DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.30604#0098
xc
INTRODUCTION.
Legend of Ra and
Isis.
“ Ra in heaven and upon earth?” Now, behold, each day Ra entered at the head of his
holy mariners and established himself upon the throne of the two horizons. The holy one
had grown old, he dribbled at the mouth, his spittle fell upon the earth, and his slobbering
dropped upon the ground. And Isis kneaded it with earth in her hand, and formed
thereof a sacred serpent in the form of a spear ; she set it not upright before her face, but
let it lie upon the ground in the path whereby the great god went forth, according to his
heart’s desire, into his double kingdom. Now the holy god arose, and the gods who followed
him as though he were Pharaoh went with him ; and he came forth according to his daily
wont ; and the sacred serpent bit him. The flame of life departed from him, and he who
dwelt a.mong the cedars (?) was overcome. The holy god opened his mouth, and the cry of
his majesty reached unto heaven. His company of gods said, “ What hath happened?”
and his gods exclaimed, “ What is it ? ” But Ra could not answer, for his jaws trembled
and all his members quaked ; the poison spread swiftly through his flesh just as the Nile
invadeth all his land. When the great god had stablished his heart, he cried unto those
who were in his train, saying, “ Come unto me, O ye who have come into being from my
“ body, ye gods who have come forth from me, make ye known unto Khepera that a dire
“ calamity hath fallen upon me. My heart perceiveth it, but my eyes see it not; my hand
“ hath not caused it, nor do I know who hath done this unto me. Never have I felt such
“ pain, neither can sickness cause more woe than this. I am a prince, the son of a prince,
“ a sacred essence which hath proceded from God. I am a great one, the son of a great one,
“ and my father planned my name ; I have multitudes of names and multitudes of forms, and
“ my existence is in every god. I have been proclaimed by the heralds Tmu and Horus, and
“ my father and my mother uttered my name; but it hath been hidden within me by him
“ that begat me, who would not that the words of power of any seer should have
“ dominion over me. I came forth to look upon that which I had made, I was passing
“ through the world which I had created, when lo! something stung me, but what I know
“ not. Is it fire ? Is it water ? My heart is on fire, my flesh quaketh, and trembling
“ hath seized all my limbs. Let there be brought unto me the children of the gods with
“ healing words and with lips that know, and with power which reacheth unto heaven.” The
children of every god came unto him in tears, Isis came with her healing words and with her
mouth full of the breath of life, with her enchantments which destroy sickness, and with
her words of power which make the dead to live. And she spake, saying, “ What hath come
“ to pass, O holy father ? What hath happened ? A serpent hath bitten thee, and a thing
“ which thou hast created hath lifted up his head against thee. Verily it shali be cast
“ forth by my healing words of power, and I will drive it away from before the sight of thy
“ sunbeams.”
The holy god opened his mouth and said, “ I was passing along my path, and I was
“ going through the two regions of my lands according to my heart’s desire, to see that
“ which I had created, when lo ! I was bitten by a serpent which I saw not. Is it fire ? Is it
“ water ? I am colder than water, I am hotter than fire. All my flesh sweateth, I quake, my
“ eye hath no strength, I cannot see the sky, and the sweat rusheth to my face even as in the
“ time of summer.” Then said Isis unto Ra, “ O tell me thy name, holy father, for whosoever
“ shall be delivered by thy name shall live.” [And Ra said], “ I have made the heavens and
“ the earth, I have ordered the mountains, I have created all that is above them, I have made
“ the water, I have made to come into being the great and wide sea, I have made the ‘ Bull of
INTRODUCTION.
Legend of Ra and
Isis.
“ Ra in heaven and upon earth?” Now, behold, each day Ra entered at the head of his
holy mariners and established himself upon the throne of the two horizons. The holy one
had grown old, he dribbled at the mouth, his spittle fell upon the earth, and his slobbering
dropped upon the ground. And Isis kneaded it with earth in her hand, and formed
thereof a sacred serpent in the form of a spear ; she set it not upright before her face, but
let it lie upon the ground in the path whereby the great god went forth, according to his
heart’s desire, into his double kingdom. Now the holy god arose, and the gods who followed
him as though he were Pharaoh went with him ; and he came forth according to his daily
wont ; and the sacred serpent bit him. The flame of life departed from him, and he who
dwelt a.mong the cedars (?) was overcome. The holy god opened his mouth, and the cry of
his majesty reached unto heaven. His company of gods said, “ What hath happened?”
and his gods exclaimed, “ What is it ? ” But Ra could not answer, for his jaws trembled
and all his members quaked ; the poison spread swiftly through his flesh just as the Nile
invadeth all his land. When the great god had stablished his heart, he cried unto those
who were in his train, saying, “ Come unto me, O ye who have come into being from my
“ body, ye gods who have come forth from me, make ye known unto Khepera that a dire
“ calamity hath fallen upon me. My heart perceiveth it, but my eyes see it not; my hand
“ hath not caused it, nor do I know who hath done this unto me. Never have I felt such
“ pain, neither can sickness cause more woe than this. I am a prince, the son of a prince,
“ a sacred essence which hath proceded from God. I am a great one, the son of a great one,
“ and my father planned my name ; I have multitudes of names and multitudes of forms, and
“ my existence is in every god. I have been proclaimed by the heralds Tmu and Horus, and
“ my father and my mother uttered my name; but it hath been hidden within me by him
“ that begat me, who would not that the words of power of any seer should have
“ dominion over me. I came forth to look upon that which I had made, I was passing
“ through the world which I had created, when lo! something stung me, but what I know
“ not. Is it fire ? Is it water ? My heart is on fire, my flesh quaketh, and trembling
“ hath seized all my limbs. Let there be brought unto me the children of the gods with
“ healing words and with lips that know, and with power which reacheth unto heaven.” The
children of every god came unto him in tears, Isis came with her healing words and with her
mouth full of the breath of life, with her enchantments which destroy sickness, and with
her words of power which make the dead to live. And she spake, saying, “ What hath come
“ to pass, O holy father ? What hath happened ? A serpent hath bitten thee, and a thing
“ which thou hast created hath lifted up his head against thee. Verily it shali be cast
“ forth by my healing words of power, and I will drive it away from before the sight of thy
“ sunbeams.”
The holy god opened his mouth and said, “ I was passing along my path, and I was
“ going through the two regions of my lands according to my heart’s desire, to see that
“ which I had created, when lo ! I was bitten by a serpent which I saw not. Is it fire ? Is it
“ water ? I am colder than water, I am hotter than fire. All my flesh sweateth, I quake, my
“ eye hath no strength, I cannot see the sky, and the sweat rusheth to my face even as in the
“ time of summer.” Then said Isis unto Ra, “ O tell me thy name, holy father, for whosoever
“ shall be delivered by thy name shall live.” [And Ra said], “ I have made the heavens and
“ the earth, I have ordered the mountains, I have created all that is above them, I have made
“ the water, I have made to come into being the great and wide sea, I have made the ‘ Bull of