CHAP. XIII. THOTH THE MOOX. 5 



venient quarries for the construction of modern 

 buildings. 



To return to Thoth. The CynocephaUis is 

 synonymous with the hieroglyphic of letters; and 

 we even find it holding the tablet, and fulfilling 

 the office of Thoth ; which shows that it was not 

 only the emblem, but also the representative of 

 that Deity. lamblichus says that certain physical 

 properties were common to it and to the Moon ; 

 and, according to Horapollo, the latter was repre- 

 sented in hieroglyphic writing by a Cynocephalus. 

 This statement is perfectly borne out by the sculp- 

 tures, Thoth and the Ape, his emblem, being both 

 introduced in the character of the Moon. Indeed, 

 the crescent is found followed by the figure of 

 Thoth in several hieroglyphic legends, with the 

 phonetic name Aah or loh, signifying the '* Moon."* 

 This last word occurs in the Plate before ust, ac- 

 companied by the Ibis, the sacred bird of Thoth ; 

 and Plutarch t states that *' Mercury was supposed 

 to accompany the Moon round the w^orld, as Her- 

 cules did the Sun." Thoth, therefore, in one of 

 his characters, answers to the Moon, and in another 

 to Mercury. 



The Egyptians, represented their Moon as a male 

 Deity, like the German Mond and Monat, or the 

 Lunus of the Latins ; and it is worthy of remark, 

 that the same custom of calling it male is retained 

 in the East to the present day, while the Sun is con- 

 sidered female, as in the language of the Germans. 



* Vide infra, p. 68. note f. f Plate 45. fig. 5. 



X Plut. de Ls. S.41. 



B 3 



