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The Secret Name of Ra

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The Secret Name of Ra Thesecret name of Ra Ra, the SoleCreator was visible to the peopleof Eglat asthe discol the sun,but they knew him in manyother {orms. He could appearas a crownedman. a falconor'a man with a falcon'shead and, as the scarabbeetle pushes a round ball of dungin front of it, the Egyptians picturedRa asa scarabpushing the sun acrossthe sky. In caverns deepbelow the earthwere hidden another seventy-five forms ofRa; mysteriousbeings with mummiEedbodies and heads consisting of birds or snakes,feathers or flowers,The namesof Rawere as numerousas his forms; he wasthe ShiningOne, The Hidden One, The Renewerof the Earth,The lfind in the Souls,The ExaltedOne, but therewas one name ofthe SunGod which hadnot beenspoken sincetime began.To know this secretname ofRa wasto havepower overhim andover the world that he hadcreated. Isislonged for suchapower. Shehad dreamed that oneday she *.ould havea marvellousfalcon-headed son called Horus andshe wantedthe throne of Ra to giveto her child. Isis wasthe Mistressof Magic,wiser than millionsofmen, but sheLrrew that nothingin creationwas powerful enoughto harmits creator.Her only chance vr'as!o turn thepower of Ra againsthimself and atlast Isisthought of a crlel andcunning plan. Everyday the SunGod walkedthrough his kingdom, attendedby a crowd ofspirits andlesser deities, but Rawas growingold. His eyeswere dim, his stepno longerfirm andhe had evenbegun to drivel. One morning Isismingled with a group of minor goddessesand followedbehind the King of the Gods.She watched the faceofRa until shesaw his salivadrip onto a clod o{ eanh.\0hen shewas sure that no-onewas taking any noticeo{ her, shescooped up the earth andcarried it awav.Isis mixed the earthwith the salivaofRa to form clay andmodelled a wickedJookingserpent. Through the hoursof darknessshe whispered spells over the clayserpent as it lay lifelessin her hands.Then the cunninggoddess carried it to a crossroadson the routewhich the SunGod alwaystook. Shehid the serpentin the long grassand returned to her palace, The next day Ra camewalking through his kingdomwith the spiritsand lesser deities crowding behind him. I/hen he approached the crossroads,the spellsof Isisbegan to worL andthe clayserpent 24 quiveredinto life. A> rhe Sun Cod prssed.ir bit bewilderedas all the otherfrightened deitres. him in the ankleand crumbled back into earth. 'Fathero{ All,' shebegan, 'whatever is the Ra gavea screamthat washeard through all matterl Has somesnake bitten you? Has some creation. wretchedcreature dared to strikeat his Creator) His jawschattered and his limbsshook as the Few of the godscan compare with me inwisdom poisonflooded through him like a risingNile. andI am the Mistressof Magic.Ifyou will let me 'l hafe beenwoundedby somethingdeadly,' helpyou, I'm surethat I cancure you.' whisperedRa. 'I know that in my heart,though Ra wasgrateful to Isisand told her all that had my eyescrnnot seeit. vhatever it was,l, the happened.'Now I am coiderthan vrater and Lord of Creation,did not makeit. I am surethat hotter than 6re,' complainedthe SunGod. 'My noneofyou would havedone such e terrible eyesdarken. I cannotsee the sky andmy body is thing to me, but I havenever felt suchpain! soakedby the s\eeatoffever.' 'Tell How canthis havehappened to mel I am the meyour fullname. 'aid cunning Isis. SoleCreator, the child ofthe wateryabyss. I am 'Then I canuse it in my spells.\frithout that the godwith a thousandnames, but my secret knowledgethe greatestof magicianscannot help namewas only spokenonce, before time began. you. Then itwas hiddenin my body so that no-one 'I am the maherof heavenand earth,' said Ra. 'I mrdeLhe heighrs and rhe deprhs, I horizons shouldever learn it andbe ableto work spells 'er againstme. Yet asI'walked through my at eastand west and established the godsin their kingdomsomething struck at me andnow my glory. Vhen I openmy eyesit is light; when I heartis on fire andmy limbs shake.Send tor ttre closethem it is dark. The mighryNile floodsat Ennead!Send for my children!They arewrse rn my command.The godsdo not know my true magic;nd theirknowledge pierces her. er namebut I amthe makerof time, the giverof Messengershuried to the greatgods and from festivals.I sparkthe 6re oflife. At dawnI nse as the four pillarsof the world camethe Ennead: Khepri, the scaraband sail across the sky in the Shuand Tefenet, Geb andNut, Sethand Boat of Millions ofYears.At roor I blazein the Osiris, Isis andNephthys. Envoys travelled the heavensas Ra andat eveningI am Ra-atum,the land andthe sky andthe wateryabyss to settingsun,' summonall the deitiescreated by Ra. From the 'Ve know all that,' saidIsis. 'If I amto 6nd a marshescame frog headedHehet, !{/adjetthe spellto drive out this poison,I will haveto use cobragoddess and the fearsomegod, crocodile- ) our \ecretname, 5ay ) our nameand liue headedSobek. From the desertscame 6ery 'My secretname was given to me sothat I could Selkis,the scorpiongoddess, Anubis the jackal, sit at ease,'moaned Ra, 'andfear no living the guardianofthe deadand Nekhbet the creature.How canI giveit awayl' vulture goddess.From the citiesof the north Isissaid nothing and knelt besidethe SunGod camewarlike Neith, gentlecat-headed Bastet, while his painmounted. en it became fiercelion-headed Sekhmet and Ptah the godof unbearable,Ra orderedthe othergods to stand crafts,From the citiesof the southcame Onuris, backwhile he whisperedhis secretname to Isis. the divinehuntsman and ram-headed Khn"'' 'Now the power ofthe secretnamehas passed with AnuLishis wife andSatis his daughter. from my heartto your heart,'said Ra wearily. CunningThoth andwise Seshat, goddess of 'In time you cangive it to your son,but wam writing; virile Min andsrake-headed Renenutet, him neverto betraythe secret!' goddessofthe harvest,kindly Meskhenetand Isisnodded and began to chanta greetspell monstrousTaweret, goddesses of birth-all of that drovethepoison out of the limbs of ka ano themwere summoned to the sideofRa. he roseup strongerthan before. The SunGod The godsand goddesses Bathered around the returnedto the Boatof Millions ofYearsand Isis SunGod, weepingand wailing, a{raid thathe shoutedfor joy at the successo{her plan. She wasgoing to die.Isi: ttood among rhem beating knew now that oneday Horus her sonwould sit her breastand pretending to be asdistressed and on the throneof Egypt andwield the power of Ra. 25 TheEye of the Sun Hathor, the daughterofRa hadmany forms. Shecould be a cowor a catand she came to newbornchildren to foretelltheir fatein the form of sevenbeautiful women Hathor in humanform wasthe most the qreciourrnd loylulof goddessesbut whenshe took on therole oi i, e o{ rheSun. she could also be rhe fiercetund the cruellest She wasthe protectorof the godsbut when shewas angry even the gods fearedher. Templeinsc.iptions and a storywritten in Egyptial aslate asthe secondcentury ao tell o{ a grim time whenHathor le{t her countrvand chose to live in Nubia. wasjealous of the othergods and goddesses The Eye of the Sun - whom Ra hadcreated. She quarrelled with her fatherand vrandered southto roamthe desertsof distantNubia The angrygoddess abandonedherlovely humanform andappeared as a wildcator a raginglioness. She lived by huntingand butchered every creature who crme nearher. En pt wasdesolare, for q ithoutberutiful Hathor hughttr and love *ith-eredawav end life held no iov.The Sun Cod hid hisface in .orro* *d gioo. ,preadacross the earth.No-one could consolehim for the lossofhis bioved daughterand worst of all without the Dowerof his Eye, Rawas in dangerfrom his enemiesDarkness tiehtenedits coilsaround Light andChaos threatened Order' 'Vho will bring Hathor backto me?'asked Ra but the godswere silent.The Eve ofthe Sunheld the powerof life or deathover all beinesand in her {uriousmood the godswere afraid to approachher' Thei Ra summorredThoth, thewisest of deities,and ordered him to so ro Nubieand persuade Hathor to rerumto Egypt Thothobeyed ihe King of rheiods with a hearyheart He *rs surethar if Hathor .."osniled him she kill him be{orehe hada chanceto speak "rould \Tith"thisin mind, Thoth transformedhimself into a humblebaboon' Thenhe creptthrough the Nubian desert,following the bloodytrail ol rheeoddess. Ii'lren he found he., Hathor was in her wildcat form, sitting on a rock licking her tawny fur. Thoth crawled forq'ard, knocking his headon the ground: 'Hail.druehter ol theSuni hesaidhumbll Hathorlrchedand spat but whenshe saw that it wasonll r baboon shepaused and did not springon him at once. 'but you havebrokenyour oathand Ra vzill 'Graciousgoddess,' faltered Thoth, 'may a avengeme.' humbleape dare to speakto you?' \0hen the mothervulturearrived at the nest 'Speakand die,' growledthe wildcatas she with a beakfull o{ carrionf'lesh, she found that unsheathedher claws.The babooncringed and oneof her chickswas missing and saw him lying kissedth.p ground, murmuring, 'O, powerful deadon the hillside, one,ifyou chooseto kill me, I cannotstop you 'So the cathas broLen her oath,' thoughtthe ' but rememberthe story of the motherv'ulture rtlture. I shan\wair long to havem1 rerenge andthe mothercat. .' The nexttime that the wildcatwent o{fto '\i4rat story?'demanded Hathor. hunt, the vultureswooped down on the kittens. 'Listenmy lady,' saidwiley Thoth, 'and I r.ill Shekilled everyone of them andcarried them tell you.' backto her nestto feedher chicks. The wildcatsat down andbegan to wash lVhen the catreturned with her catch,the hersel{again. She seemed to takeno further kittensvrere nowhere to beseen. She searched noticeofthe baboonbutThoth knew that ifhe the whole hillsidemewing
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