Today's Topics: 

NOTE: I have provided the link to Osiris, Isis, and Horus due to ordering delays with some students' coursepackets.

The Destruction of Mankind

The Destruction of Mankind is a story that resembles many from our Mesopotamian unit.  Unlike the first unit's stories where the gods become angry at the noise from the humans, this story shows the gods retaliating against the blasphemy of the people.  Remember that Ra was considered to be old and feeble by the time people are created, so perhaps the new generation of humans never had a chance to get to know this ancient sun god, therefore never fully appreciating him.

Ra gathers together his lesser gods and decides to send out his evil eye in the form of Hathor-Sekhmet.  This character is really a fusion of two other goddesses -- Hathor (a goddess of sexual pleasure) and Sekhmet (goddess of healing).  Both are depicted as lionesses. We will see Hathor alone in the Osiris story.  This force really is Atum's way of collecting all of his earlier, stronger powers, such as like when Ra was the midday sun, blazing brightly in the noon sky.  Condensed into the eye, it travels across the land punishing the people who had previously blasphemed Ra.  The people flee to the mountains for cooler weather.

Ironically, Hathor loves her new power, and she becomes bloodthirsty, like a vampire, terrorizing the people below.  Ra is powerless to stop her, since his force is still embodied in Hathor.  Therefore, he has to resort to trickery.  He instructs his servants to collect mandrake roots, which emit a red color when boiled, and was considered to be an aphrodisiac.  They brew some beer made from the mandrake, and they mix it with blood, and spread it across the land, collecting in vast pools.  When Hathor travels across the land and sees the "blood," she slurps it all up, becomes drunk, and passes out.  Problem solved.

Notice that this is similar to the trick played by Inanna against Enki when she collected the Hole me.  Also, Ea uses cunning tactics as well when he breaks the pledge with the other gods and warns Atrahasis/Utnapishtim by speaking to the reed hut wall during the man's dream.  Tricks such as these might seem "immoral" to many, but they are essential to solve dilemmas of situations where the options are limited or nonexistent.  In essence, Nature always finds a way, and often through the feminine forces of slippery, wavering trickery.  The serpent in the Garden of Eden uses the exact same approach.  Eventually, Atum created the rituals and festivals of the Egyptian holy days by ordaining the day that Hathor was settled down.

But the story doesn't end here.  Atum admits that he himself has become bloodthirsty, and the power trip seems to revitalize him.  He decides to retire to the furthest heavens by ascending higher in the sky riding atop the cow goddess Nut.  The people protest and beg for him to stay, but Ra ascends anyway.

After climbing so high, Nut becomes concerned that she is too far up, so Ra asks the younger gods to support Nut with their bodies to allow her to be far enough away that the people would be forced to admire these deities from a greater distance.  Several diagrams illustrate the model of the Egyptian sky, with the stars of the heavens affixed to Nut's belly.  Notice on this diagram that there are two solar disks.  This shows that the sun journeys through two entry points in Nut's body -- her mouth and her sex organ.  Different versions explain the journey of the sun differently, some stating that the sun enters through the mouth and exits in a birthing posture out the lower end.  Other translations show the sun entering Nut's private areas, to mirror insemination, and exits out her mouth, as if to suggest a projection of her voice.

This story ends when Ra bestows greater purpose and authority to the gods Geb and Thoth, two gods that we will see later in the Osiris story.
 

Isis and the Name of Ra

In the story Isis and the Name of Ra, we see the goddess Isis playing a similar role as does Inanna when she gets the holy me from Enki.  Isis wants power, specifically the magic spells that allow her to regenerate life from death.  Unfortunately, Ra is the keeper of this power, and will not give it up.  Ra keeps this secret from the other gods, perhaps because he is the original authority, but also because relinquishing this power will make him less important.  But, if Isis is going to become the powerful mother goddess that she needs to be in the Osiris story, then she has to resort to trickery to get it from Ra.

She collects some drool that dribbled out of the elderly Ra's mouth, mixed it with soil, and created a serpent with a fatal sting.  She places this serpent in the road where Ra crosses daily.  Sure enough, Ra is bitten by the snake, and falls into convulsions of pain and suffering. Much like Enki after eating the poison plants, Ra falls ill quickly and appears headed for death.

Isis tells Ra that she can heal him, but she will need to know the secret words, "the secret name of Ra," in order for her to help him.  When asked what was the matter, Ra was speechless, indicating that he is losing strength and power.  Remember that words and thoughts are powerful, so the lack of articulation indicates a fall from prominence.  Ra tries to tell Isis a variety of names, but she knows that none of them contain the secret magic necessary to cause healing and rebirth.  Isis tells Ra, "A man lives when called by his name."  This is representative of Adam assuming dominion of the animals by naming them in Genesis.  Without the name, the identity of life is not there, nor is the dominion over it.  Ra continues to tell his other names to Isis, but she knows that none of these are the ones that she is looking for.

Notice that he finally convinces himself to reveal his secret spells, but we never learn what this name is.  If we knew, then we could become gods as well!  Isis now has new powers, much like Inanna, and she will use them wisely for healing purposes.  We will see her save her son Horus from death on two occasions by using the magic incantations.  Isis has arrived and is ready to establish her greatness, similarly to Inanna's growth and development in the Mesopotamian culture.
 

Osiris, Isis, and Horus

As the story begins, we once again see Ra as an aging, distant god (Atum) who is jealous of the other gods usurping his power.  He curses Nut, who has become impregnated by three different gods (Ra, Geb, and Thoth), preventing her from giving birth for 16,000 years (imagine that)!  Nut asks Thoth, god of the divine words and wisdom, to help her out, and he does so by playing games with Khons, the moon god, winning tiny slivers of light with each victory at the gaming table.  Using this extra daylight, Thoth gathers enough of it to create five additional days that will be added to the calendar.  Ra's curse cannot apply to these newly created days, so Nut is allowed to give birth to one child on each day. 

The Egyptians, like the Mesopotamians, used magic numbers, including multiples of 6 (such as 6, 36, 360, etc.).  These cultures are still immortalized in the way that we tell time, use trigonometry, and navigate around the globe.  Our 60-second minutes, 60-minute hours, 24-hour day (6x2 hours of daylight and 6x2 hours of night), and the 360-degree compass.  Because 360 days falls five short of a workable calendar, these five extra days became holidays that celebrated each of the five godly children.  Elaborate festivals were thrown for the five divine children on each of these extra days, and any Egyptian who was born on these five special days was considered to be blessed (ironically, the Aztecs also incorporated a calendar with five extra days, but these days were considered to be bad omens, and any children born on these days were considered to be cursed).

First born was Osiris, the great teacher and cultivator of the law (Ma'at).  Osiris' name means "the black fertile land," so we see how this male force embodies the feminine ideals of fertility.  Combining the male and female forces makes Osiris a sort of "creator," and this represents itself during the two scenes where Osiris is brought back to life from the dead.  He used his powers of persuasion to civilize the barbarians (early cultures), teaching them language and the arts.  He represents the black soil -- the fertile and rich color that comes from the yearly floods.  We discussed how Osiris and Thoth used persuasion rather than commands (such as those we see in Genesis).  Persuasion does not guarantee that someone will listen to you, but by giving other people their own choice in the matter they can be held accountable for their own actions.  Thoth persuades the Moon to relinquish its light.  Osiris persuades the people to follow his lead and develop a commitment to agriculture.  

Next came Horus (the Elder), who is an early spiritual version of Horus, the great hero of the story.  Horus is called the "twice born" because he was born in heaven (as the Elder), then on earth (from the union of Osiris and Isis).  The name Osiris is also translated into other names later in history: Zeus and Dionysis (Greece) and Jesus (Christianity).  The name Horus is the root word of "hero" and "horizon," both of which apply to this character exactly, and Horus plays the role of the savior (the Jesus figure) to the letter.

Set was born third.  Many versions of the story show him cutting his way out of Isis' womb.  Set was angry at Ra for cursing Nut and keeping the kids bottled up inside the sky goddess.  He was supposed to be born last, but couldn't wait any longer.  Once born, he devoted his life to fighting against Ra (and then Osiris, since Osiris embodied the traits of Ra more than the others).  Set is the dark force in this story (chaos, evil, etc.).  He forces his way out of Nut's womb before his time, and his name derives two common names that we still use today: Seth and Satan. I have been reluctant to call various characters "evil," but this character personifies it convincingly.

Fourth, Isis, the great fertility goddess of the green crops.  She will marry Osiris and become a great hero of this myth.  Nephthys, the "lady of the house," is born last.  She will be a great assistant to Isis.  She will also play a role in The Journey to the Duat.  Nephthys married Set, who did not treat her well.

The section "The Birth of Anubis" begins with Nephthys dressing in Isis' robes and perfumes to attract Set, who has been out of the house causing trouble around the world.  When Set comes home and doesn't notice her, Nephthys runs out to the river and cries.  Osiris comes walking by and, thinking that he is consoling Isis, sings songs to cheer up the person whom he thinks is his wife.  They have relations, and Nephthys becomes pregnant.  Since she had to keep the child hidden from Set (who would have killed it), she gave birth to her child in the open desert.  She left the baby to a pack of jackals (wild dogs) to raise as their own.  Therefore, Anubis, the baby, was essentially raised by "wolves."  He is represented as a jackal-headed figure, and an important one during the Weighing of the Heart ceremony.

One day, when Isis was out of town, Set played a trick on Osiris during a party.  Set and his 72 demons (a "precessional number," if you recall) secretly measured Osiris' body and built a custom-made box for him to sleep in.  At the party, Set gets the merrymakers to attempt to fit inside the box, but to no avail.  Only Osiris, who tries it last, fits perfectly.  Once inside, Set and his henchmen seal the coffin with molten lead and cast it into the Nile River.  When Isis hears what happened, she becomes devasted and begins searching for his body everywhere.

Notice how Set uses persuasion to create chaos, unlike the better intentions of Thoth and Osiris.  He really plays the same role as the serpent in Eden, who persuades Eve to ignore a direct command from Yahweh.  Since the serpent and the idea of persuasion are feminine concepts, Eve is the natural recipient of the trick.  Adam obeys commands and is not as easily seduced.  More on this later ....

Set represents the desert landscape, thus his association with the red desert sands.  Historically, since the last Ice Age, Egypt has been transformed from plush rainforest to bone-dry desert.  Set represents the ever-encroaching desert, filled with death and desolation.  We can't get rid of this dark force, so we'll have to learn how to live with it.

Isis gets help from Sobek, a crocodile and friend of Set, who feels pity for Isis.  Nut, the cow, also tells Isis that her husband had sailed down through the Nile Delta, across the Mediterranean Sea, and washed up in a place called Byblos (Syria).  Once she arrives there, she sees a giant tamarisk tree that is miraculously growing in the shallow sands of the delta.  Osiris' coffin has lodged itself in there.  However, King Melcarthus has sent his workers over to the tree to cut it down, with plans to use it as a support beam in Melcarthus' palace.  Isis begs them not to, but to no avail.  Weeping on the river bank, Isis soon sees several handmaidens from the palace bathing in the river.  She cleverly walks over and braids their hair and offers them sweet-smelling perfume.  The girls are giddy, and when they return to the palace, Queen Astarte invites Isis inside and offers the position of caretaker of the children.  Notice that Isis also uses persuasion to gain entry into King Melcarthus' palace, where the box of Osiris' body lay wedged inside the great tree that he uses to support his palace ceiling (with the coffin still hidden inside).

Isis is given the charge of caring for Asarte's two children, the younger of which (Dictys) is very ill.  Isis casts her spells of life on the boy, and, at one point, places the baby in the roaring fire to enact a spell.  Isis transforms herself into a swallow and encircles the tamarisk tree, still housing Osiris' coffin.  Notice how this shows the straight lines (Osiris, male) and circles (Isis, female) interacting in a classic duality.  But Astarte hears the commotion, investigates the room, and finds a horrific scene -- her kid is in the fireplace and a crazy bird flying around.  Because Astarte interrupted the spell, Isis informs her that her son cannot become a god as she had hoped.  (Astarte, by the way, is the Syrian version of Ishtar, as we have seen in the previous unit).

Notice that Isis takes the body of Osiris into the desert.  Why?  She knows that no matter where she takes the body, Set is still lurking around the corner.  She assumes the qualities of a bird (the symbol for divine spirits) to breath life back into Osiris, but only temporarily.  Osiris is rejuvenated just long enough for him to implant his seed into Isis, this forming the hero child Horus (this will be his "earthly" birth, which follows his earlier "heavenly" birth as the brother of the other four divine siblings).  Recall that Isis gained these powers when she forced Ra to divulge his secret name in the story "Isis and the Name of Ra."

Since Osiris cannot remain alive, Isis closes the casket and hides it in a cave. 

One issue that I highlighted was Joseph Campbell's categorization of the three forms of love: eros, agape, and amor.  Eros is merely sexual desire or lust, agape is the act of kindness or goodwill toward strangers, while amor is the pinnacle of love, noted by two people devoting themselves to each other and becoming a true unit.  Campbell describes amor as a "personal" love, since the depth of your love depends on the person. Both Eros and agape are "impersonal" loves because they can be directed at anyone (Eros = you could lust after anyone; agape = you can extend goodwill to anyone). See Chapter 7 in The Power of Myth for a further explanation.

We discussed several characters in Osiris who represented each of these three forms of love.  We discovered that Isis displays amor in many places, but especially when she devotes her life to healing her husband and child.  She also displays agape by healing children that she met along the way.  Set shows the greatest form of Eros, as he is a character driven by his appetite, exemplified the best when he falls for Isis after she had transformed herself into a beautiful young woman when on the Island in the Middle.

For Your Information: Campbell's references to the troubadours might be confusing. Troubadours were 13th century French knights who went around singing love songs to women with whom they were in love. Since marriages were arranged and most people were not married because they loved each other first. Since the "rush of love" was difficult to attain, the troubadours devoted their lives in pursuit of this ideal. They were playing a game: the man would actively and overtly pursue a women (who may be married, by the way, to someone else). The woman played the game by playing hard to get. Their goal was to feel loved and wanted, but not to pursue any physicality. There was no kissing, no hand holding, and no touching of any kind. (Well, this was an ideal, remember). The Church intervened and outlawed this practice, since it led to sin. Campbell explains that they were pursuing amor since it was missing from everyday life, yet the one feeling above others that makes us feel alive. Because of the troubadours, and the Renaissance that followed, we today are free to pursue love on our own terms, more or less.

Recall that Isis pursued Osiris' body, brought it back to Egypt, temporarily revived it, and made love to the spirit of Osiris to effect the virgin birth of Horus, who is a representation of the savior archetype.

Since Osiris cannot remain alive, Isis closes the casket and hides it in a cave.  Unfortunately, Set stumbles upon it while hunting at night, opens it up, and dismembers Osiris, cutting him up into 14 pieces, spreading the parts across Egypt.  Since 14 is one half of a lunar cycle (new moon to full moon, or vice versa), this shows a duality and a complete transformation from one form into another.  Isis must again take a journey to recover the parts and to reassemble them through the act of mummification.  Isis really is a hero in this story, since she takes the important journeys to protect and preserve her way of life.  Notice that many of the other stories lack a strong female presence, especially the powerful and loving mother figure.

Isis and Nephthys race across Egypt looking for the parts, and they sing songs of joy each time they located another one.  However, Sobek, the crocodile, sadly informs Isis that one part from Osiris' body fell into the Nile and was eaten by the fish -- Osiris' phallus.  Isis has to recreate it when assembling the body back together.  Luckily, she had already conceived of Horus, her son.

Osiris is now floating in a state of suspended animation (call it "limbo" for lack of a better word).  We will learn that the body must be prepared for several weeks before the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony takes place that releases the soul from the body.  Until then, Osiris is stuck in-between worlds, often referred to as the Underworld, represented as the entire night sky sailing by overhead each night.  Osiris asks Atum what is going on, and adapts to his new state of being, swirling in confusion and nonexistence.  It is in this spiritual world that Osiris realizes that he has a son about to be born.

The section entitled "The Birth of Horus" has influenced Greek literature as well.  Much like the character Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in the Homeric epic The Odyssey, Isis is captured by Set and thrown into a prison, where she must spin and weave day and night.  Since her husband has been killed, Set has assumed his throne and enslaved his enemies.  Unbeknownst to Set, Isis is ripe with the child conceived by Osiris.  As the months pass, Isis nears her delivery date, but she can't give birth to Horus while in captivity, lest Set kill the infant.

Thoth, the god of wisdom, has a plan.  He sends down two goddesses, Ma'at and Seshet, disguised as weavers to break Isis out of her captivity.  Ma'at is the goddess of justice and Seshet is the goddess of writing and measurement.  Together, they form the concepts of Justice and Law that are sent to right the wrongs of her imprisonment.  Notice how these characters, who are the epitomes of law and order, still disguise themselves in order to execute their plan.  This type of cunning behavior resembles the serpent in Eden and Ea's whispers to the reed hut walls during Atrahasis' dream.

This reminds me of that little dot located inside the yin/yang dualities -- a little black is still part of the field of white, and a little white dot occupies the dark side.  Even though this story is a clear good vs. evil narrative, there appears to be a speck of the other side in each.  Remember that both sides of the duality need each other, for one side alone means nothing.  This is why Thoth sends down 7 stars that become 7 scorpions that help Isis to break out of prison.  Normally, the scorpions represent the dark side and would assist Set (much like Sobek, the crocodile); however, Isis needs some of the dangerous forces to aid her escape by killing the guards at the door.  Isis, who represents life and regeneration, could not accomplish such a sly and crafty escape on her own.

These scorpions follow Isis into the desert, where she gives birth to Horus -- his second birth (remember that Horus the Elder was born as the second of the five children to the earth and sky gods, but was not born into a bodily form until he became the child of Osiris and Isis).  Since Osiris was the first born, he gets to assume the power, inheritance, and glory.  Once Horus is reborn into a physical form (his first birth is a spiritual birth), he now becomes the first born son, and he inherits all of the powers of the previous gods in his family tree.  A parallel to this can be found in Christianity, where many believe that Jesus always existed in spirit (as the Holy Ghost), even though he did not become a savior figure until after his earthly (physical) birth.  Horus, now born again, can assert his presence in Egypt and become a savior to all of Egypt's people. Remember that Horus is referred to as the "twice born god."

The scorpions follow Isis into town, where they ask a rich woman for food and shelter.  The woman slams the door in their faces when she sees the scorpions.  However, a poor older woman has sympathy on Isis and gives her whatever she has.  That night, the scorpions seek out the child of the rich woman and sting him.  Isis is awoken by the child's screams, so she runs to the baby and recites the magic words of life to save him from certain death.  Here, we see Isis as a great protector and preserver of life, especially little children.

Thoth then warns Isis about the ever-present danger of Set's evil deeds, and he instructs Isis to hide the child.  Isis travels to the Nile delta where she finds an island, called Chemmis.  She digs the earth from under the island so that it floats on the Nile water magically.  Perhaps she does this to prevent Set (representing the red desert sands) from encroaching upon the island.  Much like Moses, he is hidden in the reeds and bulrushes, and much like the Madonna figure, she holds her savior child on her lap, the "seat of authority," as her name indicates (see pages 220-223 in The Power of Myth).  However, Set quickly locates this divine child, and he attempts to kill the kid on several occasions.  First, Set sends a snake to bite Horus, who is easily cured by Isis' magic incantations.  Set's next attack does more damage.  He places a scorpion inside Horus' crib, and the bite nearly kills the child.

Thoth must come to the aid of Isis and Horus by speaking even more powerful words and spells, which he teaches Isis afterwards.  Notice that Isis continually collects new spells and attains more power, similar to the growth of Inanna.  One way that Thoth helps is by stopping the journey of the sun, represented by a solar barque (boat) that contains the gods of the Ennead (those 9 gods on the family tree).  If we can stop time, then we can prevent Horus from dying (or at least stop him from getting worse).  Thoth eventually cures Horus, reminds us that Horus is really the manifestation of every other universal force, and teaches Isis these additional magic spells.

The next section ("Horus Becomes a Man") takes place years later, after Horus has been raised by his caretakers and trained in the desert.  Much like the story of Jesus, we know about Horus' birth, then a long gap occurs in our knowledge of him before we see him emerge as a grown man, filled with intelligence and strength. This again seems to parallel the missing years in the life of Jesus. If the Magi visited the baby Jesus, then he must have been wealthy to warrant the visit. Boys from privileged backgrounds were routinely sent to the Far East for spiritual instruction in Sanskrit and the philosophies of the area. This explains the hundreds of parallels between the New Testament teachings and those of Confucius, Buddha, and several Hindu myths as well. This is the ultimate hero archetype.

When Horus and Isis become reunited, the first thing that Horus notices is that Isis is once again pregnant.  He inquires as to the father, and becomes upset that his mother has been with another man.  Isis, however, tells Horus that she has been with no other man but Osiris.  Confused, Horus listens outside of his mother's bedroom door that night, and bursts through when he hears her moan and grown.  He finds Isis making love to the spirit of Osiris, which begins his own quest to meet his father.  Isis trains Horus to meditate and connect himself with the spirit world so that he can finally meet his father.  Through meditation, Horus meets Osiris, who quizzes Horus regarding his purpose.  Horus answers the questions correctly, which makes Osiris proud and hopeful that his death will be avenged by his only son.

As Horus prepares for war, Ra looks into Horus' magic eyes to foretell the future of the battle with Set.  In the midst of doing this, a strange black pig rushes out of the thickets and injures Horus' eye with its tusker.  Bewildered and in pain, Horus screams at the sight of his own wound.  Ra takes him home and gives Horus his Divine Eye, called the Udjat (or Wadjet) to replace the one ruined by Set.

Two important symbols should be addressed here.  First, notice that Horus' eyes were really windows into time and space.  Symbolically, Horus is often described as having two celestial eyes, one representing the sun and the other the moon.  This implies that Horus can see both horizons equally.  He understands sunrise (birth) and sunset (death) equally.  These dualistic forces combined into one face represents the unification of the dualities, which only a great god can attain.  When one of his eyes is ruined in the attack, Horus temporarily loses his foresight and understanding of the cosmic dualities.  By replacing his injured eye with a divine one, Ra allows Horus to become even more powerful than before (Thanks, Set!).  Furthermore, the Egyptians incorporated this story into their own dietary codes, which forbade the eating of pork (pigs), a tradition that was passed along to the Jews, perhaps brought to Canaan and Judea by Moses after his escape from Egyptian captivity.

This last third of the tale develops the action-packed fighting scenes between Horus and Set.  We will complete the story next time.

Announcements:

We will complete the Osiris story next time. It will lead into the document entitled Journey to the Duat. This text is a compilation of Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts found throughout Egypt, brief reminders to the pharaohs regarding their afterlife journey. They also reflect teachings found in The Egyptian Book of the Dead, The Book of Gates, and The Anduat. The document will describe the journey of the dead pharaoh's soul through the 12 hours of night and on to eternity.

We will also see some folktales that each reveal moral lessons to the reader. Enjoy these stories and, if you get a chance, check out some of the Egyptian love poems. I have identified the speakers in the poems with a symbol for men and women. See how the Egyptians expressed amor for each other.

Due Next Time:

The Journey to the Duat (342-373)

The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor (374-377)

The Tale of the Two Brothers (378-385)

The Book of Thoth (386-392)

Quiz 8

The Story of the Green Jewel (393)

The Wax Crocodile (394)

Tale of the Doomed Prince (395-398)

Egyptian Poetry (399)

Egyptian Love Songs (400-407)

COLOR CODES:
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