The passage of the sun-god through the mountain had been imaged as a passage through the cow of earth. We have a perfect survival of the mythos in the märchen of Tom Thumb or Little Tom, whom we claim as a British form of the solar Tum (or Nefer-Atum). In the Egyptian mythos Tum makes his passage through the mount by means of the cow, and is reborn as Little Tum = Tom Thumb, from the Khepsh of the cow Meh-ur. It is said of him in setting from the western horizon, Earth stretches her arms to receive thee. He is embraced by the mother, whose womb is the meskhen of rebirth[41]. And, again, at his going forth to the eastern horizon, it is said, Thou hast rested in the cow; thou hast been immerged in the cow Meh-ur.[42] Sebek-Horus swam the water as a crocodile. The eel of Atum made the crossing through the mud of the morass. Khepra the beetle bored his passage through the earth; Behutet rode upon the vultures wings; Horus made the aerial voyage as a hawk, and Har-Makhu crossed from one horizon to the other through the hollow body of the sphinx. These were modes of making a passage when the nether earth had not been opened up by Ptah, and the Sekru-sledge, which preceded the boat, had not been laid upon the stocks as the abyss was named Har-Makhu, the god of the double horizon, or the means of travelling by land which was illustrated in the mysteries of Memphis. But, however represented, the Horus who crossed the double equinox. The principle of this duplication on the horizon of the East can be established by means of the two lions, which express the double glory of the double Horus, who was lord of the solar force that was double in the vernal equinox. Horus of the double horizon was also Horus of the two lions. In the Ritual Horus rises again saying, I am the twin lions, the heir of Ra.[43] He is Horus rising in the strength of the two lions as the lion of the luminous course. Again, he says: I am the twin lions.[44] I am the double lion.[45] I go out from the dwelling of the two lions to the house of Isis the divine (which was in Sothis), I complete the greatness of Shu the lion.[46] In a vignette to the Ritual the sun of today rises between two lions, which represent Safre the sun of yesterday and Tua the sun of tomorrow[47]. This is the Horus [p.335] sun, and the two lions image the double strength or glory of Horus in the sign of Leo.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:27:46 +0000
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