Neferneferuaten:
Glorious is the Splendour
of the Sun
By Robin Gordon
Auksford 2024
©
Copyright
Robin Gordon, 2024
PART
I:
THE GODS OF KEMET
2. The
Travails of Re
Now
of the gods most cunning was
Iset
and most wise.
She
longed to have the power of Re
and
schemed to win the prize,
and
so one day she took some clay
and
made a vicious snake.
She
bade it stay within Re’s way,
to
bite him and to make
that
life of his a life of pain,
and,
so that it would be
most
effective, she had used
the
spit and dribble he
let
fall from lips that did not close,
for
aged now he walked,
as
Atum, god of setting sun,
whom
she had slyly stalked.
The
snake bit Re. He saw at once
it
wasn’t his creation.
The
poison would not leave him when
he
called for pain’s ablation.
He
called upon the other gods,
he
called upon their aid,
but
though they tried the gods all failed.
Of
death he was afraid.
Then
Iset said that she could help
and
asked his secret name,
for,
if by name a god is called,
eternal
is his fame.
His
pain will go, his body live
forever
and forever.
He
knew that this would give her power
and
so decided never
would
he reveal his great and real
name
to her or any
god
or man, and so began
to
think of very many
plots
and plans to foil her aims.
He
talked of how he’d made
the
Universe and all within.
All
creatures owed him aid.
The
pain grew worse. He felt the curse
would
bring him to his grave.
“You’ve
won the game, I’ll tell my name,”
cried
he, his life to save.
“When
the Sun comes up each morn
as
Khepri I am known.
At
height of day they call me Re,
Atum
when light has flown.”
“These
names are known to all,” said she.
“I
cannot stop the pain
without
your great and secret name.
Without
it I can gain
no
hold upon the agony
that
drives you to distraction.
The
venom grows. In dying throes
you’ll
feel its deadly action.”
Eventually
the agony
reached
such a mighty power
that
Re gave in and told his name,
though
he knew from that hour
that
Iset had the power she craved,
the
cunning goddess won,
but
Re had gain she stopped his pain,
his
agony was done.
He
walked and talked and he was cured.
His
pain was now abated,
but
he distrusted all he met,
and
all he met he hated.
He
called his daughter Maat*1
to him,
for
she upholds true justice
and
said mankind had raised revolt.
See
now what mistrust is.
To
Hwt-hor*2
then he sent out Maat
to
tell to her this news.
Now
Hwt-hor flew into a rage,
for
she could not excuse
ingratitude
to Re, the god
who
had created all.
If
Man opposed the will of Re
then
all mankind must fall.
From
Cow she changed into a Lion,
with
slaughter on her mind.
Now
Sekhmet growled, and Sekhmet prowled
to
kill all she could find.
“If
mankind’s dead,” cried Re with dread,
“who
shall then adore
the
gods?” He called on her to stop,
but
Sekhmet gave a roar
and
massacred all she could find.
Her
lust for blood was up.
She
spilled men’s blood in bright red flood
that
on it she might sup.
’T
was plain to Re she’d not obey
his
urgent loud commands.
He
dyed beer red and had it spread
in
floods upon the sands.
“Fresh
blood!” cried Sekhmet, and she lapped
eagerly
the beer,
till
she had sunk, helplessly drunk,
thus
ending mankind’s fear.
The
goddess Sekhmet then transformed
from
Lion into Cow.
Re
hailed her as beloved child
and
made her take a vow
that
nevermore would she attempt
destruction
of mankind,
and
in her honour men would drink
till
very nearly blind.
This
feast in Hwt-hor’s honour’s still
annually
held here.
Remembering
Man’s deliverance
they
celebrate with beer.
Hwt-hor
then by Re was called
the
Apple of his Eye,
and
Iunet’s Lady she was named.*3
Rejoice
when she is nigh.
But
Re was still dissatisfied.
Withdrawing
from the land
he
sailed his boat across the sky.
The
solar barque he manned.
Across
the sky he sailed by day
bringing
us the light.
By
night he crossed the Underworld,
engaged
in desperate fight.
The
serpent Apep waited there.
In
chaos dark he’d lurk
to
swallow Re, destroy the sun,
undo
creation’s work.
For
into darkness all would fall,
and
chaos then would reign:
the
end of breath, the rule of death,
destruction
vile and pain.
Set’kh
accompanied the god,
and
Re cut off the head
of
Apep, but next night the snake
attacked.
He wasn’t dead.
Re
could not kill the serpent vile
despite
his desperate fight.
The
world could never rest assured
that
morning would bring light,
but
every night Re fought and won,
and
then he brought the dawn.
His
fight preserves the world, the life
of
everything that’s born.
The
world he left, so chose to reign
over
everything,
the
gods, the men, the animals,
the
god Usír as king.
Notes
*1 Maat
Maat, daughter of Re, personifies Truth, justice and
universal cosmic order.
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*2 Hwt-Hor
Hathor appears as Hwt-hor (the dwelling of Horus), and this
Cow-goddess, patron of feasting and drunkenness, can transform herself
into the Lion-goddess Sekhmet, which she does at the behest of Re to
punish humanity. Sekhmet herself can also appear as Bastet,
the
Cat-goddess, but this transformation is not included here.
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*3 Iunet
The capital of the 6th Nome and the centre of the worship of
Hathor. It became known as Iunet-t-ntrt (Iunet of the
Goddess),
giving rise to the Greek form Tentyris and the modern
Denderah.
Hathor is often known as the Lady of Denderah.
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