The Seven Evils, The Hymn to the Nile, and the Rage of Hathor

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1) Many early religions are said to be “animistic”, meaning that they give godlike traits to natural phenomenon. Based on these poems, did the early civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia have “animistic” religious systems?

2) Historians often say that Egyptian culture was generally very optimistic, as opposed to Mesopotamian pessimism: to what degree do these documents support this idea?

3) Based on these documents, what was the relationship between the divine powers and mankind in the Mesopotamian and/or Egyptian religious systems?

4) All of these documents are prayers or myths, and thus have to do with religion- what are the biases of this type of source? In other words, to what degree might they misrepresent the society they describe?

Descriptions of “The Seven” (ancient Mesopotamian poem)

I
Destructive storms and evil winds are they,
A storm of evil, presaging the baneful storm,
A storm of evil, forerunner of the baneful storm.
Mighty children, mighty sons are they,
Messengers of Namtar are they,
Throne-bearers of Ereshkigal. [Namtar and Ereshkigal are both evil gods]
The flood driving through the land are they.
Seven gods of the wide heavens,
Seven gods of the broad earth,
Seven robber-gods are they.
Seven gods of universal sway,
Seven evil gods,
Seven evil demons,
Seven evil and violent demons,
Seven in heaven, seven on earth.

II
Neither male nor female are they.
Destructive whirlwinds they,
Having neither wife nor offspring.
Compassion and mercy they do not know.
Prayer and supplication they do not hear.
Horses reared in the mountains, Hostile to Ea [a Goddess of Prosperity]
Throne-bearers of the gods are they.
Standing on the highway, befouling the street. Evil are they, evil are they,
Seven they are, seven they are, Twice seven they are.

III
The high enclosures, the broad enclosures like a flood they pass through.
From house to house they dash along.
No door can shut them out,
No bolt can turn them back.
Through the door, like a snake, they glide,
Through the hinge, like the wind, they storm.
Tearing the wife from the embrace of the man,
Snatching the child from the knees of a man,
Driving the freedman from his family home.

Source: R.C. Thompson, translator [The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia, London 1903]

Penitential Prayer to Every God (ancient Mesopotamian poem)

May the wrath of the heart of my god be pacified!
May the god who is unknown to me be pacified!
May the goddess who is unknown to me be pacified!
May the known and unknown god be pacified!
May the known and unknown goddess be pacified!
The sin which I have committed I know not.
The misdeed which I have committed I know not.
A gracious name may my god announce!
A gracious name may my goddess announce!
A gracious name may my known and unknown god announce!
A gracious name may my known and unknown goddess announce!
Pure food have I not eaten,
Clear water have I not drunk.
An offense against my god I have unwittingly committed.
A transgression against my goddess I have unwittingly done.
O Lord, my sins are many, great are my iniquities [evil deeds]!
My god, my sins are many, great are my iniquities! . . .
The sin, which I have committed, I know not.
The iniquity, which I have done, I know not.
The offense, which I have committed, I know not.
The transgression I have done, I know not.
The lord, in the anger of his heart, hath looked upon me.
The god, in the wrath of his heart, hath visited me.
The goddess hath become angry with me, and hath grievously stricken me.
The known or unknown god hath straitened me.
The known or unknown goddess hath brought affliction upon me.
I sought for help, but no one taketh my hand.
I wept, but no one came to my side.
I lamented, but no one hearkens to me.
I am afflicted, I am overcome, I cannot look up.
Unto my merciful god I turn, I make supplication.
I kiss the feet of my goddess and [crawl before her] . . .
How tong, my god . . .
How long, my goddess, until thy face be turned toward me?
How long, known and unknown god, until the anger of thy heart be pacified?
How long, known and unknown goddess, until thy unfriendly heart be pacified?
Mankind is perverted and has no judgment.
Of all men who are alive, who knows anything?
They do not know whether they do good or evil.
O lord, do not cast aside thy servant!
He is cast into the mire; take his hand.
The sin which I have sinned, turn to mercy!
The iniquity which I have committed, let the wind carry away.
My many transgressions tear off like a garment!
My god, my sins are seven times seven; forgive my sins!
My goddess, my sins are seven times seven; forgive my sins!
Known and unknown god, my sins are seven times seven; forgive my sins.

Source: http://www.northpark.edu/history/Classes/Sources/SumerPrayer.html

Hymn to the Nile (Egyptian, c. 2100 BC)

Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifests thyself over this land, and comes to give life to Egypt! Mysterious is thy issuing forth from the darkness, on this day whereon it is celebrated! Watering the orchards created by Re [sun god and creator of the earth], to cause all the cattle to live, you give the earth to drink, inexhaustible one! Path that descends from the sky, loving the bread of Seb [an earth god] and the first-fruits of Nepera, You cause the workshops of Ptah [god associated with craftsmen] to prosper!

Lord of the fish, during the inundation, no bird alights on the crops. You create the grain, you bring forth the barley, assuring perpetuity to the temples. If you cease your toil and your work, then all that exists is in anguish. If the gods suffer in heaven, then the faces of men waste away.

Then He [the Nile] torments the flocks of Egypt, and great and small are in agony. But all is changed for mankind when He comes; He is endowed with the qualities of Nun [the god of the watery abyss, before the creation of the earth]. If He shines, the earth is joyous, every stomach is full of rejoicing, every spine is happy, every jaw-bone crushes (its food).

He brings the offerings, as chief of provisioning; He is the creator of all good things, as master of energy, full of sweetness in his choice. If offerings are made it is thanks to Him. He brings forth the herbage for the flocks, and sees that each god receives his sacrifices. All that depends on Him is a precious incense. He spreads himself over Egypt, filling the granaries, renewing the marts, watching over the goods of the unhappy.

He is prosperous to the height of all desires, without fatiguing Himself therefor. He brings again his lordly bark; He is not sculptured in stone, in the statutes crowned with the uraeus serpent, He cannot be contemplated. No servitors has He, no bearers of offerings! He is not enticed by incantations! None knows the place where He dwells, none discovers his retreat by the power of a written spell.

No dwelling (is there) which may contain you! None penetrates within your heart! Your young men, your children applaud you and render unto you royal homage. Stable are your decrees for Egypt before your servants of the North! He stanches the water from all eyes and watches over the increase of his good things.

Where misery existed, joy manifests itself; all beasts rejoice.. […] No more reservoirs for watering the fields! He makes mankind valiant, enriching some, bestowing his love on others. None commands at the same time as himself. He creates the offerings without the aid of Neith [goddess of water?], making mankind for himself with multiform care.

* * *

A festal song is raised for you on the harp, with the accompaniment of the hand. Your young men and your children acclaim you and prepare their (long) exercises. You are the august ornament of the earth, letting your bark advance before men, lifting up the heart of women in labor, and loving the multitude of the flocks.

When you shine in the royal city, the rich man is sated with good things, the poor man even disdains the lotus; all that is produced is of the choicest; all the plants exist for your children. If you have refused (to grant) nourishment, the dwelling is silent, devoid of all that is good, the country falls exhausted.

O inundation of the Nile, offerings are made unto you, men are immolated to you, great festivals are instituted for you. Birds are sacrificed to you, gazelles are taken for you in the mountain, pure flames are prepared for you. Sacrifice is made to every god as it is made to the Nile. The Nile has made its retreats in Southern Egypt, its name is not known beyond the Tuau. The god manifests not his forms, He baffles all conception.

Men exalt him like the cycle of the gods, they dread him who creates the heat, even him who has made his son the universal master in order to give prosperity to Egypt. Come (and) prosper! Come (and) prosper! O Nile, come (and) prosper! O you who make men to live through his flocks and his flocks through his orchards! Come (and) prosper, come, O Nile, come (and) prosper!

Hathor's Rage and the Destruction of Mankind (Ancient Egyptian myth)

Now Re had grown old and frail; His bones were like silver, His skin like burnished gold, and His hair like lapis lazuli. When the people of Egypt saw His feeble condition, they murmured against Him. Soon, there were plots among mankind to seize the Throne of Re. The plotters met in secret on the edge of the desert, and thought themselves safe. However, the Sun God knew of the traitors and listened to their plotting.

Re's anger blazed forth as never before. He commanded the attendants of His throne, "Summon My daughter, the Eye of Re; send for mighty Shu [god of air] and Tefnuit [god of moisture]; bring Their children Geb and Nuit [sky goddess]; fetch the Dark Ogdoad, the eight who were with Me in the watery Abyss; raise Nun Himself! But let Them all come secretly. If the traitors learn that I hath summoned a counsel of Gods they will know they have been discovered and attempt to escape their punishment."

The King of the Gods spoke to Nun, "O oldest of living things and all ye primeval Gods, I wept and men sprang from My tears. I gave them life, but now they are tired of My rule and plot against Me. Tell me, what should I do to them? I will not destroy the children of My tears until I have heard your wise advise."

Watery Nun spoke first, "My son, Thou art older than Thy father, greater than the God who created You. May you rule forever! Both Gods and men fear the terrible power of the Eye of the Sun; send it against the rebels."

Re looked out over Egypt and spoke, "The plotters have already fled deep into the desert. They are afraid that I might learn of their plans and punish them. How shall I pursue them?"

The Gods cried out with one voice, "Send the Eye of Re to seize them! Send the Eye of the Sun to slaughter them! All of mankind is guilty, let the Eye go down as Hathor and destroy the children of Your tears. Let not one man remain alive."

Hathor, the Eye of the Sun, most beautiful and terrible of Goddesses, bowed before the throne and Re and nodded His head. Hathor went down into the desert, raging like a lioness. The plotters attempted to escape Her wrath, but to no avail. She siezed them and slaughtered them and drank their blood. Then merciless Hathor left the desert and raged through villages and towns, killing every man, woman, and child She could find. Re heard the prayers and screams of the dying and felt compassion for the children of His tears, but He remained silent.

When darkness fell, Hathor returned triumphantly to Her father. "Welcome in peace," declared Re. He tried to calm the fury of His daughter, but Hathor had tasted the blood of men and found it sweet. She was eager for the morning when She could return to Egypt and complete the slaughter of mankind to avenge their treachery. Soon, the power of Re would be unquestioned, but He would have no subjects to rule.

The Sun God wondered how He could save mankind, as He could not go back on His Divine Word. Soon, he created a plan to halt His terrible daughter. He ordered His followers to run, swifter than the shadows, to the city of Abu and bring back all the ochre they could find there. When they had returned with baskets full of red soil, He sent them out again to fetch the High Priest of Re, from Memphis, and all the slave girls who worked in his temple. Re ordered the High Priest to pound the ochre to make a red dye and set the slave girls to brewing beer. Just before dawn, the red dye was mixed with the beer until it looked like fresh blood. The King of the Gods smiled. "With this sleeping potion mankind will be rescued from My daughter," He said. "The people have suffered enough."

Re had the jars carried to the place where Hathor would begin Her killing and ordered the beer to be poured out to flood the fields with crimson.

As soon as it was light, Hathor came down into Egypt to sniff out and slaughter the few who were left alive. The first thing She saw was a great pool of blood. The Goddess waded into it and was enchanted by Her own reflection in the crimson surface. She stooped to lap up the blood and drank the pool dry.

The beer was strong, and the Goddess soon became very happy. Her head whirled and She could not remember why She had been sent into Egypt. Hathor made Her way back to the palace of Re and sank down at Her father's feet to sleep for many days.

"Welcome, gentle Hathor," spake Re. "Mankind shall remember their escape from Your fury by drinking strong beer at all Your festivals." Hathor was known from then on as The Lady of Drunkenness.

But Re was still angry and saddened over the rebellion of mankind. Nothing would be as it once was in the Golden Age before their treachery. When Hathor finally awoke, She felt as She had never felt before. Re asked Her, "Dost Thy head ache? Dost Thy cheeks burn? Dost Thou feel ill?" As He spoke, illness first came into being in Egypt.

Then Re summoned a second council of the Gods and spoke, "My heart is too weary for Me to remain as King of Egypt. I am weak and old, let Me sink back into the Watery Abyss until it is time for Me to be born again."

Nun said quickly, "Shu, protect Your father! Nuit, carry Him upon Thy back."

"How can I carry the mighty King of the Gods?" asked gentle Nuit, and Nun told Her to turn Herself into a cow. And so Nuit was turned into a vast cow with golden flanks and long curved horns. Re mounted the Divine Cow, and rode away from Egypt.

Source: http://www.theologywebsite.com/etext/egypt/hathor.shtml