The Ennead

Introduction

 

This is an excerpt from my book The Ennead: The Story of King Osiris the Vindicated, the Beloved Enchantress Isis, and Horus the Avenger. I have decided to include a condensed version of the Ennead story here. My retelling of the story of the Ennead is part of my in-depth study of the story of Moses and the Exodus. I am endeavoring to help Bible students understand the Egyptian cultural background to the story of Moses. My intent is to help people read the Bible like the ancients and so understand the Holy Scriptures better. I conceived this project as a graphic novel or comic book series similar to my Christ the Man trilogy and The Hammer of God series that I wrote and illustrated. (The Hammer of God is a comic book series that tells the stories of Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel.) My re-telling of the Ennead does contain my illustrations. However, I wanted to tell the story with color illustrations. And so my colored illustrations are included in this book. The Ennead is dedicated to the loving memory of my dear friend Bobbi Jo Anne, who tragically departed this world as this project neared completion. She is greatly missed.

 

 

 

 

The Story of the Ennead

 

The word "Ennead" is derived from the Greek word meaning "Nine." It refers to the Nine gods of Heliopolis. These gods were Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys.

 

In the beginning was the formless void. This chaos was called the waters of Nun. Atum manifested himself. He is the self-created One. Dry land emerged from the waters of Nun. This pyramid shaped mound was called the Ben-ben. Atum stood atop the Ben-ben. Then Atum created of himself and without a partner a son named Shu. Then he produced a daughter named Tefnut. Shu is Air and Tefnut is moisture. And Shu made love to Tefnut and she conceived and gave birth to two children, a son named Geb, who is Father Earth, and a daughter named Nut, who is Mother Heavens. And Geb and Nut loved one another. They locked together in an intimate embrace. Shu the sky god divided the heavens from the earth and created an expanse between them. By separating Geb and Nut he created a space in which life could emerge. Nut had conceived children by Geb. She gave birth to four children: Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. Seth had the head of an animal and all of his body was red in color.

 

Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys descended to the earth. Osiris and Isis became the king and queen of Egypt. Seth and Nephthys assisted Osiris and Isis in their rule. Osiris saw that men were barbarians and lived like animals. Some men were so savage that they were cannibals. Osiris gave mankind just laws. He taught men how to till the earth and domesticate animals. He also taught men how to worship the gods. The land prospered under his rule. There was peace and prosperity and the people rejoiced. Osiris went on a journey to the surrounding nations to teach them civilization as well. He left Isis to rule as queen in his absence. Unbeknownst to Osiris, his brother Seth hated him and coveted the throne for his own.

 

While Osiris was away, Seth began plotting against him and developed a plan to claim the throne as his own. He was able to attract to himself 72 fellow conspirators. Osiris returned from his travels abroad. He was welcomed by his wife Isis. The next day Seth approached Osiris and invited him to attend a celebration of special magnificence thrown in his honor in order to celebrate his return. While preparing for the festivities, Seth secretly had his followers get the exact measurements of Osiris. He created a jeweled embedded golden chest that only Osiris could fit inside.

At the party, Seth declared that this treasure would be awarded to whoever would fit inside it. The first volunteer was too tall to fit inside the chest. The second was too wide. Seth then encouraged his brother to step inside the chest and see if he could fit within it. When he did, Seth's followers promptly slammed the coffin shut and sealed it. They then took it outside and tossed it into the Nile.

Isis was told of this betrayal and she hurried to retrieve the coffin. It had floated into the waters of the Mediterranean and had disappeared from her sight.

 

Isis searched diligently for the body of her beloved. She wandered the earth and flew and searched from the heavens. Nephthys her sister joined her in her search. The coffin had washed ashore at the Kingdom of Phoenicia, at the great city of Gebal, which is called Byblos by the Greeks. There it lodged in the branches of a tamarisk bush. When it touched the bush it immediately grew into a large and beautiful tree, and it grew around the chest and enclosed it on every side, so completely that the chest could not be seen. Isis learned of this so she journeyed to the land of Phoenicia. When she arrived she learned that the tree, as it was so large and beautiful, had been taken down and had been erected in the palace of the king. So Isis then went to a well in the city and there she sat down. Her body emitted a fragrant aroma. The people knew that she was divine. And all the women of the city brought unto her their children and all those who were sick and she healed and blessed them. The king of the city was named Melkarth and his queen was called Nemanoun. And the prince was a child and he was very ill and was at the point of death. And Nemanoun heard of the healer and promised to give her whatever she should desire if she would but heal her child. And Isis healed the child. Thereupon Isis demanded the pillar within the palace as payment. She took it and split it open and took from within it the coffin containing the body of her husband. She threw herself upon the chest and made loud wailing and woeful cries of lamentation over it. When she opened the chest she discovered that Osiris, who was within it, was dead. Returning to Egypt, she secretly transported the casket containing body of her husband and hid it among the reeds of the Nile.

 

Isis had hidden the sarcophagus of Osiris among the reeds. She journeyed back and at long last she opened the casket, so as to work her magic and bring her beloved back to life. At that moment however, Seth chanced upon the casket as he was hunting wild boar. He was consumed with fury and he seized the body of Osiris and hacked it into fourteen pieces. Seth flung the fourteen parts of the body of Osiris all across the land of Egypt in the hope that Isis would never be able to retrieve the pieces of the dismembered corpse. Isis and Nephthys sought out Anubis, the god of the dead, who was the son of Osiris and Nephthys. Isis asked Anubis to help her and his mother to retrieve all the parts of the body of Osiris and to reconstitute and restore his father. Isis, Nephthys, and Anubis searched all of the land of Egypt for the pieces of the body of Osiris. Finally, they were able find all of his body, except for the penis. Isis erected a monument to Osiris wherever they found a part of his body. They carried all of the remaining pieces of his body and took them to the holy city of Abydos. It was Anubis who re-assembled the body of Osiris and mummified it. Anubis was able to restore all of the body of Osiris. Using magic he reformed the part of the body that had been lost out of gold. Isis and Nephtys stood over the body of Osiris. They flapped their wings and uttered the incantations. With his body reconstituted and preserved, the spirit of Osiris lived again. The spirit of Osiris returned to his body and Osiris awoke. Through the magic of Isis and Anubis he was resurrected. Seeing that he was revived, Atum, Shu, Tefnet, Nut and Geb declared that the Underworld was now to be his kingdom. And Osiris became Lord of the Netherworld. Osiris was now Wenenefer-the Eternally Incorruptible and Beneficent One. He was intimate with Isis and then he departed into the Netherworld to take up his rule there. Osiris gave out an anguished cry to Isis as he descended into the Netherworld, saying "Sy-k-ri" meaning "hurry to me." Through her devotion and perseverance Isis showed that her love was stronger than death.

 

Isis had become pregnant by Osiris. With her husband now gone to the Underworld, she wandered across Egypt in sorrow and solitude. Seth's spies learned of this thing and told him of it. He sent them to pursue and capture her but Isis escaped. Isis went to hide among the marshes and the reeds that bordered the Nile. And Seth hunted for her, that he might kill her child, lest that child grow and claim the throne of Egypt as his own.

 

. Isis gave birth to Horus in the marshes of Chemmis (called Akh-bit in Egyptian) and she hid him there to protect him against the malicious designs of Seth. One day Isis went to gather food. She left Horus in a hiding place. Seth sent enchanted scorpions into the marshes and they stung Horus. Isis found him at the point of death. He was weak and to ill even to nurse. She sought for help. A wise woman of the nearby village came to her and diagnosed the child's illness. He had been stung by a cursed scorpion. Isis cried out to the goddesses Nephthys, her sister, and Serket, the scorpion goddess, but it was beyond their power to heal Horus. Isis cried out to the heavens. Her cries stopped Ra as he was crossing the sky in his solar barge. He came down from the heavens and the earth was plunged into darkness. Ra sent Thoth to heal the child. Thoth is the god of wisdom and medicine and the scribe of the Ennead. He drove the poison out of Horus and gave him the breath of life from heaven. Thoth consecrated Serket as the guardian of Horus. Thoth spoke, "Horus has carried all of the sicknesses and diseases of mankind. Anyone who appeals to Horus can be healed of their suffering." Horus was now invulnerable to any poison or deadly thing. And it came to pass that after many days of living in the marshes that Lady Isis settled with her son in a nearby town.

 

When Horus came of age, his father Osiris appeared unto him in a vision. His father spoke to him, "My son, tell me, what is the most honorable thing that a man can do?" Horus answered, "To protect the honor of his family and to avenge his father and his mother for all the evil done unto them." Osiris began to fade away. As he disappeared he spoke to Horus and said, "Avenge me. Become a warrior and avenge me." Horus then stood up. He journeyed to the palace of Seth. He then placed upon his head the Khepresh (the blue war helmet) and then boldly approached the throne and cried out unto Seth, who was seated thereon, "I am Horus the Avenger, the son of Osiris the King. I hereby claim the throne of Egypt as my own as his son and heir." Seth roared, "I am going to kill you and cut you into pieces the way I did to your father!" Chaos erupted in the court with half of the people rallying to Horus and half rallying to King Seth. And so began the great war between Horus and Seth and their contesting over the throne of Egypt. And Horus gathered armies unto himself. Men who desired to be free from the tyranny of Seth joined him. Gods who desired to bring about justice and establish balance upon the world joined Horus as well. And Seth also gathered his armies unto himself and he met with Horus upon the field of battle. For eighty years Horus and Seth did battle over the face of all the earth.

 

Seth sent many warriors against Horus to fight him in single combat. Horus defeated them all. Seth called forth unto himself Neith, the goddess of war. "This man, Horus the Usurper, has risen in rebellion against me. Destroy him!" Neith, she who is the mistress of the bow and ruler of arrows, sought Horus out and fought him. She saw his valor in battle and saw within him the glory of his father. She lay down her weapons and swore fidelity to him and said, "I see that you are the son of the Great King Osiris and the rightful heir to the throne." Seth called forth the mightiest and most famous warriors to strike Horus down. He even sent his son Maga, the crocodile god, to fight Horus. Horus and the mighty Maga fought hard against one another but Maga could not prevail against Horus.

 

One day as Horus was walking alone in a deserted place, he was attacked by Seth. Seth put out both of his eyes and left him for dead. Horus dreamed and was passing from the realm of the living and into the realm of the dead. In his dream his father Osiris appeared to him again. Osiris spoke to his son, "You are my beloved son. I have seen your struggles, my son. I shall give you the power of the falcon. You shall be renewed. Your right eye shall be as the sun and your left eye the moon. You shall rule over all." Horus then awoke. The goddess Hathor had found him. She knelt beside him and had dripped sacred milk into his right eye which was then healed and his vision was restored. And yet his left eye was gone. Hathor called upon Thoth who healed him and he gave unto Horus the magical wedget eye to replace his left eye. Horus' strength was renewed. Now he possessed the power of the sky-falcon and the wedget eye. He arose to do battle with Seth once again. Horus had been transfigured by the power of the falcon and had manifested his new power by changing the appearance of his face into that of a falcon.

 

Horus, by his divine power, struck Seth down. He then lifted up his mace to strike a death-blow upon Seth. He prepared to hack Seth into pieces. Horus glared at Seth and said, "As you have done unto my father-now I shall do unto you!" Then Isis, the Holy Mother, struck off Horus's hand. "No! Do not kill him," she cried out, "for he is my brother." She cradled her injured brother in her arms and healed him of his wounds. She then healed the hand of Horus. Then she spoke, "I hereby call a counsel of the gods to determine the ruler of Egypt!" The heavens and the earth shook as the gods descended from the heavens. Geb, the god of earth, presided over the Kenbet, the holy counsel. Geb called the Ennead to assemble.

 

The gods decreed a series of trials by combat between Horus and Seth. And Seth cried out in fury at his nephew and took his sword and leapt down and did battle with Horus. They raced boats down the Nile and fought with various weapons. (Seth fought Horus with a huge mace that only he could lift.) Horus sank Seth's boat. While they fought, Seth changed himself into a venomous serpent and tried to bite Horus, but Horus was immune to all poisons. Then he wrapped Horus in his coils and attempted to crush him. Horus took his form as a falcon and expanded to an enormous size and then grasped Seth in his talons and took him up into the heavens and threw him upon the earth. Seth then took the form of a cheetah and lunged toward Horus. Horus took the form of a lion and overpowered Seth. Finally, they did battle in the waters of the Nile. Seth had taken the form of a crocodile and then a hippopotamus but retained his red color. He attacked Horus. Horus took out his spear and drove it through the body of Seth. In all the tests Horus was victorious.

 

Neith spoke up, "Horus must be granted the throne. Let treasures of gold and the goddesses Anath and Astarte be granted to Seth in compensation. If my counsel is not followed, may the sky collapse upon the land of Egypt and all be destroyed!" Osiris then said, "I am Osiris, the Resurrected Lord, if my son, Horus, is not granted the throne of the two lands I shall release all the demons and spirits of the Netherworld, the realm of Duat, upon the earth!" Geb then spoke, "I declare that Horus shall be king of the black earth, kemet, and Seth shall be king of the red earth, desert. Seth shall be given a special honor. He shall stand upon the prow of the solar barge of Ra and by his strength he shall subdue that vile and twisting serpent, the leviathan Apophis every night as the solar barge passes through the Duat." The double-crown (called pschent) representing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt was placed on the head of Horus by Shu. Horus was given the upper world to rule while his father Osiris ruled in the Underworld. To celebrate his ascension Horus erected the djed pillar which represented the spine of his father Osiris and symbolized strength, firmness, stability and steadfastness. The people rejoiced with a great joy and hung garlands upon the djed pillar. And so Horus came to rule the throne of Egypt and became the Lord of the Two Lands, the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. The fertile lands were given to Horus to rule but the desert regions belonged to Seth.

 

As Horus sat upon his throne suddenly he became infused with the power of Ra. He was transformed and became Ra-Horakhty. Ruling by his side as queen was Hathor, whose name means "the Domain of Horus."

 

Ra-Horakhty ruled with justice and peace for tens of thousands of years. After thousands of years had passed, some evil men revolted against his rule. Ra-Horkhty was enraged. He called the Ennead to consult with them concerning what to do to respond to the revolt. Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys appeared before him. They determined that mankind must be punished. Hathor would be sent to punish the wicked rebels. Hathor transformed herself into the lion headed goddess of wrath Sekhmet. Sekhmet went out and began to slaughter all those who had risen up against Ra-Horakhty. After one day had past, Ra-Horakhty felt compassion upon mankind and told Sekhmet to stay her hand. But Sekhmet was consumed with rage and she had become wild with fury and she could not be stopped. She was killing every human being within her path. If she was not stopped, all mankind would be destroyed. Ra-Horakhty sent messengers to Aswan to retrieve from thence red ochre. It was taken to his temple at Heliopolis. There the chief priest ground it into a powder. Maid servants crushed enough barley to make 7,000 jugs of beer. It was mixed with the red ochre to make it look like blood. The beer was poured over the field in the path of Sekhmet. She was delighted to see what she thought was a a huge lake of blood. She excitingly consumed it and then passed out in a drunken state. When she awoke from her drunken stupor, she was once again Hathor and had returned to her original benign nature. Humanity had been saved.

 

Seeing the devastation wrought upon mankind, Ra-Horakhty mourned deeply and wept many days and would not be consoled. Finally, Hathor came to him. She stood before him and exposed herself to him. At that Ra-Horakhty smiled. Joy returned to him but he had determined to depart the world of man and return to the realm of the gods. Many of his subjects mourned greatly. "Please, do not leave us!" they begged. They offered to take up arms and fight the survivors of those who had rebelled against his authority. But Ra-Horakhty stated there had already been enough violence and would not be dissuaded from leaving earth for he could no longer bear to remain upon the earth. Hathor then became the Heavenly Cow and transcended from this world and ascended into the sky and fused and became one with Nut. In her cow form Hathor lowered her head. Ra-Horakhty seated himself between her horns as Hathor lifted him up. He mounted her back and ascended into the heavens. He arose and sat with the Great Ennead.

 

And so Ra-Horakhty departed from this world. Before he departed he called unto Harsomptos, the son of Horus and Hathor, and named him as Pharaoh. He left his four sons Imsety, Duamutef, Hapy, and Qebeseneuf to assist their brother and to rule over the affairs of men. These four sons of Horus were to guard the kingdom and protect the kingdom from evil men and the forces of chaos. Ra-Horakhty also left Thoth to school mankind in the art of writing hieroglyphs-which are "the words of the gods."

Horakhty said unto Harsomptos his son, "Now, my son, I have given unto you my spirit. You are now Horus on earth. You are the Horus King, He of the two ladies (Wadjet, the cobra goddess of Lower Egypt, and Nekhbet, the vulture goddess of Upper Egypt), the Golden Horus, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Son of Ra, Harsomptos, Son of Horus, beloved of the gods. You are Pharaoh- the intermediary between the gods and mankind. You are the great high priest and the representative of the gods to the people of the earth. You are the supreme priest over all the temples, sanctuaries and shrines in Egypt. It is your sacred duty to maintain all religion and you are bound to maintain the balance of Ma'at, truth and justice, throughout all the land of Egypt. My son, I bequeath unto you all of the land of Egypt. You shall establish sema tawy-the unity of the two lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. Every rock and stone belongs to you. Every blade of grass and papyrus reed is yours. The waters of the Nile and all the creatures that dwell within them and all the living things along the banks of the Nile, every plant, every bird, every animal, every human being, all that lives in Egypt belongs to you and is your property to do with what you will."

 

The nemes headdress, which represents divine kingship, was given to Harsomptos. The uraeus (rearing cobra) was placed upon his crown showing that he is under divine protection. In his hands were placed the crook and flail. (The flail, or whip, is called nekhekhw in Egyptian.) The crook (or heqa-scepter) symbolized that Pharaoh is the good shepherd. The flail is a representation that the Pharaoh is the righteous judge. Pharaoh is the son of the gods. He lives as Horus upon the earth and at the end of his reign the passes into the world of the gods and joins with Osiris and rules over the spiritual realm as he had ruled over earth. It is the duty of the Pharaoh, the son of Horus, to establish Ma'at, truth, order and justice, and to subdue the powers of isfet, chaos, and punish gereg, wrong-doing. While he is alive on earth, the king of Egypt is Horus the Unvanquished Vindicator-and when he departs from this earth he becomes Osiris King of the Underworld, Ruler of the kingdom beyond. And each new king becomes Horus incarnate and maintains the delicate balance of Ma'at. Harsomptos ruled in peace for a thousand years. And earth rejoiced under his reign.

 

After one thousand years had passed, Harsomptos died. The people mourned greatly. After Pharaoh died his body was taken to the holy city of Abydos where the sacred sepulcher of his grandfather Osiris was. Abydos is the sacred city of Osiris. His body was taken in a barge across the Nile to its western shore. (To the west is the dwelling place of the gods.) Pharaoh is Horus incarnate, a god among men. For Horsomptos to achieve eternal life it was necessary for his body to be mummified. The god Anubis watches over the mummification process. It was a process that took seventy days. The embalmers arrived and erected a tent in which they performed their duty. A long metal hook was placed through a nostril and the brain was mashed and discarded. A slit was cut in the left side of his abdomen through which the embalmer reached in and removed the lungs, liver, intestines and stomach. Another slit was made along the diaphragm from which the lungs were removed. The heart and kidneys were left in the body. The table upon which the embalmers operated had a slightly tilted surface so that the fluids could drain off the table and into a container at its end. These internal organs were placed in four containers. Each container (now called Canopic jars) was dedicated to each one of the four sons of Horus. The body was then taken to the ibu-the place of purification. After forty days and forty nights had past, fifteen more days are spent wrapping the body in bandages. Neith and Nephthys weaved the bandages for the mummy of Harsomptos. Anubis appeared and presided over the mummification proceedings and procedures. Makeup was put on the face to make it look as lifelike as possible. This was important because the ba (or soul) would return to its body and it needed to recognize it so that it could continue to live. Among the bandages, amulets and incantations are placed to aid the soul in its journey into the west.

 

Afterwards the mummy of Harsomptos was placed in his coffin. The coffin was then placed in the tomb with certain objects that were valuable to Harsomptos during his lifetime, his most treasured possessions. The tomb, especially the tomb of Pharaoh, became a temple at which the dead were worshiped. Family members would leave offerings, often food offerings, for the dead. They would also leave messages and give invocations and intercede with the dead. After the internment of the coffin within the burial chamber, the ba faced a harrowing journey through the Duat (the Netherworld) to arrive unto the judgment hall of Osiris. In this journey the ba was confronted by hostile demonic beings. By reciting the spells from the Book of the Dead (or "The Book of the Going Forth by Day") the soul was able to drive away these monstrosities. The purpose of these spells was to ensure safe passage through the Underworld.

 

The soul must journey to the land of the west, Imenet, the place of the setting sun, to the land of the just. This is the realm of the gods and of the dead. When a man dies, his soul will go to appear before Osiris, the Great Judge of the Dead. To stand before Osiris he must first pass through the Duat. The journey of the soul through the Duat is one of great danger and peril. A soul could become lost in the Duat or become attacked or imprisoned by demons and other monstrosities that dwell there. In the Duat a soul may prevail and attain everlasting life but the soul could also experience a second death, eternal torment, everlasting fire or to cease to exist forever. The honored dead ride upon barge of Ra as it transverses through the Duat.

 

At the beginning of the journey through the Underworld, Ra the sun god enters the western horizon which is called akhet in Egyptian. Akhet is a transition between day and night. Ra then passes over 'Wernes' which is known as 'Waters of Osiris.' As he continues on past Wernes he encounters dark twisting pathways which he has to negotiate. There are twelve gates to pass, one for each hour of the night. As midnight approaches, he discovers the palace of Osiris which is in an enclosure beneath that is hidden a lake of fire. The royal palace is covered by a pyramid-like mound and on top of which Isis and Nephthys have alighted in the form of two kites. (Kites are raptors or birds of prey) Hathor then emerges and escorts the departed souls to face their day of judgment.

 

Arriving at the palace of Osiris, the soul appears before a tribunal of 42 assessor gods. They stand as witnesses as the heart of the soul is placed in the scales of truth. Before the weighing of the heart, they access his trial and interrogate him. Thoth, Anubis and Ma'at then approach the soul. Anubis takes the heart of the soul and places it upon the scale of truth which he operates. Near the scale the creature Ammat waits in anticipation as does Thoth. Thoth is the scribe of the Ennead and he stands ready to record to results of the trial. The heart is weighed against a feather. The feature is "the feather of Ma'at" and is Truth. If the heart is heavy and weighed down with sin, it will be found wanting. If the heart is found wanting, the beast Ammat devours it. She is one third crocodile, one third lion and one third hippopotamus. She is the eater of hearts and is called "great of death." The sinful heart is heavy and is shown to be weighed down with sin when weighed against Ma'at. If Ammat devours the soul, the soul is then condemned to eternal death. If the heart is in balance with Ma'at, the soul will be granted eternal life.

 

Horus takes the vindicated soul by the hand and leads him to the throne room where his father Osiris sits upon his judgment seat. He is the vindicator or the righteous and the punisher of the wicked. All, rich and poor, small and great, will stand before Osiris, the Lord of the West as equals. Osiris is king of the Underworld. The Duat, or Underworld, is his dominion. (Ra sails his solar barge above the earth and shines his light upon it during the day. At night, Ra sails his barge across the Duat.) Standing beside Osiris are his two sisters, Isis and Nephthys. Horus announced that the soul has weighed in the balance of truth and was justified. He proclaims, "I bring this soul before you. His heart is true and has been weighed in the balance. He has not sinned against any of the gods or goddesses!" The soul then speaks, "Hail to you, you august, great and potent god, king forever. May you grant that I be among the living." If the heart and feather are of equal weight the soul is declared to be justified of voice (in Egyptian "ma's kheru," "righteous in his voice") then it is accorded a portion in the dominion of Osiris the Lord of the West. Horus rewards the righteous dead with a place in the kingdom of his father. The soul is then transfigured. The glorified soul may dwell in eternal bliss in the field of reeds, or ride upon the solar barge of Ra, or become the stars in the sky called the ikhmu-Seky, the "Imperishable Ones."

 

Hathor his mother greeted the soul of Harsomptos as he arrived in the palace of Osiris in the Underworld. His father Horus led him by the hand to the scale where his heart was weighed. Harsomptos the righteous king was vindicated. Then Horus brought Harsomptos, the god of light and of goodness, to the presence of his grandfather Osiris who welcomed him into his eternal kingdom.

 

During the time Osiris judges the souls of the departed, Ra is regenerated. He then has to face greater danger as he continues his journey. He continues on and faces the great adversary Apophis (also called Apep), the serpent of chaos. Apophis desires to consume the sun and destroy all existence. Apophis attempts to devour the sun god and his solar barge. Seth subdues the chaos serpent. (He is assisted by the magic of Isis and by Serqet.) At the completion of the journey Ra emerges at the eastern horizon to rise again as the morning sun. A new day has begun.

 

 

The End