sokar

Sokar, also spelled Seker or Sokari, is an ancient Egyptian deity associated with the dead and the Memphite necropolis. In Memphite theology he is a funerary god whose cult centers on tombs, burial rites, and the afterlife. Over time, Sokar was incorporated into a larger divine configuration, first as Ptah-Sokar, and later as Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, a composite deity that joined creation, craftsmanship, and resurrection.

The name Sokar appears in various spellings in hieroglyphic and Greek sources, and the precise etymology is uncertain. In myth and ritual, Sokar is most closely linked with the realm of the dead and with tomb cults around the Memphis region, particularly the necropolis at Saqqara. In art and worship, he is commonly represented in a funerary form, typically as a mummified figure that embodies the god’s association with burial and rebirth. The combined deity Ptah-Sokar-Osiris reflects a theological synthesis in which creation (Ptah), funerary protection (Sokar), and the Osirian cycle of death and rebirth (Osiris) are unified for the dead.

Cult centers for Sokar were part of the Memphite religious landscape, and his imagery and worship influenced broader funerary practice in ancient Egypt. Although the distinct cult of Sokar declined as Osiris-centered worship and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris gained prominence, Sokar’s legacy persisted in the Memphis triad and in funerary contexts where the themes of death and renewal remained central.