Arensnuphis (in Egyptian: Iryhemesnefer, ỉrỉ-ḥms-nfr, "the good companion") is a deity from the Kingdom of Kush, first attested at Musawwarat el-Sufra in the 3rd century BC. His worship spread to the Egyptian-controlled portion of Kush in the Ptolemaic Period (305–30 BC). His mythological role is unknown; he was depicted as a lion and as a human with a crown of feathers and sometimes a spear.[1]

Arensnuphis
Temple statue of god Arensnuphis, from Meroe, Nubia (modern-day Sudan), 100-50 BCE. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Name in hieroglyphs
ir
Z4
A48N41
z
A1nfrf
r

or
ir
Hm s
nfrA48
Venerated inNubian mythology
SymbolsLion • Spear
RegionKingdom of Kush
ConsortIsis
Equivalents
EgyptianAnhurShu (Egyptian god)
GreekAres
RomanMars

Arensnuphis was worshipped at Philae, where he was called the "companion" of the Egyptian goddess Isis, as well as at Dendur. In the ancient Egyptian religion, the Egyptians syncretized him with their gods Anhur and Shu.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p. 98