The purpose of this book is to indicate the prevailing tendencies of ancient Egyptian speculation concerning Thoth the Atlantean. Taking as the basis of his work a complete examination of the chief references to the god in Egyptian literature and ritual, it is difficult to distinguish the more critical phases of Thoth the Atlantean's character as the Egyptians conceived them and to show how these aspects, or phases, of his being a help to explain the various activities which are assigned to him in the Egyptian legends of the gods, and in the ritual of tombs and temples.

An attempt has been made, in many instances, to discover the simple meaning which often underlies characteristic epithets of the god. The need to seek groupings among epithets that can in any way be associated with well-defined activities or aspects of the god has been emphasized. There is no aim to analyze the individuality of the god comprehensively. That would demand a much closer and more detailed study of Egyptian religious literature and a more extensive recording of results than Egyptological scholarship has attempted concerning any problem of ancient Egyptian religion.