We don’t usually think of Isis in relation to crocodiles or to Sobek,the Crocodile God. Ahh, but wait. As with so much in Egyptian religion, it’s complicated. And there are more Isis-croc connections than we might at first think.

Let’s start with a bit about the crocodile itself. ANile crocodile can reach up to twenty feet in length—and itdoesn’t care what iteats.In addition to theirusual diet of fish, the Nile crocodileis happy to feed on birds, wild and domestic animals—and human beings. Estimates are that as many as 200 people a year are killed by crocodiles. Crocodilescatch their prey in huge, toothy jaws and drag it underwater until the struggling stops. It is no wonder Egyptians ancient and modern fear the beast. Perhaps that fear explains why the Nile crocodile was hunted nearly to extinction in the 1940s through 60s. Today, however…