God Min |
In the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 b.c.), the assigns of Min and Horus, the falcon god, were engaged. Horus was seen as the deity of the southeastern Delta, Min was the deity of the east desert, and the new god was visited Min-Horus, the guardian of mining dispatches into the Sinai.
During the pharaohs investiture solemnisation in the New Kingdom (1550-1069 b.c.), an elaborate advance and feast honored Min so that his virility would be passed to the new pharaoh. The festival is entered on the 2nd pylon of the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramses II (1279-1213 b.c.), and besides in the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu in Thebes, which shows Ramses III in a palanquin (carrying chair) leading the royal palace in a grand advancement to the temple. The statue of Min sits in his shrine and is carried by priests with long poles over their shoulders that support the shrine. When they reach the public area, two priests holding a linen drapery hide the statue of Min from view while other priests chant anthems. Then the tabby appears with the White Bull, an animal sacred to Min, and they idolize the kings antecedents before the investiture. Toward the end of the solemnisation, four sparrows are set free to fly to the four corners of the land and herald the new sovereign. In Thebes, the great god Amun was at various times linked with Min as well.