The Society of Thoth (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Θώθ) was a secret society at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The club was founded in 1926 by members of the ''

Ubyssey ''The Ubyssey'' is the University of British Columbia's official, independent student-run paper and is published bi-weekly on Tuesday. Founded on October 18, 1918, ''The Ubyssey'' is an independent publication funded by a $7.09 annual fee, from ...

'' student paper as an "honorary journalistic society" devoted to "increasing the gaiety of nations, by the development of wit and humor."''"Society of Thoth", U.B.C. club''
City of Vancouver Archives (Accessed 2012-10-12) Members later acknowledged "that the journalistic objects of this society" were "second to its other aims; namely to the assisting in the development of University spirit." The club first gained notoriety on campus for its 'Royal Egyptian' pantomime at UBC's annual Homecoming Night.''"Scribes' Society to Reorganize"''
''The Ubyssey'', October 4, 1927 (Accessed 2012-11-16) Membership in the society, often predicated on academic achievement or campus leadership, was initially restricted to men and determined by a 'Grand Scribe' and a board of directors. Members remained secretive about the club's "awesome and terrifying ceremony of initiation," having sworn an oath of secrecy. The society's meetings were held on the Point Grey campus in secret.''Thoth is Back''
''The Ubyssey'', October 8, 1935, p 4. (Accessed 2013-01-02) Member and UBC classics professor Malcolm McGregor has claimed that club members were the "first habitues of what is now

Wreck Beach Wreck Beach ( Squamish: Ts'at'lhm) is a clothing-optional beach located in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is in turn part of the University Endowment Lands just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The clothing-optional section i ...

."McGregor, Malcolm
''"Vilest rag" turns 60 today''
''The Ubyssey'', October 17, 1978, p 4. (Accessed 2012-11-21) Rumored members include former ''Ubyssey'' staffers

Earle Birney Earle Alfred Birney (13 May 1904 – 3 September 1995) was a Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honour, for his poetry. Life Born in Calgary, Alberta, and raised on a farm in Eri ...

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and leader of t ...

and

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also wr ...

References

External links

Soliloquies: What is Thoth?
{{UBC Collegiate secret societies University of British Columbia Student organizations established in 1926