Whereas in Upper Egypt, it was the lotus and crocodiles which were more present in the Nile, thus these were the symbols of the region, and those associated with Hapi there. In Lower Egypt, he was adorned with papyrus plants and attended by frogs, present in the region, and symbols of it. Other attributes varied, depending upon the region of Egypt in which the depictions exist. He also was usually given blue or green skin, representing water.
Iconography Īlthough male and wearing the false beard, Hapi was pictured with pendulous breasts and a large stomach, as representations of the fertility of the Nile. He was also considered a "friend of Geb", the Egyptian god of the earth, and the "lord of Neper", the god of grain. Hapi was not regarded as the god of the Nile itself but of the inundation event. At Elephantine the official nilometer, a measuring device, was carefully monitored to predict the level of the flood, and his priests must have been intimately concerned with its monitoring. His priests were involved in rituals to ensure the steady levels of flow required from the annual flood. The cult of Hapi was mainly located at the First Cataract named Elephantine. He was thought to live within a cavern at the supposed source of the Nile near Aswan. Due to his fertile nature he was sometimes considered the "father of the gods", and was considered to be a caring father who helped to maintain the balance of the cosmos, the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system. He had large female breasts because he was said to bring a rich and nourishing harvest. Since this flooding provided fertile soil in an area that was otherwise desert, Hapi symbolised fertility. The annual flooding of the Nile occasionally was said to be the Arrival of Hapi.
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