The Memphite Cosmogony
The Memphite Cosmogony, most often referred to as
the Memphite Theology, is preserved on a stele carved
during the reign of Shabako, a Nubian King of the
Twenty-fifth Egyptian Dynasty. In order to legitimise
and ascertain his position as the lawful ruler,
King Shabaka Shabako took genuine interest in local
traditions and customs. Indeed, such interest is
revealed on and by the Shabako Stone. The inscription
relates the horror expressed by King Shabako upon
discovering the most sacred papyrus scroll of the
Temple of Ptah in Memphis half eaten by worms and
decaying. The king therefore ordered that the undamaged
sections of the text be copied on a stone stele
-- the so-called Shabako Stone. However, despite
the king's effort to preserve the text, the stone
itself later suffered severe damage; it was used
as a mill-stone (!) before its acquisition by the
British Museum.
In addition to the pious acts of the king, the inscription
relates the creation of the world by the god Ptah
(see image left). This creation myth describes the
coming into being of all things by the powers of
the words spoken by Ptah. The ideas formed in his
heart (which the Egyptians associated with the mind)
and the tongue spoke his wishes, making them real.
However, creation is more complex than just a few
words spoken by a deity. The Memphite teachings
describe Ptah as the only true god, the creator
of all living things including Atum of Heliopolis.
Ptah was the hands and phallus of Atum and, in turn,
the Ennead that was thus engendered was Ptah's teeth
and lips, allowing him to create the rest of the
world with his words. |
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The Theban Cosmogony
The power of Amun during the New Kingdom is associated
with the increased importance of Thebes as a major religious
centre in Egypt. Amun's prominence is already attested
in the area during the Middle Kingdom and Theban theologians
went out of their way to make him the powerful creator
god he was to become.
Amun, as we have already seen, was one of the elemental
forces of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis who begot the creator
god Re. The Theban creation myth, however, announces that
Amun willed himself into existence even before the Ogdoad
came onto the scene and that he was the only god to have
such power (which, as we know, is not the case). No details
are given to explain this incredible and mysterious act,
but it is said that his particles welded together and
formed a cosmic egg. Amun emerged from the egg and then
created the primeval matter. In other words, he created
the Ogdoad, of which he himself is a member. He bares
since then the epithet of "The First One who created
the First Ones".
Furthermore, it appears that Amun himself was the force
that caused the explosion of the powers of the Ogdoad.
Papyrus Leiden I 350, which comprises a long hymn to Amun,
also equates the god with the celestial goose, who cackled
and caused quite a commotion in the cosmos, initiating
creation. The priest of Thebes extended the powers of
Amun and developed the idea that all other deities were
mere manifestations of their god. Even the great Ennead
of Heliopolis was said to be a manifestation of Amun !
The conflation of all these myths into the persona of
Amun made him an extremely powerful god, transcending
all other deities during the New Kingdom. Although Amun
- The One who Conceals Himself - remains invisible and
hidden, the numerous monuments built in his honour attest
to his glorious reign as King of the Gods and Creator
of the World.
Creation of Mankind
The creation of the world would be incomplete without
the conception of mankind. Again, several myths describe
how humans came into being, unfortunately often without
much details.
Creation of Mankind in the Heliopolitan Myth
As seen in the Heliopolitan cosmogony, Atum gave birth
to the divine fraternal twins Shu and Tefnut. In the immensity
of Nun, the twin unfortunately wandered a little bit too
far and got lost. Atum, sick with worry, sent his Eye
out to find the children. This Eye (apparently Atum was
Cyclopean) was an independent entity that had a will of
its own and could be removed from Atum.
Later, seeing his beloved children accompanied by his
Eye return safe and sound, Atum wept for joy. The tears
rolled off his cheeks and fell to the ground, where each
salty drop of water became a human being. It must be said
that Egyptians loved play on words and this rendition
of the creation of mankind is extremely witty. In the
ancient Egyptian language, the word for 'tears' and 'people
/ mankind' have the same consonantal values, with which,
in this particular instance, the Egyptians made a pun
:
R e m u t = tears
R e m e t = mankind
Creation of Mankind according to the Hermopolitan Tradition
Only a few lines of the Hermopolis myth are actually concerned
with the creation of mankind. When the lotus flower emerged
from the waters of Nun, the petals opened to reveal a
small child sitting on the calix of the flower. In another
version of the myth, it was a scarab beetle that emerged
from the lotus but it turned itself into a child. This
child was the sun god Ra and upon being revealed from
inside the flower, the divine child wept. The tears fell
to the ground and give birth to humans, just as in the
Heliopolitan myth.
Khnum, the Craftsman of Mankind
Khnum, the ram-headed god, also has a place among the
creator gods of ancient Egypt, however, the inscriptions
at his temple at Esna (Upper Egypt) emphasise how he fashioned
mankind. Indeed, the main concern of the myth is not cosmic
issues (which are present because Khnum is also credited
with the creation of the whole world) but the relationship
between the deities and the people on earth.
Khnum was seen as the craftsman of mankind because he
fashioned humans on his potter's wheel. The temple inscriptions
vividly describe how the god moulded the human body from
clay. This version of the myth of the creation of mankind
is the most explicit and it reveals incredible anatomical
details. It was said that Khnum shaped the bloodstream
so that it flew over the bones and he attached the skin
onto the frame of the body. He installed a system for
breathing as well as an apparatus for digestion. The inscription
even states that he designed genitalia in a way that would
allow comfort and efficiency during intercourse ! This
myth reads like a medical textbook compared to the other
creation stories related to mankind.
Khnum and his potter's wheel are also associated with
the Theban theogony because of a certain special task
ordered by Amun. This task, however, will be revealed
in the myth of kingship. |
| End
of Part 2 |
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