Neper (mythology)

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For the dimensionless unit, see Neper. For Nepit as an information entropy unit, see Nat (information).

In Egyptian mythology, Neper (also spelt Nepra or Nepri) was an androgynous deification (the feminine form of his name is Nepit) of grain, a valuable commodity in ancient Egypt, which faced starvation without it. In particular, he was especially associated with the most used types, namely barley and emmer wheat. His name simply means lord of the mouth, a reference to the function of grain as sustenance.

Pictured as a human, Neper's body was dotted to represent grains of corn. The hieroglyphs that write his name similarly include the symbols of grain. Naturally, as lord of the mouth, Neper's mother was identified as Renenutet, who gave out the Ren, a person's true name, and who was also identified as source of nourishment.

Once the myth of the Legend of Osiris and Isis had begun to be told, since Osiris was now a life-death-rebirth deity, in common with many cultures, his story was associated with the annual harvest, and the annual disappearance of any visible life in the crop. Thus, at this point, Neper became considered merely an aspect of Osiris, a much more significant god, gaining the title (one who) lives after dying.