Greek Mythology

The Classical Gods of Ancient Greece

HARPOCRATES

Greek Silent God

Picture of the Greek Silent God Harpocrates from our Greek mythology image library. Illustration by Chas Saunders.

Baby-faced God of Shhh

Bit of a glitch here. He started out as Har-pa-khered, the Egyptian divine baby Horus, but the Greeks borrowed him for their deity collection.

As a toddler God, he was depicted in suitably cutesy fashion with his finger to his mouth. Awww bless. Unfortunately, when the Greeks saw this finger-licking image they assumed he was making the sign of Shhh! They categorized him as a God of Silence.

Still, it could have been worse. Harpocrates could have ended up as the God of Nail-Biting or Nose-Picking.

Not much has been heard about him since those times, so perhaps the Greeks eventually realized their embarrassing mistake. Shhh! Best to keep it quiet.

If you’re wondering what happened to Harpocrates in the end, we may have a lead. There is a very cute picture of him in finger-sucking pose with curly hair and staring eyes. Did this silent spirit ditch his last name and become HARPO MARX, the God of Silent Comedy?

It’s a long shot but we’re keeping our eyes open for mythological sightings of GROUCHO, CHICO and ZEPPO. Honk! Honk!

Harpocrates Facts and Figures

Name: Harpocrates
Pronunciation: Coming soon
Alternative names:

Gender: Male
Type: God
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present

Role:
In charge of: Silence
Area of expertise: Silence, Quiet

Good/Evil Rating: NEUTRAL, may not care
Popularity index: 6779

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Article last revised on September 05, 2018 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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