IN THIS STUDY

The author shows that the twin deities Shu and Tefnut were inspired by a solar eclipse phenomenon, the Baily's Beads.
The author explains the solar connections and creative role of the god Shu.
The author presents his interpretation of the legend of the god Anhur and similar legends.
The author shows that the legend of the god Anhur was inspired by a solar eclipse.
The author argues that Tefnut was a goddess of light, and explains her role in bringing light to the world after solar eclipses.
The author interprets the leonine form of Shu and Tefnut, and the hieroglyph of the double lion.
The author presents his translation and interpretation of the titulary of the god Aten.

INTRODUCTION

In the previous five parts, I argued that the solar gods Atum, Re, Horakhty, Khepri, Hathor, and Aten had been inspired by solar eclipse phenomena. In this part we venture too closely, in a daring space flight, to the twin solar lions Shu and Tefnut. The two lions were mighty enough to be promoted as guardians of their father, the Sun god, the King of the Universe. Had the double monster been inspired by an eclipse phenomenon too?

Through most of my studies, I have tackled the influence of solar eclipses in ancient Egypt. However, solar eclipses occur all over the globe. What was the impression of the AEs when they learn that a solar eclipse was visible in some other country?

I recall that, through earlier studies, I have shown that during total solar eclipse, under darkness, silence, and terror, a remote ancestor could have seen the eclipsed Sun as a serpent, a cow, a winged scarab, a hawk, a lotus flower, fish, a frog's head, or even an ugly face telling him/her: "Boo!"

I remind that the five parts are quite related that you should read the first five parts before this one if you have not read them yet. Also, if you read to me for the first time, you should read my studies:

     1. Egyptian Cosmology, Part II, The Heliopolitan Cosmogony, a Revised Edition.
     2. Egyptian Cosmology, Part VII, Karnak the Horizon of Heaven.
     3. Egyptian Cosmology, Part XI, Hathor the Mistress of Akhet.

The studies are available at my website:
                          http://www.geocities.com/aymen_ibrahem

LIONS OF LIGHT

The god Shu was the god of space and light. He was a member of the venerated Heliopolitan Ennead. He was the first born son of the Sun god Atum, according to the cosmogony of the City of Heliopolis. He was also considered to be the off-spring of the Sun god Re. The Turin Canon of Kings mentions that Shu was one of the divine kings who ruled Egypt before humans. Most of the knowledge about Shu has been derived from the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts. Shu's universal roles included supporting the sky and providing space for humans to live. Shu appears as a creative power. Shu is associated with the Sun god and thus has escaped the persecution of King Akhenaten's men. This study reveals the solar connections of Shu, which I think was a most important duty!

Tefnut was the twin and wife of Shu. She was the goddess of moisture. In this study, I reveal one more universal task of the eldest Egyptian goddess.

Shu and Tefnut were depicted in a leonine form, as the famous 'Double Lion', or the misinterpreted 'Lions of the Horizon'. Legends say they were born in the form of lion cubs. This study features a new explanation of the leonine form of the mighty twin. Shu and Tefnut were worshipped in the City of Leontopolis 'City of the Lion'.

POWER OF LIGHT

In the Coffin Texts, Atum created Shu and Tefnut with his Akh-power (1). Shu could be envisaged as the rays of the Sun (2). Shu appears as a creative power (3). My eclipse-theory of the interpretation of the solar cult of ancient Egypt helps to explain the solar connections of Shu.

Through my interpretation of Utterance 600 of the Pyramid Texts in my study 'The Heliopolitan Cosmogony', I have shown that the twin Shu and Tefnut may have been inspired by Baily's Beads:

First, the God Atum rose as the pyramidal Benben Stone (the Diamond Ring effect), that shone on the Primeval Hill (the western lunar limb). Then, the Sun god created Shu and Tefnut (the appearance of Baily's Bead's). The Sun god put his arms around his children (the Sun became a slender crescent, whose horns are the "arms"). Thus, the twin are eclipse phenomena.

DOUBLE BEAST

I believe that the Baily's Beads of the eclipse that inspired the Heliopolitan cosmogony gave the impression that they were the heads of two lion's cubs (Shu and Tefnut), emanating on the Primeval Hill (lunar limb). This explains why Shu and Tefnut appear together as a double lion. Thus, Shu and Tefnut had been believed to guard the Akhet, but are not related to the eastern and western horizons as commonly believed.

THE POWERFUL BEARER!

In some amulets, Shu appears kneeling, lifting the hieroglyph Akhet up. This enhances my arguments that the hieroglyph Akhet stands for 'solar eclipse' (the rising and setting of the Sun in the sky), and not the "horizon", the locus of the daily sunrise and sunset. In the Egyptian cosmology (particularly the picture of the universe), I have found, there is nothing below Geb (the Earth). Thus, it is far fetched that the Akhet (supported by Shu the god of space) could be the "horizon", it is a holy shrine that exists high in heavens, where the Sun gets eclipsed. Its unlikely that the AEs depicted the god of space below Geb!

THE DISTANT ONE

In an ancient legend, that is related originally to the god Anhur, Tefnut, the Eye of Re, fled away to Nubia. In Nubia, she appeared as a lioness, spitting fire from her eyes and nostrils, and devoured humans and animals. The Sun god missed her, so he sent Shu and Thut the god of the Moon, to bring her back. The two gods transformed themselves into baboons.

At first she refused, but Thut explained to her the gloom that fell on Egypt because of her absence. At last, Tefnut was convinced to return, and the two gods led her home amidst great rejoicing.

Tefnut made a triumphant procession from one city to another, attended by a great number of musicians, dancers and baboons, until finally she was welcomed home by Re himself and restored her role as his Eye. In another version of the legend, Tefnut is replaced by Hathor.

A HELIOPOLITAN ECLIPSE!

For the following reasons, I believe the legend was inspired by a solar eclipse:

The story depicts the terror that the Nubians suffered when Tefnut appeared. This was caused by the panic that primitive peoples felt through eclipses.

The legend mentions that darkness fell on Egypt due to the absence of Tefnut. This darkness is certainly not that of night. It is the abrupt disappearance of the Sun through totality (since the AEs were not able to predict eclipses till the Ramessid era, as I have shown).

The Sun god missed his daughter! Again due to the lack of light.

People rejoiced when Tefnut returned to Egypt (as they fear eclipses).

The legend is similar to the Hittite myth in which the Sun god was missing one day, but his fellow divines could still feel his warmth. I have shown this legend to have been inspired by a solar eclipse, in my study of the eclipse recorded in the reign of King Mursilis II (1321-1295 BC) (www.eclipse-chasers.com/egypt4.htm).

My interpretation of the legend is that:

An ancient (probably immemorial) solar eclipse that was total in some Egyptian city (probably, Heliopolis, the town of the Ennead), but daylight was not much affected in Nubia (the eclipse was partial there). Thus, the AEs believed that Tefnut, a goddess of light, ran away from Egypt (where darkness fell), and fled to Nubia, where there was enough sunlight.

A NUBIAN ECLIPSE!

I have obtained an alternative interpretation of the legend by considering the case of annular solar eclipse. The annually eclipsed Sun looks much like a "divine", fiery Eye in the sky:

A solar eclipse occurred in Nubia that set enough panic to the Nubians (the lioness devours people and animals). Since Hathor was also identified with the Eye of Re, which I have shown to be the annually eclipsed Sun, I believe the eclipse could have been annular. Thus, when the appearance of the annually eclipsed Sun in Nubia was reported to the Egyptians, the northern neighbors must have believed that Hathor was exiled (by her father Re) to Nubia.

THE HORNS OF HATHOR!

In my study 'Hathor the Mistress of Akhet', I have shown that Hathor was the Egyptian goddess of solar eclipses: her horns were possibly the horns of the crescent Sun seen prior to totality; her black color was a rendition of the darkness of the New Moon. Thus, I can explain the legend in which Hathor plays the role of Tefnut as:

Nubia enjoyed a deep partial solar eclipse. The eclipse must have set enough panic... The Nubians reported the appearance of Hathor, i.e., they observed the crescent Sun. The terror set by the eclipse is reflected in the legend as the fiery attack of the lioness.

Thus, we find two guises of Hathor, as a horned solar deity and the Eye of Re. Both evidently were inspired by eclipse-scenes.

TWO BABOONS

In my studies of the obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BC), and the Great Temple of Abu Simbel, I have explained why the baboons were sacred in ancient Egypt... they shout when the eclipsed Sun shines past totality. We now find (the above legend) new evidence for the connection between the sacred baboons and solar eclipses. The two studies are available at my website.

THE LOCATION OF ABU SIMBEL

Now we can answer the following important question: Why had King Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC) chose Nubia to build his 'Temple of Millions of Years', the Great Temple of Abu Simbel? A common answer has been because the king wanted to show his power and wealth to the Nubian people. I find it implausible. I believe the reason is that daylight was not affected in Nubia during the eclipse of 02/10/-1285. My study of the alignment of Abu Simbel, 'The Wonder of the Sun, a Revised Edition', is available at my website.

KING ATEN

We saw in Part V why was the raying Sun disc Aten regarded as a heavenly pharaoh. Now, having argued that the belief in Shu and Tefnut was inspired by solar eclipse phenomenon, I present my translation and interpretation of the titulary of the god Aten as:

"The Living God, Re-Horakhty, who rejoices on the Illuminated Spot (Akhet), in his manifestation Shu (Sunbeam), who is from Aten."

"The Living God, Re, Ruler of the Primordial Islands (Akhety), who rejoices on the Primordial Island, in his manifestation light, who is from Aten."

According to my interpretation, the names refer to the eclipsed Sun Re-Horakhty, and Re, and both depict the successive appearance of Baily's Beads (Shu) and the shadow bands phase (Aten).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The twin leonine members of the Heliopolitan Ennead had been possibly inspired by a dazzling eclipse phenomenon, Baily's Beads. This explains their role as god and goddess of light.

Tefnut was not only a goddess of moisture, she was a goddess of light.
The appearance of Baily's Beads may have inspired the belief that Shu and Tefnut first appeared is a twin lion's cubs. This explains the hieroglyph of double lion.

The legend of the god Anhur seems to have been inspired by and depict an Egyptian/Nubian solar eclipse. The legend may thus be regarded also as a Nubian eclipse record. This is the first evidence for the observation of an eclipse in ancient Nubia.

It seems that when the AEs knew that a solar eclipse occurred in a neighboring country, e.g., Nubia, they believed that Tefnut (or Hathor), the solar eclipse goddess ran away from Egypt to that neighboring country!

Possibly King Ramesses II choose Nubia as the location for the Great Temple of Abu Simbel because it has enjoyed much sunlight during the eclipse of 02/10/-1285 which was quite dramatic in Lower Egypt.

The belief in the Eye of Re seems to have been inspired by the annually eclipsed Sun.

Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem

http://www.geocities.com/aymen_ibrahem

Email: aymen_ibrahem@hotmail.com

Copy rights: Aymen M Ibrahem, February 22, 2002.

* Do not reproduce without permission.

CHRONOLOGY

The chronology used in this study is the result of the author's own work indicated in Part I of the series.

FURTHER READINGS

My website contains most of my studies at:
                          http://www.geocities.com/aymen_ibrahem
Also, Dr. Eric Flescher (KCStarguy@aol.com) has kindly established an archive, which includes many of the author's studies, at his website at:
                               http://ericsblacksuneclipse.com

Also, more of my studies are available at:

The Jordanian Astronomical Society
                              http://www.jas.org.jo/article.html
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences
                              http://www.infis.org/aymenibr.htm
Eclipse Chasers
                              http://www.eclipse-chasers.com/
 

REFERENCES

     1. Donald Redford, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, p. 48, The AUC Press, 2001.
     2. Ibid., p. 283.
     3. Ibid., p. 283.

Other references include:

     1. Ahmed Fakhry, Pharaonic Egypt, the Angloegyptian Publishing, 1995.
     2. Ahmed Fakhry, The Pyramids, Chicago University Press, 1962.
     3. Seleem Hassan, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Vol. V., The EGBO, 2000.
     4. Labib Habachi, The Obelisks of Egypt, The AUC Press, 1988.
     5. Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, The British Museum Press, 2000.
     6. The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, The AUC Press, 1995.
     7. Munfred Lurker, Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, 1995.
     8. Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, The AUC Press, 1997.
     9. Siliotti, Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt, The AUC Press, 1998