Reading Notes: Ancient Egypt, Part A

Bibliography

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-ancient-egyptian.html

 Ra—King of the gods

Shu—wind god

Tefnut—sends the rain

Seb—Earth god

Nut—Sky goddess

Osiris—god of the dead (eventually)

Set—brother of Osiris

Isis—wife of Osiris (eventually)

 

 

Isis was a mortal woman who wanted to live among the gods. To do this, she made a snake out of the earth and the god’s spit. The serpent bit Ra, causing him to fall to the ground and cry out in pain. Isis came forward and offered to heal him, in return for his secret name (secret names hold a lot of power in Egyptian myths). The god gave her his name, Isis healed him, and Isis was made a goddess because she now shared the power of Ra.

 

As Ra got older, mortals thought that he was getting to old to rule. Hearing this, Ra called Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, and Nu to him. The other gods advised him to send Hathor to punish the mortals. Hathor went to Earth and killed them all. But then Ra felt bad, so he made a trap for Hathor, who was still ‘bathing in the blood of mortals’. Ra filled seven thousand jugs with beer, and left them where he knew Hathor would find them. Hathor got extremely drunk and took no notice of the mortals for the rest of the day. Ra summoned her back to him, and the mortals left offerings for her.

 

The story of Ra’s journey through the Duat.

When Ra ascended to heaven, Osiris took over his throne. He and his consort, Isis, Queen of the gods, brought a new age of peace and prosperity to Egypt. However, Osiris’ brother Set became greedy and jealous, and plotted to kill Osiris. Set had a chest made, to the exact proportions of Osiris’ body, and brought it to a feast of the gods. Set baited Osiris into climbing into the chest, and then he slammed it shut and nailed the lid down. Set’s followers then threw the chest into the Nile. Isis looked for him for ages.

 

Isis gave birth to her and Osiris’ son, Horus. Isis fled from Set and left Horus with another goddess so that she could look for Osiris. She found him in a sacred tree. She took his body, hid it, and went back to Horus. But Set found Osiris. Set cut his body into fourteen pieces and threw them in the Nile, so that the crocodiles would eat them. Isis found the pieces and buried them where they were found. Horus eventually overthrew Set and was named the rightful King by the other gods. Osiris then became the god of the dead.

                                                      Image of Horus

 

The wax crocodile—scribe’s wife cheats on scribe with youth. Scribe finds out and casts a spell. Youth is eaten by a wax crocodile that is given life and follows the scribe’s orders. Pharaoh agrees with this, and orders the wife burned alive and her body thrown into the Nile.

 

The King goes out on the lake with twenty virgins who are signing and rowing him around. One of the girls loses her green jewel in the lake. The scribe parts the waters and gets the jewel. The scribe is rewarded by the King.