Ra, God of The Sun

While living on earth, Ra, god of the sun, dwelt in a magnificent palace which was surrounded by a high wall covered with paintings of the god Khonsou, the bull who was supposed to protect him. Around Ra, there was also a multitude of servants who took care of his security as he slept.

In the morning, when Ra opens his eyes, it is dawn and a new day starts. In the evening his eyes close and the surface of the earth is once again covered by darkness.

Every morning Amon-Ra wakes up and takes a cold bath after which he is dressed and led by his servants.

By the shores of the river, the royal boat waits for His Highness, the god of the sun. The magic boat, which has no paddles nor sail, is boarded by Ra and his escort, and on their passage men acclaim their lord and master, Ra! In this manner he goes around the world, from east to west, going to the edge of the earth. There, at noon, another ship takes him to the Amanti, the mysterious country which symbolises underworld for the Egyptians.

He continues to sail on a long river with a valley divided in twelve zones. After each of the twelve hours of teh night, the solar boat crosses from one zone to the other. At the sixth hour, it crosses the northern boundary of the world and comes back to the sacored door which leads to the gardens of Ialou, where it arrives at the seventh hour.

This is how Ra, in his silent boat, leaves the regions where he cannot be seen by human eyes. He then crosses the gates joining Ialou's garden to the human world.

When Ra lived on earth, in his castle of the Heliopolis, he left like the every day for his daily round of the earth and he would only come back twelve hours later.

He stopped in each province daily for about an hour, and during this time he took care of different problems he would encounter. He listened to everybody; great or small, everyone had a share of his time. To those who deserved it he gave a piece of the royal castle and to every family he gave what was necessary for their livelihood. He tried as hard as he could to overcome problems and misery, and he taught all sorts of effective formulae against snakes and wild animals as well as recipes against sickness.

Giving freely his secrets, to all those who asked him, he kept only one secret for himself, the name his mother had given him when he was born. This name was secretly given to him, and him alone, and he kept it hidden deep inside his chest, afraid that a sorcerer would use it to harm him, for it was assumed that nobody could hurt you if they didn't know your secret name, your true name.

However, like all other human beings, Ra grows old. Despite his well-kept body, the old man now has to walk with the help of a stick, for he can no longer walk by himself.

Isis, who is one of the Pharaoh's servants and a master in the art of deceit, wants to steal his secret and thus make herself goddess, in order to possess the world

Violence was useless since Ra, despite his old age, was still a god. No human was capable of fighting against him.

Isis therefore decides to cast a disease on Ra, so that she will later be in a position to offer him her help. In return for treating and saving him, she will therefore ask him to tell her the mysterious word, his name.

So, with some mud she had picked up from the ground, she shaped a snake over which she said some incantations, some magical words, which were to give life to non-living things.

As he passed through there one morning on his way for his daily round of the earth, Ra was bitten on the heel. As the poison started to take effect on him, Ra was ini deep pain and could no longer control his movements; he could only shout: "What is happening? What is happening?"

All the princes thus gathered around him, each one trying his powers and skills to heal Ra, and among them was Isis, who also offered to put an end to Ra's suffering.

Isis: "You were bitten by a snake, hidden in the dust."

She offers to help him by uttering a special formula that would cure anything, but discretely she suggested that the incantations could only work if they were accompanies by the mysterious name which he refused to reveal.

Isis: "Tell me your name, oh divine father, for you know that the charms are only effective when accompanied by your secret name."

Ra, who suspects that something is wrong, tries to stall and deceive Isis. In a friendly tone, he tells her all the names by which he is called: Kepri in the morning, Ra at the noon, and Toumou in the evening, or even Atouni.

Isis, who is quite cunning, doesn't give in, and has him admit that this mysterious name actually exists.

Ra: "My secret name has been hidden inside my body since the day I was born, so that it's magical power would not go to somebody who might use it against me."

Isis: "Tell me this name, tell me now and you will be healed!"

Ra, who is in deep pain, finally utters the fatal words:

Ra: "I have no choice now, Isis, my name will go from my body into yours. I will allow you to dig inside me.

Isis wastes no time: She opens his chest, and Ra's heart delivers the secret. Isis, having memorised the name, pronounces another incantation and Ra is healed immediately, with all the pain disappearing.

Now Isis had the secret of Ra's power, and without losing any moment she proclaimed herself goddess.

A woman's cunningness had thus deprived Ra of his last secret.

This is the first of three stories that constitute the tale of Ra: "Ra, God of The Sun", "The Goddess Sekmet Comes To Life From Ra's Eye", and "Ra Thinks About Getting Some Rest".
Story source: "Egypt, Gift of The Nile, Prietenii Cărții, 1996", a collection coordinated by Wayne Leah and Cristina Ștefănescu.