Fall Equinox: Ra's fall and the Price for power

It is the beginning of Fall when the darkness of the night increase as the light of day decrease. This remind me of the Egyptian story of Ra and his ascension to the heavens.

After sometime, Ra, who while ruling the gods and traveling in the sky with his Eye, Bast and his lieutenant, the chaotic deity Set, became forgetful and senile. Though the gods doubted Ra's capabilities to become their king, none were brave, or clever enough to take the position from him without falling into the influence of Chaos. Then came the goddess Isis, who, with her other sibling were reborn again, were now a couple. Isis, who was cleverer than a million men and knew almost all secrets of the Earth, was impatient of Ra voluntarily retiring, formulated of a way to make her husband, Osiris become the king of gods.
So Isis, Goddess of Magic and Motherhood, tricked Ra into telling her his Secret Name. As Ra descended during the night, Isis slipped the snake into his resting place that she had created by mixing clay and the sun god's drool. She placed the serpent on the path that the sun god usually took when he was traveling by day, and the serpent bit him. Ra had power over all things, and so he ordered the poison to leave his body. However, as the serpent had been made from Ra's own spittle he was unable to cure himself. Ra cried in pain and the other gods naturally rushed to his side. No one, not even Thoth, could cure the poison which was consuming his very being.
Finally, He called on Isis (who was already a great magician and healer). She told him that she could only heal him if she knew his secret name. Ra tried to fob her off with some of his lesser names, but eventually he relented and told her his true name. Isis immediately cured Ra, but he could not take back the power that he had granted her by telling her his true name and from that point on Isis was equal even to the sun god in power.
Using this new found power, she forced him to retreat to the heavens and Osiris took his place, thus fulfilling the ancient prophecy. This enraged Set, and out of jealousy he tricked Osiris on his birthday, trapping him in a golden sarcophagus. He also attempted to murder Isis and an unborn Horus, but was foiled by the intervention of his wife, Nephthys. Horus, once grown, managed to avenge his father by defeating Set and taking back the throne of the gods. Osiris, though unable to return to the living world, was restored to authority as the Lord of the Dead. So Isis is responsible for her husband’s death and her son’s kingship.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History of Homosexual: Ancient Greece

Image
How we from being happily accept in society to being hate and have to fight for equality? Let start begin in the ancient world work our way to the source of the problem. The Ancient Greece "The noble lover of beauty engages in love wherever he sees excellence and splendid natural endowment without regard for any difference in physiological detail." - Plutarch The ancient Greeks are widely known for their gay exploits. Many people are aware of Greek homosexual love poetry, the same-sex relations of Greek gods and heroes, and the gay relationship between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. It is important in the beginning to define our vocabulary. The term ’homosexuality’ as it is used and understood today is not mainly applicable to Greek of ancient times for three reasons: First of all, most Greeks were bisexual. Second, homosexuality and 'gay' as sexual identities are recent developments. They were emerged only in the 2Oth Century (our idea of what i...
Please read more »

Seven Wonders of the World: Colossus of Rhodes

Image
Travelers to the New York City harbor see a marvelous sight. Standing on a small island in the harbor is an immense statue of a robed woman, holding a book and lifting a torch to the sky. It is sometimes referred to as the "Modern Colossus," but more often called the Statue of Liberty. This awe-inspiring statue was a gift from France to America and is easily recognized by people around the world. What many visitors to this shrine to freedom don't know is that the statue, the "Modern Colossus," is the echo of another statue, the original colossus, which stood over two thousand years ago at the entrance to another busy harbor on the Island of Rhodes. In the late 4th century BC, Rhodes, allied with Ptolemy I of Egypt, prevented a massive invasion staged by their common enemy, Antigonus I Monophthalmus and his son Demetrius. In 304 BC a relief force of ships sent by Ptolemy arrived, and Antigonus's army abandoned the siege, leaving most of their siege equi...
Please read more »

Daily life of Roman life: Slavery

Image
Slavery had a long history in the ancient world and was practiced in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as Rome. Most slaves during the Roman Empire were foreigners and, unlike in modern times, Roman slavery was not based on race. Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unlike Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual exploitation (prostitutes were often slaves), torture, and summary execution. The testimony of a slave could not be accepted in a court of law unless the slave was tortured—a practice based on the belief that slaves in a position to be privy to their masters' affairs would be too virtuously loyal to reveal damaging evidence unless coerced (yeah right). Over time, however, slaves gained increased legal protection, including the right to file complaints against their masters. How did people become Roman Slaves? People became slaves among the Romans by the following ways: Prisoners of war Sailors ...
Please read more »