THOTH

Real Name: Thoth

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Heliopolis) god

Distant Past, Pre-Cataclysmic era, Hyborian era, Post-Hyborian era through calender Birth of Christ era; World War II (covering from 1930-1945) and modern era

Occupation: God of Wisdom;
    former ruler of Heliopolis;
    former God of the Moon

Group Membership: Ennead (Heliopolitan gods of Egypt); formerly the Ogdoad (Hermopolitan gods of Egypt)

Affiliations: Hellbent, Karanthes, Keftu, Knights Templar, Rammon, Rammon (son of Rammon);
    formerly worshipped by the Egyptians, and the Nemedians of the Hyborian era

Enemies: Azoth, Jaggta-Noga, Set, Thoth-Amon, unidentified Black Ring sorcerer

Known Relatives: Nun (Demiurge, father), Neith (Gaea, mother),  Ammon Ra (Atum, brother), Seshat (wife), Panther God (Bast, nephew), Bes (nephew), Lion God (Sekhmet, nephew), Shu (nephew), Khonshu (Chons, nephew), Hathor, Tefnut (nieces), Mahes (Apedemak, grandnephew), Geb & Nut (grandnephew and grandniece), Osiris, Seth (great-grandnephews), Isis, Nepthys (great-grandnieces), Anubis, Horus (great-great-grand-nephews), three unidentified sons (may just be creations);
    if the Elder Gods are to be considered siblings, then Chthon, Hyppus, Oshtur, and Set are his uncles and aunt.

Aliases: A, A'an, Asten, Djehuty, God-Bird of Shadow-Haunted Stygia, Hab, Ibis, Ibis the Invincible, Judge of the Two Combatant Gods, Khenti, Lord of Divine Words, Lord of Khemennu, Lord of Ma'at, Mehi, Sheps, Toth

Base of Operations: Temple of Thoth (presumably associated with the realm Celestial Heliopolis);
    previously Hermopolis;
    Born in Khemennu (near modern-day El Ashmunein, Egypt);
    his worshippers had multiple Temples of Ibis, including in Numalia, Nemedia and in Akkhora, Shem; the Nest of Sacred Ibis, a few hours horseback ride from Messantia, Argos, was the primary seat of worship after the Ibis worshippers were driven from Stygia

Education: Extensively self-educated

First Appearance: (Referenced) Captain America Comics#20 (November, 1942);
    (seen; as Ibis) Marvel Feature I#6 (September, 1976);
    (seen; as Thoth) Thor: Blood Oath#6 (February, 2006)

Powers/Abilities: Thoth presumably has the standard godly abilities, such as superhuman strength, durability, etc., as well as extreme longevity (he is at least 12,000 years , if not a million years, old or older), resistance to conventional disease, etc. He is known for his extreme wisdom. At least in the past he had certain abilities related to the moon.
    As Ibis, 10, 000 BC and before (perhaps for hundreds of thousands, or even a million years or more), it would appear that Thoth engaged in some direct combat with beings as powerful as Set, though it may be that he only opposed Set's actions and never actually fought the Elder God. He granted power to such items as the Eye of Ibis and the Staff of Ibis. He may have supplied power to the Book of Toth, though that may have been a black magic tome that used his name in vain.
    Thoth typically adopts an ibis-headed form when appearing before humans.

Height: 6'4" (variable)  
Weight: 280 lbs. (variable) 
Eyes: Black
Hair: None

History:
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5: Heliopolis / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#4: Gaea - BTS) - At some point after the birth of Atum, Gaea (known as Neith to her children in this family) again mated with the Demiurge (known as Nun) to parent another son, Thoth.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#6: Khonshu / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: A-Z Update#3: Demogorge - BTS / myth history) - Atum, in the guise of Ammon Ra, apparently spawned the Ogdoad, gods of Egypt dwelling in Hermopolis. Thoth served with the Ogdoad as the god of wisdom and the moon.

(Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons, and Various Monstrosities: Set - BTS) - Thoth was also known as Ibis in the distant past.

(Conan the Barbarian I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Ibis and Set were foes "since Earth's first dawn."

(Marvel Feature I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Ibis and Set fought in the outer darkness for a thousand centuries.

(Conan: The Horn of Azoth (fb) - possibly (see comments)) - In the distant past, before man first crawled from the slime, Azoth was a god on Earth. In battle with another god, Azoth's horn was torn from his brow by another god. Azoth's body died, petrifying and forming what would become known as Azoth's peak, in what would become Zamora in the Hyborian era.

(Conan: The Horn of Azoth (fb) - BTS) - As the age of man began, the legend of Azoth was passed down amongst worshippers of the god Ibis. As they could not destroy the Horn of Azoth, they instead imprisoned it within the Crypt of Shadows, which could only be opened with their religious icon, the Eye of Ibis.

(Conan: The Horn of Azoth (fb)) - Azoth's worshippers, in preparation for a certain day of celestial alignment, stock-piled thousands of corpses and created a literal river of blood, which flowed into the center of Azoth's peak, sustaining the demon for a thousand thousand years.

(Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Upon the death of each of the High Priests of Ibis, his remains were interred within stone sarcophagi. When six such sarcophagi were filled, a new policy was enacted. As each new High Priest died, the bones of the longest interred were moved into the much larger "Chamber of Skulls."

(Marc Spector: Moon Knight#59 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#5) - Thoth made a pact with the Knights Templar (or their predecessors), granting them secrets of wisdom, creation, and death in exchange for the Knights' promise to protect the hidden race of human/elder race hybrids known as the Hellbent.
    Recognizing these secrets as too powerful for frequent use, the Knights hid them away, and they became the core of the Arcane Archives, accessed via Hellhole (a subterranean base located miles beneath a temple in the Brazilian Amazon).

(Marc Spector: Moon Knight#50 (fb) - BTS) - The Templars tracked and protected one particular family lineage whose descendents shared a unique genotype (gene-trait) unknown to the majority of them, the house of the collective subconscious of all their ancestors. If catalyzed through a method known only to a few in the Templars, this genotype allowed generational heirs to become the ultimate personification of the Bloodline, with full access to the combined knowledge and singular specialties of their entire family tree. This knowledge included the ability to access the Arcane Archives.
    The genotype was catalyzed by expression of a certain gland in the neck, followed by the Bloodline's recitation of a certain phrase, "Praeterit est parens ad futurum," which means "The past is parent to the future."

(Savage Sword of Conan - discussion of Gods of the Hyborian era, whatever issue that was) - In the Hyborian era, Ibis was prominently worshipped in parts of Nemedia and Stygia.

(Conan the Barbarian I#68 - BTS) - Ibis was said to live in the bodies of the herons by Stygia's River Styx.

(Conan the Barbarian I#115 (fb) - BTS) <centuries before the days of Conan> - A Temple of Ibis was established in Akkharia, one of the southernmost states of Shem.

(Marvel Feature I#6 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Despite Ibis' backing, Thoth-Amon and other followers of Set drove Karanthes and the other priests of Ibis from Stygia.

(Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Karanthes and the other priests of Ibis moved the sarcophagi and the Chamber of Skulls of their past High Priests with them.

(Space Science Fiction: God in the Bowl / Conan the Barbarian I#7 - BTS) - The Stygian sorcerer Thoth-Amon sent the Man-Serpent Sschaaronn to slay Karanthes, a priest of Ibis. Conan slew Sschaaronn before he ever reached Karanthes.

(Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - While the priests of Ibis were exiled to Nemedia, a minor priest named Keftu died. As his foremost desire and final request was to guard the Chamber of Skulls even after his death. His skeleton was placed within the Chamber, axe in hand, and enchantments provided to reanimate him if any attempted to disturb the sacred bones.

(Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Karanthes and the other priests of Ibis eventually relocated their sarcophagi and the Chamber of Skulls to a new, southernmost Temple of Ibis, the Nest of the Sacred Ibis, a few hours ride from Messantia (a sea port of Argos).

(Marvel Feature I#7 - BTS) - Conan and Red Sonja upset the bones in the Chamber of Skulls, and trashed much of the Temple of Ibis during a battle over a page from the Book of Skelos, which Sonja had obtained for Karanthes. An immense serpent emerged from where Keftu had lain, but Conan and Sonja slew it.

(Conan the Barbarian I#68 - BTS) - After a Set-worshipping sorcerer of the Black Ring in the form of a flying lizard creature stole the page from the Book of Skelos, Karanthes made an offering to Ibis, asking him to give unto him that which would need to recover the page. At the ritual's conclusion, Karanthes had obtained the Fire-Jewel, a blood red gem the size of an egg, which he gave to Conan to take with him as he pursued the monster.
    Karanthes apparently cast a spell to slow the monster's flight, or to speed Conan and Sonja's journey, which then spread to Bêlit when she joined them.
    The Black Ring sorcerer had used the page to summon forth Valusia's City of Wonders from 8500 years before and, posing as Kull's sorcerer-ally Gonar, had advised Kull to conquer Argos to rebuild his kingdom. Conan gave the Fire-Jewel to Kull, which exposed the Stygian sorcerer, and he eventually slew the sorcerer, but the Skelos page burned to ashes as he died. Kull and his city returned to their own time, while Karanthes failed to convince Conan, Sonja, & Bêlit to aid him in claiming the whole Book of Skelos from Kheshatta (the City of Magicians), Stygia, where Thoth-Amon held it.

(Conan the Barbarian I#115) - Via Karanthes' Ibis-staff, Karanthes dispatched Zukala's demon Jaggta-Noga back to his nether realm. Ibis' image appeared as Karanthes cast the spell that destroyed Zukala's citadel.

(Conan: The Horn of Azoth) - As the day of alignment approached, another Karanthes, this one a high priest of Azoth, sent his daughter, Natari,  to recruit Conan to obtain the needed magical items. Under her direction, Conan snuck into the Temple of Ibis and stole the Eye of Ibis. Using the Eye of Ibis, Natari retrieved the Horn of Azoth from the Crypt of Shadows. Natari eventually brought the Horn back to Karanthes in Shadizar. Karanthes used the Horn to revive Azoth, but Conan tore the horn off anew, and Azoth crumbled.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#6: Khonshu - BTS) - After the Ennead succeeded the Ogdoad, Thoth surrendered the role of moon god to Khonshu, serving only as god of wisdom to the Ennead.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5: Heliopolis - BTS) - Though much older, Thoth acted much like a contemporary of Osiris, his great-grandnephew.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5: Heliopolis - BTS) - Thoth served as vizier to Osiris when he took over the rule of the Ennead.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5: Heliopolis - BTS) <30 BC> - After Osiris, Isis, and Horus were imprisoned in the Pyramid of Kings by Seth, Thoth was left to rule the Ennead. In the past, previous generations of ruling Ennead had departed Earth upon retiring from their rule and traveled to Celestial Heliopolis to live out eternity. Upon taking over leadership, noting the diminishing influence of the Ennead, Thoth relocated all the remaining Ennead from Earth to Heliopolis, to traffic with Earth no more.

(Thor I#241 - BTS) - Thoth was apparently unable or unwilling to stop Seth from torturing Geb and Nut just outside the city of Heliopolis.

(Captain America Comics#20/1) - Led by the spawn of the Witch-Queen who wore animal masks depicting various Egyptian Deities, the Egyptian Cult of Black Magic sought to resurrect their Witch-Queen, using the Book of Thoth and human sacrifice in order to conquer the world. They were foiled by Captain America.

(Thor: Blood Oath#1 - BTS) - As part of an agreement to make amends for the Warriors Three killing his son, Holth, the Storm Giant Gnives sent Thor and the Warriors Three on a series of missions, with the final task being entrance into the Temple of Toth, guarded by his three warrior sons, whose sole purpose is to keep the tombs silent.

(Thor: Blood Oath#6) - Thor transported himself and the Warriors Three to the Temple of Thoth (Toth in this story), guarded by the three immense statue-like, snake-headed sons of Thoth. When Thor announced their intention to seek the Hill of Toth, one of the sons raised a finger, and the Asgardians were pulled beneath the sands by large tentacles. Upon their escape, Fandral leapt into the air and sliced off of the warrior's right hand, while Thor hurled the spear Slaughter (weapon of Cuchulain), which shattered one of the sons of Thoth. Volstagg stopped another son  from stomping on Hogun, and Hogun made his way to the Hill of Toth. Plagued by scorpions, Hogun nonetheless cried Odin and Thor's names, which caused the remaining sons of Thoth the scream and shatter.
    When Gnives dispatched the troll Ulik to try to prevent the Asgardians from accomplishing their final goal, the struggle disturbed the sleep of the ibis-headed Thoth, who appeared and sent them all back to their own realm, instructing them to return no more or there would be war in the Heavens.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5: Heliopolis - BTS) - In the modern era, Thoth returned the throne to Osiris after his liberation from the Pyramid of Kings and the defeat of Seth.

(Marc Spector: Moon Knight#59 - BTS) - Seth the Immortal, Moon Knight, several Hellbent, Templar Chloe Tran, and Jean-Paul DuChamp entered the Arcane Archives. Jean-Paul noted that this cavern alone hid 36, 535 lost scrolls of Thoth containing the Egyptian legends of creation. In the ensuing battle, Seth was bound in Adamantium and cast into the caverns, but the violence within the realm has activated fragile magma faults, and Hellhole was swiftly consumed by the lava and flames.

Comments: Based on the paucity of appearances, it's hard to identify a real writer.
    Stan Lee referenced him first in Marvel Comics. REH established the existence of Ibis as an enemy of Set, and Roy Thomas adapted that work into the Marvel Universe. Roy Thomas and Frank Thorne did the first story that pictured Ibis.
    Michael Oeming and Scott Kolins showed Thoth (or Toth) in his current identity.

    This profile is not intended to cover the activities of every one of Ibis' and/or Thoth's followers. It is mostly intended for actions more directly involving Ibis/Thoth. 

    Thanks for Spidermay for expanding the Nest of Ibis sub-profile.

There is an appearance (as an image---floating head ) of Thoth in Marvel Tales I#96 (6/1950) reprinted in Crypt of Shadows#14 (11/1974) page 4 panel 1 (...the heads of all the ancient deities of Egypt----Aset/Eset (Isis), Hor/Heru (Horus), Het-Heru (Hathor) and Thoth/Djehuti/Zehuti/Tehuti). Also seen is the Set (Seth/Sutekh) in flashback and his beautiful demoness the Sphinx (the Great Sphinx is called Hu by the ancient Egyptians).
  Thanks to "The Book of the Dead" by E.A. Wallis Budge, Dover Publications, Inc., New York (1967) I have been able to translate into ancient Egyptian the names of buildings and objects mentioned and seen in the Thoth profile. Het Thoth or Per-Thoth (Temple of Thoth), Mesu Thoth (Sons Of Thoth), Seset En Sespsi Tekh (Nest Of Sacred Ibis), Het Tekh or Per-Tekh (Temple Of Ibis), Met En Tekh or Khet En Tekh (Staff Of Ibis), Tekh-Khet or Tekh-Met (Ibis-Staff). Sat En Thoth (Book Of Thoth) and Maat Tekh (Eye Of Ibis). Per-Satet (The Temple Of Satet) is on page 191; Het Sai (Temple Of Sand) is on page 240; Sat (book) is on page 26; Seset (nest) is on page 95; Khet (staff) is on page 102; Met (staff) is on page 116; Tekh (ibis) is on page cxviii; Mesu (the sons of) is on page 3; Sepsi (sacred) is on page 230; Maat Heru (Eye Of Horus) or Maat Ra (Eye Of Ra) is on page 47; and Khet En Ankh (the staff of life) is on page 172 of "Gods of the Egyptians or Studies in Egyptian Mythology Volume 2" by E.A. Wallis Budge (1969).
--Gammatotem

According to some notes on the internet (I forget the source, sorry)

Azoth

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

TEMPLE of THOTH / SONS of THOTH
(called Temple & Sons of Toth in Blood Oath)

It is unclear whether they are literal sons of Thoth, or just magical creations. They are immense, perhaps 50' tall, possessing great strength and durability. They are apparently composed of flesh covering stone/sand.

 

(Thor: Blood Oath#1 - BTS) - As part of an agreement to make amends for the Warriors Three killing his son, Holth, the Storm Giant Gnives sent Thor and the Warriors Three on a series of missions, with the final task being entrance into the Temple of Toth, guarded by his three warrior sons, whose sole purpose is to keep the tombs silent.

(Thor: Blood Oath#6) - Thor transported himself and the Warriors Three to the Temple of Toth, guarded by the three immense statue-like, snake-headed sons of Thoth. When Thor announced their intention to seek the Hill of Toth, one of the sons raised a finger, and the Asgardians were pulled beneath the sands by large tentacles. Upon their escape, Fandral leapt into the air and sliced off of the warrior's right hand, while Thor hurled the spear Slaughter (weapon of Cuchulain), which shattered one of the sons of Thoth. Volstagg stopped another son  from stomping on Hogun, and Hogun made his way to the Hill of Toth. Plagued by scorpions, Hogun nonetheless cried Odin and Thor's names, which caused the remaining sons of Thoth the scream and shatter.
    When Gnives dispatched the troll Ulik to try to prevent the Asgardians from accomplishing their final goal, the struggle disturbed the sleep of the ibis-headed Thoth, who appeared and sent them all back to their own realm, instructing them to return no more or there would be war in the Heavens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEST of SACRED IBIS / TEMPLE of IBIS

 

The Nest of Sacred Ibis was a village in Argos, a few hours ride from Messantia. The Temple of Ibis within it was the primary seat of the worshippers of Ibis, and it contained the sarcophagi and Chamber of Skulls of past High Priests of Ibis.

    During the time of Karanthes and Red Sonja, the Nest of Ibis was a citadel, surrounded by high walls, hosting a Temple of Ibis along with many of his priests and worshippers. The walls surrounded several high builidings. Its inhabitants were, for the most part, Stygians.

    The Temple was open to visitors but was guarded by two Kushite guards. It housed valuable vases, high candlesticks and walls of precious or colored stone. At the centre of the main hall was a statue of Ibis that stood taller than three men, and sat on a plinth of dark stone with an altar before it.

    In the same hall sat six sarchophagi containing the remains of six high priests of Ibis. When a great priest died, the older bones among the six were taken into the Chamber of Skulls, leaving space for the body of the newly departed priest. The Room of Skulls contained the bones of hundreds of great priests, either of the cult of Ibis or the cult of Set, bones of an uncalculable age. The bones were taken to the Nest when the worshippers of Set banished the followers of Ibis and they gained a faithful guardian during their Nemedian exile. Keftu, a loyal follower and priest of the Cult of Ibis, was granted his last and greatest wish: after his death, he would stand guard at the Room of Skulls with his double-axe. And so his bones were placed there, but under them, a more deadly guardian stood, a giant, green snake that would strike if anybody dared to touch Keftu's bones.

    The Chamber of Skulls was turned upside-down when Conan the Cimmerian and Red Sonja fought inside. They scattered Keftu's bones and had to kill the python.

--Marvel Feature Presents#7 (Conan the Barbarian I#68, ?Conan the Barbarian I#115

 

 

 

 

images: (without ads)
Thor: Blood Oath#6, p6-7 (sons and temple of Toth)

p16, panel 1 (ibis-head of Thoth)
Marvel Feature I#6, p6, panel 3 (vs. Set)
Conan the Barbarian I#115, 3rd from last page, panel 4 (Ibis' image over destruction of Zukala's citadel)
Marvel Feature I#7, p7, panel 5 (Nest of the Sacred Ibis)
p8, panel 3 (Temple of Ibis)

Appearances:
 Captain America Comics#20 (November, 1942) - Stan Lee (apparent writer), Al Avison (artist)
Space Science Fiction: God in the Bowl (September, 1952) - originally written by Robert E. Howard (presumably 1932-1933), edited/revised by L. Sprague de Camp
Conan the Barbarian I#7 (July, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (penciler), Sal Buscema & Dan Adkins (inkers), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Feature I#6-7 (September-November, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Frank Thorne (artist)
Conan the Barbarian I#68 (November, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (illustrator)
Conan the Barbarian I#115 (October, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker)
Thor: Blood Oath#1 (November, 2005) - Michael Avon Oeming (writer), Scott Kolins (art), Molly Lazer, Andy Schmidt, & Aubrey Sitterson (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thor: Blood Oath#6 (February, 2006) - Michael Avon Oeming (writer), Scott Kolins (artist), Molly Lazer, Andy Schmidt, Aubrey Sitterson (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 01/25/2009
Last updated: 01/22/2009

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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