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Ancient Egypt – Magic and Metaphysics
Early Spring 2010 Session – February 11 through March 25
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OLLI at UVa is recognized as a University-Related Foundation by the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia. |
![]() Pharaonic Dog by Howard Carter |
Pharaoh’s Friend
by Rosemary Clark I was born in the season of Inundation, when the river Nile floods the lowlands and brings rich silt from the southern land of Kush to mingle with the black soil of Egypt. It was just before the thirtieth year of His Majesty Intef II, known to me and his kin as Wa-Ankh, "enduring of life.” As firstborn and strongest of my siblings, I drew much attention in the household of Thethi, chief treasurer of the king and overseer of the vast temple estates in Thebes. Being a very wise man, he held me up before my eyes had even opened, pronouncing me of fit and noble appearance, enough to deserve special consideration. “Ah yes,” he said. “This one is worthy to be the gift to my lord in honour of his thirtieth jubilee, an offering that none could possibly rival.” My master was speaking of the coming festivities that would honour the king’s anniversary. They would be celebrated throughout the country, from the great temple cities to the smallest towns along the river. No one alive could remember Pharaoh presiding over the Two Lands for such an extended time, and a mostly peaceful term at that. Though before my birth there had occasionally been rebellious factions from Herakleopolis. The rebels had created skirmishes with Pharaoh’s guard, who had always dealt with them quickly and effectively. That was because Wa-Ankh was a brave and just ruler, one who inspired his subjects yet drew awe from his enemies. |
| And so from a pup I was
singled out to enter the rank of hunting companion to the Royal House
and devote my life in service to His Majesty. But that was to come. At
just two weeks old, I had already ventured out of my soft bed of rushes
to explore the courtyard of my master and pull at the woven ropes his
children teased me with. I ran, jumped, and retrieved the throw sticks
they passed through the air, distinguishing myself in their eyes. Then after three months, the coat of my youth had sloughed off, revealing numerous bright spots of white on my sable torso to match my white feet. One day after I had fetched dozens of hand balls and throw sticks from the children of the house, Thethi stood before me with satisfaction. “So far you have proven my estimation of you to be correct,” he said with his hands on his hips. “But it is time for you to become accustomed to the duties I have chosen for you.” A linen cord was then placed around my neck and I was taken with my master in his chair to the palace kennel in Thebes. Such a fine place it was! My new home was a stone brick enclosure under a grove of shady Persea trees, bordered by a canal flowing with Nile water. I was not alone. My new family included other hunting companions, some young like me and others of advanced age. And we were as different as the birds that nested in the Persea trees above, of many colours and sizes, some shy and others proud. On my first day I was washed and anointed, my ears pierced with small gold rings. Every day after that the routine hardly varied; a morning run along the canal, breakfast of bread soaked in sour milk, exercise of jumping and retrieving followed by a big meal from a catch the fowlers brought at midday. In the heat of the afternoon, rest under the shade of the trees and at sunset, a stew of ox followed by brisk play and a coat brushing. By the time I was nine months of age, the kennel grooms hailed my swiftness and strength. Some of the companions were regularly brought to the Royal House, to spend time with His Majesty and learn his commands. I remember the first time I was taken to Pharaoh¹s quarters, because that was when I received my name. In the early evening we entered the palace, ablaze with colour from hundreds of lamps. Light reflected from the vast golden floor, which I crossed with awe and expectation, my ears alert to new sounds; music, laughter, the querulous speech of cats. It was my former master Thethi who spoke when I entered the royal chamber. “I am honoured to present you with the noblest of companions Majesty,” he said as he spread his hands, palms down, before him. “He is matchless in every way, as your groomsmen will attest. Let him prove his worth through the long years the gods have conferred upon you.” The cord upon my neck was loosed, and I stepped upon the platform before the king. In imitation of my former master who remained bowed, I also extended my paws and lowered my head. |
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“Such a beauty!” Wa-Ankh said.
“Come friend, let me see your coat.” I obeyed, but gulped nervously as
the royal hand brushed over my back and rump.
“I shall call you Abutiyu, the speckled one,” he continued, “because you look like the night sky, covered with stars.” He eyed me carefully for a moment. “Now show me, catch this!” he shouted, as he threw a baton from his lap into the air. Two steps, a leap, an easy catch. I returned to His Majesty with the baton, dropping it back into his lap. “Bring him to me tomorrow,” he said to one of the grooms. “I want him to accompany the next hunt.” He touched my head lightly, then rose and left the chamber. I cannot describe all the things that transpired after that day. I was taken to the Royal House and took part in Pharaoh’s routine. Instead of running along the canal with the other companions, I chased and caught throw sticks hurled by the king. He allowed me to sit at his feet as he dictated letters and conferred with his counsellors. After a year I was even given a special friend, a lovely runner like myself called Mahedj, the gazelle. |
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But best of all, I accompanied
Pharaoh and his retinue across the river in the royal barge, to run
after rabbits and antelope in the vast fields beyond the cultivated
land. Bowmen from the local villages shouted with excitement when
Pharaoh appeared, eager to take part in the hunt. And I, foremost of
his hunting companions, often led the chase.
On one of those occasions when
we travelled to the western bank of the river, Wa-Ankh stopped to visit
a chapel on a hill overlooking the field, allowing me to accompany him
into the dim chamber.
“See here, Abutiyu,” he said to me, “The lord of your kind is guardian of this place. He leads the souls of those departed into the Western Land. He is Anubis, the Opener of the Ways.” I looked upon the image that was majestically elevated behind a stone altar. Indeed, the god of this place was a dark hound with raised ears and piercing eyes. I lowered my head in reverence, but could not help glancing at the king, whose hands rested upon the altar in deep contemplation. After a quiet moment, he struck his breast and then turned to leave. I followed, but of course I was captivated by this visit and looked back at the image. One of my kind among the gods of Egypt ! It was unforgettable. A few years passed and I was content, living in the house of His Majesty, sometimes standing guard at the chamber where he slept. Then news came that of unrest in some of the villages on the western bank. Pharaoh¹s guard had to be sent to quiet the disturbances. On those occasions we did not go across the river to hunt, but stayed in Thebes. I sorely missed those excursions, and so did my royal master. He swatted his fly whisk about in the afternoons, grumbling about his restless subjects. One day after doing this, he looked down as I stood at his feet. |
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| “My friend, tomorrow we shall
go to the western fields and run with the antelope,” he said, rubbing
my uplifted chin. “We will put an end to this palace boredom and be
with our companions once again.” It was a bright morning when we set out, with Pharaoh¹s guard marching briskly ahead and the bowmen singing songs of valor. Many companions from the royal kennel joined us, Abaqer, the swift one, Kemu the black one, and the twin hounds from Libya, Tekenru and Teqeru. After crossing the river, we jumped with excitement, barely able to restrain ourselves from the woven ropes cinched to our leather collars while the kennel grooms also shouted with joy. Then to the north we journeyed, greeting villagers along the way. But on entering a dry expanse beyond the Theban plain, a group of royal guards ahead of us turned back and warned that a hostile band had been seen in the hills and a return to the city was advised. His Majesty was much annoyed by this news, but waved at his retinue to reverse course. It was then that the confusion descended. First with the appearance on the cliffs above of several bowmen, unknown to us. Then a company of soldiers marched swiftly toward us from a cleft in the western hills, carrying the war standards of Herakleopolis. His Majesty was calm, but directed his guard to engage the interlopers rather than flee. The kennel grooms were alarmed though, and let the ropes loose from our collars in fear. I looked to Wa-Ankh, wanting to be with him at this fearful moment. It was then that I saw the bowman above us, intent on His Majesty. It was the sound of the arrow flying down toward us that caused me to run to my master. Somewhere in the din, I heard him cry out my name. Two steps, a leap, an easy catch. But this was not the king¹s baton I had retrieved. Instead it was an arrow which had been aimed at the king. His Majesty had seen my action, and on our return to the palace declared that I had saved him from injury. By Royal Decree henceforth I was to be known as Pharaoh’s Friend and be honoured as his personal guard and constant attendant. Thus it was that for many years I served His Majesty day and night, always at his side, his loyal and trusted companion wherever he was, whatever he was doing. In the fullness of time I found myself once again in the chapel of Anubis, above the western cemetery in Thebes, where Wa-Ankh had shown me the sanctuary of the Opener of the Ways years before. This time I was alone. The graven image of the god was no longer silent, but now spoke to me as one familiar companion to another. “You will open the way for your master, when his day of entering the Western Land comes to pass,” he said to me. “He will know you, and you will know him, and you will both run with the antelope in the Field of Peace.”
This story was initially published in August 2009 at the website of Floyd the Dog. Join his free Story Club for more tales about our timeless friends, great and small.
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Discovering a Sacred Language To
speak the name of the dead is to make them live again.
– Ancient Egyptian inscription Many of us keenly feel the absence of ritual in modern life, and recognize the emptiness that results from daily routines lacking in color or meaning. It seems to us that in past times, life was more often punctuated by rituals and ceremonies that provided that lack, along with a close familiarity with nature and divine life. This was a sentiment often expressed to me by students in astrological and meditation groups I conducted over the years, as we sought to re-learn some of the sacred languages of the past. Those ancient mythologies, religions, and occult sciences beckoned to us with a deep resonance and left us with a desire to understand their possible role in our lives. |
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Going Forth by Day: The
Venus Transit of 2004
In
an era bereft of devotion and compassion, the heavens once more remind
us
that the shadow of discord may, in its time, become the light of harmony For the first time in more than one hundred years, the Earth’s sister planet Venus recently transited the face of the Sun and was visible over a select swath of the Earth. There have only been 52 such events since 2000 BCE and this event was cited by NASA as “among the rarest of planetary alignments.” On June 8, 2004 Venus was at inferior conjunction to the Sun, or between the Earth and Sun in a similar configuration to a Solar eclipse. For a little more than six hours, Venus was seen to cross the lower limb of the Sun from the Earth. First contact with the Sun: 5:19:57 Universal Time Last contact with the Sun: 11:23:15 Universal Time Astrologically, Venus appeared retrograde from the Earth at 17º Gemini (Tropical) or 23º Taurus (Sidereal), and her Solar crossing took place against the backdrop of the constellation Orion, the warrior. |