Bronze statuette of the god Thoth as an ibis

This bronze statuette represents the god Thoth as an ibis. The Egyptians believed that a cosmic egg “contained the deity responsible for creating the rest of the world, including the primeval mound—the first land to arise out of the waters of pre-creation. In some versions of the myth, the egg was laid by a goose named ‘the Great Cackler,’ while in other versions an ibis, the bird associated with the god Thoth, is responsible for the egg. Thoth’s appearance here in the myth is probably the work of the Hermopolitan priesthood, who wanted to recognize the importance of the city’s patron deity.” (Jennifer Houser Wegner, “Ancient Egyptian Creation Myths: From Watery Chaos to Cosmic Egg,” _Glencairn Museum News_, Number 5, 2021.; see External Link)

Sources:
- Jennifer Houser Wegner, “Ancient Egyptian Creation Myths: From Watery Chaos to Cosmic Egg,” _Glencairn Museum News_, Number 5, 2021.