No charms or magic spells did she use, for in the snake was the divine substance of Ra himself. Then Isis took earth and mixed it with the saliva, and she kneaded the clay and moulded it, and formed it into the shape of a snake, the shape of the great hooded snake that is the emblem of all goddesses, the royal serpent which is upon the brow of the Kings of Egypt. Very aged was Ra, and the saliva ran down from his mouth and fell upon the earth. Many, many times had Ra made the journey, so many times that now he had waxed old. Jealously did Ra guard his secret, and kept it ever in his breast, lest it should be taken from him, and his power diminished.Įvery morning Ra came forth in his glory at the head of his train from the horizon of the East, journeying across the sky, and in theĮvening they came to the horizon of the West, and the Majesty of Ra sank in his glory to lighten the thick darkness of the Duat. Whosoever could learn the secret, to that one-god or man-would belong the dominion over all the world, and even Ra himself must be in subjection. By the knowledge of his own name did Ra rule, and none but himself knew that secret name. There was but one way to obtain that power. And Isis saw his might, the might that reached over heaven and earth, before which all gods and men bowed and she longed in her heart for that power, that thereby she should be greater than the gods and have dominion over men. Now the Majesty of Ra was the creator of heaven and earth, of gods, men, and cattle, of fire, and the breath of life and he ruled over gods and men.

Sacred Texts Ancient Egypt Index Previous NextĪncient Egyptian Legends, by M. Ancient Egyptian Legends: X: The Name of Ra

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