WARNING: this article contains spoilers for the Moon Knight series – do not continue reading if you do not want to read it. – We have already been able to discover two episodes of the new Marvel series titled Moon Knightwith Oscar Isaac in the lead role. With the release of the second episode, we were able to learn more about Khonshu, the Egyptian god who recruited (and forced into servitude) mercenary Marc Spector, and with him, his alter Steven Grant. After this second episode, you may be wondering if Khonshu is a real Egyptian god, given that old marvel comics weren’t particularly known for their accuracy, or their respect for ancient non-European cultures. We take stock of this topic.
Is Konshu present in Egyptian mythology?
Khonshu is indeed a real Egyptian god, although the spelling “Khonshu” is uncommon. The most common spelling, found in reference to the true god, is “Khonsu“, sometimes only abbreviated to “Khons”. And Khonsu is indeed the god of the moon, an important detail. Regarding the appearance of the god, it is here that Marvel takes the most liberties. In the series, the god appears with a floating bird’s skull as a head, wrapped in flowing bandages (in order, certainly, to bring out the “Egyptian” side). Konshu, in Moonknight, also has a stylized stick.
In Egyptian mythology, Khonsu is most often depicted as a human, with a long braid on one side of the head. He’s also sometimes depicted with a falcon’s head, but that has nothing to do with the huge raven’s head the MCU’s Khonshu wears. In Egyptian mythology, Khonsu is sometimes decked out with a hook, sometimes with a stick, as it is in the MCU.
A bronze statuette of the Egyptian god Khonshu.
And character level?
Regarding thehe motivations and temperament of Khonshuthe new series portrays him as a protector of the weak, who is not against employing force to achieve this. The Egyptian representation of Khonsufor its part, does not depict him, most of the time, with this rage or this cruelty, but if we go back to the ancient texts, we still manage to find certain descriptions that go the way of the MCUlike this one :
Khonsu who killed the lords, who strangles them for the king, and extracts for him what is in their bodies.
It cannot therefore be said that the MCU’s portrayal of Khonshu is totally inaccurate, given these elements. The Egyptian Khonsu, of course, has a wider skill set, and varied powers, which the Marvel version glosses over. For example, he is considered a god of fertility, a subject that is not covered in the series at the moment. It must be said that no one, no doubt, wants to see this great bird-headed god sound (even fairly) excited.
Among the ancient Egyptians, the belief that the moon had an influence on the rhythms of women’s menstrual cycles was very present, and this is why the god Khonsu has often been associated with the field of fertility. But that’s not all there is to know about the god.
The Bentresh Stele
The most interesting parallel between the god Khonsu and Moon Knight comes from the translation of the stele of Benresh. This inscription refers to Khonsu’s ability to converse with different aspects of himself.
Part 1/2 of the Bentresh stele.
We thus translate :
In Egypt Ramses consults Khonsu in Thebes Nefer-hotep. Khonsu approaches the manifestation of himself specialized in healing and extirpating demons, which is Khonsu pa-ir-sekher.
As you can see, Khonshu, in Egyptian mythology, has several avatars himself, with a compartmentalized personality; we therefore understand why he was originally chosen by Marvel creators: he has this trait in common with Steven Grant, and resembles him in this aspect. The Egyptian God and Steve Grant have identity troubles, and it’s ultimately what brought them together in the MCU.
And if you want to know what weapon is in series Moon Knight is even more powerful than Mjolnir in the MCU, you can check our previous article on the subject.
