TYPHON, an Egyptian Deity. This People admitted of two Principles, one Good, and the other Bad.1 From the good Principle proceeded Generation, and from the bad one proceeded the Corruption of every thing. The good Principle had a Superiority over the evil one; but not so far as to destroy it, and to hinder its Operations. Isis, Osiris, and Orus, were the good Principles; Typhon was the bad Principle. Osiris was in the Universe what Reason is in Man, and Typhon was analogous to the Passions that are contrary to Reason. In the Human Body a good Temperament proceeded from Osiris; but Diseases and Indispositions came from Tryphon. To him also were imputed Tempests, Inundations, Earthquakes, Eclipses of the Sun and Moon, and every thing that passed for an Irregularity in Nature. The Ass was his Symbol, as also the Crocodile. He had divine Honours paid to him in the Canton of Egypt called Papremis.
Typhon was Brother to Osiris,2 who reigned in Egypt with Equity and Justice. But Typhon was a violent and cruel Man, killed his Brother, and cut his Body into twenty-six Parts, of which he gave one to every one of those who had conspired along with him, to engage them farther by that, in making them equally obliged to support him in his Usurpation of the Kingdom of Egypt. But Isis, the Wife and Sister of Osiris, and Orus, their Son, revenged his Death upon Typhon, put him to death, and all that had conspired with him. He was drowned in the River Orontes.
He is said to have been buried under the Island of Sicily; which Island was hardly sufficient to cover his Body, it being of so enormous a Size.
We should not here have spoke of Typhon, who is not mentioned in Scripture, had not some Criticks maintained, that Typhon is the same as Shem the Son of Noah; and that several Particulars of his Life and Death have great Resemblance with those of the King of Basan. The Egyptians give to Typhon the Name of Seth, Seth, a or of Smy, which has a good deal of relation to that of Shem. Marsham thinks,3 that the City of Pithom, mentioned in Exodus,Exod. i. 11. takes its Name from Typhon; the Hebrews having purposely changed and disguised the Name, because it was forbid them to name the Name of strange Gods. The Egyptians gave to Shem, who was blessed by Noah,4 the odious Names of the Evil Principle, and of an Usurper, which would much better agree to their Founder, Ham.
Typhon is said to have been drowned in the River Orontes, or in the Lake Sirbon, Herodot. l. 3. c. 5.near to Egypt. The Egyptians accuse this Deity of Outrage in several of their Ceremonies. Plutarch. de Iside.Those of the Coptæ throw an Ass down a Precipice, in contempt of Typhon, because this God was ruddy, and of the Colour of an Ass. Typhon is commonly described Homer. Iliad. 2.with Serpents. Homer says, that the Bed of Typhon was at Arymes, or Arame, that is to say, in Syria. The same Homer says, that Typhon was killed at Ydes, in a Country full of Oaks, in the midst of a very fat People. The greatest part of these Characters agree to King Og; he was a Giant of a great Stature. Typhon was so large, as that the Island of Sicily was hardly sufficient to cover him. He was cast into the Lake Sirbon. Job says, that the ancient Giants groan under the Waters. Og persecuted the Hebrews, and made War against them; he died in Syria, in the Country of Aram, beyond Jordan, in a fat and fruitful Land, the Land of Basan. The Ydes of Homer may stand for Judea. The Name Hivites signifies Serpents. Og was of the number of the Giants of the Hivites and Amorites. But we must own, that all this is far-fetched, and can give but little Assistance, in clearing up, or illustrating the sacred History.
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