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| | From:  _vixedjuju_ (Original Message) | Sent: 6/6/2007 3:21 AM |
THE STORY OF
HERU AND SET
Heru, the Avenger of Asur, came before the Great Ennead. With His Mother beside Him, He spoke of the cruel murder of His Father at the hands of Set. He spoke of the usurption of the Throne of Egypt. The Gods were impressed by the eloquence of the Falcon-Headed One, and They pitied Him.
Shu, Son of the Creator, was the first to speak: "Right should rule might. Mighty Set hath force on His side, but Young Heru hath Justice. We shalt do Justice unto Heru by proclaiming, 'Yes! Ye shalt have the throne of Thy Father!'"
Djehuty, Lord of Wisdom, spake unto the Ennead, "This is right a million times!"
Aset gave a great cry of Joy. She begged the North Wind to change direction Westward to whisper the news unto Ausir.
Lord Shu declared, "Giving the Throne unto Heru seems right to the whole of the Ennead! Djehuty shalt give the Royal signet ring to Heru. We shall crown Him with the White Crown!"
And, to this, Set proclaimed, "It is I who slay the Enemy of Re daily. It is I Who stand in the prow of the Bark of Millions of Years, and no other God can do it. It is I who should recieve the office of Ausir!"
The Gods knew the Terrors of the Serpents of Chaos. They muttered that Set was right. Heru, Lord of Light, spake and said, "Shall one give office to the uncle when the bodily Son is there?"
Aset became furious at the Ennead for not speaking in favour of Her Son. She complained to Them until, for the sake of peace, They promised that Justice should be given unto Heru.
Mighty Set was angered. "How dare Ye cowards break Thine Oath! I shalt fetch My Great Septre and strike one of You down with it each day! I swear that I will not argue My case in any Court where Aset is present!"
Re proclaimed, "We shall cross the river to the Island in the Midst, and try the case thereon. I shalt further order the ferryman not to ferry Aset across."
Cunning Aset, the Mistress of Magick, changed Herself into a bent old woman. She carryied a jar of flour and honey cakes. She offered a golden ring to the ferryman to give Her passage, and They were soon across. She slipped through the trees, and towards the camp of the Ennead.
The Gods were holding a feast, but Set stood apart from the Divine Comapany. Aset had changed Her shape once more. She now appearing as a beautiful young woman, dressed as a widow. The Great Lady approached the Lord of Storm. "Who art Thou, my pretty?" asked Set, "And why hast Thou come here?"
Aset hid her face and wept, "O Great Lord, I am looking for a champion. I was the wife of a herdsman, and I bore for him a son. Then, my dear husband died, and the boy began to tend his father's cattle. But, lo! a stranger came and ceased our byre, and told my son that he would take our cattle and turn us out. My son wished to protest, but the stranger threatened to beat him. Great Lord, help me! Be my son's champion!"
Set heard Her words and dried Her tears. "Do not cry, my pretty. I shalt be your champion and destroy this villain! How dare a stranger take the father's property whilst the son is still alive!"
Great Aset shrieked with laughter. She became a kite. She flew into an acacia tree. "Cry thyself, Mighty Set! Ye hath condemed thyself! Thou hast judged Thine own case!"
Set was angered unto tears of rage. The Gods demanded to know what had transpired. He told Them of how He had been tricked by the cunning Lady Aset.
Re said unto the Dark God, "It is true, Set. Thou hast judged Thyself."
Now the Ennead crossd over the river and camped in the Western Mountains. Plans were made for the coronation of Heru. Set, still, would not admit His defeat. He exclaimed, "I challenge You, Heru! Let us turn Ourselves into hippopatami and fight deep within the river! Who-so-ever surfaces first shall admit defeat!"
Heru acccepted gladly, but Aset fell to the ground and wept, afraid that Set would slay Her Son. The two Gods plunged into the depths of the river. The battle raged for many days. Vicotry inclined first to one side, and then to the other; and the heart of Aset suffered bitterly. She took yarn and copper; making them into a magickal harpoon. She threw the weapon into the white water. The copper point stabbed Heru in the flank; He surfaced and roared, "Mother! Thy spear hath pierced Me! Let me go!"
Aset caled to Her magick weapon to release Heru. It returned to Her hand. She threw it again, and this time it caught hold of Set. With a bellow of pain Set arose. "O My Sister, why must Thou always be My enemy? What have I done to Thee? I am Your Brother; Let Me go!" Great Aset' heart grew soft, and She released Her pleading Brother.
Heru was furious with His Mother for the release of His enemy. He leaped out of the river, His face like a leopard, and cut off the head of Aset with one stroke of His copper knife. He then strode away towards the Mountains of the West. Aset, Mistress of Magick, calmly turned Her body into a statue; She walked towards the tent of Re. The Gods were horrified, even Djehuty Himself. The Great God of Words of Power transformed Aset' head amd set it again upon Her shoulders in the form of that of a cow. The Ennead went into the Mountains of the West in search of Heru.
The Young God had found an oasis. He was alseep in the shadow of a palm tree. Set found Heru, seized hold of Him, threw Him down, removed His two Eyes from their sockets, and buried them on the mountain so as to illumine the earth. The two balls of His eyes became two bulbs which grew into lotuses. When He returned to the encampment, He told the Gods that He had found no trace of His nephew.
Hwt-Hrw, Lady of the Southern Sycamore, finally came upon the blinded God. She pityed His agony. She caught a gazelle and milked it, and then knelt beside the Young God, saying gently, "Uncover Your face." She dripped the milk onto His wounds. At once the pain vanished. "Open Your eyes," commanded Hwt-Hrw. He obeyed and found that the healing Magick of the Goddess had restored His eyes and He could see again.
Hwt-Hrw returned to the Ennead and said, "Set has been lying to you. He hath torn out the Eyes of Heru. I hath healed the Young God. He approacheth now!"
Re called the Two Contendors before Him. He passed Divine Jugdment upon Them for Their wrong-doings. He demanded that They cease their quarreling. Set appeared to agree. He invited Heru to stay with Him in His palace.
One evening, as the two lay together resting, Set inserted his penis between the thighs of Heru. Heru, however, unknown to the Dark Lord of Storm, had caught Set's semen in His hand. With the help of His mother, Aset, He placed His own semen upon lettuce growing in a garden; lettuce that Set was to eat.
Set spake unto Heru, "Come, let us go, that I may contend with you in the Court." Within the Court, Set declared, "Let the office of Ruler be given to Me, for as regards Heru who stands here, I have done a man's deed to Him."
Heru laughed and said, "What Set has said is false. Let the semen of Set be called, and let us see from where it will answer."
And so Djehuty, the Self Created, called upon the semen of Set. The answer came from a far-away marsh, where Aset had long since deposited it.
Heru said, "Let mind be called, and let us see from where it will answer."
Then Djehuty laid His hand on the arm of Set and said, "Come out, semen of Heru!" And it spake unto Him, "Where shall I come out?" Djehuty said to it, "Come out of His ear." It replied to Him, "Should I come out of His ear, I who am Divine Seed?" Then it came out as a Golden Sun Disk upon the head of Set. Set became very angry, and He stretched forth His hand to seize the Golden Disk.
In desperation, Set demanded one more contest with Heru. Before the whole Ennead he declared, "Let both of us build a ship of stone. We shall race them down the Nile. Who-so-ever wins the race shall wear the Crown of Ausir." Heru agreed to the contest at once.
Mighty Set took up His club. He struck the top of a mountain. Then he built a huge ship of solid stone and dragged it to the river. Heru' ship was already afloat, for the Young God had secretly made a boat of pine and plastered it so as to appear as stone. Set tried to launch His boat; it sank to the bottom of the Nile and the Ennead laughed. Set leaped into the water. He turned Himself into a hippopotamus once more. He attacked the bark of Heru. The wooden boat splintered and sank. Heru grabbed His spear and thrust at Set, but the Ennead shouted at Him to stop; He had to obey the command of the Great Gods of Annu.
Heru made His complaint against Set: "It is now eighty years We are in the Court, but They do not know how to judge amoung Us. I have contended with Him in the Hall of the Way of Truth. I was found right against Him. I have contended with Him in the Hall of the Horned Heru. I was found right against Him. I have contended with Him in the Hall of the Field of Rushes. I was found right against Him. I have contended with Him in the Hall of the Field Pool. I was found right against Him."
In the Trial, Re-Atum asked this important question: "What shall We do about these two Gods, Who for eighty years now have been before the tribunal?"
Geb, Lord of the Gods, commanded the Nine Gods gather to Him. He judged between Heru and Set; He ended Their great quarrel. He made Set as king of Southern Egypt, up to the place in which He was born, which is Su. And Geb made Heru king of Egypt in the land of Northern Egypt, up to the place in which His Father was drowned, which is the Division of the Two Lands.
Thus Heru stood over one region, and Set stood over one region. They made peace over the Two lands. That was the divsion of the Two Lands.
Geb's words to Set, "Go to the place in which You were born." Set: Southern Egypt. Geb's words to Heru, "Go to the place where Your Father was drowned." Heru: Northern Egypt. Geb's words to Heru and Set, "I have seperated You."- Lower and Upper Egypt.
Then Heru spake and said, "It is not good to defraud Me before the Ennead and to take the office of my Father Ausir from Me!"
Shu and Djehuty persuaded the Court to send a letter to Ausir. After a time, the messanger returned. He bore an angry letter from the King of the Dead. Ausir demanded to know why His son had been robbed of the throne. He demanded to know if the Gods had forgotten that it was He, Ausir, Who had given the world the precious gifts of barley and wheat.
Re was offended at Ausir' words. He returned a letter of arrogance. After many days, another weary messenger returned. He bore a second letter from the King of the Dead. Djehuty read it aloud: "How good are the deeds of the Ennead? Justice has sunk into the underworld. Now, listen to Me; The land of the Dead is full of demons who fear no God or Goddess. If I send them out into the world of the living they will bring back the hearts of evil-doers to the place of punishment. Who amoung You is more powerful than I? Even the Gods must come, at last, to the Beautiful West." At these words even the Creator was afraid.
Then it seemed wrong to Geb that the portion of Heru was like the portion of Set. So Geb gave to Heru His inheritance, for He is the Son of His Firstborn Son.
Geb's words to the Nine Gods: "I have appointed Heru, the Firstborn, Him alone, Heru, the inheritance. To the Son of My Son, Heru, the Jackal of Southern Egypt...the First-Born Heru, the Opener of the Ways."
Then Heru stood over the land. He is the uniter of this land, proclaimed in the Great Name Ta-tenen, South of His Wall, Lord of Eternity.
Then sprouted the two Great Magickians upon His head. He is Heru who arose as King of Upper and Lower Egypt, who united the Two Lands in the Nome of the Wall, the place in which the Two Lands were united.
Reed and papyrus were placed on the double door of the House of Ptah. That means Heru and Set, pacified and united. They fraternized so as to cease quarrreling in whatever place They might be, being united in the House of Ptah, the Balance of the Two Lands in which Upper and Lower Egypt had been weighed.
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Egyptian Mythology Many books have been written on religion in ancient Egypt. This brief overview is meant only to explain some of the basic concepts and to introduce some of the gods. Religion in ancient Egypt was not unlike modern times. Today, not everyone believes in the same way, or of the same god. Egypt was no different. Individual kings worshipped their own gods, as did the workers, priests, merchants and peasants. Pre-dynastic Egypt had formulated the ideas and beliefs of a "greater being", which was expressed in pictures, but some scholars suggest that "writing" was invented in order to communicate spiritual thoughts to the masses. Now the pictures had ideas, and took on human traits. The gods lived, died, hunted, went into battle, gave birth, ate, drank, and had human emotions. The gods reigns overlapped, and, in some instances, merged. Their was no organized hierarchy structure of their reign. The dominance of the gods depended on the beliefs of the reigning king. Their area of dominance depended on where the king wanted his capital. Likewise, the myths changed with the location of the gods, as did their names. Names in ancient Egypt were very mystic and powerful. It was thought that if you inscribed your enemies' name on something, then broke it, that enemy would either be afflicted, or possibly die. If you knew a name you had power. In the same respect, using a name could be beneficial. Each god had five names, and each was associated with an element, such as air, with celestial bodies, or were a descriptive statement about the god, such as strong, virile or majestic. The creator of all things was either Re, Amun, Ptah, Khnum or Aten, depending on which version of the myth was currently in use. The heavens were represented by Hathor, Bat, and Horus. Osiris was an earth god as was Ptah. The annual flooding of the Nile was Hapi. Storms, evil and confusion were Seth. His counterpart was Ma'at, who represented balance, justice and truth. The moon was Thoth and Khonsu. Re, the sun god, took on many forms, and transcended most of the borders that contained the other gods. The actual shape of the sun, the disk (or, aten), was deified into another god, Aten. As stated earlier, certain gods were worshipped in different areas. Local cities or villages, known as nomes, often had unique gods that were known only to that region. On occasion, these gods attained country -wide recognition and became the myths and legends that were passed on from century to century. Below is a listing of the main gods and their primary place of worship. Amaunet - A female counterpart to Amon and one of the primordial gods of the Hermopolitian Ogdoad (group of eight gods). She was also worshipped at Thebes along with Amon and Mut. Amon - Usually associated with the wind, or things hidden, and was also of the Hermopolitian Ogdoad. At Thebes he became Amon-Re, king of the gods. He was part of the Theban Triad, along with Mut and Khonsu. Antaios - He was originally a double god, "the two falcons", that was later joined to create one, probably that of Horus. Anuket - Worshipped at Elephantine, she was associated with the gazelle. Apis - Seen as the bull with a solar disk between its horns, Apis was associated with Osiris and Ptah. Aton - Also known as Aten, he was worshipped at Tell 'Amarna. Atum - A primordial god that was represented in the form of a human and a serpent. He was the supreme god in the Heliopolitan Ennead (group of nine gods) and formed with Re to create Re-Atum. Hathor - The goddess of love, dance and alcohol was depicted as a cow. At Thebes she was also the goddess of the dead. She was worshipped at Dendera as the consort of Horus and Edfu, and was associated with Isis at Byblos. Horus - The earliest royal god was the shape of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. The sky-god was the ruler of the day. The many forms of Horus are; Re-Harakhti, Harsiesis, Haroeris, Harendotes, Khenti-irti, Khentekhtay (the crocodile-god), and Harmakhis, which is Horus on the horizons, in which the Sphinx of Giza is considered to be his aspect. Isis - The mother of Horus and sister and consort of Osiris was worshipped at Philae. Associated with Astarte, Hathor, Nut and Sothis, she was later worshipped over the entire Roman Empire. Khnum - Resembling a human with a rams head, he was worshipped in Hypselis, Esna, Antinoe and Elephantine. Khonsu - the moon god was the son of Amon and Mut. The main temple at Karnak is dedicated to him. Min - God of fertility coalesced with Amon and Horus. Min was mainly worshipped at Coptos and Akhmim. Mut - Worshipped at Thebes, she was a consort of Amon and part of the Theban Triad (group of three gods). Nut - Mother of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies. Osiris - He is regarded as the dead king that watches over the nether world and is rejuvenated in his son Horus. As the symbol of eternal life he was worshipped at Abydos and Philae. Ptah - Worshipped in Memphis, he coalesced with Sokaris and Osiris. Re - He was the sun god of Heliopolis. From the fifth Dynasty onwards he becomes a national god and is combined with the supreme deity Amon. Serapis - He was mainly worshipped in Alexandria and was later worshipped by the Greeks as Zeus. He was never fully accepted by the Egyptians in the Ptolemaic period. Sekhmet - She was part of the Memphite Triad with Ptah and Nefertem. She was the mistress of war and sickness. Seth - The son of Geb and Nut in the Heliopolitan Ennead was in the form of an animal that has no zoological equivalent. This powerful god was regarded as god of the desert, making him a god of foreign lands. Shu - He was an ancient cosmic power and was regarded as the god of the air and the bearer of heaven. Sobek - He was a crocodile god and was worshipped at the Faiyum and Ombos. During the middle Kingdom he coalesced with Re, Sobek-Re, and was worshipped as primordial deity and creator-god. Thoth - He was worshipped as a baboon in Hermopolis. He was the god of sacred writings and wisdom. The kings of ancient Egypt were an integral part of religion. They formed a bridge over the chasm dividing the people and the gods. In pre-dynastic times the kings were considered to be gods. In later times, around the third dynasty, the kings became "transformed into" gods. This was a crucial part of the governing of the people. The heirs to the throne were not kept out of public display. At a young age they were known to many, and were known as children, not future gods. A king may have had many heirs and may not have known who would assume the throne until a much later time. In order for the people , (and the future king), to accept the transformation, certain procedures had to be worked out. This dilemma was beautifully solved by the ritual that merged the king with the god. Belief was that all future kings had two aspects of his being, his physical being and his "ka." The ka was his spiritual counterpart that was part of the king at birth and remained with him throughout his life. Before assuming the throne a ritual was performed that united the king's ka and his person. The king and his priests would enter a temple, perform the ritual, and emerge as a god. All of the people would wait outside to witness the miracle of the transformation when the king re-emerged from the temple. In this way was the new king accepted as a god and his word was accepted as law. Concerning religious matters, directly under the king were the priests. Their duty was to take care of the images of the gods. They also prepared the statues, or images, for the religious festivals. It was the priests role to read the scrolls before religious events. In later dynasties the priests were the voices of the oracles. Special compartments, called priest holes, were strategically placed inside the temple. The priests were able to speak from these holes unseen by the person asking questions or favors of the gods. Oracles were considered the pinnacle of the decision of the gods. The priests were in charge of the temple riches and granaries. They were on a rotation schedule and might work officially one week out of the month. Their laboratories were in the temples, where they prepared incense and healing potions. What we think of as wizards originated with the priests. Shrouded in mystery, they were seldom seen by the common people unless they were reading magical texts or performing religious rituals. Inside the temple sanctuaries they were seen only by the king.. During the 21st 'Dynasty tomb robbing was systematically done by the priests themselves. Throughout history tomb robbing had been a problem, but had generally been done by common thieves. The priests claimed that by removing the bodies, and stripping off all of the precious metals, that they were, in fact, saving the desecration of the bodies by the common thieves. Of course the priests re-wrapped the bodies and buried them in different tombs to help protect the corpses. Some of the stolen gold and silver went into the temple treasuries, but a large portion of it went to the purchase of wood and iron, resources that were not native to Egypt and were most costly. Thirdly, some of the riches went into the current kings' tomb, making the robberies sanctified by the throne. The ancient Egyptians were extremely devout in their beliefs. They were dedicated to their gods and worshipped daily in many different ways. Their way of life revolved around these beliefs. They had a strong sense of justice and endeavored to do that which was right. Just like our society today, the common people abhorred adultery, stealing, murder and lying. They were a highly sophisticated society with values and morals not unlike our own. Magic was commonplace for them as is demonstrated by the wearing of amulets to ward off evil. Magical texts were written in tombs to protect against would-be robbers. Many spells against snakebite have been discovered. Magical spells, rituals and concoctions were used to treat the sick or injured. If the magic did not work it was considered a will of the god, and not a failure of the magic. The peoples calm acceptance of the strange and unusual allowed them to reconcile themselves to either natural phenomena or to those things unseen. Every occurrence had spiritual meaning and had a unique god assigned to the act. In the 1st dynasty (2950 - 3110 B.C.E.) Menes, the king who is considered by many to be Ay or Narmer, united upper and lower Egypt. He created his capital at Memphis and dedicated a temple to the god Ptah. Existing beliefs at that time were revised to explain these events, and almost all other myths of gods came from this event. Over a period of time all of the surrounding local gods were brought into this scheme, creating a sort of order of the hierarchy of the gods. All of the gods were included in one story or another, so no one was offended. This composition of the gods was like laying bricks for a building and, in essence, created the foundation for history's longest lived civilization.
To understand the Myth of Creation, one must first understand that it is a complicated story. Four "cosmologies," or theories about creation are involved, each developing over different periods in ancient Egypt. There are some common elements to each theory. For example, each theory holds that in the beginning, only a primordial, stagnant ocean called Nu existed. In addition, the four theories agree that out of Nu, rose the primeval hill. Each cosmology believed it was their temple that stood on this hill. The first step-pyramids are no doubt symbolic of this mound. All cosmologies share the belief that creation was a slow process, not catastrophic. Finally, they also all agree that there was a "First Time," or a time period when the gods actually lived on earth. With this foundation, the Heliopolitan cosmogony develops the myth further. The first event was the creation of Atum, the god of Heliopolis. There is dispute over whether he created himself, or was the son of Nu. Some texts say he first appeared over the hill, others say he was, himself, the hill. Eventually, Atum became associated with Ra, the sun-god. Ra-Atum at this point is said to be the coming of the light to disperse the darkness of Nu. Ra-Atum is symbolized by the Phoenix in this context. His next task was to create other gods. He did this by masturbation, not having a mate. This was not offensive to ancient Egyptians, but in fact intensified his power in their minds. Ra-Atum gave birth to twins. Shu, his son and god of the air, was spit out, and his daughter, Tefnut, goddess of world order was vomited out by Ra-Atum. The Twins were raised by Nu and supervised by Ra-Atum's eye. The story of Ra-Atums eye will be told later. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb, god of the earth, and his wife and sister, Nut, goddess of the sky. Geb and Nut, in turn, were the parents of Isis, Osiris, Nephthys, and Set. These four gods, especially Osiris play a major role in later myths. Horus, another god was the son of Isis and Osiris. These five younger gods and goddesses may have been incorporated by the priests of Heliopolis. Whatever the case, this "Ennead," or grouping of gods, were very much a part of tradition during this time. From here, the order of dominance or precedence becomes contradictory. Some text place Horus in a very high position, others give the right to Nut. Still others claim that Atum placed Geb over the Ennead, which included himself. The priests during this period believed themselves to represent Geb and Nut, not Atum. Eventually, it is Ra, the sun-god, who is considered supreme. However, Osiris later assumes this role. All of this will be discussed later. Later, in 3100 B.C., Upper and Lower Egypt were joined and the capital became Memphis. This began a new theory of creation. Ptah, the high god of Memphis was deemed creator. At some point Ptah was even declared to be Nu (thus placed above Atum, high god of Heliopolis). The Ennead of Heliopolis was said to be merely a manifestation of Ptah. This displacement of Heliopolitan cosmogony was necessary to establish and maintain the Memphite superiority. Yet another cosmogony existed which was quite different from that of Heliopolis and Memphis. This was in a city in Upper Egypt called Hermopolis. It was said that this theory came before any other. Instead of an Ennead, Hermopolitans had a group of eight gods called an Ogdoad. This group consisted of Nun and Naunet, Huh and Hauhet, Kuk and Kauket, and Amon and Amaunet. According to this theory, these eight gods were responsible for creating the world. After this was done, the eight ruled the world during a time called the Golden Age. When they died, they went to the underworld, from where they still had power to make the Nile flow and the sun to rise. Nun and Naunet symbolize water, Huh and Hauhet represent "unendingness," Kuk and Kauket signify darkness, and Amon and Amaunet symbolize the air. Finally, in Thebes during the New Kingdom time from 1546-1085 B.C., a new cosmogony arose. At this time, all the other theories were widely accepted; therefore, it was essential that the Thebans incorporate the main features of these theories into their own. The chief god of Thebes was Amon, who was already associated with the air. This made it a simple task to also instill in Amon the power of the "supreme and invisible creator (Ames, 1965)." It was said that he created himself, having no father or mother, and was born in secret. Thebans claimed their city was the first city, and that all other cities were modeled after it. All of the cosmogonies claimed this. Thebans claimed that Thebes was the Eye of Ra, son of Amon. Going beyond what had been done in the past, Thebans claimed that entire cosmogonies were merely aspects of Amon; merely forms of him. It is important to mention at this point that each translation of ancient Egyptian text renders its own perspective on what is being said. There are many inconsistencies in each account. Therefor, it is a very complicated and difficult task to summarize the myth of creation, or any myth, for that matter. From source to source, the names of the gods differ; even spellings differ. This site attempts to give a brief outline or a basic knowledge of Egyptian mythology. With this in mind, we continue with a few myths related to the creation myth. The eye of Ra-Atum, mentioned above, is the mythological symbol for the sun. At one point, Shu and Tefnut, twin children of Ra-Atum, were separated from him. He sent his eye to find them. While the eye was searching, Ra-Atum replaced the eye with another. When the eye returned with Shu and Tefnut, Ra-Atum wept with joy, and the tears created humankind. However, the eye was enraged at having been replaced. Ra-Atum placed the eye on his forehead so that the eye could rule the world; thus becoming associated with the sun. The second eye is associated with the moon. Another mythological symbol associated with the Creation Myth is the Phoenix. The Phoenix was said to travel from Arabia to Heliopolis once every five hundred years. The cycles of time were said to be set by the Phoenix, also known as the Benu bird, and the temple of the Phoenix became the "centre of calendrical regulation (Clark, 1960)." During the Middle Kingdom, it became the soul of Osiris and it was also at this time that it became associated with the planet Venus, the morning star, which was said to be the sun’s guide. All of the above representations were minor associations, however. The Phoenix’s main role was as the one who created himself, thus symbolizing Ra-Atum. Common to all cosmogonies of creation is the temple. Each theory places its temple on the hill rising up from Nu. Myths concerning the form, origin and significance are mostly Memphite in origin; myths about the daily temple rituals are primarily Heliopolitan in nature. One such temple, and possibly the earliest described in myth, was that of the Falcon, associated with the god Horus who was the hunters�?god, maybe a war god, and later, a sky god. Thus, the Falcon was a symbol of majesty and power, and the model for the pharaohs. According to myth, this temple’s erection was a natural event and signified the final event in the process of creation. It started out as a shelter for the Falcon’s perch and this portion remained the most sacred place in the temple. The detail in which the temple is described exemplifies the high level of development that was reached even before historic times. Many temples like this were constructed in predynastic Egypt, most likely. The temple of the sun-god was the second type of temple built. This began as one rectangular structure or sanctuary. Other chambers were added, and a wall surrounded the structure. Some research shows that there was another type of temple of the sun-god that consisted of one sanctuary only. This temple signifies the beginning of the history of the actual temple physically built in Egypt. Myth has it that the above temples descended from one primeval temple that was built to shelter the successor of the creator. This temple is said to have stood on the hill rising up from Nu, as did every other temple described in the various cosmogonies. However, this was a living temple, the body of the god of the temple, who took his physical form using the temple.
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Egyptian Mythology, specifically, the religion of ancient Egypt. The religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians were the dominating influence in the development of their culture, although a true religion, in the sense of a unified theological system, never existed among them. The Egyptian faith was based on an unorganized collection of ancient myths, nature worship, and innumerable deities. In the most influential and famous of these myths a divine hierarchy is developed and the creation of the earth is explained. Creation According to the Egyptian account of creation, only the ocean existed at first. Then Ra, the sun, came out of an egg (a flower, in some versions) that appeared on the surface of the water. Ra brought forth four children, the gods Shu and Geb and the goddesses Tefnut and Nut. Shu and Tefnut became the atmosphere. They stood on Geb, who became the earth, and raised up Nut, who became the sky. Ra ruled over all. Geb and Nut later had two sons, Set and Osiris, and two daughters, Isis and Nephthys. Osiris succeeded Ra as king of the earth, helped by Isis, his sister-wife. Set, however, hated his brother and killed him. Isis then embalmed her husband's body with the help of the god Anubis, who thus became the god of embalming. The powerful charms of Isis resurrected Osiris, who became king of the netherworld, the land of the dead. Horus, who was the son of Osiris and Isis, later defeated Set in a great battle and became king of the earth. Local Gods From this myth of creation came the conception of the ennead, a group of nine divinities, and the triad, consisting of a divine father, mother, and son. Every local temple in Egypt possessed its own ennead and triad. The greatest ennead, however, was that of Ra and his children and grandchildren. This group was worshiped at Heliopolis, the center of sun worship. The origin of the local deities is obscure; some of them were taken over from foreign religions, and some were originally the animal gods of prehistoric Africa. Gradually, they were all fused into a complicated religious structure, although comparatively few local divinities became important throughout Egypt. In addition to those already named, the important divinities included the gods Amon, Thoth, Ptah, Khnemu, and Hapi, and the goddesses Hathor, Mut, Neit, and Sekhet. Their importance increased with the political ascendancy of the localities where they were worshiped. For example, the ennead of Memphis was headed by a triad composed of the father Ptah, the mother Sekhet, and the son Imhotep. Therefore, during the Memphite dynasties, Ptah became one of the greatest gods in Egypt. Similarly, when the Theban dynasties ruled Egypt, the ennead of Thebes was given the most importance, headed by the father Amon, the mother Mut, and the son Khonsu. As the religion became more involved, true deities were sometimes confused with human beings who had been glorified after death. Thus, Imhotep, who was originally the chief minister of the 3rd Dynasty ruler Zoser, was later regarded as a demigod. During the 5th Dynasty the pharaohs began to claim divine ancestry and from that time on were worshiped as sons of Ra. Minor gods, some merely demons, were also given places in local divine hierarchies. Iconography The Egyptian gods were represented with human torsos and human or animal heads. Sometimes the animal or bird expressed the characteristics of the god. Ra, for example, had the head of a hawk, and the hawk was sacred to him because of its swift flight across the sky; Hathor, the goddess of love and laughter, was given the head of a cow, which was sacred to her; Anubis was given the head of a jackal because these animals ravaged the desert graves in ancient times; Mut was vulture headed and Thoth was ibis headed; and Ptah was given a human head, although he was occasionally represented as a bull, called Apis. Because of the gods to which they were attached, the sacred animals were venerated, but they were never worshiped until the decadent 26th Dynasty. The gods were also represented by symbols, such as the sun disk and hawk wings that were worn on the headdress of the pharaoh. Sun Worship The only important god who was worshiped with consistency was Ra, chief of cosmic deities, from whom early Egyptian kings claimed descent. Beginning with the Middle Kingdom (2134-1668 BC), Ra worship acquired the status of a state religion, and the god was gradually fused with Amon during the Theban dynasties, becoming the supreme god Amon-Ra. During the 18th Dynasty the pharaoh Amenhotep III renamed the sun god Aton, an ancient term for the physical solar force. Amenhotep's son and successor, Amenhotep IV, instituted a revolution in Egyptian religion by proclaiming Aton the true and only god. He changed his own name to Akhenaton, meaning "Aton is satisfied." This first great monotheist was so iconoclastic that he had the plural word gods deleted from monuments, and he relentlessly persecuted the priests of Amon. Akhenaton's sun religion failed to survive, although it exerted a great influence on the art and thinking of his time, and Egypt returned to the ancient, labyrinthine religion of polytheism after Akhenaton's death. Burial Ritual Burying the dead was of religious concern in Egypt, and Egyptian funerary rituals and equipment eventually became the most elaborate the world has ever known. The Egyptians believed that the vital life-force was composed of several psychical elements, of which the most important was the ka. The ka, a duplicate of the body, accompanied the body throughout life and, after death, departed from the body to take its place in the kingdom of the dead. The ka, however, could not exist without the body; every effort had to be made, therefore, to preserve the corpse. Bodies were embalmed and mummified according to a traditional method supposedly begun by Isis, who mummified her husband Osiris. In addition, wood or stone replicas of the body were put into the tomb in the event that the mummy was destroyed. The greater the number of statue-duplicates in his or her tomb, the more chances the dead person had of resurrection. As a final protection, exceedingly elaborate tombs were erected to protect the corpse and its equipment. See Egyptian Art and Architecture. After leaving the tomb, the souls of the dead supposedly were beset by innumerable dangers, and the tombs were therefore furnished with a copy of the Book of the Dead. Part of this book, a guide to the world of the dead, consists of charms designed to overcome these dangers. After arriving in the kingdom of the dead, the ka was judged by Osiris, the king of the dead, and 42 demon assistants. The Book of the Dead also contains instructions for proper conduct before these judges. If the judges decided the deceased had been a sinner, the ka was condemned to hunger and thirst or to be torn to pieces by horrible executioners. If the decision was favorable, the ka went to the heavenly realm of the fields of Yaru, where grain grew 3.7 m (12 ft) high and existence was a glorified version of life on earth. All the necessities for this paradisiacal existence, from furniture to reading matter, were, therefore, put into the tombs. As a payment for the afterlife and his benevolent protection, Osiris required the dead to perform tasks for him, such as working in the grain fields. Even this duty could, however, be obviated by placing small statuettes, called ushabtis, into the tomb to serve as substitutes for the deceased.
Heket
A well known story tells of a plague of frogs which overran Egypt but the Egyptians knew the significance of the frog before that. She was Heket, with her life-giving powers, manifested on earth in frog form. She gave all creatures the breath of life before they were placed to grow in the womb, and she presided over the birth. Pregnant women prayed to her, wearing amulets and rings with her likeness. They sought her aid during birth and in the latter stage of labour her presence was indispensable. Midwives were 'Servants of Heket'. The power of her fertility was seen everywhere, in the germination of the grain, in the pregnant animals and in the millions and millions of frogs which sprung up on the river banks overnight. In a papyrus dating from the Middle Kingdom, we learn of the miraculous birth of the first three pharoahs of the 5th Dynasty. Raddjedet, wife of a wab priest of Ra, was suffering with a difficult labour. Deities skilled with childbirth were summoned, Isis and her twin Nephthys, together with the comforting Meskhenet, goddess of the birthing brick, and Heket the frog-headed goddess of fecundity. They disguised themselves as travelling musicians and dancers, and, accompanied by Khnum, he who fashioned men on his potters wheel, set off to help Raddjedet. Entering the birthing room, they sealed themselves inside with Isis standing before the labouring woman, Nephthys behind her, Meskhnet holding the brick and Heket hastening the birth. Isis spoke, "Don't be strong in her belly, you whose name is called Strength!" and a child rushed forth upon her arms - a child one cubit in length. His limbs were of gold and his royal head cloth of real lapis. They washed him and cut his cord. Then Meskhenet went to him and said, "A king who will rule throughout this entire land." And Khnum gave health to his body. Again Isis stood before her and Nephthys behind her while Heket hastened the birth. Isis spoke, "Don't walk in her belly, you whose name is called Feet of Ra!" and a child rushed forth upon her arms - a child one cubit in length. His limbs were of gold and his royal head cloth of real lapis. They washed him and cut his cord. Then Meskhenet went to him and said, "A king who will rule throughout this entire land." And Khnum gave health to his body. A third time Isis stood before her and Nephthys behind her while Heket hastened the birth. Isis spoke, "Don't be darkness in her belly, you whose name is called Dark!" and a child rushed forth upon her arms - a child one cubit in length. His limbs were of gold and his royal head cloth of real lapis. They washed him and cut his cord. Then Meskhenet went to him and said, "A king who will rule throughout this entire land." And Khnum gave health to his body. Heket is sonetimes taken as a form of Hathor, and some researchers even say she is Hecate of the Crossroads. The connection is clear at any rate, for both Heket in her frog form, and Hecate, the keeper of the gate between life and death, are representations of the state of change. A new life comes out of the body of the old at the point of transition from one state to the next. Marija Gimbutas describes the frog as the main incarnation of the chthonic magician goddess and outlines across old Europe where the amphibian deity is linked with birth, pregnancy and the uterus. In The Language of the Goddess Gimbutas, following the worship of the frog/toad genetrix back for eight thousand years, tells us that all of these frog deities " have roots in the prehistoric Frog Goddess, the Egyptian Goddess Creatrix, Haquit" (Heket), whose functions were both to bring death and to restore life.
Egyptian Mythology - 2 Setna rushed back to Memphis and his wife and daughters were surprised to be hugged so ardently and asked a dozen times if they were safe and well. That same day, Setna had an uncomfortable audience with Pharaoh. When he had related the whole story, Ramesses said, 'Setna, I tried to warn you but you would not listen. Now will you take back the Book of Thoth before anything worse happens?' Later that day, workmen reopened the tomb of Neferkaptah. A shamefaced Setna walked through the doorway with a dish of incense balanced on his head, a forked stick in one hand and the Book of Thoth in the other. As he entered the burial chamber, Ahwere whispered, 'Ah Setna, you would never have escaped with your life without the blessing of Ptah!' But her husband laughed. 'So, my prophecy has come true.' Setna bowed humbly to the dead prince and replaced the Book of Thoth. It lit the tomb like the rising sun. 'Is there anything else I must do?' asked Setna warily. Neferkaptah looked at the pale figures of his wife and son. 'By the strength of my magic' he said, 'Keep the kas of my family close to me, but the task wearies me. Bring me their bodies from Coptos; then we shall be truly united.' Setna left the tomb and told Pharaoh about the dead prince's request. Ramesses ordered a ship to be fitted out for the journey south. When Setna reached Coptos he was greeted by the priests of the temple of Isis and he offered oxen, geese and wine to the goddess and to Horus her son. Next day he went with the High Priest of Isis to the City of the Dead to search for the tomb of Mrib and Ahwere. He spent three days wandering among the tombs, turning over the ancient stones and reading the inscriptions, but none of them belonged to the family of Neferkaptah. From distant Memphis the dead prince watched the search and when he saw that Setna could not find the tomb he turned himself into a very ancient priest and hobbled across the hillside. Setna greeted him courteously. 'You seem the most ancient man I've met in Coptos. Can you remember anything about the resting place of the Princess Ahwere and her son?' The old man pretended to think for a while and then said, 'The grandfather of the grandfather of my father once said that the grandfather of his father had told him that the tomb of Ahwere lay there, under the southern corner of the house of the High Priest.' Setna looked doubtful. 'How do I know that you're teling the truth? P> Perhaps you have a grudge against the High Priest and would like to see his house pulled down?' 'Keep me a prisoner while you pull the house down,' answered the old man with a toothless grin. 'And if you don't find the tomb, put me to death.' Then Setna ordered his men to tear down the High Priest's house and under the southern corner they found an ancient tomb. At the bottom of a deep shaft were the coffins of Ahwere and Mrib. Setna had them reverently carried on board his ship. He ordered his men to start rebuilding the High Priest's house but when he went to reward the old man, he found the guards in confusion; their prisoner had vanished. Setna understood then who the old man must have been. Setna sailed north and when they reached Memphis and all his court came to the harbour to honour the royal dead. The coffins of Ahwere and Mrib were carried into the burial chamber of Neferkaptah and the family were reunited. Setna himself saw the entrance bricked up. The tomb of the dead prince was never entered again and no-one else has read the Book of Thoth. |
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The Story of Isis and Osiris
In the days before Ra had left the earth, before he had begun to grow old, his great wisdom told him that if the goddess Nut bore children, one of them would end his reign among men.
So Ra laid a curse upon Nut - that she should not be able to bear any child upon any day in the year.
Full of sorrow, Nut went for help to Thoth, the thrice-great god of wisdom and magic and learning, Ra's son, who loved her. Thoth knew that the curse of Ra, once spoken, could never be recalled, but in his wisdom he found a way of escape.
He went to Khensu, the Moon-god, and challenged him to a contest at draughts. Game after game they played and always Thoth won. The stakes grew higher and higher, but Khensu wagered the most, for it was some of his own light that he risked and lost. At last Khensu would play no more. Then Thoth the thrice-great in wisdom gathered up the light which he had won and made it into five extra days which for ever after were set between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The year was of three hundred and sixty days before this, but the five days which were added, which were not days of any year, were ever afterwards held as days of festival in old Egypt. But, since his match with Thoth, Khensu the moon has not had enough light to shine throughout the month, but dwindles into darkness and then grows to his full glory again; for he had lost the light needed to make five whole days. On the first of these days Osiris, the eldest son of Nut, was born, and the second day was set aside to be the birthday of Horus (the son of Isis and Osiris). On the third day the second son of Nut was born, dark Set, the lord of evil. On the fourth her daughter Isis first saw the light, and her second daughter Nephthys on the fifth. In this way the curse of Ra was both fulfilled and defeated: for the days on which the children of Nut were born belonged to no year. When Osiris was born many signs and wonders were seen and heard throughout the world. Most notable was the voice which came from the holiest shrine in the temple at Thebes on the Nile, which today is called Karnak, speaking to a man called Pamyles bidding him proclaim to all men that Osiris, the good and mighty king, was born to bring joy to all the earth. Pamyles did as he was bidden, and he also attended on the Divine Child and brought him up as a man among men. When Osiris was grown up he married his sister Isis, a custom which the Pharaohs of Egypt followed ever after. And Set married Nephthys: for he too being a god could marry only a goddess.
After Isis by her craft had learned the Secret Name of Ra, Osiris became sole ruler of Egypt and reigned on earth as Ra had done.
He found the people both savage and brutish, fighting among themselves and killing and eating one another. But Isis discovered the grain of both wheat and barley, which grew wild over the land with the other plants and was still unknown to man; and Osiris taught them how to plant the seeds when the Nile had risen in the yearly inundation and sunk again leaving fresh fertile mud over the fields; how to tend and water the crops; how to cut the corn when it was ripe, and how to thresh the grain on the threshing floors, dry it and grind it to flour and make it into bread. He showed them also how to plant vines and make the grapes into wine; and they knew already how to brew beer out of the barley. When the people of Egypt had learned to make bread and cut only the flesh of such animals as he taught them were suitable, Osiris, went on to teach them laws, and how to live peacefully and happily together, delighting themselves with music and poetry. As soon as Egypt was filled with peace and plenty, Osiris set out over the world to bring his blessings upon other nations. While he was away he left Isis to rule over the land, which she did both wisely and well. But Set the Evil One, their brother, envied Osiris and hated Isis.
The more the people loved and praised Osiris, the more Set hated him; and the more good he did and the happier mankind became, the stronger grew Set's desire to kill his brother and rule in his place. Isis, however, was so full of wisdom and so watchful that Set made no attempt to seize the throne while she was watching over the land of Egypt.
And when Osiris returned from his travels Set was among the first to welcome him back and kneel in reverence before "the good god Pharaoh Osiris". Yet he had made his plans, aided by seventy-two of his wicked friends and Aso the evil queen of Ethiopia. Secretly Set obtained the exact measurements of the body of Osiris, and caused beautiful chest to be made that would fit only him. It was fashioned of the rarest and most costly woods: cedar brought from Lebanon, and ebony from Punt at the south end of the Red Sea for no wood grows in Egypt except the soft and useless palm. Then Set gave a great feast in honour of Osiris; but the other guests were the two-and-seventy conspirators. It was the greatest feast that had yet been seen in Egypt, and the foods were choicer, the wines stronger and the dancing girls more beautiful than ever before. When the heart of Osiris had been made glad with feasting and song the chest was brought in, and all were amazed at its beauty. Osiris marvelled at the rare cedar inlaid with ebony and ivory, with less rare gold and silver, and painted inside with figures of gods and birds and animals, and he desired it greatly. "I will give this chest to whosoever fits it most exactly!" cried Set. And at once the conspirators began in turn to see if they could win it. But one was too tall and another too short; one was too fat and another too thin - and all tried in vain. "Let me see if I will fit into this marvellous piece of work," said Osiris, and he laid himself down in the chest while all gathered round breathlessly. "I fit exactly, and the chest is mine!" cried Osiris. "It is yours indeed, and shall be so forever!" hissed Set as he banged down the lid. Then in desperate haste he and the conspirators nailed it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead, so that Osiris the man died in the chest and his spirit went west across the Nile into Duat the Place of Testing; but, beyond it to Amenti, where those live for ever who have lived well on earth and passed the judgments of Duat, he could not pass as yet. Set and his companions took the chest which held the body of Osiris and cast it into the Nile; and Hapi the Nile-god carried it out into the Great Green Sea where it was tossed for many days until it came to the shore of Phoenicia near the city of Bybios. Here the waves cast it into a tamarisk tree that grew on the shore; and the tree shot out branches and grew leaves and flowers to make a fit resting place for the body of the good god Osiris and very soon that tree became famous throughout the land. Presently King Malcander heard of it, and he and his wife, Queen Astarte, came to the seashore to gaze at the tree. By now the branches had grown together and hidden the chest which held the body of Osiris in the trunk itself. King Malcander gave orders that the tree should be cut down and fashioned into a great pillar for his palace. This was done, and all wondered at its beauty and fragrance: but none knew that it held the body of a god. Meanwhile in Egypt Isis was in great fear. She had always known that Set was filled with evil and jealousy, but kindly Osiris would not believe in his brother's wickedness. But Isis knew as soon as her husband was dead, though no one told her, and fled into the marshes of the delta carrying the baby Horus with her. She found shelter on a little island where the goddess Buto lived, and entrusted the divine child to her. And as a further safeguard against Set, Isis loosed the island from its foundations, and let it float so that no one could tell where to find it. Then she went to seek for the body of Osiris. For, until he was buried with all the needful rites and charms, even his spirit could go no farther to the west than Duat, the Testing-Place; and it could not come to Amenti. Back and forth over the land of Egypt wandered Isis, but never a trace could she find of the chest in which lay the body of Osiris. She asked all whom she met, but no one had seen it - and in this matter her magic powers could not help her. At last she questioned the children who were playing by the riverside, and at once they told her that just such a chest as she described had floated past them on the swift stream and out into the Great Green Sea. Then Isis wandered on the shore, and again and again it was the children who had seen the chest floating by and told her which way it had gone. And because of this, Isis blessed the children and decreed that ever afterwards children should speak words of wisdom and sometimes tell of things to come. At length Isis came to Byblos and sat down by the seashore. Presently the maidens who attended on Queen Astarte came down to bathe at that place; and when they returned out of the water Isis taught them how to plait their hair - which had never been done before. When they went up to the palace a strange and wonderful perfume seemed to cling to them; and Queen Astarte marvelled at it, and at their plaited hair, and asked them how it came to be so. The maidens told her of the wonderful woman who sat by the seashore, and Queen Astarte sent for Isis, and asked her to serve in the palace and tend her children, the little Prince Maneros and the baby Dictys, who was ailing sorely. For she did not know that the strange woman who was wandering alone at Byblos was the greatest of all the goddesses of Egypt. Isis agreed to this, and very soon the baby Dictys was strong and well though she did no more than give him her finger to suck. But presently she became fond of the child, and thought to make him immortal, which she did by burning away his mortal parts while she flew round and round him in the form of a swallow. Astarte, however, had been watching her secretly; and when she saw that her baby seemed to be on fire she rushed into the room with a loud cry, and so broke the magic. Then Isis took on her own form, and Astarte crouched down in terror when she saw the shining goddess and learned who she was. Malcander and Astarte offered her gifts of all the richest treasures in Byblos, but Isis asked only for the great tamarisk pillar which held up the roof, and for what it contained. When it was given to her, she caused it to open and took out the chest of Set. But the pillar she gave back to Malcander and Astarte; and it remained the most sacred object in Byblos, since it had once held the body of a god. When the chest which had become the coffin of Osiris was given to her, Isis flung herself down on it with so terrible a cry of sorrow that little Dictys died at the very sound. But Isis at length caused the chest to be placed on a ship which King Malcander provided for her, and set out for Egypt. With her went Maneros, the young prince of Byblos: but he did not remain with her for long, since his curiosity proved his undoing. For as soon as the ship had left the land Isis retired to where the chest of Set lay, and opened the lid. Maneros crept up behind her and peeped over her shoulder: but Isis knew he was there and, turning, gave him one glance of anger - and he fell backwards over the side of the ship into the sea. Next morning, as the ship was passing the Phaedrus River, its strong current threatened to carry them out of sight of land. But Isis grew angry and placed a curse on the river, so that its stream dried up from that day. She came safely to Egypt after this, and hid the chest in the marshes of the delta while she hastened to the floating island where Buto was guarding Horus. But it chanced that Set came hunting wild boars with his dogs, hunting by night after his custom, since he loved the darkness in which evil things abound. By the light of the moon he saw the chest of cedar wood inlaid with ebony and ivory, with gold and silver, and recognized it. At the sight hatred and anger came upon him in a red cloud, and he raged like a panther of the south. He tore open the chest, took the body of Osiris, and rent it into fourteen pieces which, by his divine strength, he scattered up and down the whole length of the Nile so that the crocodiles might eat them. "It is not possible to destroy the body of a god!" cried Set. "Yet I have done it - for I have destroyed Osiris!" His laughter echoed through the land, and all who heard it trembled and hid. Now Isis had to begin her search once more. This time she had helpers, for Nephthys left her wicked husband Set and came to join her sister. And Anubis, the son of Set and Nephthys, taking the form of a jackal, assisted in the search. When Isis travelled over the land she was accompanied and guarded by seven scorpions. But when she searched on the Nile and among the many streams of the delta she made her way in a boat made of papyrus: and the crocodiles, in their reverence for the goddess, touched neither the rent pieces of Osiris nor Isis herself. Indeed ever afterwards anyone who sailed the Nile in a boat made of papyrus was safe from them, for they thought that it was Isis still questing after the pieces of her husband's body. Slowly, piece by piece, Isis recovered the fragments of Osiris. And wherever she did so, she formed by magic the likeness of his whole body and caused the priests to build a shrine and perform his funeral rites. And so there were thirteen places in Egypt which claimed to be the burial place of Osiris. In this way also she made it harder for Set to meddle further with the body of the dead god. One piece only she did not recover, for it had been eaten by certain impious fishes; and their kind were accursed ever afterwards, and no Egyptian would touch or eat them. Isis, however, did not bury any of the pieces in the places where the tombs and shrines of Osiris stood. She gathered the pieces together, rejoined them by magic, and by magic made a likeness of the missing member so that Osiris was complete. Then she caused the body to be embalmed and hidden away in a place of which she alone knew. And after this the spirit of Osiris passed into Amenti to rule over the dead until the last great battle, when Horus should slay Set and Osiris would return to earth once more. But as Horus grew in this world the spirit of Osiris visited him often and taught him all that a great warrior should know - one who was to fight against Set both in the body and in the spirit.
One day Osiris said to the boy: "Tell me, what is the noblest thing that a man can do?"
And Horus answered: "To avenge his father and mother for the evil done to them." This pleased Osiris, and he asked further: "And what animal is most useful for the avenger to take with him as he goes out to battle?" "A horse," answered Horus promptly. "Surely a lion would be better still?" suggested Osiris. "A lion would indeed be the best for a man who needed help," replied Horus; "but a horse is best for pursuing a flying foe and cutting him off from escape." When he heard this Osiris knew that the time had come for Horus to declare war on Set, and bade him gather together a great army and sail up the Nile to attack him in the deserts of the south. Horus gathered his forces and prepared to begin the war. And Ra himself, the shining father of the gods, came to his aid in his own divine boat that sails across the heavens and through the dangers of the underworld. Before they set sail Ra drew Horus aside so as to gaze into his blue eyes: for whoever looks into them, of gods or men, sees the future reflected there. But Set was watching; and he took upon himself the form of a black pig - black as the thunder-cloud, fierce to look at, with tusks to strike terror into the bravest heart. Meanwhile Ra said to Horus: "Let me gaze into your eyes, and see what is to come of this war." He gazed into the eyes of Horus and their colour was that of the Great Green Sea when the summer sky turns it to deepest blue. While he gazed the black pig passed by and distracted his attention, so that he exclaimed: "Look at that! Never have I seen so huge and fierce a pig." And Horus looked; and he did not know that it was Set, but thought it was a wild boar out of the thickets of the north, and he was not ready with a charm or a word of power to guard himself against the enemy. Then Set aimed a blow of fire at the eyes of Horus; and Horus shouted with the pain and was in a great rage. He knew now that it was Set; but Set had gone on the instant and could not be trapped. Ra caused Horus to be taken into a dark room, and it was not long before his eyes could see again as clearly as before. When he was recovered Ra had returned to the sky; but Horus was filled with joy that he could see, once more, and as he set out up the Nile at the head of his army, the country on either side shared his joy and blossomed into spring. There were many battles in that war, but the last and greatest was at Edfu, where the great temple of Horus stands to this day in memory of it. The forces of Set and Horus drew near to one another among the islands and the rapids of the First Cataract of the Nile. Set, in the form of a red hippopotamus of gigantic size, sprang up on the island of Elephantine and uttered a great curse against Horus and against Isis: "Let there come a terrible raging tempest and a mighty flood against my enemies!" he cried, and his voice was like the thunder rolling across the heavens from the south to the north. At once the storm broke over the boats of Horus and his army; the wind roared and the water was heaped into great waves. But Horus held on his way, his own boat gleaming through the darkness, its prow shining like a ray of the sun. Opposite Edfu, Set turned and stood at bay, straddling the whole stream of the Nile, so huge a red hippopotamus was he. But Horus took upon himself the shape of a handsome young man, twelve feet in height. His hand held a harpoon thirty feet long with a blade six feet wide at its point of greatest width. Set opened his mighty jaws to destroy Horus and his followers when the storm should wreck their boats. But Horus cast his harpoon, and it struck deep into the head of the red hippopotamus, deep into his brain. And that one blow slew Set the great wicked one, the enemy of Osiris and the gods - and the red hippopotamus sank dead beside the Nile at Edfu. The storm passed away, the flood sank and the sky was clear and blue once more. Then the people of Edfu came out to welcome Horus the avenger and lead him in triumph to the shrine over which the great temple now stands. And they sang the song of praise which the priests chanted ever afterwards when the yearly festival of Horus was held at Edfu: "Rejoice, you who dwell in Edfu! Horus the great god, the lord of the sky, has slain the enemy of his father! Eat the flesh of the vanquished, drink the blood of the red hippopotamus, burn his bones with fire! Let him be cut in pieces, and the scraps be given to the cats, and the offal to the reptiles! "Glory to Horus of the mighty blow, the brave one, the slayer, the wielder of the Harpoon, the only son of Osiris, Horus of Edfu, Horus the avenger!" But when Horus passed from earth and reigned no more as the Pharaoh of Egypt, he appeared before the assembly of the gods, and Set came also in the spirit, and contended in words for the rule of the world. But not even Thoth the wise could give judgment. And so it comes about that Horus and Set still contend for the souls of men and for the rule of the world. There were no more battles on the Nile or in the land of Egypt; and Osiris rested quietly in his grave, which (since Set could no longer disturb it) Isis admitted was on the island of Philae, the most sacred place of all, in the Nile a few miles upstream from Elephantine. But the Egyptians believed that the Last Battle was still to come - and that Horus would defeat Set in this also. And when Set was destroyed forever, Osiris would rise from the dead and return to earth, bringing with him all those who had been his own faithful followers. And for this reason the Egyptians embalmed dead and set the bodies away beneath towering pyramids of stone and deep in the tomb chambers of western Thebes, so that the blessed souls returning from Amenti should find them ready to enter again, and in them to live for ever on earth under the good god Osiris, Isis his queen and their son Horus.
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| Ra And The Punishment Of Humankind
A text inscribed on one of the golden shrines from the tomb of King Tutankhamun (who ruled c.1336BC-1337BC), and which also appears on the walls of later royal tombs, tells of a time when Ra, the creator god, lived on earth as the ruler of gods and people.
As the sun god aged, human beings began to plot against him. When Ra was this, he summoned his divine Eye, in the form of the goddess Hathor. He also sent for Shu, Tefenet, Geb, Nut and the eight primeval gods of the Ogdoad. Ra asked Nun, the oldest of these primeval gods, for advice as to what to do about the rebellious people. Nun and the other gods counselled the sun god to send his divine Eye to destroy humankind. Ra agreed, and the Eye goddess was transformed from Hathor into Sekhmet, the raging lioness, who slaughtered some of the people and waded in their blood.
Ra decided to save the remainder of humanity. In order to distract Sekhmet from her orgy of killing, he ordered the high priest of his temple at Heliopolis to make 7,000 jars of beer and to dye it red. When this had been done, the beer was poured out on the ground so that it looked like a lake of blood. The Eye goddess was the lake and her reflection in it. She lapped up the dyed beer and became so drunk that she forgot about slaughtering the rest of humankind. The Eye goddess was transformed from the savage Sekhmet back into the beautiful Hathor, but although humanity was now safe from the lion goddess's rage, plague and death had now come into existence.
Ra felt so weary and sad that he longed to put an end to creation and return to the watery abyss. Nun ordered Shu and Nut to help to protect the sun god. The sky goddess became a cow and carried Ra up into the firmament, where he created the stars and the fields of paradise. Nut began to shake because she was so high above the earth, but Shu and the eight Heh gods supported her.
Each day the sun god journeyed across the sky and each night he entered the underworld. When he did so, humanity became terrified by the darkness of night, so Ra decided to make the moon, to light the sky in his absence, and he appointed the moon god Thoth as his duputy. Ra warned the earth god, Geb, about the magical powers of the chaos serpents and chose Osiris to rule over humanity.
This cosmos would not last for ever, the Egyptians believed. The time would come when the creator would grow so weary that he and all his works would dissolve back into chaos. then the cycle of creation would recommence.
World Mythology
ISBN 0-8050-4913-4
The Magic Of Thoth
The moon god, Thoth, who could be shown as a baboon, and ibis, was particularly associated with the secret knowledge involved in magic. His main cult centre was at Khemenu, called Hermopolis by the Greeks, who identified him with Hermes. The following story was written down in Ptolemaic times.
A prince called Setna Khaemwese learns that a book of magic written by Thoth is buried in an ancient tomb near Memphis. He breaks into the tomb and is confronted by ghosts, who warn him that Thoth killed their living selves for stealing his magic book from a chest at the bottom of the Nile. Undeterred, Setna defeats the ghosts with powerful amulets and takes the Book of Thoth. He then encounters a beautiful woman called Tabubu and is captivated by her, but before she will let Setna make love, she demands that he settle all his wealth on her and have his own children killed. He agrees, but as soon as they embrace he finds himself lying naked and alone in the middle of the road.
However, Setna discovers that his children are alive and well and that the beautiful woman was just a phantom. He wisely decides to return the Book of Thoth.
World Mythology
ISBN 0-8050-4913-4
The Great Creators
Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As is the case with most ancient mythologies, the Egyptians created myths to try to explain their place in the cosmos. Their understanding of the cosmic order was from direct observation of nature. Therefore their creation myths concern themselves with gods of nature; the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, and of course, the Nile river. Since the Nile river, with its annual floods played a critical role in this cosmic order. It should come as no surprise to find water the fundamental element in the Egyptians ideas of creation. For the Egyptians to watch the inundation of their land would have been like watching a earthly model of their ideas of a watery creation. Allow me to explain. In the beginning there was only water, a chaos of churning, bubbling water, this the Egyptians called Nu or Nun. It was out of Nu that everything began. As with the Nile, each year the inundation no doubt caused chaos to all creatures living on the land, so this represents Nu. eventually the floods would recede and out of the chaos of water would emerge a hill of dry land, one at first, then more. On this first dry hilltop, on the first day came the first sunrise. So that is how the Egyptians explain the beginning of all things. Not surprisingly, the sun was also among the most important elements in the Egyptians lives and therefore had an important role as a creator god. His names and attributes varied greatly. As the rising sun his name was Khepri, the great scarab beetle, or Ra-Harakhte who was seen as a winged solar-disk or as the youthful sun of the eastern horizon. As the sun climbed toward mid-day it was called Ra, great and strong. When the sun set in the west it was known as Atum the old man, or Heru (Horus) on the horizon. As a solar-disk he was known as Aten. The sun was also said to be an egg laid daily by Geb, the 'Great Cackler' when he took the form of a goose. To the Egyptians the moon was any one of a number of gods. As an attribute of the god Heru (Horus) the moon represented his left eye while his right was the sun. Seth was a lunar god, in his struggles with the solar god Heru (Horus), Seth is seen as a god of darkness doing constant battle with the god of light. We often find the ibis-headed god Thoth wearing a lunar crescent on his head. To the Egyptians the sky was a goddess called Nut. She was often shown as a cow standing over the earth her eyes being the sun and the moon. She is kept from falling to earth by Shu, who was the god of air and wind, or by a circle of high mountains. As this heavenly cow, she gave birth to the sun daily. The sun would ride in the 'Solar Barque' across Nut's star covered belly, which was a great cosmic ocean. Then as evening fell, Nut would swallow the sun creating darkness. She is also pictured as a giant sow, suckling many piglets. These piglets represented the stars, which she swallowed each morning before dawn. Nut was also represented as an elongated woman bending over the earth and touching the horizons with her toes and finger tips. Beneath her stretched the ocean, in the center of which lay her husband Geb, the earth-god. He is often seen leaning on one elbow, with a knee bent toward the sky, this is representative of the mountains and valleys of the earth. Green vegetation would sprout from Geb's brown or red body.
Atum
The Creator
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In the beginning there was only the swirling watery chaos, called Nu. Out of these chaotic waters rose Atum, the sun god of the city of Heliopolis. It is believed that he created himself, using his thoughts and will. In the watery chaos, Atum found no place on which to stand. In the place where he first appeared, he created a hill. This hill was said to be the spot on which the temple of Heliopolis was built. Other interpretations find that Atum was the hill. In this interpretation Atum may represent the fertile, life giving hills left behind by the receding waters of the Nile's annual flood. As early as the Fifth-Dynasty, we find Atum identified with the sun god Ra. By this time his emergence on the primeval hill can be interpreted as the coming of light into the darkness of Nu. As the god of the rising sun, his name is Khepri. His next act was to create more gods. Because he was all alone in the world, without a mate, he made a union with his shadow. This unusual way of procreating offspring was not considered strange to the Egyptians. We find Atum regarded as a bisexual god and was sometimes called the 'Great He-She'. The Egyptians were thus able to present Atum as the one and only creative force in the universe. According to some texts the birth of Atum's children took place on the primeval hill. In other texts, Atum stayed in the waters of Nu to create his son and daughter. He gave birth to his son by spitting him out. His daughter he vomited. Shu represented the air and Tefnut was a goddess of moisture. Shu and Tefnut continued the act of creation by establishing a social order. To this order Shu contributed the 'principles of Life' while Tefnut contributed the 'principles of order'. After some time Shu and Tefnut became separated from their father and lost in the watery chaos of Nu. Atum, who had only one eye, which was removable. This was called the Udjt eye. Atum removed the eye and sent it in search of his children. In time they returned with the eye. At this reunion Atum wept tears joy, where these tears hit the ground, men grew. Now Atum was ready to create the world. So Shu and Tefnut became the parents of Geb, the earth and Nut, the sky. Geb and Nut gave birth to Asar (Osiris) and Aset (Isis), Seth, Nephthys.
Khepri
The Creator In one Egyptian creation myth, the sun god Ra takes the form of Khepri, the scarab god who was usually credited as the great creative force of the universe. Khepri tells us, "Heaven and earth did not exist. And the things of the earth did not yet exist. I raised them out of Nu, from their stagnant state. I have made things out of that which I have already made, and they came from my mouth." It seems that Khepri is telling us that in the beginning there is nothing. He made the watery abyss known as Nu, from which he later draws the materials needed for the creation of everything. He goes on to say, "I found no place to stand. I cast a spell with my own heart to lay a foundation in Maat. I made everything . I was alone. I had not yet breathed the god Shu, and I had not yet spit up the goddess Tefnut. I worked alone." We learn that by the use of magic Khepri creates land with its foundation in Maat (law, order, and stability). We also learn that from this foundation many things came into being. At this point in time Khepri is alone. The sun, which was called the eye of Nu, was hidden by the children of Nu. It was a long time before these two deities, Shu and Tefnut were raised out of the watery chaos of their father, Nu. They brought with them their fathers eye, the sun. Khepri then wept profusely, and from his tears sprang men and women. The gods then made another eye, which probably represents the moon. After this Khepri created plants and herbs, animals, reptiles and crawling things. In the mean time Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb and Nut, who in turn gave birth to Asar (Osiris) and Aset (Isis), Seth, Nephthys.. | |
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The Sun God, His Night Voyage, And The Stars
The sun god was thought to travel through the underworld on his nightly journey which was illustrated in huge "underworld books". These were inscribed in New Kingdom royal tombs, so that the king could join in the solar cycle in the next world.
The underworld books are divided into the twelve hours of the night. Each hour centres on the sun god in his barque, and around him are the beings who inhabit that region. One entire composition shows about a thousand figures, consisting of the blessed dead, the demons and deities of the region, and the condemned who are tortured indefinitely. As the sun god passes, he addresses the beings of each hour, who respond in welcome and are revived by the light he sheds. The descriptions are very exact, giving the dimensions of the spaces through which he travels. His barque mostly sails along a watery path, but at one juncture he moves over endless sands, towed by a group of jackals.
Some compositions dipict how, in middle of the night, the sun god descends into the deepest regions of the underworld and is fused with its own ruler Osiris. The resulting image is captioned both "Ra who rests in Osiris" and Osiris who rests in Ra". But whereas Ra could be linked with Amon to produce a deity with a single name (Amon-Ra), Ra and Osiris were too fundamentally different. Their brief association brought daily renewal, but it could not be permanent.
Throughout the night, the sun god had to contend with his arch-enemy, the snake Apep, but in the last hours he himself entered a great snake, from which he emerged rejuvenated, to be reborn at dawn. The sun's cycle was celebrated daily in many temples, not just in solar sanctuaries. Priests performed the cult inside the building and it was poorly known outside. Vital parts of the cult were kept secret and are known only from evidence dating from 1100BC and later. The ultimate meaning of much of the solar cycle was concealed. A text describes how the king, as the principal priest, "knows" eight things about the sunrise, among them the "speech which the Eastern Souls pronounce". The Eastern Souls were baboons, animals which characteristically bark at sunrise. The hidden meaning of their barking was known only to the king.
The sun god had many forms during his daily cycle. As the morning god he could be a child, but typically he was a scarab known as Khepry. The scarab, which pushes a ball of dung comparable in form with the sun, symbolized regeneration, rebirth and transformation. The sun god's midday form was Ra-Harakhty, "Ra, Horus of the Horizon", often depicted as a human figure with a falcon head crowned by a sun disc. Harakhty was an ancient god, and the idea of a falcon crossing the sky in barque is known from the first dynasty. Ra-Harakhty was the name most used in myths of the god's rule on earth. The evening sun was Atum or Ra-Atum, shown in human form with the double crown otherwise mostly worn by kings. His night form, with a ram's head, was a purely pictorial figure with no specific name. However, it was captioned "Flesh (of Ra)", implying that the image was a vehicle for the sun god's presence if not strictly indentifiable with him.
Other gods were associated with the heavens. Some major deities wre identified with stars or planets: the moon was Thoth, Mercury was Seth, and the constellation Orion was Osiris. The myths of the Ennead were enacted by the complex movements of the relevant heavenly bodies, especially those which cross the band of the heavens traversed by the sun, or which, like Venus, herald the sunrise.
World Mythology
ISBN 0-8050-4913-4
Egyptian Mythology - 1 The ancient Egyptians had many Mythological tales, usually link to their Gods and Goddesses.
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The Book of Thoth
Ramesses II had over a hundred sons but his favorite was Prince Khaemwese, whom he made High Priest of Ptah at Memphis.
Khaemwese was famous for his learning and for his interest in ancient times. A thousand years after his death the Egyptians were still telling stories which portrayed him as the wisest of magicians. One such story relates how Prince Setna Khaemwese discovered where the Book of Thoth was hidden. 'The Book of Thoth' contained the most powerful of magic spells, and also the most dangerous, but that did not deter the royal magician. One day, when the court was at Memphis, Setna went to his father and asked his permission to open one of the royal tombs in the City of the Dead. The whole court was shocked at such a request, but Setna explained that the famous Book of Thoth was hidden in the tomb of Prince Neferkaptah. Pharaoh tried hard to make his son give up such a rash idea, but when he saw that the prince was determined, he let him have his way. Ramesses knew that the dead could protect themselves and that Setna would have to learn to respect them. The prince asked Anhurerau, the bravest of his younger brothers, to go with him and they took a gang of workmen into the City of the Dead. When they reached the ancient tomb of Neferkaptah, the workmen shovelled away the sand that had blown against its entrance. Gradually a wooden door was revealed. Setna broke the seals on the door and ordered the workmen to hack through the wood. Reluctantly, they obeyed. The rotten wood crumbled after a few blows and the tomb stood open. Setna and Anhurerau waited ten, tense minutes to let fresh air seep through the tomb, and then a torch was lit for them. None of the workmen would enter the black doorway, so the two brothers went in alone, Anhurerau holding up the torch and Setna a pace ahead of him. They walked cautiously down a narrow passageway and through a shadowy hall carved with scenes of Prince Neferkaptah's funeral. Beyond, was a maze of small rooms and twisting passages. As they went deeper into the tomb, the heat and the stale air were suffocating. The light of Anhurerau's torch hardly seemed to penetrate the intense darkness and all around them there were rustlings and scratchings. 'It's only bats.' Setna had meant to reassure his brother, but his whisper echoed through the tomb and above them dozens of bats erupted into flight. As Anhurerau ducked, the whirr of their wings put out his torch and the darkness pounced. Setna froze. They would have to go back-if he could remember the way. It would be no use shouting for help; none of the workmen would enter the tomb. Suddenly Anhurerau gripped his brother¹s arm: 'Look!' Ahead of them was a faint glow. As the brothers moved towards it, the light grew brighter. Setna and Anhurerau crept round a corner in the passageway and found themselves staring into the burial chamber itself. The room was crammed with rich furnishings; ebony thrones and vases of alabaster, stools draped with leopard skins and ivory caskets. On a golden couch lay the mummy of Neferkaptah, wrapped in scented linen, his face covered by a glittering mask. Beside the couch sat a beautiful woman, pale as a white lotus, with a little boy huddled at her feet. Light streamed from the scroll of papyrus that lay on a table in front of them, and Setna knew that he was looking at the Book of Thoth. Anhurerau stood trembling in. the doorway, but Setna stepped boldly into the burial chamber and saluted the lady. The hand she raised to greet him was almost transparent, but her voice was low and sweet. 'Setna Khaemwese, why do you disturb the rest of the dead?' 'If you give me the Book of Thoth,' said Setna, trying not to sound as frightened as he felt, 'I will leave you in peace.' The lovely ka shook her head. 'Setna, if you steal the Book of Thoth, it will bring you nothing but disaster. I see from your face that you do not believe me. I will tell you our story, and then you will understand the danger.' 'My name is Ahwere. I was the only daughter of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,' said the ka proudly. She looked down at the silent figure on the couch. 'I loved my brother Neferkaptah more than anything in the world and he loved me. I begged our father the king to let us marry and he agreed. A splendid feast was held to mark our marriage and we lived together very happily. It was not long before a son was born to us and we called him Mrib.' Ahwere reached down to touch the little boy who lay at her feet, and he smiled up at her as if just waking from a dream. 'My husband was like you, Setna. He loved to wander in the City of the Dead to study the tombs or to visit temple libraries and try to read the ancient scrolls. He was a skilled magician, but he was always seeking more powerful spells. One day my husband attended a festival in the temple of Ptah. As he walked behind a procession, he read the spells written on the shrines of the gods. Suddenly Neferkaptah heard someone laughing at him. In the shadow of a column stood an old priest, amusement doubling the wrinkles on his face.' 'Why are you laughing at me?' my husband demanded indignantly. I laugh at you reading such paltry spells,' answered the priest, 'when I could tell you where to find a magic book written by Thoth himself. There are two spells in it. If you read the first spell aloud, you will enchant the sky above and the sky below and the earth itself from the mountains to the seas. You will be able to understand every beast and bird and summon the fishes of the deep, just like a god. If you read the second spell, even if you are in the Land of the Dead, you will take your own form again and see the sun shine and the moon rise and the gods themselves.' 'Then my husband flattered the priest. ŒOh great one, may you live for ever! Name one wish that I can grant you, but tell me how to find the Book of Thoth.' The old man's eyes glittered with greed. 'Give me a hundred silver pieces to pay for my funeral, and when the time comes, two priests to serve my ka.' Neferkaptah sent for the silver and when the old priest had counted it he whispered to my husband, 'The Book of Thoth is hidden in an iron box at the bottom of the river, near Coptos. Inside the iron box is a box of bronze and inside the box of bronze is a box of sycamore. Inside the sycamore box is a box of ebony and inside that, a box of ivory. In the ivory box is a box of silver and in the silver box, a box of gold and in that box, the Book of Thoth, and there are snakes and scorpions guarding all the boxes.' 'Then Neferkaptah was dizzy with excitement. He rushed back to the palace to tell me everything that had happened and said, 'I will sail to Coptos at once and bring back the Book of Thoth!' Then I was afraid and I cursed that old priest. 'May the gods smite him for telling you such a secret. I know that Coptos will bring us nothing but sorrow.' I begged Neferkaptah not to sail south, but he could think of nothing but the Book of Thoth and he would not listen.' Ahwere sighed. 'The king gave us a splendid ship. Neferkaptah sailed south and Mrib and I went with him. When we reached Coptos the priests of the temple of Isis and their wives hurried out to meet us and we spent four days feasting with them. On the fifth day my husband sent for pure wax and modelled a boat with all its crew. Then he crouched over it, muttering spells and breathed life into the crew. He launched the wax boat on the river and loaded the royal ship with sand. Then my husband went on board and I sat down on the river bank, determined not to move until he came back.' 'Neferkaptah called out to the crew of the wax boat: 'Row oarsmen, row to the place where the Book of Thoth is hidden!' The wax men took up their oars and they rowed for three days and three nights and the royal ship followed. On the fourth morning, the wax boat stopped and my husband knew that they must have reached the right place. He threw out the sand on either side of the ship so that the waters divided and there was a strip of dry land in the middle of the river. Neferkaptah went down between the banks of sand, reciting spells, for the iron box crawled with snakes and scorpions. 'The snakes hissed and the scorpions raised their deadly tails but my husband's spells were strong and the snakes froze as they tried to spit poison and the scorpions could not reach him with their stings. Yet around the iron box itself was coiled a serpent too vast for any spell to bind. My husband was not afraid; he stunned it with a blow from his bronze axe and chopped it in half. To his horror the two halves joined up again and within seconds the great serpent was coiling round him. 'Neferkaptah flinched from its poisonous breath. The coils tightened as the serpent tried to crush him, but he just had time to draw his dagger and hack through the glittering scales. Again my husband cut the serpent in two, but as he staggered backwards the coils rejoined. Neferkaptah snatched up his axe and wearily attacked for the third time. He slashed through its coils and for a moment the serpent lay motionless. Then to my husband's despair the severed coils began to wriggle towards each other. With sudden inspiration, Neferkaptah picked up a handful of sand and threw it between the two halves. The snake struggled to join itself together again but now there was something between the halves the magic wouldn¹t work. With a frantic hissing the creature quivered and died. 'Neferkaptah kicked the body aside and wrenched open the iron box. Inside was a box of bronze, just as the old priest had said. Impatiently my husband tore open the boxes of bronze and sycamore, ebony, ivory and silver and came to a slender golden box. He lifted the lid and there lay a gleaming scroll-the Book of Thoth.' Awhere paused. Her pale fingers touched the papyrus on the table in front of her but her eyes lingered on the mask that hid her husband's face. 'Neferkaptah unrolled the Book of Thoth and dared to read the first spell. He enchanted the sky above and the sky below and the whole earth from the mountains to the seas. He understood the speech of every living thing, even the fishes of the deep and the beasts of the desert hills. That was not enough for my husband and he read the second spell. By its terrible power he saw the Sun and the Moon and the stars in their true form and the glory of the gods themselves. Then Neferkaptah returned to his ship. He spoke a spell to the river and the waters flooded back over the scattered boxes, but the Book of Thoth was safe in my husband¹s hand. He ordered the crew of the wax boat to row back to Coptos and they rowed without pausing for three days and three nights.' 'Now all this time I had been sitting on the river bank below the temple of Isis. I wouldn't eat or drink until I knew what had happened to my husband and by the seventh morning I looked fit for the embalmers. 'But at last the royal ship sailed into view and Neferkaptah sprang ashore. When we¹d embraced each other, I asked to see the Book of Thoth and he put it in my hand. I read the first spell and the second and shared my husband¹s power. 'Then Neferkaptah sent for fresh papyrus and he copied down the words of the Book of Thoth. He soaked the new scroll in beer and then crumbled it into a bowl and dissolved it in water. He swallowed the water and with it drank the power of the two spells. We made thank offerings in the temple of Isis and sailed north again with Mrib our son. 'My husband was delighted with his success but the Wise One knew what Neferkaptah had done and he was very angry. Thoth hurried to Ra the King of the Gods and demanded justice: 'Neferkaptah the son of King Mernebptah has discovered the hiding place of my magic book. He has killed the guardian and opened the seven boxes and read the forbidden spells! Such crimes cannot go unpunished.' Then Ra gave judgement in favour of Thoth and decreed that we should never come safely home to Memphis. The three of us were sitting on deck beneath a gilded awning. We did not know that from that moment we were doomed.' Ahwere's dark eyes filled with tears and Mrib covered his ears, as if he could not bear to listen to the next part of the story. 'Our little boy slipped away from the couch where I sat with Neferkaptah. As Mrib leaned over the ship's rail to gaze at the Nile, the curse of Ra struck him and he tumbled into the water. I screamed at the splash and all the sailors shouted. My husband ran out from under the awning and said the second spell of the Book of Thoth. Mrib rose up from the Nile, threw back his sodden hair and spoke. He told us of the anger of Thoth and that Ra had cursed us. No spell could save Mrib, he was already drowned. His lips closed and our son fell dead at my feet. We returned to Coptos and lived through seventy desolate days while Mrib¹s body was prepared by the embalmers and a princely tomb was made ready. After the burial we sailed north to tell our father the king the tragic news of Mrib's death. Neferkaptah watched over me anxiously but I paced the deck, grieving for my son. When we reached the place where Mrib had drowned, the curse of Ra struck me and I fell into the river. The waters closed over my head and I drowned before my husband could reach me. Neferkaptah spoke the second spell and raised up my body. I told him of the anger of Thoth and the curse of Ra, but my ka had already passed into the West. My husband took me back to Coptos and I was buried in Mrib¹s tomb. 'Neferkaptah boarded the royal ship to sail back to Memphis, but he said to himself, 'I cannot bear to stay in Coptos, close to the tomb of my wife and son but how can I go back to Memphis and tell the king 'I took your daughter and your only grandchild to Coptos but I cannot bring them back. I am alive, but they are dead'. 'My husband knew that he could not bear to live a day longer. He took a strip of linen and bound the Book of Thoth to his body. Then he leaped over the ship's rail and into the Nile. The sailors cried out in horror, but they could not even find my husband's body. 'When the ship reached Memphis, the sailors sent a messenger with the terrible news that both the king¹s children were dead. The court went into mourning and the king himself came down to the harbour with all the people of Memphis and the priests of Ptah. He saw Neferkaptah's body tangled in the rudders of the royal ship. The body was taken out of the water and all the people wept. The king said, 'Let that accursed book be buried with my son.' The body of Neferkaptah was taken to the embalmers and after seventy days it was laid to rest in this very tomb. Now I have told you how misery came to us because of the book you want me to give you. T he Book of Thoth cost us our lives, it can never be yours.' Setna was shaken by Ahwere¹s story but the light of the Book of Thoth dazzled him and he could not bear to give it up. 'Let me have the book,' he repeated, 'or I'll take it by force!' Then the mummy of Prince Neferkaptah slowly sat up and a voice came from behind the mask: 'Setna Khaemwese, if you will not listen to Ahwere's warning, are you a great enough magician to take the Book of Thoth from me? Or will you play four games of draughts? If you win, you shall have the Book of Thoth as your prize. At the chilling sound of Neferkaptah's voice, Anhurerau shrank back. What would happen if Setna lost the games ? He whispered to his brother to run but Setna stepped closer to the Book of Thoth. 'I am ready,' he said. Close to the couch was a draughts board with squares of ebony and ivory, set with pieces of gold and silver. They began the first game, and the pieces moved without being touched. Setna was a skilful player but the dead prince was a better one. Neferkaptah won the first game and murmured a spell. Setna sank into the ground up to his ankles. Anhurerau tried to pull his brother out, but he was stuck fast. There was nothing that Setna could do but play the second game; he lost that too. Neferkaptah murmured another spell and Setna sank into the ground up to his hips. Setan relaized that he had staked his life against the Book of Thoth and the third game began. There was silence in the burial chamber as the pieces moved across the squares. Setna played cunningly but the dead prince seemed to read his mind and slowly the game was lost. Neferkaptah spoke a third spell and Setna sank into the ground up to his chin. He could move nothing but his eyes and his lips. Setna whispered desperately to Anhurerau: 'Get out of the tomb! Run to Pharaoh and fetch my magic books and the Amulets of Ptah.' As the fourth and final game began, Anhurerau fled back along the passage. As the light from the burial chamber faded, he felt his way along the walls, praying to Ptah that he would not get lost in the darkness. It seemed a horribly long time before he saw daylight again. Anhurerau burst out of the tomb, terrifying the nervous workmen, and ran to the place where Pharaoh was. When he had gasped out his story Ramesses said, 'Hurry my son, take Setna these books of magic and these amulets of power!' Anhurerau hurried back with magic scrolls under his arm, a torch in one hand and the Amulets of Ptah in the other. In the burial chamber the silver pieces were already outnumbered by the gold; Setna was losing for the fourth time. It would be his last game; already he could imagine the earth closing over his lips, his nose, his eyes. . . Setna was not playing to win any more, only to delay the dreadful moment.
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Finally it came. Neferkaptah made the winning move and the words of the fourth spell came from the glittering mask. Setna was opening his mouth to beg for mercy when he heard the sound of running feet. Anhurerau rushed into the burial chamber, knelt by his brother and placed the Amulets of Ptah on his head. Instantly the power of Ptah freed Setna from the dead prince's spell. He shot out of the ground, swayed for a moment and then grabbed the Book of Thoth. Setna and his brother fled from the burial chamber. There was no need for Anhurerau's torch, light walked in front of them, and darkness behind them. In the gloomy burial chamber Ahwere wept and Mrib clung to her. 'Hail King of Darkness,' she whispered. 'Farewell King of Light! The power that kept us together is gone, and I shall be banished to my lonely tomb.' But Neferkaptah had drunk the words of the Book of Thoth and he was far from helpless. 'Do not be unhappy,' he said. 'I will make Setna return the book himself, with a forked stick in his hand and a dish of incense on his head.' When the two princes emerged from the tomb, they ordered the workmen to brick up the entrance and pile sand against it. Then Setna hurried before Pharaoh and told him everything that had happened. Ramesses looked grave. 'If you are wise my son, you will return the Book of Thoth at once or Neferkaptah will humiliate you and make you take it back, carrying the stick of a suppliant, with incense burning to protect you.' Setna was not listening; he could not wait to unroll the gleaming papyrus. For several days he studied the scroll, learning to read the ancient script. One morning Setna paced the courtyard of the temple of Ptah, pondering the words of the first spell. Suddenly he saw a woman walking towards the inner temple with a great crowd of maids and pages. From her dainty sandalled feet to her shining braids of blue-black hair, she was the loveliest creature that Setna had ever seen. For a moment their eyes met and he hardly knew where he was. Then the woman hid her face behind an ostrich feather fan and walked on. Setna called to one of his slaves, 'Did you see that woman? Find out who she is!' He waited impatiently in the shadow of the temple gateway until the boy returned. 'My Lord, her maids tell me that she is the Lady Tabube, the daughter of the Prophet of Bastet of Ankhtawy, and she has come here to pray to Ptah. 'Go back and speak to one of her maids, saying that Setna Khaemwese sends you. Ask her to tell her mistress that she shall have ten gold pieces, or a law case settled in her favour, if she will come and spend some time with me.' The slave was very surprised at his master's words but he hastened to obey. Tabube was in the next courtyard making offerings of wine and flowers before the statue of Ptah. The slave edged up to one of her maids and whispered his master's offer. The maid was most indignant at such an insult to her mistress and railed at the poor slave. Tabube soon asked what the matter was and, with great embarrassment, the boy repeated the message. Tabube did not seem angry. 'Tell Setna Khaemwese,' she said, 'that I am a priestess and a lady of rank. If he wants to meet me, he must visit my house in Bubastis and I will entertain him there.' The boy hurried back to tell his master and Setna was delighted. He forgot all about his wife and family, he even forgot about the Book of Thoth. He could think of nothing but Tabube and the very next day he sailed north to Bubastis. He soon found the house of the Prophet of Bastet of Ankhtawy and was asked to wait in the walled garden. Setna walked through a grove of fig trees and sat in a vine arbour, thinking about Tabube. Suddenly, he looked up and she was there. Tabube wore a clinging dress of transparent linen. Her eyelids were green with malachite, her lashes dark with kohl and her hair scented by lotus flowers. She beckoned to Setna and took him inside the house to an upper chamber. The floor was of polished lapis and the walls were inlaid with turquoise. Ebony couches were draped with soft linen and a table was spread with dishes of pomegranates and vessels of wine. The air was thick with incense. Tabube drew Setna down beside her. She offered him fruit but he was too excited to eat. Tabube poured out the strong red wine and they drank together. Setna longed to kiss her, but Tabube said, 'I am a priestess, a lady of rank. You ought to marry me and draw up a proper contract.' Setna was too infatuated to think twice about it. 'Send for a scribe,' he said. Almost at once a scribe appeared with a contract drawn up which made over all of Setna's wealth to his new wife. He signed it quickly and as soon as the scribe was gone, Setna tried to kiss Tabube again; but she drew back. 'That contract won't be valid unless your children agree to give up their rights. They are downstairs now, have them sent up so that they can sign our marriage contract.' Setna was too intoxicated by the strong wine and Tabube's beauty to think this odd. His little daughters were brought up and meekly signed the contract that robbed them of their inheritance. When they had gone, Setna drank another goblet of wine and put his arms around Tabube's waist. She slipped out of his embrace and a tear shone on her rouged cheek.
'If you really love me,' she said, 'you will have your children killed. I am sure they will contest our marriage and make us unhappy.'
When Setna looked into Tabube's eyes, he could deny her nothing. He gave an order for his daughters to be killed and their bodies were thrown from the window into a courtyard. Setna could hear dogs and cats tearing at their bodies as he sat drinking with the beautiful Tabube. Then she put her white arms around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him. Suddenly Tabube's lips opened in a scream and Setna found himself crouching in the middle of a public road, embracing the dust. Tabube and her house had vanished. His head cleared and Setna realized the terrible thing that he had done. He moaned and grovelled in the dust. Passing travellers stared at him, wondering if he was drunk or mad. Poor Setna did not notice the approach of four Nubians carrying an ebony chair. In the chair sat a man, dressed in splendid robes and wearing royal jewels. He seemed amused by Setna's plight. 'What is Prince Setna Khaemwese doing here in such a state? Neferkaptah has done this to me,' said Setna bitterly. 'He has had his revenge and my children, my lovely daughters'. The royal stranger smiled. 'Go back to Memphis. You will find your daughters safe and sound at Pharaoh's court.' Setna could hardly believe his ears. Had it all been an illusion? The royal stranger nodded to one of his slaves, who tossed Setna a cloak to cover his filthy clothes. 'Go back to Memphis. Your children are safe,' he repeated. There was something familiar about the stranger's voice but before Setna could thank him, the chair and the Nubians and the stranger himself had vanished.
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Lesson 9 Homework Exercises
Egyptology
Research and write about an Egyptian God/Goddess of your choice. Make sure the following points are included.
1. Origin of the deity
2. Function
3. Role in Society
4. Name (s)
5. Associations
6. Images of the deity
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