View source for Mehen

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian deity}}
{{infobox deity
| type = egyptian
| name = Mehen
| image = Book of Gates Barque of Ra cropped.jpg
| caption = Mehen surrounding [[Ra]], in the form of a man with a ram head, on his [[Solar barque|Solar Barque]]
| hiero = <hiero>mH:n-I12</hiero>
}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}

In [[Egyptian mythology]], the name '''Mehen''' ({{langx|cop|Ⲙⲉϩⲉⲛ}}), meaning 'coiled one', referred to a mythological snake-god and to a [[Mehen (game)|board game]].<ref>[http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/naqada/gameboard.html Discussion of the game by] [[University College London]]</ref>
==Snake god==
The earliest known references to Mehen occur in the [[Coffin Texts]].<ref>The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by R. Wilkinson {{ISBN|0-500-05120-8}}</ref> Mehen is a protective deity who is depicted as a snake which coils around the sun god [[Ra]] during his journey through the night, for instance in the [[Amduat]].<ref>The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife by Erik Hornung {{ISBN|0-8014-8515-0}}</ref> 

In the German-Egyptian dictionary by R. Hannig,<ref>Hannig, R. 1995. Die Sprache der Pharaonen: Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch</ref> it is said that the Mehen (mḥn) or the Mehenet (mḥnt) snake is equivalent to the [[Ouroboros]].

==Relationship between snake-god and Mehen game==
[[File:-3000 Abydos Spiel der Schlange Mehen anagoria.JPG|thumb|[[Mehen (game)|Mehen]] with game stones, from [[Abydos, Egypt]], 3000 BC, [[Neues Museum]]]]
The precise relationship between the deity and the [[Mehen (game)|Mehen game]] is unknown.{{cn|date=April 2025}} For instance, it is unknown whether the game derives from the mythological character or the character derives from the game.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

It is known that the object known as mehen depicts a game rather than a religious [[Fetishism|fetish]] as demonstrated in tomb paintings, game boards, and equipment.{{cn|date=April 2025}} The rules and method of playing the game are unknown, although rules have been created in modern times based on assessments of how it may have been played.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{bgg|4148}}
*{{URL|http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/siteactivities/mehen.pdf|Mehen boardgame with suggested playing rules}} at [[Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery]] schools liaison

{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Egyptian gods]]
[[Category:Legendary serpents]]
[[Category:Snake gods]]