WHO'S WHO

IN EGYPTIAN
MYTHOLOGY
ANTHONY MERCATANTE S.

Foreword by Dr. Robert S. Bianchi, Associate Curator,

Department of Egyptian and Classical Art,
The Brooldyn Museum
WHO'S WHO
IN EGYPTIAN
MYTHOLOGY
 Other Books by Anthony S. Mercatante

GOOD AND EVIL: Mythology and Folklore

THE MAGIC GARDEN: The Myths and Folklore
of Flowers, Plants, Trees and Herbs
ZOO OF THE GODS: Animals in Myth, Legend and Fable
THE HARPER BOOK OF CHRISTIAN POETRY (Editor)
ANTHONY S MERCATANTE
WHO'S WHO
IN EGYPTIAN
MYTHOLOGY
Foreword by Robert Associate Curator,
Dr. S. Bianchi,

Department of Egyptian and Classical Art,

The Brooklyn Museum

ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR

Clarkson N. Potter, Inc./ Publishers n k w y <> r k

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Cop5rright © 1978 by Anthony S. Mercatante

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Published simultaneously in Canada by General Publishing Company Limited

First edition
Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Mercatante, Anthony S.
Who's who in Egyptian ms^thology.

Bibliography: p.
1. Mythology, Egyptian — Dictionaries. I. Title.
BL2428.M47 1978 299'.3'1 78-14477
ISBN 0-517-53445-2
ISBN 0-517-53446-0 pbk.
For Jack Haber
''in deep and abiding friendship'
 CONTENTS

Foreword by Dr. Robert S. Bianchi ix

Author's Preface xi

A Chronology of Ancient Egjrptian Dynasties xiii

A Note on the SpeUings Used xv

Introduction xvii

WHO'S WHO IN EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY 1

Annotated Bibliography 219

 Digitized by the Internet Arciiive
in 2010

http://www.archive.org/details/wlioswhoinegyptiaOOmerc
 FOREWORD

In Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology Anthony S. Mercatante has given

us a concise, easy-to-use dictionary of ancient Egyptian deities. There has
been no comparable work in English for the general reader since the
volumes published in the early part of this century, which are often
outdated and misinformed. Because, as in any subject of such complexity,
there are a variety of opinions on each aspect of Egyptian mythology, as
well as different versions of each myth, the present book contains an
annotated bibliography as a guide to further investigations.
At a very early time in their history the ancient Egyptians began to
create myths as a means of explaining natural phenomena. Because the
forces of nature seemed immutable and eternal, they chose familiar and
fixed images to represent them in their stories. The images that were
most easily adapted came from the animal kingdom. The Egyptians
observed that animal behavior was predictable in the wild, and that,
moreover, one falcon looked like any other falcon, as one generation of
lions seemed very nearly like the next. The immutabilility of the animals'
character and form and their association with certain natural forces
provided the symbols for the unique mythology of ancient Egypt.
All animals of a species were living reminders of the gods, but the
Egyptians confined their reverence to specific animals, who were chosen
by the priests of their temple. They did not regard every ibis, falcon, or cat
as a god, although they might have worshipped particular animals of
these kinds. At the same time, the Egyptians could live quite comfortably
with animals from one species representing a number of distinct deities.
For instance, we know that in Memphis a bull was worshipped as Apis,
while in Armant another bull was celebrated as Buchis, and still another
as Mnevis in Heliopolis; each was thought to represent a different nuance
of the divine.
In this way, too, the Egyptians were able to accept cosmologies that for
us might seem contradictory; these often existed simultaneously
throughout the cities of ancient Egypt. The interpretations reflected
varying attitudes toward the divine; in each instance, the features and
hierarchy of the gods that the adherents felt were important were em-
phasized. The residents of Memphis thus adopted Ptah, with all his
attributes, as their supreme deity who came into being out of himself,
untroubled that this role and history were given to Amen, with all his
attributes, in other cities.
As time passed, some of these distinctions became less apparent, for an
important development in Eg5T)tian religion was its growing tendency
toward sjmcretism. Amen-Ra, the prominent divinity of the religion of
the Eighteenth D5niasty, is the most frequently cited example of this
merging of characteristics. In the cult of Isis we find still another model of
one deity's absorption of the attributes of others. By the time of the
Romans, Isis could be invoked by using the names and titles of almost all
the Eg5T)tian goddesses. She had become the only goddess of any conse-
quence and was later to be readily adopted as the Mother of God by the
early Christians.
—
The Egyptians were fun-loving people they liked to drink, to hunt,
and to attend banquets where entertainment was provided by dancing
girls. Their tomb decorations celebrate the pleasures of life. Although
there are the usual scenes of funerals and mourning, most of the narra-
tive art depicts the inhabitant in life: surveying his estates, hunting in
the deserts or marshes, fishing, or seated before an offering table receiv-
ing a wealth of gifts from an endless procession of family and servants and
friends. At the same time, the Egyptians were a moral, ethical people
who, living in a society of priests, were constantly aware of the obliga-
tions of mankind. Among the autobiographical inscriptions on the tombs
are such phrases as: "I gave bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty,
clothing to the naked"; "I oppressed not the orphan"; and "I took no
advantage of the widow."
Religion played an essential part in the existence of this civilization.
Almost every name known to us from inscriptions that have survived
belonged to a priest of one of the religious cults. In a culture that was
viewed as unique by its people, where life was seen as distinct from the
life of any neighboring civilization, to be a priest was to be associated with
what was specifically Eg5^tian. Priests were the link between the im-
mutable and the eternal forces of nature and an earthly society and
heritage that was thousands of years old. In their immutability and
permanence the gods were a symbol of the Egyptian state.
In Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology the reader encounters the values
of an ancient civilization and learns how a society thousands of years old
approached the divine in an attempt to explain the forces of the physical
world.
Dr. Robert S. Bianchi, Associate Curator
Department of Egyptian and Classical Art
The Brookljni Museum
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE

Every year hundreds of thousands of people visit the Egj^tian collec-

tions of the world's great museums
and, in increasing numbers of late,
tourists of all nationalities have been exploring the country and
monuments of Egypt. They are confronted by a profusion of symbols and
representations of deities, of myths and ancient religious practices of
such varied richness that many of these visitors are undoubtedly over-
whelmed by the complexity of Egyptian beliefs. Who are these mysterious
deities, some of them half-human and half-animal, who were worshipped
for thousands of years? Who is Osiris? Who is the jackal-headed god who
watched over the dead?
In Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology I have tried to furnish informative
answers to these questions and many others, and to provide an entertain-
ing and comprehensive selection of historic facts and myths and stories.
There are entries on all the major deities of ancient Egypt. Along with
Osiris, the mummy god, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god who watched
over the embalming of the dead, the reader will be introduced to a host of
lesser divinities, such as Bes, the dwarf god, who was invoked by common
people for good luck, and Taurt, the hippopotamus goddess, who was a
patron deity of childbirth.
You will be introduced to the fascinating and little-known myths asso-
ciated with each deity as well as to the symbols by which each was
represented. There are entries not only on gods and goddesses but also on
such topics as mummies, the Pyramids, and various other aspects of
Egjrptian civilization that help shed light on their beliefs. A special
feature of the dictionary is the inclusion of complete translations of major
Egyptian tales. The Shipwrecked Sailor, The Doomed Prince, The Taking
ofJoppa, The Tale of Two Brothers, The Tale ofSinuhe, The Peasant and
the Workman, The Treasure ofRhampsinitus, Setna and the Magic Book
and Tales of the Magicians. As a further aid to the reader there is A
Chronology of Ancient Egyptian Dynasties; an Introduction that exam-
ines the basic framework of Egyptian m5rthology and religion; and an
Annotated Bibliography that lists sources used in writing the book, as
well as books for further reading.
A dictionary of mjrthology does not spring full-grown from the head of
its author, as Athene did from the head of Zeus. Instead, it depends on the
aid of scholars.I wish first to thank Dr. Robert Steven Bianchi, Associate

Curator of the Department of Egyptian and Classical Art at The Brookljm

Museum, for his time, intelligence, and patience. His knowledge has been
invaluable. Also to be thanked are Juan Montoya, John Spina, Robert
Hawthorne Smyth, Richard Stack, Richard Johnson, Allan Knee, Bruce
Singer, Susan Ann Protter, Professor Ronald Suter of Fairleigh Dickin-
son University, and my editor, Nancy Novogrod,
Anthony S. Mercatante
 A CHRONOLOGY OF
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
DYNASTIES

Egj^tian history is divided into Dynasties, which may or may not

members of one royal family. This system was devised by
consist of the
the Egyptian priest Manetho in the third century B.C., and has been used
by Egyptologists ever since. Only fragments of Manetho's History of
Egypt have come down to us through the writings of others.

The dates ascribed to Dynasties often vary among scholars. Please note
that in this list some Dynasties overlap, while in others no dates have
been assigned.

D5Tiasty I B.C.2955--2780 Dynasty XVI

Djoiasty II B.C.2780--2635 (Hyksos) B.C. 1650--1550
Dynasty XVH B.C.1650--1554
Old Kingdom
Dynasty III B.C.2635--2570 New Kingdom
Dynasty IV B.C.2570--2450 Dynasty XVHI B.C.1554--1305
Dynasty V B.C.2450--2290 Dynasty XIX B.C.1305--1196
Djniasty VI B.C.2290--2155 Dynasty XX B.C.1196--1080

First Intermediate Period Third Intermediate Period

Dynasty VII Dynasty XXI B.C.1080--946
Dynasty VIII B.C.2155--2135 Dynasty XXII B.C.946 -720
-

D5niasty IX B.C.2134- Dynasty XXIII B.C.792 -720

-

D3nnasty X B.C. -2040 Dynasty XXIV B.C.740? -712

Djniasty XI B.C.2134--1991
Late Period
Middle Kingdom Dynasty XXV B.C.745-'655
Dynasty XII B.C.1991--1785 Dynasty XXVI B.C.664- 525

Second Intermediate Period First Persian Period

Dynasty XIII B.C.1785--1650 Dynasty XXVII B.C.525- 404
Dynasty XIV B.C.1715--1650
Dynasty XV Independent Dynasties
(Hyksos) B.C.1650--1544 Dynasty XXVIII B.C.404- 399
 Dynasty XXIX B.C.399-380 Roman Conquest B.C.30
Dynasty XXX B.C.380-342

Second Persian Period Roman Period B.C. 30-A.D. 395

Dynasty XXXI B.C.342-332
Ai J Byzantine Period A.D. 395-638
the GreatX Conquest
r^ X
4-1
Alexander .1.1- "^

B.C.332

Ptolemaic Period B.C. 332-30 Moslem Conquest AD. 641

 A NOTE ON
THE SPELLINGS USED

There isno standard way of transcribing ancient Egyptian names into

English. In Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology I have therefore adopted
the most frequently used English forms of Egyptian names, many from
the Greek, as they appear in books and museum publications. For exam-
ple, the god who personified the earth is variously listed as Geb, Keb, Qeb,
and Seb. However, because Geb is the form most often encountered, the
information for this entry appears under Geb. As an additional aid the
variant spellings are also listed—in alphabetical order — and will refer
the reader back to the main entry under Geb.
The book is arranged alphabetically, with compound names considered
as one word for this purpose.
 INTRODUCTION

"They are religious to excess, far beyond any other race of men ..." wrote
Herodotus in his History (Book 2). The Greek historian had observed
Egyptian religious rites; he had studied the elaborate hymns to their
great sun god, Amen-Ra and, a practice he especially abhorred, their
worship of animal gods. However, he underestimated the scope of Egyp-
tian religious beliefs.
Animal worship was but one limited development, of relatively short
duration, in the rich tradition of ancient Egyptian religion. For most of
their history the people of ancient Egypt revered only the sacred animal,
who was dedicated to the deity of their temple and believed to be that god
incarnate, and considered him as a god. All other animals of the same
species were honored but not worshipped. Zoolatry, or animal worship,
did not originate until the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (B.C. 664- 525) and was
common in the Ptolemaic periods (from B.C. 332- 30 a number of Egyptian
kings were named Ptolemy), when the distinction between the elected
one and his species was lost to the common people. Both Herodotus and
the Latin satirist Juvenal studied late Egyptian religious practices at
this time, and reached their conclusions about the ignorance of Egyptian
beliefs and their barbaric animal worship, based on this one aspect of the
entire range of their customs and ideas. In his fifteenth satire. On the
Atrocities of Egypt, Juvenal lambastes the Egyptians for their zoolatry:

Volusius, who knows what monsters demented Egypt worships?

One city adores the crocodile,
Another worships the ibis that stuffs itself on snakes. . . .

In another part the cat isworshipped,

In another a fish, still another honors the dog!
No one worships Diana, but it is a sacrilege to crunch leeks and onions
with the teeth!
Just think, their gods grow in gardens. . . .

Juvenal hated anything that was not Roman, and this prejudice, and
his Latin bias for humanlike gods such asDiana and Apollo, can in part be
credited for his reactions against Egyptian practices. Then too the in-
coherencies and contradictions of Egyptian mythology and religion un-
doubtedly offended his sense of order. Juvenal did not find an Egyptian
pantheon of twelve Olympian gods, familiar to him from Greek and
Roman mjdihology but instead a series of local deities who were claimed
,

as supreme creators, and many separate Egyptian deities, who shared

joint identities as composite gods. To add to the confusion, most of the
myths of Egypt were preserved orally.
There was no Hesiod, Homer, Virgil, or Ovid to interpret Egyptian
mythology. The best-known narration of an Egyptian myth, that of the
deified man Osiris, was offered by Plutarch, a Greek writer. There are
many references to myths in the Pyramid Texts (inscriptions written on
the walls of pyramids) and in theBook of the Dead (a handbook for guiding
the souls of the dead through the underworld), but the stories were simply
alluded to, and the reader of both texts was expected to be familiar with
them and to fill in the gaps in the accounts. The problem survives to this
day; what has often come down to us, since the oral tradition has been
lost, are often only fragments of myths rather than detailed narratives.
The predynastic Egyptians (before B.C. 3400) believed that the sea,
earth, air, and sky overflowed with spirits, some of whom were engaged in
carrying on the works of nature, and others in helping or hindering man
in the course of his existence on earth. All the events of nature were
attributed to these spirits. It was thought that the continued friendship of
the good spirits could be secured and the hostility of the evil spirits
averted by gifts, or, more accurately, bribes.
The earliest representations of these spirits, who had evolved into both
good and demonic gods, appeared about the middle of the fourth millen-
nium, before the introduction of hieroglyphs. Each tribe had its own
protective deities, who were incarnated as animals, birds, reptiles, or
simple fetishes, such as rams, bulls, hippopotamuses, cats, baboons,
hawks, crocodiles, and snakes. The animal deities gradually gained
human characteristics, while usually retaining some of the animal's
features in their new form. The animal then became sacred to the god.
The number of gods who existed during the long history of ancient
— —
Egypt is legion at one time there were more than a thousand a profu-
sion developing as the early local cults, which were originally separate,
were gradually absorbed into the growing unity of the state. While
certain gods, such as Osiris, were worshipped all over Egypt, there was no
one inclusive pantheon. Egypt was divided into nomes, or districts, each
having its own chief god, temple, and college of priests. A mythology
developed in one nome regardless of the beliefs of a neighboring nome,
even though the same god, who was chief deity of one section, might hold a
subordinate position in another. The Egyptian regarded his chief local
god as all supreme.
 The identities of deities were merged to create composite gods. There
were, for instance, combinations of gods, such as Osiris-Ra and Amen-Ra,
in whom two distinct natures and sets of attributes were joined. When a
dynasty achieved preeminence, the cult of its chief god was spread
throughout Egypt, and the local gods were in some way identified with it,
or were thought of as manifestations or servants of the chief god.
From the time of the Hyksos (B.C. 1650) there was a marked
tendency to merge the natures and names of all the gods with the sun god
Ra. However, the most famous of these composite gods, Amen-Ra (whom
the Greeks identified with Zeus), never succeeded in dislodging Osiris
from his exalted position. The cult of Osiris survived undiminished,
notwithstanding the powerful influence that the priests of Ra and the
worshippers of Amen and Aten exercised throughout Egypt. This longev-
ity is no doubt due to the cult's promise of resurrection and immortality.
The Eg5^tian interest in the afterlife was not morbid. Their early
writings in tombs and monuments attest to the belief that life on earth
was good and should be continued after death. Many of the scenes in the
tombs depicted the happiness and joy of pure physical existence, and
there was a spell for the dead specifically intended to guarantee that full
sexual powers be carried into the next world.
In contrast to most other mythologies, which, like the Greek, charac-
terized the earth as feminine and the sky as masculine, Egyptian belief
represented the earth by Greb, a masculine god, and the sky by a feminine
deity. According to one of the Pyramid Texts, at the time of the creation of
the world, "when men and gods did not yet exist, and there was as yet no
death, masses of land and water formed from the original ocean." A
number of mjHihs tell of the origin of the sun god, who was believed to die
and be reborn each morning.
The creation myths were interpreted by the priests at the centers of
worship, such as Hermopolis, Heliopolis, Memphis, and Busiris, and the
work of creation was attributed to the greatest local god, Thoth, Ra, Ptah,
or Osiris was proclaimed to have created the world. At some places the
god was said to have issued from the mouth of the primeval god or
Demiurge and all other existence was thought to have been created from
his voice; at other shrines, it was taught that men came from the tears or
blood of the local god.
The enneads of nine gods and triads consisting of the
priests devised
god of the a goddess, and their son. Because the gods were
district,
considered as mortal as man, the son was destined to take his father's
place and was created as the exact physical counterpart of the older god.
This gave rise to such epithets for the son as "self-begotten" and "the
husband of his mother." Although mortal in one sense, the gods were
made eternal by the merging of their physical features and personalities
across the generations. This may have been a symbolic expression of the
idea of immortality. In other instances the family triad was supplanted by
a combination of gods, such as the ennead of nine deities, a later attempt
at systematic groupings. There were two enneads, "the great ennead" and
"the lesser ennead." In both the chief god stood at the head of the other
gods who formed his court and assisted him in governing the world.
The chief god of the nome lived in the temple dedicated to him in his
animal form or in the form of a symbol; the temple served as a place of
worship and sacrifice. On the great festival days the god was borne in
procession from the temple. The worshipper approached the enclosing
wall of the sacred precincts along sacred ways guarded by rows of
sphinxes. He passed through the gateway to enter the temple building.
Two obelisks, a statue of the temple's founder, and tall masts decorated
with brightly colored streamers stood before the doorway of the temple.
The pylon, or doorway, a narrow entrance between two lofty towers,
ushered the worshipper into a colonnaded court that was open to the sky
and adorned with richly painted sacred pictures. Beyond was the dark
sanctuary of the god, flanked by rooms where the vestments and sacra-
mental ornaments were kept. The lay people hardly ever entered; only a
few select celebrants were allowed.
The priesthood of the temple was organized around various priestly
duties: they tended the sacrifices, explained the oracles, studied the
sacred texts, or served as teachers, often becoming officers of the state.
The priesthoods were powerful and wealthy.
During the reign of Amenhotep IV (B.C. 1372- 1355), more commonly
known as Akhenaten or Ikhnaten, the name he chose for himself, the
supremacy of the priesthood came under attack. Akhenaten sought to
introduce the worship of a single god, Aten, symbolized by the sun disk,
and opposed the priests of Amen by building a new capital at Akhet-Aten
(the modern Tell el-Amarna), where his followers worshipped Aten. The
priests were incensed by his neglect of politics and the fanaticism of his
beliefs (he had all pictures of other gods removed from the temples and
their names erased). After Akhenaten's death, the new king, Tutankha-
men, reintroduced the worship of Amen at Thebes, and the Amama
heresy, as it has come to be called, was wiped out. Akhenaten's name was
then deleted from the list of kings.
The religion of ancient Egypt remained diverse and at the same time
conservative throughout her long history. In B.C. 30 Egypt became a
Roman province, and a dramatic change in her faith soon followed. Egypt
evolved into the cradle of Christian monasticism, a new faith which at
first existed side by side with the now dwindling old beliefs in Osiris, Isis,
and Horus. When the cult of Osiris finally gave way to the new man-god,
Jesus Christ, the Egyptians embracing Christianity found that the wor-
ship of Osiris and Jesus were compatible if not similar. Isis and her child
Horus were identified with the Virgin Mary and the Christ child. In
apocryphal literature of the first few centuries following the conversion of
Egypt to Christianity, several legends of Isis were transferred to the
Virgin Mary, as well as one of the goddess's epithets, Mut Netchet, which
became Theotokos, or Mother of God, a very old and common title of Isis.
It was not until the reign of Justinian (A.D. 525- 565) that the cult of Isis

was abolished. In A.D. 641 when Byzantine control was destroyed by the
Arab conquest of Egypt, Islam was brought to the land.
WHO'S WHO
IN EGYPTIAN
MYTHOLOGY
 A
AAAPEF see Apophis.

AAH An early moon god who was

later associated with Thoth, the great
moon god. Aah was often portrayed as
a young man with the lock of youth. A
variant spelling of his name is Ah.

AAH-DJUHTY A composite god

made up of the moon gods Aah and
Thoth.

AAI GODS Three divine beings in

the ninth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
underworld. Thei^ function is to help
the sun god Ra destroy the archser-
pent Apophis. They are portrayed
driving pikes into the monster.

AAKHUI see Achet.

AA-NEFER see Onuphis.

AARU see Sekhet-Aaru.

Aah
AAT-AATET see Perit.
AAU A jackal-headed mummy at
one end of the corridor in the fifth sec-
AAT-KHU see Perit. tion of Tuat, the underworld. The
Ab

other end of the corridor is watched tomb of Osiris in the seventh section,
over by Teka-hra. or hour, of Tuat, the underworld.
When the svm god Ra passes by the
AB In Egyptian belief, the heart ex- monster, the god utters magical words
pressed desire, lust, courage, wisdom, which disarm the beast. Then Osiris,
feeling, sense, disposition, and intelli- who is under the ground beneath the
gence. crocodile, raises his head to look at Ra.
The importance of the ab to the After this, all the followers of Osiris
Eg3T)tian is reflected in the Book of look upon Ra, the sun, thus restoring
the Dead, in which not fewer than five them to life.
chapters are devoted to its preserva-
tion. In one chapter the deceased prays AB-SHE A monster crocodile who
for a heart, for if he has no heart, he eats lost souls in the seventh section of
says, "I cannot eat of the cakes of Tuat, the imderworld.
Osiris." And "with the mastery of my
heart, am the master of my arms and
I ABSTRACT PERSONALITY see
legs, I can do whatsoever my Ka
and Ka.
pleaseth, and my soul will not be fet-
tered at the gates of Tuat." AB-TA A monster serpent who
The ab, or heart amulet, was made guards the entrance to the ninth sec-
of many kinds of red stones — red tion of Tuat, the underworld.
jasper, red glass, red paste, and red
wax. It was inscribed in the breast of ABU SIMBEL Site of twin temples
the mummy in place of the heart carved out of a sandstone cliff on a

which was mummified separately. bend of the Nile in the thirteenth cen-
The upper part of the ab amulet was tury B.C. for Rameses II and his consort
sometimes in the form of a hiunan Nefertari. The temples have been re-
head. Egyptian texts show that the ab moved to a higher elevation on this
was supposed to contain the soul of same cliff to protect them from the
Khepera, the self-created god, and was waters rising behind the new Aswan
therefore immortal. A variant spelling dam. The preservation effort was
is lb. undertaken by UNESCO and the
Eg5T)tian government, and financed
ABDU and INET Two fish who by funds obtained through an interna-
were supposed to swim, one on each tional appeal.
side of the bow of the boat of the sun
god Ra, to drive away from it every evil ABYDOS Egyptian city, located be-
being in the waters. tween Asyut and Thebes, noted for its
shrine to Osiris. It is believed that
AB-ESH-IMY-DUAT A monster Isis, the wife of Osiris, buried her hus-
crocodile who acts as guardian of the band's head in Abydos after his body
 Akebiu

had been mutilated by his evil brother AF-TEM A god whose name means
Set. Every year the city drew thou- the "flesh of Tem."
sands of pilgrims, who came to per-
form the rites associated with the AH see Aah.
death and resurrection of Osiris.
Abydos contains temples erected by AH-HETEP One of the four
Seti I as well as Rameses 11.
sovereign chiefs in the fifth section, or
hour, of Tuat, the underworld, when
ACHET Amulet made of red stone
the sun god Ra passes in his serpent
and red glass or paste, representing
boat.
the sun rising in the eastern horizon.
Itwas to give the wearer the strength
and power of the sun god Ra and was
AHMES-NEFERTARI Mother of
Amenhotep I, the Pharaoh who was
symbolic of renewed life after death. A
deified. She was worshipped with her
variant spelling is Aakhui.
son.

ADON see Aten.

A Ida Italian opera by Giuseppe
ADULTERY see Family. Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Ghis-
lanzoni, based on a plot by Auguste
ADZE A metal tipped carpenter's Mariette, aFrench Egs^ptologist.
tool,- like a hoe, whose handle was of Verdi was commissioned by the Khe-
wood, used in the ritual of the "open- dive of Eg5T)t to compose an opera for a
ing of the mouth" that was supposed new theater in Cairo as part of the
to bring the statue, mummy, or body ceremonies for the opening of the Suez
back to life. Canal. The opera was first performed
in 1871, two years after the Canal was
AESCULAPIUS Greek god of opened.
medicine identified by the Greeks The opera's plot revolves aroimd
with the Egyptian sage Imhotep, who Aida, an Ethiopian princess captured
was deified. in war and made a
slave, and her love
for the Egyptian captain Radames.
AF The dead, or setting sun, por-
Amneris, the daughter of the king of
trayed as a ram with his head sur- Egypt, also loves Radames. In the end
moxmted by a solar disk. The word Radames betrays the Egyptians and is
means "flesh." put to death with Aida.

AFA Lesser gods or spirits men-

tioned in several Egyptian texts. AIR, GOD OF see Shu.

AF-OSIRIS A form of the god AKEBIU Four bearded gods, whose

Osiris, meaning "flesh of Osiris." name means the "wallers," found in
Akeneh

the eleventh section of Tuat, the un- dropped out of sight below the horizon,
derworld. and hence were believed to be eternal.

AKENEH A serpent demon men- AKHEN A monster serpent who

tioned in a magical formula of Unas, a guarded the entrance to the seventh
king of the Fifth Dynasty. section of Tuat, the underworld, as the
sun god Ra passed in his boat. The
AKER A lion god who guarded the name means "to split" or "wear out the
gate of the dawn through which the eyes."
sun god passed each morning.
AKHENATEN (B.C. 1372 - 1355)
AKH According to the Pyramid Name chosen by Amenhotep IV when
Texts, the Akh, or spirit, of a god lives he adopted the worship of Aten, the
in heaven and when a man dies, his sun disk. He was the son of Amenhotep
Akh will eventually go to heaven as III and Queen Tiy. Either during his
well. The Akh was generally thought father's last years or sometime shortly
of as a being of light, comparable to a after his father's death, Akhenaten
star. In some texts, however, the Akh vmdertook the building of a gigantic
was considered demonic. In the Book temple at Kamak. After he came to
of the Dead, for instance, it is written, the throne Akhenaten left Thebes, the
"My mouth is and I am
strong; capital, and moved his court to a new
equipped against the Akhs. Let them city in Middle Egypt, Tell el-Amama.
not have dominion over me." Con- He vowed never to leave the city limits
nected with the Akh was the Sekhem, and devoted himself exclusively to the
or vital power, but its exact function is worship of the Aten. Near the end of
not known. his life Akhenaten became estranged
from his wife, the beautiful Nefertiti,
AKHAKHU A word meaning "god- who removed herself and four of their
like beings." daughters. He later married his fifth
eldest daughter. On his death
AKHEKH GrifiTmlike animal re- Akhenaten was succeeded by Smen-
garded as a form of the evil god Set. It kara, who died within the year. The
had the body of an antelope and the nine-year-old Tutankhaten became
head of a bird which was surmounted ruler and was coaxed into returning to
by three uraei and wings. Thebes. He changed his name to
Tutankhamen, restoring the cult of
AKHEM-SEK A class of celestial Amen, and closing the door on a period
beings whose name means "those who called the Amama Heresy.
never go down," referring to the cir- Akhenaten has been credited by
cumpolar stars that to the Egyptians some scholars as the originator of
never "set," that is, they never Egyptian monotheism, although this
 Amam

issue is still in dispute. (For a discus-

sion of the worship of Aten refer to the
entry on the god.)
A variant spelling is Ikhnaten.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT (bc

356-323) The great Macedonian
leader reached Egypt in the autumn of
B.C. 332. According to one legend he
constdted the oracle of Jupiter- Amen
in theSiwa Oasis. Amen recognized
Alexander as his son, and promised
him control over the entire world. A
short time Alexander was
later
crowned king of Egypt in the Temple
of Ptah at Memphis. On his way to the
shrine of Jupiter- Amen he made a stop
at Rhacotis, a small fishing village
and former frontier p)Ost of the
Pharaohs. Realizing the advantages of
the site, he decided to build a new city,
to be called Alexandria. The layout of
the city was geometric, with wide Amam
streets on a rectangular grid. The plan
was drawn up by Deinocrates, an ar- have stolen Alexander's sword from
chitect from Rhodes, and Cleomenes of his body. Despite repeated rumors, the
Naucratis, who was in charge of its burial place of Alexander and the
execution. According to legend the city Ptolemies has yet to be discovered.
was in the shape of a Greek garment.
The perimeter A^as indicated with ALEXANDRIA see Alexander the
seeds which birds promptly ate. This Great.
seemingly bad omen was interpreted
as a positive sign by Alexander. Later, AMAM A fantastic beast whose
he left the city and died in Asia. name means "the devourer." It has the
Ptolemy, one of Alexander's generals, forequarters of a crocodile, the
was responsible for returning his body hindquarters of a hippopotamus, and
to Egypt and he erected a magnificent the body of a lion. When the Ba, or
tomb for his leader in Alexandria. soul, was weighed in the judgment of
When Julius Caesar was in Egypt he the dead, the Amam would be waiting
asked to see the tomb of Alexander. at the base of the scales to eat the heart
The Emperor Caracalla is reported to of the deceased who failed to pass the
Amamet

AMEHETP see Amenhotep I.

AMEN-RA Composite god made up

of Amen, whose name literally means
"hidden," and the sun god Ra.
At first Amen was
merely a god of
local importance. However, after the
princes of Thebes gained sovereignty
over Egypt, making their city the new
capital of the country, Amen became a
prominent god in Upper Egypt and
was looked upon as "King of the Gods."
At that time Amen's sanctuary at
Kamak was a comparatively small
building, consisting of a shrine sur-
rounded by a few small chambers and
a forecourt with a colonnade on two
sides. When the Theban princes be-
came kings of Egypt, their priests de-
clared their god Amen not only an-
other form of the great creator sun god
who was worshipped under such
names as Ra and Khepera, but they
gave him all the attributes that were
ascribed to the sun gods and pro-
claimed him as the greatest of them
all. When Amen was coupled with Ra,
forming the composite god Amen-Ra,
Amen-Ra
in the Eighteenth Dynasty, he became
judgment. Variant spellings are the mysterious creative power that
Amamet and Am-mit. was the source of all life in heaven,
earth, and the underworld. Eventu-
AMAMET see Amam. ally the priests of Amen claimed that
therewas no other god like Amen, who
AMAN see Amen-Ra was the "one one" and had "no second."
This concept resembles that of the
AMARNA HERESY see Akhena- Hebrews, who said, "Yahweh our God
ten and Aten. is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

In Egyptian art Amen-Ra is usually

AMARNA LETTERS see Tell el- portrayed as a man with a beard, with
Amama. a headdress of double plumes, various
 Amentet

sections of which are colored alter- AMENHOTEP I (B.C. 1557-1530)

nately red and green, or red and blue.
Around his neck he wears a broad col-
lar or necklace, and his close-fitting
kilt or tunic is supported by elaborately
worked shoulder straps. His arms and
wrists are decked with armlets and
bracelets. In his right hand is the
ankh, symbol of life, and in his left the
scepter. The tail of a lion or bull hangs
from his tunic. Sometimes Amen-Ra is
Deified Pharaoh, worshipped with his
mother, Ahmes-Nefertari, at the ne-
cropolis west of Thebes. He is said to
have saved the life of a workman bit-
ten by a snake, and after his death was
invoked for protection. He is portrayed
as a bearded man with a black body.
The Greeks rendered his name as
Amenophis I. A variant spelling of the
Egyptianis Amehetp.

given a hawk's head surmounted by

the solar disk encircled by a serpent. AMENOPHIS I see Amenhotep I.

When Amen appears with his wife,

Amiuiet, he is often portrayed as a AMENT A name for the goddess
frog-headed man and she as a meaning "hidden," from Amenet,
Isis,

uraeus-headed woman. When Amen is the feminine gender of Amunt, who

shown with the uraeus, Amunet is de- assisted in transforming the bodies of
picted with the head of a cat. Variants the blessed dead into those who would
name are Aman, Ammon, Am,
of his live in the realm of Osiris.
Amon, Amun, and Hammon.
AMENTET The West, the land of
the setting sun, where the dead as-
AMENET see Amimet.
sembled waiting for the boat of the sun
god Ra to pass. When the god ap-
AMENHOTEP, SON OF HAPU peared, those who had been his wor-
Egyptian sage on whom divine hon- shippers on earth, and who were for-
ors were bestowed and minister of tvmate enough to have secured the
Amenhotep III (c. B.C. 1379-1417). He magical words of entry, were able to
was known for his wisdom and for the embark on the siin god's boat. Then
beautiful temples built under his accompanied by Ra they made their
supervision. Many magical texts and journey through Tuat, the iinder-
stories were attributed to him, and it world, passing through the realms of
was said that he was a devotee of Osiris and Seker, gods of the dead.
Thoth, the scribe god who was credited (Osiris was sometimes known as
with the authorship of the Boo^ of the Amentet, as in one section oi the Book
Dead. His fame continued to grow in of the Dead.)
later Dynasties. In Egyptian art They finally appeared on the east-
Amenhotep, son of Hapu, is usually em horizon at daybreak, where they
portrayed as a scribe with a roll of were able to wander about. At sunset,
papyrus on his knees. they again joined Ra to continue their
Amenthes

trip through Tuat. The Greeks called protection against serpents, worms,
this journey Amenthes. mildew, and decay.

AMENTHES see Amentet. AMUN see Amen.

AMKIHIU The souls of the blessed AMUNET Goddess, consort of

who have been fortunate enough to ob- Amen at Kamak, who is often por-
tain admission into the boat of the sun
trayed with the crown of Lower Egypt.
god Ra as he crosses through the night name
Variant spellings of her are
heavens. In life they were devoted fol-
Amonet and Amenet.
lowers of Ra, and the reward for this is

renewed youth and a new birth on

earth. ANAT Egyptian goddess of Syrian
origin, called the "lady of heaven" and
AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS "mistress of the gods." Her cult was
(fourth centviry A.D.) Author of introduced by Rameses II (B.C. 1304-
Roman History, which contains de- 1237). Originally Anat was a war god-
scriptions of various Egyptian monu- dess, with numerous cities in Syria
ments and natural aspects of the Nile dedicated to her worship. In Egyptian
Valley. art she is portrayed as a woman seated
on a throne or standing upright. When
AM-MIT see Amam. seated she grasps a shield and spear in
her right hand and a club in her left,
AMMON see Amen-Ra. indicating her warlike nature. When
standing she is dressed in a panther
AMON see Amen-Ra skin and holds a papyrus scepter in her
right hand and the ankh, emblem of
AMONET see Amunet. life, left. She wears a white-
in her
feathered crown that sometimes has a
AMU see Fa. pair of horns attached at the base. Var-
iant spellings are Annuthat and Antit.
AMULET Object intended to pro-
tect the human body from evil. The ANHEFTA A protective spirit in
word amulet comes from the Arabic the ninth section of Tuat, the under-
meaning "to bear" or "to carry," indi- world.
cating that amulets were worn and
carried about on the person. The ANHER see Onouris.

ancient Egyptians placed many amu-

lets on their own bodies as well as on ANHERT see Onouris.
their dead. A specific amulet rested
on each part of the deceased's body as ANHORET see Onouris.
 Animals

ANHUR see Onouris. Donkey

Set (in defeat by Horus)
ANIMALS Many Egyptian deities Frog
are associated with animals. Some Amen (as part of Ogdoad), Heket
gods, such as Horus, are depicted with (as part of Ogdoad), Huh (as part
the head of a hawk, while others, such of Ogdoad), Kuk (as part of
as Hathor, are portrayed as cow- Ogdoad), Nun (as part of Ogdoad)
headed or as a cow. The following is a Fish
list of the animals associated with the Remi
various deities. Sometimes the same Goose
deity will be represented by different Geb
animals. Hawk
Amen-Ra, Harmachis, Haroeris,
Harsaphes, Harsiesis,
Hartomes, Horasematawy,
Ass Hormerti, Horus, Horus, the
Set (in defeat by Horus) Hebenuite, Horus-Behdety,
Baboon Khensu, Ra-Horakhty, Qebh, son
Thoth of Horus, Soped
Beetle Heron
Khepera Utet
Bull Hippopotamus
Apis, Bata, Buchis, Mnevis, Taurt
Onuphis, Serapis 76 is
Cat Aah, Toth
Amunet, Bast, Mau Jackal
Cobra (see also Snakes) Anubis, Heranubis, Tuamutef, son
Buto of Horus, Wepwawet
Cow Lioness
Hathor, Isis (when identified with Astarte, Sekhmet, Shehbui, Tefnut
Hathor), Meh-urt, Nut Lynx
(sometimes) Maftet
Crocodile Rabbit
Horus Khenty Khat (when Horus Unnu, Wenenu, Wenenut
defeats Set), Sebek, Set (in defeat Ram
by Horus) Amen, Ba-neb-djet, Bata,
Dolphin Harsaphes, Hutchaiui, Khnemu,
Hat-mehit Qebui
Dog Snake
Hapi, son of Horus, Thoth (when Amen-Ra (sometimes), Buto,
confused with the jackal) Horasematawy, Hauhet, Kauket,
Ankh

Mehen, Merseger, Naunet, Christian symbolism explains the

Nephthys^ Qerhet, Ur-heka Tau cross, (the ankh symbol without
Scarab the O) as an Old Testament prefigura-
Khepera tion of the Christian cross. Some texts
Sow cite that the brazen serpent of Moses
Nut was suspended on a Tau cross (Num-
Scorpion bers 21:9). According to another tradi-
Serqet tion, the Tau crosswas the sign that
Shrew-mouse the Israelites in Egypt marked in
Horus Khenty en Maatyu blood to protect them when Yahweh
Swallow slaughtered the Egyptian children.
Isis This explanation seems plausible

Vulture since the symbol was very common

Nekhebet throughout Egypt. The Tau cross is
often identified with the Egyptian
Wolf
Wepwawet hermit saint, Anthony the Abbot, and
isworn by the Knights of St. Anthony,
an order formed in 1352.

ANKH Eg3rptian hieroglyphic (styl-

ization of a sandal strap) for "life,"
identified with the Greek Tau cross
and the Christian crux ansata.
Various theories have been ad-
vanced to explain the symbolism of the
ankh. According to some nineteenth-
century scholars, the ankh is a symbol
of the male and female generative or-
gans, while for others the T and O
shape represents an altar with an egg
or vase upon it. Both theories have
since been discredited. The early
Egyptian Christians adopted the
ankh which they had seen on so many
monuments, believing that it pre-
figured the Christian cross. Sozomen, Ankh
a fifth-century church historian,
wrote that a great number of pagans ANBlH-AAPAU a monster seri)ent
embraced Christianity when the in the fifth section, or hour, of Tuat,
ankh was discovered on some Egyp- the underworld, who lives upon the
tian temples. flames that emanate fi'om its mouth.

10
 Anubis

ANKHAT: Title for the goddess Isis on his conquest of the world, and when
as the giver of life. It is also the name Osiris was murdered and dismem-
of a goddess. bered, he helped find his body and then
embalmed it so well that it resisted
ANKHI A monster serpent with a the influences of time and decay. Thus,
bearded mummiform god growing out it was said, that burial rites were in-
from each side of its body. vented.
Subsequently, Anubis presided over
ANNUTHAT see Anat.
funerals and guided the dead through
the underworld into the kingdom of
ANPU see Anubis.

ANQUAT Title of the goddess Isis

as producer of fertility in the waters.

ANTELOPE An animal sometimes

associated with the evil god Set.

ANTHONY OF EGYPT, SAINT

(A.D. 251-356) Egyptian monk, often
called St. Anthony the Abbot, who is
frequently pictured with the Tau
cross, a form of the ancient Egyptian
ankh, symbol of life. His feast day is

January 17.

ANTIT see AnaV

ANTIU Four beings, each having

four serpent heads, and armed, found
in the tenth section of Tuat, the un-
derworld.

ANUBIS The jackal-headed god of

the dead. According to one myth, he
was the son of the goddess Nephthys,
who had tricked her brother, the god
Osiris, intohaving intercourse with
her. Anubis was abandoned by
Nephthys at birth, and he was found
and raised by Osiris's sister-wife, the
goddess Isis. He accompanied Osiris Anubis

11
Anuket

Osiris. This function he shared with the the fields during the inundation.
god Wepwawet, or Ap-uat (whose Anukisuas was at times identified as
name at one time was thought to be the goddess of lust. A red parrot was
synonymous with Anubis). When the occasionally associated with the god-
souls of the dead reached the other dess. Anukis was portrayed as a wo-
world, Anubis made certain that the man wearing a crown of feathers.
heart of the deceased would be
weighed fairly and watched that the APEP see Apophis
body of the deceased was not acciden-
tally committed to the monstrous APERHER A god with a solar disk
Amam, "the devourer," who ate the for a head from which protrudes two
dead. human heads, one wearing the white
The cult of Anubis continued during crown, the other the red crown of
Greek and Roman times. According to Egypt. He appears in the eleventh
Plutarch, the Egjrptian jackal god was hour, or section, of Tuat, the under-
common to both the celestial and in- world. His name may mean, "the lord
fernal regions. This dual role was rein- of eternity."
forced in Roman times by Apuleius,
who described in The Golden Ass APET see Taurt.
(Book 11) a procession of the goddess
Isis in which Anubis appeared with APIS Greek name for the Egyptian
head and neck, a "messen-
his jackal Hapi (Hape or Hap), the sacred bull of
ger between heaven and hell, dis- Memphis. It was said that Apis was
playing alternately a face black as bom of a virgin cow that had been im-
night and golden as day." pregnated by the god Ptah. The calf
Anubis was portrayed as a jackal or was recognized by certain signs, such
a jackal-headed man, the jackal being as a peculiar white mark on its neck
known to prowl around the tombs of and rump that resembled a hawk's
the dead. The name Anubis is the wings and a scarablike hump under its
Greek rendering of the Egyptian tongue. The baby bull was brought to
Anpu. Memphis where each day it was let
loose to roam in the courtyard of the
ANUKET see Anukis. temple for devotees to observe; his
movements were believed to foretell
ANUKIS Goddess, originally a the future. The day of the animal's
water deity from the Sudan, who was birth was celebrated with a festival.
worshipped with Khnemu and Satis at When the bull reached his twenty-
Elephantine. A Greek form of the fifth year, he was killed with great
Egyptian Anuket, her name means "to ceremony. He was drowned in a cis-
embrace" and may refer to the fact mummified, and entombed in an
tern,
that she is believed to have fertilized underground chamber of the temple

12
 Apophis

Apophis

where he was mourned for seventy as a powerful animal with massive

days. This ritualistic killing may have limbs and body. A triangidar piece of
been symbolic of the sacrificial slaying silver was fixed on his forehead, and a
of the king, a rite common in pre- disk and the uraeus were placed be-
dynastic times. After the bull was tween his horns. Above his legs figures
dead, a new incarnation of the god was of vultures with outstretched wings
sought, and when the right calf was were outlined, and on his back, also
found, the process was begun again. outlined, was a rectangular cloth with
Originally Apis^may have been a an ornamental diamond pattern.
fertility god concerned with flocks and Other sacred bulls were Mnevis and
herds. At Memphis he became associ- Buchis.
ated with Ptah, the god who fashioned
the world, and with Osiris, the god APOLLO Greek god of the sun,
whose blessed kingdom the dead hoped equated by them with the Egyptian
to enter. In Egypt, the cult of Apis was gods Horus-Behdety and Menthu.
so important that Ptolemy I, in an ef-
fort to unite Greek and Egyptian wor- APOPHIS Greek form of the Egyp-
ship, introduced the god Serapis, or tian Apep or Aaapef. A giant serpent
Sarapis, into the country. A composite and night demon. According to some
of Osiris and Apis, Serapis was hon- accoimits, he was a form of Set, god of
ored by a cult that, along with the cult evil and darkness. Each night Apophis
of the goddess Isis, later spread did battle with the sun god Ra, whose
throughout the Roman Empire. spells and flames destroyed him. This
In Egyptian art Apis was portrayed nightly combat took place just before

13
Ap-uat

Ra's ascension from Tuat, the under- ARTISTS AND ARTISANS, GOD
world. OF see Ptah.
In the Book of the Overthrowing of
Apophis a ritual is prescribed that was ASAR see Osiris.
recited daily in the temple of the sun
god, cataloguing in great detail the de- ASAR-HAP; ASAR-HAPI see Se-
was to befall Apophis.
struction that rapis.
The monster was to be speared,
gashed, and every bone of his body ASBET A goddess associated in the
separated by red-hot knives. His head, Pyramid Texts with Isis and
legs, and tail were to be scorched, Nephthys.
singed, and roasted until the whole was
shriveled and consumed by fire. The ASET see Isis.

same fate also awaited Apophis's

monstrous helpers, Sebau and Nak, as ASH-HRAU A five-headed monster
well as all his other spirits, shadows, serpent whose name means literally,

and offspring of the night. "lots of faces." Ash-hrau resides in the

sixth section, or hour, of Tuat, the un-

AP-UAT see Wepwawet. derworld. Its body is bent into an ir-

regular oval in such a way that its tail

almost touches one of its heads.
APULEIUS, LUCIUS (second cen-
tury A.D.)Latin author of The Golden
Ass. In Book 2 he describes a festival
ASP see Snakes.

in honor of the goddess Isis that gives a

good picture of the Roman worship of
ASS The Eg5T)tians regarded the ass
as both a demonic and a beneficent
the Egyptian goddess.
animal. In one text the deceased says,
"May I journey forth upon earth, may
ARES Greek war god identified by
may I crush the
I smite the Ass,
them with the Egyptian god Anhur,
serpent-field Sebau; may I destroy
whom they called Onouris.
Apophis in his hour. ..." This iden-
tifies the ass with a host of demonic
ARI-HES-NEFER A lion-headed
beings which must be overcome.
god whose statue was often placed on On the other hand, in the Book of the
the doors of palaces and tombs to Dead, in a chapter entitled "Chapter of
guard both the living and the dead Driving Back the Eater of the Ass,"
from evil spirits. the ass is a symbol of the svm god and is
protected against Apophis, the mon-
ARITI see Nehata. ster.

ARMANT see Hermonthis. AST see Isis.

14
 Aten

ASTARTE Near Eastern mother ATCHET Groddess associated with

goddess worshipped in Egypt. She was the sun god Ra, and in some accounts
both the "mother of mankind" as well considered his female coimterpart.
as a warrior goddess "clad in terror" Her name may mean "the nurse" in
who caused even the gods to tremble. the sense of nursing a child.
She was often portrayed as a woman
with the head of a lioness surmounted ATEF CROWN see Crowns.
by the disk of the svm. She stood on a
chariot drawn by four horses. Some-
times she is portrayed as a woman ATEM see Tern.

armed with a shield and club, riding a

horse into battle. ATEN A sun god, symbolized by the
solar disk. His worship was advanced
ASTEN A form of the god Thoth. by Akhenaten who came to the throne
as Amenhotep IV (B.C. 1372- 1355).
ASTI-NETER see Nehata. The origin of the worship of Aten is
obscure. He may originally have been
ASTRONOMY The ancient Egyp- a form of the sun god honored locally
tians believed that the stars were di- near Heliopolis. It was under the rule
vine spirits around which the souls of of Amenhotep IV, who changed his
the blessed dead collected. (Their ideas name to Akhenaten, which may mean
of the afterlife varied considerably.) In "glory of Aten," that the cult of Aten
the early Pyramid Texts two classes of was advanced.
stars are given, the Akhemu seku, or When the worship of the new swn.
"imperishable stars", and th.e Akhemu god was opposed by the priests of
urtchu, the "stars -which never rest." Amen-Ra, who was then the reigning
The heavens were divided into four sun god, Akhenaten left his capital of
parts, and the stars were classed as Thebes and constructed a new one at
"northern" and "southern." Among what is now Tell el-Amama. Here in
the former they placed Meskhet, the this new capital the king and his wife
Big Dipper, and among the latter Nefertiti, the "beautiful one has
Orion and Sirius, or Sothis. The north- come," brought about an artistic revo-
em stars were associated with Set. lution in Egjrptian art. Stressing nat-
Orion held the soul of Horus, and uralistic forms as opposed to stylized
Sirius was identified with Isis. The ones, the art of this period broke with
moon was associated with Thoth and the conservatism that had long been in
later as the abode of Osiris. The sun vogue. For example, Akhenaten was
and the moon were the eyes of either portrayed realistically, even to the
Ra or Horus. The Egyptians knew five distortions of his body (for example,
planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, his distended stomach). One of the
Saturn, and Jupiter. most famous works of this period is the

15
Aten

hymns to the god, ascribed to Akhena-

ten himself, opens thus:

Thy rising is beautiful in the horizon

of heaven,
O thou Aten, who hadst thine
existence
in primeval time.
When thou riseth in the eastern
horizon
thou fiUest every land with
thy beauties.
Thou art beautiful to see, and art
great, and art like crystal,
and art high above the earth.
Thy beams of light embrace the land,
even every land which thou hast
made.
Thou art as Ra,and thou bringest
unto each of them,
(thyself)
Aten
and thou bindest them with thy
painted head of Nefertiti (now in the love.

Egjrptian Museum, West Berlin.

Thou art remote, but thy beams are
upon the earth.
Akhenaten's reign, which lasted for
a more than fifteen years, came
little

to an abrupt end. There is some spec- Although the extract from the
ulation that the king and his wife were Hymn to Aten gives an idea of the
murdered. All known records of his views of Akhenaten and his followers
reign were destroyed by the priests of concerning Aten, it is impossible to
Amen-Ra. Akhenaten's successor, his gather precise information about the
son-in-law Tutankhaten,had his details of the belief or doctrine relat-
name changed Tutankhamen, the
to ing to Aten. Incense was burnt several
"living image of Amen," and under the times during the day and hymns were
direction of the priests he restored the sung to the god, accompanied by harps
worship of Amen-Ra. and other instruments. The offerings
Akhenaten has been called the first to the god consisted of fruits and flow-
individual in history, as well as the ers. There was no animal sacrifice.
heretic king. He has been credited by The worship was joyous, and the sur-
some scholars as the originator of roundings pictured by the artists of
Egyptian monotheism. However, it is this period were bright and cheerful.
not evident in any of the hymns to The religious revolution of Akhena-
Aten that the god was believed to be ten inspired the novel The Egyptian
the only god. One of the most majestic (1949) by Mika Waltari, which deals

16
 Ausares

with the failure of Akhenaten to ATLAS In Greek mythology the

convince the court and people to Titan who fought against Zeus and
worship Aten. was condemned to carry the weight of
Variant spellings are Aton, Adon, the world on his shoulders. He was
and Eton. equated by the Greeks with the Egyp-
tian god Shu, whose name has been
ATHENE Greek goddess of war, translated as "he who holds up."
wisdom, and liberal arts, identified by
the Greeks with the Egyptian goddes- ATMU see Tern.
ses Isis and Neith.
ATON see Aten.

ATHOR see Hathor.

ATUM see Tem.

ATHPI see Fa.

AUSAR see Osiris.

ATHYR see Hathor. AUSARES see Osiris.

,y-

17
 B
BA The soul, or that part of a person
that had eternal existence after death.
The Ba, closely associated with the
Ka (each person's double) and the Ab,
or heart, was one of the principal ele-
ments of the life in man. The Ba
amulet was in the form of a man-
headed hawk wearing a beard. After
death, the Ba was believed to visit its

body in the tomb. Many graves had

narrow passages in the pits so that the
Ba might find its way there. In the
Pyramids of Meroe, openings were left
in the stone coverings near the apex so
that the Ba might enter them, and a
ledge to stand onVas placed beneath
each opening.
In the Book of the Dead the Ba is

seen visiting its body, to which it pre-

sents the symbol shen, symbolic of Ba
eternal life.The final union of all souls
with their bodies was believed to take BABOON The baboon was sacred to
place in the heavenly Anu Heliopolis. the moon and thus to moon gods such
Small figures of the Ba made of gold as Thoth, who was sometimes
and inlaid with semiprecious stones portrayed as a baboon. In the Book of
were placed on the breast of the the Dead the deceased's heart is placed
mummy in the hope of preserving it on a scale upon which sits a baboon.
from decay. The baboon was to report to Thoth
when the pointer was in the middle of
BABA One of the names of the evil the beam.
god Set. Sacred baboons were kept in tem-

19
Bacis

pies dedicated to moon gods; they were She was the protector of pregnant
believed to be spirits of the dawn who women as well as a pleasure-loving
were transformed into baboons as soon goddess who reveled in music and
as the sun had risen and they had sung dance. She also protected men against
a hymn in its honor. disease and evil spirits. She was gen-
erally considered the personification
BACIS (bull) see Buchis. of the beneficial, fertilizing power of
the sun, while her counterpart, the
BA-xjEB-DJET Sacred ram of lioness goddess Sekhmet, represented
Mendes whose name means "soul, lord the fierce, destructive power of the
of Busiris." The sacred ram was dis- sun.
tinguished by certain marks, as were Bast became an important national
other Egyptian sacred animals. When and her festival
deity about B.C. 950,
the proper ram was found he was led in was among the most popular in Egypt.
a great procession to Mendes, which According to Herodotus in his History
was his city of worship, and enthroned (Book 2), vast numbers of men and
in the temple. In some texts he is con- women were in attendance, arriving by
sidered a form of the sun god Ra, in barge. There was singing and dancing,
others of Osiris and Ptah. His wife was people clapped their hands, or played
the dolphin goddess Hat-mehit. castanets. Women shouted abuses and
Ba-neb-djet is depicted as a ram even exposed themselves from the
with flat branching horns surmounted barges to those along the shore as they
by a uraeus. He is sometimes por- approached. At Bubastis the feast was
trayed with four heads, that of Ra, celebrated with abundant sacrifices
Shu, Geb, and Osiris. The Greeks and Dead cats were care-
festivities.
identified Ba-neb-djet with their gods fully mummified and buried. It was
Priapus and Pan, both associated with said that more than 700,000 devotees
fertility and male sexual power. attended the festival of Bast, and that
Variant spellings are Ba-neb-Tatau, more wine was consumed than in all
Ba-neb-Tet, Ba-neb-Tettu, and the rest of the year.
Banedbdetet. In the Bible the Hebrew prophet
Ezekiel (30:17) refers to Bast's city,
BA-NEB-TATAU see Ba-neb-djet.
which he calls Pi-beseth. He says that
the young men who are Bast's adhe-
BA-NEB-TET see Ba-neb-djet.
rents, will "fall by the sword" and be

BA-NEB-TETTU see Ba-neb-djet. carried into captivity for their worship

of her.
BANEDBDETET see Ba-neb-djet. In Egyptian art Bast was usually
portrayed as a woman with the head of
BAST Cat goddess worshipped at a cat. In her right hand she often held
Bubastis. a sistrum for her music in her
, left an

20
 Benu

aegis with the head of a cat or lioness Pharaoh wore a false beard that was
on top of it. A variant spelling is Bas- believed to have its own life and was
tet. worshipped as a god. The gods were
said to have "beards like lapis lazuli."

BEER Egyptian beer was produced

from barley, which was made into
bread and then soaked in water. The
beer was the liquid that was drained
from the bread. Beer was used by the
living, and offerings of beer were made
at the tomb.

BEETLE see Scarab and Khepera.

BEHDETY Epithet for Horus,

meaning "He of Behdet," a form of the
god worshipped at Behdet, a district of
ancient Edfu. The Greeks called the
city Appollinolis Magna and equated
Behdety with their god Apollo.

BELZONI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA

(1778 - 1823) Italian circus muscle
man who became an Egyptian ar-
chaeologist. His methods, which often
upset other Egyptian explorers, made
him one of the most famous ar-
Bast
chaeologists of the time.

BASTET see Bast. BENEN A guardian of the eighth

section Tuat, the underworld, whom
BATA A pastoral god whose cult
the sun god Ra passed in his boat.
image was a mummified bull or ram.
Some scholars believe that The Tale of BENTY Species of ape which seems
Two Brothers, sometimes called Anpu to screech at dawn, like the proverbial
and Bata, is actually about the gods rooster. His action was interpreted by
Anubis and Bata. A variant spelling is the ancient Egyptians as a prayer
Bet. heralding the coming of the rising sun.

BEARD For the ancient Egyptians BENU A fantastic bird identified by

the beard was considered sacred. Each the Greeks with the phoenix. It was

21
Bes

Bes

portrayed as a huge golden hawk with According to the Greek historian

a heron's head. The Benu was said to
have created itself from fire which
burned at the top of the sacred persea
tree of Heliopolis. It was essentially a
sun bird, symbol of both the rising sun
and the dead sun god Osiris, from
whose heart, in one account, the bird
sprang. The Benu not only signified
the rebirth of the sun each morning
but became a symbol of the resurrec-
tion of man. The Book of the Dead pro-
vides a formula to enable the deceased
to take the form of the Benu.
Herodotus (Book 2), the Benu made its
appearance once every 500 years. His
plumage was colored part gold and
part red, and in size and form he re-
sembled an eagle. He came from
Arabia with the body of his father
enclosed in an egg of myrrh, which he
brought to the temple of the sun and
buried there.
BES Dwarf god who was a patron of
art, music, and childbirth, as well as a
god of war and a strangler of an-

22
 Birds

telopes, bears, lions, and serpents. BIBAN EL-HARIM see Valley of

The dual nature of Bes in Egyptian the Queens.
belief is reflected in the various im-
ages of the god. Usually he is BIBAN EL-MOLUK see Valley of
portrayed as a dwarf with a huge the Kings.
bearded head, protruding tongue, flat

nose, shaggy eyebrows and hair, large BIBLE, THE Sacred collection of
projecting ears, long thick arms, and writings made up of the Old and New
bowed legs. Around his body he wears Testaments. Egypt plays a major role
an animal skin whose tail hangs down, in the Bible, being mentioned some
usually touching the ground behind 680 times. It is the land where Abra-

him. On his head he wears a tiara of ham goes (Genesis 12:10), where
feathers, which suggests his primitive Joseph is sold (Genesis 37:36), where
nature. Jacob and his family settle (Genesis

In later Egyptian art, however, Bes 46),and where the Israelites live in
is given a handsome body, since he bondage and are delivered by Moses,
absorbed the character of the sun god while the Egyptian army is destroyed
and became identified with Horus the in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15-30). In

Child as well as Ra and Temu. As the New

Testament Jesus is taken by
Horus he wore a lock of hair on the Joseph and Mary to Egypt to escape
right side of his head, which is the from Herod, who wished to kill the
symbol of youth. All these images sug- child (Matthew 2:14). Two images of

gest the various phases of the sun dur- Egypt emerge from the Bible: a rich
ing the day. and vast land noted for its human wis-
Bes was frequently portrayed on dom, and a land of idolatry and magic.
steles, vases, and- amulets, often in Isaiah writes that when Yahweh
ithyphallic form. His image was hung comes "the Egypt shall be
idols of

over headrests as a charm to keep moved at his presence, and the heart
away evil spirits. His female counter- of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it"

part was Beset. (Isaiah 19:1). The prophet does, how-

ever, see a time when Egypt will wor-
BESET Female counterpart of the ship Yahweh and the Lord will say,
god Bes who was patron of art, music, "Blessed be Egypt my people"
and childbirth. (Isaiah 19:25).

BE SI A god found in the tenth sec- BIRDS The Egyptians often pic-

tion of Tuat, the underworld, who tured the Ba, or soul, as a bird with the
povirs flames onto a standard sur- head of a human being. Bird featiu-es
mounted by the head of a homed ani- were also assumed by various gods:
mal. the hawk was associated with Horus,
Ra, and other deities; the ibis with the
BET see Bata. god Thoth; the goose with Geb; and the

23
Bitje

swallow was sacred to Isis since it was a name that could be translated as the
in thisform that she flew around the Book of the Dead. This title was given
tamarisk tree which enclosed Osiris's by the tomb robbers in Egypt in the
coffin at Byblos. The fantastic bird, the early nineteenth century, who discov-
Benu, which corresponds to the ered buried with the mummies rolls of
phoenix, was portrayed as a huge papyrus, which they called Kitab al-

golden hawk with a heron's head. Mayyit, "book of the dead man" or
Kitab al-Mayyitun, "book of the dead."
BITJE A monster serpent with a The robbers, however, knew nothing
head at each end fovmd in the ninth of the contents of the rolls; they were
section of Tuat, the underworld. merely saying that what they found in
the coffin was a "dead man's book."
BKHA (buU) see Buchis (bull). In the graves of pred5niastic Egypt,
vessels of food, and weapons were
BLACK see Colors. found buried with the dead, indicating
that the early dwellers in the Nile Val-
BLIND HORUS see Horus Khenty ley believed insome form of life in the
en Maat5ai. tomb. The graves contain no in-
scriptions, and the bodies are often sev-
BLUE see Colors. ered, reflecting the belief that the
dead had the power to haunt the living
BLUE WAR CROWN see Crowns. if their bodies remained whole. The

dynastic Egyptians, however, at-

BOAT, SACRED see Seker Boat. tached supreme importance to pre-

serving and protecting the body, par-
BOOK OF THE DEAD Title com- ticularly from the terrifying demons
monly given to the collection of funer- who were believed to infest the region
ary texts which the Egyptians com- through which the dead had to go from
posed for the benefit of the dead, to this world to the beneficent kingdom
guide their souls through the under- of the god Osiris. To insure the de-
world.The collection consists of incan- ceased's safety, the priests composed a
hymns, prayers, and magical
tations, large number of funerary texts, which
words and formulas. The texts do not were said to have been inspired, or ac-
form a unified work, nor do they be- tually written, by the god Thoth.
long to any one period. They are mis- There is no one definitive version of
cellaneous in character and tell noth- the Book of the Dead. The early texts
ing of the lives or works of the indi- were believed to have been derived
viduals with whom they were buried. from primitive, predynastic Egyptian
The Egyptians possessed many beliefs. These texts, commonly known

funerary works, but none of them bore as the Pyramid Texts, are among the

24
 Buto

earliest known body of religious writ- BUCHIS A sacred bull worshipped

ing preserved anywhere in the world. at Hermonthis who was believed to be
They present a system of theology de- an incarnation of the warrior god
vised by the priests of the sun god. Menthu. He was also called the "living
In the Theban Recension of the fioo^ soul of Ra," as well as the "bull of the
of the Dead the texts (sometimes re- mountains of sunrise and sunset."
ferred to as the Coffin Texts) were Buchis was black and his hair grew in
written on rolls of papyrus, frequently a contrary way from that of all other
as long as 50 to 100 feet, and painted animals. The bull was believed to
on coffins. They were divided into sec- change his color every hour of the day,
tions or chapters, each of which had a and he was seen as the image of the
distinct title but no specific arrange- sun shining in Tuat, the underworld.
ment. This Recension was used from In Egyptian art Buchis wore a disk
the Eighteenth to the Twenty-first between his horns from which rose
Dynasties. A still later version is the plumes and the uraeus. On his
Saite Recension of the Book of the hindquarters was the sacred symbol of
Dead. In this which was
collection, the vulture with outspread wings.
used from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty Variant spellings of his name are
to the end of the Ptolemaic period, the Bacis and Bkha.
number and order of the texts were
standardized. BUCKLE OF ISIS see Thet.

BOOK OF THE PYLONS Ancient

BULLS see Cattle.
Eg5T)tian book called Shat En Sbau
describing the Tuat, the underworld.
BULLS, SACRED see Apis, Buch-
It presents Osiris as the greatest of the
is, and Mnevis.
gods, and forms a guide for the dead to
enable them to make their way BURIAL RITES AND CUS-
through Tuat successfully and in com- TOMS see Funeral Customs.
fort. Tuat is here divided into twelve

sections corresponding to the twelve

BURIAL SITES see Tombs.
hours of the night.

BOUTO see Buto.

BUTO Greek name for the uraeus or
cobra goddess Wadjet (Uatchet), pro-
BREAD The dead as well as the liv- tector of Lower Egypt. Buto was be-
ing ate bread; it was one of the main lieved to be a form of the goddess
offerings made at tombs. During the Hathor and was identified with the
time of the New Kingdom, some forty appearance of the sky in the north at
different kinds of breads and cakes sunrise. Her twin sister Nekhebet was
were known. the goddess of Upper Egypt.

25
Buto

Buto

Buto helped the goddess Isis hide ceremonies that accompany the em-
from the evil god Set who wished to balming, the priest addressed the
destroy Horus, the son of Isis and mummy, saying, "The goddess Buto
had retreated to the float-
Osiris. Isis cometh unto thee in the form of the
ing island of Chemmis, filled with living uraeus, to anoint thy head. ..."
papyrus swamps, to give birth to her Buto is sometimes portrayed as a
son Horus, who would in time avenge woman wearing the crown of Lower
his father's death. Set never succeeded Egypt upon her head. In one hand she
in finding the hiding place of Isis be- holds the papyrus scepter, around
cause Buto arranged the papyrus and which is twined a snake. In some pic-
other plants to screen her from view. tures she bears the crown of Lower
As a further camouflage she shook her Egypt in her right hand and is about to
hair over Horus. For saving Horus, place it on the head of the Pharaoh.
who the Greeks identified with their Often she appears as a winged serpent
god Apollo, Buto was associated by with the crown of Lower Egypt upon
the Greeks with their Latona, the her head.
mother of Apollo. A variant spelling of her Greek
In the Book of the Dead Buto is name is Bouto. Other names by which
usually given the role of the destroyer she is rendered in English are Uatch-
of the foes of the deceased. During the ura, Inadjet, and Edjo.

26
 c
CALENDAR The Egyptians de- gods; and on this day the gods gave
vised a calendar which consisted of praises being content. ..."
365 days, divided into 12 months of 30 But the day of the 26th is marked
days, plus five additional days, the wholly unlucky, because, 'This was
epagomenal days, which were the the day of the fight between Horus and
birthdays of the gods: day 1- Osiris, Set."The various calendars of lucky
day 2-Horus, day 3- Set, day 4-Isis, and unlucky days, however, do not al-
day 5-Nephthys. There were three ways agree.
seasons to the year: the inundation,
winter, and summer. A typical day CANNIBALISM The eating of
would be written year 6 (that is the human flesh, often for cultic purposes.
sixth year of the reign of the Pharaoh), Scholars do not agree on the function
month 3 of winter, day 13. There was of cannibalism in ancient Egyptian
no leap year. culture. According to some sources,
In various magical texts which have cannibalism was only practiced dur-
come down to us from ancient Egypt, ing famine; elsewhere, it is cited as an
we find that certain days were listed as early cultic rite.One of the Pyramid
lucky while others were listed as vm- Texts tells of King Unas "rising like a
lucky. Thus the calendar of the month god who liveth upon his fathers and
of Thoth (which was divided into three feedeth upon his mothers. ..."
sections) notes the symbol of luck Further on, the dead king is likened to
three times for day 1, but the symbol of a vigorous bull which feeds upon what
good luck is noted only twice on day 7, is produced by every god and upon
and the sjrmbol of bad luck noted once. those who come from She-Sasa, the
The nineteenth day is marked wholly Fiery Lake, to eat words of power. In
lucky, because: "It is a day of festival conclusion it says Unas eats men and
in heaven and upon earth in the pres- feeds upon the gods. The Roman comic
ence of Ra. It is the day when flame poet, Juvenal, in his satire On the At-
was hiirled upon those who followed rocities ofEgypt, credits the Egyptians
the boat containing the shrine of the with eating human flesh — but Ju-

27
Canopic Jars

venal was violently opposed to all that canopic jars often have the head of the
was not Roman, and his report may be god Osiris. The god was often wor-
considered somewhat biased. shipped in the form of a human-
headed jar.
The name "canopic" was given by
scholars to these jars since they
found many of them in the Egyptian
city of Canopus, 12 miles from
Alexandria. The Greeks had named
the city after Canopus, the pilot of the
vessel of Menelaus, who was believed
to have been buried there after being
killed by a serpent.

CARNARVON, LORD (1866-1923)

George Edward Stanhope Moljmeux,
Fifth Earl of Carnarvon. Along with
Howard Carter, Carnarvon dis-
covered the tomb of Tutankhamen
in 1922. He died in Egypt of pneu-
monia and blood poisoning, the result
Canopic Jar of a mosquito bite. At the tomb a
tablet with the inscription: "Death
CANOPIC JARS Containers for will slay with his wings whoever dis-

the viscera of the dead which were re- turbs the peace of the pharaoh," was
moved during mummification. At the cited by some as a curse which caused
end of the New Kingdom, the canopic the death of Carnarvon. The tablet,
jars were decorated with the heads of however, has never come to light and
the Four Sons of Horus. Mesthi, or Im- was never catalogued.
sety, guarded the liver and was
portrayed human-headed; Hapi, CARTER, HOWARD (1874-1939)
guarded the lungs and was portrayed British Egyptologist who discovered
dog-headed; Tuamutef, or Duamutef, the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Val-
guarded the stomach and was ley of the Kings in 1922. He made his
portrayed jackal-headed; and Qebh- first visit to Egypt when he was 17. In

sennuf, or Qebsnuf, who guarded the 1899 he was appointed Inspector Gen-
intestines, was portrayed hawk- eral of the Antiquities Department of
headed. The four jars were in turn the Egyptian Government. In 1908 he
guarded by four goddesses, Isis, joined the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon in
Nephthys, Neith, and Serket. Late his exploration of Thebes. On

28
 Cattle

November 4, 1922, the tomb of Tut- man, who was murdered by an angry
ankhamen was discovered. Carter mob.
published three volumes on his work Herodotus in his History (Book 2)
between 1923 and 1933. Several edi- writes that, "When a conflagration
tions of the work are available. takes place a supernatural impulse
seizes on the cats. For the Egyptians,
CARTOUCHE Aloopofropewitha standing at a distance, take care of the
knot at one end, stylized in Egyptian cats,and neglect to put out the fire; but
art to contain the name of the king. It the catsmaking their escape and leap-
symbolized "that which the stui ing over the men, throw themselves
encircles,"meaning that the king into the fire; and when this happens
ruled the entire universe. The car- great lamentations are made among
touche was used for two of the five the Egyptians. In whatsoever house a
names given to the Pharaoh. cat dies of a natural death, all the fam-
ily shave their eyebrows only; but if a
CAT The object of an important cult dog die, they shave the whole body and
in ancient Egypt. In Bubastis, the city the head. All cats that die are carried
of the goddess Bast, who held the cat to certain sacred houses, where being
as sacred, one particular cat was re- first embalmed, they are buried in the
garded as an incarnation of the deity. city of Bubastis."
The cat was also seen as a personifica- The lynx, a large wildcat with a
tion of the sun god. The Book of the small patch of hair on the tip of each
Dead mentions a up a
cat that took ear, was also deified by a cult. In one
position by the persea tree in early text the animal attacks evil ser-
Heliopolis on the night the foes of pents and is described as a friend to the
Osiris were destroyed. In the commen- dead. The lynx god, known as Maftet,
tary that follows, it is stated that the participated in the overthrow of the
"male cat" was the god Ra, and that its monster serpent Apophis.
name was Mau. One scene portrays
the cat cutting off the head of the ser- CATTLE Bulls and cows figured
pent of darkness. prominently in the ancient Egyptian
In ancient Egypt cats were accorded view of life. Many of the gods were
the same respect as humans. When a portrayed in either bull or cow form,
cat died, it was embalmed, treated among them Apis, the most famous
with spices and drugs, and laid in a bull, and Hathor, the great goddess,
specially prepared coffin. According to who was often depicted as a cow. In
Greek sources, anyone who killed a Egypt the cow was honored as the
cat — wittingly or unwittingly — was giver of milk, a divine food. Hathor
condemned to death. The writer was called the "cow which is the sky,
Diodorus tells of one offender, a Ro- which watches over the world of the

29
Champollion, Jean Francois

dead and which gives milk to CIRCUMCISION That the ancient

"
Pharaoh Egyptians practiced the removal of
part or all of the male foreskin is evi-

CHAMPOLLION, JEAN FRAN- denced by their mummies. Yet the

exact symbolic significance of circum-
COIS (1790-1832) French Egyp-
tologist who deciphered hieroglyphics mentioned in very few
cision, a ritual

in hisfamous work, Precis du systeme texts,remains unclear. However, it

hieroglyphique of 1822. He paved the was probably intended as an offering,
way for modem advances in the study a shedding of blood dedicated to a god
of generation or virility.
of ancient Egypt by demystifying its
written records.
A male was circumcised when he
reached puberty. Although the custom
CHILDBIRTH, PATRON DEITIES was not universally adopted by the
OF Various deities were associated Egyptian lay people, all priests were
with birth in Egyptian mythology. circumcised for ritual purification.
The most important are: Bes, Beset, Egyptian soldiers would often cut off
Heket, Meshkent, Nekhebet, Taurt. the foreskins of their enemies to bring
them back as a proof of victory. The
CHILD, HORUS see Harpokrates. Bible, 1Samuel 18:25-27, notes that
the same practice was observed by
King David's men.
CHILDREN According to the
Greek historian Herodotus, in his^is-
CLEOPATRA (B.C. 69-30) Last
tory (Book 2), the ancient Egyptians
Queen Macedonian
of Egypt, seventh
believed that children possessed spe-
princess to bear the name. By the will
One account
cial gifts for divination.
of her father, Ptolemy Auletes, she
of themj^h of Isis and Osiris has the
was to share the throne with her
goddess, who is searching for her hus-
brother, who eventually ousted her.
band's body, ask some children play-
Julius Ceasar restored Cleopatra to
ing at the mouth of the Nile if they
the throne and she bore him a son,
have noticed anything unusual. They
Caesarion, who was later killed by
tell her they have seen an elaborate
Augustus.
chest. Later the chest was found to
She became the mistress of Mark
contain the body of Osiris, placed there
Antony, who killed himself sifter suf-
by Set and his evil accomplices. From
fering defeat by Augustus. Not wish-
that time forth children were looked
ing to endure shame and the mercy of
on with special favor in matters relat-
Augustus, Cleopatra committed su-
ing to divination.
icide by either an asp bite or poison.
She has fascinated generations of
CHEPERA see Khepera. writers such as Shakespeare in An-

30
 Creation Myths

tony and Cleopatra and George Ber- also a symbol of resurrection. Osiris is

nard Shaw in Caesar and Cleopatra. often shown with a green body and
face.

COBRA GODDESS OF LOWER White is the color of the White

EGYPT see Buto. Crown of the South, and the color of
joy.

COFFIN The mummiform case con- Red, except when shown on the Red
tained within the sarcophagus first Crown of the North, was an evil color,

used in the Middle Kingdom. Coffins associated with the evil god Set. Often
were made from a variety of materials. when the name of Set appeared in a
One coffin often fitted into another, text it was written with red ink. Men
and the entire group was placed inside with red beards were considered evil.

the sarcophagus. Blue, the color of water appears on

the Khepresh, the Blue War Crown,
COFFIN TEXTS Name given to worn by the Pharaoh.
magical formulas for the dead found
inside the wooden coffins of the Middle COMPANY OF GODS see Ennead.
Kingdom. The coffin texts were based
on the formulas originally written for COMPOSITE GODS A god who
the king but they were adapted for the combines the characteristics of two or
common people, to help them in the more gods, such as Amen-Ra, made up
next world. of the god Amen and the god Ra.

COLORS As in other civilizations, COW see Cattle.

colors had symbolic connotations in
ancient Egypt: ^ CRAFT GOD, THE see Ptah.
Gold, the color of the skin of the
gods, as shown in many portrayals of CREATION MYTHS The Egyp-
the deities. tians did not have one widely accepted
Black, the color of the pitch used to creation myth but many explanations
cover the mummy, was a symbol of that were often in conflict with one
resurrection and rebirth. Anubis, the another. There were various methods
god who watched over the dead, was by which life was brought about, and
depicted as a black-faced jackal, while many deities were credited with the
Osiris, god of the dead and resurrec- act of creation because each city

tion, was sometimes represented as ascribed the central role to its own
black, and Min, god of fertility, por- major god or goddess. In some myths
trayed with an erection, was also life is brought forth when the god

shown as black. merely utters a word; in others, man

Green, the color of plant life, was is moulded by the deity out of clay;

31
Crocodile

and in still others, life is generated CROCODILE GOD see Sebek.

from the god's masturbation. The
following are major deities associated CRONOS Greek god of the world
with creation: Amen-Ra, Aten, the and time by the Greeks with
identified
Ennead or Company of Gods, Geb, the Egyptian earth god Geb.
Hathor, Horus, Huh and Hauhet,
lusas and Nebhet Hotep, Khepera, CROOK The shepherd's crook was
Kuk and Kauket, Nun and Naunet, carried by both the gods and Pharaoh
Nut, the Ogdoad, Ptah, Ra, Shu, as a symbol of power.
Tefnut, Tem, and Thoth. Each of these
gods or goddesses appears under a CROWNS Various crowns and
separate entry in this book. headdresses appear on Egyptian
deities.The most common are:
CROCODILE In Egyptian belief Pschent, or Double Crown: Symbol of
the crocodile played a dual role, as the unification of Upper and Lower
both a beneficent and a demonic being. Egypt, consisting of the red crown
In some myths he was identified with of Lower Egypt and the white
the evil god Set, who was a foe of crown of Upper Egypt.
Osiris. In other myths the crocodile is Red Crown: Symbol of Lower Egypt
credited as an aid to Osiris, said to which has a wicker stinger at its
have borne the god's body across the front.
lake on his back. Some texts report White Crown: Symbol of Lower
that Horus, the son of Osiris, took the Egypt, in the shape of a mitre.
form of a crocodile in order to search Khepresh, or Blue War Crown: Sym-
for the pieces of his father's mutilated bol of war with a bulbous shape and
body. In another myth Set, in the form a snake in front of it.
of a crocodile, is blamed for attempting Atef Crown or Headdress: Resembles
and Horus.
to destroy Isis the shape of the white crown but
The god Sebek was portrayed as a has a small sun's disk on top and is

crocodile and identified with both Ra flanked on either side by feathers.

and Horus as a sun deity. Herodotus in Hemhemet Crown: Made up of three
his History (Book 2) tells us that the Atef crowns, side by side, mounted
city of Crocodilopolis was devoted to on ram's horns.
the worship of this god. Sacred Ram's Horns Crown or Headdress:
crocodiles were kept and attended to Consists of ram's horns, either
with elaborate care. When they died, horizontal or curved. Often it

they were "embalmed and placed in serves as a base for one of the other
sacred coffins. On the other hand, the crowns.
people of the region of Elephantine
have so little regard for crocodiles that Various other combinations are found
they eat them." such as Amen's Crown, which consists

32
 Crowns

White Crown Red Crovjn

Double Crown Amen's Crown

of two feathers on a base similar to the has a vulture asits base. Sometimes it

Red Crown, or the Vulture Headdress is surmounted by a sun's disk and

of the queens and goddesses, which horns.

33
 D
DARKNESS, DECAY, AND DEATH, DEMOTIC see Hieroglyphics.
GODDESS OF see Nephthys.
DESHRET The "Red Land," name
DAYS, LUCKY AND UNLUCKY given by the ancient Egyptians to the
see Calendar. desert areas that surrovmded the irri-
gated land.
DEAD, ISLAND OF see Sekhet-
Aaru. DESTINY, GOD OF Shai.

DEATH see Coffin, Funeral Cus- "DEVOURER, THE" see Amam.

toms, Mummy, Osiris, Sarcophagus,
and Tombs. DHOUTI see Thoth.

DEATH GODS Various gods were DIONYSUS Greek god of wine and
associated with death in Egyptian be- by the Greeks
ecstasy often identified
lief.The main gods>were Anubis, who with the Egyptian god Osiris.

watched over the burial of the dead,

Osiris, the god of death and resurrec- "DIVINE MOTHER" see Hesat.
tion who promised eternal life to his
worshippers, and Seker, a death god DJED see Tet.
who was sometimes combined with
Osiris. DJEHUTI see Thoth.

DECANS Tables of the constella- DJESER see Zoser I.

tions drawn up by the ancient Egyp-

tians as a means of telling time at DJET see Thet.
night. A given decan appearing in the
same place in the sky indicated a cer- DOG Although there was a cult of
tain hour. the dog at Cynopolis, this animal was
not regarded as a god. Herodotus
DED see Tet. writes in his History (Book 2) that

35
Dolphin Goddess

when a dog died, members of the house the dog." Then the people who stood by
would "shave the whole body and heard and they went to tell it to
this,

head. All persons bury their dogs

. . . his Majesty. Then his Majesty's heart
in sacred vaults within their own sickened very greatly. And his
city."The consumption of any wine, or Majesty caused a house to be built
com, or other food that happened to be upon the desert; it was furnished with
in the house when the animal died was people and with all good things of the
forbidden. After the dog's body had royal house, that the child should not
been embalmed, it was buried in a go abroad. And when the child was
tomb. grown, he went up upon the roof, and
According to the ancient writer he saw a dog; it was following a man
Diodorus, a dog was the guardian of who was walking on the road. He
the bodies of Osiris and Isis, and dogs spoke to his page, who was with him,
guided Isis in her search for the body of "What is this that walks behind the
Osiris, protecting her from savage man who is coming along the road?"
beasts. However, this writer may have He answered him, "This is a dog." The
confused the jackal, sacred to Anubis, child said to him, "Let there be
with the dog. brought to me one like it." The page
went to repeat it to his Majesty. And
DOLPHIN GODDESS see Hat- his Majesty said, "Let there be brought
mehit. to him a little pet dog, lest his heart be
sad." And behold they brought to him
DONKEY Sometimes the evil god the dog.
Set was identified with the donkey. Then when the days increased after
this, and when the child became grown
DOOMED PRINCE, THE Liter- in all his limbs, he sent a message to
ary folktale about a prince who at- his father saying, "Come, wherefore
tempts to escape his fate. The transla- am I kept here? Inasmuch as I am
tion is by William Flinders Petrie in fated to three evil fates, let me follow
his Egyptian Tales. my desire. LetGod do what is in his
heart." They agreed to all he said, and
There once was a king to whom no son gave him all sorts of arms, and also his
was bom; and his heart was grieved, dog to follow him, and they took him to
and he prayed for himself unto the the east country, and said to him, "Be-
gods around him for a child. They de- hold, go thou whither thou wilt." His
creed that one should be bom to him. dog was with him, and he went north-
And his wife, after her time was ful- ward, following his heart in the desert,
filled, brought forth a son. Then came while he lived on all the best of the
the Hathors to decree for him a des- game of the desert. He went to the
tiny; they said, "His death is to be by chief of Naharaina.
the crocodile, or by the serpent, or by And behold there had not been any

36
 Doomed Prince

bom to the chief of Naharaina, except them. And another day the sons came
one daughter. Behold, there had been to climb, and the youth came to climb
built for her a house; its seventy win- with the sons of the chiefs. He climbed,
dows were seventy cubits from the and he reached the window of the
ground. And the chief caused to be daughter of the chief of Naharaina.
brought all the sons of the chiefs of the She kissed him, she embraced him in
land of Khalu, and said to them, "He all his limbs.

who reaches the window of my daugh- And one went to rejoice the heart of
ter, she shall be to him for a wife." her father, and said to him, "One of the
And many days after these things, people has reached the window of thy
as they were in their daily task, the daughter." And the prince inquired of
youth rode by the place where they the messenger, saying, "The son of
were. They took the youth to their which of the princes is it?" And he re-
house, they bathed him, they gave plied to him, "It is the son of an officer,
provender to his horses, they brought who has come as a fugitive from the
all kinds of things for the youth, they land of Egypt, fleeing from before his
perfumed him, they anointed his feet, stepmother when she had children."
they gave him portions of their own Then the chief of Naharaina was ex-
food; and they spake to him, "Whence ceeding angry; and he said: "Shall I

comest thou, goodly youth?" He said to indeed give my daughter to the Egyp-
them, "I am son of an officer of the land tian fugitive? Let him go back whence
of Egypt; my mother is dead, and my he came." And one came to tell the
father has taken another wife. And youth, "Go back to the place thou
when she bore children, she grew to earnest from." But the maiden seized
hate me, and I have come as a fugitive his hand; she swore an oath by God,
from before her." And they embraced saying, "By the being of Ra Harakhti,
him, and kissed him. if one takes him from me, I will not eat,
And after many days were passed, I same
will not drink, I shall die in that
he said to the youths, "What is it that hour." The messenger went to tell unto
ye do here?" And they said to him: "We her father all that she said. Then the
spend our time in this: we climb up, prince sent men to slay the youth,
and he who shall reach the window while he was in his house. But the
of the daughter of the chief of maiden said: "By the being of Ra, if one
Naharaina, to him will be given her to slay him I shall be dead ere the sun
wife." He said to them, "If it please goeth down. I will not pass an hour of
you, let me behold the matter, that I life if I am parted from him." And one
may come to climb with you." They went to tell her father. Then the prince
went to climb, as was their daily wont: made them bring the youth with the
and the youth stood afar off to behold; maiden. The youth was seized with
and the face of the daughter of the fear when he came before the prince.
chief of Naharaina was turned to But he embraced him, he kissed him

37
 a

Double Crown

all over, and said: "Oh, tell me who filled a bowl of milk, and placed it by

thou art; behold, thou art to me as a his side. Then came out a serpent fi-om
son." He said to him: "I am a son of an his hole, to bite the youth; behold his
officer of the land of Egypt; my mother wife was sitting by him, she lay not
died, my father took to him a second down. Thereupon the servants gave
wife; she came to hate me, and I fled a milk to the serpent, and he drank, and
fugitive from before her." He then was drunk, and lay upside down. Then
gave to him his daughter to wife; he his wife made it to perish with the
gave also to him a house, and serfs, blows of her dagger. And they woke
and fields, also cattle and all manner her husband, who was astonished; and
of good things. she said unto him: "Behold thy Grod
But after the days of these things has given one of thy dooms into thy
were passed, the youth said to his wife, hand; he will also give thee the
"I am doomed to three fates — others." And he sacrificed to Grod,
crocodile, a serpent, and a dog." She adoring him, and praising his spirits
said to him, "Let one kill the dog which fi'om day to day.
belongs to thee." He replied to her, "I And when the days were passed
am not going to kill my dog, which I after these things, the youth went to
have brought up from when it was walk in the fields of his domain. He
small." And she feared greatly for her went not alone, behold his dog was fol-
husband, and would not let him go lowing him. And
his dog ran aside
alone abroad. after the wild game, and he followed
And one went with the youth toward the dog. He came to the river, and
the land of Egypt, to travel in that entered the river behind his dog. Then
country. Behold the crocodile of the came out the crocodile, and took him to
river, he came out by the town in the place where the mighty man was.
which the youth was. And in that town And the crocodile said to the youth,
was a mighty man. And the mighty "I am thy doom, following after
man would not suffer the crocodile to thee. . .
."

escape. And when the crocodile was (Here the papyrus breaks off.)

bound, the mighty man went out and

walked abroad. And when the sun rose
the mighty man went back to the DOUBLE CROWN see Crowns.
house; and he did so every day, during
two months of days. DOUBLE OF A PERSON see Ka.
Now when the days passed after
this, the youth sat making a good day DREAMS As with other ancient
in his house. And when the evening peoples, the Egyptians believed that
came he lay down on his bed, sleep the gods often made their will known
seized upon his limbs; and his wife through dreams. There are various

38
 Dwarf God

Egyptian texts on such matters. In one of Bes, as shown below, on your left
the future Thutmosis IV dreams that hand, and envelop your hand in a strip
a god told him to remove the sand of black cloth that has been conse-
from in front of the Sphinx and he crated to Isis and lie down to sleep
would be made ruler of a united Egypt. without speaking a word, even in an-
The young prince did as commanded swer to a question. Wind the remain-
in the dream and eventually was der of the cloth round your neck. ..."
made king of a united Egypt. Another text tells the person to
Another legend tells of a dream in "Take a clean linen bag and write
which Nut-Amen saw two serpents, upon it the names given below. Fold it
one on his right side and one on his up and make it into a lamp wick, and
left. When he awoke he asked for an set it alight, pouring oil over it. . . .

interpretation of the dream. He was Then in the evening, when you are
told: "The land of the South is thine, going to bed, which you must do
and thou shalt have dominion over the without touching food, do thus. Ap-
land of the North: the White Crown proach the lamp and repeat seven
and the Red Crown shall adorn thy times the formula given below: then
head. ..." Inspired by his dream extinguish it and lie down to sleep. . .
."

Nut-Amen invaded Egypt, and he was

successful. He dedicated part of his
spoils to the god Amen who had
DRINK, GOD OF see Tchabu.
granted him the dream.
The Egjqjtian magicians often in-
terpreted dreams and claimed the
DUAMUTEF see Tuamutef.

ability to bring about dreams through

magical words or -ritual acts. One DUAT see Tuat.

Egyptian text reads: "To obtain a vi-

sion from the god Bes. Make a drawing DWARF GOD see Bes.

39
 E
EAST WIND, GOD OF see Henk- EGYPTOLOGY The study of an-
hisesui. cient Egypt goes back to the Egyptians
themselves. For example, Khaem-
EDJO see Buto. waset, a son of Rameses II, devoted his
life as a priest in the sanctuary of
EEL Eels were sacred Upper
in Heliopolis to Egypt's past. The Greeks
Egypt, where their mummified re- followed with one of the earliest ac-
mains have been found. counts of Egyptian life, written by

Herodotus in his History. His entire

EGYPT The ancient Egyptians second book is devoted to their civili-

often called their land Kemi or Kemit, zation.Other writers of the ancient
meaning "black land," because of its world who mention Egypt include Ju-
rich soil. In Arabic the name is Mirs or venal, Tacitus, Plato, Ammianus
Mizr,meaning "red mud." The com- Marcellinus, Josephus, Eusebius,
mon name for Egypt in the Bible is Julius Africanus and Clement of
Mizraim, though ''it is sometimes Alexandria.
called "the land of Ham" (Psalm From about the fifteenth century
105:23) as well as Rahab, the "proud" A.D., European visitors to Egypt de-
or "insolent" (Psalm 87:4). The scribed its monuments in various travel
English word Egypt is derived from guides. Europeans en route to the Holy
the Middle English word Egipte, Land saw Egypt through the Old Tes-
which in turn comes from the Old tament's portrayal of it as an enemy of
English Egypte, it in turn from the Yahweh and his cult. By the seven-
Latin, Aegyptus, and that in turn teenth century the traveler was not so
from the Greek Ai^guptos. The Greeks much a pilgrim, as an explorer drawn
derived their word, it is believed, from to a strangeand fantastic land. George
Hikuptah, a variant of Hat-kaptah, Sandys, an Englishman, visited Egypt
which means "Temple of the Ka of in 1610 and produced drawings of the
Ptah," the name of the city of Memphis pyramids as well as a written account
which was dedicated to the god Ptah. of his travels. Other voyagers con-

41
Eileithyia

tinued to visit Egypt and write about ELOQUENT PEASANT, THE

their adventures. The event that had TALE OF see Peasant and the
the greatest effect on Egyptology, Workman, The.
however, was the invasion of Egypt by
Napoleon. La Description de I'Egypte, ELYSIAN FIELDS see Sekhet-
a series of volumes dealing with the Aaru.
ancient monuments was produced by a
group of scholars. At the same time the ENNEAD, OR COMPANY OF
Rosetta Stone was discovered and was GODS Cosmological system of
later used to help decipher the Egyp- grouping gods that was arranged by
tian hieroglyphs. the priests of Heliopolis, a center of
After Napoleon, many travelers worship in Egjrpt. The Ennead con-
came to Egypt, often with dishonest tained nine gods, but at times the
intentions, to plunder the monuments. number varied according to circum-
However, the new wave of visitors in- stances. Three Companies of Gods
cluded many scholars, who helped to evolved, of which the first two were
bring about a better understanding of known as the Great Enneads and the
ancient Egypt. Among them was Lesser Enneads. The gods of the Great
William Flinders Petrie who worked Ennead were Tem, Shu, Tefnut, Seb,
for the Egyptian Exploration Fiuid. Nut, Isis, Set, Nephthys, Thoth and
Currently, interest and travel in Horus. Osiris, the great man god, was
Egypt are very high. There are many omitted in one list but included in an-
attempts presently being made to other.
preserve the remains of this once great The Heliopolitan Ennead was ac-
ancient civilization. cepted generally throughout Egypt,
but the Heliopolitan priests knew that

EILEITHYIA Greek goddess of it was important to leave room for

those gods of both the north and the
childbirth, daughter of Zeus and Hera,
south of Egypt, as well as lesser gods
who made childbirth easy or difficult.
with the
who were identified with the main
The Greeks identified her
Egyptian goddess Nekhebet.
gods of the Heliopolitan list. When the
doctrine of Heliopolis was adopted in
another home in Egypt, the chief local
ELEPHANT The elephant was not god usually was merged with the lead-
generally a cult figure, but may have ing Heliopolitan deity, and a compos-
been regarded so in pred5mastic ite god was formed who became the

times. The island opposite Syene was head of the new Ennead.
called Elephantine because the rocks
nearby looked like elephants, or be- EPAGOMENAL DAYS Five days
cause it was a depot of the ivory trade. at the end of the Egyptian calendar

42
 EyeofRa

year which were the birthdays of the some of the writings of Manetho, the
gods. These were: Egyptian priest who wrote aHistory of
Egypt. Quotations from Manetho are
Dayl Day 4
scattered throughout Eusebius's
Osiris Isis
work.
Day 2 Day 5
Horus Nephthys
Day 3 EVIL, GOD OF see Set.

Set
EXODUS The "going out" of the
ERMENT see Hermonthis. Hebrews from their bondage in Egypt
under the leadership of Moses. The
ESET see :Isis. date of the event is not known, but
estimates range from B.C. 1580 to
ETERNITY AMUT.ET see Shen. 1215. The Exodus is often referred to
in the Bible as the outstanding man-
ETON see Aten. ifestation of Yahweh's love for his
people.
EUSEBIUS (fourth century A.D.)
Greek Christian writer who preserved EYE OF RA see Utchat.

43
 F
FA One of twelve gods, the "bearer," who married a young and beautiful
or "carrier," who carries on his head woman in the Kingdom of Osiris, the
the serpent Mehen to the eastern part land of the dead, and also married the
of the sky in the eleventh section or goddess Isis. He carried a woman off
hour of Tuat, the underworld, leading from her husband whenever
he
the boat of the siui god Ra. The other pleased, and made her his wife.
gods are Ermenu, Athpi, Netru, The mother played an important
Shepu, Reta, Amu, Ama, Shetu, part in the scheme of family life. Kin-
Sekhenu, Semsem, and Mehni. ship was reckoned on the mother's
side, and whereas the father's name is
FALCON see Hawk. often not recorded on a funeral work,
the name of the mother is frequently
FAMILY The family was most im- noted. The Maxims ofAni advises that
portant in ancient Egyptian society. offerings should be made to fathers
Men of all classes were known to and mothers alike who rest in their
marry their blood sisters — primarily, tombs, but that a man should take
it seems, as a means of keeping prop- most care in the treatment of his
erty within the family. The myth of mother, who has suckled him for three
Osiris who married his sister Isis, and years, and carried bread and beer to
his brother Set, who married another him every day that he attended school.
sister, Nephthys, supported this prac- The writer says: "Give thy mother no
tice. Inlsis and Osiris Plutarch tells us cause to be offended at thee, lest she
that Osiris also had intercourse with lift her hands to the God, Who will
his sister Nephthys, and the god hear her complaint and will punish
Anubis was bom of this union. thee."
The religious texts describe the Adultery was prevalent in ancient
spirits of the Tuat, or the Underworld Egypt. One text tells of the adulterous
or Other World, rejoicing in marriage, wife of Aba-aner who was burned by
though no mention is made of off- royal command, at the north wall of
spring. One early text tells of a king the palace. In the folktale The Tale of

45
Fate and Fortune

Two Brothers, when Anpu hears of his of the god Thoth, and the manner in
wife's adultery he returns home to kill which he cut his nails on a certain
her, and throws her body to dogs or occasion.
jackals.
Prostitution was also common. In FISH Mummified fish have been
the Maxims ofAni the reader is told to
found in Egypt where a fish cult
be on guard against strange women existed in the city of Oxyrh5mchus.

from outside the town, as well as The fish was believed to have swal-
women whose husbands are out of lowed the phallus of Osiris when his
town. "Do not look at her, do not follow evil brother Set hacked the body of the
her, have no commerce with her. She is god to pieces.

like a whirlpool in a ciirrent leading Treatment of various fish differed

man knoweth not where. To listen to throughout ancient Egypt. In one city
her is an abominable and deadly a certain fish would be taboo, while in
thing." another it was honored and mum-
Nevertheless, the courtesan and mified. According to Greek sources,

concubine were recognized members the mormyrus fish, worshipped at

of ancient Egyptian society. On one Oxyrhynchus, once caused a war when
coffin the inscription asks that the de- its cultists retaliated against a

ceased be allowed to see "his con- neighboring town for eating the fish.

cubines whom it is his heart's desire to

meet." FLAIL The royal insignia, or
Nekhekh, symbol of power and terror.
FATE AND FORTUNE, PERSONI-
FICATIONS OF see Shai and
Renenet.

FERTILITY AND CROPS, GOD

OF see Min.

FINGERNAILS For many ancient

societies fingernails, as well as hair,
symbolized the entire person or per-
sonality. Thus, to avoid injury, any ac-
tion, such as cutting the nails, had to
follow a prescribed ritual and occiir at
a specific time. One was careful not to
let his fingernails come into the pos-
session of his enemies since they could
be used for black magic. An Egyptian
A^Y-
manual for priests advises that a
priest should cut his nails in imitation Flail

46
 Funeral Customs

derived from the manual threshing burial of the dead and the cult that
device,which consisted of a long surrounded the act. The funeral of a
wooden handle or staff, and a shorter king or a member of the royal family,
free-swinging stick attached at its or that of a wealthy person, was very
end, which was used to beat wheat. magnificent.
The ancient Greek historian Di-
FOLKTALES see Tales. odorus wrote that when a king died
all the inhabitants of the country wept
FOOD OF THE GODS The gods as and tore their garments. The temples
well as men lived on food, and frequent were closed and the people did not offer
reference is made in Egyptian texts to sacrifices or celebrate any festival for
the food of the gods. The gods fed seventy-two days. During that time
themselves with celestial food which crowds of two or three hundred men
was supplied to them by the Eye of and women would go about the streets
Horus, meaning that they existed on with mud on their heads and with
rays of light that fell from the sim. their garments knotted below their
Thus they became beings whose bodies breasts, singing dirges. They did not
were made wholly of light. eat wheat or any animal food, and
In one m5^h the gods are said to live abstained from wine. No one would
upon a "wood, or plant of life," which wash or make love.
may have grown near the great lake in When the seventy-two days ended,
Sekhet-hetep, a fertile region of the the body was placed in a coffin at the
gods and the dead. In other texts we entrance to the tomb. At this time
are told how they ate and drank "bread everyone had the right to make an
of eternity" and "beer of eternity." accusation against the person, even if

There is also mention of a fig tree and a the deceased were a king. The priests
heavenly vine, the fruit of which was then pronounced a funeral oration
eaten by the beatified. Bread came over the body, telling of the noble
from the Eye of Horus when it shed its works of the deceased.
light on the olive tree. We are not sure if this account by
Diodorus is entirely accurate. From
FROG A symbol of generation, birth, various Egyptian works we learn that
and around which a cult
fertility, professional mourners were hired,
evolved. The frog goddess was Heket who beat their breasts and poured dust
and the four male primeval gods of the over their heads. In a typical funeral
Ogdoad, which was a group of eight held at Thebes the deceased's body,
gods who made the world, were with his or her belongings, was placed
portrayed as frog-headed. in a boat to cross the Nile. The mummy
was accompanied by two women rep-
FUNERAL CUSTOMS The Egyp- resenting Isis and Nephthys. Other
tians paid elaborate attention to the boats carried the family and other

47
Funerary Texts

mourners. When the boats reached the and the afterlife, such as the Book of
west bank of the river, the mummy the Dead.
was placed on a sledge drawn by two The texts were created to grant
cows. The mourners then gathered to- eternal life to the dead. The magic
gether to walk to the necropolis, while words were written on the walls of the
the priests burned incense over the tombs or on the furniture and the
bier and recited ritual texts. When papyri which were placed in the tombs.
the company arrived at the tomb a new At first the texts were written for the
series of rituals ensued. One was the —
Pharaoh alone who was certain to
ceremony of the Opening of the Mouth, enter into eternal life. In time, how-
which was to restore the person's body ever, the hope of eternal life was
to life. This was followed by the widow granted to all. Some of the oldest
kneeling before the coffin and weep- funerary texts were discovered in the
ing. Then the coffin and the man's be- pyramids and date from the end of the
longings were placed inside the tomb, Old Kingdom. Other texts have been
and the entrance closed. The mourners found from the Middle Kingdom.
then gathered for a funeral banquet as Perhaps the best-known collection of
a communion with the dead person. funerary texts is the Book of the Dead.
There are, however, others, such as
FUNERARY TEXTS Name given The Book of the Opening of the Mouth
to various texts dealing with the dead and The Book of Breathings.

48
 G
GANDER see Goose.

GEB God who personified the

earth's surface.
He was the brother-husband of the
sky goddess, Nut. According to one
myth, Geb was separated from Nut by
the god Shu at the behest of the sun
god Ra, who was angered by their
closeness. In such a way, the sky above
and the earth below were created.
However, Gteb was left inconsolable by
the separation and he cried so fiercely
that his wailing could be heard day
and night and his tears filled the
oceans and seas.
Geb was often depicted lying under
the feet of Shu, raised on one arm with
one knee bent. In this form he sym-
bolized the moxintains and waves of
the earth's surface. He was also
portrayed as a man wearing a goose on
his head, which was the hieroglyph of
his name and was sacred to him. In
some places he was called Kenken-
wer, or "the great cackler," because it

was said he laid the egg from which the

world sprang. Most frequently, how-
ever, Geb was identified as the father
Geb
of the great Osirian gods — Osiris, Isis,

Nephthys, Set and Horus — and as

49
Genitals, Protector of

such, was known as "father of the called Kenken-wer, or "the great

gods" or "chief of the gods." In classical cackler," becausewas said he
it

Greek times, he was identified with laid the egg from which the world
Cronus, who was the father of the sprang. Among the Egyptians goose
great Olympian gods. was a favorite dish, and was fre-

Variants of his name are Qeb, Keb, quently offered in temples. Herodotus
and Seb. in his History (Book 2) says that a por-
tion of the daily food of the priests con-
GENITALS, PROTECTOR OF see sisted of goose flesh.
Sia.
GRASSHOPPER The ancient
GIRDLE OF ISIS see Thet. Egyptians associated the grasshopper
with happiness. In the Book of the
GOLD Aside from its secular uses, Dead the deceased says, "I have rested
gold was regarded as divine by the an- in the Field of Grasshoppers," and an
cient Egyptians who believed it was earlier text tells how the king will "ar-
"the flesh of the gods." Hathor, one of rive in heaven like the grasshopper of
the greatest goddesses, was thought to Ra."
be an incarnation of gold. Many cult
objects were either made of gold or GRAVES see Tombs.
covered with gold leaf. In painting the
color yellow was often used in place of GREAT CACKLER Title some-
gold. times applied to the earth god Geb be-
cause it was said he laid the egg from
GOOSE The goose or gander was a which the world sprang.
symbol of the god Amen and of Geb,
the earth god who was sometimes GREEN see Colors.

50
 H
HADES Greek god of the under- and animals, but without the waters of
world identified by the Greeks with Hap every living thing would perish.
the Egyptian god Osiris. While many other mythologies repre-

HAIR Egyptian priests often

shaved their heads, whereas many of
the lay people wore wigs over their
natural hair. Children often wore a
long twist of hair curls over the right
temple. The young god Horus, or
Horus the Child, is often portrayed in
this manner as is the moon god Aah.
The hieroglyph for the lock of hair
came to mean "child."

HAMMON see Amen.

*

HAP God of the Nile who became

identified with all the great primeval
creation gods and eventually was said
to be the creator of everything. At a
very early period Hap absorbed the at-
tributes of Nun, the primeval watery
mass fi-om which the god Ra emerged
on the first day of creation. As a result,
Hap was regarded as the father of all
beings. He held a unique position in
Egyptian religion, although he was
not in any theological system devel-
oped by the priests.
The light of Ra brought life to men Hap, God of the Nile (North)

51
Hapi

sent water as being feminine, Hap is Harmachis or Ra-Horakhty. In this

usually portrayed as a fat man with form he is portrayed as a man with the
the breasts of a woman to indicate his head of a hawk.
powers of fertility.When he repre-
sents both the south and north Nile,
Hap holds two plants, the papyrus and HAROERIS Greek form of the
the lotus, or two vases, from which he Egyptian Har Wer, or "Horus the El-
pours out water. His name is also der," or "Horus the Great," wor-
spelled Hapi or Hapy. shipped at Letopolis. According to
some texts Haroeris was the son of Ra
HAPI One of the four sons of Horus and Hathor, though Plutarch in his
and Isis who guarded the lungs and account, Isis and Osiris, makes him the
was portrayed as dog-headed. son of Geb, the earth god, and Nut, and
brother of Osiris. Haroeris was wor-
HAPI-ASAR see Serapis. shipped with his female counterpart,
Ta-sent-nefert, and their son P-neb-
HAPY see Hap. taui, who is portrayed with a disk
upon his head and a lock of hair at his
side indicating his youth. In Egyptian
HAPY-WET God of the Nile in
art Haroeris is portrayed as a hawk-
Heaven, believed to be a form of the
headed man often wearing the double
god Khnemu luiited with the god Ra.
crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

HARE-HEADED GOD see Unnu.

HARPER, THE SONG OF THE
HARENDOTES Epithet in Greek see Song of the Harper.
for the Egjrptian Har-en-yotet, mean-
ing "Horus protector of his father." It

refers to the role of Horus as avenger of HARPOKRATES Greek name

the death of his father, Osiris, at the form Egyptian Heru-p-khart
for the
hands of Set. meaning "Horus the Child," or "the
Infant Horus." When portrayed alone
HAR-EN-YOTET see Harendotes. he is pictured nude with the sidelock of
youth and the Double Crown of Upper
HARMACHIS Greek name form of and Lower Egypt. One hand is touch-
the Egyptian Horakhty meaning ing his lips or he sucks his thumb,
"Horus who is on the Horizon." Under which the Greeks misinterpreted as a
this form he appears as the Great symbol of discretion, and made Har-
Sphinx near the Pyramid of Cheops. pokrates the God of Silence. Often
Often Harmachis is combined with the Harpokrates is shown being suckled
god Ra to form the composite god Ra- by his mother, Isis.

52
 Hathor

cally had intercovirse with the dead

body of her husband, Osiris. Harsiesis
was bom prematurely on the floating
island of Chemmis in the marshes not
far from Buto. During his childhood he
was protected by his mother from Set,
the murderer of Osiris, who wished to
destroy Harsiesis. Eventually, Har-
siesis battled Set and was the victor.
Under the form of Harsiesis the god is
variously portrayed, sometimes as
hawk-headed, and carrying instru-
ments of death.

HARTOMES Epithet meaning

"Horus the Lancer," referring to the
god Horus in his role of attacking the
evil god Set, who had killed Osiris, his
father. Hartomes is portrayed as a
hawk-headed man in the act of driving
a long spear into an unseen foe or be-
neath the groxmd.

HAR WER see Haroeris

Harpokrates HATHOR Cow goddess whose

HARSAPHES Greek name form of name literally means the "house of
the Egyptian Hershef, a ram god Horus." According to one myth she
portrayed as a rani-headed man who stood in the form of a cow upon the

was a god of fertility and associated earth in such a way that her four legs

with water. Originally a local god of were the pillars holding up the sky and
Heracleopolis Magna in the Faijoim, her belly was the firmament. Each
when he became a national deity he evening Horus, as the sun god, flew
was identified with Horus as well as into her mouth in the form of a hawk

with Amen. His name means "He who and each morning appeared again re-
is on his lake." bom. Consequently, Horus was said to
be both her husband and her son.
HARSIESIS Greek name form of Hathor was one of the oldest known
the Egyptian Hor-sa-isit, meaning goddesses of Egypt, symbolizing the
"Horus, the son of Isis." Under this great mother or cosmic goddess,
form Horus was one of the most p)opu- who conceived, brought forth, and
lar deities in Egypt. He was conceived maintained all life. She not only
by his mother, Isis, after she had magi- nourished the living with her milk,

53
Hathor
Hathor
but was said to supply celestial food for
the dead in Tuat, the underworld.
Hathor, however, also had her de-
structive aspects. One va.yth. tells
at the instigation of the sun god,
had grown old and wanted to punish
mankind for plotting to do away with
him, she began to slay the human race.
She enjoyed the slaughter so much
that the other gods, alarmed, flooded
the fields with an intoxicating brew
which when she drank made her inca-
pable of perceiving mankind.
Hathor's main temple was at Den-
dera, where she was worshipped with
Horus of Edfu and their son Ihi, who
was portrayed as an infant playing the
sistrum (a musical instrument, some-
what like a rattle, whose soiuid was
said to drive away evil spirits) at her
side. Great festivals were celebrated
in her temple, the most important
being the festival of her birth, held at
the new year, which ended with a
drunken orgy. Her temple became
known as a palace of enjoyment and a
house of intoxication and gave rise to
,
her title as mistress of merriment and
dance, as well as her popularity as a
goddess of love, whom the Greeks
identified with Aphrodite.
In later Egjrptian mjrthology,
Hathor became the representative of
all the great goddesses in Egypt, and
shrines in her honor were erected
throughout the land. The most famous
were the seven Hathors Hathor of —
Thebes, Hathor of Heliopolis, Hathor
of Aphroditopolis, Hathor of the Sinai-
tic Peninsula, Hathor of Momemphis
or Ammu, Hathor of Herakleopolis,
and Hathor of Keset.
As the cow goddess of Tuat, she was
portrayed in Egyptian art wearing a
how long pendant collar around her neck
who and the Menait, emblem of joy and
pleasvire, on her back. She was also
depicted as a woman wearing on her
head a pair of horns within which
rested the solar disk, as a woman with
the head of a cow, and as a cow walk-
54
 Helen of Troy

ing out from a funeral mountain. The main center of worship was at
Variant spellings of her name are Hieraconpolis or Hawk City. Accord-
Athyr and Athor. ing to the Greek historian Herodotus,
in his History (Book 2), the punish-
HAT-MEHIT Dolphin goddess, wife ment for killing a hawk was death.
of Ba-neb-djet, the ram of Mendes.
HEADREST AMULET see Weres.
HATSHEPUT (B.C. 1504-1483)
Woman Pharaoh, daughter of Thoth- HEALING, GOD OF see Khensu.
mes I, often portrayed with the false
beard associated with kingship. She HEARING, GOD OF see Setem.
tomb-temple at
built the magnificent
Deir-el-Bahri and ruled for twenty HEBS see Nehata.
years with her lover Senmut. In order
to establish her position as ruler she HEB-SEB see Seb.
had inscribed on the walls of the Deir-
el-Bahri complex the tale that she was HEKET Frog goddess who presided
the daughter, not of Thothmes, but of over conception and birth. She was
the god Amen and Queen Aahmes. said to be present at the birth of every
The text describes how the god in the king of Egypt. According to one m5^h,
form of Thothmes made love to Heket assisted the goddess Isis in
Aahmes, telling her: "Hatsheput shall bringing her brother-husband Osiris
be thename of this daughter whom I back to life and in conceiving a child by
have implanted in your body. She him.
shall exercise beneficent kingship in Since the frog was seen in great
this entire land. My spirit shall be numbers a day or two before the rise of
hers. ..." * the Nile, it was regarded as a symbol of
At her death, however, her suc- new life and prolific generation. A fi-og
who was kept in complete sub-
cessor, amulet — sometimes a frog at the end
jection during her reign, tried to erase of a phallus— was carried by Egyptians
her memory by destroying her many to guarantee fertility. Variant spell-
statues and erasing her name from ings of Heket are Heqet, Heqtit, and
her various monuments. Hatsheput Heqt.
means "foremost in nobility."
HELEN OF TROY In Greek
HAWK The cult of the hawk or fal- mythology, heroine abducted by Paris
con is one of the oldest in Egypt. The and the cause of the Trojan War. Ac-
hawk was identified with various sky cording to the Homeric poems Helen
or Sim gods, such as many of the Horus never went to Troy but was taken to
gods as well as Ra. He was also iden- Egypt, with her shadow or double in
tified with Osiris, the god of the dead. Troy.

55
Heliopolitan Ennead

Richard Strauss's opera, Die Aegyp- who hands in adoration of

raise their
tische Helena ("The Egyptian Helen") Osiris. They are believed to be forms of
recounts the tale. The libretto was Osiris, and greet him with "Live, thou
written byHugo von Hoftnannsthal, ruler of the thick darkness! Live, O
and the work was first performed in thou who are great in all things. ..."
1928. In the opera Menelaus, the hus- The allusion is to the death and burial
band of Helen, plans to kill her after of Osiris.
the war for being unfaithful to him,
but a magic potion given by an Egyp- HENT-NUT-S see Perit.
tian sorceress Aithra makes him for-
give Helen. HEPHAESTUS Greek god of
smiths identified with the Egyptian
HELIOPOLITAN ENNEAD see god Ptah, the craft god.
Ennead.
HEPTET A goddess, the embracer,
HEMETCH A serpent demon men- who is believed to have assisted in the
tioned in a magical formula of Unas, a resurrection of Osiris. She had the
king of the Sixth D5masty. body of a woman with the head of a
bearded sngike. She wore on her head a
HEMHEMET CROWN see Crowns. pair of horns surmounted by a solar
disk, the Atef crown, and uraei with
HENEB God who presided over disks and horns. In each hand she held
grain and other products of the land, a knife.
although Osiris, the god of death and
resiurection, also presided over grain. HEQET; HEQT; AND HEQTIT
see Heket.
HENKHISESUI God of the east
wind portrayed as a snake-headed HER-HEQUI One of the four divine
man with four wings. sovereign chiefs in the fifth section, or
hour, of Tuat, the underworld, when
HENMEMET Lesser divine beings, the sun god Ra passes in his serpent
the people of heaven. The word is also boat.
a generic term for mankind as differ-

entiated from beasts and deities. HERI-SEP-F see Mates.

HEN-NETER see Priests. HERMANUBIS Greek name for

the Egyptian Heru-em-Anpu, a com-
HENNU BOAT see Seker Boat. posite god made up of Horus and
Anubis. Hermanubis is portrayed as a

HENTIU Spirits in the twelfth sec- jackal-headed man, which makes it

tion, or hour, of Tuat, the underworld. almost impossible to distinguish him

56
 Hert-sefu-s

from Anubis, who is portrayed in the nineteenth century, when interest in

same manner. the study of this civilization was

spurred by Napoleon's Egyptian cam-
HERMES TRISMEGISTUS A paigns.
Greek name Egyptian god
for the
Thoth meaning, "Hermes, three times HERON Sacred bird believed to

great, or very, very, very great." The house the soul. In the 5oo^ of the Dead
Greeks, who identified Thoth with there is a spell to help the deceased

their god Hermes, believed that he
was the first of the magicians to leave
his followers a series of sacred books
whose formulas had the power of
commanding "all the forces of nature"
and subduing "the very gods them-
selves." There is a poem by Longfellow
titled "Hermes Trismegistus."
person effect transformation into a her-
on.
HER-PEST A form of the god Horus
as victor over the great "male hip-
popotamus," the symbol of the evil god
Set. His victory over Set is portrayed
in the Ptolemaic Temple at Edfu.

HERMONTHIS Ancient Egyptian HER-SHA-A seePesi.

city inNorth Egypt, South of Thebes,
in which the Buchis Bull was wor-
HERSHEF see Harsaphes.
shipped. It was prominent in Roman
times and dedicated to the god Montu.
HERT-KETIT-S A lion-headed god-
Modem Armant or Erment is on the dess who presided over the pit
ancient site.
Hatet, in the eleventh section, or hour,
of Tuat, the underworld. She belches
HERMOPOLIS MAGNA Ancient
fireon wretched creatures who are
Egyptian city in South Egypt on the
then hacked to pieces by a large knife
Nile, chief seat of worship of Thoth,
which she holds in both hands.
the scribe of the gods.

HERODOTUS (c. BC 485-425) HERT-NEMMAT-SET A woman

fiend in the fourth pit of the eleventh
Greek historian called by Cicero "the
section, or hour, of Tuat, the imder-
father of history." His work. The Per-
world, who piuiished the shadows and
sian Wars, often simply called //istory^
is in nine books. Egypt is covered in heads of the damned.

Book 2. He is believed to have vis-

ited Egypt about B.C. 450. While HERT-SEFU-S A woman fiend in

scholars have questioned the accuracy the fifth pit of the eleventh section, or
of some of Herodotus' reports, his hour, of Tuat, the underworld, who
work was the main source of informa- pvmished the shadows and heads of the
tion on ancient Egypt until the damned.

57
Hem

HERU see Horus. HIERATIC see Hieroglyphics.

HERU-EM-ANPU see Hermanubis.

HIEROGLYPHICS A system of
writing used in ancient Egypt made up
HERU-KHU One of the four divine of phonograms or sound values and
sovereign chiefs in the fifth section, or ideograms or picture signs with no
hour, of Tuat, the underworld, when sovmd values. The text is written in
the svm god Ra passes in his serpent horizontal lines (read in either direc-
boat. tion) or vertical columns, from top to
bottom. The sequence of reading is in-
HERU-P-KHART see Harpokrates.
dicated by the direction in which the
figures of the humans and the animals
HERY-SHA-DUAT A god whose
face. Hieroglyphs were fully developed
name means "He who is over (is in
by about B.C. 3100. Since they were
charge of) the Field of the Tuat," or the
difficult to use in everyday writings,
underworld. He has nine sekhtiu or
such as legal and business documents,
"field laborers" who perform all the
a cursive script which simplified the
work connected with ploughing and
pictorial hieroglyphs, called Hieratic,
watering the fields in Tuat.
came into use. This in turn was re-

placed by Demotic, another cursive

HESARET see Hesat.
script, although Hieroglyphs and
Hieratic were still used for religious
HE SAT The divine cow whose func-
texts. For centuries the meaning of the
tion was to nurse the children of the
hieroglyphs was lost until they were
deities. She eventually became the
deciphered by the French scholar Jean
Divine Mother and was considered the
Francois Champollion in the nine-
mother of the Mnevis Bull. A variant
teenth century.
spelling of her name is Hesaret.

HETCH-MET One of the four di- HIPPOPOTAMUS In Egyptian be-

vine sovereign beings in the fifth sec- lief the hippopotamus played a dual
tion, or hour, of Tuat, the underworld, role, both as a beneficent being, as in
when the sun god Ra passes in his ser- the case of the goddess Taurt, who was
pent boat. portrayed as a female hippopotamus
and aided those in childbirth, and as a
HETCH-NAU A monster serpent, demonic being, as a form of the evil god
with two heads, one at each end, who Set. A form of the god Horus, called

guards Osiris in his form as Osiris- Her-tchema, meaning "Horus the

Seker. piercer," refers to his role of spearing
Set while in the form of a hip-
HETEMET-KHU see Nehata. popotamus. (In the Tutankhamen find

58
 Horus

is a statue of a man, who may be
king holding a harpoon or lance poised
at an invisible foe which may have
been a figure of the hippopotamus.) In
Edfu, sacred harpooners were main-
tained whose duty it was to kill hip-
the hawk's head, above which are the
horns of the god Khnemu and the solar
disk encircled by a uraeus. In one hand
he holds the Udjat, and is called
"Horus of the Two Eyes."

popotamuses. Edfu contained the HOR NUBTI Epithet of Horus,

great Temple to Horus who was the meaning "Horus the vanquisher of
victor over Set. Set," and referring to his victory over
the evil god Set.
HIPPOPOTAMUS GODDESS see
Taurt. HOR-SA-ISIT see Harsiesis.

HONEY A symbol of resurrection in HORSE There are no horse-headed

ancient Egypt, honey was believed to native deities in Egyptian mythology,
have come from the tears of the sun since the horse was introduced late
god Ra when he wept. The tears into Egyptian life, possibly at the time
formed a bee who in turn made the of the Hyksos invaders. The foreign
honey. goddess Astarte, whose cult was
adopted in Egypt, was called Mistress
HORAEMATAWY A form of the of Horses.
god Horus meaning "Horus the uniter
of the Two Lands." In this form Horus HORUS Sky god often portrayed as
is said to be the son of the goddess a hawk or hawk-headed. Originally
Hathor. He is portrayed as a hawk- Horus (whose name is a Latin form
headed man, or a serpent, or a man, of the Greek word for the Egyptian
wearing various headdresses. He is be- Heru of Hor) was a local god wor-
lieved to have sprung out of a lotus shipped in the delta region of the Nile.
which blossomed in the heavenly Eventually his cult spread through-
abyss at the beginning of the year. out Egypt and was carried into Roman
times.
HORAKHTY A form of the god The hawk was one of the first ani-
Horus meaning "Horus who is on the mals to be part of a cult in ancient
Horizon." Often he is combined with Egypt. Heru means "he who is above"
the god Ra to form the composite god, or "that which is above," making the
Ra-Horakhty, or in his Greek name hawk a personification of the sky and
form, Ra-Harmachis. In this form he is the sun. In predynastic times there
portrayed as a hawk-headed man. were several hawk gods, the most im-
portant being at Hierakonpolis in
HORMERTI A form of the god Upper Egypt, where Horus took the
Horus, portrayed as a man with a form of a solar disk with wings. When

59
Horus

the kings of the North moved into work is written in a colloquial style
Lower Egypt, uniting the two lands, and has much in common with the
Horus became known as the Uniter of folktale. In the following version,
the South and the North. which is based on various literal ren-

Horns was sometimes said to be the derings of the text, a colloquial

son of the goddess Hathor, whose English is used.
name means "house of Horus," and
each evening he would fly into the After the murder of Osiris by his evil
goddess's mouth to emerge reborn brother Set, the slain king went to the
each morning. In the most famous Underworld where he was crowned
myth associated with him, however, King of the Living and the Dead, but
Horus is the son of the god Osiris and the land of Egypt was left without a
the goodess Isis and avenges his king. So Horus, the son of Osiris and
murder by defeating the de-
father's Isis, appeared before the assembly of

monic god Set in a series of battles, the gods which was presided over by
Osiris thus being identified with the Ra, the sxin god, to be recognized as the
dead king and Horus with the living new king.
king. The first to speak in the court was
Sometimes the living king was said Shu, god of the atmosphere and a son
to embody within himself both Horus, ofRa.
the spirit of light, and Set, the spirit of "Horus should be crowned king
darkness, reflecting the eternal strife was king before
since Osiris his father
that is always present in the vmiverse. him. That's only fair and just," Shu
In his role as the defeater of Set, said.
Horus is variously portrayed as a "Yes," replied Thoth, the ibis-

mounted warrior with the head of a
hawk and as a hawk-headed man with
a large pointed spear being driven into
a foe. In one version of the myth,
Horus's left eye, which
moon, was wounded in his battle with
Set (giving rise to one explanation for
the moon's various phases). The eye
was healed by the god Thoth and
representations of the restored eye
were used as an amulet.
A manuscript, written in Thebes in
the twelfth century B.C.,
myth and Set
of "The Contest of Horus
headed god, and secretary of the court.
"Horus is the rightful heir to the
throne of Egypt."
When Isis, Horus's mother, heard
signified the the verdict, she was very pleased.
"Bring the good news to my husband
Osiris in the Underworld," she told the
North Wind. "Tell him his son Horus
will be crowned king."
So they took the royal crown and
placed it on Horus's head.
"Wait," Ra cried out. "Who gave you
contains the authority to crown Horus?"
"It's too late. We have already

for the Rule," sometimes called, "The crowned him," the gods responded.
Contending of Horus and Set." The Then Set, who was also present and

60
 Horus

wished the crown for himself, became destroy Egypt by letting the heavens
very angry. fall upon it! Set, however, as compen-
"Horus and I can settle the matter sation should have his possessions
between us. Let Horus step outside doubled and your two daughters given
with me. If he defeats me, then make to him as his wives.
him Pharaoh. If I defeat him, then When Thoth read the letter before
crown me king." the assembled gods, they looked at one
"No," cried Thoth. "That is not the another and said, "The goddess is

way to settle a legal matter. We must right."

follow what is just. How can we make "No," Ra cried out, turning to Horus.
Set the king when he is only the "You're not fit to be king. Why you're a
brother of Osiris, while Horus is the weakling, a mere boy who still feeds at
son of Osiris?" his mother's breasts."
Ra, however, was angry at the deci- This outburst angered the monster
sion since he favored Set, not Horus. god Baba, who turned to Ra, saying,
"Well," said the god Onuris, "what "How can anyone take you seriously?
are we to do? We can't stay here all Why, no one even worships you any-
night arguing over the matter." more. Your temples are deserted and
"I have a solution," Ra said. "Let's covered with dust."
call on the god Ba-neb-djet to decide When Ra heard this insult he fell

the matter." down and started to cry. When the

So the gods sent for Ba-neb-djet, who other gods saw this they became angry
refused to decide the matter, saying, at Baba.
"I'm not qualified. Send a letter to the "Now look what you've done," they
Great Goddess Neith and do whatever said."Get out of here. You're making
she says." matters worse."
So Ra dictated a letter to Thoth. It So Baba left and the other gods soon
read as follows: followed, leaving Ra sulking on the
Great and Divine Mother Neith: I floor. When Hathor, his mother, heard
am writing toask you what should be her son was crying, she came to cheer
done about the feud between Horus him.
and Set for the kingship of Egypt. Ev- "Look," she said as she lifted her
eryone here is tired of the matter. No- skirtsand showed Ra her vulva. When
body, however, knows how to decide Ra saw what his mother did he burst
the issue. Will you give us your deci- out laughing, got up, and reconvened
sion? the court. When the court reassem-
The answer came back quickly. It bled,he said to Horus and Set, "Each of
read as follows: you speak your piece."
Horus should be made king since So Set spoke first.

Osiris his father sat upon the throne "I am the great god Set. Each day I

before him. If he isn't made king I will defeat the monster Apophis when he

61
Horus

tries to destroy the boat of Ra as it "Will you ferry me across to Central

crosses the heavens. No other god can Island, for have some food for my
I

do this. Therefore I should be made little boy who has been taking care of
king." some cattle there? He hasn't eaten
The gods realized that if the sun for days and must be very hungry."
were destroyed, they also would be de- "They told me not to let any woman
stroyed. So they said, "Yes. Set is across," Anty replied.
right. Make him king." "Didn't they say that you weren't to
But Onuris and Thoth spoke up. let Isis across?"
"How can you make Set king when "What will you give me if I ferry you
he is only the brother of Osiris, while across?" he asked.
Horus is the rightful son of Osiris." "I'll give you a loaf of bread."
"How can we give the throne to a "A loaf of bread," he laughed. "What
mere lad," answered Ba-neb-djet, kind of a payment is that?"
"when a strong god like Set should "Then I'll give you this gold ring."
have it." Anty agreed to the bargain and took
"We will never settle this matter," Isis across the river. When she reached
the gods cried out in despair. the other side she could see the gods
Horus then spoke to his mother Isis. sitting at limch in Ra's pavilion. Set
"It's no good. They are trying to cheat was there and saw Isis coming. When
me of my rightful place on the throne." Isis saw that Set had seen her, she
Isis then became so angry that she uttered an incantation, and trans-
cursed all of them. formed herself into a beautiful young
"Don't be angry!" the gods cried out. girl. When Set saw her, he imme-

"We'll settle the matter and the right- diately lusted after her. He left his
ful one will be made king." meal and followed her.
When Set heard this he became "My beautiful young girl," Set said
furious at the gods. when he caught up with her. "Come
"I'll kill each and every one of you," and stay with me."
he cried out. "Get her out of the court." "My lord," she replied. "I am a
So Ra said, "We will move the court widow of a herdsman. I bore him an
to Central Island and continue our de- only male child. After my husband's
liberations there. Tell Anty the death my boy came to take care of the
Ferryman not to let any woman that cattle, but a stranger came, telling my
looks like Isis across the river." son, T'll beat you and take away your
Then all the gods left the courtroom father's cattle.' I need someone to de-

and crossed over to Central Island. fend my son's rights."

Isis, however, was determined to fol- "What! Shall the cattle be given to a
low them. She came to Anty the stranger when the son is alive?" Set
Ferryman disguised as an old bent cried out.
woman, wearing a gold ring. Immediately Isis changed herself

fer 62
 Horus

into a kite bird and flew to the top of a selves into hippopotamuses and sub-
tree. merged themselves. When Isis saw

"You have condemned yourself by this she said, "Set will kill my boy

what you have said," Isis cried out. Horus."

Then Set began to cry when he To prevent this Isis brought some
reaUzed what happened. He went to yam and made a rope. Then she took a
Ra and told the whole story. pound of copper, melted it, and made a
"You have convicted yourself," Ra harpoon. Attaching the harpoon to the
told Set. rope she threw it into the water. The
"Bring Anty the Ferryman here," harpoon hit Horus by mistake.
Set said, "and punish him for allowing "Mother, mother," he cried out. "The
that woman to cross." harpoon has hit me."
So they brought Anty and cut off his Then Isis cried out, saying to the
toes as punishment. Then the gods left harpoon, "Let loose from him." And
Central Island and crossed over to the the harpoon let loose from Horus.
other side of the river. When they Isis then threw the harpoon into the
reached the other side, Ra said, "We water again, and this time it struck
still haven't settled the matter. If this Set.
goes on we will be here for eternity. We "What are you doing to me, Isis?"

will place thecrown up)on Horus and Set cried out. "I am your brother. Do
proclaim him king and settle the mat- you wish to destroy your own blood?"
ter." Isis then felt sorry for Set £md called
When Set heard this he burst into out to the harpoon, "Let loose of him."
anger at all the gods. And the harpoon let loose of Set.
"Don't be angry with us," the gods When Horus saw that his mother
said to Set. "The matter was decided had saved the life of his evil uncle, he
by Ra, not us." > took an axe and chopped off her head.
So they took the crown and placed it He then took her head and went to
on Horus. hide on a movmtain. Isis, however,
"It's not fair. I am the brother of changed her headless body into a
Osirisand I should be king. Let Horus statue of flint with no head.
and me settle the matter between our- When Isis appeared before the gods,
selves." Ra said, "Who is this woman who has
Ra then changed his mind and come here without a head?"
agreed with Set's proposal. "It is Isis," said Thoth. "Her son
"Come," Set said to Horus. "Let's Horus has decapitated her."
change ourselves into two hip- "He must be pvmished for such a
popotamuses and plunge into the wa- crime," Ra said.
ter. Whoever can stay longest under So the gods left in search of Horus.
the water will be made king." Meanwhile Set found Horus asleep
So the two gods transformed them- luider a tree. He seized him, plucked

63
Horus

out his eyes, and buried them on the water. Then she provided Horus with
mountain, where they illuminated the new hands, equally as good.
earth. Horus's eyeballs became like Then Isis fetched some fragrant
the bulbs which grow into the lotus. ointment and applied it to Horus's
Set returned to Ra and lied, saying, penis, causing it to become stiff. She
"I could not find Horus." then told Horus to insert his penis into
Later Hathor found Horus weeping a pot and let his semen flow into the
in the desert. She captured a gazelle soil of the pot.
and milked it. The next morning Isis carried the
"Open your eyes so I can put milk in pot with Horus's semen in it to the
them," she said to Horus. garden of Set. She asked the gardener,
Then Horus opened his eyes and she "What kind of vegetable does Set eat?"
put the milk into them. "He doesn't eat any vegetable but
"Now open yo\ir eyes again," she lettuce," said the gardener, "since it

said. Horus opened his eyes and his makes him potent."
sight was restored. So Isis took the semen of Horus and
When Hathor and Horus returned to placed it on the lettuce. Later Set came
court, she told Ra all that had hap- tohave his daily ration of lettuce, ate
pened. some and immediately he became
"Please, not quarrel any more,"
let's pregnant from Horus's semen.
Ra Horus and Set. "Let's eat
said to Later when Set met Horus he said,

and drink and have some peace."
Then Set turned to Horus.
my house and we'll have a party."
So Horus accepted and left with Set.
When it was time to go to sleep the two
went to bed together. During the night
"We still haven't settled the matter of
"Come to who will be king. Let's return to court
and have it out."
Horus agreed. The two appeared
again before the gods.
"Speak your peace," the gods said.

Set had an erection and thrust his "I am king," said Set, "since last
penis between Horus's legs in an at- night I sodomized Horus."
tempt to rape him. But Horus put his Then all the gods looked at Horus
hands between his thighs, catching with disgust and spit in his face.

Set's semen. Horus, however, laughed at all of

Next morning Horus went to his them.
mother Isis and told her what Set had "Set is a liar. Let Set's semen be
done. called and let's see where it comes
"See what Set has done," he said, from. Then call my semen and see
opening his hands and showing Set's where it comes from."
semen. So Thoth placed his hands up)on
Isis let out a shriek. With a copper Horus's arms and said, "Come out
knife she immediately cut off Horus's semen of Set."
hands, throwing them into the marsh But Set's semen did not answer from

64
 Horus

Horus's body, but from the marsh gathered again. Shu said to Ra, "The
where Isis had thrown Horus's crown belongs to Horus."
semen-covered hands. Thoth said, "Let's send a letter to
Then Thoth placed his arm on Set. Osiris and let him decide the matter
"Come out, semen of Horus," he said. between his son and his brother."
"Where shall I come out from?" the So a letter was sent to Osiris asking
semen asked. what should be done. Osiris responded
"Come out of his ear," replied Thoth. immediately: "Why should my son be
"But I am divine fluid." defrauded? I make you all strong by
"Then come from the top of his providing you with barley and wheat."
head," Thoth answered. When Osiris's answer arrived Ra
Suddenly the semen came up from was sitting in his palace with the rest
Set's head in the form of a golden disk. The letter was read aloud.
of the gods.
Set tried to seize the golden disk but Ra, angry at what Osiris had written
Thoth took it away and placed it on his wrote back: "What if you had never
own head. come into being? What if you had
Then all the gods said, "Horus is never been bom? Do you think the bar-
right. Set is wrong." ley and wheat would not exist?"
But still Set would not accept the Osiris replied: "Yes. You rule the
verdict. gods, but you let justice slide down to
"It's not settled yet," he cried out. the underworld! Remember The
this:

"We will have a boat race. Whoever land is mine, filled with fierce spirits
wins the race will be made king." whom I control. No god or goddess has
So Horus built a ship of cedar, plas- more power than I do. I have ultimate
tered over with gypsum, and placed it authority — the stars, the gods, and all

in the water. Set, seeing Horus's boat, life are eventually destined to come to
thought it was made
of stone. So he my land — the land of the West."
went mountains and cut off a
to the When Osiris's answer reached the
rocky peak and made a stone boat. gods it was quickly read aloud to all by
When he placed it in the water it sank. Thoth.
Set then transformed himself into a "It's all true what Osiris says," they
hippopotamus and caused Horus's said.
boat to sink. But Horus took a harpoon Yet, Set again challenged Horus to
and aimed it at Set. one more battle. But Horus defeated
"Don't throw it at him," the gods Set who was brought in chains before
cried out. So Horus didn't and went the gods. Isis presented Set to the
downstream to Sais. He spoke to the gathered assembly.
goddess Neith. Ra looked at Set.
"Let the judgment be made between "Why didn't you follow the verdict of
Set and me." the gods instead of having to do battle
In the meantime the gods had again?"

65
Horus-Aah

were pleased and there was joy in the

land for Horus was made king.

Various other forms of Horus are

Harpokrates, Harsiesis, Harmachis,
Haroeris, and Horus-Behdety.

HORUS-AAH A composite god

made up of Horus and the moon god
Aah.

HORUS-BEHDETY A form of the

god Horus, meaning "He of Behdet," a
by the
district of ancient Edfu, called
Greeks Appollinolis Magna. They
equated Horus-Behdety with their god
Apollo.
The m5i;h surrounding this form of
Horus was written on the temple of
Edfu. After having aided the king
Ra-Harakhte (a form of the god Ra and
Horus combined) Horus-Behdety flew
up to heaven in the form of a winged
Horus disk, being called "Great God, Lord of
"I am defeated," Set replied. "Let Heaven." From heaven he was able to

Horus be called and let him be made see the enemies of his father. He
king." chased them in the form of a winged
So Horus was called and placed on disk and slaughtered them. After this
the throne of his father Osiris. victory the god Thoth declared Horus,
"You are the good king of Egypt, the the son of Ra, the sun god, and de-
beloved land," they all shouted. clared that his name should be Horus-
Isis cried out, "You are the beautiful Behdety, that is, of Edfu. Then
Horus
king. You illumine the whole earth Horus suggested to Ra that he come to
with your splendor." see the dead enemies of his father.
"What are we to do with Set?" Ptah Ra, escorted by Hathor and the god-
asked. dess Astarte, "mistress of horses,"
"Let me adopt him as my son," said went to see the dead. When Ra saw
Ra. "His voice will thunder in the sky what Horus had done he said, "This is
and he shall be feared by all." a very pleasant life," and named a
Then all the gods and goddessess temple in Horus's honor, called

66
 Horus-Behdety

"Pleasant Life." Then Thoth said, again to defeat the god, but Horus,
"This was the spearing of my foes," aided by his "blacksmiths," slaughtered
and they called the city Edfu Teb from most of them, while others fled at
that day. Then he said to Horus, "Thou Tchetemet, or "slaughter."
art a great protector," and the boat of A third battle ensued and again
Horus was then called "Great Protec- Horus was the victor. Those who re-
tor." mained moved on, but Horus followed
Then Ra and Horus went into Ra's them, capturing 142 whom he boimd
boat. Horus slew the enemies of Ra, in chains, as well as a "male hip-
such as crocodiles, along the way. popotamus." He then slew the rest and
Then Horus took the form of a winged gave their entrails to his companions
disk and placed himself in the bow of to eat. As proof of his victory he stood
the boat of Ra. The enemies of Ra tried upon the hippopotamus, and was

Horus-Behdety

67
Horus, Four Sons of

called Her-pest, or "He who is on the into the winged sun disk with iiraei,
back." two serpents who might consume with
The enemy, however, was still not fire any rebels who remained. The sun

undone. Another battle ensued. In this disk with snakes was called Ur-
one Horus captured 381 rebels whom uatchti, and portrayed the goddesses
he slew in the bow of Ra's boat, giving Nekhebet and Uatchit.
one to each of his companions. In Egyptian art Horus-Behdety is
When the evil god Set saw that his often portrayed as a hawk-headed
cohorts were being destroyed he man carrying in his hands some
entered the battle. Horus captured Set weapons, indicating his victory over
and threw a lance into him. Then he Set.
cut off his head, as well as the heads of
Set's companions. HORUS, FOUR SONS OF The
Horus dragged the body of Set children of Horus and Isis who
throughout the land, but Set turned guarded the organs of the dead. The
himself into a snake and hid in a hole. four sons were Mesthi, or Imsety, who
Horus then turned himself into a guarded the liver and was portrayed
pole on the top of whichwas a hawk's with a human head; Hapi, who
head and stopped up the hole. Some of guarded the lungs and was portrayed
the followers of Set were still free, so as jackal- or dog-headed; Tuamutef, or
Horus went again in pursuit of them. Duamutef, who guarded the stomach
He slew 106, while others fled to the and was portrayed as jackal-headed;
sea. Horus then changed himself into a and Qebh-sennuf, or Qebsnuf, who
lion, with a man's head surmounted by guarded the intestines and was
the triple crown. He brought back 142, portrayed as hawk-headed. The or-
and slew them, tearing out their gans of the dead were placed in special
tongues. jars, called Canopic jars, each jar hav-
When this was done Ra Horus
told ing a head on it in the shape of one of
that he wished to travel farther upon the four sons.
the sea to kill the remainder of his foes
who had turned into crocodiles and HORUS GODS Name given to the
hippopotamuses. Horus, however, told various gods of ancient Egypt who
Ra it was impossible to sail farther on bear the name Horus. Many of the
the sea since one-third of the enemy gods were originally separate deities
was in the water. Then Thoth recited but in time, the various Horus Gods
certain magical spells to protect the were blended into Horus and the dis-

boat of Ra which set sail. Finally, tinctions blurred.

Horus and his companions destroyed
the remaining enemies on land. When HORUS, THE HEBENUITE A
this was done Horus turned himself form of the god Horus in which he is

68
 Hyksos

portrayed as a hawk-headed man on the personification of the sense of taste

the back of an antelope, symbolizing in gods and men, but was also the per-
his victory over the evil god Set. sonification of the divine food on which
Hebenuite was the metropolis of the gods and men fed.

sixteenth nome of Upper Egypt. In the Soo^ of the Dead the deceased
says, "I have taken possession of Hu in
HORUS KHENTY EN MAATYU my city, for I found him therein" and
A form of the god Horus, which may "Hu is in my mouth." In some pas-
mean "Horus at the head of those who sages, however, it is difficult to decide
see not." It was popularly called "Blind whether Hu refers to the god Hu or to
Horus." This form appeared when the the divine food hu. In Egyptian art Hu
evil god Set blinded him. The shrew- is portrayed as a man with the sign of
mouse, a symbol of darkness, was his name above his head.
identified with this form of Horus.
HUH AND HAUHET Two pri-
HORUS KHENTY KHAT A form meval deities, male and female,
of the god Horus in which he is who, according to the priesthood of
portrayed with the head of a crocodile Hermopolis, made up part of the Og-
on a human body. He wears upon his doad, the eight gods who created the
head the horns of Khnemu and the world. Huh was portrayed as frog-
Atef crown. The name may mean, headed and Hauhet as serpent-
"Horus at the head of the belly." headed.

HORUS NETCHER NEDJE HUTCHAIUI God of the west wind

ITE F A form of the god Horus mean- portrayed as a ram-headed man with
ing "Horus the god, he who avenges four wings, or as a ram-headed beetle.
his father." The name^ refers to Horus's
role in defeating the murderer of his HYKSOS Generic term for a group
father Osiris, the evil god Set. of peoples from the Syrian-Palestine
area who ruled over the Delta part of
HORUS THE ELDER see Egypt in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth
Haroeris. Dynasties. Their chief god was Set.
Their name is derived from the hiero-
HORUS THE GREAT see glyphs for "rulers of the desert up-
Haroeris. lands," though in ancient times it was
misinterpreted as meaning "shepherd
HU Egyptian god of the sense of kings." Some scholars maintain that
taste. He was bom from the drops of the biblical Joseph and his brothers
blood that flowed from Ra when he came to Egypt during the time of the
mutilated himself. Hu was not only Hyksos.

69
Hymns and Prayers

HYMNS AND PRAYERS Numer- which he is worshipped. Thus, it is

ous hymns and prayers have come fruitless to look for the richness and
down to us from ancient Eg3^t. Per- depth that is found in the Old Testa-
haps the most famous is the Hymn ment Book of Psalms. Aside from the
to Aten, which portrays a loving god many for the public, various personal
for all humankind. Other hymns, hymns and prayers have also been
however, are lacking in any personal preserved. They are often, however,
feeling, often merely listing the vari- little more than magical incantations.
ous titles of the god and the cities in

70
 I

IB see Ab. of ichneiunon have been found in sev-

eral tombs.
IBIS This bird was associated with
the moon god Thoth who was also the IKHNATEN see Akhenaten.
scribe of the gods. The animal was re-
ILLNESS see Medicine.
garded by the Egyptians as the enemy
of snakes,especially the "winged IMAGES Egyptians believed that
serpents" which they believed to statues were substitutes for the person
exist. Herodotus in his History (Book they represented and were erected in
2) says that he saw bodies of winged tombs and temples. Thus, if the
serpents in a gorge. "The story goes," mummy was destroyed, the image
he writes, "that with the spring, the acted as a replacement for the Ka of
winged snakes come flying from the dead person. When statues were
Arabia toward Egypt, but are met in erected in temples it was believed that
this gorge by the birds called ibises, the person continued to live in the im-
who forbid their entrance and destroy age.
them."
IMHOTEP Deified Egyptian sage
IBIS-HEADED GOD see Thoth. who lived at the court of King Zoser.
Imhotep was celebrated in his own
ICHNEUMON The mongoose was lifetime, and after his death was ven-
honored by the ancient Egyptians erated until it was said that he was the
since was believed to be immune
it son of the god Ptah. He replaced Nefer-
from snake bites and destroyed the tem in the triad of gods worshipped at
eggs of crocodiles; it was also associ- Memphis and eventually his worship
ated with the rising sim. If, according eclipsed even that of his divine father,
to one ancient writer, Diodorus, the Ptah. Besides his fame as a sage, he
ichneumon did not eat the crocodile's was also known as a master builder,
eggs the land of Egypt would have having built the Step Pyramid for
been ovemm by them. Bronze figures King Zoser I. In Egyptian art Imhotep

71
Imiut

is usually portrayed as a priest with IMOUTHES AND IMUTHES see

shaved head reading a scroll while Imhotep.

seated. The Greeks knew him as Im-
uthes, or Imouthes, or "he who comes IMSETY see Mesthi.

in peace."
IMY-HEMEF Gigantic serpent,
IMIUT An early god whose name about fifty feet long, who lived on the
means "He who is in his wrappings." top of Bakhau, the Movmtain of the
The title refers to the fetish of the god, Sunrise. His name means "Dweller in
consisting of a vessel or vase support- his flame."
ing an upright pole to which a head-
less inflated animal skin was attached INADJET see Buto.
by the tail, tipped with a papyrus
flower.The blood of the animal is often INCENSE The use of incense
shown pouring into the vessel. The formed an important part of cviltic
pole upon which it hung represented worship among the Egyptians. Each
the lotus stem and bud. The fetish of substance used in the composition of
Imiut was later associated with incense was supposed to possess magi-
Anubis and Osiris, both gods of the cal properties, and the smell produced
dead. by burning them together was thought
to be favored by the gods. The smoke
was believed to form a material vehi-
cle on which the words of the prayers
recited by the worshipper would rise to
heaven. When they reached the god or
goddess, the odor which accompanied
the words would cause the deity to
grant the supplicant's petition.

INFANT HORUS, THE see Har-

pokrates.

IPHTIMIS Name given by the

Greeks Egyptian god Nefertem,
to the
a sun god of Memphis, also god of per-
fumes.

g -/tm- ISIS Goddess, sister- wife of Osiris and

mother of Horus. Her name is the
Greek form of the Egyptian Ast, or
Eset.
Imiut

72
 Isis

Isis was the great and beneficent house wherein my brother Set has
goddess and mother. Her influence placed me." Set was not
satisfied by
and love pervaded heaven, earth, and murdering his brother Osiris; he took
the abode of the dead. She was the further vengeance by shutting Isis up
personification of the female creative in a prison. While Isis was confined,
power that conceived and brought she was visited by Thoth, the prince of
forth every living creature and thing. both heavenly and earthly law, who
She used her power not only in creat- offered advice that would protect her
ing new things, but in restoring what and her unborn son. After Thoth had
was dead. She was also the noblest helped her to escape, she later
example of a faithful and loving wife exclaimed, "I came forth from the
and mother, and it was in that role house at eventide, and there also came
that she was most highly honored by forth with me my seven scorpions, who
the Egyptians. were to accompany me, and to be my
In numerous passages in the helpers.Two scorpions, Tefen and Be-
Pyramid Texts, it is stated that Osiris, fen,were behind me, two scorpions,
Isis, Set, and Nephthys were deified Mestet and Mestetef, were by my side,
members of a family of human beings. and three scorpions, Petet, Thetet and
According to Plutarch, when Osiris Maatet, showed me the way."
was killed by his evil brother Set, who The seven scorpion goddesses led
threw his coffin into the river, Isis Isis to a village near the Papyrus
found the box and hid it, but Set dis- Swamps, where a rich woman, from
covered the hiding place, cut up whom she sought shelter closed the
Osiris's body and scattered the pieces door in her face (this story is similar to
throughout Egypt. Isis recovered the the Christian legend of Joseph and
dismembered and with the help
parts, Mary who were refused shelter).
of the Thoth restored her
god Enraged at the treatment Isis had re-
brother-husband and had intercourse ceived, one of the scorpion goddesses,
with him, conceiving a child, who was Tefen, stole into the woman's house,
called Horus. stung her child to death, and set the
In the Book of the Dead, there are house afire. Isis took pity on the wom-
many allusions to Isis's loving care of an's grief and restored her child to life,

Osiris, but little is said of her devotion and a flood of rain extinguished the
to her son Horus, whom she reared to fire. A peasant woman then invited
become the avenger of his father's Isis to her house and the goddess
murder. The Mettemich Stele (found stayed there, while the woman who
in Alexandria in 1828 and given to had rejected her suffered agonies of
Prince Mettemich by Mohammed Ali) remorse.
reports that the goddess in her wan- A short time later Isis brought forth
derings and sorrows cried out, "I, even her child Horus on a bed of papyrus
I, am Isis, and I came forth from the plants in the swamps. She hid the boy

73
Isis
carefully, fearing that he might be
stung by a venomous reptile.One day
she set out to obtain provisions and
other necessities for her son in the city
ofAm. When she returned, she found
him lying dead, foam on his lips, the
ground around him soaked with tears
from his eyes and realized that he had
been killed by Set, in the form of a
scorpion. Isis's cries brought out all
the neighbors, but no one could help
her. Finally, on the advice of Neph-
thys, her sister, she appealed to the
sun god Ra. The sun stood still in the
heavens and Thoth (a form of Ra in the
legend) descended to earth to comfort
her and taught her a spell to restore
Horus to life.
Isis uttered the magic words, and
the poison flowed from her son's body,
and as air entered his lungs, his sense
and feeling returned, and the boy was
restored to life. Thoth ascended to the
heavens and the sun resumed his
course amid great rejoicing.
When Horus grew up he fought
against Set in a battle that lasted
three days and three nights. Horus
had gained the advantage but Isis,
who was also Set's sister, took pity on
her brother and uttered a spell that
caused his fetters to fall away, and al-
lowed him to escape. Horus was filled
with anger at his mother, and re-
venged himself by cutting off her head.
However, Thoth intervened and
transformed the decapitated head of
Isis into the head of a cow, which he
attached to her neck.
From a number of passages in vari-
ous Egyptian texts, it is evident that
74
Isiswas thought to possess great skill
in magic. One of her great feats was
recorded in the myth of Ra. Since most
mythologies believe that to possess the
true name of a god was
have power
to
over that god, many had more
deities
than one name; that is, one by which
they were generally known and an-
other, which might be called the real
name, that was kept secret lest it come
into the hands of an enemy and be used
against them. Isis once tried to make
Ra reveal to her his greatest and most
secret name.
"Cannot I by means of the sacred
name of God make myself mistress of
the earth and become a goddess of like
rank and power to Ra in heaven and
upon earth?" she asked herself. Using
her magical skill, she made a venom-
ous reptile out of dust mixed with Ra's
spittle, and by uttering certain words
of power over the reptile made it sting
Ra as he passed through the heavens.
The sun god, who was at the point of
death, was forced to reveal his hidden
name. Satisfied at last, Isis recited an
incantation to drain the poison from
Ra's limbs, and the god recovered.
In the Hymn to Osiris Isis's use of
magic words helps restore Osiris to
life, and in the Theban Recension of
the Book of the Dead one entire chap-
ter is devoted to the bestowing upon
the deceased some of the magical pow-
ers of the goddess.
Isis was worshipped in shrines
throughout Egypt, and was addressed
by many different titles, such as "the
divine one," "the greatest of all the
gods and goddesses," "the queen of all
 —

Ids

gods," "the female Ra," "the female portrayed as a woman wearing the
Horus," "the lady of the new year," vulture headdress, and holding a
"the maker of sunrise," "the lady of papyrus scepter in one hand and the
heaven" and "the light-giver of ankh, symbol of life in the other. Her
heaven." From various classical writ- symbol is the Thet, the knot or buckle
ers we learn that her worship even of Isis, which is a sign of life and blood.
spread beyond Egypt — to western Her crown is composed of a pair of
Europe, where she was identified with horns with a solar disk between them,
Persephone, Tethys, and Athene, as sometimes surmounted by a throne,
her husband Osiris was identified called set, (the goddess's name is Aset
with Hades, Dionysus, and other in Egyptian). Isis isshown wear-
also
foreign gods. ing the double crowns of the south and
The chief temple of Isis in Rome the north, with the feather of Maat
stood in the Campus Marinus, where attached at the back; in another varia-
the goddess was called Isis Campensis. tion, her headdress consists of the
In The Golden Ass (Book 11) Apuleius horns and the solar disk, with two
describes a festival of Isis that was plumes. The horns are usually of the
held in Rome in the latter half of the cow-goddess Hathor, although less
second century A.D. The writer refers frequently they are ram's horns under
to the goddess as regina coeli, "queen the double crown to associate Isis with
of heaven" (a title later used for the her counterpart Osiris, who was rep-
Virgin Mary) and identifies her with resented by the ram of Mendes. When
Ceres, Venus, and Persephone. For the Isis is portrayed as a woman and not as
Greeks, the holiest of all the a goddess, she wears an ordinary
sanctuaries to Isis was at Tithorea. woman's headdress, but even then a
Pausanias in his Description of Greece uraeus is drawn in over her forehead
(Chapter 32) writes that a festival in to indicate her divinity. Sometimes
her honor was held there twice a year, the goddess is shown suckling Horus
once in spring and once in autumn. (much as the Virgin Mary is often
The associations of Isis continue portrayed with the Christ Child).
to the Syrians, who identified her with The symbol of Isis in the heavens
many local Syrian goddesses and the was the star Sept, which was chosen
early Christians who borrowed some because its appearance marked not
of her attributes to bestow upon the only the beginning of the new year,
Virgin Mary. Several incidents of the but also the advance of the inundation
wanderings of Mary with the Christ of the Nile. As the light giver of this
Child in Egypt as recorded in the season of the year she was called Khut;
Apocryphal Grospels echo the events as the mighty earth goddess her name
from the life of Isis described in the was Usert; as the great goddess of
texts found on the Mettemich Stele. Tuat, the underworld, she was
In Egyptian art Isis is usually Thenenet; as the power that shot forth

75
Isis-Sothis

the bodies of the blessed dead to live in

the kingdom of Osiris she was Ament,
or "hidden" goddess.

ISIS-SOTHIS see Satis.

ISRAEL The relations between

Egypt and Israel arean important
part of the Old Testament, where
Egypt is mentioned by name 680
times. The name Israel, however, ap-
pears only once in an ancient Egyptian
work which commemorates a victory
over Israel. It reads: "Israel is devas-
tated, her seed no longer exists."

ITY God of music, son of the Bull of

Ra and the goddess Hathor. In some
texts, Ity is called "the bull of confu-
sion." He was portrayed as a man with
the double crown of Upper and Lower
Egypt and the sidelock of youth.

lUSAASET AND NEBT-HETEP

Isis see lusas and Nebhet Hotep.

lUSAS AND NEBHET HOTEP

the Nile flood she was Satis; as the Wives of the god Tem, who were
embracer of the land and the producer given various roles. lusas sometimes
of fertility by her waters she was An- appeared as the sole parent of the first
quet; as the producer and giver of life divine couple Shu and Tefnut. Other
she was Ankhat; as the goddess of cul- times, lusas and Nebhet Hotep are
tivated land and fields she was merely female aspects of Tem, who is

Kekhet; as the goddess of the harvest bisexual in some accounts.

she was Renenet; as the goddess of the lusas was depicted as a woman hold-
food that was offered to the gods she ing a scepter in her right hand and the
was Tcheft; and as the great lady of the ankh, symbol of life, in her left. She
underworld who assisted in restoring wore a vulture headdress surmounted

76
 lusas and Nebhet Hotep

by a viraeus, and a disk between a pair Hotep is translated as "mistress of the

of horns. Nebhet Hotep appears to gods."

have been a double of lusas, since in Variant spellings are lusaaset and
some accounts the name lusas-Nebhet Nebt-Hetep.

77
JACKAL From earliest times the JUSTICE, GODDESS OF see Maat.
Egyptians identified the jackal with
the dead and the tombs of the dead,
where they had seen the animal roam. JUVENAL (c. A.D. 55-140) Roman
The principal jackal gods were Anubis satirist, who some time in
spent
and Wepwawet. In many of the tales Egypt. Juvenal hated all that was not
of the ancient writers the jackal was Roman, and considered the Egyptian
confused with the dog. world view barbaric. In his fifteenth
satire, sometimes titled On the Atroc-
JUPITER-AMEN Form of Amen, ities of Egypt, he ridicules Egyptian
combined with the title of the Roman beliefs, especially theiranimal cults
sky god, Jupiter. Alexander the Great and he accuses the Egyptians of can-
visited the god's temple in the Siwa nibalism. The great English poet, John
Oasis in B.C. 332. The oracle called Dryden translated five of Juvenal's
Alexander, "son of Amen." Shortly af- satires, and Dr. Johnson imitated two
terwards Alexander was crowned of the most famous in his poems "Lon-
King of Egypt. don" and "Vanity of Human Wishes."

79
 K
KA The double or the abstract per-
sonality of aman or woman. The Ka
could separate itself from or unite it-

body at will and could move

self to the
freely from place to place. A dead
man's Ka had to be preserved if his
body was to become everlasting. Fu-
neral offerings, such as meats, cakes,
wines, and unguents, were made to the
Ka, and when food was not available,
offerings were painted on the walls,
accompanied by the recitation of spe-
cific prayers. The tombs of the early

Egyptian had special chambers in

which the Ka was worshipped and re-
ceived offerings, and the priesthood
Ka
included a group called "priests of Ka,"
who performed services in honor of the KAI One of the four earthly forms of
Ka. According to one version of the Osiris found in the sixth section, or
creation myth that appears in the hour, of Tuat, the underworld.
Pyramid Texts, after the sun god spit
out the gods Shu and Tefnut, he put his KARNAK see Thebes.
arms about them so that his "Ka might
be in them." The Ka is closely associ- KEB see Geb.
ated with the Ba, the soul.
KEFI A guardian of the tenth sec-
tion of Tuat, the underworld, as the
sun god Ra passes in his boat.
KA-HEMHEM A lion god who ap-
peals in the sixth section, or hour, of KEKHET A title of Isis as the god-
Tuat, the underworld. dess of cultivated land and fields.

81
Kemet

KEMET Name given to ancient form could ascend to heaven to live

Egypt, meaning the "black land," be- with the gods.
cause of the richness of the soil. A var-
iant spelling is Qemet. KHENSU An early moon god of
healing and regeneration. His name
means "navigator" or "he who crosses
KENKEN-WER Title meaning
"great cackler" and applied to the the sky in a boat," and he was iden-

earth god Geb because it was said he tified as a form of the moon god Thoth.
laid the egg from which the world Khensu was an aid to women and

sprang. cattle in fertility and conception, but

he was best known as a god of healing,
called Khensu Nefer-hetep, who pos-
KHA-A A god who carries a bow in
sessed absolute power over the evil
the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
spirits that infested the earth, sea,
underworld. He helps the sun god Ra
and sky.
in his journey toward the east, and
One mji^h tells of the king of Thebes
defends him by slaying his enemies.
praying to a statue of Khensu Nefer-
hetep on behalf of the daughter of the
KHAIBIT The shadow of a man. prince of Bekhten. The god listened to
Like the Ka and Ba, the Khaibit was the king's plea, nodded his head (the
believed to be able to separate itself statue of the god was provided with a
from the physical body and move movable head which the priests ma-
about freely. In the Book of the Dead nipulated), and promised to imbue his
the Khaibit and the Ba are closely as- divine power in the statue which was
sociated in the phrase, "May I look to be sent to the city of the sick
upon my soul [Ba] and my shadow princess. The statue arrived in
[Khaibit]." Bekhten and through its magical pow-
ers the princess was exorcised of the
KHAT The whole physical body of demon. The demon then spoke to
man. The word, according to some Khensu, acknowledging the god's
scholars, conveys a concept of the body superior power, and spent a happy day
as an entity that is liable to decay. In with the god and the prince of
the Book of the Dead the khat is men- Bekhten. At night, the demon re-
tioned in reference to the mummified turned to his own dwelling place, and
body of the deceased; the preservation Khensu left for his home in Thebes in
of the body was extremely important. the form of a hawk.
On burial day prayers and ceremonies In Egyptian art Khensu is usually
were offered so that the khat might portrayed with the body of a man and
have the power to change into the the head of either a hawk or a man; he
sahu, or spiritual body, and in this is standing or seated on a throne. His

82
 Khepera

headdress is the lunar disk in a cres- from his semen came Shu, the air, and
cent, or the solar disk with a uraeus, Tefnut, moisture; and from the union
or the solar disk with plumes and a of Shu and Tefnut came Seb, the earth,
uraeus. Sometimes he holds the ankh, and Nut, the sky; and they in turn bore
emblem of life. the great gods Osiris, Isis, Set, and

Variants of his name are Khonsu, Nephthys. These nine deities formed a
Chons, Chunsu, and Khons. group worshipped in a cosmological
system known as the Ennead or Com-
KHENSU-HUNNU see Khensu-pa- pany of Gods. In another creation
khart. myth, the sim god Ra was said to have
created himself in primeval time in
KHENSU-NEFER-HETEP The god the form of the god Khepera.
Khensu in his form as protector Khepera was portrayed in Egyptian
against evil spirits, god of love, and art as a beetle-headed man or as a man
god of fertility. He was portrayed with whose head was surmounted by a bee-
the double crown of Upper and Lower tle, or sometimes simply as a beetle.

Egypt, the ankh, sign of life, and the
scepter of royalty.
KHENSU-PA-KHART A
Khensu as "Khensu the Babe,"
the god
sometimes called, Khensu-Hunnu,
"Khensu, the Child."
KHENSU-RA A form of the god
Khensu combined with the sun god
Ra, portrayed wearing a solar disk on
his head £md holding a stylus in his
right hand.
The worship of the beetle dates back
into the early days of Egypt, and the
identification of Ra with the beetle
form of god, a later modification, is an exam-
ple of the grafting of new religious
beliefs onto old ones.
The beetle was usually identified as
the scarab and was held as a symbol of
resurrection and fertility. There are
various explanations of its association
with Khepera. Since the beetle be-
came visible in great numbers on the
surface of the mud of the Nile, the bee-
tle was thought to have created itself

KHEPERA The god who repre- from its own matter, as the sun seemed
sented the rising or morning sun and to create itself each morning. Other
was closely associated with the scarab, sources trace the association to the
the sacred beetle of ancient Egypt. large balls, consisting of beetle eggs in
Khepera was among the original a mass of dung, which the beetle in-
creation gods and like the rising svm dustriously rolled about with its hind
with which he is identified, he was legs for long distances before burying
said to be self-created, bom of his own in a hole. The ball of the beetle was
substance. According to one myth he identified with the ball of the sun that
copulated with his own shadow and appeared to roll daily across the sky

83
Khepresh

Roman soldiers wore the likeness of

the beetle on a ring.
Variant spellings of the god's name
are Kheperi, Khepri, Kheprer, and
Chepera.

KHEPRESH see Crowns.

KHEPRI AND KHEPRER see

Khepera.

KHERT NETER A title for Tuat,

the vmderworld, meaning "divine sub-
terranean place." Sometimes the
name is given as Neter-khertet.

KHESFU A god who carries a jave-

lin in the tenth section, or hour, of
Tuat, the underworld. He helps the
sun god Ra slay his enemies as Ra
journeys toward the east.

KHET "Steps" amulet that sym-

bolized the support on which the god
Shu stood when he separated the earth
goddess Nut from the sexual embrace
of the earth god Geb. Shu used the

Khepera steps because he was not tall enough to

reach Nut whose outstretched arms
and was the source of life. and legs represented the arch of
Since beetles were believed to be the heaven. The "double-steps" amulet,
incarnation of Khepera, beetle am- which resembled the Step- Pyramid of
ulets were worn to attract the power Sakkara in form, was identified with
of the god and secure his protection. the steps on which the god Khnemu
In Egyptian funerary practice beetles stood when acting as creator god.
or beetle amulets, often inscribed
ih.e Book of the Dead,
with a text from KHETI A monster serpent in the
were buried with the mummies to eighth section of Tuat, the under-
help insure their resurrection. In world, who belches forth fire used to
Roman times when going to battle punish those who have gone against

84
 Khnemu

the rites connected with Osiris. On his a seven-year drought that came upon
back stand seven gods. Egypt in the reign of Tcheser, a king of
the Third Dynasty. Legend has it that
KHMUN see Khnemu. the drought was a punishment for ne-
glecting the god. When the coimtry
KHNEMIU Four divine beings had nearly been destroyed by famine,
wearing red crowns, found in the elev- the king went to the temple of
enth section of Tuat, the underworld. Khnemu to make offerings. Khnemu
appeared, and, claiming he was the
KHNEMU Ram-headed god of cre- Nile, promised to inundate the
ation and fertility, worshipped on the land, provided the proper worship was
isle of Elephantine in the Nile River. restored to him. The king readily
Although the Egyptian views of agreed, and Khnemu made the waters
Khnemu changed, ancient texts show of the Nile flow from his two caverns,
that he maintained an exalted posi- and prosperity returned to the land.
tion among the gods. His image con- Khnemu was usually represented as
tinued to appear on Gnostic gems and
papyri for some two or three centuries
after the birth of Christ.
Khnemu's name literally means
"moulder."He was said to have
moulded on his potter's wheel the
great cosmic egg that contained the
sun.He was known further as the pot-
terwho fashioned man and the gods
and in certain texts he was said to
preside over children in their mother's
womb and infuse them with health.
Originally a local water god of the
Cataract region, and perhaps a per-
sonification of the Nile, Khnemu was
later regarded as the Nile god of all
Egypt. He united within himself the
souls of the great gods Ra, Shu, Geb,
and Osiris, and was thus portrayed
with four rams' heads upon a human
body, which, according to some
sources, represented fire, air, earth,
and water.
One of the myths of Khnemu tells of Khnemu

85
Khnemu

a ram-headed man, with long wavy "Khnemu, Lord of the Land of Life."
horns adorned with plumes, a disk and
a uraeus. Because of his importance, KHNEMU NEHEP A form of the
he was worshipped in many forms god Khnemu meaning "Khnemu the
throughout Egypt. Creator."
A variant spelling of his name is

Khnum. To the Greeks he was known KHNOUMIS see Khnemu.

as Khnoumis.
KHONS see Khensu.
KHNEMU KHENTI NETCHEM-
TCHEM ANKHET A form of the KHORP HEMTIU Title of the chief

god Khnemu, meaning "Khnemu, priest of the temple of Ptah, meaning

Lord of the House of Sweet Life." "Chief of the Artificers."

KHNEMU KHENTI PER-ANKH KHUT A name for the goddess Isis

A form of the god Khnemu, meaning as light giver.

"K^hnemu, Governor of the House
of Life." KITAB AL-MAYYIT AND KITAB
AL MAYYITUM see Book of the

KHNEMU KHENTI-TAUI A form Dead.

of the god Khnemu, meaning
"Khnemu, Governor of the Two KNOT OF ISIS see Thet.
Lands," that is. Upper and Lower
Egypt. KUK AND KAUKET Two prime-
val deities, male and female, who,
KHNEMU NEB A form of the god according to the priesthood of Hermo-
Khnemu, meaning, "Khnemu, Lord." polis, made up part of the Ogdoad, the
who created the world. Kuk
eight gods
KHNEMU NEB-TA-ANKHTET A was portrayed as frog-headed and
form of the god Khnemu, meaning Kauket as serpent-headed.

86
 L
LATONA Mother of the Greek god Egypt. Its chief center of worship was
Apollo who was equated with the at Leontopolis in the Northern Delta;
Egyptian goddess Buto, the protector sacred lions were possibly kept here
of Lower Egypt. and in various centers of worship. One
of the oldest gods in Egyptian mythol-
LAW, GODDESS OF see Maat. ogy is Aker, a lion god who was sup-
posed to guard the gate of the dawn
LETTERS TO THE DEAD Title through which the sun god passed
given to letters, usually written on each morning.
pottery bowls, which were placed in In the Book of the Dead the Akeru
tombs with food offerings. The letters gods are portrayed as two lions seated
were thought to convey messages from back to back, supporting between
the living to the dead, since the Egyp- them the horizon with the sun's disk
tians didn't fully accept death as an upon it. In later religious writings
end to the communications and expe- they are called Sef and Tuau, that is,

riences of the living. "Yesterday" and "Today." Since the

LETTUCE The ancient Egyptians
believed that lettuce was an aph-
rodisiac. It was fed to the sacred
white bulls of Min, the god who was
the bestower of sexual powers, and to
Set, who was said to grow lettuce in his
garden.
Egyptians believed that the gates of
morning and evening were guarded by
lion gods, they placed statues of lions
at the doors of palaces and tombs to
guard both the living and the dead.
LITERATURE, GODDESS OF
see Sefkhet-Aabut.

LIBRARY, GODDESS OF LOTUS The lotus, depicted in its

Sefkhet-Aabut. various forms, had great significance

LION The cult of the lion, associated
with the Sim gods Ra and Horns, is
of the oldest and most important in
was the symbol of
for the Egyptians. It
Upper Egypt, as well as a symbol of
one rebirth, and was sacred to Nefertum,
the Lord of Perfumes. Gods, such as

87
Love, God of

LOWER EGYPT The northern

area of Egypt, often called the Red
Land or the North, which centers
around the Delta. This region was
once a separate state, ruled from the
ancient capital of Buto. The protective
god of Lower Egypt was Horus and the
protective goddess Buto, the snake or
cobra goddess. The crown was the red
crown, and the plant the papyrus.

LUCK, GOD OF see Shai.

Horus, are often shown seated on a

lotus, becaiise of the mj^h that "a LUST, GODDESS OF see Anukis.
great lotus came out of the primordial
waters" at creation.
LUXOR see Thebes.

LOVE, GOD OF see Khensu-

Nefer-hetep. LYNX seeMaflet.

88
 M
MAA see Maat.

MAA-AB A guardian of the sixth

section of Tuat, the underworld, whose
name means "right of heart."

MAAHES Lion-headed god at Le-

ontopohs, who was the son of Ra
and Bast. He was portrayed as a
man with the head of a lion wearing
the Atef crown, or as a lion devouring
a captive. In some texts he is identi-

fied with Horus the Younger.

MAAT Goddess who was the per-

sonification of the physicaland moral
law of the imi verse.
Both Maat and her male counter-
part Thoth took part in the creation of
the world. While Maat assisted the
sun god Ra as he traveled in his course
from east to west each day, Thoth
helped turn the "thoughts" of the siui

god into material objects. In one myth,

Maat embraced Ra "both at mom and
at eve." In her role as the regulator of
the path of the sim, Maat was called
"daughter of Ra" or "eye of Ra." She
was also known as "lady of heaven,"
Maat
"queen of the earth," and "mistress of
the imderworld."

89
Maet

The goddess appears in the Book of dead and was said to have
firiend of the
theDead ki the dual form of Maati, or taken part with other gods in over-
the Maat goddesses of the South and throwing the monster serpent Apo-
North of Egypt. Along with the 42 As- phis. The Maftet was also believed to
sessors or Judges, she listened to the protect the mummy in its tomb from
confessions of the dead in the Judg- attack by serpents.
ment Hall in a ceremony where the
dead were obliged to recite a list of MAGIC Ancient Egj^pt was known
forty-two denials of various sins for its which was of two
magic,
known as the "Negative Confession." kinds — one
employed for beneficent
Maat was more than just a ends, the other for evil. The priest or
goddess —
she was the embodiment of layman skilled in magic was given
an important concept for the Egyp- special respect, regarded as a very
tians. The literal English translation great and mysterious being, who by
of this concept would be "straight," but pronouncing certain words or names of
depending on the context, it can mean power could heal the sick, cast out evil
right, true, truth, real, genuine, righ- spirits, and even restore the dead. The
teous, steadfast, and unalterable; forces of nature, such as the wind and
there is no single word in English that storms, the rivers and seas, were also
embraces all the meanings of this under his control. No god or spirit or
term. One Egyptian text describes the evil being could resist the power of
goddess Maat by saying, "Great is magic words.
Maat, the mighty and unalterable." It The best accoiuit of the workings of
has been said that as a moral power Egyptian magic can be found in the
Maat was the greatest of the Egyptian Hebrew Old Testament in the story of
goddesses. the conflict of Aaron and Moses
In Egyptian art Maat is portrayed in against the Egyptian priests. The
human form wearing a headdress with Bible (Acts 7:22) describes Moses as
an ostrich feather attached to it. How- "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyp-
ever, insome depictions she holds the tians" and he "was mighty in words
feather in her hand, and she is some- and in deeds." From the phrase
times shown headless, with the "mighty in words," some scholars have
feather taking the place of her head. inferred that Moses, like the goddess
Variant spellings of her name are Isis, p>ossessed words of power which
Maa, Maet, Maht, and Maut. he could use to control a variety of
natviral forces. Thus in Exodus (7:10-
MAET see Maat. 13) Moses turns a rod into a snake and
Aaron's rod, or serpent, swallows up
MAFTET Name given to the sacred the rods or serpents of the various
lynx. In lYveBook of the Dead the Maf- Egyptian priests. At the magical
tet, or lynx god, was regarded as a words of Moses his brother Aaron

90
 Maspero, Gaston

lifted his rod up over the waters which MAMMISI Misnomer applied by
became blood. He then stretched his the French scholar Champollion to the
rod over the waters and frogs ap- annex to a temple where the annual
peared. When Moses sprinkled ashes rite of the birth of a child god was
"toward heaven" they became boils. enacted. The word is from Coptic and
His final deed was the death of the means, "place of birth."
Egyptian The difference be-
firstborn.
tween the power of Moses and the MANDULIS seeMerul.
Egyptian priests is that Moses' actions
were at the command of Yahweh, MANETHO (Third century B.C.)

whereas the Egyptian priests sought Egyptian priest and historian noted
to control their gods by invoking the for hisHistory of Egypt. Manetho divi-
magic words. ded the history of the kings into vari-
Like many other ancient peoples, ous Djrnasties which are still used by
the Egyptians believed in signs, in historians,though the dating for each
amulets to protect against evil, and in period has changed. His writings,
rites to ensure health or eternity to the however, have been lost and only sur-
living or dead.The days of the week vive in part in quotations from other
were considered either lucky or un- sources.
lucky, and, most important, fate was
inescapable. In the Tale of the Doomed MARIETTE, AUGUSTE (1821-
Prince the prince was killed because 1881) Egyptologist who worked for
he was unable to avoid his evil destiny. the Louvre Museum and went to
Egypt in 1859, where he discovered
MAGIC, DEITIES OF Ur-heka numerous sites at Memphis and
Gizeh. In 1858 he was made keeper of
and Weret Hekau were, respectively,
the monimients of the Egyptian gov-
the god and goddess of magic. In a de-
ernment. He excavated the Sphinx
piction of the creation, done on
and the temples of Dendera and Edfu.
papyrus in the Twenty-first Dynasty,
the god Shu is shown holding up the
goddess Nut above the body of the MARRIAGE see Family.
earth god Geb, while Ur-heka kneels
at the left of the picture. The goddess of MARS The planet Mars was imder
magic was said to make the pharaoh's the protection of the god Ra.
crown "great in magic."
MASPERO, GASTON (1846-1916)
French director-general of the
MAGIC FLUTE, THE see Zau-
Egyptian Service of Antiquities and
berflote. Die.
the author of several works on ancient
Egypt. One of his most popular works
MAHT see Maat. is Les contes populaires de I'Egypte an-

91
Mastaba

cienne, published in 1882, in which a passed by. In some texts he is called

number of Egyptian folktales are Beba, in others Heri-sep-f.

translated into French.
MATET The boat that the sun god
MASTABA The name given by the Ra used in the morning, to start the
Arabs to a massive rectangular build- day. Matet means "becoming strong."
ing found in Egypt placed over a burial
The word is from the
pit in the sand. MAU The great cat who cuts off the
Arabic.The proportions of the build- head of Apophis, the monster of dark-
ing reminded the Arabs of the long, ness. He is equated with the sim god
low seat or bench called mastaba, that Ra, who destroys darkness.
was common in their homes. The mas-
taba was intended to protect the body MAUT see Maat.
of the deceased from the elements and
from thieves. The four sides of the M AU-TAUI A name for Thoth in his
building are symmetrically inclined role as guardian of the Hall of Maati
toward the center. The exterior sur- where the dead are judged. When the
faces are not flat, for each course of deceased wishes to be admitted to the
masonry, formed of rows of stones, was "Who is the god that
Hall, he is asked,
placed a little behind the one on which dwelleth in this hour?" He must re-
it stood. The top of the mastaba is flat. spond, "Mau-taui." "And who is this?"
The entrance is sometimes on the the deceased is questioned, and an-
south side, but never in the west, swers, "Mau-taui is Thoth." Thoth
which faces the land of the dead. next inquires about the deceased's
Inside there is a small room or reason for coming into the Hall.
chamber, which contains the false Satisfied with the responses to these
door through which the Ka, or double, and some further questions, Thoth
of the deceased may pass. The second then inscribes or records the name of
room, called Serdad or Sardab, Arabic the deceased on a slab, and he is al-

for cellar, contained the statue of the lowed to enter the Hall.

deceased in which his Ka would reside,

and the pit or cellar, where the body MEDICINE The ancient Egyptians
lay. were noted for their skill in medicine.
According to Homer's Odyssey Egyp-
MATES A demon who waited for tian doctors were the most accom-
the dead to pass by the Sheni or torture plished in the world. In his History
chamber in the underworld. A god (Book 2) Herodotus states that the
with the face of a greyhound and the Egyptians were specialists in curing
eyebrows of a man. Mates remained many diseases.
unseen and was easily able to seize However, in spite of its acclaim,
and tear out the hearts of those who much of ancient Egyptian medicine

92
 Meh-urt

Meh-urt
was based on religious beliefs rather One of the most important medical
than The Eg3T)tians thought
science. documents, the "Papyrus Ebers," con-
that sicknesses were either sent by the tains various remedies which often
gods or engendered by good and evil rely on popular folk cures. The
spirits. One text tells of a man who Papyrus is believed to have been writ-
offended the goddess Mert-sekert, and ten about B.C. 1500, although it re-
had difficulty in breathing, for "she flects practices of the Old Kingdom.
pursueth whosoever sinneth against
her." The goddess removed the sick- MEHEN The great serpent who
ness and sent "sweet air" that was surrounds the sun god to protect him
easy to breathe after the man pleaded in his boat from the monster serpent
for her assistance .;^He said, "She made Apophis. When he is shown crossing
me to forget my suffering, and I had air the heavens through the night, the
to breathe." His problem may have sun god often appears as a ram-headed
been bronchitis or asthma. man wearing the solar disk. Around
In another text, a man writes a let- the sun god is a cabin and the serpent
ter to his dead wife saying: "What Mehen, who protects him, coils aroimd
harm did I ever do to thee that I should the cabin.
come to the terrible plight I am in?
What harm have I done to thee that MEHNI see Fa.
thou shouldst lay thine hand upon me,
seeing no evil hath been done to thee?" MEH-URT The Celestial Cow, the
The letter may have been written after goddess who gave birth to the sky
the husband consulted a magician when nothing else existed. Her name
about an illness or depression. This literally means "the great flood."
suffering was imdoubtedly attributed Meh-urt is portrayed as a cow who rep-
to the man's dead wife. resents Heaven's Ocean, which the

93
Mehueret

Greeks called Methyer. In some texts gods, such as Ptah. It also served as an
she is associated with Isis and de- amulet.
scribed as the protector of the dead.
Variant spellings of her name are MENES Name given in Greek
Mehturt and Mehueret. legend to the first king of Egypt, Meni.
Menes is mentioned in Herodotus' /fis-
MEHUERET see Meh-urt. tory (Book 2) as the first human to rule
after the gods had left Egypt. He
MEHTURT see Meh-urt.
founded the city of Memphis, built a
temple to the god Ptah, and raised a
MEMNON, COLOSSUS OF Pop-
dike to protect Memphis fi-om the over-
ular name given by the Greeks to one
flow of the Nile. According to some
of two gigantic statues of Amenophis accounts he was eaten by a hip-
III, which were located at Thebes. popotamus. His name is sometimes
In Greek mythology Memnon was given as Narmer.
the handsome son of Tithonus and
Eos, the dawn. During the Trojan War MENI see Menes.
Memnon went to the assistance of
King Priam and was slain by Achilles. MENI-RET One of the four earthly
His mother, Eos, was inconsolable at forms of Osiris found in the sixth sec-
his death, and, according to mj^th, tion, or hour, of Tuat, the imderworld.
wept him every day. The Greeks
for
Memnon's kingdom with
identified MENKHET see Nehata.
Egypt and thus conferred the name
Colossus of Memnon on one of the MENMENU A monster sur-
statues of Amenophis III. The statue
mounted by disks on its back, with
was known for a mysterious sound
three serpent heads with fourteen
which issued from it at sunrise. stars on each head and fourteen
The sound was said to occur when Eos
human heads. The Menmenu was
kissed her son at daybreak and the
found in the fourth section, or hour, of
hero greeted her kiss with a musical
Tuat, the tmderworld. It fed on what-
acknowledgment. However, the statue
ever it could find.
lost its mysterious sound when it was
partly restored.
MEN-SHETA A god bending over a
staff in the seventh section of Tuat,
MEMPHIS, GOD OF THE NE-
the underworld. Men-sheta means
CROPOLIS see Seker.
"establisher of what is secret."

MEN-A see Nehata.

MENTHU A sun god noted for his
MENAT Counterpoise or weight warlike worshipped at
character
used to balance the necklace of some Thebes. He appears to have been a

94
 Metes

personification of the destructive heat MERSEGER Greek name form of

of the sun. It is likely that Menthu was the Egyptian Mert-sekert, a snake
originally a god of local importance, goddess of the necropolis at Thebes.
who was absorbed into the worship of Merseger means "the lover or friend of
Amen-Ra, becoming the composite him who makes silence," referring to

god, Menthu-Ra. In Egyptian art he is Osiris, god of the dead, as the maker of
portrayed as a hawk-headed man, silence. Mert-Sekert was associated

holding in hand the ankh,

one with the funerary mountain at
emblem of and in the other a
life, Thebes, where she was known as "the
scepter. His head is adorned with two peak," and she protected the tombs in
plumes, the disk of the sun, and the the desert. In one Egyptian text she
uraeus. In later dynastic times he is appeared in the form of fresh air to
pictured with the head of a bull. The bring relief to a sufferer with a re-
Greeks identified him with Apollo. spiratory ailment, who had confessed
Variant spellings of his name are his sins to her and begged her forgive-
Mentu, Mont, and Muntu. ness.
In Egyptian art she is variously
MENTU see Menthu. portrayed as a snake-headed woman
and a hvmian-headed snake, with a
disk and horns upon her head. A vari-
MER see Pyramid.
ant spelling of her name is Mertseger.

MERCURY The planet Mercury

was under the protection of the god
MERTSEGER see Merseger

Set.
MERT-SEKERT see Merseger.

MERSEKHNET' see Meshkent.

MESKHENET see Meshkent.

MESHKENT Goddess associated

with childbirth, whose name means MESKHET The name the Egyp-
tians gave to the constellation com-
"the place where one delivers." She
was often portrayed as two bricks, for monly known as the Big Dipper.
Egyptian mothers crouched when giv-
ing birth and leaned on two bricks. She MESTHI One of the four sons of

issometimes portrayed as two bricks
that terminate in a human head. At
the time of death Meshkent appeared;
she testified on the character of the
deceased before Osiris, the judge of the
dead. Variant spellings of her
are Meskhenet and Mersekhnet.
Horus and Isis, who guarded the liver
and was portrayed with a human body.
A variant of his name is Imsety.
METES A guardian of the eleventh
name section of Tuat, the luiderworld, as the
sun god Ra passes in his boat.

95
Milk

MILK In ancient Egypt milk
the food of both gods and mortals.
king was often shown sucking the
breasts of a goddess, to indicate his
entry into the divine world. Milk was
offered on the 365 altars of the shrine
of Osiris.
was worship were at Coptos and Panopolis.
A He was honored at harvest festivals,
and was then offered the first sheaf of
the harvest by the king. According to
some sources he was also worshipped
as a god of roads and travelers and
was evoked by caravan leaders before
they set out through the desert. In
Egyptian art Min is portrayed as a
man with an erect phallus, holding a
flail in his right hand. On his head he
wears a crown surmounted by two tall
plumes and a streamer descending
from its back.
In later times Min was identified by
the Egyptians with Amen-Ra and by
the Greeks with Pan. He was also
closely associated with Horus, who in
some texts was addressed as Min-
Horus.

MNE VIS (Bull) Greek name for the

Egyptian sacred bull Wer-mer wor-
shipped at Heliopolis. He was believed
to be an incarnation of the sun and was
often portrayed as a bull with a disk
and the uraeus between his horns. He
also appeared as a man with the head
of a bull.

MONGOOSE see Ichnevimon.

MONT see Menthu.

MONTH, GODDESS OF THE

FIRST see Tekhi.

Min MOON The main gods associated

with the moon were Aah, Khensu, and
MIN God of fertility, crops, and Thoth. Sometimes Thoth is portrayed
bringer of rain. The chief centers of his as an ibis with a winged moon over his

96
 Mummy

head. The moon was also believed to be name of Osiris, god of the dead], they
one of the eyes of the god Horus, while then show the second, which is inferior
the sun was the other. and less expensive; and then the third
which is the cheapest.
MOSES AND AARON see Magic. Having explained them all, they
learn from them in what way they
MOTHER see Family. wish the body to be prepared; then the
relations, when they have agreed on
MUMMY A term applied to the body the price, depart; but the embalmers
of a human being, animal, bird, fish, or remaining in the workshops thus pro-
reptilewhich has been intentionally ceed to embalm in the most expensive
preserved. The word "mummy" is de- manner. First they draw out the
rived from an Arabic word which brains through the nostrils with an
means "bitumenized thing," or a body iron hook, taking part of it out in this
preserved by bitumen. In his History manner, the rest by the infusion of
(Book 2) Herodotus describes the drugs. Then with a sharp Ethiopian
Egyptian embalming practice: stone they make an incision in the
side, and take out all the bowels; and

When in a family a man of any consid- having cleansed the abdomen and
eration dies, all the females of that rinsed it with palm wine, they next
family besmear their heads and faces sprinkle it with pounded perfumes.
with mud, and then leaving the body Then having filled the belly with pure
in the house, they wander about the myrrh pounded, and cassia, and other
city, and beat themselves, having perfumes, frankincense excepted, they
their clothes girt up, and exposing sew it up again; and when they have
their breasts, and all their relations done this, they steep it in natrum,
accompany them. On the other hand, leaving it vmder for seventy days; for a
the men beat themselves, being girt up longer time than this it is not lawful to
in like manner. When they have done steep it.

this, they carry out the body to be em- At the expiration of the seventy
balmed. days they wash the corpse, and wrap
There are i)ersons who are ap- the whole in bandages in flaxen cloth,
pointed for this very purpose; they, smearing it with gum, which the
when the dead body is brought to Egyptians commonly use instead of
them, show to the bearers wooden glue. After this the relations, having
models of corpses made exactly like by taken the body back again, make a
painting. And they show that which wooden case in the shape of a man
they say is the most expensive manner (that is, in the form of the god Osiris)
of embalming, the name of which I do and having made it, they enclose the
not think it right to mention on such body; and thus having fastened it up,
occasion [Herodotus means the sacred they store it in a sepulchral chamber.

97
Music, God of

setting it upright against the wall. In
this manner they prepare the bodies
that are embalmed in the most expen-
sive way.
Those who, avoiding great expense,
desire the middle way, they prepare in
the following manner. When they
have charged their syringes with oil
made of cedar, they fill the abdomen of
the corpse without making any inci-
sion or taking out the bowels, but in-
ject it at the fundament; and having
prevented the injection from escaping,
they steep the body in natrum for the
prescribed number of days, and on the
last day they let out from the abdomen
the oil of cedar which they had in-
jected, and it has such power that it
brings away the intestines and vitals
in a state of dissolution; the natrum
dissolves the flesh, and nothing of the
body remains but the skin and bones.
When they have done this they return
the body without any further opera-
tion.
The third method of embalming is
this, which is used only for the poorer
sort. Having thoroughly rinsed the
abdomen in syrmaea, they steep it in
balming is said to have taken sixteen
days, the bandaging thirty-five days,
and the burial seventy, making a total
of 121 days. According to other sources
embalming lasted seventy or eighty
days, and the burial rites ten months.
In addition to the method described
by Herodotus, the ancient Egyptians
also preserved their dead in honey.
Honey is often called a symbol of life in
folklore from throughout the world.
The body of Alexander the Great was
preserved in "white honey which had
not been melted."
The bodies of very poor Egyptians
were preserved by either soaking in
salt and hot bitumen, or in salt only. In
the first process every cavity was filled
with bitvmaen, and the hair disap-
peared. For a time the early Egyptian
Christians embalmed their dead, but
St. Anthony the Great told his two
faithful disciples not to allow his body
to be embalmed; he insisted on being
buried \inder grovmd, in a place known
only to them. He said, "At the resur-
rection of the dead I shall receive it [a
new body] from the Savior incorrupti-
ble."

natrvun for seventy days, and then de- Mummies, or parts of mimimies,
liver it to be carried away. [The em- were used as medicine for centuries in

balmers mould the penis of the de- Europe. In Scotland in 1612 a mummy
ceased erect, indicating the life-force cost eight shillings a potmd. When real
for the next world.] mummies were not available, the
The Old Testament book of Genesis bodies of criminals were used in their
(50:2-3) reports that Jacob's embalm- place. Sir Thomas Browne, the seven-
ing occupied forty days, but the period teenth centiiry English author wrote:
"
of mourning was seventy days. In "Mummy is become merchandise
Egyptian sources figures on the period
of mourning vary. In one case the em- MUSIC, GOD OF see Ity.

98
 Mut

fi^
'Jj.l,...,Mtlti

MUT Goddess, principal female emblem of life. Sometimes she is

counterpart of the solar deity Amen- standing upright, with her large
Ra. Her name means "mother," but winged arms stretched out full-length.
she was believed to possess both male At her feet is the feather of Maat and
and female reproductive organs. Mut on her head is the vulture headdress.
is sometimes identified with Bast, However, this versatile goddess is oc-
the cat goddess, and sometimes with casionally portrayed with the head of a
Sekhmet, the lion goddess. man or a vulture and with a phallus
In Egyptian art Mut is usually and the claws of a lion or lioness.
portrayed as a woman wearing on her Her temple at Thebes has a
head the united crowns of the South horseshoe-shaped Sacred Lake and
and North and holding in her hands her sanctuary was in use for 2,000
the papyrus scepter and the ankh. years.

99
 N
NAKITH One of the four goddesses NARMER see Menes.
who protect each of the four earthly
forms of Osiris in the seventh section,
or hour, of Tuat, the underworld. Her
NARRATIVES see Tales.

daily responsibility is to drive away

the enemies of the sun god Ra and to NAU A monster serpent called the
hack to pieces the arch-serpent "bull of the gods," who had "seven ser-
Apophis daily. pents on his seven necks." He appears
in Tuat, the underworld.
NAMES The ancient Egyptians at-

tached great importance to names, for

they believed that they had power over NAU-SHESMA A monster serpent
a god or person when they knew his with seven heads of seven snakes, who
true or real name. In the myth of "Isis had authority over seven archers, or
and the Secret name of Ra," the god- seven bows, in Tuat, the underworld.
dess forces Ra to tell her his true or
secret name, thus placing himself
NAUT A form of Nut as the night
completely in her power. In texts on
sky. In one text she is said to make
the creation we are often told that the
"the gods refresh themselves beneath
creator god uttered his sacred name
her shadow."
and the creation came about. It was
believed that one could destroy a god
or being by removing his name from NEB HierogljT)h meaning "all" and
hieroglyphic inscriptions. The Pha- found on amulets in various combina-
raoh Akhenaten tried to obliterate tions with the ankh and other sym-
the god Ra by having his name bols.
chiseled out of monuments throughout
Egypt. When Akhenaten's religious
reform name was subjected
failed, his

to the same abuse by the followers of

Amen.
NAGS A small, enclosed shrine for
the statue of a god, often placed in the
innermost part of the temple. Neb

101
Neb-er-tcher

NEB-ER-TCHER A form of the sun lages. The areas chosen were usually
god Ra, "the lord of the end," or the on the edge of the desert.
universe, who says, "I am he who came
into being in the form of the god Khep- NEFERTEM A sim god of Mem-
era, and I was the creator of that which phis,who was also a god of perfumes.
came into being. ..." The title is also His name is believed to mean "Tem the
applied to Osiris, as both lord of the Younger," denoting that he was the
universe and as lord of his reunited first incarnation of Tem at Heliopolis,
body after death. the sun god who sprang up each dawn
from a lotus,which was said to be the
refuge of the sun during the night.
Nefertem was later identified with a
NEBT-KHU One of four goddesses
number of other gods, including Thoth
in the eleventh section, or hour, of
and Horus. According to one myth, he
Tuat, the vmderworld. She sits up)on a
was the son of Ptah, the craft god, and
snake with one hand raised over her
Sekhmet, a fierce lion goddess, the
face.She never moves from her place,
three forming the divine Memphis
and lives on the voices of the snakes
Triad.
which come forth from her feet daily.
In Egyptian art Nefertem is por-
The other three goddesses are Nert,
trayed as a man holding the khepesh,
Nebt-ankhiu, and Hentneteru.
a curved sabre, or the ankh, symbol of
life, or the lotus scepter surmounted

by plumes. The Greeks called him

NEB-PAT see Nehata.
Iphtimis.

NEFER An amulet of the windpipe

and stomach, often made of some
NEBTHET see Nephthys. semi-precious stone.

NEFERTITI (fl. 1372-1350 B.C.)

The wife of Akhenaten, she worked
NEBHET HOTEP see lusas and closely with her husband to establish
Nebhet Hotep. the worship of Aten in Egypt, but is
not mentioned in reports of the last
three years of the king's life. Explana-
NEBT-MAT; NEBT-SHEF-SHEF- tions vary: some accounts claim that
ET; AND NEBT-SHAT see Perit. she died, and others that she removed
herself from the king and lived in her
own palace, apart from the main resi-
NECROPOLIS Greek for "city of dence. Nefertiti means "the beautiful
the dead," applied to the burial areas one has come."
near Egjrptian cities, towns, and vil- Nefertiti is often shown with the

102
 Negative Confession

king and her six daughters (according 13. I have not acted deceitfully.
to some contemporary scholars 14. I have not lost my temper and
Akhenaten may not have been the become angry.
girls' father). The famous head of 15. I have invaded no man's land.
Nefertiti in the Egyptian Museum of 16. I have not slaughtered
West Berlin is but one of her many animals which are the
fine portraits. possessions of God.
17. I have not laid waste the
NEGATIVE CONFESSION A con- lands which have been
fession of sins not committed which
ploughed.
was given in the Hall of Judgment be-
18. I have not pried into matters
fore Osiris and the forty-two Asses- to make mischief.
sor Judges. The Negative Confession
19. I have not set my mouth in
took place before the rite of Weighing motion against any man.
of the Heart, which decided the fate of 20. I have not given way to wrath
the deceased. A list of the Negative without due cause.
Confession from the Eighteenth 21. I have not committed
Djniasty has 42 declarations, as many
fornication, and I have not
as there were judges. committed sodomy.
The forty-two declarations (some 22. I have not polluted myself.
are repetitions) are:
23. I have not lain with the wife
1. I have not done iniquity. of a man.
2. I have not robbed with 24. I have not made any man to
violence. be afraid.
3. Ihave not done violence to 25. I have not made my speech to
any man. > bum with anger.
4. I have not committed theft. 26. I have not made myself deaf
5. I have slain neither man nor unto the words of right and
woman. truth.
6. I have not made light the 27. I have not made another
bushel. person to weep.
7. I have not acted deceitfully. 28. I have not uttered
8. I have not purloined the blasphemies.
things which belong to God. 29. I have not acted with violence.
9. I have not uttered falsehood. 30. I have not acted without due
10. I have not carried off goods by consideration.
force. 31. Ihave not pierced (?) my skin
11. I have not uttered vile (or (?)and I have not taken
evil) words. vengeance on the god.
12. I have not carried off food by 32. I have not multiplied my speech

force. beyond what should be said.

103
Neha-hra

33. Ihave not committed fraud, the dead was worthy and allowed him
and I have not looked upon to pass out of the hall into the blessed
evil. region.
34. I have never uttered curses
against the king. NEHA-HRA A monster serpent,
35. I have not fouled running enemy of the sun god Ra, who is slain
water. daily.
36. I have not exalted my speech.
37. I have not uttered curses
against God. NEHATA One of twelve gods in the

38. I have not behaved with ninth section, or hour, of Tuat, the un-
insolence. derworld, who, when greeted by the
39. I have not been guilty of sun god Ra, begins words of
to utter

favoritism. power, causing life and strength to

40. I have not increased my arise in Osiris. The other gods are
wealth except by means of Teba, Ariti, Menkhet, Hebs, Nebti,
such things as are mine own Asti-neter, Asti-paut, Hetemet-khu,
possessions. Neb-pat, Temtu, and Men-a.
41. I have not uttered curses
against that which belongeth NEHEM AWAY A personification
to God and is with me. of the beneficent aspect of the goddess
42. I have not thought scorn of Hathor. The name means, "The one
the god of the city.
who takes care of the deprived," refer-
ring to those who have been robbed or
But even when the deceased had plundered. She was associated with
Judges or As-
satisfied the Forty-two the sistrum, a musical instrument
sessors, he could not pass out of the that was said to drive away evil spirits
hall until he could identify the magi- and was often depicted with the head
cal names of the various parts of the of Hathor as one of its elements.
door that opened into the region of the
blessed. When that feat was accom-
plished, the god Mau-taui posed the
NE HE S A companion of the sun god
question, "Who is Mau-Taui?" Where- whose name means "awake" or

upon the dead answered, "Mau-taui is

"awakening." The name was also
applied to Set, the brother of Osiris, to
Thoth." Then Thoth asked the reason
for his coming to the Judgment Hall,
indicate that he was the watchful ser-

pent lurking in Tuat, the underworld.

and the deceased replied that it was to
have his name written down by Thoth.
The ordeal continued on with more NEHUI A bird-headed god in the
questions about the fitness of the de- twelfth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
ceased until Thoth was satisfied that underworld. He carries a paddle and

104
 Neith

his daily duty is to raise up the disk of

the sun.

NEIT see Neith.

NEITH Goddess of the city of Sais.

Like a great many Egyptian deities
Neith had a dual nature. She could be
both fierce and gentle. She was a
mother goddess, a nourisher and sus-
tainer of life and a protector of the

dead, as well as a deity of savagery and

bloodlust, who when angry could
threaten to have the heavens fall upon
the earth.
Neith was originally worshipped as
an ancient war goddess, who led the
charge in battle. Her symbols, two
crossed arrows and a shield, reflected
her martial nature. With the advent of
the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, Sais, her
city, became the capital of Egypt, and
Neith's importance increased consid-
erably. A great festival, called the
Feast of Lamps, was held in her honor,
and according to Herodotus in his ifis-
tory (Book 2), her devotees burned a
Neith
multitude of lights in the open air all
night during the celebration. crown of the North on her head and
Neith became associated with the holding a scepter in one hand and the
creation myths, similar to the sky cow ankh, emblem of life, in the other.
goddess Hathor, and, as a goddess of Sometimes she is shown grasping a
weaving and the domestic arts, she bow and two arrows. She is also
was said to have woven the world on portrayed as a cow with eighteen stars
her loom. Thus, she was sometimes on one side and a collar with the ankh
called the first birthgiver, the mother around her neck. In another depiction
who bore the sun before an3rthing else a crocodile sucks at each of her
existed. The following was inscribed breasts, to indicate her power over
on the wall of her temple: "I am all that the river Nile. The Greeks identified
has been, that is, and that will be." her with their goddess Athene.
In Egyptian art Neith was usually Variant spellings of her name are
portrayed as a woman wearing the Neit, Net, and Nit.

105
Nekenu

NEKENU A god who carries a jave- NEPHTHYS Greek name for the
lin in the tenth section, or hour, of Egyptian goddess Nebthet, who per-
Tuat, the' underworld. He helps the sonified darkness, decay, and death.
sun god Ra, slaying his enemies, as Ra She was the daughter of the earth,
travels toward the east. Geb, and the sky. Nut, and was the
sister of Osiris, Isis, and Set.
NEKHEBET Vulture goddess of In early Egyptian mythology
Upper Egypt. She was said to be a form Nephthys was usually regarded as the
of the primeval abyss that brought female counterpart of Set, the god of
forth light and was sometimes called evil and darkness. According to one
"the father of fathers, the mother of myth, she abandoned Set, with whom
mothers." She was also a symbol of she had remained barren, for her
nature and a patron of childbirth. brother Osiris, the god of light, and
In Egyptian art she is usually tricked Osiris into copulating with
portrayed as a woman wearing the her, thereby conceiving Anubis, the
vulture headdress surmounted by the jackal-headed god.
white crown, the sign of her Later, however, she became the
sovereignty over Upper Egypt, to
faithful friend of Isis and helped her
which two plumes are attached. She sister collect the scattered limbs of
sometimes holds the scepter in one Osiris, and reconstitute his body, after
hand and the ankh, emblem of life, in he had been dismembered by Set. In
the other. The scepter is occasionally the Pyramid Texts and the Book of the
formed of a long-stemmed flower, Dead she is considered a fi-iend of the
which appears to be a water lily with a dead.
serpent twined around it. Nekhebet is Although Nephthys was a goddess
also represented as a woman with the of death, she was also the female coun-
head of a vulture. The Greeks iden- terpart of the ithyphallic god Min,
tified her with their goddess Ei- who symbolized virility, reproduction,
leithyia. and regeneration. As such she sym-
bolized the life that springs from death
NEKHEKH see Flail. and was identified with the outlying
desert region of the Nile, which was
NEMI A guardian of the tenth sec- usually dry except at flood time.
tion of Tuat, the underworld, as the Nephthys was skilled in magic and
sun god Ra passes through in his boat. words of power, and as a healing deity,
along with Isis and Osiris, she was one
NENUERBESTA A mummified of the great gods of Mendes in the
god who stands at the beginning of the Delta region. She often appeared with
fourth section of Tuat, the underworld, Isis on the walls of coffins, with winged
as the sun god Ra passes through in his arms outstretched in a gesture of pro-
boat. tection.

106
 Neter-khertet

The composite god was called Osiris-

Neper.

NEPMEH The seven gods who meet

the sun god Ra in his boat in the first
section of Tuat, the underworld.

NET see Neith.

NET The ancient Egyptians be-

lieved that in journeying from this
world to the next the spirits of the dead
would encoimter evil beings who
sought to entrap them in their nets.
The priests composed a series of spells
to avoid entrapment. Some of these
spells have come down to us in the
Book of the Dead, with pictures of the
magical nets and the magical names of
every part of the nets.
Lucky souls flew through the air to-
ward their abode in the other world
without mishap, but the less fortunate
were caught in the net of the "fierce
fowler whose fingers were hidden."
The great fowler, who was called
Her-f-ha-f, ferried the dead over the
river of death.

Nephthys NETCHER The hieroglyph for

"god" which represents a pennant on a
In Egyptian art Nephthys is
pole. The presence of Amen and other
portrayed as awoman wearing the
gods who were often invisible was in-
symbol of her name on her head.
dicated when the pennant blew in the
Among her many titles were "mistress breeze.
of the gods," "great goddess, lady of
life," "sister of the god," and "lady of
NETERT-EN-KHENTET-RA see
heaven, mistress of the two lands."
Perit.

NEPER A grain god who was often NETER-KHERTET see Khert Ne-
combined with Osiris, god of the dead. ter.

107
Netru

NETRU see Fa. NOMARCH Title of the governor of

a "nome" or province. At certain
NI A god who has two birds' heads times in Egyptian history the
and carries a paddle in the twelfth sec- nomarch had great importance, func-
tion, or hour, of Tuat, the underworld. tioning as a minor king in his region.
His daily duty is to raise up the disk of During the Middle Kingdom, how-
the sun. ever, the power of the nomarch de-
creased.
NILE The annual flooding of this
river, some 4,000 miles long, made
NOME GODS The name given to
Egypt a fertile land. The Nile begins in
the local god or gods in each nome, or
Africa, south of the equator, and flows
province, of Egypt. According to F,gyp-
northward out of the tropics into des-
tian texts the country consisted of
ert land. The Delta, shaped like the forty-two nomes, although classical
Greek letter A
gave the name to the
,
Greek and Roman historians give dif-
fertile region of Egypt. As the river
ferent accounts.Each nome was repre-
flows toward the sea it passes through
sented by a particular god or group of
six cataracts, areas ofjagged crags and
allied gods. A temple dedicated to the
ledges. The Nile is usually 10 to 12
nome god, where a body of priests divi-
miles wide.
ded the duties of serving him, was
The ancient Egyptians often re-
situated in the capital city of each
homeland as "The Gift
ferred to their
nome.
of the Nile," for the life of the land
The nome priests were subject to no
depended upon the river. The Nile was external authority; in fact, the high
personified as the god Hapi. One hymn priest possessed nearly as much power
opens:
as the king. The same god was honored
Hail, O Nile. by many nomes, although the worship
You show yourself in the land, of each god in a province contained
Coming in peace, giving life to
elements peculiar to that region.
Egypt
Horus, for instance, was worshipped in
For the Egyptians the Nile was the threenomes of Upper Egypt and two
center of the world, where all life nomes of Lower Egypt. Each nome,
began. however, varied the forms and titles it

applied to its gods and goddesses.

NIT see Neith.

NO Name given in the Old Testa- NORTH WIND, GOD OF see

ment to the Upper Egyptian city of Qebui.
Weset, which the Greeks called
Thebes. NU see Nun.

108
 Nut

NUMBERS As with many other an- In Egyptian art Nun was portrayed
numbers played an im-
cient societies as a frog-headed man and Naunet, his
portant part in Egyptian belief. The female coimterpart, as a snake. He
symbolism of the important numbers was sometimes shown plunged up to
are: his waist in water, with his arms sup-
1. Uniqueness. The single cult object porting the gods who issued from his
in the temple. body. He was also depicted wearing a
2. Binary form. Found in the layout of solar disk with plumes on his head. A
temples. variant spelling is Nu.

3. The number of gods in a

Plurality.
Triad. Plural of three means NUBT A goddess who in some texts
"many." is said to be the mother of Osiris.
4. Cardinal points. Ritual acts were
often performed eight times (twice NUBTI Epithet of Set common in
four) for the country was made up of the South of Egypt. Set was portrayed
Upper and Lower Egypt (twice with one body and two heads, one of a
two). hawk, the other of the "Set animal,"
5. Sacred number of the priests of which has not yet been identified.
Hermopolitan who called Thoth Horus, the victor over Set, is some-
"the greatest Five." times called Hor Nubti, or "Horus the
6. Appears in the lunar calendar. vanquisher of Set." A variant of the
7. The seven Hathors, goddesses of name is Set-Nubti.
birth and seven apertures in a per-
son's head. NUT Goddess who personified the
8. The eight gods of the Ogdoad. sky and was the wife of the earth god
9. The Ennead, the group of nine gods. Geb.
According to one myth Nut was
NUN AND NAUNET Male and Geb's twin sister and slept with him
female primeval dieties who the against the will of her husband, the
priesthood of Hermopolis included in sun god Ra. In revenge, Ra had the
the Ogdoad, which consisted of the couple separated by Shu, who held up
eight gods who created the world. Nun the sky, and declared that Nut could
was called the "father of the gods" and not bear children in any month of the
was basically an abstract concept: he year. However, the god Thoth took
had neither temples nor worshippers. pity on her, and bested the Moon at
There is a myth that Tem created Nun checkers to win ^/72 of its light, from
as his home and sailed over him each which he was able to construct five
day in two magical boats, one called new days. Because these days were not
Mantchet, "becoming strong," the in the calendar, and did not fall under
other Semket, "becoming weak." the jurisdiction of Ra, the goddess was

109
Nut

She is also described as a friend and

protector of the dead in other Egyptian
texts.
The sycamore was sacred to her.
One text reads: "Hail, thou sycamore
of the goddess Nut! Grant thou to me of
the water and of the air which dwell in
thee." In one myth, Ra passed between
the goddess's two turquoise-colored
sycamores at Heliopolis when he
began his journey across the sky each
morning. And in another m3rth the
demon Apophis was killed by Ra at the
sycamore of Nut. The branches of the
sycamore tree became a place of refuge
from thefiery heat of the svmimer sun.
Weary travelers refreshed themselves
in the tree's shade and ate of the tree's
abundant fruit, on which the goddess
herself subsisted. There is spectdation
that the sycamore of the goddess Nut
served as the prototype of the syca-
more that sheltered the Virgin Mary,
when she sat and rested during her
flight into Egypt with the Christ Child
and Joseph.
Nut In Egyptian art Nut was usually
portrayed as a woman bearing a vase
able to conceive and give birth to five of water upon her head. She some-
children — Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis, times wears a headdress of horns and
and Nephthys. the disk of the goddess Hathor, and
In the Book of the Dead there are holds a papyrus scepter in one hand
several allusions to the meat and and the ankh, emblem of life, in the
drink Nut provides for the deceased. other.

110
 o
OBELISK A tall, four-sided shaft, sented as the first beings to emerge
often tapering at the top. Connected from the receding Nile floodwaters. In
with the solar cults in Egypt, most later m5^hs the Ogdoad was said to be
obelisks were taken to other countries the soul of Thoth, a god sacred to Her-
over the centuries. mopolis who was believed to be self-

The obelisks in London and New created.

York City were dubbed "Cleopatra's
Needle" by the general public.
ONNOPHRIS see Unnefer.

OFFERING TABLE Low rectan-

gular slab used for food offerings for
the dead. The name and titles of the
deceased as well as prayers were writ-
ten on the offering table.

OGDOAD A group of eight gods

who according to^ the priesthood of
Hermopolis, a city in Upper Egypt,
created the world. The power of these
gods, who had ruled over the earth for
a time, and then died and gone to the
underworld, still manifested itself in
the flow of the Nile and the sun's orbit
across the sky. The eight deities were:
Nun and his consort, Naunet; Huh and
his consort, Haiihet; K\ik and his con-
sort, Kauket; Amen and his consort,
Amunet. The four male gods were
portrayed with frog heads, and the
four female gods with serpent heads. Offering Table
In some accounts, instead of creat-
ing the world, the Ogdoad were pre- ONNOS see Unas.

Ill
Onouris

holding a cord by which he leads the

sun. Variant English spellings of the
Egyptian form of his name are
Anhoret, Anher, and Anhert.

ONUPHIS Greek name form of the

Egyptian Aa-Nefer, the bull which
was said to house the soul of Osiris,
god of the dead and of resurrection.

OPET see Taurt.

OPHOIS WEPWAWET see Wep-

wawet.

ORACLES Like the ancient

Greeks, Egyptians believed that a god
could speak through an oracle. Of the
many methods used to learn the will of
the gods, the most common was to ask
a question of a statue of a god while in
procession. If the statue moved for-

ward the answer was and if the

"yes,"
statue moved backward the answer
was "no." Questions that required
more than a "yes" or "no" answer were
written out on tablets with possible
Onouris
responses. Then the manner in which
the god's statue nodded indicated the
ONOURIS Greek name for the correct answer.
Egyptian war god Anhur, whom the
Greeks identified with their god Ares. OSIRIS God of the dead and of res-
He was believed to be the personifica- urrection, who was the brother-
tion of the warlike nature of the sun husband of Isis, the father of Horus,
god Ra, and he was often coupled with and the brother of Set and Nephthys.
the god Shu, who held up the heavens, His worship formed one of the great
and invoked under the composite god cults of ancient Egypt.
Onouris-Shu. Li Egjrptian art Onouris The Osirian myth, which cannot be
is portrayed in a headdress adorned found complete in any one Egyptian
with four straight plumes, wearing a source, appears in numerous refer-
long embroidered robe. He is often ences in extant texts. It is assumed

holding a lance. He is sometimes seen that Egyptians knew the myth so well

112
 Osiris

that a complete narrative was thought the death goddess, on the fifth. The
unnecessary. The Greek writer Egyptians considered the first, third,

Plutarch, who lived in the first cen- and fifth of these five new days un-
tury A.D., whose narrative On Isis and lucky.
Osiris,was compiled from various oral When Osiris was bom, a voice pro-

and written sources, was responsible claiming the birth of the lord of cre-
for making the Egyptian myth of the ation was heard throughout Egypt. As
death and resurrection god well king, Osiris devoted himself to civiliz-
known to the Greeks and Romans. ing his subjects; he taught them hus-
The subject was also covered by bandry, instructed them in the wor-
other Greek writers, whose accounts ship of the gods, and established a code
sometimes differed from Plutarch, of laws. When Egypt was at last peace-
who, despite his errors in understand- ful and flourishing, Osiris set out to

ing Egyptian customs, remained the bring his teachings to the other na-
best known and most influential tions of the world.

source. The following version of the Isis, Osiris' sister-wife, ruled the
mj^h, based mainly on Plutarch, uses state during the king's absence. When
for the most part the Egyptian tran- he returned, his evil brother Set (iden-
scriptions of the gods' names, except tified by Plutarch with Typhon) and
for the Greek form of Osiris (Ausar, Aso, the Queen of Ethiopia, and
Ausares), which is much better seventy -two others plotted to assassi-
known than the Egyptian Asar, nate him. The conspirators built a
Ausar, or Ser. chest to conform to the measurements
According to Plutarch, when the of Osiris' body. The box was brought
sun god Ra discovered that his wife, into Osiris' banquet hall while he was
the sky goddess Nut had been unfaith- eating, and he was tricked into lying
fulwith the earth god Geb, he cursed down in it. Set and his cohorts closed

her with barrenness, ensuring that she the box, brought it immediately to the
would never bear a child during any mouth of the Nile, and launched it out
day of the month in the year. However, into the river.
the god Thoth, was also in love with These events occurred on the seven-
Nut and was able to construct five new teenth day of the month of Hathor,
days from the ^/72 part of the Moon's when Osiris was in the twenty-eighth
light he had won in a checker game year of his reign. This day was sub-
with that god. As these days did not sequently marked on the calendar as
come imder the curse of Ra, Nut was triply unlucky; it was the day that Isis
able to bear Geb five children: Osiris and Nephthys began their great
on the first day; Horus on the second lamentation for Osiris.
(although Horus is also called the son On hearing of this treachery, Isis cut
of Osiris); Set, the evil god, on the off a lock of her hair as a sign of her
third; Isis, who became the wife of mourning and set out to find her hus-
Osiris, on the fourth; and Nephthys, band's body. When she discovered in

113
Osiris

her wanderings that Osiris had slept a secluded spot and went to visit her
with their sister Nephthys and that son Horus (called Orus by Plutarch) at
the offspring of the vmion was the Per-Uatchit (Butos, in Plutarch). Set
jackel-headed god Anubis, Isis found stumbled upon the chest when he was
Anubis and brought him to guard her. out hunting one night, realized what it
(Although the story goes that Osiris contained, and proceeded to tear
had not lusted after his sister, but had Osiris's body into fourteen pieces

been tricked by her; Nephthys was
love with him.)
Isis learned that the chest contain-
ing Osiris had been carried by the
waves to the coast of Byblos and lodged
in the branches of a bush. A large and
beautiful tree had quickly grown up,
in which he dispersed all over Egypt.
Twice bereaved, Isis set sail to col-
lect the fragments of Osiris's body.
Wherever she found her husband's
remains, she erected a tomb to Osiris,
and it is said that this is why there are
so many of these buildings scattered

and the chest was now enclosed on throughout Egypt. Isis collected all

every side and hidden from view. The the pieces of her husband except for
king of Byblos had been attracted by the penis, which had been devoured by
the tree's imusual size, and had it cut a fish. Isis then constructed a phallus
down to make into a pillar for one of to take the place of her husband's, and
the rooms of his house. Isis learned of a festival was held in its honor.
thisand went to Byblos where she was After some time Osiris's spirit re-
taken to the palace to become nurse to turned from the dead and appeared to
one of the queen's sons. It is said that his son Horus, encouraging him to
the goddess would transform herself avenge his father's death. Horus then
into a swallow at every opportunity engaged Set in a great battle that
and hover around the pillar, bemoan- lasted for three days, but when he fi-

ing her fate. Each night she placed the nally won, Isis took pity on her brother
queen's son into a special fire to con- and let him go free. Enraged, Horus
sume his mortal parts, until the queen cut off his mother's head, which the
finally discovered her son in the god Thoth replaced with a cow's head.
flames and cried out. Isis revealed her (The goddess is thus sometimes shown
story and begged for the pillar that as cow-headed.) Two more battles

supported the roof. The queen took ensued between the combatants when
pity and ordered that the pillar be cut Set appeared before the gods and ac-
open and the chest removed. When she cused Horus of being a bastard and
saw the body of her dead husband, Isis Thoth defended Horus. Horus again
cried out with such fierceness that one proved victorious.
of the queen's children died of fright. This is the general outline of the
Isis set sail for Egypt, where, on Osirian m5rth as reported by Plutarch.
arriving, she embraced the corpse and Osiris was the man god (he was first a
wept bitterly. She hid Osiris's body in human and later deified) who had con-

114
 Osiris-neb-heu

dead and the god of the living. He may

also have represented the sun after it
set, and as such symbolized the
motionless dead. In some later texts he
is identified with the moon. The Egyp-
tians claimed that Osiris was the
father of the gods who had given birth
to him, and the father of the past, the
present, and the future (immortality).
In Egyptian art Osiris is usually
portrayed as a mummy,
wearing a
beard and with the white crown upon
his head and the Menat, an amulet
associated with virility and fecundity,
hanging firom his neck. He sometimes
appears as the Tet symbol of
pillar,

strength and stability in and re- life

newed power after death, and is then

called Osiris Tet.

OSIRIS-AAH A composite god

made up of Osiris, god of the dead, and
Aah, a moon god. Osiris-Aah is
portrayed with a crescent moon or full
moon on his head.

OSIRIS-GEB A composite god

made up of Osiris, god of the dead, and
Osiris Geb, the earth god, who according to

quered death, and the Egyptians be-

some ancient texts produced the cos-

lieved his followers would also con-

mic egg.
quer death. In every funeral inscrip-
tion from the Pyramid Texts to the OSIRIS-HORUS A composite god

Roman Period, what happened to made up of Osiris, god of the dead, and
Osiris was also done for the deceased, his son Horus. Together they form a

since the deceased was identified with god of the rising sun.
Osiris during the rites.
Originally the personification of the OSIRIS-NEB-HEU A form of the
flooding of the Nile, Osiris absorbed god Osiris as Lord of Eternity,
the characteristics of so many gods portrayed as a mummy with the head
that he became both the god of the of the Benu bird.

115
Osiris-Neper

OSIRIS-NEPER A composite god OSIRIS-TUA A title applied to

of Osiris, god of the dead, and Neper, a Osiris, god of the dead, meaning
grain god. "Osiris, the begetter."

OSIRIS-ORION see Osiris-Sah.

"OTHERWORLD" see Tuat.

OXYRHYNCHUS The fish that ate

OSIRIS-RA A composite god of the phallus of the god Osiris after he
Osiris, god of the dead, and Ra, the sun was hacked to pieces by the demonic
god. Together they represented the god Set. The Oxyrhynchus was wor-
day and night suns. The night sun ap- shipped in the Egyptian city by the
peared when the sun went into the un- same name. In certain sections of
derworld, and darkness covered the Egypt, this fish was not eaten because
earth. of its sacrilegious connotation, al-

though elsewhere the Oxyrhjoichus

was eaten for the very reason that it
OSIRIS-SAH A composite god who
contained the phallus of the god.
is the male counterpart of the compo-
site goddess, Isis-Sept or Isis-Sothis.
OZYMANDIAS Greek form of the
He is sometimes called Osiris-Orion.
Egyptianname Rameses. At the
Ramesseum near Thebes there is a
OSIRIS'S BODY According to gigantic statue of Rameses II. The
Egyptian texts the body of Osiris was Greek historian Diodorus Siculus
cut up into fourteen or sixteen parts translated the inscription at its foot:

by his evil brother Set. The parts were "My name is Ozymandias, king of

then scattered throughout the various
sections of Eg3T)t. Isis discovered the
remains (except for the penis which
had been eaten by a fish) and built
shrines for them throughout Egypt.
Thus Abydos claimed to possess the
head of Osiris, while Heliopolis said it
had a relic of a bone from his back.
kings: if any would know how great I
am and where I lie, let him surpass me
in any of my works." The English poet
Shelley (1792-1822) based his poem
"Ozymandias" on the inscription,
which he changed to: "My name is
Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on
my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

116
 p
PAI A guardian of the twelfth sec- word paper are derived from the Greek
tion of Tuat, the underworld. papyros.

PAKHETH A lion-headed goddess PAPYRUS AMULET see Uadj.

whose statue was often placed on the PAR A form of the god Amen-Ra,
doors of palaces and tombs to guard
called "Lord of the Phallus," "lofty of
both the living and the dead from evil
plumes," and "lord of transformations,
spirits.
whose skins [i.e., complexions] are
manifold."
PAN Greek god of pastures and
flocks identified by the Greeks with PEASANT AND THE WORKMAN,
the Egyptian god Ba-neb-djet, who THE Egyptian tale popular during
was often portrayed as a ram. the Middle Kingdom. The translation
is by William Flinders Petrie in his
PAPYRUS A plant which could be Egyptian Tales. The tale is sometimes
woven into a paper-like material or called "The Tale of the Eloquent Peas-
used for ropes, sandals, and baskets ant."
that once grew in the Delta of Egypt.
The Egyptians called the Delta "the There dwelt in the Sekhet Hemat or —
land of papyrus." The plant sym- Salt Coxintry —a peasant called the
bolized all that was life-giving and Sekhti, with his wife and children, his
was portrayed on an amulet, the Uadj, asses and his dogs; and he trafficked in
as well as on the scepters of the god- all good things of the Sekhet Hemat to
desses. Bouquets of papyrus were of- Henenseten. Behold now he went with
fered to the gods and to the dead. rushes, natron, and salt, with wood
The columns of Egyptian temples and pods, with stones and seeds, and
often resembled stylized papyrus all good products of the Sekhet Hemat.
plants, for the temple was believed to And this Sekhti journeyed to the south
represent the Island of Creation, unto Henenseten; and when he came
where all life had begun. The Latin to the lands of the house of Fefa, north
word papyrus as well as the English of Denat, he found a man there stand-

117
Peasant and the Workman

ing on the bank, a man called took I my ass by the inclosed ground;
Hemti — the workman — son of a man and do you seize it for filling its mouth
called Asri, who was a serf of the high with a cluster of com? Moreover, I

steward Meruitensa. Now said this know unto whom this domain belongs,
Hemti, when he saw the asses of even unto the lord steward Mer-
Sekhti, that were pleasing in his eyes, uitensa. He it is who smites every
"Oh that some good god would grant robber in this whole land; and shall I

me to steal away the goods of Sekhti then be robbed in his domain?"

from him!" Said Hemti, "This is the proverb
Now the Hemti' s house was by the which men speak: 'A poor man's name
dike of the towpath, which was is only hisown matter.' I am he of
straightened, and not wide, as much as whom you spake, even the lord stew-
the width of a waistcloth: on the one ard of whom you think." Thereon he
side of it was the water, and on the took to him branches of green
other side of it grew his com. Hemti tamarisk and scourged all his limbs,
said then to his servant, "Hasten! took his asses, and drave them into the
bring me a shawl from the house," and pasture. And Sekhti wept very
it was brought instantly. Then spread greatly,by reason of the pain of what
he out this shawl on the face of the he had suffered. Said Hemti, "Lift not
dike, and it lay with its fastening on up your voice, Sekhti, or you shall go to
the water and its fringe on the com. the demon of silence." Sekhti an-
Now Sekhti approached along the swered: "You beat me, you steal my
path used by all men. Said Hemti: goods, and now would take away even
"Have a care, Sekhti! you are not going my voice, O demon of silence! If you

to trample on my clothes!" Said will restore my goods, then will I.cease

Sekhti, "I will do as you like, I will pass to cry out at your violence."
carefully." Then went he up on the Sekhti stayed the whole day peti-
higher side. But Hemti said, "Go you tioning Hemti, but he would not give
over my com, instead of the path?" ear unto him. And Sekhti went his
Said Sekhti: "I am going carefully; this way to Khenensuten to complain to

high field of com is not my choice, but the lord steward Meruitensa. He found
you have stopped your path with yo\ir him coming out from the door of his
clothes, and will you then not let us house to embark on his boat, that he
pass by the side of the path?" And one might go to the judgment hall. Sekhti
of the asses filled its mouth with a said: "Ho! txim, that I may please thy
cluster of com. Said Hemti: "Look you, heart with this discourse.Now at this
I shall take away your ass, Sekhti, for time let whom
one of thy followers,
eating my com; behold it will have to thou wilt, come to me that I may send
pay according to the amount of the in- him to thee concerning it." The lord
jury." Said Sekhti: "I am going care- steward Meruitensa made his fol-

fully; the one way is stopped, therefore lower, whom he chose, go straight unto

118
 —

Peasant and the Workman

him, and Sekhti sent him back with an Let me celebrate thy name in this land

account of all these matters. Then the for every virtue.

lord steward Meruitensa accused

A guide without greediness of heart;
A great one without any meanness.
Hemti unto the nobles who sat with
him; and they said unto him: "By your Destroying deceit, encouraging justice;
Coming to the cry, and allowing
leave: As to this Sekhti of yours, let
utterance.
him bring a witness. Behold thou it is
our custom with our Sekhtis; Let me speak, do thou hear and do
justice;
witnesses come with them; behold,
O praised! whom the praised ones
that is our custom. Then it will be fit-
praise.
ting to beat this Hemti for a trifle of
natron and a trifle of salt; if he is com-
Abolish oppression, behold me, I am
overladen.
manded to pay for it, he will pay for it." Reckon with me, behold me
But the high steward Meruitensa held defrauded."
his peace; for he would not reply unto
these nobles, but would reply unto the Now the Sekhti made this speech in
Sekhti. the time of the majesty of the King
Now Sekhti came to appeal to the Neb-ka-n-ra, blessed. The lord stew-
lord steward Meruitensa, and said, "O ard Meruitensa went away straight to
my lord steward, greatest of the great, the King and said: "My lord, I have
guide of the needy: found one of these Sekhti, excellent of
speech, in very truth; stolen are his
When thou embarkest on the lake of goods, and he has come to complain to
truth me of the matter."
Mayest thou sail upon it with a fair
His Majesty said: "As thou wishest
wind;
May thy mainsail not fly loose.
that I may see health! lengthen out his
May there not be lamentation in thy complaint, without replying to any of
cabin; his speeches. He who desireth him to
May not misfortune come after thee. continue speaking should be silent;
May not thy mainstays be snapped;
behold, bring us his words in writing,
Mayest thou not run aground.
May not the wave seize thee; that we may listen to them. But pro-
Mayest thou not taste the impurities vide for his wife and his children, and
of the river; let the Sekhti himself also have a liv-
Mayest thou not see the face of fear. ing. Thou must cause one to give him
May the fish come to thee without his portion without letting him know
escape; that thou are he who is giving it to
Mayest thou reach unto plump him."
water-fowl.
There were given to him four loaves
For thou are the orphan's father, the
widow's husband,
and two draughts of beer each day;
The woman's brother, the
desolate which the lord steward Meruitensa
garment of the motherless. provided for him, giving it to a friend

119
 —

Pennant

of his, who furnished it unto him. Then ard, "Moreover, thou shalt be satisfied
the lord steward Meruitensa sent the when thou shalt hear of thy com-
governor of the Sekhet Hemat to make plaints." He caused to be written on a
provision for the wife of the Sekhti, clean roll of papyrus each petition to
three rations of com each day. the and the lord steward
end,
Then came the Sekhti a second time, Meruitensa sent it to the majesty of
and even a third time, unto the lord the King Neb-ka-n-ra, blessed, and it
steward Meruitensa; but he told two of was good to him more than anjd^hing
and
his followers to go unto the Sekhti, that is in the whole land: but his
seize on him, and beat him with Majesty said to Meruitensa: "Judge it

staves. But he came again unto him, thyself; I do not desire it."

even imto six times, and said:
"My Lord Steward
Destroying deceit, and encouraging
justice;
Raising up every good thing, and
crushing every evil;
As plenty comes removing famine,
As clothing covers nakedness,
As clear sky after storm warms the
shivering;
As fire cooks that which is raw,
As water quenches the thirst;
Look with thy face upon my lot; do not
covet, but contentme without
do the right and do not evil."
The lord steward Meruitensa made
two of his followers to go to the Sekhet
Hemat, and bring a list of the house-
hold of the Sekhti; and its amount was
six persons, beside his oxen and his
goats, his wheat and his barley, his
asses and his dogs; and moreover he
gave all that which belonged unto the
Hemti to the Sekhti, even all his prop-
erty and his officers, and the Sekhti
was beloved of the King more than all
his overseers, and ate of all the good
fail; things of the King, with all his house-
hold.

But yet Meruitensa would not hear- PENNANT see Netcher.

ken unto his complaint; and the Sekhti
came yet, and yet again, even unto the PERCH Fish sacred to the goddess
ninth time. Then the lord steward told Neith.
two of his followers to go unto the
Sekhti; and the Sekhti feared that he PERFUMES In ancient Egypt,
should be beaten as at the third request. both men and women employed per-
But the lord steward Meruitensa then fumes for their personal use, as well as
said luito him: "Fear not, Sekhti, for for cultic rites. Many Egjrptian texts
what thou hast done. The Sekhti has describe beautiful goddesses giving
made many speeches, delightful to the forth a perfumemore lovely than any
heart of his Majesty, and I take an mortal woman. Perfumes were used in
oath— as eat bread, and as drink
I I many temple rites and were manufac-
water — that thou shalt be remem- tured in part of the temple complex.
bered to eternity." Said the lord stew- Nefertem was the god of perfumes.

120
 Pharaoh

PERFUMES, GOD OF see Nefer- PETRA A god who has a disk on his
tem. head and appears in the eleventh sec-
tion, or hour, of Tuat, the underworld.
PERIT One of twelve goddesses in
His arms would stretch in order to
the ninth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
keep apart the wings of the serpent
underworld, who, when greeted by the
Tchet-s.
sun god Ra, begins to utter words of
power causing the life and strength to
PETRIE, WILLIAM FLINDERS
arise in Osiris. The other goddesses
(1853-1942) Egyptologist who found-
are Shemat-khu, Nebt-shat, Nebt-
ed the Egyptian Research Account
shef-shefet, Aat-aatet, Nebt-setau,
in 1894, and excavated various sites
Hent-nut-s, Nebt-mat, Tesert-ant,
in Egypt, such as Abydos and Tell el-
Aat-khu, Sekhet-metu, and Netert-
Amama. He published many books,
en-khentet-Ra.
including translations of ancient
Egyptian folktales.
PERSEA TREE A sacred tree in
ancient Egyptian belief that was often PHALLUS GODDESS see Sekh-
shown in temple scenes of the king's met-Bast-Ra.
coronation. The king's name was in-
scribed by the gods on the persea tree. PHALLUS, LORD OF see Par.

Opinions about which tree in the nat-

ural world the Persea represents vary.
PHARAOH The King of Egypt. The
name Pharaoh means "great house"
and refers to the royal palace. The
PERSEPHONE Greek goddess of
Pharaoh was the sole agent of the
the underworld whom
the Greeks
gods, and he alone was entitled to sac-
identified with the Egyptian goddess
rifice to them, or to appoint priests to
Isis. ^
take his place in the temples of Egypt.
He was commander-in-chief of the
PER-UADJIT see Buto.
army, chief judge of the land, head of
the administration and the treasury,
PESTHI A god who carries a bow in
and was considered a living god. Dur-
the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
ing the Fifth Dynasty the Pharaoh
underworld. Pesthi helps the sun god
came to be regarded as the son of Ra,
Ra as he travels toward the east, to
the great sim god and this belief con-
slay his enemies.
tinued through all Dynasties. He was
also believed to be an incarnation of
PETESUCHOS Greek name for the Horus, the son of Osiris. When the
sacred crocodile of the god Sebek, Pharaoh died he became Osiris.
meaning, "the one whom Sebek has The Pharaoh was essential to the
given." Suchos is the Greek name form balance of life and the harmony of
of the Egyptian Sebek. Egypt. His many roles were reflected

121
Philae

PHILAE A tiny island, "The Pearl

of Egypt," with fourteen buildings,
which was one of the main centers of
worship for Isis. The island is now
threatened with submersion by the
Aswan dam, but its various structures
have been moved to the neighboring
island of Agilkia. The very last hiero-
glyphic inscription carved in Egypt is
on Philae. Worship of Isis continued on
the island into the sixth century of the
Christian era.

PHOENIX see Benu.

PHRA see Ra.

PHYSICAL BODY OF A MAN see

Khat.

PIG The pig was generally regarded

as evil by the ancient Egyptians and
was associated with the evil god Set.
The Book of the Dead offers the myth
explaining this view.
Pharaoh
One day Ra said to Horus, "Let me see
in his daily life as well as in his royal what is coming to pass in thine eye."
insignia. He carried a scepter with the Peering into Horus's eye Ra said,
head of the god Set, the brother of "Look at that black pig." Thereupon
Osiris, and his headdress was the Horus looked, and instantly felt that a
uraeus spitting out flames of death on great injury had been done to his eye.
his enemies. Attached to his belt was a He said to Ra, "Verily, my eye seemeth
bull's tail to indicate his power. His as if it were an eye upon which Suti
false beard was worshipped as a sepa- had inflicted a blow." Suti was another
rate divinity. The Pharaoh usually name for the evil god Set who inflicted
celebrated a great festival, called Sed, this wound upon his enemy Horus. As
on the 30th anniversary of his reign. a result, Ra decreed that the pig was
The Sed was believed to renew his to be held as an abomination.
vital force and to make him his own
successor. The Pharaoh had one chief Herodotus in his History (Book 2)
wife, as well as a harem. writes that if an Egyptian so much as

122
 Priests

touched a pig with his garment he had studies of religious practices. It is the
to go immediately to the Nile and only comprehensive and continuous
cleanse himself ofthe pollution. He also narrative of the myth of Osiris that
notes that swineherds were the only has come down to us from the ancient
men not allowed to enter temples and world.
that the Egyptians sacrificed pigs to
the moon. Although the exact connec- P-NEB-TAUI Son of Haroeris, or
tion is not known, evidence suggests Horus the Elder, worshipped with his
that the pig was some way associ-
in mother, Ta-sent-nefert.
ated with Osiris. The sow was sacred
to Nut who was sometimes portrayed PRAYERS see Hymns and Prayers.
as a sow with her piglets painted on
her belly. It was thought that she ate PRIAPUS Greek god of fertility
them each morning. The piglets were by the Greeks with the
identified
believed to be the stars eaten by the Egyptian god Ba-neb-djet who was
sky goddess. often portrayed as a ram.

PILLOW AMULET see Weres. PRIESTS The titles for priests var-
ied with their office and function in
PLANETS The Egyptians assigned ancient Egypt. The general term, Ueb
gods to be protectors of the planets. (Uab or Wab), meaning "pure," was
They were: used for the priests who officiated at
Saturn: Horus the offering of drinks to the gods. An-
Mars: Ra other orderwas charged with reciting
Mercury: Set from the sacred books. The Hen-neter
Venus: Osiris or Hem-netcher, "servant of the god,"
Jupiter: no god assigned. was a prophet.
Priests as well as lay people were

PLINY THE ELDER (ad 23-79) employed to honor the god of the tem-
Author of Natural History which in- ple. The office of priest could be held on
cludes descriptions of various Egyp- a part-time basis, divided into four
tian sites. shifts of one month, with each group of
priests serving for a total of three
PLUTARCH (c. A.D. 46- 120) Greek months a year. Priests also functioned
historian, biographer, and philo- as scribes, artists, or doctors.
sopher noted for his Parallel Lives, The high priest was called Khorp
which contrasts the lives of famous hemtiu, "chief of the artificers," at the
Greeks and Romans. Plutarch's Isis temple of Ptah, and was elsewhere
and Osiris, an account of the myth of known as War-mau, or "great of
Osiris and the cult practices that sur- sight." The high priest was the dele-
rounded it, is the most famous of his gate of the Pharaoh, who alone had the

123
Prostitution

direct authority to offer sacrifice to the Laymen shaved their heads often and

gods. These offices often passed from wore wigs over their naked scalps;
father to son. priests went without wigs.

In the Old Kingdom the priests ap-

pear to have worn the same garments PROSTITUTION see Family.

as lay people, although a few, such as

the high priest of Rah, wore some PSCHENT see Crowns.

chest covering. In an illustration from

the Middle Kingdom the officiating FTAH The craft god, protector of ar-
priestwears a skirt in an earlier fash- tisans and artists.
ion than the others depicted, which in- Ptah was the great worker in met-
dicates that the priesthood may have als, and the chief smelter, caster, and

turned ordinary dress into ritual sculptor of the gods. It is said that

clothes when styles changed. through his heart and tongue he ren-
During the Middle Kingdom the dered power to the gods.
priests did not adopt the mantle or According to one version of the
double dress of the lay people, but wore Egyptian creation myths Ptah was the
instead the simple plain skirt of ear- master craftsman who brought forth
lier fashions. The priests of the New everything. He fashioned the gods,
Kingdom are shown in the narrow made the cities, foxmded the nomes,
short skirt common at the beginning of installed the gods in their shrines, es-

the Fourth Dynasty, while others wore
the long wide skirt of the
Kingdom. The priests woimd a scarf
around the upper part of the body, or
put a wide cape that reached below the
arms over the skirt, or wrapped their
whole body in a great cloak. At funeral
services the Sem priest and the high
priest at Heliopolis wore a panther
skin. The chief priest of Memphis
under the Eighteenth and Nineteenth
Dynasties wore a badge around his
neck, in the same style as worn during
the Fourth Dynasty.
tablished their offerings, equipped
Middle their holy places, and made likenesses
of their bodies to the satisfaction of
their hearts.
Ptah was worshipped at Memphis
with his consort, Sekhmet, lioness
goddess of war and battle, and their
son, Nefertem, forming the Memphis
Triad. The celebrated Apis bull, said to
be a living incarnation of the god, was
kept near his temple. Ptah was sur-
passed in importance in the Egyptian
pantheon only by Amen, Ra, and
Osiris. He was of such importance that

While the cultic outfits of various his name was frequently joined to
orders differed, priests throughout the other gods, forming such composite
New Kingdom uniformly followed the gods as Rah-Osiris, Rah-Seker,
custom of shaving their heads. Rah-Seker-Osiris, Rah-Seker-Tem,
Herodotus, in his History (Book 2), at- Rah-Hap, Ptah-Nim, and Ptah-
tributes this fashion to cleanliness. Tatenn.

124
 Pylons

PTAH-OSIRIS A composite god

made up of the craft god Ptah and the
god of the dead, Osiris.

PTAH-SEKER A composite god

made up of the craft god Ptah and the
death god Seker.

PTAH-TATENN A composite god

made up of Ptah, the craft god, and
Tatenn, or Tenen, an ancient and
obscure creation god. In one Egyptian
hymn, written about B.C. 1200, Ptah-
Tatenn is called the god who makes
"the earth bring forth fruits so that
gods and men may have abimdance."
Ptah-Tatenn was portrayed as a
mummy with a pair of horns and a disk
and two plumes on his head.

PTOLEMIES Greek house that

ruled in Egypt. When Alexander the
Great died he left his four-year old son
as his heir. The boy was promptly
Ptah killed and his empire divided among
In Egyptian art Ptah was portrayed his generals. In B.C. 305 Egypt came
as a bearded man with a tightly fitting under the rule of Ptolemy, who was
cap and tightly fitting garment one of Alexander's generals. The reign
from which his hands extended. The of the Ptolemies lasted from B.C. 305
Menat, a counterpoise of weight used to 30 when Cleopatra, the last queen,
to balance the necklace of the god, and Octavius, later Au-
killed herself,
hung from the back of his neck. gustus, made Egypt part of the Roman
The Greeks identified Ptah with Empire.
their god Hephaestus, whereas the
PYGMIES In Egypt pygmies, who
Romans equated him with Vulcan.
are first mentioned during the Sixth
Dynasty, were used as dancers who
PTAH-HAP A composite god made
greeted the sun god with acrobatics
up of Ptah, the craft god, and the Nile
each day.
god Hap.
PYLONS Two great towers that
PTAH-NUN A composite god made stood in front of the main entrance to
up of the gods Ptah and Nun. Egyptian temples.

125
Pyramid

PYRAMID The Egyptians called taken from the army and laborers who
this structurea mer. Our word may have been conscripted to do the
pyramid is believed to come from the work. There were not many prisoners
Greek pyramis, which may mean "a of war during the time of the building
wheaten cake" or "mound of fire." of the pyramids; thus slave labor
Pyramids were originally constructed played a very small part in the build-
as tombs for the kings. The most fa- ing. A good part of slave labor con-
mous are the great pyramids of Gizeh sisted of prisoners of war in the later
built during the Old Kingdom. dynasties.
The largest pyramid is the great
Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) which
covers 13 acres and was built to a PYRAMID TEXTS Series of sacred
height of 480 feet, constructed of over texts fovmd in the pyramid of King
two million stones. The entire struc- Unas of the Fifth Dynasty, as well as
ture was covered with polished lime- in four other pyramids of the Sixth
stone. The buildings were put up by Dynasty. The texts are engraved on
specialists, such as quarrymen, the walls and corridors of the
stonecutters, masons, carpenters, pyramids. They consist of prayers,
draughtsmen, engravers, decorators, magical formulas, and various rubrics
and painters, who worked around the to guarantee the deceased a safe jour-
year. The unskilled labor force was ney to the other world.

126
QEB see Geb.

QEBHET A personification of "cool

water" who in some texts is said to be
the daughter of Anubis. A variant
spelling is Qebhut.

QEBHUT see Qebhet.

QEBH-SENNUF One of the four

sons of Horus and Isis who guarded the
intestines and was portrayed as
hawk-headed. A variant spelling is

Qebsnuf.

QEBSNUF see Qebh-sennuf.

QEBUI God of the north wind

portrayed as a four-headed ram with
four wings, or as a man with four ram
heads.

QEMET see Kemet.

QERHET A serpent goddess, pa-

tron of the eight nomes of Lower
Egypt. Queen

QUEEN Although the Pharaoh "Great Wife," and her children gener-
could have many wives, he had only ally supplied the sucession to the
one queen. The Queen was called the throne. In the Old Kingdom she was

127
Queen's Crown

"She who sees the gods Horus

called, have been the sister-wife of the king,
and Set" (that is, the possessor of might in fact have come from a foreign
Upper and Lower Egypt), "the most country, or she might have been de-
pleasant, the highly praised, the scended from the descendant of a
friend of Horus, the beloved of him fallen dynasty, or the daughter of the
who wears the two crowns." Under the king by some other wife. After the
New Kingdom she is called, "The Con- death of the Pharaoh the Queen, as the
mother of the god,
sort of the god, the Royal Mother, still maintained a func-
the great consort of the King." The tion at court, with her own property
queen's name along with the king's held under special management.
was enclosed in a cartouche when it

appeared to indicate their importance.

The Queen, who is often believed to QUEEN'S CROWN see Crowns.

128
 R
RA A sun god described in many to the unfortunate condemned to Tuat.
texts as the creator of everything. Al- Before leaving, he was drawn into bat-
though the original significance of this tle by Apophis, a giant serpent and
name is unknown, it is said that Ra night demon whose attacks failed; Ra
once meant "creator" or "creative cast a spell that made him incapable of
power," reflecting the god's position as movement. The monster was then
the greatest of the deities and true bound in chains, hacked to pieces by
father of the gods. Ra's followers, and destroyed by the
Ra's sun disk appeared above the sun god's flames. This was symbolic of
waters of the Nun, or Chaos, as one of the sun destroying the vapors and
the first acts of creation, and thus sig- dampness of the night.
naled the beginning of time. The In the Books of the Overthrowing of
Egyptians believed that Ra made his Apophis, a ritual is prescribed that
journey over the waters in a boat since was recited daily in the temple of
they thought that the sun was made of Amen-Ra at Thebes (Amen-Ra being
fireand could npt have risen out of the another form of the sun god). The reci-
waters of chaos on its own. The morn- tation catalogued in great detail the
ing boat was called Matet, "becoming was to befall Apophis
destruction that
strong," and the evening boat and his monstrous helpers, Sebau and
Semktet, or "becoming weak." The Nak.
course of Ra was said to have been The worship of the sun is very an-
mapped out by the goddess Maat, the cient and was practiced throughout
personification of physical and moral Egypt. In djniastic times the center of
law. In the evening after the sim had the cult of Ra was at Heliopolis. Its site
set in the west, Ra entered Tuat, the is marked by the present-day village of
underworld, and was assisted by the Matariyeh, about five miles northeast
gods who lived there. Two fishes, Abtu of Cairo. The early Christians placed
and Ant, swam before his boat as great value on the oil made fi'om the
pilots. As he passed through so that he olive trees that grew there. According
might appear in the sky the next to Christian tradition, the Virgin
morning, Ra gave air, light, and food Mary washed the garments of the

129
Rabbit-headed Deities

Christ Child in the "fountain of the the temples. The litany was painted on
sun," which was the lake or pool of that the walls of several tombs, such as
region where the ancient Egyptians those of Seti I and Rameses IV.

claimed that Ra bathed each morning At a very early period Ra was asso-

at sunrise. ciated with the hawk god Horus, who

All the kings of Egypt in the early personified the height of heaven. In
Empire believed themselves to be the Egyptian art Ra is usually portrayed
sons of Ra. It was said that whenever as a hawk-headed man or sometimes
the divine blood of the kings needed in the form of a hawk. He wears the
replenishing, the god took the form of disk of the sun encircled by a serpent
the reigning king of Egypt, visited the on his head. When he appears in
queen in her chamber, and impreg- human form, he holds the Ankh,
nated her with his seed. The child emblem of life, in his right hand and a
bom of this union was regarded as the scepter in his left.

god incarnate and in time was pre- Variants of his name are Re and
sented to the sun god in his temple. Phra.
This scheme undoubtedly gave the
priests of Ra great power in ancient RABBIT-HEADED DEITIES see
Egypt. Wenenu and Wenenut.
Under the Fifth Dynasty the wor-
ship of the man god Osiris spread over
RACE S Ritual races were an impor-
the delta region from Busiris, the
tant part of Egyptian cultic practices.
northern center of the cult, and the
The Pharaoh is sometimes portrayed
priests of thesun god fought to main-
on the walls of temples wearing a
tain Ra's authority from Abydos, the
Shento (loin-cloth) and running a
southern center throughout Upper
ritual race before the gods. These races
Egypt. However, before the end of the
were repeated at the Seb, the cere-
Sixth DjTiasty the cult of Osiris had
mony held after the Pharaoh had ruled
won out and Ra was relegated to an
for thirty years. It is believed that the
inferior position, with the greatest of
races were to display the king's power
his attributes ascribed to Osiris. From
as well as his willingness to serve the
the Twelfth Djoiasty onward all the
gods.
attributes of Ra were absorbed by
Amen, who was the dominant god of
Upper Egypt. RA-HORAKHTY A composite god
During the Nineteenth and Twen- made up of the sun god Ra and Horus,
tieth Djrnasties, seventy-five forms of called Horakhty, or "Horus who is on
Ra were known, the names comprising the horizon." The Greeks called him
part of a litany to Ra, which is believed Harmachis. Ra-Horakhty was por-
to have been sung dviring services in trayed as a hawk-headed man wear-

130
 Renpet

ing the solar disk and triple crown RAU A god who carries a javelin in
or the uraeus and the Atef crown. the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
underworld. He helps the sun god Ra
RAIN, GOD OF see Min. slay his enemies, during his travels
toward the east.

RAMESSEUM Name given to the

RE see Ra.
mortuary site of Rameses II at Thebes,
dedicated to the god Amen. The area REASON AND INTELLIGENCE,
contained a temple, a royal palace, a GOD OF see Saa.
mortuary temple built by Sethos I and
several storerooms. All the buildings RED see Colors.
were enclosed by a rectangvdar brick
wall.
RED CROWN see Crowns.

RED LAND see Deshret.

RAM-HEADED GOD see Khnemu.
REM A god believed in some Egyp-
RAM OF MENDES see Ba-neb- tian texts to be a personification of the
djet. sun god Ra's tears. His name means
"to weep."

RA-STAU Name given to passages

tombs that were said to lead from
REMI A god mentioned in the Book
in
of the Dead, identified by some schol-
this world to the "other world." Ra-
ars as a fish god, and by others as a
stau originally indicated the cemetery
variant form of Rem, the tears of the
of Sakkara, which was the domain of
sun god Ra.
the death god Seker.

RENENET A title of the goddess

RAT Wife of the sun god Ra, who
was called "mother of the gods," as Ra
was called "father of the gods."
ever, Rat was a late development in
the cult of Ra and amovmts to little
more than a feminization of Ra's
name. The sun god was said to have
sired the first divine couple without
having had intercourse with a female.
Rat was portrayed in Egyptian art as a
woman wearing a headdress of a disk
with horns and the uraeus and some-
times with two feathers on the disk.
Isis as goddess of the harvest.
How- RENNIU Four bearded gods foimd
in the eleventh section of Tuat, the
underworld.
RENPET Goddess of the year's du-
ration. She was associated with
springtime and youth in particular.
Renpet was portrayed as a woman
wearing a long palmshoot curving
above her head at the end, which was
the ideogram of her name.

131
Rerek

REREK A form of the monster ser- RESURRECTION, GOD OF see

pent taken by the evil god Set to op- Osiris.
pose the sun god Ra from appearing
daily in the East. The monster was RETA see Fa.
identified with Apophis, the great ser-
pent. RHAMPSINITUS see Treasure of
Rhampsinitus, The.
RERT, RERTU see Taurt.

RESHPU A Syrian god worshipped RITUAL see Temples.

in Egypt described as the "great god,

the lord of eternity, the prince of
RITUAL GARMENTS OF
everlastingness. . .
." He is often
PRIESTS see Priests.

portrayed as a warrior holding a

shield, spear, and a club. A variant
RITUAL RACES see Races.

spelling is Reshep.
ROBERTS, DAVID (1796-1864)
Scottish painter who traveled to Egypt
and the Holy Land, and produced a
six- volume work. The Holy Land, con-
taining numerous romantic views of
Egyptian sites. His renderings did
much to stir interest in ancient Egypt.

ROSETTA STONE Name given to

a slab of black basalt containing in-
scriptions in hieroglyphics, demotic,
and Greek. It was found by a French
artillery officer, Pierre Franpois-
Xavier Bouscard (1772-1832), among
the ruins of Fort Saint Julien, near the
Rosetta mouth of the Nile in 1799. The
work was used by Jean Franpois
Champollion to decipher the meaning
of the hieroglyphics.
The inscriptions on the Rosetta
Stone are a version of a decree issued
by the priesthood assembled at Mem-
phis in honor of Ptolemy V,
Epiphanes. The inscription tells that
Ptolemy consecrated revenues of
Reshpu silver and wheat to the temples, that

132
 Ruty

he suppressed certain taxes and re- and title of "Ptolemy, the savior of
duced others, granted privileges to Egypt."
priests and soldiers, and that when, in The Rosetta Stone came into the
the eighth year of his reign, the Nile possession of the British Museum
rose and flooded all the plains, he after the French were defeated by the
undertook the task of damming the British in 1801.
river. In return for these gracious acts,
the priests at Memphis decreed that a
statue of the king shoxild be set up in a RUTY Epitaph meaning "the pair of
conspicuous place in all the temples in lions" which refers to the god Shu and
Egypt, and inscribed with the name his consort Tefhut.

133
 s
SA Sign of "protection," actually a life began. The priests of the temple
stylized life-preserver worn by river would wash themselves in the Sacred
travelers and made of papyrus. It ap- Lake at dawn, before they began their
pears with the hippopotamus goddess rites. In some temples the mysteries

Taurt, who rests her hand on it. associated with Osiris were acted out
on the sides of the lake during the
night.

SAIS, GODDESS OF THE CITY

OF see Neith.

SAKHMIS see Sekhmet.

SAKKARA A necropolis located

near Memphis which contains the
Step Pyramid of Zoser I and various
other monuments and tombs of the Old
Kingdom. Variant spellings are Sak-
SAA see Sia.
kareh and Saqqara.
SAA-SET A huge serpent that
stands on his tail, found in the first
SAKKAREH see Sakkara.

section of Tuat, the underworld.

SANDALS White sandals were
SACHARIS seeSeker. worn during various cultic rites. Most
Egyptians, however, went about
SACRED LAKE Each Egyptian barefoot.
temple had a sacred lake, in a
rectangular or horseshoe shape as part SANDYS, GEORGE (1578-1664)
of its design. The Sacred Lake was be- English traveler and translator who
lieved to be a reproduction of the visited Egypt in 1610 and wrote i?eZa-
primordial lake of creation where all tion of a Journey Begun A.D. 1610,

135
Saqqara

which tells of his visit to the Great figures of the gods, the foxir children of
Pyramid, and to Alexandria and Horus, and various spirits of the un-
Cairo. Sandys also made an allegorical derworld.
translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses Under the rule of the Ptolemies and
into heroic couplets. Romans, wooden sarcophagi became
very common. They consisted of two
SAQQARA see Sakkara. parts, the board upon which the
mummy in his coffin was laid, and the
SARAPIS see Serapis. rectangular vaulted cover, which was
sometimes as high as eighteen inches.
SARCOPHAGUS Protective con- The mummies in these coffins were
tainer for coffins, made of various ma- covered with a linen cloth on which
terials, such as stone or wood. During was painted the god Osiris, with the
the first six Dynasties they are features of the deceased, and the sym-
rectangular, and their cover is either bols associated with the god.

flat as a plank, or vaxilted. A projection SATET see Satis.

about two inches deep runs aroimd the
edge of the inside of the cover and has
SATIS Goddess who spread the
life-giving waters of the Nile over the
been carefully chiselled to fit a corre-
land. Her name means "she who runs
sponding hollow on the sarcophagus.
like an arrow" and indicates that
When the cover was lowered, a layer of
Satis may originally have been a
fine cement was inserted in between,
goddess of the hunt.
hermetically sealing the container.
During the Eleventh and Twelfth
Satis is portrayed as a woman hold-
ing the ankh, emblem of life, in
Dynasties rectangular wooden coffins
her hand and wearing the white crown
came into use. The Eighteenth
of the south of Egypt. She is sometimes
Dynasty coffins are in the shape of a
confused with the goddess Satet (Satet
mummy and made of granite. In the
also being a variant spelling of Satis's
Twentieth Dynasty granite was also
name), who was a local form of the
used, but the deceased is now
goddess Isis. She was sometimes called
portrayed lying on the cover, wearing
Isis-Satis or Isis-Sothis.
a thick, square beard, his hands freed
from their bandages and holding the SATNI-KHAMOIS Hero of The
ankh, Tet, and Thet symbols. Adventures of Satni-Khamois with the
The Sixteenth Dynasty coffins are Mummies, an ancient Egyptian tale of
usually rectangular and made of green unknown date. The story tells how
and black basalt and variegated hard Satni-Khamois, a "magician who had
stone. After the Sixteenth Dynasty the no equal in the land of Egypt," met a
sarcophagi are sometimes rounded at mummy, Nenoferkephtah, and visited
the head and the covers have human his tomb, hoping to obtain some
faces. They are decorated with rows of Hermetic books that contained secret

136
 Scarab

Scarab

lore. The mummies are members of their hind legs, imitating by their ac-
Nenoferkephtah's family and have tion the course of the sun from east to
none of the demonic qualities of their west which seems to follow a direction
depictions in films and horror stories. which the sky follows."
to that
The amulet of the scarab has been
SATURN The planet Saturn was found in incalculable thousands
imder the protection of the god Horus. throughout ancient Egypt. They are
often made of green basalt, green gran-
SCARAB The scarab or beetle is ite, limestone, green marble, blue
one of the most common symbols in paste, blue glass, purple, blue, and
Egyptian m3rthology and religion. It green glazed porcelain. The "words of
was associated with the sun. One early power" are usually cut in outline on
text says: "This Unas flieth like a bird, the base. In rare instances, the scarab
and alighteth like a beetle; he flieth has a human face or head, and some-
like a bird and he alighteth like a bee- times the backs are inscribed with fig-
tle upon the throne which is empty in ures of the boat of the sun god Ra, or
thy boat, O Ra." In another text, the the Benu bird, "the soul of Ra."
king is described 'as "like a scarab," When the custom of buying scarabs
while another claims that Pepi I is with the bodies of the dead was estab-
"the son of the scarab which is bom in lished, the living began to wear them
Hetepet. ..." as protection. Scarabs passed into use
The beetle was a symbol for the in both the Greek and Roman world.
creator god Khepera, for the Egyp- From one Greek papyrus on magic
tians associated the beetle with spon- we learn that there was a "ceremony of
taneous creation and regeneration. the beetle" associated with the god-
In Isis and Osiris, which deals with dess Isis. The rather elaborate cere-
Egyptian religious beliefs, Plutarch mony was supposed to have taken
writes: "As for the scarab-beetle, it is place on the seventh, ninth, tenth,
held that there are no females of this twelfth, foiuteenth, sixteenth, twenty-
species; they are all males. They place first,twenty-fourth, and twenty-
their seed in a round pellet of material, fifthday from the beginning of the
which they roll along, pushing it with month. The spell that was recited

137
Scepters

began: "I am Thoth, the inventor and SCORPION The scorpion was ven-
founder of medicines and letters; come erated in Egypt from earliest times,
to me, thou that art under the earth, and was associated with the scorpion
rise up to me, thou great spirit." goddess Serqet as well as the goddess
Isis. In one myth Seven Scorpions ac-
company on her journey and aid
Isis

the goddess, while in another part of

the myth an evil scorpion finds its way
to Horus and stings him. The Egyp-
tians believed that scorpions respected
Isis and would therefore not kill a
woman, only men.

SCRIBES The Egyptian word for

scribemeans "he who writes," and the
profession was under the patronage of
the god Thoth, the divine scribe of the
gods. Aside from their various secular
duties, the scribes produced the sacred
texts for temples and for religious
rites. One of the many advantages of
this position was that the scribe did
not have to pay taxes.

SEE see Geb.

Scepter SEBEK Crocodile god. In primitive

times when the canals of Egypt had
SCEPTERS Various kinds of scep- dried up, the crocodile was able to
ters are held by the gods and god- wander about the fields at will, to kill
desses, as well as the Pharaoh. The and eat whatever came into its path.
most common form has on it the head The Egyptians came to regard this
of the god Set as a stylized animal that animal as a personification of the pow-
somewhat resembles a dog with long ers of evil and death, and they associ-
ears. The bottom of the scepter is ated it with their demonic god Set.
forked. Goddesses often carry the In later times, according to
Lotus Scepter or the Papyrus Scepter. Herodotus in his History (Book 2),

crocodiles became sacred in parts of

SCIENCE, GOD OF see Thoth. Egypt, such as at Shedet (called

138
 Sed

Crocodilopolis by the Greeks) where a SEBI A monster serpent who guards

sacred crocodile was kept in a lake dug the entrance to the twelfth section of
alongside Sebek's sanctuary. The sa- Tuat, the underworld, as the sun god
cred crocodile, which was adorned Ra passes in his boat.
with crystal and gold earrings and
bracelets on its forepaws, was said to SECHMET se Sekhmet.
be the god incarnate. Visitors brought
offerings of foodwhich the priests of SED Royal festival held in honor of
Sebek were obliged to feed to it. The the Pharaoh after he ruled for thirty
crocodile was embalmed and buried in years. Every three years after the first
a sacred vault when it died. In classi- celebration another festival was held.
cal times the Greeks rendered the The Sed always took place at Mem-
god's name Suchos and called the sa-
cred crocodile Petesuchos, "the one
whom Suchos has given."
The crocodile plays an important
part in Egyptian mjd^hology. He ap-
pears as both friend and enemy of the
god Osiris. One myth tells that the
crocodile god carried the dead body of
Osiris upon its back safely to land, and
another that Isis, the sister-wife of
Osiris, made a little ark of papyrus
plants to protect her son Horus from
attack by the crocodile god. In later
Egyptian mythology the crocodile was
regarded as a symbol of the sun and
was associated with the sun god Ra,
forming the composite god, Sebek-Ra.
In Egyptian art Sebek is portrayed
as a crocodile-headed man, wearing
either a solar disk encircled with the
uraeus or a pair of ram's horns sur-
mounted by a disk and a pair of
plumes. A small pair of horns is some-
times shown above the large horns.
Often the god is depicted simply as a
crocodile. Variants of the name are
Sebeq, Suchos, and Sobek.

SEBEQ see Sebek. Sebek

139
Sefer

phis. The king was crowned King of

Upper and Lower Egypt, ran ritual
races, and was carried in procession.
This process was believed to renew his
vital forces, thus making him his own
successor. Sometimes it is called Heb-
sed.

SEFER Fantastic animal with the

winged body of a lion and the head of
an eagle.

SEFKHET-AABUT Goddess of lit-

erature and the She was

library.
closely associated with Thoth, the god
of wisdom. Her chief duties were con-
nected with the writing of history. A
king was considered very fortunate if
his deeds were recorded by her.
In Egyptian art she was portrayed
wearing a close-fitting, panther-skin
garment and holding a scribe's palette
and writing reed. In this form she was
called "the great one, the lady of the
house of books." Variants of her name
are Sesheta and Seshat.
SEGER see Seker.
SEKER Death god of the necropolis
at Memphis. His kingdom was de-
scribed in the Book of the Dead, as a
land of utter darkness. The dead of
Memphis remained in sleep and were
given light only when the sun god Ra
passed through.
It is thought that Seker was origi-
nally a vegetation god. He was later
combined with the god Osiris and wor-
shipped under the composite name
Seker-Osiris. As death gods, Seker
Seker
and Osiris shared many attributes,
but Seker came to represent absolute
death when Osiris triumphed over all
other gods of death in Egypt. Osiris
was then identified with the death
that was only a temporary state
through which the righteous must
pass to obtain reward in the kingdom
of Osiris. The union of Ptah with Seker
and Osiris created the great funerary
god of Memphis, Ptah-Seker-Osiris.
Ptah provided new bodies for the souls
of the righteous,and thus symbolized
the addition of creative power (Ptah)
to death (Seker and Osiris).
In Egyptian art Seker is portrayed
as a hawk-headed man in mummified

140
 Sekhet-Aaru

form. His hands extend from the front bolized the Egyptian belief in the revo-
garment and hold
of his close-fitting lution of the siin and other heavenly
the emblems of sovereignty and bodies. A variant spelling is Sokar
dominion. He sometimes has the head Boat.
of a man and holds a knife in each
hand. Ptah-Seker-Osiris usually has SEKHAIT, SEKHAUIT, SEK-
the form of Osiris, but Egyptian artists HAUTET, AND SEKHEM see
also depicted the god as a squat pigmy Sekhmet.
with a large bald head and thick limbs,
a beetle on top of his head, and a lock of
SEKHEM The vital power associ-
ated with the Akh, the spirit. Its exact
hair to the right of it.
function is not known.
Variants of Seker's name are Sac-
haris, Seger, Sokar, Sokare, and
SEKHEM EM PET The name for
Sokaris.
the god Anubis as a son of Osiris.

SEKER BOAT Magical boat used SEKHEM TAUI The name for the
in religious ceremonies in ancient god Anubis as a form of his father,
Egypt. Osiris.
The Seker Boat did not look like an
ordinary boat. One end of it was much SEKHENU see Fa and Hentio.
higher than the other and was con-
structed in the shape of the head of a SEKHET-AARU A name origi-
gazelle or oryx. The center of the boat nally given to the island of the Delta
was occupied by a closed coffer sur- where the souls of the dead lived. The
mounted by a hawk with protective name literally means "field of the
wings stretching oyer the top of it. The reeds."
coffer was said to contain the body of It was said that luxuriant crops of

the dead sun god and rested upon a wheat as high as five cubits and barley
framework or sleigh which was fur- as high as seven grew on this island.
nished with runners. The spirits of the blessed dead, who
On the great day of the festival of measured nine cubits high lived here.
the god Seker, the ceremony of placing And in the middle of Sekhet-Aaru
the Seker Boat, or Hennu Boat (as it is there was a door through which the
called in the Book of the Dead), upon sun god Ra appeared each day.
its sleigh shape was performed at svm- Egyptian texts are not in agreement
rise under the direction of the high as to the location of the island. Some
priest of Memphis. The priest lifted place it in the Great Oasis, or Al
the Seker Boat upon its sleigh and Khrgah, and others in the Delta. The
marched at the head of the procession Pyramid Texts claim that it was
of priests who drew the sleigh around situated far beyond a large expanse of
the sanctuary. The ceremony sym- water.

141
Sekhmet

The Eg5T)tians believed that SEKHMET-BAST-RA Composite

Sekhet-Aaru could only be reached deity portrayed with a male head on
with the personal help of the gods, who the body of a woman with a phallus.
would transport their faithful wor-
shippers to it. The island corresponds SELKET; SELQET; AND SEL-
in many ways to the Greek concept of QUET see Serqet.
the Elysian Fields.
SEM A priest who officiated at
SEKHMET A lion goddess who per- funerary rituals wearing a leopard
sonified the fierce, destructive heat of skin slung across his linen under-
the sun. Her name literally means garment.
"the powerful one." She has been
called the great and terrible lion god- SEMA Amulet representing the
dess who belched She was also
fire. lungs and windpipe. The word means
honored as a goddess of war and battle "to join."
who could be both punitive and
death-dealing. SEM-AF A miimmified form of
According to one Egj^itian text she Osiris, meaning "the image of Af,"
came into being as an aspect of the cow who appears in the twelfth section, or
goddess Hathor, to wreak vengeance hour, of Tuat, the underworld.
on the people of Set, and her fury was
so devastating that the other gods had SEMI A large winged uraeus stand-
to intervene to save mankind from ing on its tail, found in the tenth sec-
total destruction. In her friendly form tion, or hour, of Tuat, the underworld.
she was sometimes identified with the
cat goddess Bast. SEMKTET The evening boat mean-
Sekhmet was the consort of the god ing "becoming weak," in which the sun
Ptah, and together with their son, god Ra traveled when the sun set at
Nefertem, formed the divine Memphis the end of the day.
Triad. Later it was said that her son by
Ptah was the ruling Pharaoh himself. SEMSEM see Fa.
In Egyptian art Sekhmet was
portrayed as a woman with the head of SENENAHEMTHET A serpent de-
a lioness which was surmounted by mon mentioned in a magical formula
the solar disk encircled by the uraeus. of Unas, a king of the Fifth Dynasty.
The disk was sometimes omitted and
only the uraeus was shown. SEPES A deity who lived in the
Vairants of her name are Sechmet, persea tree at Heliopolis.
Sekhait, Sekhautet
Sekhauit, and
Sekhem. The Greeks rendered it as SERAPIS Composite god wor-
Sakhmis. shipped by the Egyptians and Greeks.

142
 Set

Serapis was a link between the Egyp- SERPENT'S HEAD AMULET An

tian god of the dead, Osiris, and the amulet in the form of a serpent's head
sacred bull of Memphis, Apis. The as- which was placed on the mummy to
sociation was first made by the priests protect it from being bitten by snakes
of Memphis, who regarded Apis as a in Tuat, the underworld, and in the
manifestation of Osiris on earth. tomb.
Serapis's cult was founded in
Alexandria during the reign of SERQET Scorpion goddess associ-
Ptolemy I, a ruler who wanted to ated with the dead, who was often seen
symbolize his dynasty with a god on the walls of tombs with her winged
venerated by both Greeks and Egyp- arms outstretched in a protective ges-
tians at a common shrine. The worship ture.
of Serapis later spread to Greece. For a Serqet was believed to have special
time during the Roman Empire, the province over the entrails of the de-
worship of Serapis, along with that of ceased. She was a companion of the
the goddess Isis, rivaled that of all goddess Isis in her wanderings, and it

other Mediterranean deities. was said that those who worshipped

Serapis was often portrayed as a Isis were never stvmg by a scorpion.

bull-headed man wearing the solar Serqet was portrayed either as a

disk and the iiraeus between his horns woman with a scorpion on her head or
and holding symbols that were associ- as a scorpion with the head of a
ated with Osiris. Variants of his name woman. Variants of her name are Sal-
are Asar-Hapi, Hapi-Asar, and Asar- kis, Selket, Selqet and Selquet.
Hap, allof which are combinations of
Osiris and Apis. SESHAT; SHESHETA see Sefkhet-
Aabut.

SERAPEUM Large complex at

SET God of evil and darkness, the
Memphis dedicated to the cult of the
brother of Osiris and Isis.
Apil bulls, which consisted of subter-
He was the son of the earth, Geb,
ranean burial chambers for the bulls
and the sky. Nut, who had torn himself
as well as two temples. The temples no
violently from his mother's womb. He
longer exist but the underground
was abominated by the people for his
chambers were discovered in 1851 by
harsh and bloody ways, and regarded
Auguste Marie tte, the French ar-
as the personification of drought,
chaeologist. There is also a Serapevun
darkness, and perversity, and the nat-
at Alexandria.
ural opponent to all that was good and
life-giving in the universe.
SERDAD see Mastaba. Set's worship was one of the oldest
cults of Egypt. He was originally a ben-
SERPENT see Snakes. eficent god of Upper Egypt, who re-

143
Set

sided in the abode of the blessed dead, The Egyptians saw the battle be-
where he performed friendly offices for tween Set and Horus as the tdtimate
the deceased. When the followers of victory of good over evil. According to
Horns (the Elder), the supreme god of some interpretations, in the sphere of
Lower Egypt, conquered the followers the eternal where there is no duality,
of Set, Set's place in the Egyptian Set and Horus are one; that is, death
pantheon of gods fell into disrepute. and life, darkness and one
light, are

The priests of Horus eventually de- force. In Egyptian religion this has
clared him a god of the tmclean, an been called "the secret of the two
enemy of all other gods, and ordered partners," referring to the hidden un-
that his images be destroyed. derstanding between the two combat-
Set was the archenemy of the sun ant gods. Set who represents strife is

god Ra, and almost all allusions
myths pertaining to him refer to the
battles he waged against the sun. In
the earliest and most simple form of
the myth, Set represented the cosmic
opposition of darkness and light. In a
later form,he is the antagonist of the
sun god Ra, and takes the form of the
and perenially subdued but never de-
stroyed by Horus who represents
peace. There is reconciliation in the
end.
The Pharaoh, sometimes known as
the Two Lords, was identified with
each of these gods as an inseparable
pair. As the great antagonist of light.

monstrous serpent Apophis, to pre- Set was frequently symbolized by the

vent the sun god from appearing in the black boar, whose emblem was the
east each day. The result was always primeval knife, the instrument of
the same. Apophis was annihilated by dismemberment and death. His
the burning heat of Ra, and Set, who female counterpart was his sister
could renew himself daily, collected Nephthys, who was herself a goddess
his noxious cohorts and readied him- of darkness and decay. In Egyptian art
self for the next night's battle against Set is usually portrayed as a man with
the sunrise. the head of a fantastic beast, with
In the most famous and complex pointed muzzle and high square ears.
version of the m3rth. Set is the mur- This unidentifiable creature has
derer and dismemberer of his brother commonly been called the Typhonian
Osiris, who was sometimes called Set's animal, because Typhon was the god
twin. He pursued and persecuted with whom the Greeks identified Set.
Osiris's widow Isis, who was also his Set is sometimes portrayed with
own sister, and their child Horus (the horns, which made him the ideal
Younger). Later, Horus was called image Egyptian Chris-
for the devil in

upon to avenge his father's death, and tianity. Other animals associated with
and
in a series of battles defeated Set him were the antelope, the crocodile,
would have destroyed him if Isis had and the ass.
not taken pity on her brother Set and In some texts Set was described as
spared him. having a mane of red hair, and

144
 Setna and the Magic Book

Plutarch, in his Isis and Osiris, writes

that an ass was thrown down a prec-
ipice by the Coptites because the
animal bore a resemblance to Set in its
redness. People who had red complex-
ions were often treated with great dis-
dain.
Variants of Set's name are Seth,
Sethi, Sit, Sut, and Sutekh.

SET AMENTET Common name for

a cemetery which was generally lo-

cated on the west bank of the river.

The name means, "place of the West."

SETA-TA A mummified god who

stands at the end of the corridor in the
fourth section of Tuat, the imderworld,
as the sun god Ra passes in his boat.

SETCHA Fantastic animal having

the body of a leopard and the head and
neck of a serpent.

SETCHEH A serpent demon men-

tioned in a magical formula of Unas, a
king of the Fifth Dynasty.
Set
SETEM God of the sense of hearing.
tion of Tuat, the vmderworld, as the
He is depicted in Egyptian art with an
ear above his head, which is both his sun god Ra passes in his boat.
chief attribute and the symbol of his
name. SETHU A monster serpent who
guards the entrance to the tenth sec-
tion of Tuat, the imderworld, as the
SETH; SETHI see Set.
sun god Ra passes in his boat.
SETHENIU-TEP Four divine be-
ings wearing white crowns found in
SETNA AND THE MAGIC
the eleventh section of Tuat, the un-
BOOK Literary folktale believed to

derworld.
have been written during the
Nineteenth Dynasty. The translation
SET-HRA A monster serpent who is by William Flinders Petrie from his

guards the entrance to the eighth sec- Egyptian Tales. Those sections

145
Setna and the Magic Book

enclosed with [ ] are what Petrie AHURA'STALE

added to the text, which in many "We were the two children of the
places is incomplete. King Mer.neb.ptah, and he loved us
very much, for he had no others; and
The mighty King User.maat.ra Na.nefer.ka.ptah was in his palace as
(Rameses the Great) had a son named heir over all the land. And when we
Setna Kha.em.uast who was a great were grown, the King said to the
and very learned in all the an-
scribe, Queen, 'I will marry Na.nefer.ka.ptah
cient writings.And he heard that the to the daughter of a general, and
magic book of Thoth, by which a man Ahura to the son of another general.'
may enchant heaven and earth, and And the Queen said, 'No; he is the heir,
know the language of all birds and let him marry his sister, like the heir
was buried in the cemetery of
beasts, of a king; none other is fit for him.' And
Memphis. And he went to search for it the King said, 'That is not fair; they
with his brother An.he.hor.eru; and had better be married to the children

when they found the tomb of the of the general.'

King's son, Na.nefer.ka.ptah, son of "And the Queen said, 'It is you who
the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, are not dealing rightly with me.' And
Mer.neb.ptah, Setna opened it and the King answered, 'If I have no more
went in. than these two children, is it right that
Now tomb was Na.nefer.
in the they should marry one another? I will
ka.ptah, and with him was the ka of marry Na.nefer.ka.ptah to the daugh-
his wife Ahura; for though she was ter of an officer, and Ahura to the son
buried at Koptos, her ka dwelt at of another officer. It has often been
Memphis with her husband, whom she done so in our family.'
loved. And Setna saw them seated be- "And at a time when was a
there
fore their offerings, and the book lay great feast before the King, they came
between them. And Na.nefer.ka.ptah to fetch me to the feast. And I was very
said to Setna, "Who are you that break troubled, and did not behave as I used
into my tomb in this way?" He said, "I to do.And the King said to me, 'Ahura,
am Setna, son of the great King have you sent someone to me about
User.maat.ra, living forever, and I this sorry matter, saying, "Let me be
come for that book which I see between married to my elder brother"?' I said to
you." And Na.nefer.ka.ptah said, "It him, 'Well, let me marry the son of an

cannot be given to you." Then said officer,and he marry the daughter of

Setna, "But I will carry it away by another officer, as it often happens so
force." in our family.' I laughed, and the King
Then Ah\ira said to Setna, "Do not laughed. And the King told the stew-
take this book; for it will bring trouble ard of the palace, 'Let them take
on you, as it has upon us. Listen to Ahura to the house of Na.nefer.
what we have suffered for it." ka.ptah to-night, and all kinds of

146
 Setna and the Magic Book

good things with her.' So they brought hand, and which will bring you to the
me as a wife to the house of Na.nefer. gods. When you read but two pages in
ka.ptah; and the King ordered them this you will enchant the heaven, the
to give me presents of silver and gold, earth, the abyss, the movmtains, and
and things from the palace. the sea; you shall know what the birds
"And Na.nefer.ka.ptah passed a of the sky and the crawling things are
happy time with me, and received all saying; you shall see the fishes of the
the presents from the palace; and we deep, for a divine power is there to
loved one another. And when I expected bring them up out of the depth. And
a child, they told the King, and he was when you read the second page, if you

most heartily glad; and he sent me are in the world of ghosts, you will
many things, and a present of the best become again in the shape you were in
silver and gold and linen. And when on earth. You will see the sun shining
the time came, I bore this little child in the sky, with all the gods, and the
that is before you. And they gave him full moon.'
the name of Mer-ab, and registered "And Na.nefer.ka.ptah said: 'By the

him in the book of the 'House of life.' life of the King! Tell me of anything
"And when my brother Na.nefer.- you want done and I'll do it for you, if
ka.ptah went to the cementary of you will only send me where this book
Memphis, he did nothing on earth but is.' And the priest answered Na.nefer.
read the writings that are in the ka.ptah, 'If you want to go to the

catacombs of the kings, and the tablets place where the book is, you must give
of the 'House of and the in-
life,' me 100 pieces of silver for my funeral,
scriptions that are seen on the and provide that they shall bury me as
monuments, and he worked hard on a rich priest.' So Na.nefer.ka.ptah
the writings. And there was a priest called his lad and told him to give the

there called Nesi-ptah; and as and he made

priest 100 pieces of silver;
Na.nefer.ka.ptah went into a temple them do as he wished, even everything
to pray, it happened that he went be- that he asked for. Then the priest said
hind this priest, and was reading the to Na.nefer.ka.ptah: 'This book is in
inscriptions that were on the chapels the middle of the river at Koptos, in an
of the gods. And the priest mocked him iron box; in the iron box is a bronze
and laughed. So Na.nefer.ka.ptah said box; in the bronze box is a sycamore
to him, 'Why are you laughing at me?' box; in the sycamore box is an ivory

And he replied, 'I was not laughing at
you, or if I happened to do so, it was at
your reading writings that are worth-
less. If you wish so much to read writ-
come to me, and I will bring you to
ings,
the place where the book is which
Thoth himself wrote with his own
and ebony box; in the ivory and ebony
box is a silver box; in the silver box is a
golden box, and in that is the book. It is
twisted all roxind with snakes and
scorpions and all the other crawling
things around the box in which the
book is; and there is a deathless snake

147
Setna and the Magic Book

by the box.' And when the priest told "And the morning of the fifth day
Na.nefer.ka.ptah, he did not know came; and Na.nefer.ka.ptah called a
where on earth he was, he was so much priest to him, and made a magic cabin
delighted. that was full of men and tackle. He put
"And when he came from the temple the spell upon it, and put life in it, and
he told me all that had happened to gave them breath, and sank it in the
him. And he said: 'I shall go to Koptos, water. He filled the royal boat with
for must fetch
I this book; I will not sand, and took leave of me, and sailed
stay any longer in the north.' And I from the haven: and I sat by the river
said, 'Let me dissuade you, for you at Koptos that I might see what would
prepare sorrow and you will bring me become of him. And he said, 'Work-
into trouble in the Thebaid.' And I laid men, work for me, even at the place
my hand on Na.nefer.ka.ptah, to keep where the book is.' And they toiled by
him from going to Koptos, but he would night and by day; and when they had
not listen to me; and he went to the reached it in three days, he threw the
King, and told the King all that the sand out, and made a shoal in the
priest had The King asked him,
said. river. And then he found on it

'What is it that you want?' and he re- entwined serpents and scorpions and
plied, 'Let them give me the royal boat all kinds of crawling things arovmd the

with its belongings, for I will go to the box in which the book was; and by it he
south with Ahura and her little boy found a deathless snake arovmd the
Mer-ab, and fetch this book without box. And he laid the spell upon the
delay.' So they gave him the royal boat entwined serpents and scorpions and
with its belongings, and we went with all kinds of crawling things which

him to the haven, and sailed from were around the box, that they should
there up to Koptos. not come out. And he went to the
"Then the priests of Isis of Koptos, deathless snake, and fought with him,
and the high-priest of Isis, came down and killed him; but he came to life
to us without waiting, to meet again, and took a new form. He then
Na.nefer.ka.ptah, and their wives also fought again with him a second time;
came to me. We went into the temple of but he came and took a
to life again,

Isis and Harpokrates; and Na.nefer.
ka.ptah brought an ox, a goose, and
some wine, and made a burnt-offering
and a drink-offering before Isis of Kop-
tos and Harpokrates. They brought us
to a very fine house, with all
things; and Na.nefer.ka.ptah spent
foiu" days there and feasted with the
priests of Isis of Koptos, and the wives
of the priests of Isis also made holiday
with me.
third form. He then cut him
in two
parts, and put sand between the parts,
that he should not appear again.
"Na.nefer.ka.ptah then went to the
place where he found the box. He un-
good covered a box of iron, and opened it; he
found then a box of bronze, and opened
that; then he found a box of sycamore
wood, and opened that; again, he foiuid
a box of ivory and ebony, and opened
that; yet, he found a box of silver, and

148
 Setna and the Magic Book

opened that; and then he found a box of good writer, and a very learned one; he
gold; he opened that, and found the called for a new piece of papyrus, and
book in it. He took the book from the wrote on it all that was in the book
golden box, and read a page of spells before him. He dipped it in beer, and
from it. He enchanted the heaven and washed it off in the liquid; for he knew
the earth, the abyss, the mountains, that if it were washed off, and he drank
and the sea; he knew what the birds of it, he would know all that there was in
the sky, the fish of the deep, and the the writing.
beasts of the hills all said. He read "We returned back to Koptos the
another page of the spells, and saw the same day, and made a feast before Isis
sun shining in the sky, with all the of Koptos and Harpokrates. We then
gods, the full moon, and the stars in went to the haven and sailed, and went
their shapes; he saw the fishes of the northward of Koptos. And as we went
deep, for a divine power was present on Thoth discovered all that Na.nefer.-
that brought them up from the water. ka.ptah had done with the book; and
He then read the spell upon the work- Thoth hastened to tell Ra, and said,
men that he had made, and taken from 'Now know that my book and my reve-
the haven, and said to them, 'Work for lation are with Na.nefer.ka.ptah, son
me, back to the place from which I of the King Mer.neb.ptah. He has
came.' And they toiled night and day, forced himself into my place, and
and so he came back to the place where robbed it, and seized my box with the
Isat by the river of Koptos; I had not writings, and killed my guards who
drunk nor eaten anything, and had protected it.' And Ra replied to him,
done nothing on earth, but sat like one 'He is before you, take him and all his
who is gone to the grave. kin.' He sent a power from heaven
"I then told Na^.nefer.ka.ptah that I with the command, 'Do not let Na.-
wished to see this book, for which we nefer.ka.ptah return safe to Memphis
had taken so much trouble. He gave with all his kin.' And after this hour,
the book into my hands; and when I the boy Mer-ab, going out from
little

read a page of the spells in it I also
enchanted heaven and earth, the
abyss, the movmtains, and the sea. I
also knew what the birds of the sky,
the fishes of the deep, and the beasts of
the hills all said. I read another page of
the spells, and I saw the sun shining in
the sky with all the gods, the full
moon, and the stars in their shapes;
saw the fishes of the deep, for a divine
power was present that brought them
up from the water. As I could not write,
I asked Na.nefer.ka.ptah, who was a
the river: he called on Ra, and every-
body who was on the bank raised a cry.
Na.nefer.ka.ptah went out of the cab-
in, and read the spell over him; he
brought his body up because a divine
power brought him to the surface. He
read another spell over him, and made
him tell of all what happened to him,
I and of what Thoth had said before Ra.
"We turned back with him to Kop-
tos. We brought him to the Good
House, we fetched the people to him,
and made one embalm him; and we

149
Setna and the Magic Book

buried him in his coffin in the ceme- Memphis still alive"?' Then he made
tery of Koptos like a great and noble them bring him a linen cloth of striped
person. byssus; he made a band, and bound the
"And Na.nefer.ka.ptah, my brother, book firmly, and tied it upon him.
said: 'Let us go down, let us not delay, Na.nefer.ka.ptah then went out of the
for the King has not yet heard of what awning of the royal boat and fell into
has happened to him, and his heart He cried on Ra; and all those
the river.
will be sad about it.' So we went to the who were on the bank made an outcry,
haven, we and did not stay to
sailed, saying: 'Great woe! Sad woe! Is he lost,

the north of Koptos. When we were that good scribe and able man that has
come to the place where the little boy no equal?'
Mer-ab had fallen into the water, I "The royal boat went on, without
went out from the awning of the royal anyone on earth knowing where
boat, and I fell into the river. They Na.nefer.ka.ptah was. It went on to
called Na.nefer.ka.ptah, and he came Memphis, and they told all this to the
out from the cabin of the royal boat; he King. Then the King went down to the
read a spell over me, and brought my royal boat in mourning, and all the
body up, because a power
divine soldiers and high-priests of Ptah were
brought me to the surface. He drew me in mourning, and all the officials and
out, and read the spell over me, and courtiers. And when he saw Na.nefer.
made me tell him of all that had hap- ka.ptah, who was in the inner cabin
pened to me, and of what Thoth had of the royal boat — from his rank of
said before Ra. Then he turned back high scribe — he lifted him up. And
with me to Koptos, he brought me to they saw the book by him; and the
the Good House, he fetched the people King said, 'Let one hide this book that
to me, and made one embalm me, as is with him.' And the officers of the
great and noble people are buried, and King, the priests of Ptah, and the
laidme in the tomb where Mer-ab my high-priest of Ptah, said to the King,
yoimg child was. 'Our Lord, may the King live as long as
"He turned to the haven, and sailed the sun! Na.nefer.ka.ptah was a good
down, and delayed not in the north of scribe,and a very skilful man.' And
Koptos. When he was come to the place the King had him laid in his Good
where we fell into the river, he said to House to the sixteenth day, and then
his heart: 'Shall I not better turn back had him wrapped to the thirty-fifth
again to Koptos, that I may lie by day, and laid him out to the seventieth
them? For, if not, when I go down to day, and then had him put in his grave
Memphis, and the King asks after his in his resting-place.
children, what shall I say to him? Can "I have now told you the sorrow

I tell him, "I have taken your children which has come upon us because of
to the Thebaid, and killed them, while this book for which you ask, saying,
I remained alive, and I have come to 'Let it be given to me.' You have no

150
 Setna and the Magic Book

claim to it; and, indeed, for the sake of the talisman on Setna, and he sprang
it, we have given up our life on earth." up again immediately. And then
Setna reached out hand for
his
And Setna said to Ahura, "Give me the book, and took Then as Setna
it. —
the book which I see between you and —
went out from the tomb there went a
Na.nefer.ka.ptah; for if you do not I Light before him, and Darkness be-
will take by force." Then Na.nefer.
it hind him. And Ahura wept at him, and
ka.ptah rose from his seat and said: she said: "Glory to the King of Dark-
"Are you Setna, to whom my wife has ness! Hail to the King of Light! all
told of all these blows of fate, which power is gone from the tomb." But
you have not siiffered? Can you take Na.nefer.ka.ptah said to Ahura: "Do
this book by your skill as a good scribe? not let your heart be sad; I will make
If, indeed, you can play games with him bring back this book, with a
me, let us play a game, then, of 52 forked stick in his hand, and a fire-pan
points." And Setna said, "I am ready," on his head." And Setna went out from
and the board and its pieces were put the tomb, and it closed behind him as it
before him. And Na.nefer.ka.ptah won was before.
a game from Setna; and he put the Then Setna went to the King, and told
spell upon him, and defended himself him everything that had happened to
with the game board that was before him with the book. And the King said
him, and sunk him into the ground to Setna, "Take back the book to the
above his feet. He did the same at the grave of Na.nefer.ka.ptah, like a pru-
second game, and won it from Setna, dent man, or else he will make you
and sunk him into the ground to his bring it with a forked stick in your
waist. He did the same at the third hand, and a fire-pan on your head."
game, and made him sink into the But Setna would not listen to him; and
ground up to his ears. Then Setna when Setna had unrolled the book he
struck Na.nefer.ka.ptah a great blow did nothing on earth but read it to
with his hand. And Setna called his everybody.
brother An.he.hor.eru and said to him,
"Make haste and go up upon earth, [Here follows a story of how Setna,
and tell the King all that has hap- walking in the court of the temple of
pened to me, and bring me the talis- Ptah, met Tabubua, a fascinating girl,
man of my father Ptah, and my magic daughter of a priest of Bast, of Ankh-
books." taui; how she repelled his advances,
And he hiuried up upon earth, and until she had beguiled him into giving
told theKing all that had happened to up all his possessions, and slaying his
Setna. The King said, "Bring him the children. At the last she gives a fearful
talisman of his father Ptah, and his cry and vanishes, leaving Setna bereft
magic books." And An.he.hor.eru hur- of even his clothes. This would seem to
ried down into the tomb; he laid be merely a dream, by the disappear-

151
Setna and the Magic Book

ance of Tabubua, and by Setna finding And Na.nefer.ka.ptah said, "Setna,

his children alive after it all; but on you know this, that Ahura and Mer-
the other hand he comes to his senses ab, her child, behold! they are in Kop-
in an unknown place, and is so terrified tos; bring them here into this tomb, by
as to be quite ready to make restitu- the skill of a good scribe. Let it be im-
tion to Na.nefer.ka.ptah. The episode, pressed upon you to take pains, and to
which is not creditable to Egyptian so- go to Koptos to bring them here."
ciety,seems to be intended for one of Setna then went out from the tomb to
the vivid dreams which the credulous the King, and told the King all that
readily accept as half realities.] Na.nefer.ka.ptah had told him.
So Setna went to Memphis, and em- The King said, "Setna, go to Koptos
braced his children for that they were and bring back Ahura and Mer-ab."
alive. And the King said to him, "Were He answered the King, "Let one give
you not drunk to do so?" Then Setna me the royal boat and its belongings."
told all things that had happened with And they gave him the royal boat and
Tabubua and Na.nefer.ka.ptah. And its belongings, and he left the haven,

the King said, "Setna, I have already and sailed without stopping till he
lifted up my hand against you before, came to Koptos.

and said, 'He will kill you if you do not And they made this known to the

take back the book to the place you priests of Isis at Koptos and to the

took it from.' But you have never lis- high-priest of Isis; and behold they
tened to me till this hour. Now, then, came down to him, and gave him their
take the book to Na.nefer.ka.ptah, hand to the shore. He went up with
with a forked stick in your hand, and a them and entered into the temple of
fire-pan on your head." Isis of Koptos and of Harpokrates. He
So Setna went out from before the ordered one to offer for him an ox, a
King, with a forked stick in his hand, goose, and some wine, and he made a
and a fire-pan on his head. He went bvuTit-offering and a drink offering be-
down to the tomb in which was fore Isis of Koptos and Harpokrates.
Na.nefer.ka.ptah. And Ahura said to He went to the cemetery of Koptos
him, "It is Ptah, the great god, that has with the priests of Isis and the highs
brought you back safe." Na.nefer. priest of Isis. They dug about for three
ka.ptah laughed, and he said, "This days and three nights, for they
is the business that I told you before." searched even in all the catacombs
And when Setna had praised Na.nefer. which were in the cemetery of Koptos;
ka.ptah, he found it as the proverb they turned over the steles of the
says,"The sun was in the whole tomb." scribes of the "double house of life,"
And Ahura and Na.nefer.ka.ptah be- and read the inscriptions that they
sought Setna greatly. And Setna said, found on them. But they could not find
"Na.nefer.ka.ptah, is it aught dis- the resting-place of Ahura and Mer-
graceful (that you lay on me to do)?" ab.

152
 Shai and Renenet

Now Na.nefer.ka.ptah perceived who were with him. And when they
that they could not find the resting- told the King he came down to the
place of Ahura and her child Mer-ab. royal boat. He took them as honored
So he raised himself up as a venerable, persons escorted to the catacombs, in
very old, and came before
ancient, which Na.nefer.ka.ptah was, and
Setna. And Setna saw him, and Setna smoothed down the ground over them.
said to the ancient. "You look like a
very old man; do you know where is This is the completed writing of the
the resting-place of Ahura and her tale of Setna Kha.em.uast, and
child Mer-ab?" The ancient said to Na.nefer.ka.ptah, and his wife Ahura,
Setna: "It was told by the father of the and their child Mer-ab. It was written
father of my father to the father of my in the 35th year, the month Tybi.
father, and the father of my father has
told it to my father; the resting-place SET-QESU A demon whose name
of Ahura Mer-ab is in a
and of her child means "crusher of bones." He is men-
mound south of the town of tioned in the Negative Confession re-
PehematoC?)" And Setna said to the cited by the dead in the Hall of Judg-
ancient, "Perhaps we may do damage ment.
to Pehemato, and you are ready to lead
one to the town for the sake of that." SETU Agod who carries a javelin in
The ancient replied to Setna: "If one the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
listens to me, shall he therefore de- underworld. He helps the sun god Ra
stroy the town of Pehemato! If they do slay his enemies, as he goes toward the
not find Ahura and her child Mer-ab east.
under the south comer of their town
may I be disgraced." They attended to
SEVEN HATHORS Seven spirits
the ancient, and found the resting-
who preside over an individual's fate.
place of Ahura and her child Mer-ab
under the south comer of the town of
Pehemato. Setna laid them in the SHADOW OF A MAN see Khaibit.

royal boat to bring them as honored

persons, and restored the town of
Pehemato as it originally was. And
Na.nefer.ka.ptah made Setna to know
that it was he who had come to Koptos,
to enable them to find out where the
resting-place was of Ahura and her
child Mer-ab.
So Setna left the haven in the royal
boat,and sailed without stopping, and
reached Memphis with all the soldiers
SHAI AND RENENET Personifi-
cations of Fate and Fortune, which
were often deified as goddesses. Both
were said to be under the jurisdiction
of the god Thoth, who represented the
divine intelligence of the gods. Shai
was the goddess who determined a
person's fate and Renenet was the
goddess who brought good fortune. In
the Book of the Dead, Shai stands by

153
Shat Am Tuat

herself near the pillar of balance fovir heads at each end of his body. He
where the dead are judged. was foiind in the ninth section of Tuat,
the underworld.

SHAT AM TUAT Ancient Egyp- SHEN Hieroglyphic of a circle or

tian book describing Tuat, the under- ring with a flat sidepiece used to indi-
world. It contained all the views of the cate indefinite repetition, or "eter-
Heliopolitan priesthood about the life
nity." It is often found in the claws of
of man after death. The supremacy of hawks and vultures. A familiar de-
the sun god Ra, called "king of the gods piction of the goddess Isis and Neph-
and lord of the thrones of the Two thys has them kneeling and resting
Lands," is emphasized, while Osiris is
their hands on the shen.
assigned a lesser role.
The Shat Am Tuat divides Tuat into SHENTO Two-piece loin cloth orig-
twelve sections, corresponding to the inally worn by the Pharaoh. It con-
twelve hours of the night, when the sisted of a pleated fabric that was
bark of the stm god Ra passes over. wrapped around the waist, fastened in
front, and then overlaid by a frontal

SHAT EN SBAU see Book of Py- piece with horizontal stripes. The
Ions. dress of the Pharaoh for specific rites,

the Shento was in time worn by nobles,

and eventually adopted by the other
SHEHBUI God of the south wind
classes.
portrayed as a lion-headed man with
four wings. SHEPES A form of the god Thoth
who appears in the seventh section, or
SHEMAT-KHU see Perit. hour, of Tuat, the underworld.

SHEMERTHI A god who carries a

SHEPU see Fa.

bow in the tenth section, or hour, of

He helps the
SHESERA A god armed with ar-
Tuat, the underworld.
rows, with a solar disk for a head, who
sun god Ra slay his enemies, as he
appears in the tenth section, or hour,
travels toward the east.
of Tuat, the underworld, to accompany
the sun god Ra as he travels toward
SHEMSU HERU Lesser divine be- the east. Shesera slays the enemies of
ings, "Followers of Horus," who aided Ra who live in darkness, such as the
the god, as well as the dead. They are evil serpent Neha-hra.
frequently referred to in funeral liter-

ature. SHET A- AB A guardian of the sixth

section of Tuat, the underworld, whose
SHEMTI A monster serpent with name means "secret heart."

154
 Shipwrecked Sailor

SHETU A serpent monster, the con- with confusion. Wilt thou do then as
stellation of the Tortoise, who appears thy heart moves thee? This that thou
inhuman form when addressed by the wilt say, tell quietly."

sun god Ra in the eleventh section, or The sailor then answered: "Now I

hour, of Tuat, the imderworld. The shall tell that which has happened to

monster disappears into its own body me, to my very self. I was going to the
when Ra ceases to speak. Shetu's duty mines of Pharaoh, and I went down on
was to "emit life for Ra every day." the sea on a ship of 150 cubits long and
40 cubits wide, with 150 sailors of the
best of Egypt, who had seen heaven
SHIPWRECKED SAILOR, THE and earth, and whose hearts were
Literary folktale written in the stronger than lions. They had said
Eleventh or Twelfth Dynasty. The that the wind would not be contrary, or
abrupt opening of this tale within a that there would be none. But as we
tale suggests that part of it may be approached the land the wind arose,
missing. The translation by William
is and threw up waves eight cubits high.
Flinders Petrie, from his Egyptian As for me, I seized a piece of wood; but
Tales: those who were in the vessel perished,
without one remaining. A wave threw
me on an island, after that I had been
The wise servant said: "Let thy heart three days alone, without a companion
be satisified, O my lord, for that we beside my own heart. I laid me in a
have come back to the country; after thicket, and the shadow covered me.
we have long been on board, and rowed Then stretched I my limbs to try to find
much; the prow has at last touched something for my mouth. I found there
land. All the people rejoice, and em- figs and grapes, all manner of good
brace us one after another. Moreover, herbs, berries and grain, melons of all
we have come back in good health, and kinds, fishes and birds. Nothing was
not a man is lacking; although we lacking. And I satisfied myself; and
have been to the ends of Wawat, and left on the groiuid that which was over,

gone through the land of Senmut, we of what my arms had been filled
have returned in peace, and our withal. I dug a pit, I lighted a fire, and I
—
land behold, we have come back to made a burnt offering vmto the gods.
it. Hear me, my lord; I have no other "Suddenly I heard a noise as of
refuge. Wash thee, and turn the water thunder, which Ithought to be that of
over thy fingers; then go and tell the a wave of the sea. The trees shook, and
tale to the Majesty." the earth was moved. I uncovered my
His lord replied: "Thy heart con- face, and I saw that a serpent drew

tinuesstill its wandering words! but near. He was 30 cubits long, and his
although the mouth of a man may save beard greater than two cubits; his
him, his words may also cover his face body was as overlaid with gold, and his

155
Shipwrecked Sailor

color as that of true lazuli. He coiled reach to the shore when the wind
himself before me. waxed yet greater, and the waves rose
"Then he opened his mouth, while even eight cubits. As for me, I seized a
that I lay on my face before him, and piece of wood, while those who were in
he said to me: 'What has brought thee, the boat perished without one being
what has brought thee, little one, what left with me for three days. Behold me
has brought thee? If thou sayest not now before thee, for I was brought to

speedily what has brought thee to this this isle by a wave of the sea.'
isle, I will make thee know thyself; as "Then said he to me: 'Fear not, fear
a flame thou shalt vanish, if thou not, little one, and make not thy face
tellest me not something I had not sad. If thou hast come to me, it is God
heard, or which I knew not, before who has let thee live. For it is he who
thee.' has brought thee to this isle of the
"Then he took me in his mouth and blest, where nothing is lacking, and

carried me to his resting place, and which is filled with all good things. See
laid me down without any was hurt. I now, thou shalt pass one month after
whole and sovmd, and nothing was another, until thou shalt be four
gone from me. Then he opened his months in this isle. Then a ship shall
mouth against me, while that I lay on come from thy land with sailors, and
my face before him, and he said, 'What thou shalt leave with them and go to
has brought thee, what has brought thy coimtry, and thou shalt die in thy
what has brought thee
thee, little one, town.
to this isle which is in the sea, and of " 'Converse is pleasing, and he who
which the shores are in the midst of tastes of it pases over his misery. I will

the waves?' therefore tell thee of that which is in

"Then I replied to him, and holding this isle. I am here with my brethren

my arms low before him, I said to him: and my children around me; we are 75
'I was embarked for the mines by the and kindred; with-
serpents, children,
order of the majesty, in a ship; 150 out naming a younggirl who was

cubits was its and the width of

length, brought unto me by chance, and on
it 40 cubits. had 150 sailors of the
It whom the fire of heaven fell, and biu-nt
best of Egypt, who had seen heaven her to ashes.
and earth, and the hearts of whom " 'As for thee if thou art strong, and
were stronger than lions. They said if thy heart waits patiently, thou shalt
that the wind would not be contrary, or press thy infants to thy bosom and em-
that there would be none. Each of brace thy wife. Thou shalt return to
them exceeded his companion in the thy house, which is full of all good
prudence of his heart and the strength things; thou shalt see thy land, where
of his arm, and I was not beneath any thou shalt dwell in the midst of thy
of them. A storm came upon us while kindred.'
we were on the sea. Hardly could we "Then I bowed, in my obeisance, and

156
 Shipwrecked Sailor

I touched the ground before him. 'Be- "Then I bowed myself before him,
hold now that which I have told thee and held my arms low before him, and
before. I shall tell of thy presence unto he, he gave me gifts of precious per-

Pharaoh, I shall make him to know of fumes, of cassia, of sweet woods, of

thy greatness, and I will bring to thee kohl, of cypress, an abundance of in-

of the sacred oils and perfumes, and of cense, of ivory tusks, of baboons, of
incense of the temples with which all apes, and all kinds of precious things. I
gods are honored. I shall tell, embarked all in the ship which was
moreover, of that which I do now see come, and, bowing myself, I prayed
(thanks to him), and there shall be God for him.
rendered to thee praises before the "Then he said to me, 'Behold thou
fulness of all the land. I shall slay shalt come to thy country in two
asses for thee in sacrifice, I shall pluck months, thou shalt press to thy bosom
for thee the birds, and I shall bring for thy children, and thou shalt rest in thy
thee ships full of all kinds of the trea- tomb.' After this I went down to the
sures of Egypt, as is comely to do vmto shore unto the ship, and I called to the
a god, a friend of men in a far country, sailors who were there. Then on the
of which men know not.' shore I rendered adoration to the mas-
"Then he smiled at my speech, be- ter of this isle and to those who dwelt
cause of that which was in his heart, therein.
for he said to me: 'Thou art not rich in "When we shall come, in our return,
perfumes, for all that thou hast is but to the house of Pharaoh, in the second
common incense. As for me I am month, according to all that the ser-
Prince of the land of Punt, and have I pent has said, we shall approach unto
perfumes. Only the oil which thou the palace. And I shall go in before
sayest thou wouljjst bring is not com- Pharaoh, I which I
shall bring the gifts
mon in this isle. But, when thou shalt have brought from this isle into the
depart from this place, thou shalt country. Then he shall thank me be-
never more see this isle; it shall be fore the fulness of all the land. Grant
changed into waves.' them unto me a follower, and lead me
"And, behold, when the ship drew to the courtiers of the King. Cast thy
near, according to all that he had told eye upon me, after that I am come to
me before, I got me up into an high land again, after that I have both seen
tree, to strive to see those who were and proved this. Hear my prayer, for it
within Then I came and told to him
it. isgood to listen to people. It was said
this matter; but it was already known unto me, 'Become a wise man, and
unto him before. Then he said to me: thou shalt come to honor,' and behold I
'Farewell, farewell; go to thy house, have become such."
little one, see again thy children, and
let thy name be good in thy town; these This is finished from its beginning
are my wishes for thee.' unto its end, even as it was found in a

157
Shoulders

writing. It is written by the scribe of request, so that light and space were
cunning fingers Ameni-amen-aa; created as well as heaven above and
may he live in life, wealth, and health! earth below. Shu maintained the divi-
sion with his upraised arms. The god is
SHOULDERS The Egyptians be- often compared to Atlas in Greek
lieved that when the kings of Egypt mythology, who supported the heav-
arrived in heaven, they mounted the ens with his head and hands.
shoulders of the gods Ra and Osiris. Shu was almost always portrayed in
Thus in one of the Pyramid Texts it is human form, wearing a feather, or
written that Pepi I "seated himself on head and holding a
feathers, up)on his
his [Ra's] shoulders." scepter in his hand.He is sometimes
depicted with his arms upraised and
SHREW-MOUSE According to the four pillars of heaven near his
Herodotus in his History (Book 2), the head.
shrew-mouse was sacred to the god-
dess Buto. Quite a few mummies of the
animal have been foimd in her city. In
SHUTI Amulet representing two
plumes, symbolizing light and air,
one myth the goddess takes the form of
which is often seen on the heads of the
a shrew-mouse to help Horus escape
gods Ra, Osiris, and Amen-Ra.
when the evil god Set is out to destroy
him.
The Egyptians believed that the SI A God of the sense of touch, or feel-
shrew-mouse was blind, and some- ing, and of knowledge and under-
times used it as a symbol of darkness. standing. He was said to have been
In many bronze figures the animal is bom from the drops of blood that
shown with Horus Khenty, the Blind flowed when the sun god Ra mutilated
Horus. his penis. He was subsequently in-
voked as a protector of the genitals of
SHU God of the air. Shu and his twin the deceased. Sia appears in the Book
sister Tefnut were the first couple of of the Dead as one of the gods who
the Ennead, the group of gods wor- watches the heart of the deceased
shipped at Heliopolis. According to being weighed during the great judg-
one myth, they were conceived by the ment scene.
sun god without benefit of a partner, He is portrayed as a man with a
and spewed forth from his mouth. In fringed headband. A variant spelling
other myths Shu appears as the first is Saa.
son of the sun god Ra and the sky god-
dess Hathor. His name has been trans- SILENCE, GOD OF The Greeks
lated as "he who holds up." identified Harpokrates, or "the Infant
It was said that Shu separated the
Horus," as the god of silence since he is
sky (Nut) from the earth (Geb), at Ra's portrayed with either one finger

158
 Sinuhe, Tale of

Shu
placed over his lips or sucking his The hereditary prince, royal seal-

thumb. bearer, confidential friend, judge,

keeper of the gate of the foreigners,
SINUHE, TALE OF Popular Egyp-
true and beloved royal acquaintance,
tian tale fovmd in various manu-
the royal follower Sanehat says:
scripts. The story was used by scribes
and students during the Twelfth and I attended my lord as a follower of
Thirteenth Dynasties,who copied it on the King, of the house of the heredi-
ostraca (limestone flakes) as part of tary princess, the greatly favored, the
their study. The following translation royal wife, Ankhet-Usertesen, who
is by William Flinders Petrie in his shares the dwelling of the royal son
Egyptian Tales. Petrie gives Sinuhe's Amenemhat in Kanefer.
name as Sanehat. The Tale of Sinuhe
influenced Mika Waltari's novel The In the thirtieth year, the month
Egyptian (1949). Paophi, the seventh day, the god

159
Sinuhe, Tale of

entered his horizon, the King ing I went on and overtook a man, who
Sehotepabra flew up to heaven and passed by the edge of the road. He
joined the sun's disk, the follower of asked of me mercy, for he feared me.
the god met his maker. The palace was By the evening I drew near to Kher-
silenced, and in mourning, the great ahau (? old Cairo), and I crossed the
gates were closed, the courtiers river on a raft without a rudder. Car-
crouching on the ground, the people in ried over by the west wind, I passed
hushed mourning. over to the east to the quarries of Aku
His Majesty had sent a great army and the land of the goddess Herit, mis-
with the nobles to the land of the tress of the red mountain (Gebel
Temehu (Lybia), his son and heir, the Ahmar). Then I fled on foot, north-
good god King Usertesen as their ward, and reached the walls of the
leader. Now he was returning, and had prince, built to repel the Sati. I

brought away living captives and all crouched in a bush for fear of being
kinds of cattle without end. The coim- seen by the guards, changed each day,
cillors of the palace had sent to the who watch on the top of the fortress. I
West to let the King know the matter took my way by night, and at the light-
that had come to pass in the inner hall. ing of the day I reached Peten, and
The messenger was to meet him on the turned me toward the valley of
road, and reach him at the time of eve- Kemur. Then thirst hasted me on; I
ning: the matter was urgent. "A hawk dried up, and my throat narrowed, and
had soared with his followers." Thus I said, "This is the taste of death."
said he, not to let the army know of it. When I lifted up my heart and
Even if the royal sons who commanded gathered strength, I heard a voice and
in that army send a message, he was I saw men of the
the lowing of cattle.
not to speak to a single one of them. Sati,and one of them a friend unto—
But I was standing near, and heard his —
Egypt knew me. Behold he gave me
voice while he was speaking. I fled far water and boiled me milk, and I went
away, my heart beating, my arms fail- with him to his camp; they did me
ing, trembling had fallen on all my good, and one tribe passed me on to
limbs. I turned about in running to another. I passed on to Sun, and
seek a place to hide me, and
I threw reached the land of Adim (Edom).
myself between two bushes, to wait When I had dwelt there half a year
while they should pass by. Then I —
Amu-an-shi who is the Prince of the
turned me toward the south, not from —
Upper Tenu sent for me and said:
wishing to come into this place — for I "Dwell thou with me that thou mayest
knew not if war was declared — nor hear the speech of Egypt." He said
even thinking a wish to live after this thus for that he knew of my excellence,
sovereign, I tiuTied my back to the syc- and had heard tell of my worth, for men
amore, I reached Shi-Seneferu, and of Eg5T)t who were there with him bore
rested on the open field. In the morn- witness of me. Behold he said to me:

160
 Sinuhe, Tale of

"For what cause hast thou come is fearless, and dashes the heads, and

hither? Has a matter come to pass in
the palace? Has the King of the two
lands, Sehetepabra, gone to heaven?
That which has happened about this is
not known." But I answered with con-
cealment, and said: "When I came
from the land of the Tamahu, and my
desires were there changed in me, if I
fled away it was not by reason of re-
none can stand before him. He is swift
of foot, to destroy him who flies; and
none who flees from him reaches his
home. His heart is strong in his time;
he is a lion who strikes with the claw,
and never has he turned his back. His
heart is closed to pity; and when he
sees multitudes, he leaves none to live
behind him. a valiant one who
He is

morse that I took the way of a fugitive; springs in frontwhen he sees resis-
I have not failed in my duty, my mouth tance; he is a warrior who rejoices
has not said any bitter words, I have when he flies on the barbarians. He
not heard any evil counsel, my name seizes the buckler, he rushes forward,
has not come into the mouth of a he never needs to strike again, he
magistrate. I know not by what I have slays and none can turn his lance; and
been led into this land." And Amu- when he takes the bow the barbarians
an-shi said: "This is by the will of the flee from his arms like dogs; for the

god (King of Egypt); for what is a land great goddess has given to him to

like if it know not that excellent god, of strike those who know her and if
not;

whom the dtead is upon the lands of he reaches forth he spares none, and
strangers, as they dread Sekhet in a leaves naught behind. He is a friend of
year of pestilence?" I spake to him, and great sweetness, who knows how to
replied: "Forgive me; his son now gain love; his land loves him more
enters the palace, and has received the than itself, and rejoices in him more
heritage of his father. He is a god who than in its own god; men and women
has none like him, and there is none run to his call. A king, he has ruled
before him. He is a master of wisdom, from his birth; he, from his birth, has
prudent in his designs, excellent in his increased births, a sole being, a divine
decrees, with goodwill tohim who goes essence, by whom this land rejoices to
or who comes; he subdued the land of be governed. He enlarges the borders
strangers while his father yet lived in of the South; but he covets not the
his palace, and he rendered accoimt of lands of the North: he does not smite
that which his father destined him to the Sati, nor crush the Nemau-shau. If
perform. He is a brave man, who verily he descends here, let him know thy
strikes with his sword; a valiant one, name, by the homage which thou wilt
who has not his equal; he springs upon pay to his majesty. For he refuses not
the barbarians, and throws himself on to bless the land which obeys him."
the spoilers; he breaks the horns and And he replied to me: "Egypt is in-
weakens the hands, and those whom deed happy and well settled; behold
he smites cannot raise the buckler. He thou art far from it, but whilst thou art

161
Sinuhe, Tale of

with me I will do good unto thee." And heart of my prince; he loved me when
he placed me before his children, he he knew my power, and set me over his
married his eldest daughter to me, and children when he saw the strength of
gave me the choice of all his land, even my arms.
among the best of that which he had on A champion of the Tenu came to defy
the border of the next land. It is a me in my tent: a bold man without
goodly land, laa is its name. There are equal, for he had vanquished the
figs and grapes; there is wine com- whole country. He said, "Let Sanehat
moner than water; abundant is the fight with me"; for he desired to over-
honey, many are its olives; and all throw me; he thought to take my cattle
fruits are upon its trees: there are bar- for his tribe. The prince counselled
ley and wheat, and cattle of kinds with me. I said: "I know him not. I
without end. This was truly a great certainly am not of his degree, I hold
thing that he granted me, when the me far from his place. Have I ever
prince came to invest me, and estab- opened his door, or leaped over his
lish me as prince of a tribe in the best fence? It is some envious jealousy from
of his land. I had my continual portion seeing me; does he think that I am like
of bread and of wine each day, of some steer among the cows, whom the
cooked meat, of roasted fowl, as well as bull overthrows? If this is a wretch
the wild game which which
I took, or who thinks to enrich himself at my
was brought to me, beside what my cost, not a Bedawi and a Bedawi fit for

dogs captured. They made me much fight, then let us put the matter to
butter, and prepared milk of all kinds. judgment. Verily a true bull loves bat-
I passed many years, the children that tle, but a vainglorious bull turns his
I had became great, each ruling his back for fear of contest; if he has a

tribe. When a messenger went or came heart for combat, let him speak what
to the palace, he turned aside from the he pleases. Will Grod forget what he
way to come to me; for I helped every has ordained, and how shall that be
man. I gave water to the thirsty, I set known?" I lay down; and when I had
on his way him who went astray, and I rested I strung my bow, I made ready
rescued the robbed. The Sati who went my arrows, I loosened my poniard, I

far, to strike and turn back the princes furbished my arms. At dawn the land
of other lands, I ordained their goings; of the Tenu came together; it had
for the Prince of the Tenu for many gathered its tribes and called all the
years appointed me to be general of his neighboring people, it spake of noth-
soldiers. In every land which I at- ing but the fight. Each heart burnt
tacked I played the champion, I took me, men and women crying out; for
for
the cattle, I led away the vassals, I each heart was troubled for me, and
carried off the slaves, I slew the people, they said: "Is there another strong one
by my sword, my bow, my marches and who would fight with him? Behold the
my good devices. I was excellent to the adversary has a buckler, a battle-axe,

162
 Sinuhe, Tale of

and an armful of javelins." Then I ing to God to grant me this thing. His
drew him to the attack; I t\imed aside heart suffers who has run away unto a
his arrows, and they struck the ground strange land. Let him hear the prayer
in vain. One drew near to the other, of him who is afar off, that he may
and he fell on me, and then I shot him. revisit the place of his birth, and the
My arrow fastened in his neck, he place fi*om which he removed.
cried out, and fell on his face: I drove "May the King of Egypt be gracious
his lance into him, and raised my to me that I may live of his favor. And I
shout of victory on his back. While all render my homage to the mistress of
the men of the land rejoiced, I, and his the land, who is in his palace; may I

vassals whom he had oppressed, gave hear the news of her children. Thus
thanks unto Mentu. This prince, will my limbs grow yotmg again. Now
Amu-an-shi, embraced me. Then I car- old age comes, feebleness seizes me,
ried off his goods and took his cattle, my eyes are heavy, my arms are fee-
that which he had wished to do to me, I ble, my legs will not move, my heart is
did even so unto him; I seized that slow. Death draws nigh to me, soon
which was in his tent, I spoiled his shall they lead me to the city of eter-
dwelling. As time went on I increased nity. Let me follow the mistress of all
the richness of my treasures and the (the queen, his former mistress); lo! let

number of my cattle. her me the excellencies of her chil-

tell

"Now behold what the god has done dren; may she bring eternity to me."
for me who trusted in him. Having Then the majesty of King Kheper-
once fled away, yet now there is a wit- ka-ra, the blessed, spake upon this my
ness of me in the palace. Once having desire that I had made to him. His
fled away, as a fugitive — now all in Majesty sent unto me with presents
the palace give unto me a good name. from the King, that he might enlarge
After that had been dying of hiuiger,
I the heart of his servant, like imto the
now I give bread to those around. I had province of any strange land; and the
left my land naked, and now I am royal sons who are in the palace ad-
clothed in fine linen. After having dressed themselves unto me.
been a wanderer without followers, "The Horus, life of births, lord of the
now I many serfs. My house is
possess crowns, life King of Upper
of births.
fine, my land wide, my memory is es- and Lower Egypt, Kheper-ka-ra, son
tablished in the temple of all the gods. of the Sun, Amen-em-hat, ever living
And let this flight obtain thy forgive- unto eternity. Order for the follower
ness; that I may be appointed in the Sanehat. Behold this order of the King
palace; that I may see the place where is sent to thee to instruct thee of his
my heart dwells. How great a thing is will.
it that my body should be embalmed in "Now, although thou hast gone
the land where I was bom! To return through strange lands from Adim to
there is happiness. I have made offer- Tenu, and passed from one country to

163
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Sinuhe, Tale of

another at the wish of thy heart pany of the royal children. Thus thou
behold, what has thou done, or what shalt not die in a strange land, nor be
has been done against thee, that is buried by the Amu; thou shalt not be
amiss? Moreover, thou reviledst not; laid in a sheepskin when thou art
but if thy word was denied, thou didst biiried; all people shall beat the earth,
not speak again in the assembly of the and lament on thy body when thou
nobles, even if thou wast desired. Now, goest to the tomb."
therefore, that thou hast thought on When this order came to me, I was in
this matter which has come to thy the midst of my tribe. When it was
mind, let thy heart not change again; read unto me, I threw me on the dust, I

for this thy Heaven (queen), who is in threw dust in my hair; I went around
the palace is fixed, she is flourishing, my tent rejoicing and saying: "How
she is enjoying the best in the kingdom may it be that such a thing is done to

of the land, and her children are in the the servant, who with a rebellious
chambers of the palace. heart has fled to strange lands? Now
"Leave all the riches that thou hast, with an excellent deliverance, and
and that are with thee, altogether. mercy delivering me from death, thou
When thou shalt come into Egypt be- shalt cause me to end my days in the
hold the palace, and when thou shalt palace."
enter the palace, bow thy face to the "The follower Sanehat says: In ex-
ground before the Great House; thou cellent peace above everj^hing con-
shalt be chief among the companions. sider of this flight that he made here in
And day by day behold thou growest his ignorance; Thou, the Grood Grod,
old; thy vigor is lost, and thou thinkest Lord of both Lands, Loved of Ra, Fa-
on the day of burial. Thou shalt see Mentu, the Lord of Thebes,
vorite of
thyself come to the blessed state, they and of Amen, lord of thrones of the
shall give thee the bandages from the lands, of Sebek, Ra, Horus, Hathor,
hand of Tait, the night of applying the Atmu, and of his fellow gods, of Sopdu,
oil of embalming. They shall follow Neferbiu, Samsetu, Horus, lord of the
thy funeral, and visit the tomb on the east, and of the royal uraeus which
day of burial, which shall be in a gilded rules on thy head, of the chief gods of
case, the head painted with blue, a the waters, of Min, Horus of the desert,
canopy of cypress wood above thee, Urrit, mistress of Punt, Nut, Har-
and oxen shall draw thee, the singers nekht, Ra, all the gods of the land of
going before thee, and they shall dance Egypt, and of the isles of the sea. May
the funeral dance. The weepers they give and peace to thy nostril,
life

crouching at the door of thy tomb shall
cry aloud the prayers for offerings:
they shall slay victims for thee at the
door of thy pit; and thy pyramid
be carved in white stone, in the com-
may they load thee with their gifts,
may they give to thee eternity without
end, everlastingness without bound.
shall May the fear of thee be doubled in the
lands of the deserts. Mayest thou sub-

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 Sinuhe, Tale of

due the circuit of the sun's disk. This is this place; and lo! thou art he who is

the prayer to his master of the humble over all the horizon; the sxin rises at
servant who is saved from a foreign thy pleasure, the water in the rivers is

land. drvmk at thy will, the wind in heaven

"O wise King, the wise words which is breathed at thy saying.
are pronounced in the wisdom of the "I who speak to thee shall leave my
majesty of the sovereign, thy hvimble goods to the generations to follow in
servant fears to tell. It is a great thing this land.And as to this messenger
to repeat. O great God, like unto Ra in who come even let thy majesty do as
is

fulfilling that to which he has set his pleaseth him, for one lives by the
hand, what am I that he should take breath that thou givest. O thou who
thought for me? Am I among those art beloved of Ra, of Horus, and of
whom he regards, and for whom he Hathor; Mentu, lord of Thebes, desires
arranges? Thy majesty is as Horus, that thy august nostril should live
and the strength of thy arms extends forever."
to all lands. I made a feast in laa, to pass over my
"Then let his Majesty bring Maki of goods to my children. My eldest son
Adma, Kenti-au-ush of Khenti-keshu, was leading my my goods
tribe, all
and Tenus from the two lands of the passed to him, and my com
I gave him
Fenkhu; these are the princes who and all my cattle, my fruit, and all my
bear witness of me as to all that has pleasant trees. When I had taken my
passed, out of love for thyself. Does not road to the south, and arrived at the
Tenu believe that it belongs to thee roads of Horus, the officer who was
like thy dogs? Behold this flight that I over the garrison sent a messenger to
have made: I did not have it in my the palace to give notice. His Majesty
heart; it was like the leading of a sent the good overseer of the peasants
dream, as a man of Adehi (Delta) sees of the King's domains, and boats laden
himself in Abu (Elephantine), as a with presents from the King for the
man of the plain of Egypt who sees Sati who had come to conduct me to the
himself in the deserts. There was no roads of Horus. I spoke to each one by
fear, there was no hastening after me, his name, and I gave the presents to
I did not listen to an evil plot, my name each as was intended. I received and I
was not heard in the mouth of the returned the salutation, and I con-
magistrate; but my limbs went, my tinued thus until I reached the city of
feet wandered, my heart drew me; my Thetu.
god commanded this flight, and drew When the
land was brightened, and
me on; but I am not stiff-necked. Does the new day began, four men came
a man fear when he sees his own land? with a summons for me; and the four
Ra spread thy fear over the land, thy men went to lead me to the palace. I
terrors in every strange land. Behold saluted with both my hands on the
me now in the palace, behold me in ground; the royal children stood at the

165
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Sinuhe, Tale of

courtyard to conduct me: the courtiers and their wands, and their
collars,

who were to lead me to the hall and displayed

sistra in their lands,
brought me on the way to the royal them before his Majesty; and they
chamber. sang
I fovmd his Majesty on the great

throne in the hall of pale gold. Then I "May thy hands prosper, O King;

my belly; this god, May the ornaments of the Lady of

threw myself on in
Heaven continue.
whose presence I was, knew me not.
May the Goddess Nub give life to thy
He questioned me graciously, but I nostril;
was as one seized with blindness, my May the mistress of the stars favor
spirit fainted, my limbs failed, my thee, when thou sailest south and
north.
heart was no longer in my bosom, and I
All wisdom is in the mouth of thy
knew the difference between life and
Majesty;
death. His Majesty said to one of the Thy uraeus is on thy forehead, thou
companions, "Life him up, let him drivest away the miserable.

speak to me." And his Majesty said, Thou art pacified, O Ra, lord of the
lands;
"Behold thou hast come, thou hast
They call on thee as on the mistress of
trodden the deserts, thou hast played all.
the wanderer. Decay falls on thee, old Strong is thy horn.
age has reached thee; it is no small Thou lettest fly thine arrow.

thing that thy body should be em- Grant the breath to him who is
without it;
balmed, that the Pedtiu shall not bury
Grant good things to this traveller,
thee. Do not, do not, be silent and Samehit the Pedti, bom in the
speechless; tell thy name; is it fear land of Egypt,
that prevents thee?" I answered in re- Who fled away from fear of thee,

ply, "I fear, what is it that my lord has And fled this land from thy terrors.
Does not the face grow pale, of him
said that I should answer it? I have not
who beholds thy countenance;
called on me the hand of God, but it is
Does not the eye fear, which looks
terror in my body, like that which upon thee."
brings sudden death. Now behold I am
before thee; thou art life; let thy Said his Majesty, "Let him not fear,
Majesty do what pleaseth him." let him be freed from terror. He shall
The royal children were brought in, be a Royal Friend amongst the nobles;
and his Majesty said to the Queen, he shall be put within the circle of the
"Behold thou Sanehat has come as an courtiers. Go ye to the chamber of
Amu, whom the Sati have produced." praise to seek wealth for him."
She cried aloud, and the royal chil- When I went out from the palace,
dren spake with one voice, saying, be- the royal children offered their hands
fore his Majesty, "Verily it is not so. O to me; we walked afterward to the
King, my lord." Said his Majesty, "It is Great Gates. I was placed in a house of

verily he." Then they brought their a king's son, in which were delicate

166
 Slaves

things, a place of coolness, fruits of the May I be in the favor of the King
granary, treasures of the White until the day shall come of my death!
House, clothes of the King's guard-
frankincense, the finest per- (This is finished from beginning to
robe,
fumes of the King and the nobles end, as was found in the writing.)

whom he loves, in every chamber. All

the servitors were in their several of-
SISTRUM Ancient Egyptian rattle
often used in the worship of Isis,
fices.

Years were removed from my limbs:

Hathor, and Min. A woman might be
called a "sistrum player of Min," a god
I was shaved, and polled my locks of
invoked for his ability to confer
hair; the foulness was cast to the des-
ert with the garments of the Nemau-
fertility. The sistrum is usually a han-
dle, at the top of which is sometimes
sha. I clothed me in fine linen, and
the head of Hathor with cow's ears,
anointed myself with the fine oil of
me on a bed. I gave up the and a horseshoe-shaped metal frame
Egypt; I laid
with loose cross-bars that rattle when
sand to those who lie on it; the oil of
the sistrum is shaken. Often there
wood to him who would anoint himself
were metal disks along the strings.
therewith. There was given to me the
mansion of a lord of serfs, which had The sound was used to frighten away
belonged to a royal friend. There were demons.
many excellent things in its buildings;
SIT see Set.
all its wood was renewed. There were
brought to me portions from the SITULA A ritual bronze vase used
palace, thrice and four times each day; for libations of life-giving water.
beside the gifts of the royal children,
always without ceasing. There was SKY GODDESS see Hathor.
built for me a pyramid of stone among
the pyramids. The overseer of the ar- SLAVES Slavery was common in
chitectsmeasured its ground; the chief Egypt and the entire Near East. An
treasurer wrote it; the sacred masons Egyptian slave could own property,
cut the well; the chief of the laborers inherit land, marry whom he wished,
on the tombs brought the bricks; all and have servants. The crown, tem-
things used to make a strong building ples, and free Egyptians had control

were there used. There were given to over the slave-population, which in
me peasants; there were made for me a part consisted of prisoners of war, as
garden, and fields in it before my man- well as native Egyptians. According to
sion, as is done for the chief royal scholars, the pyramids of the Old
friend. My statue was inlaid with gold, Kingdom were not mainly built by
its girdle of pale gold; his majesty slave labor, even
though various
caused it to be made. Such is not done movies produced by Hollywood would
to a man of low degree. have it so.

167
Smam-ur

SMAM-UR The soul of the god Geb, In the translation of Ludwig Stem the
sometimes spelled Suti. narration of the poem found in the
tomb of Neferhetep of the Eighteenth
SMA-TAWI Term used for the motif Dynasty begins:
depicting the union of Upper and
The great one is truly at rest,
Lower Egypt, symbolized by the lotus the good charge is fulfilled.
and the papyrus tied together so that Men pass away since the time of Ra
the male and female flowers are in and youths come in their stead.
Like as Ra reappears every morning,
contact. Set, patron god of Upper
and . . . sets in the horizon,
Egypt, and Horus, patron god of Lower
men are begetting,
Egypt, are often shown on either side, and women are conceiving.
although in some cases Set is replaced Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes
by Thoth. The scene frequently ap- of dawn,

pears on the throne of the Pharaoh. but all bom of woman go down to their
places. . . .

SMITH GOD, THE see Ptah.

SOPDU One of the gods of the four

SMY One of the names of the evil

quarters of the earth, along with

god Set.
Horus, Set, and Thoth. When the god-
dess Nut's legs began to shake as, in

SNAKES Various kinds of demonic the form of a cow, she carried Ra-Tem

as well as beneficent snakes appear in

on her back to his home in heaven, the
Egyptian mythology. The siin god Ra, gods were called to steady her. Sopdu,

who, defeated daily by the monster- Horus, Set, and Thoth each took one of

serpent Apophis, is sometimes himself Nut's four legs, and the god Shu sup-
ported her belly, which became the
portrayed as a snake, as are such
deities as Buto, the cobra goddess
heavenly ocean, or river, on which the
solar boat sailed.
Merseger, the snake goddess of
Thebes, and Isis and Nephthys. The
crown of the Pharaoh displayed the SOPED A hawk-headed god who
divine cobra on its front, representing protected the roadway that led out of

the goddess Buto, who was one of the Lower Egypt. The beginning of the
protective deities of Egypt. was called the "House of Soped,
tract
Lord of the East," while the end of the
SOKAR; SOKARE; SOKARIS see roadway was called the "House of
Seker. Hathor, Lady of Turquoise."

SONG OF THE HARPER An SOUL see Ba.

Egyptian poem known in different
versions, which was sung by a harper SOUTH WIND, GOD OF see
entertaining guests at a funeral feast. Shehbui.

168
 Stefiu

SOW see Pig. fours as a baby, walks upright in the

prime of life, and uses a staff in old
SPEECH, GOD OF see Thoth. age." When the sphinx heard the an-
swer she killed herself.
SPHINX Figxire with the body of a
lion and the head of a man, woman, SPIRIT, THE see Akh.
hawk, or ram. The sphinx was a sym-
bol of the sun in ancient Egypt. The SPIRIT SOUL seeKhu.
most famous of these figures is the
Great Sphinx which portrays Har- SPITTING Many Egyptian texts
machis, or "Horus who is on the Hori- refer to spitting, which was used for
zon," a massive work, 140 feet long both blessings and curses. The Pyra-
and more than 60 feet high, hewn out mid Texts allude to a myth in
of solid rock. It was raised near the which the god Tem has sexual union
Great Pyramid of Cheops. A story re- with himself, and then spits. From his
image spoke in a dream
lating that the spittle comes the gods Shu and Tefnut.
to the future king Thuthmosis IV is When Tem places his arms around
recorded on a stela. One day while them, his Ka, or double, enters into the
hunting, Thuthmosis, who, though a two gods. In the Book of the Dead the
prince, was not heir to the throne, fell god Thoth heals the eye of the sun god
asleep in the shadow of the sphinx. He Ra by spitting upon it. (In the New
dreamed that the statue ordered him Testament Jesus also uses spit for
to remove the sand that covered it and healing a blind man.)
promised in return to cover him with A book of magic details the use of
favors. "Oh my son Thuthmosis," it spitting as a curse. One chapter of the
said in the dream, "It is I, thy father, Book of the Overthrowing ofApophis is
Harmachis. . . . The throne will be entitled: "Of spitting upon Apophis."
thine ... so that thou shalt do what my When the priests of Ra cast the wax
heart desires. ..." figure of Apophis into the fire it was
The Greek sphinx, in contrast to the spat upon, and the priest would say:
Egyptian, has a body which is part have destroyed thine
"... Ra, verily I
dog, accompanied by the tail of a enemy, I have trampled upon him, I
snake, the wings of a bird, the paws of have spit upon him."
a lion, and a female head and voice.
The Greeks believed that the sphinx
STATUES see Images.
was evil and that it was ultimately
destroyed when Oedipus answered her
question: "What is it that walks on STEFIU Four beings in the tenth
four legs in the morning, two legs at section of Tuat, the underworld, who
noon and three legs in the evening?" hold the archserpent Apophis on a
The answer: "Man. He crawls on all chain as their prisoner.

169
stele

STELE A rectangular stone slab, the next day. The journey was fraught
the upper part of which is sometimes with hazards, with night demons and
shaped in a semi-circle. Stele giving other creatures who attempted to de-
the name, and epithets of the
titles, stroy the Sim god and his boat. The son
deceased, so that he might carry them was believed to be the eye of Ra and of
into the next world were often placed Horus as well.
in tomb chapels. Steles were also
found in temples and were inscribed SUN DISK seeAten.
with official statements of the gov-
ernment. SUT see Set.

"STEPS AMULET" see Khet. SUTEKH see Set.

STRABO (B.C. 64— A.D. 22) Greek SUTI see Smam-ur.

author who visited Egypt. He de-
scribes the geography, history, and re- SWALLOW The Egyptians be-
ligious details in the seventeenth book lieved that the swallow was one of the
of his work, Geography. birds in which the human soul might
house The Boo^ of the Dead says
itself.

SUCHOS seeSebek. of the deceased, "he shall come forth by

day, and he shall not be turned back at
SUKATI One of the minor gods any gate in the underworld, and that
found in Tuat, the underworld, whom he shall make his transformations
the deceased had to overcome. A for- into a swallow regularly and continu-
mula was to be said over the "god of the ally." According to Plutarch in Isis
lifted hand," who was Amen in his and Osiris, the goddess Isis took the
form as god of fertility. If the deceased form of a swallow when she was la-

was able to recite the formula and kept menting the death of Osiris.
it secret from Sukati, he was allowed

to drink from the deepest and purest SYCAMORE The sycamore tree
part of the celestial stream, and even- was sacred to Ra, Hathor, Isis, and
tually to become "like one of the stars Mut. In one work the goddess Mut is

in the heavens." said to pour water from the sycamore

and his Ba,
tree over both the deceased
SUN The sun played a central part or soul, which is portrayed as a
in Egyptian belief, and many of the human-headed bird. Ra appeared each
most important gods such as Ra and morning from between two sycamore
Horus were identified with it. The sun trees of turquoise.
god Ra traveled across the heavens as
the sun each day and set in the West, SYNCRETISM The merging of re-
the land of the dead, only to be reborn ligious and cultic beliefs and practices.

170
 SjTicretism

The term was used by the Greek writer ples of Egyptian sjoicretism. The com-
Plutarch for the union of Greek, Ro- posite gods, deities made up of the
man, and Egyptian cultic deities and combined attributes of two or more
beUefs during his day. The cult of Isis, gods such as Amen-Ra, were precur-
which spread beyond Egypt, the home- sors of this phenomenon. Some schol-
land of the goddess, into Greece and ars believe that syncretism eventually
Rome as well, is one of the best exam- leads to monotheism.

171
 T
TABOO see Tabu. longed. The Pharaoh, one of whose
royal titles was, "Strong Bull rising in
TABU In ancient Egypt, as in many Thebes," wears a bull's tail attached to
other ancient societies, certain people, the belt of his kilt to imbue him with
animals, objects, places, and names the strength of that animal.
were set apart, because they were be-
lieved to be too sacred, or dangerous, TAIT Goddess of linen weaving, as-
or contained mysterious power. For sociated with Isis and the swathing of
example, no skin or wool or any other Osiris's body for burial.
product of rams or sheep was to be
worn where the ram-headed god TAKING OF JOPPA, THE Lit-
Khnemu was worshipped, at the risk erary folktale found in a manuscript of
of offending him. Thus when some the Nineteenth Djniasty. The follow-
Aramaic-speaking Jews sacrificed ing translation by William Flinders
is

rams to their god Yahweh, in Petrie in his Egyptian Tales.

Elephantine, the land sacred to the
ram-headed god, the Egyptians were There was once in the time of King
extremely upset. In some places pigs Men-kheper-ra a revolt of the servants
were tabu, in others not. of his Majesty who were in Joppa; and
his Majesty said, "Let Tahutia go with
TA-DJESART Title for Tuat, the his footmen and destroy this wicked
underworld, meaning, "the holy land." Foe in Joppa." And he called one of his
A variant spelling is Ta-tchesert. followers, and said moreover, "Hide
thou my great cane, which works won-
TAILS In Egyptian art the Pha- ders, in the baggage of Tahutia that
raohs and gods, including Thoth, who my power may go with him."
is ibis-headed, and Horus, who is Now when Tahutia came near to
hawk-headed, are frequently por- Joppa, with all the footmen of
trayed with tails. The tail gave the Pharaoh, he sent imto the Foe in
wearer protection and the charac- Joppa, and said, "Behold now his
teristics of the beast to whom it be- Majesty, King Men-kheper-ra, has

173
Taking of Joppa

sent all this great army against thee; cane of King Men-kheper-ra. And he
but what is that if my heart is as thy laid hold on the Foe in Joppa by his
heart? Do thou come, and let us talk in garment, and he arose and stood up,
the field, and see each other face to and said, "Look on me, O Foe in Joppa;
face." So Tahutia came with certain of here is the great cane of King Men-
his men; and the Foe in Joppa came kheper-ra, the terrible lion, the son of
likewise, but his charioteer that was Sekhet, to whom Amen his father
with him was true of heart unto the gives power and strength." And he
King of Eg3rpt. And they spoke with raised his hand and struck the
one another in his great tent, which forehead of the Foe in Joppa, and he
Tahutia had placed far off from the fell helpless before him. He put him in
soldiers. But Tahutia had made ready the sack of skins and he bound with
200 sacks, with cords and fetters, and gyves the hands of the Foe in Joppa,
had made a great sack of skins with and put on his feet the fetters with four
bronze fetters, and many baskets: and rings. And he made them bring the
they were in his tent, the sacks and the 200 sacks which he had cleaned, and
baskets, and he had placed them as the made to enter into them 200 soldiers,

forage for the horses is put in baskets. and filled the hollows with cords and
For while the Foe in Joppa drank with fetters of wood, he sealed them with a
Tahutia, the people who were with seal, and added to them their rope-nets
him drank with the footmen of and the poles to bear them. And he put
Pharaoh, and made merry with them. every strong footman to bear them, in
And when their bout of drinking was all 600 men, and said to them, "When

past, Tahutia said to the Foe in Joppa, you come into the town you shall open
"If it please thee, while I remain with your burdens, you shall seize on all the
the women and children of thy own inhabitants of the town, and you shall
city, let one bring of my people with quickly put fetters upon them."
their horses, that they may give them Then one went out and said vmto the
provender, or let one of the Apuro run charioteer of the Foe in Joppa, "Thy
to fetch them." So they came, and hob- master is fallen; go, say to thy mis-
bled their horses, and gave them tress, 'A pleasant message! For Sutekh
provender, and one found the great has given Tahutia to us, with his wife
cane of Men-kheper-ra (Tahutmes III), and his children; behold the beginning
and came to tell of it to Tahutia. And of their tribute,' that she may com-
thereupon the Foe in Joppa said to prehend the two hundred sacks, which
Tahutia: "My heart is set on examin- are full of men and cords and fetters."
ing the great cane of Men-kheper-ra, So he went before them to please the
which is named ' . . . tautnefer.' By the heart of his mistress, saying, "We have
ka of the King Men-kheper-ra it will laid hands on Tahutia." Then the
be in thy hands today; now do thou gates of the city were opened before
well and bring thou it to me." And the footmen: they entered the city,

Tahutia did thus, and he brought the they opened their burdens, they laid

174
 Tales of the Magicians

hands on them of the city, both small TALES OF THE MAGICIANS

and great, they put on them the cords Literary folktales in a narrative
and fetters quickly; the power of framework believed have been to

Pharaoh seized upon that city. After written during the Twelfth Dynasty.
he had rested Tahutia sent a message The translation is by William Flinders
to Egypt to the King Men-kheper-ra Petrie from his Egyptian Tales.
his lord, saying: "Be pleased, for Amen
thy good father has given to thee the One day, when King Khufu reigned
Foe in Joppa, together with all his over all the land, he said to his chan-
people, likewise also his city. Send, cellor, who stood before him, "Go call

therefore, people to take them as cap- me my sons and my councillors, that I

tives that thou mayest fill the house of may ask of them a thing." And his sons
thy father Amen Ra, king of the gods, and his councillors came and stood be-
with men-servants and maid-ser- fore him, and he said to them, "Know
vants, and that they may be over- ye a man who can tell me tales of the
thrown beneath thy feet for ever and deeds of the magicians?"
ever." Then the royal son Khafra stood
forth and said, "I will tell thy Majesty
TALES Eg3^tian literature con- a tale of the days of thy forefather
tains many narrative works, or tales, Nebka, the blessed; of what came to
which are often based on folkloric pass when he went into the temple of
motifs. It includes such adventure Ptah of Ankhtaui."
The Shipwrecked Sailor and
stories as "His Majesty was walking unto the
The Taking of Joppa, where realism temple of Ptah, and went unto the
and fantasy are combined. The Tale of house of the chief reciter Uba-aner,
Two Brothers presents one of the most with his train. Now when the wife of
important folk-motifs in world litera- Uba-aner saw a page, among those
ture, the seduction of a youth by an who stood behind the King, her heart
older woman, and The Doomed Prince longed after him; and she sent her ser-
concerns a man's attempt to escape his vant unto him, with a present of a box
fate. The Tale ofSinuhe describes the full of garments.
great love for his covmtry of a man who "And he came then with the servant.
must flee Eg5rpt. The Peasant and the Now there was a lodge in the garden of
Workman is both a story and a moral Uba-aner; and one day the page said to
lesson, and The Treasure of Rhamp- the wife of Uba-aner, 'In the garden of
sinitus, found in Herodotus's His- Uba-aner there is now a lodge; behold,
tory (Book 2), is a comic Egyptian folk- let us therein take our pleasiire.' So
tale.Other tales are Tales of the the wife of Uba-aner sent to the stew-
Magicians and Setna and the Magic rd who had charge over the garden,
Book. (Each of the above tales is saying, 'Let the lodge which is in the
offered complete in the present garden be made ready.' And she re-
work.) mained there, and rested and drank

175
Tales of the Magicians

with the page until the sun went crocodile. And after the seven days
down. were passed, the King of Upper and
"And when the even was now come Lower Egypt, Nebka, the blessed,
the page went forth to bathe. And the went forth, and Uba-aner went before
steward said, 'I must go and tell Uba- him.
aner of this matter.' Now when this "And Uba-aner said unto his
day was past, and another day came, Majesty, 'Will your Majesty come and
then went the steward to Uba-aner, see this wonder that has come to pass
and told him of all these things. in your days unto a page?'And the
"Then said Uba-aner, 'Bring me my King went with Uba-aner. And Uba-
casket of ebony and electrum.' And aner called tmto the crocodile and said,
they brought it; and he fashioned a 'Bring forth the page.' And the
crocodile of wax, seven fingers long: crocodile came forth from the lake
and he enchanted it, and said, 'When with the page. Uba-aner said unto the
the page comes and bathes in my lake, King, 'Behold, whatever I command
seize on him.' And he gave it to the this crocodile he will do it.' And his
steward, and said to him, 'When the Majesty said, 'I pray you send back
page shall go down into the lake to And Uba-aner stooped
this crocodile.'
bathe, as he is daily wont to do, then and took up the crocodile, and it be-
throw in this crocodile behind him.' came in his hand a crocodile of wax.
And the steward went forth bearing And then Uba-aner told the King that
the crocodile. which has passed in his house with the
"And the wife of Uba-aner sent to page and his wife. And his Majesty
the steward who had charge over the said unto the crocodile, 'Take to thee
garden, saying, 'Let the lodge which is thy prey.' And the crocodile plunged
in the garden be made ready, for I into the lake with his prey, and no man
come to tarry there.' knew whither he went.
"And the lodge was prepared with "And his Majesty the King of Upper
all good things; and she came and and Lower Egypt, Nebka, the blessed,
made merry therein with the page. commanded, and they brought forth
And when the even was now come, the the wife of Uba-aner to the north side
page went forth to bathe as he was of the harem, and burned her with fire,
wont to do. And the steward cast in the and cast her ashes in the river.
wax crocodile after him into the water; "This is a wonder that came to pass
and, behold! it became a great in the days of thy forefather the King
crocodile seven cubits in length, and it of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebka, of
seized on the page. the acts of the chief reciter Uba-aner."
"And Uba-aner abode yet seven His Majesty the King of Upper and
days with the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khufu, then said, "Let
Lower Egypt, Nebka, the blessed, there be presented to the King Nebka,
while the page was stifled in the the blessed, 1,000 loaves, 100

176
 Tales of the Magicians

draughts of beer, an ox, two jars of gins; and bring me twenty nets, and
incense; and let there be presented a give these nets unto the maidens for
loaf, ajar of beer, ajar of incense and a their garments.' And they did accord-
piece of meat to the chief reciter Uba- ing to commands of his Majesty.
all the
aner; for I have seen the token of his "And they rowed down the stream
learning." And they did all things as and up the stream, and the heart of his
his Majesty commanded. Majesty was glad with the sight of
their rowing. But one of them at the
BAU-F-RA'S TALE
steering struck her hair, and her jewel
The royal son Bau-f-ra then stood ofnew malachite fell into the water.
and spake. He said, "I will tell thy And she ceased her song, and rowed
Majesty of a wonder which came to not;and her companions ceased, and
pass in the days of thy father Seneferu, rowed not. And his Majesty said, 'Row
the blessed, of the deeds of the chief you not further?' And they replied,
reciter Zazamankh. One day King 'Our little steerer here stays and rows
Seneferu, being weary, went through- not.' His Majesty then said to her,
out his palace seeking for a pleasiire to 'Wherefore rowest thou not?' She re-
lighten his heart, but he found none. plied, 'It is for my jewel of new
And he said, 'Haste, and bring before malachite which is fallen in the wa-
me the chief reciter and scribe of the ter.' And he said to her, 'Row on, for
rollsZazamankh;' and they straight- behold I will replace And she an-
it.'

way brought him. And the King said, 'I swered, 'But I want my own piece back
have sought in my palace for some de- in its setting.' And his Majesty said,
light, but I have foxmd none.' Then 'Haste, bring me the chief reciter
said Zazamankh to him, 'Let thy Zazamankh,' and they brought him.
Majesty go upon the lake of the palace, And his Majesty said, 'Zazamankh, my
and let there be made ready a boat, brother,I have done as thou sayedst,

with all the fair maidens of the harem and the heart of his Majesty is re-
of thy palace; and the heart of thy fi-eshed with the sight of their rowing.
Majesty shall be refreshed with the But now a jewel of new malachite of
sight, in seeing their rowing up and one of the little ones is fallen in the
down the water, and seeing the goodly water, and she ceases and rows not,
pools of the birds upon the lake, and and she has spoiled the rowing of her
beholding its sweet fields and grassy side. And I said to her, 'Wherefore
shores; thus will thy heart be light- rowest thou not?' and she answered to
ened. And I also will go with thee. m^e, 'It is for my jewel of new
Bring me twenty oars of ebony inlaid malachite which is fallen in the wa-
with gold, with blades of light wood ter.' I replied to her, 'Row on, for be-
inlaid with electrum; and bring me hold I will replace it'; and she an-
twenty maidens, fair in their limbs, swered to me, 'But I want my own
their bosoms, and their hair, all vir- piece again back in its setting.' Then

177
Tales of the Magicians

the chief reciter Zazamankh spake his days." And his Majesty said, "Who is

magic speech. And he placed one part he, Hordedef?" And the royal son Hor-
of the waters of the lake upon the dedef answered, "It is a certain man
other, and discovered the jewel lying named Dedi, who dwells at Dedsnef-
upon a shard; and he took it up and eru. He is a man of 110 years old; and
gave it vmto its mistress. And the wa- he eats 500 loaves of bread and a side
ter, which was twelve cubits deep in of beef, and drinks 100 draughts of
the middle, reached now to twenty- beer, unto this day. He knows how to
four cubits after he turned it. And he restore the head that is smitten off; he
spake, and used his magic speech; and knows how to cause the lion to follow
he brought again the water of the lake him trailing his halter on the groimd;
to its place. And his Majesty spent a he knows the designs of the dwelling of
joyful day with the whole of the royal Tahuti. The majesty of the King of
house. Then rewarded he the chief re- Upper and Lower Egypt, Khufu, the
citer Zazamankh with all good things. blessed, has long sought for the de-
Behold, this is a wonder that came to signs of the dwelling of Tahuti, that he
pass in the days of thy father, the King may make the like of them in his
of Upper and Lower Egypt, Seneferu, pyramid."
of the deeds of the chief reciter, the And his Majesty said, "Thou, thy-
Zazamankh."
scribe of the rolls, self, Hordedef, my son, bring him to
Then said the majesty of the King of me." Then were the ships made ready
Upper and Lower Egypt, Khvifu, the for the King's son Hordedef, and he
blessed, "Let there be presented an of- went up the stream to Dedsneferu.
fering of 1,000 cakes, 100 draughts of And when the ships had moored at the
beer, an ox, and two jars of incense to haven, he landed, and sat him in a
the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, litter of ebony, the poles of which were

Seneferu, the blessed; and let there be of cedar wood overlaid with gold. Now
given a loaf, ajar of beer, and ajar of when he drew near to Dedi, they set
incense to the chief reciter, the scribe down the litter. And he arose to greet
of the rolls, Zazamankh; for I have Dedi, and foiind him lying on a
seen the token of his learning." And palmstick couch at the door of his
they did all things as his Majesty house; one servant held his head and
commanded. rubbed him, and another rubbed his
feet.
HORDEDEFS TALE And the King's son Hordedef said,
The royal son Hordedef then stood "Thy state is that of one who lives to
forth and spake. He said: "Hitherto good old age; for old age is the end of
hast thou only heard tokens of those our voyage, the time of embalming,
who have gone before, and of which no the time of bxirial. Lie, then, in the
man knoweth their truth. But I will siin, free of infirmities, without the
show thy Majesty a man of thine own babble of dotage: this is the salutation

178
 Tales of the Magicians

to worthy age. I come from far to call yet seen thee?" And Dedi answered:
thee, with a message from my father "He who is called it is that comes; the
Khufu, the blessed, for thou shalt eat King (life, wealth, and health) calls
of the best which the King gives, and of me, and behold I come." And his
the food which those have who follow Majesty said, "Is it true, that which
after him; that he may bring thee in men say, that thou canst restore the
good estate to thy fathers who are in head which is smitten off?" And Dedi
the tomb." replied, "Truly, I know that, O King
And Dedi replied to him: "Peace to (life, wealth, and health), my lord."
thee! Peace to thee! Hordedef, son of And his Majesty said, "Let one bring
the King, beloved of his father. May me a prisoner who is in prison, that his
thy father Khufu, the blessed, praise punishment may be fulfilled." And
thee,may he advance thee among the Dedi said: "Let it not be a man, O King,
may thy ka prevail against the
elders, my lord; behold we do not even thus to
enemy, may thy soul know the right our cattle." And a duck was brought
road to the gate of him who clothes the unto him, and its head was cut off. And
afflicted; this is the salutation to the the duck was on the west side of
laid
King's son." Then the King's son, Hor- the hall, and its head on the east side of
dedef, stretched forth his hands to the hall. And Dedi spake his magic
him, and raised him up, and went with speech. And the duck fluttered along
him to the haven, giving unto him his the ground, and its head came
arm. Then said Dedi, "Let there be likewise; and when it had come part to
given me a boat, to bring me my part the duck stood and quacked. And
youths and my books." And they made they brought likewise a goose before
ready for him two boats with their him, and he did even so unto it. His
rowers. And Dedi went down the river Majesty caused an ox to be brought,
in the barge in which was the King's and its head cast on the ground. And
son, Hordedef. And when he had Dedi spake his magic speech. And the
reached the palace, the King's son, ox stood upright behind him, and fol-
Hordedef, entered in to give account lowed him with his halter trailing on
unto his Majesty the King of Upper the groiind.
and Lower Egypt, Khiifu, the blessed. And King Khufu said, "And is it
Then said the King's son Hordedef, "O true what is said, that thou knowest
King, life, wealth, and health! My the number of the designs of the dwell-
lord, I have
brought Dedi." His ing of Tahuti?" And Dedi replied,
Majesty replied, "Bring him to me "Pardon me, I know not their number,
speedily." And his Majesty went into O King (life, wealth, and health), but I
the hall of columns of Pharaoh (life, know where they are." And his
wealth, and health), and Dedi was led Majesty said, "Where is that?" And
before him. And his Majesty said, Dedi replied: "There is a chest of
"Wherefore is it, Dedi, that I have not whetstone in a chamber named the

179
Tales of the Magicians

planroom, in Heliopolis; they are in dwell with him, and let them give him
this chest." And Dedi said further unto a daily portion of 1,000 loaves, 100
him, "O King (hfe, wealth, and draughts of beer, an ox, and 100
health), my lord, it is not I that is to bunches of onions." And they did ev-
bring them to thee." And his Majesty erything as his Majesty commanded.
"Who, then, is it that shall bring
said, And one day it came to pass that
them to me?" And Dedi answered to Rud-didet felt the pains of birth. And
him, "It is the eldest of the three chil- the majesty of Ra, Lord of Sakhebu,
dren who are in the body of Rud-didet said imto Isis, to Nebhat, to Meskhent,
who shall bring them to thee." And his to Hakt, and to Khnumu: "Go ye, and
Majesty said: "Would that it may be as deliver Rud-didet of these three chil-
thou sayest! And who is this Rud- dren that she shall bear, who are to
didet?" And Dedi replied: "She is the fulfil this noble office over all this

wife of a priest of Ra, lord of Sakhebu. land; that they may build up your
And she has conceived these three temples, furnish your altars with of-

sons by Ra, lord of Sakhebu, and the ferings, supply your tables of libation,
god has promised her that they shall and increase your endowments." Then
fulfil this noble office (of reigning) went these deities; their fashion they
over all this land, and that the eldest of made as that of dancing-girls, and
them shall be high-priest in He- Khnumu was with them as a porter.
liopolis." And his Majesty's heart They drew near vmto the house of Ra-
became troubled for this; but Dedi user, and found him standing, with his
spake unto him: "What is this that girdle fallen. And they played before
thou thinkest, O King (life, wealth, him with their instruments of music.
health), my lord? Is it because of these But he said unto them, "My ladies,
three children? I tell thee thy son shall behold, here is a woman who feels the
reign, and thy son's son, and then one pains of birth." They said to him, "Let
of them." His Majesty said, "And when us see her, for we know how to help
shall Rud-didet bear these?" And he her." And he replied, "Come, then."
replied, "She shall bear them on the And they entered in straightway to
twenty-fifth of the month Tybi." And Rud-didet, and they closed the door on
his Majesty said, "When the banks of her and on themselves. Then Isis stood

the canal of Letopolis are cut, I will before her, and Nebhat stood behind
walk there that I may see the temple of her, and Hakt helped her. And Isis
Ra, lord of Sakhebu." And Dedi re- said,"O child, by thy name of User-ref,
plied, "Then I will cause that there be do not do violence." And the child came
four cubits of water by the banks of the upon her hands, as a child of a cubit; its
canal of Letopolis." When his Majesty bones were strong, the beauty of its

returned to his palace, his Majesty limbs was like gold, and its was
hair
said: "Let them place Dedi in the house like true lapis-lazuli. They washed
of the royal son Hordedef, that he may him, and prepared him, and placed

180
 Tales of the Magicians

him on a carpet on the brickwork. may take it as your reward to the

Then Meskhent approached him and brew-house." And Khnumu loaded
said, "This is a king who shall reign himself with the bushel of barley. And
over all the land." And Khnumu gave they went away toward the place from
strength to his limbs. Then Isis stood which they came. And Isis spake unto
before her, and Nebhat stood behind these goddesses, and said, "Wherefore
her, and Hakt helped her. And Isis have we come without doing a marvel
said, "O child, by thy name of Sah-ra, for these children, that we may tell it
stay not in her." Then the child came to their father who has sent us?" Then
upon her hands, a child of a cubit; its made they the divine diadems of the
bones were strong, the beauty of its King (life, wealth, and health), and
limbs was like gold, and its hair was laid them in the bushel of barley. And
like true lapis-lazuli. They washed they caused the clouds to come with
him, and prepared him, and laid him wind and rain; and they turned back
on a carpet on the brickwork. Then again xuito the house. And they said,
Meskhent approached him and said, "Let us put this barley in a closed
"This is a king who shall reign over all chamber, sealed up, until we retiim
the land." And Khnumu gave strength northward, dancing." And they placed
Then Isis stood before her,
to his limbs. the barley in a closed chamber.
and Nebhat stood behind her, and And Rud-didet purified herself, with
Hakt helped her. And Isis said, "O a purification of fourteen days. And
child, by thy name of Kaku, remain she said to her handmaid, "Is the
not in darkness in her." And the child house made ready?" And she replied,
came upon her hands, a child of a "All things are made ready, but the
cubit; its bones were strong, the brewing barley is not yet brought."
beauty of its linfbs was like gold, and And Rud-didet said, "Wherefore is the
its hair was like true lapis-lazuli. And brewing barley not yet brought?" And
Meskhent approached him and said, the servant answered, "It would all of
"This is a king who shall reign over all it long since be ready if the barley had

the land." And Khnumu gave strength not been given to the dancing-girls,
to his limbs. And they washed him, and lay in the chamber under their
and prepared him, and laid him on a seal." Rud-didet said, "Go down, and
carpet on the brickwork. bring of it, and Ra-user shall give
And the deities went out, having de- them in its stead when he shall come."
livered Rud-didet of the three chil- And the handmaid went, and opened
dren. And they said, "Rejoice! O Ra- the chamber. And she heard talking
user, for behold three children are and singing, music and dancing,
bom unto thee." And he said unto quavering, and all things which are
them, "My ladies, and what shall I performed for a king in his chamber.
give unto ye? Behold, give this bushel And she returned and told to Rud-
of barley here unto your porter, that ye didet all that she had heard. And she

181
Tanaitic

went through the chamber, but she she went out saying, 1 will go and tell
found not the place where the sound it.' And he bowed his head unto the
"

was. And she laid her temple to the ground and said, "My lady, she came
sack, and found that the sounds were and told me of these things, and made
in it. She placed it in a chest, and put her complaint unto me; and I laid on
that in another locker, and tied it fast her a violent blow. And she went forth
with leather, and laid it in the to draw water, and a crocodile carried
storeroom, where the things were, and her away."
sealed it. And Ra-user came returning (The rest of the tale is lost.)
from the field; and Rud-didet repeated
unto him these things; and his heart TANAITIC Mouth of the Nile,
was glad above all things; and they sat where Isis found the body of her hus-
down and made a joyful day. band Osiris in a chest. Some children
And after these days it came to pass directed her to it.

that Rud-didet was wroth with her

servant, and beat her with stripes. TANEN see Tatunen.
And the servant said unto those that
were in the house: "Shall it be done TANENET see Tenenet.
thus unto me? She has borne three
kings, and I will go and tell this to his TANIS A large temple to Amen was
Majesty King Khufu the blessed." And located at this ancient Egyptian site.

she went, and found the eldest brother Tanis reached its height d;iring the
of her mother, who was binding his Twenty-first Dynasty and flourished
flaxon the floor. And he said to her, until the Roman conquest of Egypt.
"Whither goest thou, my little maid?"
And she told him of all these things. TA-SENT-NEFERT Wife of Har-
And her brother said to her: "Where- oeris, a form of Horus, who was wor-
fore comest thou thus to me? Shall I shipped along with their son, P-
agree to treachery?" And he took a neb-taui.
bunch of the flax to her, and laid on her
a violent blow. And the servant went
to fetch a handful of water, and a
TASTE, GOD OF see Hu.

crocodile carried her away.

Her uncle went therefore to tell of TA-TCHESERT see Ta-djesart.

this to Rud-didet; and he foimd Rud-

didet sitting, her head on her knees, TATUNEN A god sometimes iden-
and her heart beyond measure sad. with Ptah, who had a human
tified
And he said to her, "My lady, why form and wore two ostrich feathers
makest thou thy heart thus?" And she and two ram's horns on his head. His
answered, "It is because of this little name also appears as Tetenen, Tanen,
wretch that was in the house; behold and Tenen.

182
 Taurt

although she appears in some other

accoimts as the female counterpart of
the demonic god Set.
In Egyptian art she is depicted as a
female hippopotamus with large ud-
ders who is standing upright on her
legs. Her paw rests on the Sa, a
left

symbol of protection represented by

the stylized life-preserver, made of
papyrus, worn by river travelers. Var-
iant spellings are Taueret, Rert, Rer-
tu, Apet, Opet. In Greek she appears
as Thoueris.

Tatunen

TAU CROSS seeAnkh.

TAUERET see Taurt.

TAURT Hippopotamus goddess, a

patron of childbirth and maternity,
who was often identified with the
great goddess Hathor. The literal
translation of her name is "the great
[fat] one." In the Book of the Dead she
is portrayed as a protector of the dead, Taurt

183
Tchabu

TCHABU The god of drink. the great gods Osiris, Isis, Nephthys,
and Set, thus completing the great
TCHEFT A name for Isis as the Ennead. The two deities help)ed to
goddess of food that was offered to the support the sky and each day received
gods. the new sun as it rose in the east. Tef-
nut sometimes represented the power
TCHESER-TEP A serpent demon of sunlight.
mentioned in a magical formula of However, the goddess could also be
Unas, a king of the Fifth Dynasty. home, which
ferocious. In her original
was said to be the Nubian deserts, she
TCHETBI A monster serpent who roamed drenched in the blood of her
guards the entrance to the fourth sec- enemies. When Thoth, the god of wis-
tion of Tuat, the underworld, as the dom, upbraided her for having aban-
sun god Ra passes in his boat. doned Eg5^t and leaving the country
desolate, she wept great tears, but her
TCHET-S A winged monster ser- tears soon turned to wrath. She
pent in the eleventh section, or hour, of changed into a bloodthirsty lioness,
Tuat, the luiderworld. and her mane smoked with fire as her
face glowed like the sun.
TEACHINGS OF AMEN-EM- She was portrayed as a woman with
OPE see Wisdom Literature. the head of a lioness surmounted by
either a disk or the uraeus, or both.
TEBA see Nehata.

TEHUTI Title for Thoth, the scribe

TEBI A name given to one of the of the gods, meaning "the measurer."
solar gods. In this capacity he had the power to
grant life to the deceased for millions
TECHU AND TECHUTI see of years.
Thoth.

TEFNUT Goddess, who, with her

TEKA-HRA A monster serpent

twin brother Shu formed the first

who guards the entrance to the fifth
section of Tuat, the underworld, as the
couple of the Ennead.
In one myth, it is said that the
sun god Ra passes in his boat.
primeval sun god self-created Tefnut
and Shu by an act of mastxirbation or, TEKHI A goddess portrayed in
in another account, that they were human form, patron of the first month
bom of the spittle of his mouth. Tefnut of the year, shown wearing a pair of
and Shu then engendered the sky god- high feathers. In some cases she was
dess Nut, and the earth god Geb by considered the female counterpart of
their relations and in turn they bore Thoth.

184
 Temau

TELL EL-AMARNA Capital city series of "thoughts," he created the

of the ruler Akhenaten, about 300 heavens, the celestial bodies, gods,
miles north of Luxor, near ancient men, animals, and plants. The
Thebes. Akhenaten and his court "thoughts" of Tem were translated in-
spent fifteen years in Tell el-Amama, to words by the god Thoth, who was
the city he built and dedicated to the his mind or intelligence. When Thoth
worship of Aten after deciding to leave uttered the words, all creation came
Thebes. At Akhenaten's death his suc- into being.
cessor, Tutankhamen, returned to The priests of Anu, or Heliopolis,
Thebes and the worship of Amen. made Tem, whom they identified with
The city consisted of palaces, tem- a form of the sun god, the head of their
ples, government offices, a residential company of gods. He appears in the
area, a business area, a northern sub- Book of the Dead as the evening or
urb, and several outlying palaces. setting sun, with Khepera as the
was deserted it fell into
After the city morning sun and Ra the noonday sun.
ruin and many of its buildings were In the Theban Recension of the book
pulled down to reuse the stone. In 1887 Tem is identified with Osiris as being
a woman found some baked clay tab- among the gods whose flesh never saw
lets, later called the "Amama Let- physical corruption, and, according to
ters," which record the actions of the one myth, he was responsible for the
court in relationship to foreign gov- primeval flood which covered the
ernments. entire earth and destroyed all man-
kind, except for those in the boat of the
TEM Th^oldest of the creation gods god. Many of his attributes were ab-
in Egjrptian mythology, variously sorbed by Khepera, who was also a
called "divine ^god," "self-created," creation god. In later times the Egyp-
"maker of the gods" and "maker of tians devised Temt or Temit, a female
men." counterpart of Tem.
According to the Pyramid Text of In Egyptian art Tem is portrayed as
Pepi I, Tem existed when: a man, or king, wearing the crowns of
not was sky, the South and North of Egypt. Like
not was earth, many other gods he carries in his
not were men, hands the scepter and Ankh, emblem
not were bom the gods,
of life.
not was death.
Variations of his name are Turn,
What form he existed in, however, is Temu, Atem, Atum, and Atmu.
not stated in the text.
To make a home for himself Tem TEMAU A god armed with arrows,
created the celestial waters, which the with a solar disk for his head, who
Egyptians called Nun, and for a time appears in the tenth section, or hour,
he lived in them alone. Next, in a of Tuat, the underworld. Temau ac-

185
Temhit

companies the sun god Ra as he travels columned court and the hypostyle
toward the east, and slays the serpent hall, but these areas were not the

Neha-hra and the other enemies of the house of the god. The god lived behind
sun god who live in darkness. the hypostyle hall, with his divine
bark or ship, where his image, perhaps
of wood and covered with gold, was
TEMHIT A foreign goddess, "the
also kept. Two adjoining rooms
Libyan," worshipped in Egypt. Her
usually belonged to his consort and his
cult is believed to have been centered
son. These three rooms were the most
at Heliopolis.
sacred parts of the temple.
The legend,"He who enters must
TEMPLES In ancient Egypt the purify four times," was written near
temple was the "mansion of the god," the sacred doors. At Kamak and
and the center of the observances of his Luxor, the Holy of Holies had a second
cult. It was not a place of worship that entrance at the back which served as
belonged to the lay people. access to the storerooms for temple
In predynastic times the image of provisions.
the god of each Egyptian tribe was Apart from the main complex there
enclosed by a reed shelter, which was were other buildings that belonged to
supposed to be the god's home. On the temple —
the storehouses and
either side of the reed hut were poles. houses for the priests. These struc-
By the Third D3aiasty, Egyptians tures were located in the so-called
began to construct stone temples and temple circuit; that is, inside the great
tombs, maintaining the same design of walls, some of which can still be seen
the shelter for the god. This model, in many temple ruins that enclosed a
which continued into later Pharaonic wide circle around the temple. The
and Ptolemaic times, consisted of a buildings of this sacred section, which
sanctuary, hypostyle halls, open were usually constructed of brick,
forecourts, and an enclosing wall with have for the most part succumbed to
the main entrance set into it. time.
The main entrance was flanked by Because it was the center of the cult
two stone towers, or pylons, to which of the god or goddess, the structure and
pennants were attached. Beyond the decoration of the temple were given
pylons was the great court, sur- symbolic meaning by the Egyptians.
rounded by a colonnade of massive pil- The building was believed to have
lars. In the further wall of the court been established at the "First Time";
was the entrance to the hypostyle hall, that is, at creation. Each temple was
a gigantic hall supported by pillars, seen as a symbol of the first temple
and lighted by small windows under built in mythical times, and thought to
the roof. represent the Sacred Island out of
The festivals were celebrated in the which life emerged from the primeval

186
 Ter

ocean. It was here that the god, in the of course remained uneaten by the
form of a hawk, had ahghted on a reed god.
and thus founded his first shrine. The In addition to the regular rites of the
reed temple was then built around the god of the temple were festivals in
god and the island became the center which the people took part. The gods
for his worship. visited each other's temples; their
The scenes painted on the temple statues were carried from one holy
walls, which often depicted the place to another. The most popular of
Pharaoh observing religious duties, these events was the festival of Osiris
were believed to "come alive" by per- held at Abydos, where his life, death,
formance of the ceremony of the and resurrection were reenacted.
"Opening of the Mouth." The rites
were performed when the temple was TEMTU see Nehata.
consecrated and repeated annually.
When all the figures gained life, the TEMU see Tem.
building became sacred, and was be-
lieved to have magical force. TENEN seeTatunen.
Each temple followed a daily ritual.
The Pharaoh, or more often the high TENENET A goddess often iden-
priest who represented the Pharaoh, tifiedwith Isis, sometimes shown with
opened the doors of the innermost the double crown of Upper and Lower
shrine which contained the statue of Egypt. A variant spelling is Tanenet.
the god. He removed the ointments
and clothing of the previous day, then TEPAN A monster serpent in the
censed the statue of the god and dressed fifth section, or hour, of Tuat, the un-
it in new gamients and ointment. derworld. He carries offerings made by
After he had presented the statue with the living to the hawk-headed god
the insignia of its kingship and Seker.
provided it with food, the high priest
left the holy room, closing the door be- TEPI A monster serpent with four
hind him. At the same time, prayers human heads, four breasts, and four
and purificatory censing were offered pairs of hviman arms and legs, found in
by other priests. the ninth section of Tuat, the under-
This ceremony was intended to world.
symbolize the rebirth of the sun and
the resurrection of Osiris. It reestab- TEPUI A two-headed god who ap-
lished the order in the tmiverse, and pears in the eleventh section, or hour,
was performed in the morning, mid- of Tuat, the underworld.
day, and in the evening, when the god
was again presented with food. The TER A two-headed monster serpent
priests later consumed the food which in the fifth section, or hour, of Tuat,

187
Tesert-Ant

the underworld. He guards the Night TETENEN see Tatunen.

Chamber to prevent the entrance of
anyone who threatened to disturb or
TETHYS Greek Titaness identified
destroy the germ of life.
by the Greeks with the Egyptian god-
dess Isis.

THAMOS, KING OF EGYPT

Incidental music by W. A. Mozart to
Von Gebler's play, written in 1779.
The work contains a fine chorus to the
sun: "The night, day's enemy, gives
place to thee, O Svm!"

THAUT see Thoth.

THEBES Greek name for the Upper

Egyptian city of Weset, called No in
the Old Testament, located on the Nile
about 330 miles south of Cairo. Thebes
AlM-l - achieved its importance after the de-
cline of Memphis, and was the capital
of Egypt diu-ing the New Kingdom. In
the Iliad Homer wrote: "Thebes, city

TESERT-ANT see Perit. where rich are the houses in treasure,

a himdred has she of gates. ..."
TET The symbol of Osiris, fre- Two large temple precincts to the

quently found as an amulet, that rep- gods Amen, Kamak and Luxor were
resented "stability" or "durability." placed on the East side of Thebes while
Like the Thet, the symbol of Isis, the many royal funerary temples, as well

wife and sister of Osiris, the Tet asfamous necropolis were located
its

amulet had to be dipped in the water of on the West. The Prophet Jeremiah
ankham flowers. It was laid on the (46:25) spoke against the city:

neck of the deceased to reconstitute The Lord of hosts, the Giod of Israel,
the body and to make it a perfect spirit saith;

in the otherworld. On coffins the right Behold, I will punish the mxiltitude of

No,
hand of the deceased is often shown
and Pharaoh, and Egjrpt,
holding the Thet of Isis, while the left
With their gods, and their kings;
hand holds the Tet of Osiris. Variant Even Pharaoh, and all them that trust
spellings are Ded and Djed. in him.

188
 .

Thoth

THENENET A title of Isis as god- neck of the deceased. Variant spell-

dess of Tuat, the underworld. ings are Tjet or Djet.

THES-HRAU A monster serpent

with a head at each end of its body in
the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
underworld. The serpent wears the
white crown of Egypt on one head, and
the red crown on the other. It has two
pairs of hiiman legs, one turned to-
ward the right and the other toward
the left.

THESU A god who carries a bow in

Thet
the tenth section, or hour, of Tuat, the
imderworld. He helps the sun god Ra
slay his enemies as he travels toward
THETHU A serpent demon men-
tioned in a magical formula of Unas, a
the east.
king of the Fifth D3aiasty

THET The buckle, girdle, or knot of

THOTH Moon god, patron of the
Isis, which may have been a conven-
arts, speech, hieroglyphics, science,
tional representation of the uterus,
and wisdom. He was variously called
with its ligatures, and the vagina. The
the "heart of Ra," the "lord of divine
Thet was often made of camelian, red
words," and the "self-created, to whom
jasper, red glass^ or some other red
none hath given birth, god one."
substance, perhaps to indicate blood.
Thoth was one of the most important
There are also Thet amulets of gold.
Egyptian gods and was believed to be
The spell that accompanied it read:
the author oi the Book of the Dead, in
which he describes himself:
"The blood of Isis, and the strength of
Isis, and the words of power of Isis

shall be mighty to act as powers to "I am Thoth, the excellent scribe,

protect this great and divine being, whose hands are pure; the lord of the
and to guard him from him that would two horns, who makes iniquity to be
do unto him anything that he holdeth destroyed; the scribe of right and
in abomination." truth, who abominates wrongdoing.
... I am Thoth, the lord of right and
According to custom, the Thet, hav- truth, who judges right and truth for
ing first been dipped into water with the gods; the judge of words in their
ankham flowers, was attached to the essence, whose words triumph over vi-

189
Thoth

olence. I have scattered the darkness; I have composed hymns, prayers, and
have driven away the whirlwind and liturgical works, and to have invented
the storm; and I have given the pleas- numbers, the alphabet, reading, writ-
ant breeze of the north wind unto ing, and oratory. In short, he was the
Osiris, the beautiful being, as he came author of every branch of knowledge,
forth from the body of her who gave both human and divine.
"
him birth In Egyptian art Thoth usually ap-
pears in human form with the head of
Thoth was regarded as both the an ibis, although he is sometimes de-
heart and tongue of the great sun god picted entirely as The bird was
an ibis.

Ra. He spoke for the wishes of Ra as him and was associated with
sacred to
when the heavens and earth were the moon, as was Thoth as the mea-
created or when Isis was given the surer of time. He is occasionally
words to revive thedead body of her portrayed as a seated baboon wearing
son Horus, and the sun god's desires the crescent moon upon his head, an
were fulfilled. In the judgment scene image reflecting the belief that Thoth,
in the Book of the Dead, after weighing as the moon god, took the place of Ra,
the words of the deceased, Thoth gives the sun god, while Ra made his jour-
the gods the final verdict on whether a ney through the underworld. When
soul is to be blessed or punished. shown in human form, Thoth holds a
Thoth was also called Tehuti, "the scepter and ankh, emblem of life, ac-
measurer." In this capacity he had the cessories common to all of the gods.
power to grant life to the deceased for His headdress varies according to
millions of years. When the great bat- the form in which he is represented. As
tlebetween Horus and Set took place, the reckoner of time and the seasons,
Thoth acted as the judge, being called Thoth wears the crescent moon and
Wep-rehewy, the "Judge of the two op- disk. At other times he appears in the
ponent gods." During the struggle, he Atef crown or in the united crowns of
gave Isis a cow's head in place of her the South and North of Egypt. In the
own, which had been severed in anger Book of the Dead he is called the
by Horus when Isis saved Set. "scribe of Maat," or justice, and holds
The Greeks identified Thoth with a writing reed and palette. His close
their god Hermes, and they credited connection with the god Ra is indi-

him with inventing astronomy and as- cated when he sometimes carries the
trology, the sciences of numbers and utchat, which symbolized the strength
mathematics, geometry and land sur- of the eye of Ra.
veying, medicine, and botany. Also, Variants of his name are Techu,
they believed he was the first to orga- Techuti, Thaut, Thouth. Thouti,
nize religion and government, and to Dhouti, Zehuti, and Zhouti. Thoth is

establish the rules concerning the the form that the name Djehuti or
worship of the gods. He was said to Zehuti took in Greco-Roman times.

190
 Throne

Thoth

THOUERIS see Taurt. throne. ..." The throne of Horus was

THOUTH AND THOUTI see
Thoth.
THRONE Many Egyptian hymns to
Osiris and to his son Horus emphasize
that Horus inherited his father's
throne. Thus in the Book of the Dead-
there is: "Thy throne hath descended
to thy son Horus" and "Horus, his son,
is seated upon the throne of the
Dweller in the Lake of Fire as an
heir. . Horus is established upon his
. .
the throne of Pharaoh, a living god.
The original throne may have con-
tained relics of the body of Osiris,
which protected Horus and gave him
power. When the first king of Egypt
sat upon it the spirit of Horus, as well
as that of Osiris, protected and in-
spired him. No one could sit upon the
throne of Horus as king without the
god's permission.
In the Boo^ of the Dead the beatified
also possessed throne chambers with
special seats.

191

'Tjaty
TJATY see Vizir.
TJET see Thet.
TOMBS The Egyptians called the
tomb "the everlasting house," and
lieved that the Ka, or double of the
deceased, lived in it as long as it
tained the mummy of the perishable
body.The Ka, which left and reentered
the tomb to refresh itself with meat
and drink, never failed to go back to
the mummy. The Ba, or soul, however,
did not live in the tomb.
The earliest burial sites were simple
pits. The body, wrapped in a red mat,
was placed in a fetal position in an oval
or rectangular pit, and life provisions,
such as tools, jars, food, and so on, were
also placed in the grave. This form of
burial for the poor continued through-
out the ages in Egypt; the rich alone
could afford elaborate tombs.
At the beginning of the Djoiastic
period,it became the custom to bury
the Pharaoh and other nobility in a
sand pit covered with a superstructure
called a mastaba. According to some
—
experts, this feature later developed
into the pyramid, the most elaborate
form of a tomb, and was set aside for
the Pharaoh.
TOUCH, GOD OF see Sia.
TREASURE OF RHAMPSINITUS,
THE Literary folktale told by
Herodotus in his History (Book 2).
Herodotus claimed that it was told to
him by Egyptian priests. The follow-
ing translation is by George Rawlin-
son.
King Rhampsinitus was possessed,
they said, of great riches in silver
indeed to such an amount, that none of
the princes, his successors, surpassed
be- or even equalled his wealth. For the
better custody of this money, he pro-
con- posed to build a vast chamber of hewn
stone, one side of which was to form a
part of the outer wall of his palace. The
builder, therefore, having designs
upon the treasures, contrived, as he
was making the building, to insert in
this wall a stone, which could easily be
removed from its place by two men, or
even by one. So the chamber was
finished, and the king's money stored
away in it. Time passed, and the
builder fell sick, when finding his end
approaching, he called for his two
sons, and related to them the contri-
vance he had made in the king's trea-
sure chamber, telling them it was for
their sakes he had done it, that so they
might always live in affluence. Then
he gave them clear directions concern-
ing the mode of removing the stone,
and communicated the raeasure-
192
 Treasure of Rhampsinitus

merits, bidding them carefully keep When day dawned^ the king came
the secret, whereby they would be into the room, and marvelled greatly
Comptrollers of the Royal Exchequer to see the body of the thief in the trap
so long as they lived. Then the father without a head, while the building was
died, and the sons were not slow in still whole, and neither entrance nor
setting to work: they went by night to exit was to be seen anywhere. In this
the palace, found the stone in the wall perplexity he commanded the body of
of the building, and having removed it the dead man to be hung up outside the
with ease, plundered the treasury of a palace wall, and set a guard to watch
round sum. it, with orders that if any persons were
When the king next paid a visit to seen weeping or lamenting near the
the apartment, he was astonished to place, they should be seized and
see that the money was sunk in some brought before him. When the mother
of the vessels wherein it was stored heard of this exposure of the corpse of
away. Whom to accuse, however, he her son, she took it sorely to heart, and
knew not, as the seals were all perfect, spoke to her surviving child, bidding
and the fastenings of the room secure. him devise some plan or other to get
Still each time that he repeated his back the body, and threatening, that if
visits, he found that more money was he did not exert himself, she would go
gone. The thieves in truth never herself to the king, and denounce him
stopped, but plvmdered the treasury as the robber.
ever more and more. At last the king The son said all he could to persuade
determined to have some traps made, her to let the matter rest, but in vain;
and set near the vessels which con- she still continued to trouble him,
tained his wealth. This was done, and until at last he yielded to her im-
when the thieves came, as usual, to the portiinity,and contrived as follows:
treasure chamber, and one of them Filling some skins with wine, he
entering through the aperture, made loaded them on donkeys, which he
straight for the jars, suddenly he found drove before him till he came to the
himself caught in one of the traps. Per- place where the guards were watching
ceiving that he was lost, he instantly the dead body, when pulling two or
called his brother, and him telling three of the skins toward him, he un-
what had happened, entreated him to some of the necks which dangled
tied
enter as quickly as possible and cut off by the asses' sides. The wine poured
his head, that when
his body should freely out, whereupon he began to beat
be discovered might not be recog-
it his head, and shout with all his might,
nised, which would have the effect of seeming not to know which of the don-
bringing ruin upon both. The other keys he should turn to first. When the
thief thought the advice good, and was guards saw the wine running, de-
persuaded to follow it; — then, fitting lighted to profit by the occasion, they
the stone into he went home,
its place, rushed one and all into the road, each
taking with him his brother's head. with some vessel or other, and caught

193
Treasure of Rhampsinitus

the liquor as it was spilling. The driver comers, but to require every man to
pretended anger, and loaded them tell her what was the cleverest and
with abuse; whereon they did their wickedest thing he had done in the
best to pacify him, until at last he ap- whole course of his life. If any one in
peared to soften, and recover his good reply told her the story of the thief, she
humor, drove his asses aside out of the was to lay hold of him and not allow
road, and set to work to rearrange him to get away. The daughter did as
their burthens; meanwhile, as he her father willed, whereon the thief,

talked and chatted with the guards, who was well aware of the king's mo-
one of them began to rally him, and tive, felt a desire to outdo him in craft
make him laugh, whereupon he gave and cunning. Accordingly he con-
them one of the skins as a gift. They trived the following plan: He procured
now made up their minds to sit down the corpse of a man lately dead, and
and have a drinking bout where they cutting off one of the arms at the
were, so they begged him to remain shoulder, put it vmder his dress, and so
and drink with them. Then the man let went to the king's daughter. When she
himself be persuaded, and stayed. As put the question to him as she had
the drinking went on, they grew very done to all the rest, he replied, that
friendly together, so presently he gave the wickedest thing he had ever done
them another skin, upon which they was cutting off the head of his brother
drank so copiously that they were all when he was caught in a trap in the
overcome with the liquor, and growing king's treasury, and the cleverest was
drowsy lay down, and fell asleep on the making the guards drunk and carry-
spot. The thief waited till it was the ing off the body. As he spoke, the
dead of the night, and then took down princess caught at him, but the thief
the body of his brother; after which, in took advantage of the darkness to hold
mockery, he shaved off the right side of out to her the hand of the corpse. Imag-
all the soldiers' beards, and so left ining it to be his hand, she seized and
them. Laying his brother's body upon held it fast; while the thief, leaving it

the asses, he carried it home to his in her grasp, made his escape by the
mother, having thus accomplished the door.
thing that she had required of him. The king, when word was brought
When it came to the king's ears that him of this fresh success, amazed at
the thief s body was stolen away, he the sagacity and boldness of the man,
was sorely vexed. Wishing, therefore, sent messengers to all the towns in his
whatever might cost, to catch the
it dominions proclaim a free pardon
to

man who had contrived the trick, he
had recourse (the priests said) to an
expedient, which I can scarcely credit.
He sent his own daughter to the com-
mon stews, with orders to admit all
and to promise him a rich
for the thief,
reward, if he came and made himself
known. The thief took the king at his
word, and came boldly into his pres-
ence; whereupon Rhampsinitus, great-

194
 Tuat

ly admiring him, and looking on him Ra passed each evening after his set-

as the most knowing of men, gave him ting, or death, on his journey to that
his daughter in marriage. "The Egyp- portion of the sky where he would ap-
tians," he said, "excelled all the rest pear the next morning. Although gen-
of the world in wisdom, and this man erally called "the underworld," Tuat
excelled all other Egyptians." was not believed to be situated under
the earth but rather away from the
TREES The Egyptians believed earth, in a part of the sky where the
that some deities lived in trees, thus gods resided. Tuat was the realm of the
making those trees sacred. The persea great god Osiris, who reigned over all

tree, for example, was sacred to Ra, the gods of the dead as well as the dead
who, as Mau, in the form of the cat, themselves. It was separated from the
defeated the archserpent of darkness world by a range of mountains that
Apophis at its base. An olive tree at surrounded it and formed a great val-
Heliopolis was sacred to Horus, while ley. On one side the mountains divided
the sycamore was sacred to Ra, the valley from the earth, and on the
Hathor, Isis, and Mut. other side, the valley from the heav-
ens. In Hebrew m3^hology, the blessed
TRIAD Some Egyptian cities wor- are separated from the damned by a
shipped groups of three gods, often wall. And in the New Testament
consisting of the father, mother, and (Luke 16:26), Lazarus is separated
son.Thus a triad of Osiris, Isis, and from Dives in hell by a "great gulf."
Horus might be holy to some areas, Through Tuat ran a river that was
and replaced by Set, Nephthys, and the covmterpart of the Nile in Egypt
Anubis in others. The members of the and of the celestial Nile in heaven, and
many triads varied at different times on each bank of this river lived a vast
and locations. These variations were number of beasts and devils who were
mainly due to the local gods' and god- hostile to any being that invaded the
desses' assimilation of the charac- valley. Tuat was further divided into
teristics of the major deities of Egypt, 12 sections or nomes, each of which
such as Osiris or Isis. corresponded to one of the hours of the
night.
TUAMUTEF One of the four sons of According to one Egyptian text, The
Horus and who guarded the
Isis, Book of Pylons, Tuat is a long, narrow
stomach. He was portrayed as a valley, withsandy slopes, divided into
jackal-headed god. A variant spelling two equal parts by a river on which the
is Duamutef. boat of the sim sails. Each of the 12
sections or nomes, of the valley has its
TUAT The underworld, or "other- own demons, or ordeals, that the de-
world." Tuat was originally merely ceased has to pass in order to be
the place through which the sun god worthy of life with Osiris. This concept

195
Turn

is used in Mozart's opera, The Magic trum, decorated with lapis lazuli and
Flute (1791), in which the hero, all fine stones."

Tamino, undergoes a series of ordeals The wife of the king, Ankhensen-

instigated by the high priest Sarastro, paaten, a daughter of Akhenaten,
to be worthy to praise Isis and Osiris. changed her name to Ankhesenamen
Tuat is sometimes called Ta-djesant after the move to Thebes, indicating
or Ta-tchesert, "the holy land." An- her allegiance to Amen-Ra. The king,
other common name for the abode of who may have been murdered, was
the dead in Egypt was Neter-khertet, succeeded by a minister, Ay. The yovmg
or Khert Neter, or "divine subterra- king was buried and his tomb forgot-
nean place." A variant spelling is Duat. ten.
However, in 1922 Howard Carter
TUM see Tem. and Lord Carnarvon discovered the
tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of
TUTANKHAMEN (c. B.C. 1361- the Kings. The tomb had been un-
1352). Pharaoh, successor of Akhena- touched for thousands of years. Carter
ten, who was his son-in-law (and also wrote:
possibly his son, brother, or close rela-
tive), who reigned for nine years. He It would be difficult to describe our
died at the age of 19. His name was emotions when for the first time the
originally Tutankhaten, or "Gracious lamps
light of our p>owerful electric
of Life is Aten," indicating that he fol- flooded the Chamber, il-
Burial
lowed the beliefs of Akhenaten in his luminating the walls on which were
worship of Aten, the sun disk. How- painted representatives of Amentit,
ever, he changed his name to Tutank- the catafalque drawn on a sled by the
hamen, or "the Living image of King Ay be-
chief nobles of the land.
Amen," after he came to rule, and fore the Osiride Tutankhamen and

under the direction of the Theban lighting up the immense shrine over-
priests restored the worship of the old laid with gold. . . .

god Amen-Ra.
Tutankhamen left the capital of The story "King
of the discovery of
Akhenaten and returned his court to Tut's tomb," as became known, was
it

Thebes, the city of Amen. An inscrip- published by Carter between 1923 and
tion ascribed to him reads: "I found the 1933. The entrance to the tomb had
temples fallen into ruin, with their been concealed under the remains of
holy places overthrown, and their ancient workmen's huts near the tomb
courts overgrown with weeds. I recon- of Ramesses VI. Fifteen steps led down
structed their sanctuaries, I re- to a plastered door with traces of the
endowed the temples, and made them seals of kings, including that of
gifts of all precious things. I cast Tutankhamen. The broken seals in-
statues of the gods in gold and elec- dicated that the tomb had been

196
 Two Brothers, Tale of

entered earlier. Behind the door was a been written about B.C. 1225.
passage that led to a second door which Sometimes called Anpu and Bata,
opened on a treasure room in some the names of the two brothers, this
disarray. The thieves had obviously story is modelled arovmd the motif of
come this far. A final door between the the attempted seduction of a virtuous
antechamber and the burial chamber youth by an older married woman.
revealed the large shrine of gilded Other famous examples of this genre
wood, and was as far as the thieves had are the stories of Joseph and
penetrated. Carter and Carnarvon Potiphar's wife in Genesis (39:7-20)
found three more gilded shrines, one and of Hippolj^us and Phaedra in
within the other. They were carefully Greek mythology.
opened. The last door revealed the red Some scholars regard The Tale of
sandstone sarcophagus of the king, Two Brothers as a popular retelling of
vmtouched since the time the tomb had the myth of Anpu (who is more often
been sealed. called Anubis) and Bata, a pastoral
god, whose image was a mum-
cult
TWELVE DIVINE ROWERS mified ram or bull. There is little con-
Twelve gods who assist the sun god sensus about its interpretation, al-
Ra in the ninth section, or hour, of though most experts agree that it was
Tuat, the underworld, as the god intended for entertainment rather
passes in his boat. As they row Ra's than for religious or moral edification.

boat, they splash the spirits who stand The translation by William Flin-
is

on each bank of the river with water ders Petrie in his Egyptian Tales.
from their paddles. The rowers then
lead Ra's soul to the place where he Once there were two brethren, of one
will reanimate tiie sun disk. mother and one father; Anpu was the
name of the elder, and Bata was the
TWINS Many ancient societies name of the younger. Now, as for Anpu
looked upon twins as a ciu-se and de- he had a house, and he had a wife. But
stroyed them. The ancient Egyptians, his little brother was to him as it were
however, had no such hostility; the a son; he it was who made for him his
gods Osiris and Set were believed to be clothes; was who followed behind
he it

twins, as were the goddesses Isis and it was who did

Nephthys. One text of the Eighteenth
Dynasty tells that Horus and Set
"came forth from the belly" at the
same time. These gods were believed
to watch over twins.
TWO BROTHERS, THE TALE OF
Literary folktale, believed to have
his oxen to the fields; he
the ploughing; he it was who har-
vested the com; he it was who did for
him all the matters that were in the
field.Behold, his younger brother
grew to be an excellent worker, there
was not his equal in the whole land;
behold, the spirit of a god was in him.
Now after this the yoimger brother

197
Two Brothers, Tale of

followed his oxen in his daily manner; younger brother, saying, "Haste thou,
and every evening he turned again to bring to us com fi'om the farm." And
the house, laden with all the herbs of the younger brother found the wife of
the field, with milk and with wood, his elder brother, as she was sitting
and with all things of the field. And he tying her hair. He said to her: "Get up,
put them down before his elder and give to me com, that I may run to
brother,who was sitting with his wife; the field, for my elder brother has-
and he drank and ate, and he lay down tened me; do not delay." She said to
in his stable with the cattle. And at the him: "Go, open the bin, and thou shalt
dawn of day he took bread which he take to thyself according to thy will,
had baked, and laid it before his elder that I may not drop my locks of hair
brother; and he took with him his while I dress them."
bread to the field, and he drave his The youth went into the stable; he
cattle to pasture in the fields. And as took a large measure, for he desired to
he walked behind his cattle, they said take much com; he loaded it with
tohim, "Good is the herbage which is wheat and barley; and he went out
in that place"; and he listened to all carrying it. She said to him, "How
that they said, and he took them to the much of the com that is wanted, is that
good place which they desired. And the which is on thy shoulder?" He said to

cattle which were before him became her: "Three bushels of barley, and two
exceeding excellent, and they multi- of wheat, in all five; these are what are
plied greatly. upon my shoulder." Thus said he to
Now at the time of ploughing his her. And she conversed with him, say-
elder brother said unto him: "Let us ing, "There is great strength in thee,
make ready for ourselves a goodly for I see thymight every day." And her
yoke of oxen for ploughing, for the land heart knew him with the knowledge of
has come out fi*om the water, it is fit for youth. And she arose and came to him,
ploughing. Moreover, do thou come to and conversed with him, saying,
the field with com, for we will begin "Come, stay with me, and it shall be
the ploughing in the morrow morn- well for thee, and I will make for thee
ing." Thus said he to him; and his beautiful garments." Then the youth
younger brother did all things as his became like a panther of the south
elder brother had spoken unto him to with fury at the evil speech which she
do them. had made to him; and she feared
And when the mom was come, they greatly. And he spake unto her, say-
went to the fields with their things; ing: "Behold thou art to me as a
and their hearts were pleased exceed- mother, thy husband is to me as a
ingly with their task in the beginning father, for hewho is elder than I has
of their work. And it came to pass after brought me up. What is this wicked-
this that as they were in the field they ness that thou hast said to me? Say it
stopped for com, and he sent his not to me again. For I will not tell it to

198
 Two Brothers, Tale of

any man, for I will not let it be uttered is coming in the evening; £ind I com-
by the mouth of any man." He lifted up plain of these wicked words, for he
his burden, and he went to the field would have done this even in day-
and came to his elder brother; and they light."
took up their work, to labor at their And the elder brother became as a
task. panther of the south; he sharpened his
Now afterward, at eventime, his knife; he took it in his hand; he stood
elder brother was returning to his behind the door of his stable to slay his
house; and the younger brother was younger brother as he came in the
following after his oxen, and he loaded evening to bring his cattle into the
himself with all the things of the field; stable.
and he brought his oxen before him, to Now the sun went down, and he
make them lie down in their stable loaded himself with herbs in his daily
which was in the farm. And behold the manner. He came, and his foremost
wife of the elder brother was afraid for cow entered the stable, and she said to
the words which she had said. She took her keeper, "Behold thou thy elder
a parcel of fat, she became like one who brother standing before thee with his
is evilly beaten, desiring to say to her knife to slay thee; flee from before
husband, "It is thy younger brother him." He heard what his first cow had
who has done Her hus-
this wrong." said; and the next entering, she also
band retiimed in the even, as was his said likewise. He looked beneath the
wont of every day; he came \into his door of the stable; he saw the feet of his
house; he found his wife ill of violence; elder brother; he was standing behind
she did not give him water upon his the door, and his knife was in his hand.
hands as he used to have, she did not He cast down his load to the ground,
make a light before him, his house was and betook himself to flee swiftly; and
in darkness, and she was lying very his elder brother pursued after him
sick. Her husband said to her, "Who with his knife. Then the younger
has spoken with thee?" Behold she brother cried out unto Ra Harakhti,
said: "No one has spoken with me ex- saying, "My good Lord! Thou art he
cept thy younger brother. When he who divides the evil from the good."
came to take for thee com he found me And Ra stood and heard all his cry;
sitting alone; he said to me, 'Come, let and Ra made a wide water between
us stay together, tie up thy hair.' Thus him and his elder brother, and it was
spake he to me. I did not listen to him, full of crocodiles; and the one brother
but thus spake I to him: 'Behold, am I was on one bank, and the other on the
not thy mother, is not thy elder other bank; and the elder brother
brother to thee as a father?' And he smote twice on his hands at not slay-
and he beat me to stop me from
feared, ing him. Thus did he. And the younger
making report to thee, and if thou let- brother called to the elder on the bank,
test him live I shall die. Now behold he saying: "Stand still until the dawn of

199
Two Brothers, Tale of

day; and when Ra ariseth,I shall judge to thy cattle, for I shall not stay in the
with thee before him, and he discem- place where thou art; I am going to the
eth between the good and the evil. valley of the acacia. And now as to
For I shall not be with thee any more what thou shalt do for me; it is even
forever; I shall not be in the place in that thou shalt come to seek after me,
which thou art; I shall go to the valley if thou perceivest a matter, namely,
of the acacia." that there are things happening unto
Now when the land was lightened, me. And what shall come to
this is
and the next day appeared, Ra pass, that Idraw out my soul, and
shall
Harakhti arose, and one looked vmto I shall put it upon the top of the flowers

the other. And the youth spake with of the acacia, and when the acacia is
his elder brother, saying: "Wherefore cut down, and it falls to the ground,
earnest thou after me to slay me in and thou comest to seek for it, if thou
craftiness, when thou didst not hear searchest for it seven years do not let

the words of my mouth? For am thy

I thy heart be wearied. For thou wilt
brother in truth, and thou art to me as find and thou must put it in a cup of
it,

a father, and thy wife even as a cold water,and expect that I shall live
mother: is it not so? Verily, when I was again, that I may make answer to
sent to bring for us com, thy wife said what has been done wrong. And thou
to me, 'Come, stay with me'; for behold shalt know of this, that is to say, that
this has been turned over unto thee things are happening to me, when one
into another wise." And he caused him shall give to thee a cup of beer in thy
to understand of all that happened hand, and it shall be troubled; stay not
with him and his wife. And he swore then, for verily it shall come to pass

an oath by Ra Harakhti, saying, "Thy with thee."

coming to slay me by deceit with thy And the youth went to the valley of
knife was an abomination." Then the the acacia; and his elder brother went
youth took a knife, and cut off of his unto his house; his hand was laid on
flesh, and cast it into the watpr, and his head, and he cast dust on his head;
the fish swallowed it. He failed; he be- he came to his house, and he slew his
came faint; and his elder brother wife, he cast her to the dogs, and he sat
cursed hisown heart greatly; he stood in mourning for his younger brother.
weeping for him afar off; he knew not Now many days after these things,
how to pass over to where his younger the yovmger brother was in the valley
brother was, because of the crocodiles. of the acacia; there was none with him;
And the yoiinger brother called unto he spent his time in hunting the beasts
him, saying: "Whereas thou hast de- of the desert, and he came back in the
vised an evil thing, wilt thou not also even to lie down iinder the acacia,
devise a good thing, even like that which bore his soul upon the topmost
which I would do unto thee? When flower. And after this he built himself
thou goest to thy house thou must look a tower with his own hands, in the

200
 Two Brothers, Tale of

valley of the acacia; it was full of all acacia which was by the side of her
good things, that he might provide for house. Then the sea saw her, and cast
himself a home. its waves up after her. She betook her-

And he went out from his tower, and self to flee from before it. She entered
he met the Nine Gods, who were walk- her house. And the sea called unto the
ing forth to look upon the whole land. acacia, saying, "Oh, would that I could
The Nine Gods talked one with an- seize her!" And the acacia brought a
other, and they said unto him: "Ho! lock from her hair, and the sea carried
Bata, bull of the Nine Gods, art thou it and dropped it in the place
to Egypt,
remaining alone? Thou hast left thy of the fullers of Pharaoh's linen. The
village for the wife of Anpu, thy elder smell of the lock of hair entered into
brother. Behold his wife is slain. Thou the clothes of Pharaoh; and they were
hast given him an answer to all that wroth with the fullers of Pharaoh, say-
was transgressed against thee." And ing, "The smell of ointment is in the
their hearts were vexed for him ex- clothes of Pharaoh." And the people
ceedingly. And Ra Harakhti said to were rebviked every day, they knew
Khnumu, "Behold, frame thou a not what they should do. And the chief
woman for Bata, that he may not re- fuller of Pharaoh walked by the bank,
main alive alone." And Khnimiu made and his heart was very evil within him
forhim a mate to dwell with him. She after the daily quarrel with him. He
was more beautiful in her limbs than stood still, he stood upon the sand
any woman who is in the whole land. opposite to the lock of hair, which was
The essence of every god was in her. in the water, and he made one enter
The seven Hathors came to see her: into the water and bring it to him; and
they said with one mouth, "She will there was found in it a smell, exceed-
die a sharp death." ' ing sweet. He took it to Pharaoh; and
And Bata loved her very exceed- they brought the scribes and the wise
ingly,and she dwelt in his house; he men, and they said unto Pharaoh:
passed his time in hunting the beasts "This lock of hair belongs to a daugh-
of the desert, and brought and laid ter of Ra Harakhti: the essence of
them before her. He said: "Go not out- every god is in her, and it is a tribute to
side, lest the sea seize thee; for I cannot thee from another land. Let messen-
rescue thee from it, for I am a woman gers go to every strange land to seek
like thee; my soul is placed on the head her: and as for the messenger who
of the flower of the acacia; and if an- shall go to the valley of the acacia, let
other find it, I must fight with him." many men go with him to bring her."
And he opened vmto her his heart in all Then said his Majesty, "Excellent ex-
its nature. ceedingly is what has been said to us";

Now after these things Bata went to and they sent them. And many days
hunt in his daily manner. And the after these things the people who were
young girl went to walk under the sent to strange lands came to give re-

201
Two Brothers, Tale of

port unto the King: but there came not which his younger brother lay in the
those wHb went to the valley of the evening. He spent three years in seek-
acacia, for Bata had slain them, but let ing for it, but found it not. And when
one of them return to give a report to he began the fourth year, he desired in
the King. His Majesty sent many men his heart to return into Egypt; he said,
and soldiers, as well as horsemen, to "I will go tomorrow mom." Thus spake
bring her back. And there was a he in his heart.
woman among them, and to her had Now when the land lightened, and
been given in her hand beautiful or- the next day appeared, he was walking
naments of a woman. And the girl tmder the acacia; he was spending his
came back with her, and they rejoiced time in seeking it. And he returned in

over her in the whole land. the evening, and labored at seeking it
And his Majesty loved her exceed- again. He fovmd a seed. He returned
ingly, and raised her to high estate; with Behold this was the soul of his
it.

and he spake unto her that she should younger brother. He brought a cup of
tell him concerning her husband. And cold water, and he cast the seed into it:

she said, "Let the acacia be cut down, and he sat down, as he was wont. Now
and let one chop it up." And they sent when the night came his soul sucked
men and with their weapons
soldiers up the water; Bata shuddered in all his
to cut down the acacia; and they came limbs, and he looked on his elder
to the acacia, and they cut the flower brother; his soul was in the cup. Then
upon which was the soul of Bata, and Anpu took the cup of cold water, in
he felldead suddenly. which the soul of his younger brother
And when the next day came, and was; Bata drank it, his soul stood
the earth was lightened, the acacia again in its place, and he became as he
was cut down. And Anpu, the elder had been. They embraced each other,
brother of Bata, entered his house, and and they conversed together.
washed his hands; and one gave him a And Bata said to his elder brother:
cup of beer, and it became troubled; "Behold I am to become as a great bull,
and one gave him another of wine, and which bears every good mark; no one
the smell of it was evil. Then he took knoweth its history, and thou must sit
his staff, and his sandals, and likewise upon my back. When the sim arises I
his clothes, with his weapons of war; shall be in the place where my wife is,

and he betook himself forth to the val- that I may return answer to her; and
ley of the acacia. He entered the tower thou must take me to the place where
of his yovmger brother, and he fovmd the King is. For all good things shall

him was dead.

lying upon his mat; he be done for thee; for one shall lade thee
And he wept when he saw his yoimger with silver and gold, because thou
brother verily lying dead. And he went bringest me to Pharaoh, for I become a
out to seek the soul of his younger great marvel, and they shall rejoice for
brother tmder the acacia tree, under me in all the land. And thou shalt

202
 Two Brothers, Tale of

go to thy village." will obey it for thy sake.' " He hear-

And when the land was lightened, kened unto all that she said, even this.
and the next day appeared, Bata be- "Let me eat of the liver of the ox, be-
came in the form which he had told to cause he is fit for naught." Thus spake
his elder brother. And Anpu sat upon she to him. And the King was exceed-
his back iintil the dawn. He came to ing sad at her words, the heart of
the place where the King was, and Pharaoh grieved him greatly. And
they made his Majesty to know of him; after the land was lightened, and the
he saw him, and he was exceeding joy- next day appeared, they proclaimed a
ful with him. He made for him great great feast with offerings to the ox.
offerings, saying, "This is a great won- And the King sent one of the chief
der which has come to pass." There butchers of his Majesty, to cause the ox
were rejoicings over him in the whole to be sacrificed. And when he was sac-

land. They presented imto him silver
and gold for his elder brother, who
went and stayed in his village. They
gave to the bull many men and many
things, and Pharaoh loved him exceed-
rificed, as he was upon the shoulders of
the people, he shook his neck, and he
threw two drops of blood over against
the two doors of his Majesty. The one
fell upon the one side, on the great door

ingly above all that is in this land. of Pharaoh, and the other upon the
And after many days after these other door. They grew as two great
things, the bull entered the purified Persea trees, and each of them was
place; he stood in the place where the excellent.

princess was; he began to speak with And one went to tell unto his
her, saying, "Behold, I am alive in- Majesty, "Two great Persea trees have
deed." And she said to him, "And, grown, as a great marvel of his
pray, who art tho\i?" He said to her, "I Majesty, in the night by the side of the
am Bata. I perceived when thou great gate of his Majesty." And there
causedst that they should destroy the was rejoicing for them in all the land,
acacia of Pharaoh, which was my and there were offerings made to
abode, that I might not be suffered to them.
live. Behold, I am alive indeed, I am as And when the days were multiplied
an ox." Then the princess feared ex- after these things, his Majesty was
ceedingly for the words that her hus- adorned with the blue crown, with gar-
band had spoken to her. And he went lands of flowers on his neck, and he
out from the ptirified place. was upon the chariot of pale gold, and
And his Majesty was sitting, mak- he went out from the palace to behold
ing a good day with her: she was at the the Persea trees: the princess also was
table of his Majesty, and the King was going out with horses behind his
exceeding pleased with her. And she Majesty. And his Majesty sat beneath
said to his Majesty, "Swear to me by one of the Persea trees, and it spake
God, saying, 'What thou shalt say, I thus with his wife: "Oh thou deceitful

203
Two Brothers, Tale of

one, I am Bata, I am alive, though I at that moment, and the King raised
have been evilly entreated. knew
I him to be the royal son of Kush.
who caused the acacia to be cut down Now after the days had multiplied
by Pharaoh at my dwelling. I then be- after these things, his Majesty made
came an ox, and thou causedst that I him heir of all the land. And many
should be killed." days after that, when he had fiolfilled
And many days after these things many years as heir, his Majesty flew
the princess stood at the table of up to heaven. And the heir said, "Let
Pharaoh, and the King was pleased my great nobles of his Majesty be
with her. And she said to his Majesty, brought before me, that I may make
"Swear to me by God, saying, 'That them to know all that has happened to
which the princess shall say to me I me." And they brought also before him
will obey it for her.' " And he hear- his wife, and he judged with her before
kened imto all she said. And he com- him, and they agreed with him. They
manded, "Let these two Persea trees brought to him his elder brother; he
be cut down, and let them be made into made him hereditary prince in all his
goodly planks." And he hearkened land. He was thirty years King of
unto all she said. And after this his Egypt, and he died, and his elder
Majesty sent skilful craftsmen, and brother stood in his place on the day of
they cut down the Persea trees of biirial.

Pharaoh; and the princess, the royal

Excellently finished in peace, for the
wife, was standing looking on, and
Ka of the scribe of the treasury Kagabu,
they did all that was in her heart unto
of the treasury of Pharaoh, and for the
the trees. But a chip flew up, and it
scribe Hora, and Meremapt.
the scribe
entered into the mouth of the princess;
Written by the scribe Anena, the owner
she swallowed it, and after many days
of this roll. He who speaks against this
she bore a son. And one went to tell his
roll, may Tahuti smite him.
Majesty, "There is bom to thee a son."
And they brought him, and gave to
him a nurse and servants; and there TYPHON Greek monster giant
were rejoicings in the whole land. And identified by the Greeks with the evil
the King sat making a merry day, as Egyptian god Set. In Isis and Osiris

they were about the naming of him, Plutarch calls the god Typhon rather
and his Majesty loved him exceedingly than Set.

204
 —

u
UAB see Priests. Fifth Dynasty said to be the son of the
god Tem. Unas became great by eating
UADJ Amulet in the form of a bud- the flesh of both his enemies and the
ding papyrus shoot. The Uadj was gods. He ate the largest and finest of
placed on the neck of the mummy to the gods at daybreak, the smaller-
confer renewed youth and virility and the smallest
sized gods at siuiset,
qualities the papyrus plant was at night. Those gods who were
old and
thought to possess — on the deceased. worn out (Egyptian gods aged and
The papyrus was the symbol of Lower died) were used as fuel for Unas's fur-
Egypt. A variant spelling is Wadjet. nace. After eating the gods, and ab-
sorbing their power and spirits, he
UATCHET see Buto. journeyed through the day and night
sky and became the star Sahu, or Or-
UATCH-URA see Buto. ion. Variant spellings are Unus, Unis,
and Onnos.
UDJAT see Ulichat.
UNDERWORLD, THE see Tuat.
UEB see Priests.
UNG A god who appears in some
UENNOFRE see Unnefer. texts as a "son of the solar deity," or as
a messenger of the gods. He is also

UFA A serpent demon mentioned in identified with Shu, or with Osiris.

a magical formula of Unas, a king of
the Fifth Dynasty. UNIS see Unas.

UKHUKH God worshipped near the UNNEFER A title applied to Osiris,

site of the modem Meir. His symbol meaning "he who is continually
was a staff decorated with two feathers happy," in his role as god of resurrec-
and two serpents. tion. Other spellings are Wenenefer,
Wenen-nefer, Unnofre, and Onno-
UNAS Deified Egyptian king of the phris.

205
Unnet

Ur-Uatchti

UNNET see Wenut. ples as a warning to anyone who would

enter.
UNUS see Unas.
UR-HEKA A god portrayed either
UPPER EGYPT Term used for the as a man whose name
or a serpent,
southern part of Egj^it, once a sepa- means, "great in magic."
rate state. It was often called the
White Land or the South. Its crown UR-MER see Apis.
was a white conical shape, its flower
the lotus, its protective god Set, and its URS see Weres.
protective goddess Nekhebet, the vul-
ture goddess. The ancient capital was URSHU Egyptian word that means
Nekheb. "the watchers," and may have been
used for a group of well-known gods
UPSET A goddess often identified who "watched over" and protected
with Isis and other goddesses wor- cities. Some scholars believe Urshu re-

shipped at Philae. fers to lesser beings, messengers of the

gods, instead of the gods themselves.
UPUAUT see Wepwawet.
URT One of the four earthly forms of
UPWAUT see Wepwawet. Osiris in the sixth section, or hour, of
Tuat, the underworld.
URAEUS The divine snake, a
cobra, identified with the goddess UR-UATCHTI A winged sun disk
Buto of Lower Egypt. It appears on the with two uraei — the goddess Nek-
white crown of Lower Egypt. (The vul- hebet on the right, and Buto on the
ture appears on the red crown of Upper According to one myth the disk
left.

Egypt, which is dedicated to the god-
dess Nekhebet.) The Uraeus and the
vulture were represented on the dou-
ble crown of the United Egypt. The
Uraeus appears with many sun gods
since it spits fire to protect the wearer
from his enemies. It is often repeated
on the long friezes on tombs and tem-
was made when the god Horus wished
to protect himself from the evil god
Set. Horus assumed the form of the
winged sun disk and overcame Set.
After the victory the god Thoth de-
creed that the Ur-uatchti should deck
every temple as a protection against
evil.

206
 Utet

USEKH-T Collar amiilet tied to the Maat, who was the personification of
neck of the mummy to give it freedom physical and moral law.
from all possible restraints about the According to one myth, the eye of Ra
neck. A variant spelling is Wesekh. (Tefhut in this version) was separated
from her father Ra and went to live in
USERT A name for the goddess Isis the Nubian desert as a bloodthirsty
as the earth goddess. lion. Ra wanted her back and sent the

god Thoth to persuade her to return.

USHABTI Small statuettes used in On her death, she became the goddess
burial rites by the ancient Egyptians. Hathor, the great deity who repre-
The name means "the answerer," and sented the sky. (In Egyptian mythol-
the figures often are inscribed with ogy the gods often change from one
texts, such as instructions to move form to another.) In a variant of the
sand fi-om East to West. They were not myth, Tefhut was a cat, a form of the
beck and call of the own-
to serve at the goddess Bast, who became a lion when
ers.The Ushabti came into use from she was angry. When the eye of Ra was
the Middle Kingdom and were often removed from the god (the symbol was
made of wood or faience. also given to other sun gods), it was
said that a disturbance occurred in the
UTCHAT The eye of Ra. The con- natural order of the vmiverse, and
cept of the Utchat, or the eye of Ra, when it was returned, the natural
varies from text to text. In the order would be restored. A variant
Pyramid Texts it is identified with the spelling is Udjat.
uraeus viper which spat venom and
fire against the enemies of the sun god.
UTENNU BABOONS The baboons
In later mj^hology it is identified with
who praised the evening sun.
Tefnut, the goddess of moisture and of
the power of sunlight, who was some-
times said to be the daughter of Ra. UTET A god, believed to have been
The Utchat was also identified with worshipped in the form of a heron.

Utchat

207
Vulture

208
 V
VALLEY OF THE KINGS Burial in tombs, to be used for libations of
site of many pharaohs of the New life-giving water.
Kingdom located near Thebes. This
Biban el-
necropolis, called in Arabic VENUS The planet Venus was
Moluk or The Gates of the Kings, is under the protection of the god Osiris.
where the tomb of Tutankhamen was
found. VIZIR Term used for the Egyptian
^orditjaty, the chief minister of Egypt,
subordinate only to the Pharaoh.
VALLEY OF THE NOBLES A
necropolis located near the Valley of
the Kings on the west bank of the Nile.
VULCAN Roman smith or craft
god, which the Romans equated with
The nobility of the New Kingdom were
the Egyptian god, Ptah.
buried here.

VULTURE The Egyptian cult of the

VALLEY OF THE QUEENS A vulture is believed by some scholars to
necropolis situated on the west bank of date from pre-djniastic times since one
the Nile, opposite modem Luxor, of the early titles of the Pharaoh was,
called in Arabic Biban el-Harim, or Nekhebet, or "Lord of the City of the
The Gates of the Women. The bodies of Vulture." The vulture is associated
the queens, wives, and daughters of with Nekhebet, Mut, Neith, and other
the Pharaoh lie here. The most famous deities identified with Nekhebet. Vul-
tomb in the area is that of Rameses II's tures were thought to follow men into
wife, Nefertari. battle, hover over warriors who were
and later to eat their flesh.
to be killed,
VASES Egyptian temples used var- All were believed to be
vultures
ious vessels for their rituals, such as females who became impregnated by
ewers, censers, and small bowls for li- turning their back to the south, or
bations of wine or water. These vases southeast wind, while flying, and
were made of precious metals, though brought forth their yoiing in three
copies made of less costly material, years. The vulture amulet was called
such as the bronze situla, were placed Ner-t.

209
 w
WAB see Priests. WEIGHING OF THE HEART In
one of the most important ceremonies
WADJET see Buto. intheBoo^ of the Dead the heart of the
deceased is weighed against Maat, the

WARBURTON, BISHOP WILLIAM goddess of justice and truth. The de-

(1698-1779) Bishop of Gloucester ceased is led by Anubis into the Judg-
(1773) whose The Divine
work, ment Hall in which Osiris, Isis,
Legation of Moses, was one of the Nephthys, and sometimes Ra, preside
first to state that the Egyptian hiero- along with forty-two judges. He then
glyphs were not mystical pictures, recites theNegative Confession, in
but a form of writing. Warburton was which he says he has not committed
a friend of Alexander Pope and any faults, and in a second confession
defended the poet's Essay on Man. to the forty-twojudges again says he
has committed no crime. If the balance
WAR GOD see Onuris. is not in the deceased's favor, he is

immediately destroyed by a monster,

WAR-MAU Title of chief priest Amam, who waits at the foot of the
which means "great of sight," but scale.

some scholars suggest that it refers to

his privilege, translating as "the
WENEN-NEFER see Unnefer.

greatest (priest) who is permitted to WENENUT Hare- or rabbit-headed

see (the god)." Egyptian gods did not goddess, who usually holds a knife in
reveal themselves to everybody, but each hand, though she is sometimes
only to a select few. shown with the ankh, symbol of life,
and a scepter. Her male counterpart
WATER GODDESS see Anqet. was the hare-headed god Wenenu.

WATERS, PRIMORDIAL see Nun. WENENU Hare- or rabbit-headed

god, identified in some texts as a form
WEAVING, GODDESS OF see of Osiris. His female counterpart is

Tait. Wenenut.

211
Wenut

his warlike image appeared on one of

the four sacred standards of Pharaoh,
which preceded the king on his march
to the palace chapel. In later times
Wepwawet was often confused with
Anubis and considered a god of the
dead. According to one myth he shared
the function of bringing the dead
through the underworld to the king-
dom of Osiris with the jackal-headed
Anubis. Wepwawet was sometimes
depicted piloting the sun's boat during
its night voyage. Variant spellings of
his name are Ap-uat, Upuaut, Up-
waut, and Ophois Wepwawet.

WERET HEKAU The goddess of

magic, whose name means "great of
magic."

WERES Headrest or pillow amulet

placed under the neck of the mummy
to prevent its decapitation in Tuat, the
underworld. The text on the amulet
reads: "Their enemies shall have no
Wenenut
power to cut off the heads of the de-
ceased, but the deceased shall cut off
the heads of their enemies." A variant
WENUT Goddess of the hours, de- spelling is Urs.
picted as a woman with a star upon her
head. A variant spelUng is Unnet. WER-MER see Mnevis.

WEP-REHEWY A name for the god WESET Egyptian name for the city

Thoth meaning "Judge of the two op- in Upper Egypt which the Greeks
ponent gods." It refers to Thoth's role called Thebes, and which is called No
as judge in the strife between the gods in the Old Testament.
Horus and Set for control of Egypt.
WEST, LAND OF see Amentet.
WEPWAWET A wolf god whose
name means "the opener of the ways." WEST WIND, GOD OF see Hutch-
He guided his followers into battle and aiui.

212
 Wisdom Literature

WHITE see Colors. shown surrounding the Pharaoh with

her wings, again a sign of protection.
WHITE CROWN see Crowns. At times other goddesses are also de-
picted with wings.
WIGS Ceremonial wigs, made of
human hair and vegetable fiber, were WISDOM, GOD OF see Thoth.
often used by the ancient Egyptians.
Their importance in daily Egyptian WISDOM LITERATURE Name
life is reflected by the fact that among given to "wise sayings" and proverbs
the many artifacts placed in tombs, in Near Eastern literature, such as the
there are numerous boxes containing Book of Proverbs in the Old Testa-
wigs. ment. They were valued by the Egyp-
tians, like the Hebrews, and gathered
WINDS, GODS OF The gods of the into many collections. In I Kings (4:30)
four winds were Qebui, the north it is "And Solomon's wisdom
written:
wind, Shehbui, the south wind, Hen- excelled the wisdom of all the children
khisesui, the east wind, and Hutch- of the east country, and all the wisdom
aiui, the west wind. of Egypt." This verse indicates that
ancient Egyptian wisdom literature
WINE According to Egyptian my- was highly regarded and respected in
thology wine came from the divine the ancient world.
eyes of the god Horus. Wine was used It is not known for certain whether
as part of the daily diet, and also in ancient Egypt had any direct effect on
ritual, sincemen, as well as the gods the Hebrew Bible, though there are
and the departed, needed wine. Both striking similarities between the He-
Set and Hathorwere worshipped in brew Book of Proverbs and The Teach-
the areas of Egypt that produced the ings ofAmen-em-ope. Proverbs (22:17)
best wines and were thus regarded as says:
its deities.
Bow down thine ear, and hear the
words of the wise,
WINGED SUN DISK SYMBOL And apply thine heart unto my
see Ur-uatchti. knowledge.

The Teachings of Amen-em-ope says:

WINGS Wings often appear in
Give thine ear, and hear what I say,
Egyptian art as a symbol of protection.
And apply thine heart to apprehend.
Isis, in the shrine of Tutankhamen, is
portrayed with massive wings, to in- Proverbs (23:4-5) says:
dicate that she is the Great
Labor not to be rich:
Enchantress. One myth claims that
Cease from thine own wisdom.
she gives breath to the dead with her Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that
wings. The goddess is frequently which is not?

213
Wolf

For riches certainly make themselves WOLF The wolf was often confused
wings; with the jackal and the dog in ancient
They fly away as an eagle toward
Egypt. One city, Wolf
Lycopolis, or
heaven.
City, has a shrine Horus
to the gods
and Set, who were believed to have
The Teachings of Amen-em-ope says:
taken the form of wolves to fight one
Toil not after riches;
another, as well as a shrine to the
If stolengoods are brought to thee, god Wepwawet.
For wealth maketh to itself wings,
Like an eagle that flieth heavenwards.
WTENNU Title meaning "The
Spirits of Heaven" and found in sev-
These are but two similar proverbs, eral Egyptian texts. In one, of Pepi II,

though both works show many exam- it says that Pepi gives "orders to the
ples of the same thoughts. Wteimu."

214
 Y Z
YEAR, GODDESS OF THE see ZEUS Greek sky god, king of the
Renpet. gods, identified by the Greeks with the
Egyptian god Amen-Ra.
YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)
British doctor who discovered that the
cartouches in hieroglyphic inscrip-
ZHOUTI see Thoth.
tions contained the names of the
Egyptian rulers. The results of his
study were published in the article on
Egypt which he wrote for the 1819 edi- ZOOLATRY The worship of ani-
tion of the Encylopaedia Britannica.
mals as gods. Both the Greeks and the
However, Young mistakenly believed Romans believed that the Egyptian
worship of animals was central to
that the names of rulers were the only
their religion. This concept is foxmd in
hieroglyphs to possess phonetic val-
ues. His work set the stage for the dis-
Juvenal's fifteenth satire. On the At-

coveries of Jean- Franpois Champol- rocities of Egypt, in which he attacks

lion.
the Egyptians for avoiding animal
flesh because of sacred beliefs but not

ZAUBERFLOTE, DIE German applying this principle to the eating of

opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, human flesh.

with a libretto by Johann E manual

Schikaneder, known in English as
The Magic Flute. The work was first ZOSER A king of the Third Dy-
performed in 1791 and takes place in nasty who had the Step Pyramid at
ancient Egypt. It uses both mythologi- Sakkara built by his minister, Im-
cal and Masonic symbolism. Act II hotep. The oldest of the pyramids, it is
contains the great bass aria, "O Isis surrounded by a complex of buildings,
und Osiris" in honor of two of Egypt's as well as a stone wall. This is believed
most famous gods. to be the first complex in which
dressed stone was used. Zoser is also

ZEHUTI see Thoth. spelled Djeser.

215
ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Many books cited in the Annotated Bibliography are available in differ-

ent editions, especially the earlier books on Egyptian mythology. When a
reprint edition has been used it is so cited.

Those books marked with an * are recommended.

*Aldred, Cyril. The Development of * Jewels of the Pharaohs. New

Ancient Egyptian Art. London: Alec York: Praeger, 1971. A study of
Tiranti, 1952. A study of Eg3T)tian Egyptian jewelry of the D5mastic
art from B.C. 3200-1315. Numer- period. Illustrated. Bibliography.
ous illustrations with descriptive Index.
notes. No index.
*Baker, Hollis S. Furniture in the An-
* Akhenaten: Pharaoh of Egypt cient World. New York: Macmillan,
—A New Study. New York: 1966. A fully illustrated book cover-
ing ancient furniture and Egyptian
McGraw-Hill, 1968. An illustrated
art works. Valuable for the back-
study of a complex figure which
grovmd on Egyptian life. Scale draw-
deromanticizes the general nine-
ings of some of the furniture are con-
teenth-century opinion of Akhen-
tained in the notes. Index.
aten as a religious revolution-
ary and places him as part of his Barocas, Claudio. Monuments of
times. Some of the results of the Civilization: Egypt. New York:
study are quite interesting and of Grosset & Dunlap (Madison Square
great value to offset the standard Press), 1972. Colorful book covering
approach. It is one of the few books various periods of Egyptian art.
to mention Akhenaten's homosexu- Index.
ality. Chronology. Notes. Select bib-
liography. List of illustrations. In- *Bell, H. Idris. Cults and Creeds in
dex. Graeco-Roman Egypt. Chicago: Ar-

219
Bibliography

gonaut, 1953. The relationship be- cient Egypt with numerous illustra-
tween Egyptian reUgion and early tions. Dated, but still excellent read-
Christianity is explored in this ing in parts. Index.
work. Contains select bibliography.
Index. Brodrick, M., and Morton, A. Ander-
son. A Concise Dictionary of Egyp-
*Boylan, Patrick. Thoth: The Hermes tian Archaeology. New York: Dut-
ofEgypt. London: Oxford University ton, 1902. A handbook for students
Press, 1922. A full study of the god and travelers covering different
Thoth and his various roles. No in- aspects of ancient Egypt. Bibliogra-
dex. phy.

Bradford, Ernie. Cleopatra. New York: Bromage, Bernard. The Occult Arts of
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972.
Ancient Egypt. London: Aquarian
Beautifully written and illustrated
Press, 1960. A study of the magical
life of Cleopatra. Select bibliogra-
side of Egyptian beliefs. No index.
phy. Index.

Bryan, Cyril P. (trans.). Ancient Egyp-

Brandon, S. G. F. Religion in Ancient
tian Medicine: The Papyrus Ebers.
History. New York: Scribner's, 1969.
Chicago: Ares, 1930. An important
A collection of essays, two of which,
work dealing with medicine and
"Osiris, the Royal Mortuary God of
magic, translated from the German
Egypt," and "Akhenaten, the Here-
edition of the Egyptian text, with an
tic King of Egypt," deal with Egypt.
introduction by G. Elliot Smith. Il-
Illustrated. Annotated bibliogra-
lustrated. No index.
phy. Index.

*Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Budge, E. A. Wallis. Legends of the

Records of Egypt: The Historical Gods. London: Kegan Paul, Trench,

Documents. Chicago: University of Trubner, 1912. A translation, along

Chicago Press, 1905. A massive with original Egyptian texts, of

four- volume work covering the First
m5^hs of ancient Egypt in transla-
through Sixteenth Dynasties. tion. Illustrated. No index.

Development of Religion and

.
Amulets and Talismans. New
Thought in Ancient Egypt. New York: University Books, 1961. A re-
York: Scribner's, 1912. Early study titled edition of Budge's work,
covering various aspects of Egyp- Amulets and Superstitions. An ex-

tian belief. Index. tensive chapter is devoted to Egyp-

tian amulets, but it must be read
A History ofEgypt. New York: with caution, since it is inaccurate
Scribner's, 1905. Classic study of an- in many details. Index.

220
 Bibliography

Egyptian Magic. New York: The Gods of the Egyptians, or

University Books, (n.d.). Reprint of Studies in Egyptian Mythology. New
a work published in London in 1900 York: Dover, 1969. A two-volume
which deals with various aspects of (reprint of the original 1904 edition)
Egyptian belief with emphasis on study of Egypt's deities by the one-
magic, amulets, and ceremonies. Il- time Keeper of Egyptian and Assy-
lustrated. No index. rian Antiquities in the British
Museum. The work contains many
From Fetish to God in Ancient translations of texts, but is in many
Egypt. London: Oxford University cases outdated. It is very poorly ar-

Press, 1934. A full study with trans- ranged and often contradicts itself
lations from various texts. Illus- from one section to another. Budge's
trated. Index. transliteration of Egj^tian names
differs in many cases from the sys-
Egyptian Religion. New tem used in his edition of the Boo^ of
York: Bell, (n.d.). Reprint of a work the Dead, making any comparison
published in London in 1900 that difficult. Index.
deals with various aspects of Egyp-
tian belief with emphasis on life
Tutankhamen: Amenism,
after death. The present volume
Atenism and Egyptian Monotheism.
contains more illustrations than the
New York: Bell, (n.d.). Reprint of a
original edition as well as a new in-
work originally published in Lon-
troduction. No index.
don in 1923 just after the discovery
of Tutankhamen's tomb. It deals
Book of the Dead: The Hiero-
with the king and the cults of Amen
glyphic Transcript of the Papyrus of
and Aten. It contains many transla-
Ani. New York: University Books,
tions of hymn texts as well as illus-
1960. A reissue of the Medici Society
trations. Index.
edition of 1913which takes into ac-
count Budge's 1890, 1894, and 1913
editions of the work. The work is a Carter, Howard. The Tomb of Tutan-
major source book but difficult to khamen. New York: Button (Ex-
read, since it is not a narrative, but a calibur Books), 1972. The original
list and formulas which
of rubrics edition of this book appeared in
allude to myths. Budge often con- three volumes: Volume 1 was writ-
tradicts his writing in The Gods of ten by Carter and A. C. Mace, and
the Egyptians (1904). In addition published in 1923; Volume 2 came
transliteration of the Egyptian out in 1927 and Volume 3 in 1933.
names varies in both books, making The present edition omits prefaces
it difficult for the reader to sort out to each of the three volumes as well
the various deities. Index. as the biographical sketch of Lord

221
Bibliography

Carnarvon by Lady Burghclere, his Elgood, P. G. The Ptolemies of Egypt.

daughter. Illustrated. Short index. Bristol: Arrowsmith, 1938. A book
for the general reader covering an
*Cemy, Jaroslav. Ancient Egyptian important part of Egj^jtian history.
Religion. London: Hutchinson, 1952. Index.
Short study covering many aspects
of ancient Egyptian belief. Bibliog- *Erman, Adolf. A Handbook of Egyp-
raphy. Index. tian Religion. London: Constable,
1907. A cool, critical approach to the
Clark, R. T. Rundle. Myth and Symbol subject, which served as a guide to
in Ancient Egypt. London: Thames the Egyptian collection in the Berlin
and Hudson, 1959. Mythological Museum. Contains many line draw-
symbols such as the eye, the lotus,
ings. The work was translated from
and so forth are discussed. Illus- the German by A. S. Griffith. Short
trated. Notes. Index. index.

Cottrell, Leonard. Egypt. London:

Nicholas Vane, 1966.
of Egypt with many
trations. Short index.
* Life in Ancient Egypt. New
A short study
York: Dover, 1971. One of the classic
full-color illus-
studies done in 1894 of ancient
Egyptian society by the great Ger-

The Mountains of Pharaoh.

man scholar and translated by H. M.
Tirard. The work covers every as-
New York: Holt, Rinehart and
pect of Egyptian life with numerous
Winston, 1956. A study of the
illustrations. It suffers, however,
pyramids with a short chapter on
from Erman's extremely cool ap-
Egyptian religion. Short bibliogra-
proach, and he often dismisses those
phy. No index.
concepts which go against his ra-
tionalistic thought. This is a reprint
David, A. Rosalie. The Egyptian
of the 1894 editionand contains a
Kingdoms. New York: Button
A fully il- new introduction by Jon Manchip
(Elsevier Phaidon), 1975.
White. Index is quite useful.
lustrated study of various aspects of
Egyptian civilization. Glossary. In-

dex. '
Fagan, Brian M. The Rape of the Nile:
Tomb Robbers, Tourists, and Ar-
*De Cenival, Jean-Louis. Living Ar- chaeologists in Egypt. New York;
chitecture: Egyptian. New York: Scribner's, 1975. A fascinating book
Grosset & Dunlap, 1964. An excel- covering one of the most interesting
lent guide with brilliant illustra- facets of Egypt. The work is fully
tions of the architecture of ancient illustrated, well written, and enjoy-
Egypt. Preface by Marcel Breuer. able. Contains a chronology of an-
Bibliography. Index. cient Egypt. Index.

222
 Bibliography

Fairman, H. W. (trans.). The Triumph and Sethe, Kurt. Egyptian

ofHorus. London: Batsford, 1974. A Letters to the Dead. London: Egypt
play based on the texts fovind at the Exploration Society, 1928. The orig-
Temple of Horus at Edfu. It tells of inal text with translation into
the battle between Horus and Set. English and commentary.
Notes. Bibliography. Glossary. No
index. (trans.). The Admonitions of

an Egyptian Sage. Hildesheim:

Faulkner, R. O. (trans.). The Ancient
George 01ms Verlag, 1969. Reprint
Egyptian Coffin Texts. Warminster:
of the 1909 edition of a translation of
Aris & Phillips, 1973. Important
a Hieratic Papyrus in Leiden. Con-
texts dating from the Middle King- and
tains original text, translation,
dom which were inscribed inside the commentary.
large rectangular wooden coffins
used for interring the wealthy. No
- . Egyptian Grammar. Oxford:
index.
Clarendon Press, 1927. An intro-

The Ancient Egyptian duction to the study of hieroglyphs.

Pyramid Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Egyptian-English vocabulary. In-

dex.
Press, 1969. A translation with var-
ious indexes on divinities and lo-

calities. Garstang, John. The Burial Customs

of Ancient Egypt. London: Consta-
* Frankfort, Henri. Ancient Egyptian ble, 1907. An illustrated study of
Religion. New York: Harper Torch- tombs from the Middle Kingdom.
books, 1961. A short interesting Index.
work originally published in 1948
that attempts to see the unity be-
*Ghalioungui, Paul. Magic and Medi-
tween Egyptian mythology and re-
cal Science in Ancient Egypt. Lon-
ligion. The author often has a good
don: Hodder and Stoughton, 1963. A
line of reasoning, but often stretches
study of magic and medicine as
a point and ignores those facts that
practiced in ancient Egypt. Index.
would weaken his arguments. The
reproductions of art works in this
Glanville, S. R. K. (ed.). The Legacy of
edition are quite poor. Index.
Egypt. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Gardiner, Alan H. Egypt of the 1942. A collection of essays by vari-
Pharaohs: An Introduction. Oxford: ous writers treating different as-
Clarendon Press, 1961. Although pects of Egjrptian life such as art,

called an introduction the work is science, and medicine. A chapter

over 400 pages. It contains a deals with Egypt and Israel but
chronology of Egyptian history. Il- there is nothing on ancient Egyp-
lustrated. Index. tian religion or mythology. Index.

223
Bibliography

*Godolphin, Francis R. B. (ed.). The 1910. A two- volume edition of the

Greek Historians. New York: Ran- classic translation by George Raw-
dom House, 1942. A two-volume linson done in the nineteenth cen-
work that contains the complete tury. Notes.
text of Herodotus as translated by
George Rawlinson. Notes. Index. * Hogarth, James (trans.). Nagel's
Encylopedia-Guide: Egypt. Greneva:
Barrow, Pyramid
Grinsell, Leslie V. Nagel, 1972. The most complete
and Tomb. London: Thames and guide to present-day Egypt with
Hudson, 1975. A study of ancient coverage of all the ancient sites. In-

burial customs in Egypt, the dex.

Mediterranean, and the British
Isles with 150 illustrations. Index. Egyptian Mythology.
Ions, Veronica.
London: Hamlyn, 1965. A fully-
Guirand, Felix (ed.). New Larousse
illustrated study of the deities and
Encyclopedia of Mythology. London:
beliefs of ancient Egypt. Index.
Prometheus, 1968. Contains a fully
illustrated section on ancient Egypt
* James, T. G. H. Myths and Legends of
by J. Viaud. Index.
Ancient Egypt. New York: Grosset &
Dunlap, 1971. Popular retelling of
Hawkes, Jacquetta.Pharaohs of
various myths with contemporary
Egypt. New York: American Heri-
illustrations in color. Index.
tage and Harper & Row, 1965. A
popular study, with numerous il-
lustrations, some in color, of various
Juvenal and Persius. Juvenal and
Persius. London: Loeb Classical Li-
aspects of Egyptian civilization.
Short reading list. Index. brary, 1918. An edition of the sat-
ires of Juvenal and Persius in the
Herodotus. The Famous History of original Latin with an English prose
Herodotus. New York: Knopf, 1924. translation by G. G. Ramsay. The
fifteenth satire, called in this trans-
An edition of the translation by
"B.R." originally published in 1584.
lation "An Egyptian Atrocity,"

It is part of the Tudor Translations deals with Egyptian beliefs and re-
ligion. Introduction. Notes. Index.
series and has an introduction by
Leonard Whibley. This edition con-
tains only the first two books of the Juvenal. The Satires of Juvenal.
History, but the second covers Bloomington: Indiana University
Egypt. No index. Press, 1958. A very lively transla-
tion of all the satires by Rolfe Hum-
* The History ofHerodotus. New phries. The fifteenth satire,

York: Button (Everyman's Library), entitled "On the Atrocities of

224
 Bibliography

Egypt," presents the Roman view of art ofEgypt with over 300 illustra-
Egyptian religion. tions,some in color, as well as a long
essay, "Gods and Temples," by
* Raster,Joseph. Wings of the Falcon: Eberhard Otto. Extensive notes on
Life and Thought in Ancient Egypt. the plates. Short bibliography. In-
New York: Holt, Rinehart and dex.
Winston, 1968. A lively introduc-
tion to Egypt with modem transla- *Lichtheim, Miriam (ed.). Ancient
tions of various texts as well as Egyptian Literature: A Book of
commentaries. No index. Readings. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1972. A two-
Knight, Alfred E. Amentet. London: volume work covering the Old, Mid-
Longmans, 1915. An alphabetized dle, and New Kingdoms. Indexes.
study covering gods, sacred ani-
mals, amulets, and scarabs. Index. Lindsay, Jack. Men and Gods on the
Roman Nile. New York: Barnes &
Kramer, Samuel Noah (ed.). Myth- Noble, 1968. A study of the religious
ologies of the Ancient World. New beliefs of the late period in Egjrptian
York: Doubleday (Anchor Books), history. Illustrated. Notes. Index.
1961 A study of many different
mythologies with a chapter, Daily Life in Roman Egypt.
"Mythology of Ancient Egypt," by London: Muller, 1963. All aspects of
Rudolf Anthes. Index. life are covered in this important

part of Egyptian history. Illus-

Lane, E. W. Manners and Customs of trated. Notes. Index.
the Modern ;,Egyptians. London:
Dent (Everyman's Library), 1908. Mackenzie, Donald A. Egyptian Myth
An edition of the 1836 book which and Legend. London: Gresham,
has become a classic study of Egyp- (n.d.). Popular retellings of the
tian life. It covers nearly every as- myths, legends, and history of an-
pect including chapters on supersti- cient Egypt. Index.
tions and magic. Some of the beliefs
and customs of nineteenth-century *MacQuitty, William. Island of Isis:
Egyptians can be traced back to an- Philae, Temple of the Nile. New
cient Egypt. Illustrated. Index. York: Scribner's, 1976. A beautifully
illustrated book describing one of
*Lange, Kurt, and Hirmer, Max. the important places of Egyptian
Egypt: Architecture. Sculpture. worship in the ancient world.
Painting in Three Thousand Years. Philae, which was to be flooded
New York: Phaidon, 1956. A large when the Aswan dam was com-
and beautiful volume covering the pleted, contained one of the main

225
Bibliography

centers of the worship of Isis. The Bible with the Apocrypha. New
Egyptian government with the aid York: Oxford University Press,

of UNESCO sponsored the rescue of 1965. An excellent edition of the Re-

the temples, moving them to the vised Standard Version with notes,
neighboring island of Agilkia. The charts, and tables. The various ref-

work has a foreword by T. G. H. erences to Egypt can be explored in

James, Keeper of Eg3T)tian An- the text and notes.
tiquities at the British Museum.
Mendelssohn, Kurt. The Riddle of the
Chronological table. List of princi-
Pyramids. New York: Praeger,
pal gods and goddesses. Further
reading. Index.
1974. A discussion of the pyramids
of Eg5rpt as well as those of Mexico.
Bibliography. Index.
Manetho. Manetho with an English
Translation. London: Loeb Classical
Mercatante, Anthony S. Good and
Library, 1940. A translation of the
New
Evil: Mythology and Folklore.
remaining fragments of Manetho's
York: Harper & Row, 1978. A study
History of Egypt as preserved in the
of good and evil in various
works of such writers as Josephus.
mythologies with the first chapter
Contains original texts, transla-
devoted to ancient Egypt. Illus-
tions, and an introduction. Index.
trated. Annotated bibliography. In-
dex.
Maspero, Gaston. Popular Stories of
Ancient Egypt. New York: Univer-
The Magic Garden. New
sity Books, 1967. A translation from York: Harper & Row, 1976. Covers
the French 1882 edition by A. S.
the myths and folklore of flowers,
Johns. The present edition was orig-
plants, trees, and herbs, with various
inally published in English in 1915.
entries on Egyptian plant life. Illus-
The volume contains seventeen
trated. Annotated bibliography. In-
complete stories and six fragments.
dex.

. .Life in Ancient Egypt and As- Zoo of the Gods: Animals in

syria. New York: Ungar, 1971. A Myth, Legend and Fable. New York:
short overview of life in ancient Harper & Row, 1974. A study of real
Egypt that is a republication of the and imaginary animals in world
1892 English edition ofLectures his- m5rthology and folklore with a fair
toriques: Egypte, Assyrie. Many amount devoted to ancient Egypt.
parts of this work are dated. No in- Illustrated. Aimotated bibliogra-
dex. phy. Index.

May, Herbert G., and Metzger, Bruce Mercer, Samuel A. B. Horus: Royal
M. (eds.). The Oxford Annotated God of Egypt. Society of Oriental

226
 Bibliography

Research, Mass. (n.d.). A full study Murray, 1949. Collection of texts

of the god Horus and the various with a long introduction. Index of
roles he plays in Egyptian belief. In- first lines.

dex.
Patrick, Richard. All Color Book of
The Pyramid Texts.
(trans.). Egyptian Mythology. London: Oc-
New York: Longmans, 1952. A topus, 1972.A very short, full-color
four-volume work of a basic ancient book of Egyptian mythology cover-
Egyptian text. Glossary. Indexes in ing creator gods, centers of religious
the last volume. thought, principal gods, the Lord of
the Two Lands, the afterlife, and
The Religion of Ancient sacred animals. The text is mostly a
Egypt. London: Luzac, 1949. A full series of long captions to the illus-
study covering varying aspects of There is an introduction by
trations.
Egyptian belief. Index. Margaret Drower which is quite
readable. No index.
Meyerowitz, Eva L. R. The Divine
Kingship in Ghana and Ancient Peet, T. Eric. Egypt and the Old Tes-
Egypt. London: Faber & Faber, tament. Liverpool: University Press,
1960. Complex study of the subject 1972. A study of Egypt and its rela-
and its relation to ancient Egypt. tionship to the Old Testament. Bib-
Illustrated. Index. liography. Index.

Montet, Pierre. Eternal Egypt. New Petrie, W. M. Flinders. Religion and

York: New American Library, 1964. Conscience in Ancient Egypt. Lon-
A translation from the French by don: Methuen, 1898. A collection of
Doreen Weightman of a book that lectiires delivered at University
deals with the history and art of an- College, London. No index.
cient Egypt. Maps. Bibliography.
Index. Religious Life in Ancient
Egypt. London: Constable, 1924.
Miiller, W. Max. Egyptian Mythology.
Short study with a chapter on folk
New York: Cooper Square, 1964.
beliefs. Index.
Reprint of part of the thirteen-
volume The Mythology of All Races, Amulets. Warminster: Aris &
originally published in 1918. There Phillips, 1972. Reprint of a work
are many line drawings. This edi- first published in 1914 with a new
tion has extensive notes, but lacks introduction by G. T. Martin. It con-
an index. Bibliography. tains hundreds of illustrations of
various amulets, which are de-
Murray, Margaret A. (ed.). Egyptian scribed and catalogued in the text.
Religious Poetry. London: John Index.

227
Bibliography

Egyptian Tales. New York: * Plutarch. Plutarchs De

Iside Et

Benjamin Blom, 1971. A two- Osiride. University of Wales Press,

volume collection of the translation 1970. Greek text of Plutarch's clas-

of original Egyptian texts published sic Greek study of Egyptian beliefs

in 1899. It contains the well-known with English translation, notes, and

tales as well as extensive notes on commentary by J. Gwyn Griffiths.

the tales. Illustrated by Tristram General index.

Ellis. Index in each volume.
The Religion of Ancient
Egypt. Chicago: Open Court,
A very short study of various aspects
of belief. Index.
Piankoff, Alexandre The
(trans.).
Litany of Re. Bollingen Series XL.4
New York: Pantheon Books, 1964. A
translation of original texts £ind
complete photographic copy of the
reconstructed text of the Litany. In-
dexes.
(trans.). Mythological Papyri.
Bolingen Series XL.3 New York:
Pantheon Books, 1957. A two-
volume work with texts and
rations. A chapter on the sjonbolism
of the papyri by N. Rambova
cluded.
(trans.). The Shrines of Tut-
Plutarch's Morals. London:
Loeb Classical Library, 1935. Vol-
(n.d.).
ume five of the sixteen- volume set
contains the Greek text and English
translation by F. C. Babbitt of /sis
and Osiris, The E at Delphi, The
Oracles at Delphi No Longer Given
in Verse, and The Obsolescence of
Oracles. Index.
Plutarch's Moralia. London:
Bell, 1882. Translation by C. W.
King of Plutarch's essay Onlsis and
Osiris and other essays related to
religion and mythology. Index.
illust- *Pritchard, James B. (ed.). Ancient
Near Eastern Texts Relating to the
is in- Old Testament. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1955. Standard
work dealing with mj^thological
texts of the Near East and contain-

Ankh-Amon. Bollingen Series XL.2 ing many Egyptian works. Transla-

New York: Pantheon Books, 1955. tions are very stiff and designed for

Includes translation and recon- scholars. Numerous notes. Index of

structed texts inscribed on the inte- biblical references. Index of names.

rior and exterior panels of the
shrines, together with the diagrams De Rachewiltz, Boris. An Introduction
of important representations.The to Egyptian Art. London: Spring
work was edited by N. Rambova. Il- Books, 1960. General study with
lustrated. No index. black-and-white illustrations, trans-

228
 Bibliography

lated from the French by R. H. Sayce, A. H. The Religion of Ancient

Boothroyd. Bibliography. Index. Egypt. Edinburgh: Clark, 1913.
Covers major aspects of Egyptian
Rawlinson, George. Ancient Egypt. belief with chapters on animal wor-
New York: Putnam, 1887. Study of ship and the gods. Index.
Egyptian history and life, including
mythology and religion. Illustrated Schafer, Heinrich. Principles of Egyp-
with line drawings. Maps. Index. tian Art. Oxford: Clarendon, 1974. A
translation from the German, edited
Read, F. W. Egyptian Religion and by John Baines, of a study of the
Ethics. London: Watts, 1925. A principles of Egyptian art. Bibliog-
study basically covering religion raphy. Indexes.
and some mythology. No index.
Shorter,Alan W. Everyday Life in An-
Reisner, George Andrew. The Egyp-
cient Egypt. London: Sampson, Low,
tian Conception of Immortality. Marston, (n.d.). A study in which the
London: Constable, 1912. A very
various aspects of daily life are dealt
short study once given as an Inger-
with from Pharaoh to commoner.
soll Lectvire in 1911. No index.
Index.

Reymond, E. A. E. The Mythical Ori-

The Egyptian Gods: A Hand-
gin of the Egyptian Temple. New
book. London: Kegan Paul, Trench,
York: Barnes & Noble, 1969. A full
Trubner, 1937. A short study includ-
study of the subject with illustra-
ing a list of the principal gods. No
tions. Contains indexes of gods, sa-
index.
cred places, Edfu sacred books, and
texts. Index.'
An Introduction to Egyptian
Rugoff, Milton (ed.). A Harvest of Religion. New York: Macmillan,
World Folk Tales. New York: Vik- 1932. Deals with religion in ancient

ing, 1949. A collection of folktales Egypt during the Eighteenth

from around the world including a Dynasty. Illustrations. Index.
selection from ancient Egypt. Index
of sources, editors, and translators. Silverberg, Robert. Akhnaten: The
Rebel Pharaoh. Philadelphia: Chil-
*Saunerson, Serge. The Priests of An- ton, 1964. A popular study of the
cient Egypt. New York: Grove Press, ruler. Illustrated. Index.
1960. Short illustrated study, trans-
lated by Ann Morrissett from the * Simpson, William Kelly. The Litera-
French. Chronological table. No in- ture ofAncient Egypt: An Anthology
dex. of Stories, Instructions and Poetry.

229
Bibbography

New Haven: Yale University Press, Waley-e-dine Sameh. Daily Life in

1972. An excellent anthology of var- Ancient Egypt. New York:
ious texts, many related to Egyptian McGraw-Hill, 1964. A short study
mythology. The translations vary in with niunerous illustrations, some
merit. Notes. Selected bibliography. in color, in translation from the
No index. German by Michael Bullock.
Chronological table. Bibliography.
Smith, G. Elliot. Tutankhamen and No index.
His Tomb by the
the Discovery of
Late Earl of Carnarvon and Mr. New
Waltari, Mika. The Egyptian.
Howard Carter. New York: Rout-
York: Putnam, 1949. A novel set in
ledge, 1923. A study of the event
ancient Egypt, translated by Naomi
with illustrations. No index.
Walford, which tells the life of
Sinuhe. The work was inspired by
* and Warren R. Dawson. Egyp- the ancient Egyptian tale and was
tian Mummies. London: Allen & subsequently made into a motion
Unwin, 1924. An illustrated study picture.
with an appendix covering the tomb
of Tutankhamen and the robberies
at the royal tombs. Index. White, Jon Manchip. Everyday Life in
Ancient Egypt. New York: Putnam,
Tompkins, Peter. Secrets of the Great 1963. A short study with drawings

Pyramid. New York: Harper & Row, by Helen Nixon Fairfield of ancient
1971. An illustrated study of the Egyptian life covering the home,
many of the professions, and private life. Index.
Great Pyramid, with
theories of the past and the present.
"Notes on the Relation of Ancient * Wilkinson, J. Gardner. The Manners
Measures to the Great Pyramid" by
and Customs of the Ancient Egyp-
Livio Catullo Stecchini appears in
tians. London: John Murray, 1878.
the appendix. Glossary of names
A three- volume edition of the classic
and terms. Bibliography. Index.
study published in 1837, with
numerous illustrations, covering
Vandenberg, Philipp. The Curse of the
every aspect of life in ancient Egypt.
Pharaohs. Philadelphia: Lippincott,
1975. A popular recoxuiting of the
modem legend of the "Curse of the Wilson, Epiphanius (ed.). Egyptian
Pharaoh's tomb," translated from Literature. London: Colonial Press,

the German by Thomas Weyr. Illus- 1901. Egyptian hymns,

tales,

trated, and with a bibliography The Book of

litanies, invocations,

made up almost entirely of German the Dead, and other works. The
works. Index. merits of the translations vary.

230
 Bibliography

Wilson, John A. The Burden of Egypt.
Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1951. Called "an interpretion
of Ancient Egyptian culture," the
work discusses various aspects
ancient Egypt. Illustrated. Index.
Wortham, John David. The Genesis of
British Egyptology 1549-1906. Ok-
lahoma City: University of Okla-
homa Press, 1971. A study from the
of sixteenth century to the end of the
nineteenth century. Illustrated.
Notes. Bibliography. Index.

Wiseman, D. J. (ed.). Peoples of Old

*Yoyotte, Jean. Treasures of the
Testament Times. Oxford: Claren-
Pharaohs. New York: Skira, World,
don Press, 1973. A collection of es-
1968. A large, full-color study of art
says by various writers, one on the
covering the Early Period, the New
Hebrews by H. Cazelles and one on
Kingdom, and the Late Period. No
the Egyptians by R. J. Williams.
index.
Chronological chart. Index of bibli-
cal references. Greneral index.
Ziock, Hermann. Guide to Egypt.
Cairo: Lehnert & Landrock, 1965. A
Woldering, Irmgard. The Art of Egypt. guidebook Egypt with
for visitors to

New York: Crown, 1963. A study of a good deal of information on the

all periods of Egyptian art, trans- ancient sites. In many places, how-
lated from the German by Ann E. ever, the book is now somewhat out-
Keep. Glossary. Index. dated. Index.

*'

231
 'f^

Here is a fascinating instant reference guide to the

major gods, goddesses, myths, and themes of Egyptian
mythology. The perfect companion volume to the crit-
ically acclaimed Who's Who in Greek and Roman My-
thology, this book will take its readers from the early
moon god Aah to the Third Dynasty king, Zoser •

There are entries on amulets, mummies, and pyramids;

on the deities Osiris, Isis, and Anubis; on Pharaohs
Amenhotep I, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamen; on
Queen Nefertiti, Alexander the Great, Juvenal, Her-
odotus, and Plutarch; and much more. Unlike almost
any other reference guide ever published. Who's Who
IN Egyptian Mythology is a book for leisurely and
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tices and, in addition, nine complete tales, narrative
works based on folkloric motifs, including The Tale of
Two Brothers, Tales of the Magicians, and The Doomed
Prince. There is endless fascination in every listing and
in the foreword by Dr. Robert S. Bianchi, a noted
Egyptologist from The Brooklyn Museum, a detailed
introduction by Mr. Mercatante, a chronology of Egyp-
tian dynasties, and a complete annotated bibliography.
In its concise and clear entries and its enormous
range of topics and ideas, Who's Who in Egyptian
Mythology offers a feast of information. It is the story
of an ancient society's myths and history and the
mysterious half -human, half -animal deities worshipped
inEgypt for nearly 4,000 years.

Cover illustration by Anthony S. Mercatante

Cover design by Hermann Strohbach ISBN: 0-517-534460