I have been seriously neglecting this task, for which I apologise to all my patient readers. I have finally got most of my books out of storage now, so am able to write more fully once more. A lot of my books still hadn’t been brought up to London. It should be noticed, that if I ever seem to know what I’m talking about, it’s only because I happen to have the right book to hand!

So, this week, I shall write about Iah, a lesser known lunar god, of whom our understanding is somewhat limited.

Origins:
Iah (sometimes translated as Yah) appears in quite a prominent role in the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom. Imagery of him is not very common, though his name is synonymous with the actual lunar disk itself. It is therefore probable that he was worshipped in pre-dynastic periods in this literal form.

Appearances and Associations:
Iah is portrayed variously as a male wearing a three part wig, and wearing the full lunar disc and crescent symbols. He is also sometimes seen wrapped (mummy wrappings?) in the same manner as Khonsu in some depictions, along with a staff. Sometimes the only differentiation between them can be the side-lock of youth that Khonsu sports.

Iah can also sometimes be seen bearing the damaged (lunar) eye of Horus.

Due to his association with Thoth, he may also appear with the distinctive Ibis head of this god, wearing a simple crescent crown.

Associations and Prominence:
As already mentioned, Iah is a lunar god, and this dominates his associations. In this role he is very closely associated with Khonsu (the primary lunar god from the New Kingdom onward) and Thoth (Thoth-Iah), who also has some lunar associations. This affected his prominence in later periods. Iah also eventually become associated with Osiris (Osiris-Iah), possibly through the lunar cycle of regeneration, and also the association of the lunar disc with the damaged eye of Horus.

However, in the Old Kingdom, and up until the 18th Dynasty, Iah enjoyed a fair degree of visibility, appearing in the Pyramid Texts, as well as being involved in The Book of the Dead (more accurately, The Incantations of Arising by Day) which, unlike the Pyramid texts, was used by commoners as well as royalty.

It appears that Iah was particularly popular with the 17th Dynasty royal line, as several prominent royals adopted his name into their own, including Ah-Hotep, and her son, Ahmose I (Amosis), founder of the 18th Dynasty, along with his wife, Ahmose-Nefertari. Some have also speculated that the name Kamose may also have had some root in Iah’s name. Interestingly, another association can be seen between Iah and the 26th dynasty, in the form of Ahmose II (Amasis), despite his eclipse, so to speak, by Khonsu. Also, statuettes and amulets of Iah continue to be found throught the New Kingdom and Late Periods, including a fine statuette now in the collection of the British Museum.

There is no mention, however, of Iah ever having any significant temples or state endowments of his own.

Titles:

  • Dweller Among The Gods (?)

Decline:
Iah is mentioned from the 5th dynasty, and clearly had a following through well into the Late Period. As far as I am aware, however, it is unknown exactly when his following died out.

Photo – Bronze statuette of Iah, Late Period, BM-EA12587. Photo by BM