In Egyptian mythology, Chons (alternately Khensu, Khons, Khonsu or Khonshu) is a lunar deity, and a son of Amun and Mut. His name means “The Wanderer,” probably because as a moon god, Khons constantly moved across the night sky. Consequently, he was thought to watch over night travelers. Some of his titles were “The Embracer,” “The Pathfinder,” and “The Defender.” Khons was invoked to protect against wild animals, increase male virility, and to aid with healing. As the moon, he was thought to embody peace and destructiveness, death and regeneration.

Khons was depicted as a child with the head of a hawk, wearing the crescent of the new moon subtending the disk of the full moon. His head was shaven except for the side-lock worn by Egyptian children, signifying his role as “Khons the Child.” Occasionally Khons was depicted as a young man holding the flail of the pharaoh, wearing a menat necklace. He was sometimes pictured on the back of a goose, ram, or two crocodiles. Khons’s sacred animal was the baboon, considered a lunar animal by the ancient Egyptians. He was occasionally said to be the son of Khnum.