In ancient mythology it’s a common scene that at some point in the remote past. Mankind angered the gods which caused the gods or god to destroy most of them. This usually done by a great flood sent by the storm God whether that be the Mesopotamian god Enlil, the Israelite God Yahweh or the Greek god Zeus but in Egypt the Land of the sun the destruction of mankind takes a different form.
This mythological tale forms the first part of a longer text known as “Book of the Heavenly Cow” was inscribed in five royal tombs of the New Kingdom at Valley of the Kings (the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I. Ramses II, Ramses III, and Ramses VI).
This story happened in mythical times and talks of humanity’s rebellion against the self-creation God Re, the chaos that ensued, the fury of vengeance, and the reordering of the cosmos.
It may have served many functions, including showing the consequences of rebellion against the legitimate ruler.
The legend begins with the god Re’s aging. He has been ruling the gods and mankind for a long time. The humans took notice of his aging and started to make fun of him.
His majesty had grown old. His bones being silver, his flesh turned into gold. His hair true lapis lazuli. When his majesty perceived the plotting of mankind against him, he summoned gods and goddesses to discuss the problem and come up with the solution.
Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut came along with the god of the watery abyss Nun from where Re had arisen in the creation myth. He also summoned The Eye of Ra, who took the form of the goddess Hathor, his fiery daughter and protectress.”
This divine meeting took place in secret so that mankind would not get the hint that something was happening. After taking counsel, the gods and goddesses present gave their advice to the Sun God and asked him to send his great Eye in the form of Hathor to take vengeance on the rebellious men.
Hathor went into hot pursuit of the men, slaughtering them indiscriminately. Although Hathor is goddess of Love, beauty, music and festivals, she had taken the form of the lioness Sekhmet to protect Re and began her destruction in the town of Hensu.
For three days Hathor-Sekhmet killed and drank the blood of men. She had become blood-thirsty. And although avenging her father was an important mission for her, it had turned into a rampage. All of mankind was about to be wiped out.
At this point, Re began to feel sorry for them and realized he didn’t want them destroyed completely!!!
But Sekhmet’s frenzy was unstoppable even by the gods. She could not be summoned back with reason or order. She was bent on killing all men and drinking their blood.
The gods decided the only way to get her back was to trick her. Re instructed the Egyptians to prepare many jars of beer and to mix it with other substances which stained it red like blood. Re told them to go to the place where Sekhmet was going to come next and pour the liquid out onto the ground until it was flooded.
The next day Sekhmet arrived and seeing what appeared to be blood began happily lapping up the poison, she became drunk, falls asleep, and wakes up as Hathor the benevolent. Humanity was spared destruction and their former tormentor became their greatest benefactress. Following her transformation,
Hathor bestowed only beautiful and uplifting gifts on the children of the earth and assumed such high status that all the later goddesses of Egypt can be considered forms of Hathor. She was the primordial Mother Goddess, ruler of the sky, the sun, the moon, agriculture, fertility, the east, the west, moisture and childbirth. Further, she was associated with joy, music, love, motherhood, dance, drunkenness and, above all, gratitude.
So that, God Re held many festivals for her return and Re was happy for what he done.
So mankind was saved, and Re continued to rule old though he was. But the time was drawing near when he must leave the earth to reign forever in the heavens, letting the younger gods rule in his place. For dwelling in the form of a man, of a Pharaoh of Egypt, Re was losing his wisdom; yet he continued to reign, and no one could take his power from him, since that power dwelt in his secret name which none knew but himself. If only anyone could discover his Name of Power, Re would reign no longer on earth; but only by magic arts was this possible.
The saving of mankind was commemorated every year on the feast day of Hathor/Sekhmet. Everyone drank beer stained with pomegranate juice and worshipped "the Mistress and lady of the tomb, gracious one, destroyer of rebellion, mighty one of enchantments".
Geb and Nut had children these were the younger gods whose day had come to rule, and their names were Osiris and Isis, Nephthys and Seth. Of these Isis was the wisest, she was cleverer than a million men, and her knowledge was greater than that of a million of the noble dead. She knew all things in heaven and earth, except only for the Secret Name of Re, and that she now set herself to learn by guile.
Now Re was growing older every day. As he passed across the land of Egypt his head shook from side to side with age, his jaw trembled, and he dribbled at the mouth as do the very old among men. As his spittle fell upon the ground it made mud, and this Isis took in her hands and kneaded together as if it had been dough. Then she formed it into the shape of a serpent, making the first cobra -- the uraeus, which ever after was the symbol of royalty worn by Pharaoh and his queen.
