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Ancient Egyptian Legends

by Margaret A. Murray

9 of 11 · Contents · Download EPUB

IX The Beer of Heliopolis

Published: Léfébure, Tombeau de Sety Ie, pt. iii, pls. 15-18 (Annales du Musée Ouimet, ix).

Translated: Wiedemann, Religion of the Ancient Egyptians, p. 62. (For a description of the tomb of Sety I see the Notes on Legend xi).

This story is sculptured on the walls of a side-chamber off one of the inner halls of the tomb of Sety I (room xii of the guide-books). On one of the walls is a representation of a cow standing under the star-sprinkled vault of heaven. This is Nut, the sky-goddess; she is raised on the uplifted hands of the god Shu, and each leg is supported by two gods; planets, and Boats of the Sun travel across her body. The connection between this representation and the legend is quite uncertain.

The tale occurs only in this one place, but every excavator hopes that he may one day find a tomb with a complete copy of the story sculptured on the walls.

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