DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4032#0031
*•
THE RISING OF THE GOD, AND THE ASSEMBLY OF DIVINITIES.
21
with this name; it must belong to a divinity
of the west era part of the Delta. After several
erased shrines, Horus comes again, merely called
" the great god." He occurs several times as
such, with a man's or a hawk's head.
After Horus comes a very unusual divin-
ity, a god called pVT $et> and represented
with a human head. Coming after Horus, it is
natural that we should consider him as the well-
known god of this name; but here he has as
determinative a fishing bird, and he is said to
bring to the king all abundance and all pro-
visions. It is probable that he appears here as
a god connected with the sea, and as being the
provider of fishes, which in former times, as at
present, were the chief source of revenue in
certain parts of the land, and which we shall
cee further to be a very valuable offering.
Thoth, the god of Hermopolis, had a city
dedicated to him in the Delta, called by the
Greeks Hermopolis parva.
The only god we have not yet considered is
called Helves. According to Brugsch,8 he is
the protector of fishermen at the mouth of the
river.
Thus Osorkon, who wished to give to his
festival the greatest possible magnificence, is
considered as inviting to it the principal
divinities of Egypt. Whether for this purpose
he gathered the emblems of some of them to
his capital, we cannot say. It is quite possible.
Such journeys made by statues of divinities are
not unknown ; but certainly if the statues were
not brought to Bubastis, the gods were re-
presented by their priests. We noticed before,
and we shall notice again, the presence of
several high priests who were not at all
connected with Bubastis, who belonged to
different provinces of Upper or Lower Egypt,
and who had been summoned there for the
festival. It was a usual custom with the
Egyptian kings. For all the important
8 Diet. Geog. p. 479.
ceremonies, especially those which were con-
nected with a great event, or with the issuing
of a solemn decree, they would call together
the priests from the different parts of the
country, and also some civil officials. It was
the best way of making the decree known
everywhere. Thus we see in the inscription
of Canopus, that all the priests of the two
religious divisions of the land met in that citv,
on the fifth day of the Macedonian month Dios,
in order to celebrate the birthday of the king,
and to hear what was being done in regard to
the reform of the calendar.
As far as I can judge, below the gods must
be placed a representation which at present is
unique of its kind (pi. ix.) We see the king
burning frankincense before a series of emblems
which unfortunately are partly destroyed.
The first of them is Apuat of the south, the
lord of the two lands. We saw before that,
according to Brugsch's view, he is the emblem
of the winter solstice. On the pillar support-
ing the emblem are twelve walking jackals,
which, considering the sense attached to the
principal emblem, it is natural to interpret as
meaning the twelve months. After this is
another jackal, also on a pillar round which two
serpents are entwined. The inscription which
accompanies it is very obscure. Afterwards
comes a wooden pole divided into three at the
top, which must be supposed to be raised at
the end of an avenue of eight rams. It is called
" the great god who is in the Sed festival;" the
rest is destroyed. We cannot see whether this
emblem belonged to Heliopolis like the other
ones, the first of which is "the bull of On
(Heliopolis), who resides in the great house
(the sanctuary of Heliopolis), the chief of all
its gods." After him "the heb of On" a com-
posite emblem of the bull which comes before,
and of the On which comes after. And next
" the On of On in the Sed festival," the pillar,
the well-known emblem, which is the ideo-
graphic sign for the name of the city. " The
THE RISING OF THE GOD, AND THE ASSEMBLY OF DIVINITIES.
21
with this name; it must belong to a divinity
of the west era part of the Delta. After several
erased shrines, Horus comes again, merely called
" the great god." He occurs several times as
such, with a man's or a hawk's head.
After Horus comes a very unusual divin-
ity, a god called pVT $et> and represented
with a human head. Coming after Horus, it is
natural that we should consider him as the well-
known god of this name; but here he has as
determinative a fishing bird, and he is said to
bring to the king all abundance and all pro-
visions. It is probable that he appears here as
a god connected with the sea, and as being the
provider of fishes, which in former times, as at
present, were the chief source of revenue in
certain parts of the land, and which we shall
cee further to be a very valuable offering.
Thoth, the god of Hermopolis, had a city
dedicated to him in the Delta, called by the
Greeks Hermopolis parva.
The only god we have not yet considered is
called Helves. According to Brugsch,8 he is
the protector of fishermen at the mouth of the
river.
Thus Osorkon, who wished to give to his
festival the greatest possible magnificence, is
considered as inviting to it the principal
divinities of Egypt. Whether for this purpose
he gathered the emblems of some of them to
his capital, we cannot say. It is quite possible.
Such journeys made by statues of divinities are
not unknown ; but certainly if the statues were
not brought to Bubastis, the gods were re-
presented by their priests. We noticed before,
and we shall notice again, the presence of
several high priests who were not at all
connected with Bubastis, who belonged to
different provinces of Upper or Lower Egypt,
and who had been summoned there for the
festival. It was a usual custom with the
Egyptian kings. For all the important
8 Diet. Geog. p. 479.
ceremonies, especially those which were con-
nected with a great event, or with the issuing
of a solemn decree, they would call together
the priests from the different parts of the
country, and also some civil officials. It was
the best way of making the decree known
everywhere. Thus we see in the inscription
of Canopus, that all the priests of the two
religious divisions of the land met in that citv,
on the fifth day of the Macedonian month Dios,
in order to celebrate the birthday of the king,
and to hear what was being done in regard to
the reform of the calendar.
As far as I can judge, below the gods must
be placed a representation which at present is
unique of its kind (pi. ix.) We see the king
burning frankincense before a series of emblems
which unfortunately are partly destroyed.
The first of them is Apuat of the south, the
lord of the two lands. We saw before that,
according to Brugsch's view, he is the emblem
of the winter solstice. On the pillar support-
ing the emblem are twelve walking jackals,
which, considering the sense attached to the
principal emblem, it is natural to interpret as
meaning the twelve months. After this is
another jackal, also on a pillar round which two
serpents are entwined. The inscription which
accompanies it is very obscure. Afterwards
comes a wooden pole divided into three at the
top, which must be supposed to be raised at
the end of an avenue of eight rams. It is called
" the great god who is in the Sed festival;" the
rest is destroyed. We cannot see whether this
emblem belonged to Heliopolis like the other
ones, the first of which is "the bull of On
(Heliopolis), who resides in the great house
(the sanctuary of Heliopolis), the chief of all
its gods." After him "the heb of On" a com-
posite emblem of the bull which comes before,
and of the On which comes after. And next
" the On of On in the Sed festival," the pillar,
the well-known emblem, which is the ideo-
graphic sign for the name of the city. " The