Horus the Child
/ˈhɔːrəs ðə tʃaɪld/noun
An ancient Egyptian form of the god Horus depicted as a divine child, later identified by the Greeks with Harpocrates.
Did you know?The Greek name Harpocrates developed from Egyptian Har-pa-khered, meaning “Horus the Child,” and the child-god’s finger-to-mouth gesture was later misread by Greeks and Romans as a command for silence.
Etymological Timeline
Old Kingdom, c. 2686–2181 BCE
Egyptian
Ḥr
“Horus, the falcon-associated sky and kingship god; the name is commonly interpreted as “the Distant One,” though its exact original sense is debated.”
New Kingdom, c. 1550–1070 BCE
Egyptian
Ḥr-pꜣ-ẖrd
“Har-pa-khered, literally “Horus the Child,” a youthful manifestation of Horus.”
Late Period, c. 664–332 BCE
Egyptian
Ḥr-pꜣ-ẖrd
“A protective child-god invoked in temple theology and magical traditions, especially in forms associated with healing and protection.”
Hellenistic Period, 3rd–1st c. BCE
Greek
Ἁρποκράτης (Harpokratēs)
“Greek rendering of Har-pa-khered, treated as the child form of Horus.”
Roman Period, 1st c. BCE–4th c. CE
Latin
Harpocrates
“The Egyptian child-god adopted into Greco-Roman religious imagery, often shown with a finger at his lips.”
Modern English
English
Horus the Child
“An English translation and scholarly description of the Egyptian epithet Har-pa-khered.”
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