dating back as far
as 3100 BC show kings as bulls. Entrainment is
synonymous to synchronization; entrainment or
synchronization can only occur when humans, ani-
mals, or objects have a close relationship. Bulls
were entrained with humans in such a way that
they were called their twin or double. For example,
Heru(Horus) was entrained with the Apis bull.
Gods and goddesses could take on animal
forms, or any form, and appear to humans to help
them in various ways. Moreover, ancestors, those
who once lived and have transcended to the under-
world (i.e., the spirit world), might appear as their
animal twin to people they hoped to help.
Ultimately, celestial beings (i.e., stars, gods,Horus,
kings, and humans in general bearing the bull
epitaph) were entrained—that is, extricably linked.
As head of the society, the king required help
from various “forces” to assist him in fulfilling his
divine role. A Litany in Pyramid Texts links vari-
ous parts of the king’s body with a multitude of
beings. Of the bull it says, “My spine is the Wild
Bull,” “My phallus is Apis.” The bull was also
included in the king’s rejuvenation during the
ritual of the sed fest.
All Egyptians sacrificed unblemished bulls and
bull calves. Herodotus described the inspection
for the selection of the sacred bull to be sacrificed.
He says Egyptians regard bulls as belonging to
Apis; the god Ausar(“Osiris”) was periodically
reborn as a calf namedApis. He was recognizable
by certain markings; a calf with similar marks
might not be killed. The ingestion of the meat of
the bull during the sacrificial offerings assimilated
the bull’s characteristics with the king.
Although the entire species of bulls was
regarded as sacred and recognized for strength
and fertility, one individual bull was chosen. In a
processional ceremony, the chosen bull was
brought in as the manifestation of the god it was
believed to be entrained with, fed, and wor-
shipped in the temples. Festivals were held for
bulls; for example, The Festival of the Apis Bull
lasted for 7 days.
TheApisis widely written about, butMnevis,
Apis, andBuchiswere all sacred. Herodotus said
that it was believed that a flash of light from
heaven fell on a cow so that she would give birth
to Apis, the manifestation of Ausar (Osiris).
Moreover, the Apis was a black bull with a trian-
gular white spot on his forehead, the likeness of
an eagle on his back, doubled hairs on his tail, and
a beetle under the tongue. (Perhaps the beetle may
have meant a lump shaped like a beetle.) If the
bull was indeed Ausar (Osiris), he was without
blemish. Depending on the referenced text,Apis
was the sacred animal ofPtah,Ptah-Sokar-Osiris,
Geb-Shu,Osiris,Re,Atum, and/orHeru/Horus,
hence, the living manifestation of these gods.
Kem ur, Great Black (Bull) Mnevis, completely
black in color and represented with a solar disk
and a uraeus between its horns, was identified as
the living manifestation of the sun godRa-and
the god of fertility. The mother of theMnevis
bull was renowned as the cow goddess, Hesat.
Mnevis was the sacred bull of Heliopolis and
probably dated to the 1st dynasty (c. 2925–
c. 2775 BC), if not earlier. This bull was also the
symbol of the 10th nome.
Buchis, the sacred bull ofHermonthis(Armant),
was recognized by a white body with a black head.
Buchis was the living manifestation of Re and
Ausar (Osiris); it was the living manifestation of
Month, and it was identified withMnevis.Buchis
was also entrained withMontu, the god of war.
After its death, natural or deliberately brought
about at a certain age, the sacred burial ritual was
performed. The bull was embalmed and ban-
daged, and artificial eyes were inserted. Its horns
and face were either gilded or covered with a gold
leaf mask, and the body was covered with a
shroud and then laid in a magnificent tomb. A
replacement for the deceased bull was “sought”;
when it had been “recognized” by its markings, it
was consecrated to replace the deceased bull and
made to “go up into the sanctuary.”Willie Cannon-BrownSee alsoAnimals; RitualsFurther Readings
Cannon-Brown, W. (2006).Nefer:The Aesthetic Ideal in
Classical Egypt. New York: Routledge.
Herodotus. (1958).The Histories(Vol. 1, Book 2,
H. Carter, Trans.). New York: Heritage Press.
Herodotus. (1958).The Histories(Vol. 1, Book 3,
H. Carter, Trans.). New York: Heritage Press.Bulls 141