God of the Nile who lived in the caves under cataracts or boulders in the Nile. Hapi was the god of inundation, the flood, and as such, he personified the annual flooding of the Nile. Hapi was a fertility god, for the fate of the crops each year depended on how high the Nile rose and how much rich silt was spread across the flooded fields. Aquatic plants crown Hapi's head, and his pendulous breasts and sagging stomach symbolize abundance and fertility. Hapi's titles include Master of the River Bringing Vegetation and Lord of Fish and Fowl of the Marshes. In keeping with his aquatic associations, Hapi is attended by frog goddesses and crocodiles. Oddly, no temples were dedicated to Hapi his statues and reliefs were carved in the temples of other gods. Several versions of a hymn to Hapi have been found that appear to be later copies of an original, perhaps composed in the Middle Kingdom (2055 - 1650 B.C). The hymn tells of the joy experienced in Egypt when Hapi provides a good inundation.
