Apis (Bull to which divine honors)
3 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Apis (Bull to which divine honors). Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a bull to which divine honors were paid by the ancient Egyptians, who regarded him as a symbol of Osiris. At Memphis he had a splendid residence, containing extensive walks and courts for his entertainment, and he was waited upon by a large train of priests, who looked upon his every movement as oracular. He was not suffered to live beyond 25 years, being secretly killed by the priests and thrown into a sacred well. Another bull, characterized by certain marks, as a black color, a triangle of white on the forehead, a white cresent-shaped spot on the right side, etc., was selected in his place. His bi birthday was annually celebrated, and his death was a season of public mourning. Belzoni found a colossal sarcophagus of alabaster, which is now in the British Museum, and in the same apartment the body of a bull, embalmed in asphaltum.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a'pis, the Bull of Memphis, worshiped with great reverence by the ancient Egyptians. The name signifies "the hidden one," and the Sacred Bull was supposed to be the incarnation of Osiris, the god of the under world. The individual animal held to be an Apis was recognized by certain signs. It must be black, have a white triangle on the forehead, a half moon on the breast, and a small hump under the tongue in the shape of a scarabaeus or beetle. This beetle was an emblem of immortality. If such a bull was found, it was brought with great rejoicing to Memphis, tended with care, and, at its death, buried with elaborate ceremonies and at great cost. 2026 Editor's Note: The sacred Apis bulls were mummified and entombed in the Serapeum at Saqqara , an underground gallery of colossal granite sarcophagi each weig hing dozens of tons — rediscovered in 1851 and still one of Egypt's most astonishing sites. The biblical golden calf may echo this very worship. (Ed: BR 2026-06-01)
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
A god of the Egyptians, worshipped under the form of an ox. Some say that Isis and Osiris are the deities worshipped under this name, because they taught the Egyptians agriculture.