Now the Majesty of Ra reigned over the Two Lands. He was the second
king of Egypt, and in his reign peace was on earth, and harvests were
so plentiful that to this day men speak of the good things which
"happened in the time of Ra." By his own power he created himself,
and he created heaven and earth, gods and men, and he ruled over them
all.
For hundreds and hundreds of years he ruled until he waxed old, and
men no longer feared him, but laughed and said, "Look at Ra! He is
old, his bones are like silver, his flesh like gold, and his hair
like true lapis lazuli."
Then Ra was wroth when he heard their jests and their laughter, and
he called to those who were in his train, "Summon hither my daughter,
the apple of my eye, and summon also the gods Shu and Tefnut, Geb and
Nut, and the great god Nun, whose dwelling is in the waters of the
sky. Do my bidding secretly lest men should hear you and see you,
for then would they be afraid and hide themselves."
In secret went the messengers, very softly they came to summon the
gods and goddesses. Secretly and softly came the gods and goddesses
to the Mansion of Ra in the Hidden Place. Naught did men see or
hear; and they laughed again at Ra, not knowing the punishment that
should fall upon them.
On each side of the throne came the gods and goddesses, and they
bowed before the Majesty of Ra with their foreheads to the ground,
saying, "Speak that we may hear."
Then said Ra to Nun, the great god whose dwelling is in the waters of
the sky, "O eldest of the gods and all ye ancestor-gods! Behold the
men whom I have created, how they speak against me. Tell me what ye
would that I should do to them, for verily I will not slay them till
I have heard your words."
And Nun, the great god whose dwelling is in the waters of the sky,
made answer, "My son Ra, greatest of gods, mightiest of kings, thy
throne is set fast, and thy fear will be upon all the world when thou
sendest out thy daughter, the apple of thine eye, against those who
attack thee."
The Majesty of Ra spoke again, "Lo, they will flee to the deserts and
the mountains and hide themselves, if fear falls upon their hearts on
account of their jests and laughter; and in the deserts and mountains
none can find them."
Then said the gods and goddesses, bowing before him with their
foreheads on the ground, "Send forth thy daughter, the apple of thine
eye, against them."
And at once there came the daughter of Ra. Sekhmet is she called,
and Hathor, fiercest of the goddesses; like a lion she rushes on her
prey, slaughter is her delight, and her pleasure is in blood.
At her father's bidding she entered the Two Lands to slay those who
had rebelled against the Majesty of Ra, and had turned their
rebellion to jest and laughter. In the land of Ta-mery she killed
them, and on the mountains which lie to the east and west of the
great river. To and fro she hastened, slaying all who crossed her
path, and before her fled the rebels against Ra.
And Ra looked forth upon the earth and cried to his daughter, the
apple of his eye, "Come in peace, O Hathor! Hast thou done that
which I gave thee to do?"
And Hathor laughed as she answered, and her laugh was the terrible
voice of the lioness as she tears her prey. "By thy life, O Ra," she
cried, "I work my will upon men, and my heart rejoices."
For many nights the river ran red, and the goddess waded in the blood
of men, and her feet were red as she strode through the land of Egypt
as far as Henen-seten.
Then Ra looked forth upon the earth again, and his heart was filled
with pity for men, though they had rebelled against him. But none
could stop the ruthless goddess, not even the Majesty of Ra himself;
of herself must she cease to slay, for neither gods nor men could
compel her. By subtlety alone could this be accomplished.
Ra gave command, saying, "Call hither to me messengers who are swift
as the blast of the storm wind." And when they were brought, he
said, "Run to Elephantine, hasten, go quickly, and bring back to me
the fruit that causes sleep. Be swift, be swift, for all this must
be accomplished ere the day dawn."
The messengers hastened, and their speed was the speed of a blast of
the storm-wind. They came to Elephantine, where the great river
rages among the rocks that bar its passage; they took the fruit that
causes sleep, and with the fleetness of the wind they brought it to
Ra. Crimson and scarlet was the fruit, and its juice was the colour
of man's blood; and the messengers carried to it Heliopolis, the city
of Ra.
Then the women of Heliopolis crushed barley and made beer, and with
the beer they mixed the juice of the fruit that causes sleep, and the
beer became the colour of blood. Seven thousand measures of beer did
they make, and in haste they brewed it, for the night was drawing to
a close and the day was about to break. In haste came the Majesty of
Ra, and all the gods and goddesses, who were with him, to Heliopolis
to inspect the beer. Ra saw that it was like human blood, and he
said, "Very good is this beer. By this I can protect mankind."
At the dawning of the day, he gave command, "Carry this beer to the
place where men and women have been slain, and pour it out upon the
fields before the beauty of the night has passed." So they poured it
out upon the fields. Four palms deep it lay upon the ground, and its
colour was the colour of blood.
In the morning came the fierce Sekhmet, ready to slay, and as she
passed by she looked to this side and that, watching for her prey.
But no living thing did she see, only the fields that lay four palms
deep in the beer that was the colour of blood. Then she laughed with
the laugh like the roar of a lioness, for she thought it was the
blood she had shed. And she stooped and drank. Again and again she
drank, and she laughed the more, for the juice of the fruit that
causes sleep mounted to her brain, and no longer could she see to
slay by reason of the juice of that fruit.
Then the Majesty of Ra said to her, "Come in peace, O sweet one."
And to this day the maidens of Amu are called "Sweet Ones" in
remembrance.
And the Majesty of Ra spoke again to the goddess, saying, "For thee
shall be prepared drinks from the fruits that cause sleep; every year
shall these be made at the great Festival of the New Year, and the
number of them shall be according to the number of the priestesses
who serve me."
And to this day, on the festival of Hathor, drinks are made of the
fruits that cause sleep, according to the number of the priestesses
of Ra, in remembrance of the protection of mankind from the fury of
the goddess.
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