mention a few depictions of it in various cultures?
A red hippo represented the Ancient Egyptian god Set symbolises virility.
Hippopotamus
A red hippo represented the Ancient Egyptian god Set; the thigh is the "phallic leg of Set", symbolising virility.
what is hippopotamus? It is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal and ungulate native to sub-Saharan Africa. from where did it get its name? It is derived from the ancient Greek. how is it classified? It is the type genus of the family Hippopotamidae. does it attack humans? Yes, small boats can easily be capsized.
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Hippopotamus [SEP] Cultural depictions
A red hippo represented the Ancient Egyptian god Set; the thigh is the "phallic leg of Set", symbolising virility. Set's consort Tawaret was also seen as part hippo and was a goddess of protection in pregnancy and childbirth, because ancient Egyptians recognised the protective nature of a female hippo toward her young. The Ijaw people of the Niger Delta wore masks of aquatic animals like the hippo when practicing their water spirit cults and hippo ivory was used in the divination rituals of the Yoruba. The Behemoth from the Book of Job, 40:15–24 is thought to be based on a hippo.