DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4145#0011
THE SOUTHERN SPEOS OR SHRINE OE HATHOR.
I'late XCII.'—The emblems of goddess and queen
have been deposited in the shrine. We have now the
first ceremony accomplished in their honour. It is
done by Thothmes III., who has his cartouche
Menkheperkara, showing that he is still dependent
on his aunt. It is lie who appears before the goddess,
who in this case has some of her own titles and other
ones belonging to Ramaka, so that Thothmes III. may
be said to worship his aunt as well as Hathor.
The column in which the ceremony was named is
somewhat erased. We have to restore the following
^^ suten bes " the introduction of the king into
the sacred house of Hathor the protectress of Thebes."
The king has in his hand an oar, the symbolical
meaning of which is not yet fully explained. He is
said to ^fj3 ^c \ tua neter, " worship the god " ; but this
kind of worship, which is generally repeated four
times, must have a special meaning. This scene is in
the angle of the northern wall of the Hypostyle Hall.
Plates XCIII.—XCVII.—Turning to the western
wall, in the middle of which is the entrance to the
shrine, we find on both sides of the door scenes that
are exactly symmetrical. At the furthest end the
queen is making a long stride, and bringing an offer-
ing to the goddess. Between this and the door the
queen is seen sitting on a throne, and Hathor in the
form of a cow comes and licks her hand.
Plate XCIII.—The scene is nearly the same as in
the North-western Hall of Offerings. Hathor is stand-
ing ; she is called : " Hathor the lady of Hermonthis,
the lady of heaven and earth, the queen of all the
gods." In front of her is the queen, making a long
stride, and bringing a mason's square and an oar.
The oar is adorned with two eyes ^^ and underneath
are two disks, which may be considered as meaning
sun and moon. The promises made to the queen are
those we have already met with many times.
Plate XCVII.—Generally the scene symmetrical to
the offering of the oar consists of the gift of two vases
of libations. Here we have a variant which occurs in
other places. The queen presents the goddess with a
live bird, a kind of crane or heron, called ~ some-
times " = dmt. In the other hand she holds three
sceptres, the top of which we do not see, but which
we know from another instance, in the time of
Thothmes III., to end with u -¥-, on which stand
different birds. We have here an instance of the
obscure symbolism of Egyptian rites, to which we
have not yet found the key. It is curious to note
that in later times, in the Temple of Dendereh, we find
two symmetrical scenes of the offering of bird and
sceptres, and in another place, on both sides also, the
oar and the flail instead of the square. In this last
case the legend is ^=> *-^ tet kept " taking the hept"
hept being the square as well as the oar.
Plate XCIV. and XCVI.—The queen is seen seated
in a pavilion with lotus-bud columns. She holds the
[ in one of her hands, and she stretches forth the
other towards a covr, the goddess Hathor herself, who
licks her hand. What the cow is doing is called : "to
kiss (lit. to smell) the hand, to lick the divine flesh;
to endow the king with life and purity (or happiness)."
Behind the cow is a male figure erased in both
scenes, who on the right is called Tenhepu and on the
left is Anubis. The cow speaks in the following way
to the queen :
" Said by Hathor, the lady of Hermonthis, the lady of heaven,
the queen of the gods, who resides in Serai; my daughter,
the beloved Eamaka, I have come, I rejoice in my love to
thee; I rest in this building, the fine abode which thou hast
made for me. I have come from Pe, I have marched through
Tep, I have wandered through the northern marshland,
where I stopped at Khebt protecting my Horns (child). I
have given thee the scent of Punt; thy perfume is sweet to
the gods; my daughter of my bowels, Eamaka, my Horus
(child) of gold. I am thy mother with a sweet milk. I
have suckled thy Majesty with my breasts; they impart to
thee life and happiness. I kiss thy hand, I lick thy flesh
with my gentle tongue coming out of my mouth. Thou art
born and renewed every day, on the arms of thy father
Anion, who grants that all the lands maybe under thy feet.
Said by Tenhepu the bull...... I have come, I protect my
daughter, my beloved whom I have begotten, the king
Eamaka. I have granted thee the marshes and their
cattle. I have increased ... thy cows. I have begotten
the sacred cow living eternally."
It is probable that the erased divinity, called Ten-
hepu, behind the cow, had a bull's head.
As far as we can judge from the very fragmentary
state of the inscription in the Vestibule (pi. lxxxvii.),
the words uttered by the cow in that first representa-
tion were very similar to those which we have trans-
lated here.
Plate XCVI.—In the symmetrical scene, the figures
are exactly the same. The queen, changed into
Thothmes II., is seated in the same pavilion ; her Jca
is behind her. It is easily discernible here that in the
original sculpture the queen was protected by her real
I'late XCII.'—The emblems of goddess and queen
have been deposited in the shrine. We have now the
first ceremony accomplished in their honour. It is
done by Thothmes III., who has his cartouche
Menkheperkara, showing that he is still dependent
on his aunt. It is lie who appears before the goddess,
who in this case has some of her own titles and other
ones belonging to Ramaka, so that Thothmes III. may
be said to worship his aunt as well as Hathor.
The column in which the ceremony was named is
somewhat erased. We have to restore the following
^^ suten bes " the introduction of the king into
the sacred house of Hathor the protectress of Thebes."
The king has in his hand an oar, the symbolical
meaning of which is not yet fully explained. He is
said to ^fj3 ^c \ tua neter, " worship the god " ; but this
kind of worship, which is generally repeated four
times, must have a special meaning. This scene is in
the angle of the northern wall of the Hypostyle Hall.
Plates XCIII.—XCVII.—Turning to the western
wall, in the middle of which is the entrance to the
shrine, we find on both sides of the door scenes that
are exactly symmetrical. At the furthest end the
queen is making a long stride, and bringing an offer-
ing to the goddess. Between this and the door the
queen is seen sitting on a throne, and Hathor in the
form of a cow comes and licks her hand.
Plate XCIII.—The scene is nearly the same as in
the North-western Hall of Offerings. Hathor is stand-
ing ; she is called : " Hathor the lady of Hermonthis,
the lady of heaven and earth, the queen of all the
gods." In front of her is the queen, making a long
stride, and bringing a mason's square and an oar.
The oar is adorned with two eyes ^^ and underneath
are two disks, which may be considered as meaning
sun and moon. The promises made to the queen are
those we have already met with many times.
Plate XCVII.—Generally the scene symmetrical to
the offering of the oar consists of the gift of two vases
of libations. Here we have a variant which occurs in
other places. The queen presents the goddess with a
live bird, a kind of crane or heron, called ~ some-
times " = dmt. In the other hand she holds three
sceptres, the top of which we do not see, but which
we know from another instance, in the time of
Thothmes III., to end with u -¥-, on which stand
different birds. We have here an instance of the
obscure symbolism of Egyptian rites, to which we
have not yet found the key. It is curious to note
that in later times, in the Temple of Dendereh, we find
two symmetrical scenes of the offering of bird and
sceptres, and in another place, on both sides also, the
oar and the flail instead of the square. In this last
case the legend is ^=> *-^ tet kept " taking the hept"
hept being the square as well as the oar.
Plate XCIV. and XCVI.—The queen is seen seated
in a pavilion with lotus-bud columns. She holds the
[ in one of her hands, and she stretches forth the
other towards a covr, the goddess Hathor herself, who
licks her hand. What the cow is doing is called : "to
kiss (lit. to smell) the hand, to lick the divine flesh;
to endow the king with life and purity (or happiness)."
Behind the cow is a male figure erased in both
scenes, who on the right is called Tenhepu and on the
left is Anubis. The cow speaks in the following way
to the queen :
" Said by Hathor, the lady of Hermonthis, the lady of heaven,
the queen of the gods, who resides in Serai; my daughter,
the beloved Eamaka, I have come, I rejoice in my love to
thee; I rest in this building, the fine abode which thou hast
made for me. I have come from Pe, I have marched through
Tep, I have wandered through the northern marshland,
where I stopped at Khebt protecting my Horns (child). I
have given thee the scent of Punt; thy perfume is sweet to
the gods; my daughter of my bowels, Eamaka, my Horus
(child) of gold. I am thy mother with a sweet milk. I
have suckled thy Majesty with my breasts; they impart to
thee life and happiness. I kiss thy hand, I lick thy flesh
with my gentle tongue coming out of my mouth. Thou art
born and renewed every day, on the arms of thy father
Anion, who grants that all the lands maybe under thy feet.
Said by Tenhepu the bull...... I have come, I protect my
daughter, my beloved whom I have begotten, the king
Eamaka. I have granted thee the marshes and their
cattle. I have increased ... thy cows. I have begotten
the sacred cow living eternally."
It is probable that the erased divinity, called Ten-
hepu, behind the cow, had a bull's head.
As far as we can judge from the very fragmentary
state of the inscription in the Vestibule (pi. lxxxvii.),
the words uttered by the cow in that first representa-
tion were very similar to those which we have trans-
lated here.
Plate XCVI.—In the symmetrical scene, the figures
are exactly the same. The queen, changed into
Thothmes II., is seated in the same pavilion ; her Jca
is behind her. It is easily discernible here that in the
original sculpture the queen was protected by her real