The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations Part 31

Kha-ut (fig. 67, 5) is the name for the sacrificial offering laid on the utu=altar, which is shaped like the tau and symbolizes the above and below by its perpendicular and horizontal lines. In the centre of this is the bread=ta (the h.o.m.onym of ta=earth, _cf._ neb-at=fire), which is remarkable on account of its division into four parts a.n.a.logous to that of nut=city, a feature which justifies the inference that the word for cake=sen-nu made with honey=bat or net, is intended to be expressed here. A jar stands at each side of the cake, which is placed on edge so as to exhibit the sacred design upon it. It is significant that, if the jars contained wine=arp, milk=art, the name of the liquid const.i.tuted an anagram of ra, if perfume=anta was present, this furnished the syllables an and ta=earth. It is, of course, impossible to surmise how far such resemblances of sounds influenced the choice of sacred offerings.

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Figure 67.

The kha (fig. 67, 6)=crown is particularly interesting as Amen-Ra is addressed as "crowned form," the lord of the ureret crown, ... beautiful of tiara, exalted of the white crown ... on whose brow the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt is established. It appears, therefore, evident that the crown=kha was but another mode of expressing ka=double. At the same time it likewise conveyed the idea of ak=the centre and the act of crowning a sovereign appears as vested with deep symbolical meaning when it is realized that, according to the primitive modes of thought I have been tracing, by enclosing the head of the king in a circlet he was const.i.tuted the hak, regent or central chief, the living image of Ra, whose sign was the star or dot in the circle or ring.

Ka (duality) is commonly expressed by an uplifted pair of arms; a variant being the whole figure of a man with raised arms (7 and 8). The fact that the name for phallus was also ka, explains its employment as a sacred symbol, recorded by Herodotus, which proves to what extremes the ancient rebus-writers went in their nave invention and multiplication of secret signs and modes of expressing the names and attributes of their "hidden G.o.d." The hatred and disgust conceived by the great reformer Amenophis IV, against all that pertained to the cult of Amen-Ra, his destruction of all images devised by the priesthood and adoption of a pure image of the supreme divinity of a plain disk or circle, with rays terminating in hands, are readily understood in connection with the above.

Returning to our list of akh words: the akh or centre is figured by a man between two signs for heaven=pet, supporting the upper heaven with both hands; the idea ka=double or dual, being simultaneously expressed (9).

The hawk=bak (10) const.i.tutes so perfect a rebus or anagram of middle=ak and kabal, as well as for khab=star, that the reason why the hawk was chosen as an image or form of Amen-Ra is as reasonably accounted for as the choice of the bull. Before supporting this a.s.sertion by a series of convincing proofs, the following list must be studied:

_An=he who turns himself around (__i. e.__ who performs a circuit=the circuiteer) and ankh=life._

In the "First steps in Egyptian" I find the word "an" expressed by (fig.

68, 1) a man in the act of turning around, resembling the position of the male deity in the boat, already discussed and represented in the astronomical texts (fig. 68, 2) by an eye, the form of which differs from that of the eye=ari; (3) by a fish, also different in form from the fish=kha, and particularly interesting if compared to the fish khepanen, figured in the kheper series, which const.i.tutes a rebus combining the t.i.tles khepera=creator and an=the circuiteer; (4) by a stone=aner, also by hair=anem; (5) by two arms spread outwards, recalling the position of the front legs of quadrupeds; (6) by a spear whose shaft is inserted in a double stand; which sign recurs in the name of the city Annu, expressed by the an=spear, the vase=nu and the nut determinative for city or capital (7). It is extremely interesting to compare, at this point, the Greek polus=a pole or axis, and polis=city or capital, and to realize that, in Egypt and Greece alike, the names for capital are a.s.sociated with the idea of centrifugal power and rule.

The signification of all the above "an" signs becomes intensified when it is realized that they conveyed also the first two letters of the word ankh=life, which was usually expressed by the familiar symbol expressing the union of the dualities of nature (8).

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Figure 68.

Amongst the many surprises received during the course of this investigation, few have given me as much satisfaction and light, as the observation of the fact that the Egyptian name for flower, ankh (9), was the same as that for "life." The full significance of the lotus blossom as a symbol became clear to me, and my attention having been called by a friend to Mr. William H. Goodyear's admirable work "The Grammar of the Lotus," London, 1891, I was able to obtain from it the series of Egyptian symbols which I now present and shall proceed to interpret according to the method set forth in the preceding pages. The interesting observation was by Mr. Goodyear that "the ankh was the exact counterpart of the lotus as regards solar a.s.sociation" and in his work, on pl. LXV and elsewhere, this close observer publishes several instances ill.u.s.trating this view. Of these I reproduce but two, which suffice, feeling convinced that Mr.

Goodyear will be as interested as I was to hear that the ankh and lotus were h.o.m.onyms of ankh=life. This fact of itself fully explains why the lotus flower was employed by the ancient Egyptians, as Mr. Goodyear states, as the "symbol of life, immortality and of renaissance and resurrection and of fecundity."

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Figure 69.

In fig. 69, 1, two (ka) fishes (khepanen or an) hold the lotus, ankh, and thus const.i.tute a sacred rebus, the profound meaning of which can be surmised by studying the preceding pages. In 2, one (ua) fish holds the ankh instead of the lotus. Both signs obviously express precisely the same meaning with the difference that, in one case duality is expressed by two fishes, and in the other by the ankh symbol which emblematizes the union of nature's dualities.

Fig. 69, 3, shows the bull, carrying the circle of Ra between its horns and wearing the ankh symbol hanging from its neck. The lotus replaces this in 4, where the circle is missing and one bull (ua en ka) expresses the mystic sacred words ua=One and ka=double or "the divine Twain." It is evident that it is only when it is a.s.sumed that pole-star worship const.i.tuted the basis of the natural religion of the ancient Egyptians that their sacred symbols become intelligible.

Though a novice in Egyptology and with extremely limited works of reference at hand, which facts will, I trust, excuse faults and omissions, I perceive so much that is clear and simple in the following series of Egyptian sacred symbols, culled from Mr. Goodyear's work, that I am tempted to submit my interpretation of their meaning, thereby putting my view and method to a crucial test.

In pl. VII, 2, we have an interesting group uniting the boat, the meaning of which has been discussed, a seated figure on a square pedestal, a column, the upper portion of which is separate and simulates the bowl or cup=au, the dot and circle, the sign of Amen-Ra, and a single flower. As a rebus, some of the words expressed are am, uaa or makhen=boat, tet=column, Ra=dot and circle, also seated figure, determinative of G.o.d=Ra, and ua en ankh=one flower. While the rebus supplies the words ua=one, uahi=permanent, ra=G.o.d, an=the circuiteer, ankh=life, tet=eternal, it is only when identified as pole-star symbolism that the group becomes comprehensible.

Pointing out that, in the above, we have a clear case of the flower in a.s.sociation with the Ra sign and other symbols which have been discussed as pole-star signs, let us next examine 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8, in each of which one blossom=ua en ankh, const.i.tutes the emblem for the sacred Middle, and openly conveys the idea of the verb an, to perform a circuit and ankh=life.

The fact that, in 6, the flower consists of five petals, on four of which the genii of the four quarters stand, sufficiently proves that the flower, like the five-dot group, const.i.tuted a symbol of the four quarters and centre, the latter being figured as a pyramid-shaped petal. Interesting variants of this group are 5, with the four genii standing on seven of the nine petals of the flower, which is placed between two buds, the idea of centrality being thus conveyed; and 7 where an inverted triangle replaces the flower and reveals some of the deeper meaning attached to this symbol.

In 1 and 3 the flower is surmounted by the hawk crowned with the Ra sign which, as has already been stated, symbolizes circuition around a central point of fixity. The names for hawk=hak (_cf._ ak and cabal=middle, also hak=king) and her or hur (_cf._ hru=upper, the above, and ur=four=Horus) reveal its appropriate use as rebus and symbol of the central "sun" G.o.d.

In 8, instead of the Ra sign, the hawk wears the peculiar double diadem with a circle at its base, which is the particular attribute of the images of the ram-headed G.o.d Amon who is represented in no. 12, holding the ankh sign and accompanied by the kheper sign, composed of a circle, surmounted by a cone and supported by a pedestal. It is well known that the ram=ser, sart or sar, was the form under which the supreme divinity was worshipped at Thebes, the real metropolis of the whole land of Egypt, during many centuries.(113) The name Amon, also given as Ammon, Amoun, Hammon, resembles Amen closely enough to justify the identification of Amon as a form of Amen-Ra, the concealed G.o.d.

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Plate VII.

In this connection it is noteworthy that the ram=sar or sart conveys the same sound as the goose=sar or sa, the employment of which, as a pole-star symbol, will be discussed further on, and that the king of Egypt was termed "the living ram (of Amon) on earth" and "the engendering ram." From Mr. J. P. Mahaffy we learn that, under the Ptolemaic rule, "it seems likely that among the strict prescriptions for all the solemn acts of the king, it was directed that he should a.s.sume the insignia of the G.o.d Amon, his ram's horns, fleece, etc, when visiting the queen" (History of Egypt, London, 1899).

Under the Ptolemaic dynasty, the identification of Amon with Amen-Ra receives support from the magnificent monumental votive ram, preserved at the Berlin Museum, which was dedicated by king Amenophis III, which bears on his head, the disk with the uraeus serpent, the familiar sign of the "hidden G.o.d."(114)

While the diadem of Amen-Ra sufficiently identifies the hawk on the lotus as a form of the "hidden G.o.d," the following extracts from Mr. Goodyear's work will be found to confirm this and throw further light on the subject.

"The hawk represented Ra, Horus and all solar G.o.ds...." A text at Denderah says: "The sun which was from the beginning rises (_i. e._ comes forth, appears, see Brugsch for meaning of Egyptian equivalent) like a hawk from the midst of its lotus bud...." At Denderah the king makes offering of the lotus to the sun-G.o.d Horus with the words: "I offer thee the flower which was in the beginning the glorious lily of the great water...." In the boat of the dead the soul says, "I am a pure lotus (_i. e._ life) issue of the field of the sun."

The circ.u.mstance that, in 4, the flower is surmounted by a goose, one name for which being aq=ak, shows that, like the hawk, bak, it may well have served as a rebus for ak=the middle. An instance of the direct a.s.sociation of the sacred goose with the four quarters is given in the bas-relief at Medinet-Abu, described by Brugsch (_op. cit._ II, p. 297). This represents "Ramses III ... offering sacrifice to the G.o.d 'Khimti,' _i. e._ Pan of Panopolis, the Theban form of which was Amon Generator.... A white bull (the symbol of Pan) and four geese, which are represented as flying towards the cardinal points, const.i.tute the sacrifice."

The striking a.s.sociation of the goose with the bull=Apis, the astronomical symbolism of which has been shown, gains in significance when it is realized that another name for goose is apt and that this also const.i.tutes an anagram of pta=ptah, one form of Amen-Ra. It is a curious fact that the third name for goose, se or sa, combined with ankh=flower, as in pl. VII, 4, furnishes the word ankh-sa, which recalls the word An-sah obtained by the mummy and serpent rebus and the name of the G.o.d of a.s.syria, Anshar.

In connection with the above Egyptian rebus, expressing the syllables ankh and sa, it surprised me, to find that the Sanscrit name for goose is hangsa, while in ancient Hindu it is hamsa and in modern Hindu hana.s.sa. It is well known that in Hindu mythology the goose was "the bird of Brahma,"

the "supreme one who alone exists really and absolutely," that the birth of Brahma from the lotus is frequently represented in Hindu religious art, and that the lotus is the attribute of the "sun-G.o.d" Surya, termed the "lord of the lotus, father, friend and king." What is more, the goose, a.s.sociated with "solar" symbolism, _i. e._ with the circle and central dot, with the swastika, four-petalled flower and the wheel, occurs on the oldest monuments of Greek art; on the prehistoric bronzes and pottery of Italy (where the sacred geese were kept on the Capitoline at Rome); on the bronzes of Hallstatt, of ancient Gaul and of prehistoric Sweden. Pointing out that we thus obtain a whole chain of a.s.sociations which link the syllables am and an to deities and pole-star symbolism, I next present, for reference, the names for the bird given in Webster's dictionary.

Sanscrit, hangsa; Latin, anser, for hanser; German, gans (in Germany, according to Pliny, the small, white geese were called ganzoe al. gantoe lib. X, 22); Greek, khen; Danish, gaas; Swedish, gos; Welsh, gwydd; Anglo-Saxon, gos; Irish, geadh; Icelandic, gas; Slavonic, gusj and gonsj.

Noting that in the Sanscrit, Latin, Greek and German alike, the syllable an or en is present in the name for goose, I return to the Egyptian symbols which express the words an and ankh, and, bearing the "birth of Brahma from a lotus" in mind, refer again to the Egyptian t.i.tle Neb-ankh, "lord of life," which, as I point out, also signified "the lord of the lotus flower." Let us now briefly examine some Egyptian texts relating to pl. V, 12 and 15, which represent the boat (am and its synonyms) and the flower=ankh, a.s.sociated with the boy and the serpent.

In an astronomical text from Edfu, published by Brugsch, New Year's day is mentioned in connection with the "coming forth of the great lotus blossom in the form of a bud in its symbolical interpretation as the G.o.d ahi (literally, boy).... The count of his rulership begins from the first day of his rising or birth...." In another text it is said: "New Year's day, the sun (Ra) comes forth from a lotus flower in the great sea," and there are numerous allusions in other inscriptions to "the lotus blossom in the great waters, from which the sun-child arises in radiance towards heaven."

The text accompanying (pl. V, 15), where a serpent rises from the lotus in the boat, states "the sun, uniter of the world, in Tentyra"=the New Year.

In another inscription it is said: "thou risest like the sacred serpent, as a living spirit, in thy glorious form in the bark of the sunrise;" and this pa.s.sage forms an interesting parallel to that already cited where the sun is said to rise "like a hawk from the midst of its lotus bud." Pl.

VII, 14, exhibits a nine-petalled lotus growing from a pedestal and a head issuing from it. As the name for head tep (also tap or tpa, and apt _cf._ pta), signifies chief, or beginning, we must accept this as another variant of the previous signs.

Deferring the discussion of the so-called "birth" and cult of the diurnal sun, as one form of Amen-Ra, let us now rapidly survey the following figures copied from Mr. Goodyear's work.

Pl. VII, 9. A circle encloses a group consisting of the five-petalled lotus between two buds and the hawk-headed sphinx, which has already been met with in the astronomical texts and, according to Egyptologists, represents Horus, the sun, "who lights the world with two eyes" and is addressed as "a powerful lion," "the master of double force."(115) I need scarcely recall here that the combination of a bird and quadruped would naturally symbolize air and earth, the Above and Below and that the hawk-headed sphinx, seated on four petals, clearly expresses the idea of the "lord of Heaven and Earth, the father and mother of all, the ruler of the Four Quarters and lord of the circle."

Pl. VII, 10. The plain circle or disk, supported by two uplifted arms=ka, arising from (akh) the ankh sign, is another ingenious mode of expressing the idea of the Middle, the circle, duality and life.

No. 13 const.i.tutes as charming and ingenious a play upon the word ankh=life as can be imagined, and a close examination reveals its subtle, hidden and deep significance. It exhibits, in the first case, the ankh sign combined with the flower=ankh, which might, at a first glance, be taken as an example of purely decorative art. But the ever-present thought of the duality of nature manifests itself in the arrangement of the two flowers towards each other and enclosed in the open ring of the ankh sign, and it is evident that the artist took pains to draw the central petal of the lower blossom in the form of a triangle, below which an oblong square and a square may be distinguished.

After the foregoing attempt to show how, even with my rudimentary and limited knowledge of their language, the sacred symbols of the Egyptians become intelligible and full of significance when studied as examples of pole-star symbolism and primitive rebus writing, I draw attention to the limited number of syllables employed in the astronomical texts; to the ingenuity displayed in expressing the same sound over and over again by means of different words possessing the same sound and to the fact I shall hereafter set forth, that the syllables and rebus-figures employed are found indissolubly linked to pole-star and sacred symbolism. Referring a demonstration of these conclusions to the end of the present investigation, I shall next discuss the forms which the cult of the dualities of nature seemingly a.s.sumed in ancient Egypt.

As an introduction I present in fig. 70, the copy of the upper portion of a funeral stela preserved at Bulak and published by Perrot and Chipiez (aegypten, Leipzig, 1884). It exhibits the head or face of Hathor surmounting the tet column and supporting, in turn, the image of a small house or temple, at each side of which is a peculiar projection recalling the circinate line issuing from the red crown of lower Egypt (see fig. 70, 9, 10). In another Hathor stela, figured in the same work (pp. 510 and 780), the same characteristic circinate projections recur. The image of the house, always represented with a single doorway, is obviously a rebus of the name Hathor, explained by Egyptologists as Het-heru, literally "the house of Horus." "Athor or Hathor of Thebes, identified with Nut, the sky ... was the female power of nature and is often represented under the form of a cow, ... as a woman with a cow's head, with horns and the disk, or wearing a head-dress in the shape of a vulture and above it the disk and horns." In the familiar representation of the mask of Hathor on columns, the a.s.sociation with the cow is conveyed by large cow's ears=setem, projecting at each side of the face=hra.

A feature generally present in the miniature doorway of the house, is a single erect head of a uraeus, bearing the disk or circle on its head and usually exhibiting a distinctly cross-shaped mark on its neck. The latter peculiarity is clearly shown in fig. 70, 1, which exhibits moreover a seated divinity at each side of the doorway, each bearing the throne or seat (auset) on its head, and the ankh sign on its knee. Close examination reveals that one of these deities is Ausar=Osiris, whose name is generally written by means of the throne=auset, and the eye=ari, with or without the determinative for G.o.d, _i. e._, the seated figure (fig. 70, 1 _a_ and 1 _b_). Opposite to Osiris is Auset=Isis, whose name is usually written as in fig. 70, 1 _c_, where the auset, the egg=se, and the seated image of a G.o.ddess bearing a bowl=neb, on her head, may be distinguished.

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Figure 70.

An idea of the import of fig. 70, 1, seems gained when it is remembered that in Egyptian the word house=pi, pir or per, was a.s.sociated with the t.i.tle of ruler, the name Pharaoh being derived from per=aa=great house.

What is more, the word house=pir or pi, is used in astronomical texts, like the Arabian beth, in relation to stars, it being said of a star that "it ever comes forth from its house"=appears (Brugsch).