Sokonnokonni is fun to say.
It was an epithet used for Sobek at the site of Genout in the northeastern Fayum oasis. Sobek was venerated here as Sbk nb Gnwet (Sobek, Lord of Genaut) from at least the 19th Dynasty, likely due to the area’s marshy, crocodile-abundant landscape. Sobek was always widely worshipped throughout the oasis, and he took on many localized forms in in the Fayum.
Throughout the Fayum, Sobek’s cult took on many regionalizations, adapting to various locales within the oasis, such as the aforementioned Soknopaios, or Sobek Lord of Pai, leading to distinct manifestations in various villages. It is thought his cultus originated in Shedet, as the Lord of the Land of the Lake, and spread as 12th and 13th dynasty pharaohs elevated his worship to that of a kingly function. During the Ptolemaic era, nearly every village adopted a unique Sobek tied to its topography, often Hellenized as “Sok-” prefixed to a place name.
Genout (Gnwt) was the Ancient Egyptian name for a small agricultural village with evidence of prehistoric occupation, and significant development during the New Kingdom, appearing in temple procession texts and nome lists as a locale under Sobek’s aegis.
The shift to Sokonnokonni (Sokonnokonneus, Soknokonnis) occurred during the Ptolemaic period, as Greek settlers renamed the site Bakchias, in honor of Dionysus. As much as a part of me would love to syncretize Sobek and Dionysus, there seems to be no direct connection between the renaming to Backchias and Sobek himself, it was simply part of a broader Ptolemaic strategy of imposing Greek theophoric names on the Egyptian landscape, with the lush, watery, fertile landscape well-known for its viticulture naturally being associated with Dionysus himself. It reflects Ptolemaic royal ideology rather than a theological fusion.
Also going to give a shout out to Sbk nb r-3-Hs3, “Sobek, Lord with the Terrifying Mouth”, a localized variant of his name found at Bakchias, appearing in papyri and temple inscriptions as Soknobraisis.
Sobek’s worship in Genout/Bakchias continued unabated after it was renamed (I believed I’ve noted before that the crocodile god was always a big deal in Crocodile-Town) and was, as usual, deeply linked with the site’s watery environment and the dependence of water management for agriculture, with at least three temples dedicated to Sobek found here. They featured sacred enclosures, pools for live crocodiles, and catacombs for mummified ones. The crocodiles were treated as living incarnations of the God – selected crocs adorned with jewelry, fed meat and bread, and attended by priests. Upon death, either natural or by sacrifice, they were mummified, the process including evisceration, resin application, and linen wrapping. During the later Roman period, the mummies were mass produced for pilgrims as votive offerings.
A central aspect of worship here, as elsewhere in the Fayum, was oracular consultation. Papyri and ostraca contain oracle tickets containing yes/no questions to Sokonnokonni about concerns such as health, travel, marriage, inheritance, and legal disputes. “Should I marry X?” “Will my journey succeed?” Petitioners submitted them to priests, who interpreted the responses through the sacred crocodile’s movements or during processions. Processions included cult equipment, food offerings, and the deposition of mummified crocodiles in burial pits as acts of piety to invoke Sobek’s favor, both personal and for a bountiful harvest.
Each village in the Fayum adapted Sobek to local hydrology – Soknebtunis at Tebtunis or Soknopaios at Soknopaiou Nesos – with his role in water management, fertility, and prophecy highly emphasized.
Something quite interesting I’ve come across, that I’m not quite sure what to make of yet, is Sobek’s occasional manifestation as multiple or twin deities during the Late, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods. It’s not attested to in earlier periods, where he is always singular. Archaeological evidence reveals temples dedicated to paired Sobek variants, and syncretic identifications with the Greek Dioskouroi, Castor and Pollux.
As far as all the reading has led me to believe, the concept of Sobek as twin crocodiles possibly echoed temple architecture and it’s twin-columned porticos such as at Shedet (Crocodilopolis) as paired divine presence. Jan Quaegebeur’s studies argue that an indigineous twin crocodile tradition predated Greek influence, and evolved into Hellenized forms where Sobek’s pairs resembled the Dioskoruoi enough as gods of protection and guardians, as well as military strength, the “lords Dioskouroi” a Greek overlay for Sobek’s twin forms.
However, I am leaning towards the concept that it could also very well have to do with Sobek’s association with the waterways, and the Dioskoruoi’s association with the protection of sailors. Sailors invoked the Dioskouroi for favorable winds and safe water voyages, as the twins could calm storms and rescue those in peril at sea. They manifested during thunderstorms as St. Elmo’s fire, an electrical glow on ship’s masts or rigging, indicating impending deliverance from distress. The association stemmed from their roles as skilled seamen among the Argonauts, where they navigated through dangerous storms. In Roman beliefs, Neptune granted them power over the seas to aid shipwrecked mariners, and as Gemini they held watch over travelers, particularly those at sea.
While ancient Egyptians were primarily riverine navigators rather than seafaring sailors, their lives entirely revolved around the Nile. Sobek’s protective role extended to those facing dangers on the Nile, such as fishermen and ferrymen. Fishermen appealed to him to restrain crocodiles and provide safe passage on the waterways. There’s a very interesting Ptolemaic-era text from a personal prayer to Sobek, asking him for protection from various threats, including “drowned men” and “men of the river”, which is interpreted as the spirits of those who had drowned, or river spirits, both of relevant concern to those who regularly navigated the Nile.
I wonder if the general multiplicity and amount of crocodiles in the Fayum, combined with Sobek’s inherent protective qualities and inseparable link to water and water-travel, was a natural match for the seafaring protection of the Dioskouri in the new religious frontier of the Ptolemaic period.
It’s something I’m going to continue to do research on, as it hasn’t quite clicked for me yet. Let’s see what I come up with!
(1) Bakchias – trismegistos.org/fayum/fayum2/392.php?geo_id=392
Dua Sobek 