Secrets of the Nile Crocodile

During a vacation in Egypt, each tourist can clearly see the shape of crocodiles, in souvenir shops in different materials: plastics, stone, or wood, this could be seen everywhere in resorts in the red sea, but in upper Egypt, it is popular to see them particularly in  Aswan mummified on the doors of Nubian houses and other houses.

Since the ancient Egyptians considered crocodiles the guardians of their houses from Nile flood!

Crocodiles are one of the most important divine animals in ancient Egypt, according to the ancient Egyptian cult, the ancient Egyptian through observation the nature in this land allowed them to imagine and formulate their vision about creatures and the destiny of the world and people. 

  For many reasons through observation of crocodiles, the position of this animal was more and more effective in Egyptians life and culture. 

 Crocodiles    ( from Kroke meaning pebble and drilos meaning worm, describing the animal skin, both real and imitation, are intended to have an apotropaic function: placed above the door they avert the evil eye and safeguard the houses of residents,  it was also believed to attract wealth and good luck, this custom of using crocodiles as guardians in ancient Egypt till nowadays of the doorway appears to be unique to Egypt.

The Nile Crocodiles is indigenous to the river Nile and has been found throughout the Nile valley from prehistoric times until the nineteenth century    . this animal was closely associated with Egypt, however, the number of crocodiles started to decrease in the 17 century, and by the end of the 18 century was reduced by hunting and press of humanity, most of the crocodiles were concentrated in upper Egypt before they started their retreat to below cataracts, coincident with the construction of the first Aswan dam. 

Crocodiles are one of the oldest vertebrates found on this planet   . they are covered with thick scaly armor that has, in modern times, been coveted in shoes, handbags, and luggage.

Because the ancient Egyptians, as well as greeks and Romans, thought that crocodiles could magically foretell the height of inundation. 

It is just thirty minutes so the mother crocodile could lay her eggs in the nest, after which she goes away to guard them closely. 

Crocodile clutches vary in number from  18 to 80 eggs, thereby giving spot or rise to the idea of the crocodile’s fertility  .  the length of the crocodile penis nearly up to a meter – also supports the idea of crocodiles being an exceptionally virile and fertile animal. 

The Nile crocodile can live up to fifty years, some crocodiles lived to 110  years in captivity. generally, these reptiles are slow-moving and spend a great deal of time lying immobile on a sandbank or semi-submerged in rivers, they always spend their night in the water, clamber up to a  sandbank with the rising of the sun, where they bask with their mouth open, only to submerge themselves again at nightlife. This habit led them to become associated with the sun god by the ancient Egyptians  .  . aspects of their physical appearance might also have contributed to the identification of the crocodile with the sun.

Crocodiles enjoy a well-deserved reputation for ferocity, equipped with a fine set of teeth more than  60 in total “ they are replaced throughout their lifetime. The teeth are very strong and sharp, and at the tip of the snout they interlock, permitting the animal to grasp its prey with fatal consequences:  “ a large crocodile can exert a crushing force equivalent to 13  tonnes”. 

Crocodiles hunt solo and in groups, particularly if the kill is large.  They patiently lie in wait for their prey in the water, and then silently ambush them, pulling them into the water to drown. 

Also, crocodiles   were also commonly used in ancient Egyptian medicines and are still used in some folk medicines today, for legs pain, cramps, and stiffness  

The image of the crocodile was also used in a peculiar way in healing practices during the later periods of Egyptian history and continued as a part of materia medica in Arab times. 

The most prized and frequently utilized portion of a crocodile is its penis that is ground up and mixed with honey  ( 10 g  ground member to  0.5 kg honey ) .this remedy is taken a regularly over-prescribed period of time  ( this varies depends on the doctor and the case ) to make a man virile.  Certainly, the ancient Egyptian associated the crocodile with virility. 

The ancient Egyptians represented crocodiles in many different contexts, each with its own meaning, both positive and negative, the crocodile is the manifestation of the god Sobek, a god associated with god inundation, and consequently fertility.  

It is interesting to note that crocodile skin was used as armor in the Roman period, as is illustrated by such a suit now in the British Museum. Perhaps it was not just used because of its toughness, but because of the belief in the protective and apotropaic properties of crocodiles, as well as a belief in sympathetic magic, with the wearer taking on the fierceness monastery of Abu sefein in old Cairo. 

In many temples    and tombs  are lots of   depictions of crocodiles, but the main cult  dedicated to crocodiles was   represented in the temple of Kom  Ombo, there was the temple of god Sobek, the crocodile god,   around  50  km on the north of  Aswan, and next to the temple there is a museum of mummified crocodiles