<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Hapi in hieroglyphs </Th> </Tr> <P> Hapi was the god of the annual flooding of the Nile in ancient Egyptian religion . The flood deposited rich silt (fertile soil) on the river's banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops . Hapi was greatly celebrated among the Egyptians . Some of the titles of Hapi were, Lord of the Fish and Birds of the Marshes and Lord of the River Bringing Vegetation . Hapi is typically depicted as an intersex person with a large belly and pendulous breasts, wearing a loincloth and ceremonial false beard . </P> <P> The annual flooding of the Nile occasionally was said to be the Arrival of Hapi . Since this flooding provided fertile soil in an area that was otherwise desert, Hapi, as its patron, symbolised fertility . He had large female breasts because he was said to bring a rich and nourishing harvest . Due to his fertile nature he was sometimes considered the "father of the gods", and was considered to be a caring father who helped to maintain the balance of the cosmos, the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system . He was thought to live within a cavern at the supposed source of the Nile near Aswan . The cult of Hapi was mainly located at the First Cataract named Elephantine . His priests were involved in rituals to ensure the steady levels of flow required from the annual flood . At Elephantine the official nilometer, a measuring device, was carefully monitored to predict the level of the flood, and his priests must have been intimately concerned with its monitoring . </P>

Who was the egyptian god of the nile