HOUR 6: At ‘the Abyss of Waters’, the boat drops into a great river. It is Sokar, god of the dead, who helps them solve the guardian’s secrets. The way out is guarded by two sphinxes, whose riddles must be solved before the boat can move on. HOUR 5: The boat of Ra passes into a ravine known as ‘The Hidden’. The boat floats quietly over the sands, so as not to rouse a hydra which guards the realm. HOUR 4: ‘Living One of Forms’ is a gloomy desert realm, presided over by Sokar, lord of the mysterious. If the weight of their sins causes the scales to drop all the way to the bottom, they are eaten by Amemt, devourer of souls. HOUR 3: In the ‘Kingdom of Osiris’, the hearts of mortals are judged against the weight of a feather. HOUR 2: It is at ‘Ur Nes’, where Ra’s light nurtures the spirit of the corn so that it may flourish in the upper world, bringing health and abundance to his people. The boat passes six snakes whom the goddess Ba holds at bay. HOUR 1: At the ‘Watercourse of Ra’, Wepwawet, the opener of ways, unlocks the first gate, allowing the Ra access to the underworld. The Mesketet then sets off on its journey into the underworld, where it will pass through twelve gates, each chamber offering a challenge which must be overcome before Ra can rise again. They will be judged by Osiris who will determine their place in the afterlife. The boats first stop is at the gap of Abydos, where the souls of countless humans board. A crew of lesser deities guard his body and steer the boat through the perilous underworld, in the hope of bringing him back to life. During the evening, he enters the underworld, and the boat would take on the name, Mesketet (the boat of millions).Īs he descends into the netherworld, the body of Ra perishes, bringing darkness to the upper region of the Earth. He sails across the ‘River of the Sky’ in the day, resting in his boat known as Mandjet (the day barge). It is Ra, the sun-god, who helps bring balance to the cosmos, with the help of his fellow deities. To bring order to this chaos, several gods made their home in the underworld, helping to guide the dead through its treacherous terrain.
The ‘Duat’, as it is known, is a dark abyss thriving with snakes, monsters and evil spirits. W hereas the heavenly bodies represent the divine order of the universe, the underworld epitomizes pure chaos. Most important of these celestial children is Ra, the sun-god, who sails across the sky at day and into the underworld at night. Nut and Geb are lovers, but Shu must hold them apart to allow the other gods the freedom to move across the cosmos. The upper region consists of the earth (Geb), atmosphere (Shu) and heavens (Nut). Despite this, I found The Cult of Ra an invaluable and enlightening resource that I would recommend to anyone hoping to understand the mindsets of Ancient Egyptians better.The Egyptian cosmos is separated into two parts. Quirke writes in a scholarly but accessible manner, but because his writing is so packed with detail, I at least felt the need to take breaks in my reading lest I was overwhelmed.
There were a few things in the text that struck me as particularly enlightening, such as the focus on the divine or "cosmic" view of kingship in Ancient Egypt, the notion that the pyramids might represent the benben stone (mound of creation) and so on. As a resource, The Cult of Ra does that rare thing of coming close to suggesting how the Ancient Egyptians might think or feel about aspects of their society and religion.
I felt the need to stop, think and digest the information before moving on. It was not a quick, absorbing read, but that is not necessarily negative. Made up of five chapters, it covers the mythological aspects of Ra (or Re), his role in the afterlife, the cult centre at Iunu, monuments with a dedicated solar focus, and the worship of the Aten during the reign of Akhenaten. As a resource, T The Cult of Ra by Stephen Quirke is a study of sun worship in Ancient Egypt with a truly impressive scope. The Cult of Ra by Stephen Quirke is a study of sun worship in Ancient Egypt with a truly impressive scope.
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