The Great Hymn to the Aten, Essay Example

For this project I was asked to select 2 epithets from the Great Hymn To The Aten which personify Aten and discuss what these epithets say about both the God and the speaker Akhenaton.

The first epithet I have chosen is the constant use of the word ‘ You ‘ throughout the hymn. This seems to suggest that Akhenaton sees Aten as a human like entity rather than simply as the sun itself which is what Aten represents. I say this because the word ‘ you ‘ is usually attributed to a person rather than an object.

The second epithet I have chosen is the phrase ‘ As their maker rests in the Light land ‘ this personify’s Aten because it implies that he needs to rest during the hours of darkness just like a human being does. This further enforces my point that rather than simply worshiping the sun Akhenaton is worshiping what he believes is a spiritual entity.

Works Cited

Lichtheim, Maria. “The Great Hymn To The Aten.” The Great Hymn To The Aten. 1. Print.