8/10/2019 ANE Week 2 Report

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All four texts describe the creator god that is specific to the location of the area. The difference in all four

texts is how they further elaborate on their specific creator god's abilities. In the Book of Shu, the creator

god is Atum who generated from himself through the means of masturbation or spitting. He created the

first twin pairs, Shu and Tefnut. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb and Nut who then gave birth to Osiris,

Isis, Seth and Nephthys. This makes up the Great Ennead. Shu is described as the god of the

atmosphere who separates Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). It is also said that Shu is the Eternal Recurrence

while his sister, Tefnut, is the Eternal Sameness. In cosmogonies 1.9, it describes the multiplicity of Atum

meaning many gods were created through him and he is also the god of the sun. It also mentions how

human beings were created, through the tears of Atum. Later on, it tells the story about how Tefnut was

replaced and when she found out, she was raging. So, Atum created a special place for her, on his

forehead. Also, he gave her power to rule the entire land. The Hymn to Amun (cosmogonies 1.16)

appraises the creator god of Thebes, Amun. The cosmogonies of Thebes were concerned with the

creator himself and not on the material source like Heliopolis and Memphis. Amun created himself "who

smelted his egg by himself.' He is viewed as a transcendent god, known as "the Hidden," who exists

independent of his creations. Lastly, the Great Hymn to Khnum, says that Khnum is the creator god who

creates mankind through his activity, like a pottery maker on his pottery wheel. He is then praised as the

creator god of all the animals and plants as well. They all describe a specific creator god but the

difference is how they create life.

According to these texts, the gods and human beings were parallel in creation meaning that when life was

created, the gods and human beings were formed at the same time. They also lived together in an

undivided world ruled by Re. In the hymn to the Sun god, human beings are described as his children.

Other texts mention that humans were created from the tears of Re. From the Book of the Heavenly Cow,

it is said that one day the humans began to rebel against Re who was getting old. Re told the other gods

about this and told them he wanted these rebellious human beings killed. Re then sends Hathor, his Eye,

to kill off all the humans. Realizing that Hathor is killing too many humans and seems unstoppable, he

comes up with a plan. Re tells people to make beer mixed with red ochre to mimic human blood and

spread it all across the fields. The next day, Hathor drinks the beer thinking it's human blood but

eventually gets drunk from it. That is when Re is able to tell Hathor to stop killing the human beings. Still,

the human beings rebel and that is when Re has had enough. He decides that the gods need to separate

from the human beings. Nut transforms herself into a cow and Shu help transport Re onto the cow to the

heavens. In the Apology of the Creator god, it is said that human beings created evil upon themselves

and that the gods did not make them evil. Also, the only way for humans to be reunited with the gods is

through death in the underworld.

The difference between the two texts, besides the physical attributes, is the type of information revealed

to the audience. In the Contendings of Horus and Seth, it focuses more on the rivalry and the relationship

between these two and it was intended for entertainment purposes. In the Great Hymn to Osiris, it

focuses more on Osiris and his power over Egypt. The murder of Osiris by Seth is not mentioned in the

Great Hymn because it wants the audience to focus on the resurrection of Osiris rather than his death. Itis also Seth that is never mentioned in the Great Hymn of Osiris. In the Contendings of Horus and Seth, it

describes their homosexual act towards one another where Seth tried to assert his dominance over

Horus. Isis plays a profound role and her actions were described in great detail in both texts. Isis was the

one who went out looking for Osiris's body in the Nile and all over Egypt. She brought Osiris back to life

and gave birth to his son, Horus. She hide Horus for years until he was old enough to fight Seth. Later on,

Isis transforms herself into an old woman to enter the island. She is the one who helps Horus get his

father's office.