The dawn of astronomy: A study of the temple-worship and mythology of the ancient EgyptiansLockyer, Norman, Sir
Religion
The dawn of astronomy: A study of the temple-worship and mythology of the ancient Egyptians
Lockyer, Norman, Sir
Astronomy, Egyptian; Sun -- Mythology; Sun worship; Temples -- Egypt
These things being presumed, we can now bring together in a working
hypothesis the temple evidence so far as it bears upon the mythology
and interaction of the North-and South-Star worshippers.
Date B.C.
Osiris}
6400 A swarm from the south with Thoth } Moon Gods.
Khonsu}
Chnemu (Sun God).
come down the River.
They find a population worshipping Rā and Atmu. Possibly they
were merely worshippers of the dawn and twilight.
The Moon worship is accepted as an addition, and _the divine
dynasty of Osiris_ begins.
The swarm brings a lunar year of 360 days with it, and the
Egyptian Calendar beginning I. Thoth commences.
They build temples at Amada, Semneh, Philæ, Edfû, and probably
Abydos. All these were probably Osiris temples, so called
because Osiris, the Moon-god, was the chief deity, and they
were used for the determination of the Sun's place at the
Autumnal Equinox, at which time their lunar year probably
began.
5400 A swarm, or swarms, from the N.E. One certainly comes by the
Red Sea, and founds temples at Redisieh and Denderah;
another may have come over the isthmus and founded Annu.
They bring the worship of _Anu_.[176]
The _Divine dynasty_ of Set is founded, and we can imagine
religious strifes between the partisans of the new northern
cult and the southern moon-worshippers.
These people might have come either from North Babylonia, or
other swarms of the same race may have invaded North
Babylonia at the same time.
±5000 [This date is fixed by Hippopotamus not being circumpolar after
it. It might have been much earlier, but not much later.]
Horus with his "blacksmiths" comes down the river to revenge his
"father Osiris" by killing his murderer Set (the
Hippopotamus). The 6400 B.C. people, who came from the
South, had been worsted by the last (5400 B.C.) swarm from
the N.E., and have sent for southern assistance.
The South people by this time had become Sun-worshippers, and
"Osiris" now means Sun as well as Moon.
The N.E. people are beaten, and there is an amalgamation of the
_Original_ and Southern cults. The N.E. people are reduced
to second place, but Set is retained, and _Anubis_ looks
after sepulchres, soon to be replaced by Osiris as Southern
priestcraft prevails. The priestly headquarters now are at
Annu and Abydos. At the former place we have an amalgamated
cult representing Sun and N. Star gods. At Abydos Osiris
(changed into a Sun-God) is supreme.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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