Min
Min was the son of Ra and Shu.
In early times Min was a sky-god whose symbol was a thunderbolt.
His title was Chief of Heaven.
Well into the Middle Kingdom he was identified with
the falcon-god Haroeris (Horus the Elder).
Above all, Min was worshipped by men as a fertility god,
a bestower of sexual powers.
He was also seen as a rain god that promoted the fertility of nature,
especially in the growing of grain.
During the Min festivals that celebrated the beginning of the planting season,
we find renderings of pharaohs
ceremonially hoeing the ground and watering the
fields under the supervision of Min.
Likewise at the Min festival that marked the
beginning of the harvest season,
the pharaoh was seen reaping the grain.
Despite his fertility associations, Min was also known as Lord of the Eastern
Desert.
In this role he was the protector of the caravan routes from his cult center
at Koptos to the
Red Sea.
As the Lord of Foreign Lands he was the protector of nomads and hunters.
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