298
DavidN.Talbott
THESATURNMYTH
Areinterpretationofritesandsymbolsilluminatingsomeofthedarkcornersofprimordialsociety
Intrigued by Velikovsky’s claim that Saturn was once the pre-eminent planetary god, David Talbottresolved to examine its mythical character. “I wanted to know,” he wrote, “if ancient sources had acoherentstorytotellabouttheplanet...Ihadnoinklingofthespectaculartalehiddeninthechronicles.”Inthisstartlingre-interpretationofage-oldsymbolismTalbottarguesthatthe“GreatGod”or“UniversalMonarch”oftheancientswasnotthesun,butSaturn,whichoncehungominouslyclosetotheearth,andvisuallydominatedtheheavens.Talbott’s close textual and symbolic analysis reveals the fundamental themes of Saturn imagery andproves that allof them—including the “cosmic ship”, the “island at the topof theworld”, the “eyeofheaven”and“therevolvingtemple”werebasedoncelestialobservationsinthenorthernsky.InadditionheshowshowsuchdiversesymbolsastheCross,“sun”-wheels,holymountains,crownsofroyaltyandsacredpillarsgrewoutofancientSaturnworship.TalbottcontendsthatSaturn'sappearanceatthetime,radically different from today, inspired man's leap into civilization, since many aspects of earlycivilization can be seen as conscious efforts to re-enact or commemorate Saturn’s organization of his“celestial”kingdom.Afascinatinglookatancienthistoryandcosmology,TheSaturnMyth isaprovocativebook thatmightwellchangethewayyouthinkaboutman’shistoryandthehistoryoftheuniverse.DavidN.TalbottisthefounderandformerpublisherofPensee,anout-growthoftheStudentAcademicForumwhichdevelopedthebook,VelikovskyReconsidered.Heisalsotheco-authorofTheEcstasyofSati-Ra,acosmologicalmystery.HenowliveswithhisfamilyinOregon.Talbott,DavidN.,TheSaturnMythISBN:0-385-113376-5LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber76-51986Copyright©1980byDavidN.Talbott.AllRightsReserved.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.FirstEdition.KindleversioncreatedbyPapaLazzzaru,Aug2013;revisedMarch2014.FinalrevisionFeb.2015.
CONTENTSI:INTRODUCTIONMYTHANDCATASTROPHE
II:THEGREATFATHERTHE“ONEGOD”OFARCHAICMONOTHEISMTHEUNIVERSALMONARCHTHEAGEOFKRONOSIndiaIranChinaNorthernEurope
THERITESOFKINGSHIPTHEHEAVENMANWHOWASADAM?THEGREATFATHERSATURNTHESATURNMYTHRECONSTRUCTED
III:THEPOLARSUNSUNANDSATURNDAYANDNIGHTSATURNANDTHEPOLETHEUNMOVEDMOVEREgyptMesopotamiaIndiaChinaTheAmericas
IV:SATURN’SCOSMOSTHEENCLOSEDSUNTHELOSTISLANDTheEgg
THECOSMOSANDTHEDIVINEASSEMBLYTHECIRCLEOFTHEGODSTHEGREATMOTHER
WOMBANDTHIGHWOMBANDCOSMOSTHEHERMAPHRODITE
V:THEHOLYLANDTHEMOTHERLANDSATURN’SEARTHTHEEGYPTIANPARADISETHEWORLDWHEELTHEONE-WHEELEDCHARIOTTHECITYOFHEAVENTHEENCLOSUREASPROTOTYPETHEWORLDNAVELTHEOCEAN
VI.THEENCLOSEDSUN-CROSSTHEFOURRIVERSOFPARADISETHECROSSROADSTHEFOUR-EYEDORFOUR-FACEDGODTHEFOUNDATIONSTONETHEFOURPILLARSOFHEAVENSYMMETRICALELABORATIONSOFTHESUN-CROSS
VII:TEMPLE,CROWN,VASE,EYE,ANDCIRCULARSERPENTTHETEMPLETHEEGYPTIANTEMPLETEMPLEANDWOMBTHECROWNTHEVASETHEEYETHECIRCULARSERPENTINSUMMARY:ACOHERENTDOCTRINE
VIII:THECOSMICMOUNTAINEgyptMesopotamiaIndiaJapan,China,Iran,Siberia
SiberiaGreeceAndRomeWesternSemiticTheAmericas
ACOLLECTIVEMEMORYTHEMOUNTOFMASCULINEPOWERTHECOSMICMOUNTAINPERSONIFIEDTHESINGLELEGTHESERPENT/DRAGONTHESTREAMOFLIFEBoreasAndTheHyperboreansTheNorthWindShuTheRiverOfLifeTheEden-Fountain
THEKINGOFTHEMOUNTAINIX:THECRESCENTTHECRESCENTANDSATURNTHECRESCENTANDWOMBCRESCENTANDMOTHERLANDTHECRESCENTANDMOUNTTHEHEAVENLYTWINSWHOWERETHEDIOSCURI?THEBLACKANDWHITETWINSTheTwoAssembliesTheTwoLandsTheTwoCrownsTheTwoEyesTheTwoSerpentsTheTwoThronesTheTwoVases(=TwoEyes)TheTwoLakesorRiversTheTwoCords
SYMBOLISMOFTHECRESCENTTHECRESCENTHORN
THEHORNEDMOUNTAINX:THECRESCENT-SHIP(PART2)
TheWorld-ShipTheIsland-ShipTheCity-ShipTheTemple-ShipTheWheel-ShipTheEgg-ShipTheEye-ShipTheVase-ShipTheShield-ShipTheThrone-ShipTheSerpent(Dragon)-Ship
THECRESCENT-ARMSTHEKA-ARMSTHECRESCENT-WINGSINTERCONNECTEDSYMBOLSThePlantOfLifeSwordTheAltar
ABOVEANDBELOW,LEFTANDRIGHTSATURN’SDAY
XI:CONCLUSIONBIBLIOGRAPHYENDNOTES
I:IntroductionTheplanetSaturn today is recognizableonly to thosewho knowwhere to look for it. But a fewthousandyearsagoSaturndominatedtheearthasasun,presidingoverauniversalGoldenAge.Modern man considers it self-evident that our familiar heavens differ hardly at all from the heavensencounteredby the earliest starworshippers.Heassumes that themostdistinctivebodiesvenerated inprimitivetimeswerethesunandmoon,followedbythefivevisibleplanetsandvariousconstellations—allappearingastheydotoday,butforsuchever-so-slightchangesastheprecessionoftheequinoxes.Thislong-standingbeliefnotonlyconfinespresentdiscussionofancientmythandreligion;itisthefixeddoctrineofmodernastronomyandgeology:everyprevailingtheoryofthesolarsystemandofearth’spastrests upon an underlying doctrine of cosmic uniformity—the belief that the clocklike regularity ofheavenlymotionscanbeprojectedbackwardindefinitely.But the evidence assembled in the followingpages indicates thatwithin humanmemory extraordinarychanges in theplanetarysystemoccurred: in theearliestagerecalledbymantheplanetSaturnwas themost spectacular light in theheavensand its impacton theancientworldoverwhelming. In factSaturnwastheone“greatgod”invokedbyallmankind.ThefirstreligioussymbolsweresymbolsofSaturn,andso pervasivewas the planet god’s influence that the ancients knew him as the creator, the king of theworld,andAdam,thefirstman.Sincetheonlymeaningfuldefenseofthisclaimistheentirebodyofevidencepresentedhere,Ishallnotpresumeuponthereader’scredulity,butonlyaskthathefollowthenarrativetoitsend.
MythAndCatastrophe
Ifourgenerationdisdains thepossibilityof fact in the languageofmyth it isbecauseweareawareofdiscrepancybetweenmythandthemodernworldview,andweascribeittotheblindnessorsuperstitionof theancients.There ishardlyanancient talewhichfails tospeakofworld-destroyingupheavalsandshiftingcosmicorders.Indeed,wearesoaccustomedtothecatastrophiccharacterofthestoriesthatwehardlygiveitasecondthought.Whenthemythstellofsunswhichhavecomeandgone,orofplanetarygodswhosewars threatened to destroymankind,we are likely to take them as amusing and absurdlyexaggerated accounts of local floods, earthquakes, and eclipses—or write them off altogether asexpressionsofunconstrainedfancy.Howmanyscholars,seekingtounraveltheastronomicallegendsandsymbols of antiquity, have questionedwhether the heavenly bodies have always coursed on the samepaths they follow today? In thepast threehundredyears barely a handful ofwriters have claimed anyconnectionbetweenmythandactualcelestialcatastrophe:WilliamWhistonpublishedin1696ANewTheoryoftheEarth,arguingthatthebiblicalDelugeresultedfromacometarycataclysm.ThebookproducedastormofscientificobjectionsandhadnolastingimpactoutsideChristianorthodoxy.In 1882 and 1883 two books by Ignatius Donnelly appeared: Atlantis, the AntediluvianWorld, andRagnarok: the Age of Fire andGravel. Relying on global myths, Donnelly claimed that a massivecontinentcalledAtlantisonceharbouredaprimordialcivilization,buttheentirelandsankbeneaththeseawhenacometraineddestructionontheearth.BothofDonnelly’sbooksbecamebestsellersandarestillavailabletoday.Yetconventionaltheoriesofearthandthesolarsystemremainunaffectedbytheseworks.AroundtheturnofthecenturyIsaacVailarguedinaseriesofbriefpapersthatmythsofcosmicupheavalrelatetothecollapseoficebandssurroundingourplanet.[1]Threequartersofacenturyafterhisdeath,hisworkisfamiliaronlytotheesotericfew.In 1913 Hans Hoerbiger published his Glacial-Kosmogonie, contending that the great catastrophesdescribedinancientmythoccurredwhentheEarthcapturedanotherplanetwhichbecameourmoon.[2]TherelativelysmallinterestinHoerbiger’sthesisvanishedwithinacoupleofdecades.ThiswastheextentofnoteworthyresearchintomythandcatastrophewhenImmanuelVelikovsky,inearly1940, first wondered whether a cosmic disturbance may have accompanied the Hebrew Exodus.Accordingtothebiblicalaccount,massiveplaguesoccurred,Sinaierupted,andapillarofcloudandfiremovedinthesky.HisquestforasolutionledVelikovskythroughasystematicsurveyofworldmythologyandeventuallytotheconclusionthatancientmythsconstituteacollectivememoryofcelestialdisorder.Thegreatgods,Velikovskyobserved,appearexplicitlyasplanets.Inthetitanicwarsvividlydepictedbyancientchroniclerstheplanetsmovedonerraticcourses,appearingtowagebattlesinthesky,exchangingelectricaldischarges,andmorethanoncemenacingtheearth.Velikovsky set forth his claims of celestial catastrophe in his bookWorlds inCollision (published in1950),proposing that firstVenusand thenMars, in theperiod1500-686B.C., sodisturbed theEarth’saxisastoproduceworld-widedestruction.Thebookbecameanimmediatebestsellerandthefocusofoneofthegreatscientificcontroversiesofthiscentury.[3]ImentionVelikovskynotonlybecausehisworkobviouslyrelatestothethesisofthisbook,butbecause,asamatterofrecord,VelikovskyfirstdirectedmyattentiontowardSaturn.InamanuscriptstillawaitingpublicationVelikovskyproposedthatthenow-distantplanetwasoncethedominantheavenlybody,andheidentifiedSaturn’sepochwiththelegendaryGoldenAge.WhileIhavenotseenVelikovsky’sunpublished
manuscript on Saturn, a brief outline of his idea inspired the present inquiry: was Saturn once thepreeminentlightintheheavens?YetIpossessedattheoutsetnoconceptionofthebroadthesispresentedhere—whichfellintoplacewithsurprising rapidity,once I setout to reconstruct theSaturnmyth.Whileexpecting to find, atbest,onlyfaint echoes of Saturn (or no hint at all), I found instead that the ancients, looking back to “thebeginnings,”wereobsessedwiththeplanet-godandstroveinathousandwaystoreliveSaturn’sepoch.The most common symbols of antiquity, which our age universally regards as solar emblems (
, etc.)were originally unrelated to our sun.Theywere literalpicturesofSaturn,whomtheentireancientworldinvokedas“thesun.”Intheoriginalagetowhichthemythsrefer,Saturnwasno remote speck faintlydiscernedby terrestrialobservers; theplanet loomedasanawesomeandterrifyinglight.Andifwearetobelievethewide-spreadaccountsofSaturn’sage,theplanet-god’shomewastheunmovingcelestialpole,theapparentpivotoftheheavens,farremovedfromthevisiblepathofSaturntoday.Atfirstglance,however,theSaturnmythseemstopresentanentanglementofbizarreimages.Theearliest,most venerated religious texts depict the great god sailing in a celestial ship, consortingwithwingedgoddesses, fashioning revolving islands,citiesand temples,orabidingupon the shouldersofacosmicgiant.ItisimpossibletopursueSaturn’sancientimagewithoutencounteringtheparadiseofEden,thelostAtlantis,thefountainofyouth,theone-wheeled“chariotofthegods,”theall-seeingEyeofheaven,ortheserpent-dragonofthedeep.Thoughcelebratedasliving,visiblepowers,noneofSaturn’spersonificationsormythicalhabitatsconformstoanythinginourfamiliarworld.Yetonceoneseeksouttheconcretenatureoftheseimages,itbecomesclearthateachreferredtothesamecelestialform.ThesubjectisaSaturnianconfiguration of startling simplicity—whose appearance, transformation, and eventual disappearancebecamethefocusofallancientrites.I now have little doubt that, ifVelikovsky had pursued the Saturn question to the end, hewould haveperceived a vastly greater influence of the planet than he originally recognized. He would havediscoveredalsothatthefullstoryofSaturnaddsanewperspectivetomuchofthemythologicalmaterialgathered inWorlds inCollision. (In this connection I must stress that I alone am responsible for thethemes and conclusions presented in this book. Realizing that Velikovsky has had to defend his ownheresyforbetterthanaquarterofacentury,Ihavenodesiretoburdenhimwiththeheresyofothers.)NothingcameasagreatersurprisetomethanthesheerquantityofmaterialbearingdirectlyontheSaturntradition.Thescopeofthesubjectmattermadeitnecessarytoseparatethematerialintotwovolumes:thefirstdealingwiththeoriginalSaturnianapparition,thesecondwithSaturn’scatastrophicfate.Thisinitialvolumethen,focusesontheprimordialageofcosmicharmonyandtheunifiedimageofSaturnaskingoftheworld.
II:TheGreatFatherAnyoneattemptingtotracetheSaturnlegendmustreckonwiththeprimordialgod-figurewhomancientracescelebrateas“thegreatfather,”andwhoissaidtohavefirstorganizedtheheavensandfoundedtheantediluviankingdomofpeaceandplenty,the“GoldenAge.”WhilefewofustodaycouldlocateSaturninthestarrysphere,theearliestastralreligionsinsistthattheplanet-godwasoncetheall-powerfulrulerofheaven.Butparadoxically,theyalsodeclarethatheresidedonearthasagreatking.Hewasthefatherbothofgodsandmen.Thisdualcharacterofthegreatfatherhasbeenthesubjectofacenturies-long,butunresolveddebate.Washealivingancestorsubsequentlyexaggeratedintoacosmicdivinity?Orwasheoriginallyacelestialgodwhomlatermythsreducedtohumanproportions?Foranexplanationofthegreatfatherresearcherslooktosuchvariedpowersasthesolarorb,anesteemedtribalchief,oranabstract“vegetationcycle.”Almostuniformlyignoredistheconnectionoftheprimordialman-godwiththeactualplanetSaturn—eventhoughitispreciselythelatterthatcantelluswhythegreatfatherappearsinbothhumanandcelestialform.Theoverwhelmingpreoccupationofancientritualiswithanancient“greatgod”:1.Themythssaythatthegodemergedalonefromthecosmicseaasthepreeminentpowerintheheavens.Out of watery chaos he produced a new order. The ancients worshipped him as the creator and thesupremelordoftheCosmos.2.Thissolitarygod,accordingtothelegend,foundedakingdomofunparalleledsplendour.Hewasthedivine ancestor of all earthly rulers, his kingdom the prototype of the just and prosperous realm.Throughouthisreignanunendingspringprevailed,thelandproducedfreely,andmenknewneitherlabournorwar.3.Inthegod-king’stoweringformtheancientsperceivedtheHeavenMan,aprimordialgiantwhosebodywas thenewlyorganizedCosmos.The legendsoftenpresent the figure as the firstmanor “primordialman,”whosehistorypersonifiedthestruggleofgoodandevil.4.Whether emphasizing the great father’s character as creator, first king, orHeavenMan,widespreadtraditionsproclaimhimtobetheplanetSaturn.Ininvestigatingthetraitsofthearchaicgodwemustgivegreatestweighttotheoldestastralreligions—thosewhich are closest to the original experience. The bestmaterial, coming from ancient Egypt andMesopotamia,providesaremarkablycoherentpictureofthegodandenablesonetoseethedevelopmentand thedistortionsof the idea among later peoples.What ismost surprising, however, is the enduringpoweroftherootthemes.
The“OneGod”OfArchaicMonotheism
In thebeginning theancientsknewonesupremegodonly,adivinity invokedas thecreatorand thefatherofallthegods.According to a long-established school of thought, man’s consciousness of a supreme being emergedslowlyfromaprimitivefascinationwithpettyspiritsanddemons.Adherentstothisopiniontellusthathumanreasongraduallymodifiedcapriciousspiritsof“vegetation,”“spring,”“theancestors,”or“sexualpower”intothegreatgodsofglobalreligion.Of such an evolutionary process, however, one finds little evidence. The great edifices erected byHerbertSpencer,E.B.Tylor,andJamesG.Frazer[4]appeartorestexclusivelyontheassumptionthatonecanlearntheoriginsoftheismbystudyingexistingprimitivecultures.Theideaisthatthecivilizedracesof old must have first passed through “primitive” phases. Before the Hebrews, Greeks, or Hindusdevelopedtheirelevatedideasofasupremegod,theymusthavepossessedbeliefsandcustomssimilartothose of modern-day tribes of Africa, Australia, or Polynesia. Only by slow development, say thesetheorists,couldaraceriseabovetheludicrousmagic,totems,andfetishesofthesavage.Itisinterestingthattheadvocatesofthevariousevolutionarytheories,intheirfascinationwithpresent-dayprimitivecultures,almostneverconcernthemselveswiththeoldestreligioustextsandsymbolswhichhave come down to us. The sacred hymns and eulogies of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia reveal atraditionofa“greatgod”reachingbackintoprehistorictimes.Moreover,acomparisonofearlyandlatersources,ratherthansuggestingadevelopment,actuallyindicatesthedisintegrationofaonce-unifiedideainto magic, astrology, totemism, and other elements with which the evolutionists associate the “firststages”ofreligion.
Figure1.Atum,thesolitarygodofbeginnings.
Therearegroundsforspeakingofanarchaicmonotheism,astralinnature,existinglongbeforetheideaofGod received its spiritual and philosophical elevation in Hebrew andGreek thought. To the ancientsthemselvestheentirequestionwassimplyamatterofconcretehistory:thepresentworldisafragmentedcopy of an earlier age, in which the supreme light god stood alone in a primeval sea, occupying thecosmiccentre.AncientEgyptiantextsrepeatedlyinvokeasingularfigureworshippedasthegreatestandhighestlightoftheprimeval age.OneofhismanynameswasAtum,agod“born in theAbyssbefore the skyexisted,before the earth existed.”[5] These are the words of the Pyramid Texts, perhaps the world’s oldestreligioushymns,butthetextsofallperiodslookbacktothesameprimordialtimewhenAtumshoneforthalone.“IcameintobeingofmyselfinthemidstofthePrimevalWaters,”statesthegodintheBookofthe
Dead.[6]MorethanoncetheCoffinTextsrecallthetimewhenAtum“wasalone,beforehehadrepeatedhimself.”[7]He “was alone in thePrimevalWaters,” they say.[8] “Iwas [the spirit in?] the PrimevalWaters,hewhohadnocompanionwhenmynamecameintoexistence.”[9]EachlocalityinEgyptappearstohavepossesseditsownspecialrepresentativeofthefathergod.[10]TosomehewasHorus,“thegodwhocamefirstintobeingwhennoothergodhadyetcomeintoexistence,whennonameofanythinghadyetbeenproclaimed.”[11]OthertraditionsknewhimasRe,“theGodOnewhocameintobeinginthebeginningoftime...OthouwhodidstgiveThyselfbirth!Oone,mightyoneofmyriadformsandaspects,kingoftheworld...”[12]ThefollowersofAmenproclaimedtheirgod“theAncientofHeaven...,fatherofthegods.”[13]Ptahwas“thesplendidgodwhoexistedaloneinthebeginning.”[14]Thedifferentlocalnamesoftheprimevaldeity,thoughaddingcomplexitytoEgyptianreligionasawhole,donotcloud theunderlying idea.He is the“godOne,” the“OnlyOne,” the“fatherofbeginnings,” the“SupremeLord,”thesingulargod“exceptwhomatthebeginningnoneotherexisted.”[15]SurveyingEgyptianreligiononecannotfailtonoticethepriests’obsessionwiththepast—andtheirvividportraitofthegreatgodinhis“firstappearance.”ThosewholookforanunseencreatorinearlyEgyptianreligionwillbedisappointed.Heisavisibleandconcretepower, the“lordofterror,”or“thegreatofterror.”[16]Thememoryof this solitary lightgodandcreatorwasasoldas themostancientEgyptianritual.Hisappearance—andeventualdeparture—shapedeveryaspectoftheEgyptianworldview.SoalsoinMesopotamia,aboutwhichStephenLangdonraisesthequestionofarchaicmonotheism.Afterprolonged study of Semitic and Sumerian sources, Langdon concludes that veneration of spirits anddemons had nothing to do with the origins ofMesopotamian religion. Rather, “both in Sumerian andSemiticreligions,monotheismprecededpolytheismandbeliefingoodandevilspirits.”[17]Langdonnotesthatonthepictographictabletsoftheprehistoricperiod,thepictureofastarrepeatedly
appears.Thesign ,heclaims,isvirtuallytheonlyreligioussymbolintheprimitiveperiod,andintheearly Sumerian language this star symbol is the ideogram for writing “god,” “high,” “heaven,” and“bright.”ItisalsotheideogramofAn,theoldestandloftiestoftheSumeriangods.An(orAnu)wasthefatherofthegodsandthecentrallightattheuniversesummit,agodof“terrifyingsplendour”whogovernedheavenfromhisthroneinthecosmicseaApsu.ButtheSumero-Babylonianpantheonisfilledwithcompetingfiguresoftheprimordialcreator.Enki(orEa),Ningirsu,Ninurta,Tammuz—eachappearsasa local formulationof thesamegreatgod.[18] Eachshares in the character of the singular An, ruling as universal lord, fashioning his home above andradiatinglightinthemidstofthecelestialocean.Here,as inEgypt, thegodofarchaicmonotheism isnota transcendentspiritor invisiblepower,butacentral light. A Sumerian epic to Ninurta proclaims, “Anu in the midst of Heaven gave him fearfulsplendour.”Ninurta,accordingtothetext,is“likeAnu,”andcasts“ashadowofgloryovertheland.”[19]AllMesopotamianfiguresoftheprimevalgodpossessthistangiblecharacter,andaccountsofthegod’sradiantappearancearemoreofahistoricalthanaspeculativenature.EgyptianandMesopotamiantraditionsofthesolitarycreatorfindmanyparallelsinlaterHebrew,Greek,Persian,Hindu,andChinesemysticismandphilosophy.Butitistheearlierimagerywhichilluminatesthelater.Andhoweverunorthodox the ideamay seem, theoldest records treat thegreat god’sbirth in thedeepandhisactsof“creation”aseventsexperiencedbytheancestors.“Heartswerepervadedwithfear,
heartswerepervadedwithterrorwhenIwasbornintheabyss,”proclaimsthegodinthePyramidTexts.[20]Thesolitarygod,inthepresenceoftheancestors,broughtforththeprimevalworldor“earth.”Tounderstandthegreatgod’screationonemustputasidemodernphilosophicalandreligiousconceptions.Thetraditionhasnothingtodowiththeoriginsofourplanetorofthematerialuniverse.Thesubjectoftheoriginal creation legend is the formation of thegreatgod’s visibledwelling above. The legendrecordsthatwhenthecreatorrosefromthecosmicseaagreatbandorrevolvingislandcongealedaroundthegodashishome.Thebandappearedasawell-defined,organized,andgeometricallyunifieddwelling—a celestial “land” fashioned by the great father. All space outside this enclosure belonged tounorganizedChaos.InalatersectionofthisbookIintendtoshowthatancientracestheworldoverrecordedpicturesofthegreatgodandhiscircularabode.Theimageswere and (thesecond,morecompleteformshowingstreamsoflightradiatingfromthegodtoanimatehis“cityofheaven”).Thewordswhichintheancientlanguages denote this enclosure receive various translations as “heaven,” “cosmos,” “world,” “land,”“earth,”“netherland”—termswhichtakeonvastlydifferentmeaningsinmodernusage.Intheiroriginalsensethewordssignifiedoneandthesamething:abandoflightwhichappearedtosetapartthe“sacredground”ofthegreatgodfromtherestofspace.(One cannot begin a survey of the great father without confronting his celestial enclosure, but a fulldiscussion of this dwellingwill be possible only after certain other aspects of the single god receiveclarification.Imentiontheenclosurenowinordertoindicatethegeneral,andunconventional,directionof this investigation.When texts cited in the following pages employ the terms “heaven,” “earth,” or“world”thereadershouldknowthattheusualinterpretationwillnotbemyinterpretation.)OftheEgyptianAtum(orRe)Inotethesespecialcharacteristics:1.PrimevalUnity.Atumisthe“One,”butalsothe“All.”Thoughheisthesolitarygodofbeginnings,anassemblyoflessergodsemanatefromhimandrevolveinhiscompany.Thesesecondarydeities,thepautor “circle” of the gods, constitute Atum’s own “limbs.” Atum’s body is the primeval Cosmos,[21]
denotedbythecircleinthesign .2.Regulator.Atum is thestationarygod, the“FirmHeartof theSky.”Hishieroglyph,however, is theprimitive sledge , signifying “to move.” As the central light or pivot, he imparts motion to (or“moves”)theheavens,whilehehimselfremainsemhetep,“atrest.”Directingthecelestialmotions(andtherelatedcycles)hebecomesthegodofTime.[22]3.TheWord.TheEgyptiansrecallAtumastheancientVoiceofheaven:
TheWordcameintobeing.AllthingswereminewhenIwasalone.
IwasRe[=Atum]inhisfirstmanifestations.The texts describe the god’s “first manifestations”[23] as the bringing forth of his companions (his“limbs”), which issue—or explode—from the god as his fiery “speech.” This circle of secondarydivinities receives the nameKhu,meaning “words of power,” but also “brilliant lights” or “gloriouslights.”4.WaterGod.Awell-knownchapteroftheBookoftheDeadincludesthisdescriptionofRe:
IamtheGreatGodwhocreatedhimself.
Whoishe?TheGreatGodwhocreatedhimselfisthewateritistheAbyss,theFatheroftheGods.[24]
Thegreatgodandthecelestialoocean—“alakeoffire”—arefundamentallyone.Thewatersissuefromthegodyet,paradoxically,givebirthtohim.5.TheSeed.Atumisthemasculinepowerofheaven,theluminousSeedembodyingalltheelementsoflife(water,fire,air,etc.),whichflowfromhiminstreamsoflight.HeistheuniversalsourceoffertilityanimatingandimpregnatingtheCosmos.[25]WhatismostcompellingabouttheportraitofAtum-ReisthatnumerousEgyptiandivinitiesduplicatetheimage.Thevery traitsof thegreatgod,outlinedabove,areendlessly repeated in the figuresofOsiris,Ptah,Horus,Khepera,andAmen—eachofwhomappearsasthesolitarygodinthefierysea;thegodOnewho brought forth the company of gods as his own limbs; the god of the reverberating speech; theunmovinggodproducingthecelestialrevolutions;thefinalsourceofwatersandtheimpregnatingSeedoftheCosmos.[26]IfweweretoinquireofanEgyptianpriesthowhearrivedatthisnotionofthesupremegod,thepriestwouldtellusthathedidnot“arrive”attheideaatall.Thegreatgodwasahistoricaldivinity,whoruledheavenforatime,thendepartedamidgreatupheavals.Thehymnsandritualtexts(thepriestwouldsay)simplyrecordtheincarnationofthegodintheprimordialeraandrecountthemassivecataclysmswhichaccompaniedthecollapseofthatera.Asthefollowingsectionswillshow,thegeneraltraditionisglobalandhighlycoherent.
TheUniversalMonarch
Thesamecosmicfigurewhomtheoldestracesknewas thecreatorandsupremegodappears in themythsasaterrestrialking,reigningovertheGoldenAge.Hisrulewasdistinguishedforitspeaceandabundance,andhegovernednotonelandalonebuttheentireworld,becomingthemodelofthegoodking.Everyterrestrialruler,accordingtothekingshiprites,receivedhischarismaandauthorityfromthisdivinepredecessor.Nomythicalfigureremainsmoreenigmaticthanthegreatkingtowhomsomanyancientpeoplestracedtheirancestry.WhowasOsiris,thelegendaryrulerwholedtheEgyptiansoutofbarbarianismandreignedaskingoftheentireworld?WhowasEnki,whomtheancientSumeriansreveredasthe“universallord”andfounderofcivilization?The same figure appears repeatedly as one passes to India,Greece,China, and theAmericas. For theHindus itwasYama; for theGreeks,Kronos; for theChinese,Huang-ti.TheMexicans insisted that thewhite godQuetzalcoatl once ruled not onlyMexico but allmankind. InNorthAmerica the same ideaattachedtotheprimordialfigureManabozo.SovividaretherecollectionsoftheUniversalMonarchthathisstoryusuallyformsthefirstchapterinthechroniclesofkingship.Andthekingshipritesmeticulouslypreserveamemoryofthegod-kingsrule.Eachstageintheinaugurationofanewkingreenactsthe“first”king’slifeanddeath.Theritestaketheinitiatedbacktothebeginning—tothemythical“creation.”Anextraordinary themeemerges: In theoriginalageofcosmicharmonyandhuman innocence thegodsdweltonearth.PresidingovertheepochofpeaceandplentywastheUniversalMonarch,whofoundedtemples and cities and taught humanity the principles of agriculture, law, writing, music, and othercivilizedarts.ThisGoldenAge,however,endedinthegod-king’scatastrophicdeath.Whatismostpuzzlingtomoderncommentatorsis that thekingoftheworld,“rulingonearth,”isat thesametimethecreator,the“godOne.”Howdidtheancientscomeuponthisparadoxicalnotion?
TheAgeOfKronos
GreeklegendsrecallaremoteandmysteriouseraofKronos,thecreatorgodwho,wieldinghissickle,ruled from the summit of Olympus. Eventually displaced by his own son, against whom he warredviolently,KronosseemstohaveappearedtotheGreeksasasplitpersonality,atoncearadiantgod—theveryauthoroftheworld—andadark,demonicpower.Butinanoldtradition,withrootsinearliestantiquity,Kronosispreeminentlythegoodking,hisdarkersideconcealed.“FirstofallthedeathlessgodswhodwellonOlympusmadeagoldenraceofmortalmenwholivedinthetimeofKronoswhenhewasreigninginheaven.Andtheylivedlikegodswithoutsorrowof heart, remote and free from toil and grief:miserable age rested not on them . . . The fruitful earthunforcedbarethemfruitabundantlyandwithoutstint.Theydweltineaseandpeaceupontheirlandswithmanygoodthings,richinflocksandlovedbytheblessedgods”[27]WhenHesiodwrotetheselinestheGoldenAgeofKronoswasbutafaintandoftenconfusedmemory.Toobserve the antiquity of the idea one needonly refer to the cradles of ancient civilization—Egypt andMesopotamia.AmongtheEgyptiansthefatheroftheparadisalagepossessedmanynames,buteachtraditionproclaimedthesameoriginalexcellenceofcreation,subsequentlycorrupted.Thepeacefulepochwasdistinctlytheage of Kronos, under a different title. “Throughout their history the Egyptians believed in a time ofperfectionatthebeginningoftheworld,”observesClark.[28]Intheearliestage,saytheEgyptiansources,thegreatgodwasthefirstking,arulerwhoselifeservedasamodelforallsucceedingages.Withthegod-kingOsiristheEgyptiansconstantlyassociatedavanishedGoldenAge.Asking,Osiris,the“BeneficentBeing,”taughthissubjectstoworshipthegods,gavethemthe arts of civilization, and formulated the laws of justice. Founding sacred temples and cities anddisseminatingwisdomfromonelandtoanother,hebecamethebenefactorofthewholeworld.[29]Buthiseventualmurderbroughtworld-widedestruction.Amongclassicalwriters(Herodotus,Diodorus,Plutarch)theideaprevailedthatOsirislivedonourearthasamanorman-god.Egyptiansources,too,oftenportrayhiminhumanform.YettheearlyreligioustextssayagainandagainthatOsiriswasthesupremelightofheaven,rulingfromthecosmiccentre.Hewas,infact,“thelordofthegods,godOne.”[30]HisbodyformedtheCircleoftheTuat,thecelestialresidenceofthegods.AndthesecondarygodsthemselvesconstitutedthelimbsofOsiris.[31]Indeed, the traditionsofOsirismelt into thoseofRe, the “godOne,who came intobeing in primevaltime.”JustasOsiris’followersrememberedhisruleonearth,sodidotherEgyptiansrecalltheterrestrialreignoftheCreatorRe.Tothisage,statesLenormant,theEgyptians“continuallylookedbackwithregretand envy.”Todeclare the superiorityof one thing above all other things imaginable, itwas enough toaffirm,“itslikehadneverbeenseensincethedaysofRe.”[32]Re,thefatherofthegods,reignedovertheterrestrialworld,butwanderedawaywhentheheavensfellintodisorder.“AllchronologicaltraditionaffirmsthatRehadonceruledoverEgypt,”writesBudge,“anditisaremarkablefactthateverypossessorofthethroneofEgyptwasprovedbysomemeansorothertohavethebloodofReflowinginhisveins...”[33]ButthesamebeliefappliedtoHorus,thegod-kingparexcellence, aswell asAtum,Khepera, Ptah, andAmen. The factwhichmust be explained is that thememoryofthecreator-kingandhisoriginalageofabundancewasfarbroaderthananylocaltradition.AndthestorywasnotlimitedtoEgypt.AccordingtothetheologianandhistorianEusebius(whorelates
the account of the Babylonian priest-historian Berossus), the ancient tribes of Chaldea owed theircivilization to apowerful andbenevolent figurenamedOannes,who ruledbefore theDeluge.Prior toOannes,thetribeslived“withoutorder,likethebeasts.”Butthenewgod-king,whoissuedfromthesea,instructedmankindinwritingandvariousarts,theformationofcities,andthefoundingoftemples.“Healsotaughtthemtheuseoflaws,ofboundsanddivisions,alsotheharvestingofgrainsandfruits,andinshortallthatpertainstothemollifyingoflifehedeliveredtomen;andsincethattimenothingmorehasbeeninventedbyanybody.”[34]OanneswassimplytheGreeknamefortheBabylonianEa(theSumerianEnki),worshippedinthecityofEriduatthemouthoftheEuphrates.ThetraditiondatestotheearlieststageofSumerianhistory,atimewhen themyths say that Enki and his wife Damkina governed the lost paradise of Dilmun, the “pureplace”ofman’sgenesis.
TheyalonereposedinDilmun;WhereEnkiandhiswifereposed,
Thatplacewaspure,thatplacewasclean...InDilmuntheravencroakednot.Thekiteshriekednotkite-like.
Thelionmanglednot.Thewolfravagednotthelambs.[35]
Theinhabitantsofthisparadiselivedinastateofnearperfection,drinkingthewatersoflifeandenjoyingunboundedprosperity.Rulingover this favoureddomain,Enki introducedcivilization tomankind, founded the first cities andtemples,andsetdownthefirstlaws.If, in theaccountofBerossus, thebringerofcivilizationappearsasaman(orpartman,part fish), theearlieraccountscallhimthecreator.Hishomewas thecosmicseaApsu, thecelestialwatersof“fire,rage, splendour and terror.”[36]Thepriests ofEaorEnki deemedhimMummu, the creative “Word.”LiketheEgyptiancreator,Enkibroughtforththesecondarygodsthroughhisownspeech.Diverselocalitiesworshippedthesamecosmicpowerunderdifferentnames.IntheancientcityofLagashthepriestshonouredthegodNinurtaasthefatheroftheparadisalage.Ninurtafoundedtemplesandcities;theyearsofhisrule,connectedwiththebeginningoftheworld,were“yearsofplenty.”
Ninurta—scaledthemountainandscatteredseedfarandwide,Andtheplantswithoneaccordnamedhimastheirking.[37]
TheSumeriansthemselvesknewthatNinurtawasthesameasthe“vegetationgod”Damuzi(orTammuz),“son of the Apsu”—the shepherd of mankind whom classical mythology knew as Adonis and whosecatastrophicdepartureordeathbecamethefocusofrituallamentationsformanyhundredsofyears.But Enki, Ninurta, and Damuzi were only aspects of the creator An, whose ideogram (as previouslynoted) appears as the earliestMesopotamian sign of divinity. In all the myths and temple hymns, theSumeriansdistinguish thepresent age from“thatday,”or “thedaysofold,”when thegods “gavemanabundance, thedaywhenvegetation flourished.”[38]The supreme figure reigningover this remote agewasAN,thecentralandhighestlight,whoseforemostepithetwaslugal,“king.”TheSumeriansclaimedthat the very institution of kingship descended from “the heaven ofAn.” ItwasAnwho produced thebeneficent age—“when the destiny was fixed for everything that was engendered (by An), when An
engenderedtheyearofabundance.”[39]HowwidespreadwasthismemoryofaGoldenAge,founderedandgovernedbythecreatorhimself?Itappearsthatthetraditionwaseitherpreservedinormigratedtoeverysectionoftheworld.InMexico,legendsrecounttheancientruleofQuetzalcoatl,whoappearedfromtheseatobecomethegoodandwiserulerofTollan,intheGoldenAgeofAnahuac.Thelegenddescribesthegodasa“lawgiver,teacherofthe arts, and founder of purified religion.”[40] He was the “Ancestral Founding King,” and all laterTolteckingsconsideredthemselveshisdirectdescendants.[41]OfQuetzalcoatltheToltecssang:
AlltheartsoftheToltecs,theirknowledge,everythingcamefromQuetzalcoatl.
TheToltecswerewealthy,theirfoodstuffs,theirsustenance,costnothing.
Theysaythatthesquashwerebigandheavy...
AndthoseToltecswereveryrich,theywereveryhappy;
Therewasnopovertyorsadness.Nothingwaslackingintheirhouses,
Therewasnohungeramongthem...[42]InthestoryofQuetzalcoatlonefindsthesameconfusionofmanandgodasinthelegendsofEgyptandMesopotamia.ThechroniclerSahagunwrites,“AlthoughthisQuetzalcoatlhadbeenamantheyrespectedhimasagod.”[43] Indeed,hewas thecreator, for “Hemade theheavens, the sun, theearth.”[44] TheToltecsclaimthatinthebeginningtheirraceknewonlyonegod:
Onlyonegoddidtheyhave,andtheyheldhimastheonlygod,theyinvokedhim,
theysupplicatedhim;hisnamewasQuetzalcoatl.[45]
Not only was Quetzalcoatl the “Giver of Life”; the legend proclaims that the first divine generationemanateddirectly fromhim.Buteventually thegod (likehiscounterpartsaround theworld) sufferedaviolent fate,bringing to anendhisGoldenAge.To theEgyptian,Mesopotamian, andAmerican IndianaccountsoftheremoteepochcorrespondnumerouslegendsofIndia,Iran,China,andnorthernEurope:India
TheHinduBrahma,Yama,Vishnu,andManuconvergeasrepresentativesofasolitarysupremegodandcreator governing a lost paradise as the first king, setting forth the firstmoral codes, and imparting tomankindthefundamentalsofcivilization.Yamaappearsasthe“universallord”;Manu,asthe“kingoftheworld”or“universallegislator,”towhomlatermonarchstracedtheirlineage.[46]“Inthebeginning,”saytheUpanishads,“therearosetheGoldenChild.Assoonasbornhealonewaslordofallthatis.”[47]ThiswasBrahma,the“godOne.”Hisprosperousepoch,however,endedinhisowndeathandaworld-destroyingconflagration.Iran
Yima,theIraniantranscriptoftheHinduYama,isthepatriarchallordofmankind,the“brilliantYima”whofirstintroducedlawandcivilizationtotheworld.Hisageknew“neithercoldnorheat. . .neitheragenordeath.”Soresplendentwashisrulethat“theworldassembledroundhisthroneinwonder.”Butthen(whenYimadivergedfromthepathofjustice),theGloryfledfromhiskingdom,andhewasputtodeath.Thereupon,theeternalspringbecameadevastatingwinter.[48]China
In the earliest age, according to ancient Chinese lore, the purest pleasure and tranquillity reignedthroughoutallnature.Mankindsufferedneitherhunger,norpain,norsorrow.“Thewholecreationenjoyedastateofhappiness...,andthingsgrewwithoutlabour;andauniversalfertilityprevailed.”Itwasoverjust such a paradise that the “Yellow Emperor” Huang-ti ruled. Considered the father of the Taoistreligion,Huang-tiwasthecreator,auniversallawmakerandfounderofartsandcivilization.Hewasalsoamortal,andhisfruitfuleravanisheduponhisdeath.[49]NorthernEurope
Duringthe“peaceofFrodi,”amythicalDanishking,nomaninjuredanotherandamagicalmillgroundoutpeaceandplenty for theentire land.Frodi is theNorsegodFrey, founderof templesandreligiousrites,the“generouslordunderwhompeaceandfruitfulnessabounded,”boththe“lordoftheSwedes”and“godoftheworld.”InthefootstepsoftheScandinavianOdin(thecreator)well-being,peace,andgoodseasons followed.The legends stylehim the firstking, the“inventorof arts,” and the sourceofhumanwisdom.ButtheageofFreydissolvedinflames,justasOdinandhisprosperouskingdomcamecrashingdowninthefiresofRagnarok.[50]Herethen,isaworld-widemotif,deeplyingrainedinthereligiousandhistoricalrecordsofallprincipalraces. “The idea of the Edenic happiness of the first human beings constitutes one of the universaltraditions,”statesLenormant.[51]MinisteringoverthisageistheUniversalMonarch.Whileextolledasthesolitarysupremegodandthecreatoroftheworld,heyetappearsasaruleronearth,theancestorofterrestrial kings. By his teaching mankind rose from barbarianism. But in the end the god met acatastrophicfate,andhisdeathordeparturebroughtaviolentterminationofthefirstworldorder.
TheRitesOfKingship
The ritual surrounding ancient kings amounts to a summary of ancient beliefs about the UniversalMonarch,foreverylocalsovereignwasthesuccessorandrepresentativeofthegreatgodwhoruledtheworldduringtheGoldenAge.Theritesofkingship testify to theenormouspowerwhichthecollectivememoryofthisgod-kingheldoverlatergenerations.ChroniclesofkingshipfromEgypt,toMesopotamia,toPersia,toChina,toItaly,tonorthernEurope,topre-ColumbianMexicoalltracethelineofkingsbacktothefirstking,asupremecosmicdeitywho“founded”thekingshiprites.“When history begins there are kings, the representatives of the gods,” states Hocart.[52] No greatermistakecouldbemadebyhistoriansthantoassumethatthesovereigntyofkingsgrewoutofeconomicormaterialconcerns.Instead,thecrucialforceswerereligious.Thekingwasaproductofancientritual,andthe ritual centered in cosmic beliefs which, for several millennia, could not be shaken loose. Tocomprehendthemighty influenceofkingship in theancientworldonemustpenetrate themysteryof theking’sprototype,theUniversalMonarch.Inthefirstking’slifeandruleoriginatedtheprerogativesandobligationsofalllocalsovereigns.Itwasthedutyofeverykingtoperformtheritesinstitutedbythegreatgodinthebeginning,andtorenew,ifonlysymbolically,theprimordialeraofpeaceandplenty.Intheritual,thekingturnsthewheeloflawfirstturnedbythegreatgod,ridesonthegod’sowncosmicship, takesasspouse thegreatmother(mistressof thegreatfather),builds templesandcitiespatternedafterthegod’scelestialabode,andsubduestheforcesofdarkness(barbarians),justasthegoddefeatedchaosinthebeginning.Whateverthemarvelsofthegreatfather,itisthedutyofeachlocalkingtorepeatthem,oratleastrituallytoreenacttheseaccomplishmentsasifhewerethegreatgodhimself.InhisstudyofkingshipinEgypt,HenriFrankforttellsusthatthegreatgodwasthefirstking:“WhethernamedRe,KhepriorAtum,heistheprototypeofPharaoh,andthetextsaboundinphrasesdrawingthecomparison.”[53] To certify his authority as a successor of the Universal Monarch, the king creditshimselfwithhavingintroducedanageofabundancelikethatoftheancestralsovereign.Thus,ThutmoseIIInotonlysits“uponthethroneofAtum,”butclaimstohaveachieved“whathadnotbeendonesincethetimeofRe”andtohaverestoredconditions“astheywereinthebeginning.”[54]AmenhotepIIIstrives“tomakethecountryflourishasinprimevaltimes”[55]Similarly,whentheSumeriankingDungiascendedthethrone,thepeoplesupposedthatachampionhadarisen to restore theParadisewhichexistedbefore theFlood (butwas lost through transgression).[56]Eachking,statesAlfredJeremias,wasexpectedtoreproducethewondersofthegreatgod,theprimevalking.[57]ThusdoesAssurbanipalproclaimthatuponhisascensiontothethrone“Rammanhassentforthhisrain—theharvestwasplentiful,thecornwasabundant—thecattlemultipliedexceedingly.”[58]Among theHebrews, “Every king is aMessiah, and at times the hope is expressed that the kingwillintroduceanewGoldenAge.”[59]Suchisthetestofthejustorgoodruler,whobringsprosperityandafruitful earth. This belief, which seems to have held sway over the entire ancient world, receivesinsufficient attention from historians: it points directly to the extraordinary memory of the UniversalMonarch.Consider: Homer gives as the ideal “a blameless king whose fame goes up to the wide heaven,maintainingright,andtheblackearthbearswheatandbarleyandthetreesareladenwithfruit,andthesheepbring forth and fail not, and the seahives storeof fish, andall fromhisgoodguidance, and thepeopleprosper.”[60]
Can this be anything other than the lost age of Kronos? Why should a fertile soil confirm therighteousness ofkings?Theconnectionbecomesclearonceone takes theUniversalMonarchasmorethan an esoteric fiction and recognizes him as the shaping force behind the ideals of kingship. Just aspeaceandplentyfollowedinthefootstepsofthefirst(ideal,“good”)king,theyshouldfollowthoseofhissuccessorswhoshareinthecharismaofthegreatpredecessor.“Thefurtherwegobackinhistory,”observesJung,“themoreevidentdoestheking’sdivinitybecome...In the Near East the whole essence of kingship was based far more on theological than on politicalconsiderations...itwasself-evidentthatthekingwasthemagicalsourceofwelfareandprosperityfortheentireorganiccommunityofman,animal,andplant; fromhimflowed the lifeandprosperityofhissubjects,theincreaseoftheherds,andthefertilityoftheland.”[61]ThisimageofthelocalkingisdrawndirectlyfromtheimageoftheUniversalMonarch.Thusdideveryancientrulercallhimself the“kingof theworld”andclaimtoradiatepowerandlight.Thompsontellsus that theMayanrulerdeclaredhimself“assomethinglikeKingofKings, rulerof theworld,regentonearthofthegreatItzamNa...asortofdivinerightofkingswhichwouldhaveturnedJames I green with envy.”[62] What Thompson calls an “inflated notion of grandeur” seems tocharacterizeallancientkings(who“shinelikethesun”anddirecttheheavenlymotions);butthereasonmustbeappreciated:everykingwas, inamagicalway, theUniversalMonarchreborn.The institutionandritualofkingshippointtothesamegreatgodandthesameGoldenAgeasdothemythsofcosmicbeginnings.In what historical conditions did this collective memory originate? And if the Universal MonarchgovernedtheentireheavensasthegodOne,whywashecalledan“ancestor”?
TheHeavenMan
Sovividwasthegreatfather’scelestialimageandsooverpoweringwashisinfluenceoncivilizationin its infancy, that the ancient chroniclersoften gavehimhuman form, recalling him as the “firstman.”Buthewasnomortaloffleshandblood.InhisoriginalcharacterheupheldtheCosmosastheHeavenMan,a celestial giantwhose body encompassedall thegodsand composed the “primevalmatter”ofcreation.Thegreatfatherreignedovertheprosperousageandthendepartedamidgreatupheavals.Themythicalaccountsgive this imposing figuresuch tangibleand“human” traits thatmore thanonescholar reduceshim to a living man—an esteemed tribal ancestor whose heroic exploits succeeding generationsprogressivelyenlargeduntiltheentireuniversecameunderhisauthority.ThisistheapproachofWilliamRidgeway,who,inasurveyofthebest-knownfiguresofthegreatfather,arguesthatonlyanactualtribalchiefcouldhaveleftsuchaprofoundimprintonprimitivecommunities.Ridgeway asks us whether the abstract “sky,” or the solar orb, or a vegetation spirit—commonexplanationsof thegreat father—couldproduce suchdevotion as is evident in the annual lamentationsover the ruler’s catastrophic death. Osiris, Brahma, Tammuz, Quetzalcoatl—their devotees remembereachasalivingancestor,whosepassingwasaterrifyingcalamity.[63]OfcourseRidgewaydoesnotassumethatonemanaloneaccountsforallthetraditionsofagreatfather.Ratherheseekstoidentifyeachintermsofahistoricalfigurequitedistinctfromtheveneratedancestorsof other tribes. If his arguments against prevailing astronomical and vegetation theories carry greatweight, they fail to explain the global parallel between the respective myths. Nor can one reconcileRidgeway’s interpretationwith the incontrovertible fact that, in theearliestaccounts, thegreat father ismanifestlycosmic.Thatmanysacredhistories,however,present thecreator-king inhumanform isaparadox requiringanexplanation.Thesolutionliesinthenatureofthelegendary“firstman.”
WhoWasAdam?
IfonecomparesthetraditionsofAdamwiththeglobalimageofthegreatfathertherecanbelittledoubtthat this primal ancestorwas simply a special form of theUniversalMonarch.According toHebrewlegends Adam’s stature was so great that he extended from earth to the centre of heaven.[64] Hiscountenanceobscured the sun.[65]Like theUniversalMonarch, “Adamwas lordon earth, to rule andcontrol it,”[66] teaching his subjects the first arts and sciences.[67] The myths say that terrestrialcreatures “took him to be their creator, and they all came to offer him adoration.”[68] While thechroniclerscall thisa“mistake,”substantialevidenceshows that the traditionpertainedmore toagodthanaman.InGnosticandothermysticsystemsAdamisnotamortalbutacosmicbeingwhosebodycontainedtheseed of all later creation. As observed by G.G. Scholem, summarizing the traditions of the HebrewKabala.Adam—orAdamQadmon—isthe“primordialman,”thatis,“avastrepresentationofthepoweroftheuniverse,”whichisconcentratedinhim.[69]ThisAdamisa“manoflight”occupyingthecentreoftheCosmosandradiatingenergyalongtheaxisoftheuniverse.Heiscreatorandsupporteroftheworld,whosebodyenclosesalltheelementsoflife.[70]IslamicmysticscalledAdam“theuniversalman”or“theperfectman”upholdingthecosmos.[71]TotheOphitesoftheearlyChristianera,hewasAdamas,“themanfromonhigh”or,inthewordsofLenormant,“the typicalperfectman, that is, theheavenlyprototypeof ‘man.’” Inoneof thecosmogonic fragmentspreserved in the extracts of Sanchuniathon (as recorded by Philo of Byblos) Adam is born at thebeginning of all things and is identical with the Greek ouranos, “heaven.”[72] The modern dayMandaeansofIraqknowAdamasthe“KingoftheUniverse,”apersonificationofallthatspiritualmanisintendedtobeandachieve.[73]This,ofcourse,soundsalmostexactlyliketheprimordialgodOneofgloballegend.Indeed,inthemythsofmanylandsthefirstmanandcreator-kingareidentical.ThoughtheHinduYamaandhiscounterpartManuappearasthecreatorandkingoftheworld,theyalsosignifytheprimalancestor.Theircharacterasfirstman,however,doesnotmeanfleshandblood.Theyarethecelestialprototypes,notesLenormant,symbolicof“man”ingeneral.[74]The role of theHinduYama is filled in Persianmyth not only byYima, but also byGayaMaretan, alegendaryfirstking,amanofperfectpurity,“producedbrilliantandwhite,radiantandtall.”[75]He,too,“appearsastheprototypeofmankind.”[76]Manymythsmakenodistinctionbetweenthecreatorandfirstman.TheOceanicTiki“isatoncethefirstman,andthecreatororprogenitorofman.”[77]AmongtheKoryakthecreatoroftheworldisalso“thefirstman,thefatherandprotectoroftheKoryak.”[78]TheAssiniboin,aNorthAmericanSiouantribe,saythatitwastheFirstManwhobroughttheWorldoutoftheprimevalwater.“...TheyalsosayoftheFirstMan,theCreator,thatnoonemadehim,andthatheisimmortal.”[79]TheAltaicTatarssimilarlyspeakofaWorldManorFirstMan.InthecreationmythshedoublesforgodhimselfandraisestheWorldfromthecosmicwaters.[80]ComparableistheWorldManoftheLaps,[81]or theLonelyManwhomtheYakutsdeemthefirstancestorandwhosedwellingpiercedthesummitofheaven.[82]If thegeneral traditionbeourguide,Adam is thesolitarygodofbeginnings,presented inhuman form.This was the opinion of the controversial Gerald Massey, who, enchanted by the depth of Egyptiancosmology,proposed that theHebrewAdamechoed theolderEgyptianAtum, thegodwhoshone forth
aloneintheAbyss.[83]ItmatterslittlewhethertherelationshipofthetwofiguresisasdirectasMasseysuggested.ThroughouttheancientworldtheoriginalgodOnepassedintothelegendaryfirstancestor.As the creative intelligence and voice (Word) of heaven, the great father came to be viewed as thethinkingandspeaking“man”—atoweringgiantwhosebodywastheoriginalCosmos.BothAtumandthelaterAdampossessthisdistinctivecharacterasHeavenMan,butcertaindevelopmentsoftheideastandout:1.IntheEgyptianversionofthemyththegreatgod(Atum-Re),throughtumultuous“speech,”bringsforthacircleofsubordinategodsassatellitesrevolvinginhiscompanyandforminghisownlimbs.Thecentralgod andhis revolvingmembers compose theprimordial cosmos (Heaven,World).The crucial term ispaut,“primevalmatter,”referringtothematerialemittedbyAtum,whichtookformastheCosmos.PautisequivalenttotheKhuorfiery“wordsofpower”utteredbythegreatgod.Thetermsignifiesatoncethe“circle”ofthegodsandthe“body”ofAtum-Re.Whichistosay:
Cosmos=CompanyofGods=Creator’sLimbs,Body.ThatthecreatedCosmosemanatedfromtheprimordialgodisathemewhichpersistedinlatertraditionsofAdam.FromAdamQadmonsprangsuccessivedegreesofcreation.Gnostic traditionknewAdamastheprimamateriaoftheCosmos[84]—aremarkableparalleltotheEgyptianprimevalmatter,thelimbsofAtum-Re.Thegreatgod’sbodyembracesandis“heaven”—notonlyinEgyptianbutinallprincipalcosmologies.LikeAtum,theSumerianAnencompasses“theentireheaven”;indeed,hisverynamesignifies“heaven,”andone can trace the equationof “god” and “heaven” (or “shiningheaven”) throughall of the ancientlanguages. TheChinese tien signifies both the high god and “heaven,” as does theAltaic tengri. TheSanskritdyaus(Latindeus)carries thedoublemeaning“god”and“heaven.”It isuseless to lookto theopen sky for an explanationof this equivalence.Originally, “heaven”meant theorganizedCosmos (orbody)ofthegodOne,formedbythecircleoflessergods.Themythsunanimouslyinsistthatthiscelestialordercollapsedwiththedeathofthegreatgod,theHeavenMan.2.Theall-embracingcharacterofthegreatfatherfacilitatedanimportantdevelopmentofthegod’simageatatimewhenculturalmixturecouldhavedestroyedthe“monotheistic”theme.InancientEgyptalmosteverydistrictseemstohavehaditsfavouredrepresentativeofthegodOne,afactwhichgivesthegreatcompendiumsofEgyptianreligion(PyramidTexts,etc.)amisleadingappearanceofconfusion.HowcanwespeakofasolitarygodwhenEgyptiantextsrefertoanendlessnumberofprimarydeities?Inmorethanonelocalitytheprieststhemselvesatleastpartiallyresolvedtheproblembyadoptingaliengodsasthelimbsofthelocalgreatgod—aprocessobviouslyencouragedbythepreexistingimageofthegodasHeavenMan.Thishabitwaswidespread inEgyptandoccurredasearlyas thePyramidTexts,whichassimilateanumberofonce-independentgodsintothebodyofAtum:
YourheadisHorusoftheNetherworld,OImperishable...YournoseistheJackal[Ap-uat],
YourteethareSopd,OImperishable,YourhandsareHapyandDuamutef...
YourfeetareImsetyandKebhsenuf...etc.[85]AhymnfromthePapyrusofAnisimilarlyhonoursOsiris:
ThehairofOsirisAniisthehairofNu.
ThefaceofOsirisAniisthefaceofRe.TheeyesofOsirisAniaretheeyesofHathor.TheearsofOsirisAniaretheearsofAp-uat.
ThelipsofOsirisAniarethelipsofAnpu...[86]Inalmostthesamewords,thePapyrusofNujoinsthedivinitiesOsiris,Ptah,Anpu,Hathor,Horus,Isis,andotherstothebodyofRe.[87]IntheMemphitetheologyAtum,Horus,Thoth,andthecompanyofgodsbecamethe limbsofPtah.[88]Syncretizationof this sort, thoughappearingabsurd tous today,actuallyhelped to preserve the original idea against the eroding forces of cultural assimilation. Faced with agrowing number of competing deities, the priests proclaimed: there was only one great god in thebeginning,whosebodyencompassedacircleofsubordinatedeities.3. In a subsequent development of the myth, the Heaven Man passed into a mythical-philosophicalexplanationofourEarthandthematerialuniverseasawhole.HerethegodappearsasaprimordialgiantwhoexistedbeforetheDelugeandgavehisbodytocreation—notthecreationoftheprimordialCosmos,butofourworldwithitsmountains,seas,clouds,andsurroundingheavenlybodies.AnoteworthyexampleistheScandinavianprimevalgiantYmir.IntheProseEddathegodsfashion“theworld”fromthegiant’sbody—“fromhisbloodtheseaandlakes,fromhisfleshtheearth,fromhisbonesthemountains.”His teeth become rocks and pebbles, his skull the sky, and his brains the clouds. Thesparksandburningembersproducedbyhisdismembermentbecomethestars.[89]ComparetheHindugiantPurusha,whosebodyformedtheworld:“HismouthwastheBrahman,...histwothighstheVaisya;fromhistwofeettheSudrawasborn.Themoonwasbornfromhismind;fromhiseyethesunwasborn.Fromhisnavelwasproducedtheair;fromhisheadtheskywasevolved;fromhistwofeettheearth;fromhisearsthequarters.”[90]Purusha is the PrimalMan. In Buddhist lore this cosmic giant is BodhisattvaManjucri; elsewhere inChinatherolebelongstothedemiurgePan-Ku,whosebodyprovidesthematerialforcreation.[91]TheZoroastriansclaimed that thecreatedworldwas thegiantSpihr (“Cosmos”), thebodyof thegreatgodZurvan.[92]Allsuchheaven-sustaininggiantscanbebestunderstoodbyreferencetotheoriginalCosmosofthegodOne,ratherthantheopenexpansetowhichtheterm“heaven”normallyreferstoday.4.IfthegiantmythsemphasizedthematerialformoftheHeavenMan,anageofmetaphysicsstressedthegod’scharacterasuniversalintelligence,raisinghisimagetoahighdegreeofphilosophicalpurity.ThegodOnebecametheFirstPrinciple,FirstCause,Mind,Word,orSelf(logos,nous,sophia,tao,etc.).Yetinnoneofthesecasesdiddetachedphilosophysucceedincreatingapureabstraction.TheGreeknous,theanimating“Mind”or“IntelligentSpirit,”wasneverfullydivorcedfromtheantecedenttraditionoftheHeavenMan.BothEusebiusandSyncellusidentifythegreatMindwithPrometheus,thePrimordialManwholivedbeforetheDeluge.[93]InOrphicdescriptionoftheuniversalMinditishardlydistinguishablefromtheHindugiantPurusha:“...Allthingswerecontainedwithinthevastwombofthegod.Heavenwashishead:thebrightbeamsofthestarswerehisradiantlocks.. .Theall-productiveearthwashissacredwomb: the circling oceanwas his belt . . . ; his body, the universe, was radiant, immovable,eternal;and thepureetherwashis intellectual soul, themightyNous,bywhichhepervades,animates,preserves,andgoverns,allthings.”[94]Nouswas the primordialOne, fromwhich all things emanated—the central lightwhich produced andregulated the Cosmos (body). An exactly equivalent notion was the Hindu Universal Self. Here theoriginalconceptcertainlydidnotmean“invisiblesoul”oranythinglikeit.ThecosmicSelfwasBrahma
orPrajapati, the“GoldenChild”whoappearedaloneon the firstoccasion.“In thebeginning,”say theUpanishads,“Prajapatistoodalone.”[95]Thesametextssay,“InthebeginningtherewasSelfalone.”FromtheprimordialSelf,enclosingallthelifeelements,issuedthecreationinsuccessivedegrees.“FromtheSelfsprangether;fromether,air;fromair,fire;fromfire,water”...etc.[96](AdamQadmonradiatedtheelementsinsimilarfashion.)HinduthoughtportraystheUniversalSelfasthefirstform(andtheanimatingsoul)oftheHeavenMan.“Inthebeginningthisuniversewasnothingbuttheselfintheformofaman.Itlookedaroundandsawthattherewasnothingbutitself,whereuponitsfirstshoutwas‘ItisI!’;whencetheconcept‘I’arose.”ThentheSelf“pouredforth”thecreation.ThecreatedWorld(Cosmos),inHindumyth,tookformasthegiantPurusha,recognizedasthebodyofPrajapati-Brahma(Self).Numeroustraditionsviewtheemanationorpouringoutofcreationasthegreatgod’s“speech.”ThisistherootmeaningoftheGreekandHebrew“Word,”whichsignify,really,“visiblespeech.”(TheChinesetao,theprimevalunityorFirstCause,alsoconveystheidea“tospeak.”)“BythewordoftheLordtheheavensweremade,”statestheHebrewPsalmist(Ps.33:6).“ThisideaofthecreativeWordofGod,”observesJohnAllegro,“cametohaveaprofoundphilosophicalandreligiousimportanceandwas,andstillis,thesubjectofmuchmetaphysicaldebate.Butoriginally itwasnotanabstractnotion;youcould see the‘WordofGod.’”[Emphasisadded.]IntheHebrewcreationlegendthe“speech”ofthecreatorispouredoutas“spittle”or“seed.”“Themostforcefulspurtingofthis‘seed’isaccompaniedbythunderandtheshriekingwind.”[97]TheimagerytakesusbacktothethunderingvoiceofAtum.InmostcreationlegendsandcertainlyintheEgyptianandSumerianprototypes,thegreatfather,hislife-bearingrays,hisvoice(word),andthecompanyofgods(limbs)—allappearaspowersseenandheard.The god is the celestial “Man” whose history became the overwhelming obsession of ancient ritual.Residingatthestationarycentre—thedomainwhichtheEgyptianscalledMaat(“truth”or“wisdom”)andthe Mesopotamians denominated Apsu (residence of “wisdom”)—the god commanded the cosmicrevolutions. He was, in short, the creative “intelligence,” producing a new and harmonious celestialorder.ThuswastheHeavenMantheidealmanandtheidealking.
TheGreatFatherSaturn
ThelostepochofpeaceandplentywastheageoftheplanetSaturn.AncientmythsandritespresentSaturnasthegodOne,thefirstking,andtheall-encompassingHeavenMan.Adam, the first ancestor, presided over a garden of abundance. Among the Hebrews such sacredoccasionsastheSabbathandJubileecommemoratedthisoriginalstateofmanandtheworld,whenAdamruled Eden and the land produced freely without human effort. The Greek celebration of theKroniasimilarlyhearkenedbacktothelostGoldenAgeofKronos.Theparallelwasnocoincidence:AdamwasKronos,inhumanform.What the Greeks called the Kronia, celebrating the fortunate era of Kronos, the Latins termed theSaturnalia,asymbolicrenewaloftheSaturniaregnaorreignoftheplanetSaturn.InthemysticheritageSaturnistheUniversalMonarch,whoseprosperousageallancientpeoplesoughttorecover.ThesearethewordswithwhichJamesG.FrazersummarizestheLatintradition:[Saturn] lived on earth long ago as a righteous and beneficent king of Italy, drew the rude andscattereddwellersonthemountainstogether,taughtthemtotilltheground,gavethemlaws,andruledinpeace.HisreignwasthefabledGoldenAge:theearthbroughtforthabundantly:nosoundofwarordiscord troubled the happy world: no baleful love of lucre worked like poison in the blood of theindustriousandcontentedpeasantry.Slaveryandprivatepropertywerealikeunknown:allmenhadallthingsincommon.Atlastthegoodking,thekindlyking,vanishedsuddenly;buthismemorywascherishedtodistantages,shrineswererearedinhishonour,andmanyhillsandhighplacesinItalyborehisname.[98]TheLatinpoetOvidknewthetraditionwell:
Thefirstmilleniumwastheageofgold;Thenlivingcreaturestrustedoneanother;Peopledidwellwithoutthethoughtofill:Nothingforbiddeninthebookoflaws,Nofears,noprohibitionsreadinbronze,
Orinthesculptedfaceofjudgeandmaster...Nobrass-lippedtrumpetscalled,norclangingswords.Norhelmetsmarchedthestreets,countryandtown.Hadneverheardofwar:andseasonstraveled.Throughtheyearsofpeace.Theinnocentearth
Learnedneitherspadenorplough;shegaveherRichesasfruithangsfromthetree;grapes
Droppingfromthevine,cherry,strawberryRipenedinsilvershadowsofthemountain,AndintheshadeofJove’smiraculoustreeThefallingacorn,Springtidethesingle
Seasonoftheyear.[99]Butthen,statesOvid,“oldSaturnfelltoDeath’sdarkcountry.”Thereisnotaraceonearththatforgotthiscataclysmic event—thedeathofSaturn, theUniversalMonarch; or the fall ofAdam, theHeavenMan.Andpeoplestheworldover,forthousandsofyears,awaitedthefullturnofTime’swheel,whenSaturn’s
kingdomwouldappearagaintorescuetheworldfromadecadentageofIron(thepresentage,markingthelowestofthedescendingagesaftertheGoldenAge).ThepowerfulmemoryofSaturn’sagegaverisetoaprophesiedreturn,asannouncedinthefamouslinesofVirgil:Now is come the last age of the Cumean prophecy: the great cycle of periods is born anew. NowreturnstheMaid,returnsthereignofSaturn:nowfromhighheavendescendsanewgeneration.AndOholygoddessofchildbirthLucina,dothoubegraciousattheboy’sbirthinwhomtheIronraceshallbegintoceaseandtheGoldentoariseallovertheworld...[100]ThatSaturngovernedtheGoldenAgeisasupremetenetof theancientmysteries.Thisiswhythemostsacred day of the week, commemorating the primordial era, was dedicated to Saturn. The HebrewSabbath,theseventhdayoftheweek,wasthedayofSaturn,aswastheseventhdayoftheBabylonianandPhoenicianweeks.[101]FortheRomanstheseventhdaywasSaturnidies,“Saturn’sday.”ThiswastheAnglo-Saxon“dayofSeater[Saturn],”which,ofcourse,becameourSaturday.ThearchaicgodOne,thefatherofallthegods,wasnotthesolarorb,notthe“opensky,”buttheplanetSaturn.“Saturnpossessedthedoublepropertyofbeingtheforefatherofallotherplanetarygods,andofhaving his seat in the highest heaven,”writeR.Klibansky, E. Panofsky, andR. Saxl in their study ofSaturn andMelancholy.[102] The tradition was maintained with striking consistency from its earlyexpressionsinSumero-Babylonianreligionthroughtheageofmedievalastrology.On the subject ofMesopotamian religion and astronomy, threewidely respected researchers are PeterJensen,Alfred Jeremias, andStephenLangdon.A survey of theirworkswill reveal these conclusionsconcerning the identity of the great god in Mesopotamia: An, the oldest and highest of the Sumero-Babylonian gods, whose primordial age was “the year of abundance,” signified Saturn, according toJensen.[103]ThesameverdictistacitlymaintainedbyJeremiasandLangdon,whoidentifythegreatgodNinurtaasboththeplanetSaturnandaformofAnu.[104]TheshepherdTammuzwaslikewiseSaturn,accordingtoJeremias.[105]Andonecanaddthewell-knownfactthattheSumerianEnki(BabylonianEa,theOannesofBerossus)cametobetranslatedKronos(Saturn)bytheGreeks.[106]The identity of the creator-king as the planet Saturn seems to occur throughout the ancientworld.TheCanaanite (and Hebrew) El—closely corresponding to the Sumero-Babylonian An—was Saturn.[107]TheHinduManu, the king of theworld,wasSatyavratta, the planet Saturn.[108] Collitz tells us thatYima, the Iranian transcriptof theHinduYama,godof theGoldenAge, likewisedenotedSaturn.[109]The Zoroastrians knew Saturn as the heaven-sustaining Zurvan, “the King and Lord of the LongDominion.”[110]TheChineseHuang-ti,mythicalfounderoftheTaoistreligion,“isacknowledgedtobeSaturn.”[111]EventheTahitianssayofFetu-tea,theplanetSaturn,thathe“wastheKing.”[112]Inclassical thoughtSaturnis theprimordialsatus,“seed,”fromwhichtheCosmossprang; themindorcausewhichbroughtforththeoriginalcreation;theuniversalsourceofwater,fertility,andvegetation;andfatherTime,theregulatorofthecosmiccycle.[113]ItwasSaturnwho,beforeretiringtothenetherrealm,dweltonearth,establishinghisruleovertheentireworld.AnOrphicfragmentdeclares:“OrpheusremindsusthatSaturndweltopenlyonearthandamongmen.”[114]ThusbeforethereignofZeus,“Kronos[Saturn]ruledonthisveryearth,”writesDionysiusofHalicarnassus.[115]Saturnwas the cosmicAdam, bringing forth a company of secondary deities as his own limbs. In theancientSumeriancityofLagashthepriestsdeemedSaturn(NingirsuorNinurta)“themanwhosestaturefilledthean-ki,”theentireCosmos.[116]
TheSumero-Babylonianworshippers of the planetSaturn, observesHildegardLewy, “conceived theirgodas theembodimentof thewholeuniverse, thevariousdeifiedastralaswellasnaturalphenomenabeing imagined asmembersof thisdivinebody and, therefore, as executors of a unique will.” “Theguidingidea...[was]thebeliefintheexistenceofonlyonegreatgod.”[117]Topreserve“thestrictlymonotheisticprinciple,”notesLewy,thepriestscomposedthishymntoSaturn(Ninurta):
OLord,Thyfaceisthesky...Thytwoeyes,ohLord,arethegodsEnlilandNinlil.ThelidsofthytwoeyesareGula(and)Belit-ili.
ThewhiteofthytwoeyesOhLord,arethetwin(god)sSinandNergal.ThelashesofThytwoeyesaretheradianceoftheSungod...
Thychin,ohLord,istheastralIstar.ThegodsAnumandAntumarethytwolips.ThytongueisthegodPabilsag...[118]
Thoughthelanguagepertainstothelater-evolvedimageryoftheHeavenMan,itleavesnodoubtthatthearchaicdoctrineconceivedSaturn’sbodyastheentireCosmos.ThelegendarycosmicgiantoriginatedinthemythicalrecollectionsofSaturn’sall-encompassingform.In Zoroastrianmyth this celestial giant is Zurvan, widely recognized as Saturn. Themystic traditionsdefineZurvanas the“firstprinciple”and the“original seed.”He is,writesZaehner, “the fatherof theCosmos.FromhisseedproceedstheentirematerialCosmos...”[119]InthecreationZurvanprovided,oremitted,the“originalunformedmatter”fromwhichthewheeloftheCosmoswasproduced.Theideais precisely that of the Egyptian “primeval matter” or the alchemist’s primamateria, i.e., Adam, thePrimordialMan.ThecreatedCosmos,saytheZoroastriantexts,tooktheformofanimmensegiantnamedSpihr,housingtheelementsoffire,wind,water,andearth.TheSpihrwas“theFirstBody,”“thebodyofZurvanoftheLongDominion.”[120] “As the godwhose body is the firmament he is themacrocosm [Cosmos as awhole]correspondingtoman,themicrocosm[Cosmosinminiature],”observesZaehner.ThusdidZurvancometobeviewedas“theprototypeofman,”eventuallyacquiringhumanformasthefirstancestor—“theoriginofthehumanrace.”[121]Saturn’sidentityastheHeavenManandfirstancestoroccursagainandagaininGnosticism,inalchemy,and in the traditions of theKabala. “As the firstman,” observes Jung, “Adam isHomomaximus, theAnthropos[Manparexcellence]fromwhomthemacrocosmarose,orwhois themacrocosm.Heisnotonlytheprimamateriabutauniversalsoulwhichisalsothesoulofallmen.”[122]Saturn,Jungadds,isasynonymforAdamandtheprimamateria.Theplanet is thePhilosophicalManorOriginalMan—“theblessedManonhigh,thearchmanAdamas.”[123]IntheGreatMagicalPapyrusofParis,Kronos/Saturnis“LordoftheWorld,FirstFather.”[124]Orphicthought identifies the primordial man Prometheus with Saturn;[125] the Lapps speak of the ancientWaraldenOlmay or “WorldMan”—who “is the same as Saturnus”;[126] andNorse legend identifiesSaturnastheHeavenManKroder.[127]AllofthismeanssimplythattheprimordialCosmosoriginallysignifiedthelimbsofSaturn,acircleofsecondary lights revolving in the company of the giant planet. The terms conventionally translated as“Cosmos,”“heaven,”“world,”“universe,”or“firmament” (as in thepreviousparagraphs)denoted the
primevalcelestialorderofwhichSaturnwaskingandwhichcollapsedwithSaturn’sfall.
TheSaturnMythReconstructed
FromtheforegoingevidenceadistinctiveportraitofSaturnemerges.Intheearliestagerecalledbytheancients the planet—or proto-planet—came forth from the cosmic sea to establish dominion over theprimevalCosmos.Theplanet-god ruled as the solitary, central light,worshipped as the godOne—theonlygodinthebeginning.Saturn’s epoch left amemory of such impact that later generations esteemed the god as theUniversalMonarch,thefirstandidealking,duringwhoseruleoccurredtheprehistoricleapfrombarbarianismtocivilization. Throughout Saturn’s era of cosmic harmony no seasonal vicissitudes threatenedmenwithhungerorstarvation,andmensufferedneitherlabournorwar.Inthe“creation”Saturn,theprimalSeed,ejectedthefierymaterial(“primevalmatter”),whichcongealedintoacircleoflesserlights(theCosmos).ThemythsdescribethisresoundingbirthofthesecondarygodsasSaturn’s“speech”:SaturnwastheWordorvoiceofheaven.TheancientsconceivedSaturnasthevisibleintelligencebringingforththeCosmosashisownbodyandregulatingitsrevolutions.ThuswastheplanetdenominatedtheHeavenMan,abeingeventuallyrecalledastheprototypeofthehumanrace—thefirstancestor.WhenSaturndepartedtheworld,theGoldenAgecatastrophicallyended.Thisistheuniversaltaleofthedying god, the overthrown “first king” or fallen “first man.” Whether betrayed by a dark force, orchastisedforhavingcommittedtheforbiddensin,orinflictedwitholdageandawearinessofmankind,the result is thesame:acorruptionofnatureandaprogressiveworseningof thehumancondition.Thestory is the first—and one could almost say, only, theme of tragedy and drama in antiquity: Saturn’sGoldenAgecametoasuddenandcatastrophicend,eithercausedbyoraccompaniedbythefallof thegreatgod.That the distant planet Saturn should loom at the centre of ancient rites is a fact which conventionalwisdomwillnoteasilyexplain.OnelooksinvainforanycharacteristicofSaturn,thepresent-dayplanet,whichmight account forSaturn, theprimevalgod.Could thepresent speckof light haveprovoked theancientmemoryofacreatorstandingaloneinthedeep?Orproducedtheuniversallegendofthefirstkingandthelostageofabundance?OrinspiredthemythoftheHeavenMan?If, as is almost universally believed, the heavens have undergone nomajor changes in astronomicallyrecent times, then the myth—however meticulously developed—can only be a fabrication, producedthroughthepurestdisregardforactualobservationandexperience.Idonotaskthereadertoignorethispossibility, and I am fully aware that tomanymythologistsmyth and fancy are synonymous. Since theargumentofthisbookrestsonthecoherenceoftheSaturnmythasawhole,andsincemanydetailsremaintobecoveredIurgeonlyawillingnesstoconsidertheevidenceinitsentirety.Whateverthetrueoriginsof themyth, itconstitutedfor theancientsacompellingvision—avisiondeservingcarefulstudybyallstudentsofhistory,religion,andmythology.
III:ThePolarSunSaturn’smythicalhistoryincludestwothemeswhichnotonlycontradicttheplanet’svisibleappearancetoday,butseemtomockthecanonsofmodernastronomy:1.Saturn,notthesolarorb,wastheauthentic“sun”-godofancientritual.2.ThroughoutSaturn’sreignthissun-planetremainedfixedatthenorthcelestialpole.These two themes, affirmed by the straightforward testimony of ancient sources, compose a globalmemory: in thebeginningSaturndidnotmoveon itspresent remoteorbit,but ruledas thecentral sunaroundwhichtheotherheavenlybodiesvisuallyrevolved.Ofthistraditionearlymanhasleftusevidencefartoonumeroustocoverfullyinthisvolume.Iofferbelowasummaryoftheprincipalsources.
SunAndSaturn
ThemythsandritescelebrateSaturnastheprimevalsun.Today, fewmythologists lookingback across severalmillennia to thebeginningsof astral religion seeanythingmorethanworshipoftherisingandsettingsun,thesolarorb.Thispreoccupationwiththesolarorb is evident inpopular surveys: “Thepreeminenceof theSun, as the fountainheadof life andman’swell-being,”writesW.C.Olcott,“musthaverendereditatadatealmostcontemporaneouswiththebirthoftherace,thechiefobjectofman’sworship...Itwassunrisethatinspiredthefirstprayersutteredbyman,callinghimtoactsofdevotion,biddinghimraiseanaltarandkindlesacrificialflames.”“BeforetheSun’s all-glorious shrine the first men knelt and raised their voices in praise and supplication, fullyconfirmedinthebeliefthattheirprayerswereheardandanswered.”[128]Notwithout reasondo scholars identify theGreekHelios,AssyrianShamash,orEgyptianRewith thesolarorb.CanitbedoubtedthatHelios,radiatinglightfromhisbrowandmountedonafierychariot,isoursun?ThatheliosbecametheGreekwordforthesolarorbisbeyonddispute.InEgyptcountlesshymnstothegodReextolhimasthedivinepoweropeningthe“day.”[129]“Thelordsofalllands...praiseRewhenherisethatthebeginningofeachday.”Reisthe“greatLightwhoshinestintheheavens...Thouartgloriousbyreasonofthysplendours...”[130]Suchimagerywouldseemtoleavenoquestionastothegod’ssolarcharacter.Yetiftheprecedinganalysisofthegreatfatheriscorrect,Re(orAtum)isnotthesolarorbbuttheplanetSaturn.TheGoldenAgeofRewastheageofAn,Yama,orKronos.OnethusfindsofinterestanEgyptianostrakon(firstcenturyB.C.)citedbyFranzBoll:theostrakonidentifiestheplanetSaturnasthegreatgodRe.[131]Taken alone, this identification could only appear as a very late anomaly divorced from any solidtradition. But many scholars notice that among the Greeks and Latins there prevailed a mysteriousconfusionofthe“sun”(Greekhelios,Latinsol)with theoutermostplanet.Thus theexpression“starofHelios”or “star ofSol”was applied toSaturn.[132]Though theGreekKronoswas theLatinSaturn,NonnusgivesKronosastheArabnameofthe“sun.”Hyginus,inlistingtheplanets,namesfirstJupiter,thentheplanet“ofSol,otherssayofSaturn.”[133]Whywastheplanetmostdistantfromthesuncalledboth“sun”and“Saturn”?Concerning the confusion of the sun and Saturn among classical writers, a simple explanation wasoffered:theGreeknameHeliossocloselyresemblestheGreektransliterationofthePhoenicianElthatclassicalauthorsconfusedthetwogods;sinceElistheGreekKronos—andissotranslatedbyPhilo—Kronos/SaturncametobeconfusedwithHelios,thesun.[134]Yet,asnotedbyBoll,theidentificationismorewidespreadthangenerallyacknowledgedandismuchmorethanamisunderstandingofnames.[135]The“confusion” is also far older thanPhilo,who lived in the first centuryof theChristian era. In theEpinomisofPlato(wholivedinthefifthandfourthcenturiesB.C.),thereisanenumerationoftheplanets,which, as customarily translated, entails this unstartling statement: “There remain, then, three stars(planets),oneofwhichispreeminentamongthemforslowness,andsomecallhimafterKronos.”[136]YettheoriginalreadingisnotKronosbutHelios[137]—whichistosaythatPlato(orhispupilPhillipofOpus,towhomsomeascribeauthorshipoftheEpinomis)gavethenameHeliostoSaturn.Butcopyists,whocouldnotbelievethatHelioswasanythingotherthanthesun,“corrected”thereadingto“Kronos.”Moreover,writesBoll,thispracticeof“correcting”thenameHeliostoKronoswasnotuncommonamonglatercopyists.[138]Originally,Bollconcludes,HeliosandSaturnwere“oneandthesamegod.”[139]
The equation of sun and Saturn is very old, with roots in Sumero-Babylonian astronomy. Of theBabylonian star-worshippers the chronicler Diodorus writes: “To the one we call Saturn they give aspecialname,‘Sun-Star.’”[140]AmongtheBabyloniansthe“sun”-godparexcellencewasShamash,the“lightof thegods,”whomscholarsuniformly identifywith the solarorb.ButM. Jastrow, inanarticleentitled“SunandSaturn,”reportsthatintheBabylonianastronomicaltextstheidentificationofShamashwithSaturnisunequivocal:“theplanetSaturnisShamash,”theyboldlydeclare.[141]InsupportofthisidentityJastrownotesnumerousexamplesinvolving“theinterchangeableapplicationoftheterm‘Samas’toeitherthegreatorbofthedayortheplanetSaturn.”[142]TheapparentequivalenceofSaturnandthe“sun”goesbacktoSumeriantimes,asisevidentinthedualaspect of the creator godNinurta. Langdon deemsNinurta both the sun and Saturn: “. . . the sun-godNinurta...intheoriginalSumerianEpicofCreation,defeatedthedragonofchaosandfoundedcities...InSumero-BabylonianreligionheistheWar-godandplanetSaturn.”[143]It is not difficult to see why Ninurta, or Ningirsu, though identified with the planet Saturn in theastronomical texts, came to be confused with the solar orb. “Ningirsu, coming from Eridu, rose inoverwhelmingsplendour.Inthelanditbecameday.”[144]Saturn,asNingirsu,is“thegodwhochangesdarkness into light.”[145] The priests of Lagash invoke him as “King, Storm, whose splendour isheroic.”[146] This unexpected quality of the planet led Jensen to designate Saturn as a symbol of the“easternsun”or“thesunonthehorizon,”thoughheofferednoexplanationfortheproposedconnection.[147]The sunlike aspect of Saturn prevails from the earliest astronomy through medieval mysticism andastrology. “Saturnwith its rays sends forth transcendentpowerswhichpenetrate into everypart of theworld,”wroteanArabicastrologerofthetenthcentury.[148]Whenthealchemists,inheritorsofancientteachings,spokeofSaturnas“thebestsun,”[149]itisunlikelythattheythemselvesknewwhattodowiththeidea.Butthatthetraditionwaspasseddownfromremoteantiquityisbothindisputableandcrucial.Inclaimingthat thegreatfatherSaturn,presidingover the lostepoch,was theprimeval“sun,”Idonotproposethatoursunwasabsent—rather,thatitsimplydidnotpreoccupytheancients.Toavoidconfusionon thispoint Imust indicatehereaconclusion forwhich I intend tociteadditionalevidence ina latersection.
DayAndNight
Those scholarswhonotice the identificationof the ancient sun and theplanetSaturnusually speakofSaturn as amythical “night sun” or “second sun.”[150]But in truth, Saturnwas the sun-god pure andsimple,forthebodywecall“sun”todaywasnotasubjectoftheearlyrites.Theproblemistodiscerntheoriginalmeaningof“day”and“night.”ManyhymnstoShamashandRe—thecelebratedsunsofMesopotamiaandEgypt—describethesegodscomingforthatthebeginningoftheritualday,andtheterminologyoftenappearstosignifytherisingsolarorb.OneofthechaptersofBookoftheDead,forexample,is“TheChapterofComingForthbyDay.”[151]Doesthisnotrefertothesolarorbrisingintheeast?Aquitedifferentinterpretationispossible.Considerableevidencesuggeststhat,totheancients,thedaybegan with what modern man calls “night”—that is, with the setting of the solar orb. It is widelyacknowledgedthat theEgyptiandayoncebeganatsunset.[152]Thesameis trueof theBabylonianandWesternSemiticdays.[153]TheAthenians computed the spaceof a day from sunset to sunset, and thehabitappearstohaveprevailedamongnorthernEuropeanpeoples.[154]Thiswidespreadcustomposesaspecialproblemforsolarmythology.If,originally,thedaybeganwiththedisappearanceofthesolarorbandthecomingoutofotherheavenlybodies,whoisthegreatgodwhoshinesatthebeginningofthisday?TheexplicitanswercomesfromtheSumeriantextsidentifyingSaturnasgodof the“dawn.”Saturn“cameforth inoverwhelmingsplendour. In the landitbecameday.”[155]Thisdoesnot(asJensenproposed)equateSaturnwiththe“sun[solarorb]onthehorizon.”ItmeansthatthecomingforthofSaturninauguratedthearchaicday,whichbeganatsunset.So longas thesolarorbwasvisible, the fieryglobeofSaturn remained subdued,unable tocompetewith the sheer lightof theformerbody.Butonce thesolarorbsankbeneath thehorizon,Saturnand itscircleof secondary lightsacquiredaterrifyingradiance.Therefore,inarchaicterms,Saturnwasthegreatgodofthe“day,”notthe“nightsun”asscholarsusuallypropose. But obviously, the eventual shifting of the “dawn of day” from the solar sunset to the solarsunrise could only create awidespread confusion of day and night andmorning and evening.On thisdistinctionamongtheEgyptians,Budgewrites,“Ataveryearlyperiod,however,thedifferencebetweentheDay-skyandtheNight-skywasforgotten.”[156]Undernormalcircumstanceswouldonelikelyforgetthisdistinction?If there isconfusion, it isbecause radicallydifferentcelestialordersseparate thepresentage fromtheformer.Theprimevalsunwasthesolitarygodofthedeep,theonegodofarchaicmonotheism,theplanetSaturn.OnlyinalateragedidSaturncometobeconfusedwiththesolarorb.There is, in fact, a decisivedifferencebetween theprimeval god and thebodywe call the sun today:unliketherisingandsettingsolarorb,theoriginalsun-godnevermoved.
SaturnAndThePole
InancientritualSaturnappearsasthestationarysunorcentralfireatthenorthcelestialpole.When Saturn ruled the world, his home was the summit of the world axis: with this point all majortraditions of the great father agree. Even today, in our celebration of Christmas, we live under theinfluenceofthepolarSaturn.ForasManlyP.Hallobserves,“Saturn,theoldmanwholivesatthenorthpole,andbringswithhimtothechildrenoftenasprigofevergreen(theChristmastree),isfamiliartothelittlefolksunderthenameSantaClaus.”[157]SantaClaus,descendingyearlyfromhispolarhometodistributegiftsaroundtheworld,isamuffledechoof theUniversalMonarch, theprimordialOsiris,Yama,orKronos spreadingmiraculousgood fortune.Hispolarabode,whichmightappearasanesotericaspectofthestory,isinfactanancientandcentralingredient.Saturn, the“bestsun”andkingof theworld, ruledfromthepolarzenith.Butwhilepopulartradition located Santa Claus at the geographical pole, the earlier traditions place his prototype, theUniversalMonarch,atthecelestialpole,thepivotoftherevolvingheavens.Thehomeofthegreatfatheristhecosmiccentre—the“heart,”“midst,”or“navel”ofheaven.Astheearthrotatesonitsaxisthenorthernstarswheelaroundafixedpoint.Whilemoststarsriseandsetlikethesunandmoon, thecircumpolarstars—thosewhichdescribeuninterruptedcirclesaboutacommoncentre—neverfallbelowthehorizon.Theinvisibleaxisoftheearth’srotationleadsdirectlytothatcentralpoint—thecelestialpole—aroundwhichtheheavensvisuallyturn.Alloftheancientworldlookeduponthepolar centre as the “middle place,” “resting place,” or “steadfast region” occupied by the UniversalMonarch.Oneof thefirstwriters torecognizethepoleas thespecialdomainof thegreatgodwasW.F.Warren,whowroteinParadiseFound(publishedin1885):“Thereligionsofallancientnations...associatetheabode of the supreme God with the North Pole, the centre of heaven; or with the celestial spaceimmediatelysurroundingit.[Yet]nowriteroncomparativetheologyhaseverbroughtoutthefactswhichestablishthisassertion.”Inthefollowingyearsanumberofscholars,eachfocusingondifferentbodiesofevidence,reachedthesameconclusion.ThecontroversialanderraticGeraldMassey,intwolargeworks(TheNaturalGenesisandAncientEgypt),claimedthat thereligionandmythologyofapolargodwasfirst formulatedby thepriest-astronomersofancientEgyptandspreadfromEgypttotherestoftheworld.Inageneralsurveyofancient language, symbolism, and mythology, John O’Neill (The Night of the Gods) insisted thatmankind’soldestreligioncenteredonagodofthecelestialpole.ZeliaNuttall, inFundamentalPrinciplesofOldandNewWorldCivilizations, undertookanextensivereviewofancientMexicanastronomy,concludingthatthehighestgodwaspolar.FromMexicosheshiftedtoothercivilizations,findingthesameunexpectedroleofapolargod.Reinforcing the surprising conclusions of the above researchers was the subsequent work of others,amongthemUnoHolmberg(DerBaumdesLebens),whodocumentedthepreeminenceofthepolargodinthe ritual of Altaic and neighbouring peoples, suggesting ancient origins in Hindu andMesopotamiancosmologies;[158] Leopold de Saussure (LesOrigines de l’AstronomieChinoise), who showed thatprimitiveChinesereligionandastronomyhonourthecelestialpoleasthehomeofthesupremegod;ReneGuenon(LeRoiduMondeandLeSymbolismedelaCroix),whosoughttooutlineauniversaldoctrinecenteringonthepolargodsandprinciplesofancientman.
Thattheseandotherresearchers,eachstartingdownadifferentpath,arrivedatmuchthesameconclusionconcerningasupremepolargodofantiquityshouldhavebeensufficienttoprovokeareappraisaloflong-standing assumptions. Is it possible that, as these writers claimed, the ancient star-worshippers paidgreater heed to a god of the pole than to the solar orb? Rather than respond to the question, solarmythologists diplomatically ignored it, thereby assigning the above investigators to an undeservedobscurity.Iwanttoreopenthequestion,buttoapproachitfromadifferentperspective.Mostoftheaforementionedwriterspossessedacommon—ifunspoken—faithintheceaselessregularityofthesolarsystem,seekingtoexplainthepolargodinstrictlyfamiliarterms:thecentreofourrevolvingheavensisthecelestialpole;thegreatgodofthecentreandsummitmusthavebeenthestarclosesttothiscosmicpivot.Butasobservedinthepreviouspages,thegreatfatherwasnotamere“star”;hewastheplanetSaturn,recalled as the preeminent light of the heavens. Moreover, the Saturn myth states that the planet-godresidedatthecelestialpole![159]In themythand astronomyofmany landsSaturn’s connectionwith the pole is direct and unequivocal.Chineseastronomersdesignatedthecelestialpoleas“thePivot,”identifyingthe“GenieofthePivot”astheplanetSaturn.[160]Saturnwasbelievedtohavehisseatatthepole,reportsG.Schlegel.[161]ThisstrangeandunexplainedimageofSaturncaughttheattentionofdeSaussure(oneoftheforemostexpertsonChineseastronomy),whoaddedanadditionalstartlingfact:theIranianKevan,theplanetSaturn,alsooccupiesthepolarcentre.[162]But the theme isolder thanChineseor Iranian tradition, for it finds its first expression in theSumero-BabylonianAn (Anu), thehighestgod, acknowledgedas theplanetSaturn.Eachevening, atErech, thepriestslookedtothecelestialpole,beginningtheirprayerwiththewords,“OstarofAnu,princeoftheheavens.”[163]Saturn ruled from the summit of the world axis.[164] I must note, however, that I am not the first toobserve this general principle. A recent volume by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend,entitledHamlet’sMill, offers the revolutionary conclusion that according to an ancient doctrineSaturnoccupiedthecelestialpole.Buttheauthors,maintaininganunqualifiedattachmenttotheuniformitarianpremise,excludeinadvanceanyextraordinarychangesinthesolarsystem.InsteadtheyspeakofSaturn’spolarstationasa“figureofspeech”orastralallegorywhosemeaningremainstobepenetrated.“What,”theyask,“hasSaturn,thefar-outplanet,todowiththePole?...ItisnotinthelineofmodernastronomytoestablishanylinkconnectingtheplanetswithPolaris,orwithanystar,indeed,outofreachofthemembersofthezodiacalsystem.Yetsuchfiguresofspeechwereanessentialpartofthetechnicalidiomofarchaicastrology,and thoseexperts inancientcultureswhocouldnotunderstandsuch idiomshaveremainedhelplessinthefaceofthetheory.”[165]Ifonecouldfind,inthepresentorderoftheheavens,apossibleinspirationforthewidespreadtraditionof Saturn’s polar station, then the historians and mythologists, operating on uniformitarian principles,wouldhavesomethingconcretetoworkwith.Buttheprimordialage,asdefinedbyuniversalaccounts,standsinradicalcontrasttoourownera.OnecannomoreexplainSaturn’sancientconnectionwiththepole by reference to the present arrangements of the planets than one can explain, within theuniformitarian framework,Saturn’s imageas theUniversalMonarch, theHeavenMan,or theprimevalsun.YetthefactremainsthatthroughouttheancientworldtheseimagesofSaturnconstitutedapervasive
memorywhichmanycenturiesofculturalevolutioncouldnotobliterate.
TheUnmovedMover
InthesixthcenturyB.C.XenophanesofColophonofferedthisdefinitionofthetruegod:“ThereisoneGod,greatestamonggodsandmen,neitherinshapenorinthoughtlikeuntomortals...Heabideseverinthesameplacemotionless,anditbefitshimnottowanderhitherandthither.”[166]AremarkableparalleloccursintheHinduUpanishads:
ThereisonlyoneBeingwhoexists,Unmovedyetmovingswifterthanthemind;Whofaroutstripsthesenses,thoughasgodsTheystrivetoreachhim,who,himselfatrest,Transcendsthefleetestflightofotherbeings.Who,liketheair,supportsallvitalaction.
Hemoves,yetmovesnot.[167]To the supremepower in heavenAristotle gave the name “UnmovedMover,” a termwhich expressedsuccinctly the paradoxical character of the god One: though turning the heavens, he himself remainedmotionless.According to thegeneral tradition, thegod stoodat the stationarycosmiccentre, impartingmovementtothecelestialbodieswhichrevolvedabouthim.AfactwhichconventionalinterpretationcannotexplainisthattheverytermswhichancientastronomersapplytothecelestialpoleareappliedalsotoSaturn.Considertheimageofthepole:
Iamconstantasthenorthernstar,Ofwhosetrue-fix’dandrestingquality.Thereisnofellowinthefirmament.
SodeclaredShakespeare’sCaesar. [Emphasisadded.]ManycenturiesbeforeShakespeare,Hipparchusspoke of “a certain star remaining ever at the same place.And this star is the pivot of theCosmos.”AmongtheChinese,thepolestaristhe“starofthePivot,”[168]tothePolynesiansitisthe“ImmovableOne.”[169]ThePawneecallit“thestarthatstandsstill”;thisstar,theysay,“isdifferentfromotherstars,becauseitnevermoves.”[170]TotheHindus,thestarisDhruva,“firm.”[171]Consider now the image of the planet Saturn. InChina, as noted above, Saturn rules “the Pivot.” TheSumero-BabylonianNinurta—Saturn—isthegodofthe“steadystar”andof“repose.”[172]Enki,alsotheplanet Saturn, is “themotionless lord.”[173]Mithraic teaching portrays the planet as the cosmicmanAion,the“resting”god.[174]InSanchuniathon’sdescriptionofthePhoenicianEl(Saturn)thegod“flewwhileatrestandrestedinflight.”Tothisdescription,O’Neillresponds:“JustthesymbolismofthePolarPowerwhirlingtheheavensround,buteverreposinghimselfatthemotionlesscentre.”[175]Saturn’sstationarycharacteristhetraitmostoverlookedbyconventionalmythologists.Thereasonisthatthemythologistsexpecttheimageoftheprimevallightgodtofittherisingandsettingsolarorb,whileinfactancientritualandmythportraythegodasacentralsunatthepolarzenith.To themodernmind nothing could be less “scientific” than a polar sun. Yet the unmoving sun is theancienttradition,asnotedbyE.A.S.Butterworth:“[Theprimevalsun]isnotthenaturalsunofheaven,foritneitherrisesnorsets,butis,asitseems,everatthezenithabovethenaveloftheworld.Therearesignsofanambiguitybetweenthepolestarandthesun.”[176]IfButterworthiscorrectwehaveaconvergenceofthreevitaltruths:Saturnwastheprimevalsun;Saturn
occupiedthecelestialpole;theprimevalsunoccupiedthepole.Eachofthesepointscontradictsmodernunderstanding,yeteachfindsverificationintheindependentresearchofspecialists,noneofwhomseemtohavebeenawareoftheworkoftheothers.(Thatis,deSantillanaandvonDechend,whiledocumentingSaturn’sconnectionwiththepole,seemunawareoftheplanet’sidentityassun;JastrowandBoll,thoughperceivingtheequationofSaturnandsun,ignoreSaturn’spolarstation;Butterworth,thoughrecognizingthepolarsun,failstonoticethatheisdealingwiththeplanetSaturn.)Onthetraditionofthepolargodorpolarsunnumeroustraditionsconcur.Egypt
IfthereisanorthodoxyamongEgyptologists,itisthebeliefthattheEgyptiangreatgodhashisinspirationin therisingandsetting sun.Atum,Re,Osiris,Horus,Khepera,andvirtuallyall thegreatgodsof theEgyptiansareexplainedassymbolsof thesolarorb—either thesunofday,or thesun“during itsnightjourney.”Because the Egyptian concept of the “sun” involvesmany complexities whichmight distract from thepresentgeneralinquiry,Ishallreservemanydetailsfortreatmentinlatersections.Icitebelow,however,afewoftheevidencesindicatingthepolarstationoftheEgyptiansupremegod.1.OftheEgyptiangreatfatherthereisnobetterrepresentativethanthemightyAtum,whomEgyptologistsusually regardasasun-godshiningatnight.He is theacknowledgedalteregoof theprimevalsunRe,founderofthelostGoldenAge.TheCoffinTextssay:
TheGreatGodlives,fixedinthemiddleoftheskyuponhissupport.[177]
ThereferenceistoAtum,whomtheeminentEgyptologistR.T.RundleClarkcalls“thearbiterofdestinyperchedonthetopoftheworldpole.”[178]ThecreationlegendstatesthatwhenAtumcameforthaloneinthebeginning,hestoodmotionlessinthecosmicsea.[179]Hisepithetwas“theFirmHeartoftheSky.”[180]TotheEgyptians,statesEnel,“Atumwasthechieforcentreofthemovementoftheuniverse”atthecelestialpole,fortheEgyptiansknewthepoleas the“midst”or“heart”ofheaven—“thesingle, immovablepointaroundwhichthemovementofthestarsoccurred.”[181]Clarktellsusthat“thecelestialpoleis‘thatplace’or‘thegreatcity.’ThevariousdesignationsshowhowdeeplyitimpressedtheEgyptianimagination.Ifgodisthegovernoroftheuniverseanditrevolvesaroundanaxis,thengodmustpresideovertheaxis.”[182]Clarkissocertainofthegreatgod’spolarstationthathewrites,“Nootherpeoplewassodeeplyaffectedbytheeternalcircuitofthestarsaroundapointinthenorthernsky.Heremustbethenodeoftheuniverse,thecentreofregulation.”[183](Aswewillsee,Clarkunderestimatestheinfluenceofthepolarcentreinotherlands.)Atumwasthe“UnmovedMover”describedinEgyptiantextsmanycenturiesbeforeAristotleofferedthephrase as adefinitionof the supremepower.TheEgyptianhieroglyph forAtum is aprimitive sledge
,signifying“tomove.”Tothegodofthecosmicrevolutions,theBookoftheDeadproclaims“Hailto thee, Tmu [Atum] Lord of Heaven, who givest motion to all things.”[184] But while moving the
heavensAtumremainedemhetep,“atrest”or“inonespot.”2.Moreover, and contrary to nearly universal opinion, the great godRehas little in commonwith thesolarorb.Unlikeourever-movingsun,Restandsatthestationary“midst”or“heart”ofheaven.[185]Heisthemotionlesssun“whorestethonhishighplace.”[186]Hishomeisthepolarzenith:
...Mayyourfacebeinthenorthofthesky,mayResummonyoufromthezenithofthesky.[187]Myfatherascendstotheskyamongthegodswhoareinthesky;hestandsintheGreatPolarRegion
andlearnsthespeechofthesunfolk.Re...setshishandonyouatthezenithofthesky.[188]ConcerningtheenigmaticsymbolismoftheEgyptiansun-god,Kristensentellsusthat“theplacewherethelightsetsisalsocalledtheplacewhereitrises.”[189]Inreferencetothesolarorbthestatementappearsmeaningless.ButthenotionthatRerisesandsetsinonespotisinseparablefromthevisionofReasthelordofhetep,“rest.”Infactthegoddoesnotliterally“rise”or“set”atall.Withthephasesofdayandnighthislight“comesforth”and“recedes”;thegod“comesout”and“goesin.”Whenwesaytodaythatthemoon“comesout” atnightwedonotmean that it rises in the east;wemean simply that themoongrowsbright. Precisely the samemeaning attaches to the Egyptian words which so often receive thetranslation“rise”(uben,pert,un).[190]Thus,ratherthanamovingsun,Reisthecentralpivotroundwhichthelessergodsrevolve.“They[thecompanionsofRe]goroundaboutbehindhim,”[191]statesonetext.Thedeceasedkingaspirestoattainthegreatgod’spositionsothat“thesegodsshallrevolveroundabouthim.”[192]
Figure2.TherestingOsiris.
3.Thegod-kingOsiris,anobviouscounterpartoftheprimevalsunRe,isthegodofthetet,“firmness”or“stability.”“Heisalwaysapassivefigure,”notesBudge.“Asacosmicgodheappearsasamotionlessdirectororobserveroftheactionsofhisservantswhofulfilhiswill.”[193]Inthisheistheprototypeoftheterrestrialking,whotakesupsymbolicresidenceatthecosmiccentre.ThusisOsiristhestationaryheartofheaven:“Beautifulisthegodofthemotionlessheart,”proclaimstheBookoftheDead.[194]ThehymnsextolOsirisasthelordofhetep,“rest,”oras“therestingheart.”OneEgyptologistafteranotherseekstounderstandtheimageryintermsofanightsun“resting”inanimaginedunderworld. But numerous Egyptian sources show that the place of rest is the motionless centre andsummit.Osirisis“exalteduponhisrestingplace,”[195]or“intheheights.”[196]Thehieroglyphsportray a column of steps leading to the polar zenith; it is here that the hymns locateOsiris:“Hail,OOsiris,thouhastreceivedthysceptreandtheplacewhereonthouarttorest,andthestepsareunderthee.”[197]Thedeceasedbeseechesthegreatgod:“...MayIbeestablisheduponmyresting
placeliketheLordofLife.”[198]It isalso futile to interpretOsiris’“rest”or“motionlessheart”asmeresymbolsofdeath.Thestateofrest,onemustremember,belongs to the livingorresurrectedOsiris, for the textsapply the termhetep,“rest,”toOsirisemankh,“asalivingbeing.”[199]Itshouldbecleartoallwhoconsiderthelanguageofthehymns that theunmovingheartmeans theunmovinggod, for theheart is thegod (aswhen the textsdescribe theheart“upon its seat”).[200]Osiris, themotionlessheart, is the central, stationary sun: “Ostillheart,ThoushinestforThyself,Ostillheart.”[201]4.Thestationarysun,thesunatthepolarzenith,alsooccursundermanyothernamesinEgyptianreligion,including:—Horus,the“firmandstable”godwho“takeshisplaceatthezenithofthesky.”[202]—Ptah,“inthegreatrestingplace.”—Iemhetep,whosenamemeans“theonewhocomesforthwhilestandinginoneplace.”[203]—Sepa,whosenamemeans“stable.”[204]—Men,whosenamemeans“fixed,”“abiding,”“stable,”“firm.”[205]—Tenen,connectedwiththerootenen,meaning“motionless,”“rest,”“inactivity.”[206]—Kheprer,theTurningOne,whospinsaroundwhileoccupyingthesamestationaryposition.[207]Thus,inthehieroglyphs,alloftheEgyptiangreatgodsappearasfirmlyseatedfigures.Thisimmovable
posture— —whichcorresponds todivine imagery inmanyother lands isnoaccident.The seatedorrestinggodistheUnmovedMover.
Figure3.Kheprer,theTurningOne.
Figure4.Thefirmlyseated(resting)god.
5.That theEgyptians conceived the cosmic centre as the sourceof celestialmotions is clear from the
terminology of the centre. The “heart” of heaven is ab ( ), a word which has the concrete
meaningof “centre”or “midst.”But as notedbyRenouf,ab ( ) also conveys “the sense of
livelymotion.”[208]Inthelatterusage,thedeterminative appears todepictahumanfigure turningaroundwhilestandingononefoot, i.e., inoneplace,atrest.Denotedbythewordab is therestingbutever-turningheartofheaven.Similarly,whilethetermmenmeans“fixed”or“abiding,” inreferencetothegodofthestablecentreandsummit,mennenmeans“togoround.”[209]Tothegreatgod,asthesteadfastcentreorfoundationstoneoftheCosmos,theEgyptiansgavethenameBenben(seediscussionofTheFoundationStone).Butbenalone“isaverbofmotion,andparticularlyof‘goingaround’”Thisdual,seeminglyparadoxical relationshipofmotionandrestoccurs throughout theEgyptiantextsandbecomesintelligibleonlywhenonerecognizesthecentralsun,theUnmovedMover,asthesourceoftheimagery.“IamtheHeir,theprimarypowerofmotionandofrest,”readstheBookoftheDead.Thoughthewordshaveamodernsound,Renoufassuresusthattheyexpresstheliteralsenseofthehieroglyphtext.Itisintherootcharacterofeverypolargodto“move”whileat“rest.”[210]6.InseparablefromtheEgyptianmotionof“rest”istheconceptof“silence.”Themotionlesscentreoftheheavens is the Still Place orRegion of Silence. (OurEnglishword still accurately conveys the closerelationshipbetweentheconceptsunmovingandsilent.)[Thegreatgodis]KingoftheTuat...NobleBodywhoserestiscompleteintheRegionofSilence.
[211]KingishewhorestsintheSilentRegion.[212]
But those experts who connect the solar orb with the great god have nothing to say concerning suchlanguage.ThegodwhostandsatrestintheSilentRegionisRe,thesun-godparexcellence;yettheentireconceptcontradictstheimageofourwanderingsun.7.What often prevents generalists from perceiving the stationary character of the primeval sun is thetranslator’s unfortunate habit of substituting vague and intangible terms for literal meanings. BudgefollowsacommonpracticewhenherendersahymntoReinthesewords:“Homagetothee,Othouwhoartinpeace.”[213]Fromsuchterminologyonecouldhardlybeexpectedtoformulateaclearconceptofthe god. But the phrase “in peace” actually conceals a vitalmeaning, for the Egyptian original is emhetep.Literally, thehymncelebrates thegodwhoshines“atrest”or“whilestandinginoneplace.”(Inseeking to interpret Egyptian sources I have found that specific, literal, and concretemeanings of theoriginal texts are uniformly preferable to the more general and abstract language so often chosen bytranslators.Ofthistruth,thereaderwillfindmanyexamplesinthefollowingsections.)Mesopotamia
Like the central sun of Egypt, the primeval light god of Sumero-Babylonian religion “comes forth”(shines) and“goes in” (declines,diminishes) at the“centre”or “midst”ofheaven (Kiribsami;Kabalsami),whichisalsothezenith(ilatu).“Inthecentrehemadethezenith,”statesonetext.[214]Residingatthecentreandsummit,thegreatgodisthe“firm”or“steadfast”light.[215]TheoldestrepresentativeofthisstationarysunisthepolargodAn(Anu).[216]Anfillstheskywithhis
radiant—even terrifying—light:“the terrorof thesplendourofAnu in themidstofheaven.”[217] ThusdoesRobertBrown,Jr.,termthepolargodanocturnalsun,the“LordoftheNight.”[218]All principal forms of An appear as stationary gods. Enki is “the motionless lord” and the god of“stability.”[219]AbrokenSumerianhymn,inreferencetoNinurash(aformofNinurta)reads:
Whomthe“godofthesteadystar”uponafoundation.To...causetoreposeinyearsofplenty.[220]
Failing to perceive the concretemeaning of such terms, solarmythologists like to think of a place of“repose”asahidden“underworld”beneaththeearth,adarkregionvisitedbythesunafterithasset.Buttheplaceofreposeisnounderworld.Itis:
Theloftyresidence...Theloftyplace...
Theplaceofloftyrepose...[221]Ninurta,inhis“placeofloftyrepose,”isthepreciseequivalentoftheEgyptianRe,who“restethonhishighplace.”That both gods are identifiedwith the planetSaturn further confirms the strikingparallel.What,then,ofthegreatgodShamash,whomoneexpertafteranotheridentifieswiththesolarorbalone?Theprevailing consensus cannothide the fact thatShamash, likeNinurta andAnu, is addressed as theplanetSaturn(“ShamashisSaturn,”saytheastronomicaltexts).ThusShamashsendsforthhislightfromtheimmovablecentreor“midst”ofheaven:
Likethemidstofheavenmayheshine![222]OShamash...suspendedfromthemidstofheaven.[223]
OSun-god,inthemidstofheaven...[224]Ihavecriedtothee,OSun-god,inthemidstoftheglitteringheaven.[225]
Lettherebenomisunderstandingastotheliteralandconcretemeaningofthe“midst.”Itis,statesRobertBrown, thestationarycentre,“thatcentralpointwherePolarissatenthroned.”[226]Accordingly, in thesymbolism of the ziggurat and other “sun” temples, Shamash occupies the “summit house,” the “fixedhouse,”orthe“houseofrest.”[227]Thetopoftheziggurat,asymbolicmodeloftheCosmos,isthe“lightofShamash,”andthe“heartofShamash,”denoting(inthewordsofE.G.King)thepivot“aroundwhichthehighestheavenorsphereofthefixedstarsrevolved.”[228]TheBabyloniantraditionofthepolarsunhasbeenpreserveduptothemodernerainthetraditionoftheMandaeansofIraq.IntheirmidnightceremoniesthesepeopleinvokethecelestialpoleasOlmaI’nhoara,“theworldoflight.”Withthefollowingwordstheybeseechthepolargod:“Inthenameofthelivingone,blessed be the primitive light, the Divinity self-created.” This polar god, states one observer, is the“primitivesunofthestar-worshippers.”[229]India
The Hindu Dhruva, whose name means “firm,” stands at the celestial pole—“a Spot blazing withsplendourtowhichthegroundisfirm,whereisfixedthecircusofthecelestiallightsoftheplanets,whichturnallaroundlikeoxenroundthestake,andwhich[theSpot]subsistsmotionless.”[230]Whatremainstobeexplainedbymythologistsisthatthe“obviouslysolar”godSurya“standsfirmlyonthissaferestingplace.”[231] Surya, states V. S. Agrawala, “is himself at rest, being the immovable centre of his
system.”[232] And just as the Egyptian primeval sun “rises and sets” in one place, Surya occupiessamanamdhama—“thesameplaceofrisingandsetting.”[233]AnothernameforthestationarysunisPrajapati.“ThesuninthecentreisPrajapati:heisthehorsethatimpartsmovementtoeverything,”writesAgrawala.[234]
Figure5.RestingBrahma.
Figure6.RestingBuddha.
ThemotionlessDhruva, Surya, andPrajapati comparewith the light ofBrahma, called the “true sun,”which, “after having risen thence upwards . . . rises and sets no more. It remains alone in thecentre.”[235] Brahma, observes Guenon, is “the pivot around which the world accomplishes itsrevolution,theimmutablecentrewhichdirectsandregulatescosmicmovement.”[236]In fact, everyHindu figure of the primeval sun appears as the fixedmover of the heavens.TheHinduVaruna,“seatedinthemidstofheaven,”istheRecumbent,”the“axisoftheuniverse.”[237]“FirmistheseatofVaruna,”declaresoneof theVedichymns.[238] Inhim“allwisdomcentres, as thenave is setwithinthewheel.”[239]OneofVaruna’sformsisSavitar,the“impeller.”Whiletherestoftheuniverserevolves,theimpellerstandsfirm.“...Firmshaltthoustand,likeSavitardesirable.”[240]OccupyingthesamerestingplaceisthesupremegodVishnu“whotakesafirmstandinthatrestingplaceinthesky.”[241]The location is thecelestialpole,called“theexaltedseatofVishnu, roundwhich thestarryspheresforeverwander.”[242]Vishnuisthepolarsunorcentralfire:“fieryindeedisthenameofthissteadfastgod,”statesoneVedictext.[243]A fascinating and archaic form of theHindu great god isAja Ekapad, originally conceived as a one-leggedgoat, thesupportandmoverof theuniverse.ObservesAgrawala:“Thequestionarisesas to themeaning of ekapad. It [Aja] is called ekapad or one-footed for the reason that ekapad or one-footeddenotestheabsenceofmotion.”[244]Agrawalacalls thissupremebeingorprinciple thatof“Absolute
StaticRest.”[245]“TheprincipleofRest,”writesthesameauthor,“isinexhaustibleandthesourceofallmotion.”[246]ThesacredgroundoccupiedbytheHindugreatgodisthe“middleplace,”“thesteadfastregion,”or“themotionlessheaven.”[247] In theBrahmanist tradition it isNirvana,“theSupremeRestingPlace”at thecentreandsummit.TotheBuddhiststhisisthenaveofthecosmicwheel,thethroneoftheBuddhahimself.Itisacalatthana,the“unmovingsite,”or the“unconquerableseatof firmseance.”[248]TheBuddha thronecrowned theworldaxis,statesCoomaraswamy.China
The ancientEmperor onHigh, according to a universalChinese tradition, stood at the celestial pole.Chinese astrologers, according to Schlegel, regard the polar god as “theArch-Premier . . . Themostveneratedofallthecelestialdivinities.InfactthePolestar,aroundwhichtheentirefirmamentappearstoturn,shouldbeconsideredastheSovereignoftheSky.”[249]ThesupremepolargodwasShang-ti, thefirstking.Hisseatwas“thePivot”andalltheheavensturneduponhisexclusivepower.Raisedtoafirstprinciple,thepolargodbecamethemysticTao,themotoroftheCosmos.TheessentialideaiscontainedintheveryChinesewordforTao,whichcombinesthesignfor“tostandstill”withthesign“togo”and“head.”TheTaoistheUnmovedMover,thegodOnewhogoesor“moves”whileyetremaininginoneplace.ChinesesourcesproclaimtheTaotobethe“lightofheaven”and“theheartofheaven”[250]thatis,thecentralsun.“Actionisreversedintonon-action,”statesJung.“Everythingperipheral issubordinatedtothe command of the centre.”[251] Thus the Tao rules the “golden centre,” which is the “Axis of theWorld,”accordingtoErwinPousselle.[252]YetwhilemanywritershaveobservedthepolarstationoftheChinesesupremepower,fewindeedhavenoticed thatChineseastronomers identify this central sunas theplanetSaturn.Saturn, according to theastronomicaltexts,is“thePivot,”hisprimevalseatthecelestialpole.ItisSaturn,statesSchlegel,whoimpartsmotiontotheuniverse.[253]One of the few writers to notice Saturn’s connection with the pole is de Saussure, who tells us thatChinese astronomy places the planet in the Centre, around which all secondary elements and powersrevolve:“...theCentrerepresentstheCreator,RegulatoroftheentireCosmos,thePole,seat(orthrone)ofthesupremeDivinity.”[254]Saturn,statesdeSaussure,“is theplanetof thecentre,correspondingtotheemperoronearth,thustothepolarstarofHeaven.”[255]TheAmericas
InsouthernPeru theIncaYupanquiraiseda templeatCuzco to thecreatorgod, theauthenticsun,whowassuperiortothesunweknow.Unlikethesolarorbhewasableto“rest”and“tolighttheworldfromonespot.”“Itisanextremelyimportantandsignificantfact,”writesNuttall,“thattheprincipaldoorwayof this temple opened to the north.” (Since the north celestial pole is not visible fromCuzco, 14-degbelowtheequator,Nuttallassumesthatthistraditionofapolarsunwascarriedsouthward.)[256]InMexicoaformofthecentrallightisTezcatlipoca,who,thoughsaidto“personifytheSun,”yetresidesatthepole—asdoesQuetzalcoatl,the“sun,”firstking,andfounderofcivilization,whoNahuatlpriestssayinauguratedtheeraof“theCentre.”[257]
Figure7.RestingXiuhtecuhtli.
Burlandtellsusthat,amongtheMexicans,“thenearestapproachtotheideaofatrueuniversalgodwasXiuhtecuhtli,” recalled as the Old, Old One who enabled the first ancestors to rise from barbarism.Xiuhtecuhtli appears as theCentral Fire and “the heart of the Universe.” “Xiuhtecuhtli was a veryspecialdeity.HewasnotonlytheLordofFirewhichburntinfrontofeverytempleandinthemiddleofeveryhutinMexico,butalsoLordofthePoleStar.HewasthepivotoftheuniverseandoneoftheformsoftheSupremeDeity.”[258]AnobviouscounterpartofthiscentralsunistheMayancreatorgodHuracan,the“HeartofHeaven”atthecelestialpole.The Pawnee locate the “star chief of the skies” at the pole. He is the “star that stands still.” Of thissupremepowertheysay,“itslightistheradianceoftheSunGodshiningthrough.”[259]The American Indians also have a counterpart to the Egyptian Still Place and the Hindu MotionlessHeaven.AZuniaccountrelatesthatlongagotheheartofthegreatfatherKian’asteperestedinasacredspotcalledtheMiddlePlace.Here,atthecosmiccentre,theholyancestors“sitperfectlystill.”[260] Itdoesnottakeagreatdealofimaginationtoseethatthisis,oncemore,thestationarypivotoftheheavens.Fromonelandtoanotheroneencountersthesameconnectionofthegreatfatherorprimevalsunwiththecelestialpole.Tothetraditionscitedabove,onemightaddthefollowing:In thePersianZendAvesta the sun godMithra occupies the summit of theworld axis, a fixed station“aroundwhichthemanystarsrevolve.”[261]ThecommonidentificationofMithrawiththeZoroastrianZurvan/Saturncannotbeignored.Iraniancosmology,asreportedbydeSaussure,esteemedthecelestialpoleas thecentreandsummitofheaven,whereresided“theGreatOneinthemiddleofthesky.”whoisequatedwithKevan, theplanetSaturn.[262]ThroughouttheancientNearEast,statesH.P.L’Orange,the“KingoftheUniverse”appearsasacentralsun,“theAxisandthePoleoftheWorld.”[263]TheGreek sun-godHelios, in an old tradition, resides at the centre of theCosmos,with the heavenlybodies revolving around him.[264] Upon evaluating the imagery of Helios in Homer’s Odyssey,Butterworthconcludesthatthemythicalsunremainedalwaysatthezenith,thecelestialpole.[265]WhatgivesmeaningtothetraditionistheidentityofHeliosandtheplanetSaturn,asearlierdocumented.“According to Jewish andMuslim Cosmology,” writes A. J.Wensinck, “the divine throne is exactlyabovetheseventhheaven,consequentlyitisthepoleoftheUniverse.”[266]ThusIsaiahlocatesthethroneofEl(originallytheplanetSaturn)inthefarthestreachesofthenorth.[267]Thealchemistsregardedthepoleasthedwellingplaceof“thecentralfire,”themotoroftheheavens.“...ThewholemachineryoftheworldisdrawnbytheinfernalfireattheNorthPole,”notesJung.[268]An
alchemical text proclaims: “At the Pole is the heart of Mercurius, which is the resting place of hisLord.”[269]“Most importantof all for an interpretationofMercurius,” Jungwrites, “ishis relation toSaturn.Mercuriussenex[theagedMercurius]isidenticalwithSaturn.”[270]Recordsofnumerousnationsaroundtheworldstandasacollectivewitnesstoastrange,yetconsistentidea—anideawhichfindsnoexplanationintheheavensweknow.Globalmythsinsistthatwhenthefirstcivilizationsrosefrombarbarismabrilliantlightoccupiedthecelestialpole.Thissteadfastlightwastheancientsun-god,repeatedlyidentifiedastheplanetSaturn,theUniversalMonarch.Is it possible to reckon with this extraordinary memory in terms acceptable to the modern age?Mythologists and historians of religion always assume that archaic astral traditions, though filledwithimaginative explanations, nevertheless refer to the very celestial order which confronts us today. TheentireSaturnmythchallengesthislong-standingassumption.CoulditbethatSaturn’simageasthepolarsun—however strange, however difficult to reconcile with present physical theory—represents truehistory?
IV:Saturn’sCosmosTheancientspreservedmorethanmythical-historicalaccountsofSaturn’srule.Fromonesectionoftheworld to another the planet-god’sworshippers drew pictures of the Saturnian configuration, and thesepicturesbecometheuniversalsignsandsymbolsofantiquity.
Inthegloballexiconofsymbolsthethreemostcommonimagesaretheenclosedsun ,thesun-cross
,andtheenclosedsun-cross .Itappearsthateveryancientracereveredthesesignsasimagesofthepreeminentcosmicpower.InMesopotamiaandEgyptthesignsoccurintheearliestperiod.PrehistoricpotteryandrockcarvingsfromCrete,China,Scandinavia,Africa,Russia,Polynesia,andtheAmericas suggest that numerous ancient rites centeredon these simple forms—whichbecame themostveneratedimagesinthefirsthieroglyphicalphabets.Butwhatdidthesesignssignifytotheancients?Withscarcelyadissentingvoice,scholarsroutinelytagthemassolarsymbols.Theytellusthatsuchrenderingsofthesunareperfectlynatural(thatis,theymustbe“natural”waysofrepresentingthesunbecauseoneseesthesignseverywhere!)Thougheveryoneseemstoagreeonthesolarorigins,[271]manydisagreeastowhatthesignsdepict.In
theimage ,doestheouterbandrepresentaparhelion(atmosphericallycausedhaloaroundthesun)?Ordoesitstandfor“thecircleofthesky”?Somecommentatorssuggestthattheoutercircleisitselfthesun,leavingopenthequestionofthemeaningoftheencloseddot.[272]
Similarly,inevaluatingthesign ,theexpertscannotagreewhetherthefourarmsofthecrossdenoterays of the sun or four quarters of the world. It is also said that the four arms depict spokes of animaginedsunwheelrollingacrosstheskyeachday.Isitnecessarytopointoutthatthesedifferencesofopinionimmediatelythrowintoquestionthecommonclaimthatthesignsarenaturalsolaremblems?Solongasthemeaningisuncertainonecanhardlystatethatasymbolisanaturalexpressionofanything.Yetsurelythoseexpertswhodebatethesignificanceofthe“sun”symbolsmustwonderwhytheancients,withoneaccord,inscribedthesameimagestheworldover.
Consider the relatively complex sign . The basic form occurs along withmany variants on everycontinent.Whateveritmaysignify,itismorethanasimpledrawingofthesun.Ifitisasolarimage,thenonemustassumenotonly that thesunworshippersaround theworld instinctivelyadopted thesun toamorecomplicatedabstractform,butthateveryancientsun-cultdrewuponthesameabstraction.Why?
Theenclosedsun-cross isnotanabstraction.Itsimplyrecordswhattheancientsoriginallysaw.Itisaliteraldrawingofthepolarsun,passeddownfromearliestantiquity:theimageofSaturn,theUniversalMonarch.Rarelydoarchaeologists,seekingtointerpretthewidespread“sun”symbols,consultancientmythology.Yet the myths explain the symbols, and the symbols illuminate the myths. Largely overlooked by
archaeologistsarethehundredsuponhundredsofmythsandliturgiesfocusingonthecosmicimages ,
, and .Ancient sources reveal aworld-wide concernwith a concrete celestial form—an idealconfigurationidentifiedasthegreatgodandhisheavenlydwelling.Thesubjectisnotthepresentworldorder,but theformer.Thesymbols, legends,andsacredhymnsattempttopreserveamemoryofSaturn
andtheprimevalCosmos.
TheEnclosedSun
WhenSaturnappearedaloneinthecosmicwaters,abrilliantbandcongealedaroundthegodashiscelestial“island.”Thisbandwas theoriginalCosmos,oftenportrayedasarevolvingegg,acoilofrope,abeltorashieldenclosingthecentralsun.ThesacredhymnsandcreationlegendsofancientEgyptsaythatwhenthecreatorarosefromthecosmicsea,avastcircleappearedaroundthegod,formingtheoriginalPlace—“theplaceoftheprimevaltime,”or“theProvinceoftheBeginning.”[273]Thisprimevaldwellingwasthe“islandofHetep[Rest],”[274]asteadfast,revolvingenclosure.Egyptiantextsofallperiodsoffervividimagesofthisenclosureonthewaters—called “the golden Pai-land,” the “Island of Fire,” “the divine emerging primeval island,” or“theislandemerginginNun[thecosmicwaters].”[275]Diversesourcesagreethattheislandofcreationstoodatthecosmiccentreandthatitwastheresidenceofthecreatorhimself,thecentralsun.Thus,whileOsirisisthe“motionlessheart”intheIslandofFire,Atum,thestationaryHeartofHeaven,is“theSoleOnewhoisalone...,whomadehisheartintheIslandofFire.”[276]InthefollowingpagesIshallattempttoshowthatEgyptiansourcesdepictthebandassomethingseen—the god’s visible dwelling in heaven. Indeed, the Egyptians—and all other ancient races—were sopreoccupiedwith the Saturnian band that they elaborated a vast symbolism presenting the sameenclosureunderwide-rangingmythicalforms.Yetstandardtreatmentsofancientmythandreligionsaylittleornothingoftheenclosure.Andevenless
dowriterson thesubjectseemaware that thepictographof theenclosuresun is a straightforwardportraitofSaturnandhislegendaryhome.It is not forwant of evidence that the experts havemissed this connection.The only obstacle is theaprioriworldviewoftheresearchersthemselves—whopresupposethatallreferencestotheprimordiallight god can only signify the solar orb. In connectionwith our sun today, the ancient language of theenclosurewillappearesotericormeaningless.OfRe,theCoffinTextssay,“Wehonourhiminthesacredenclosure.”[277]Reisthe“senderforthoflightinto his Circle.”[278] “I am the One who is in his Circle,” he announces.[279] What could thisterminologysignifyinrelationshiptothesolarorb?Sinceoursunpossessesnoperceptiblerelationshipto an enclosure or circle, the translators will likely ignore the terms or contrive a complicatedmetaphysicalconcepttoexplainthem.
Though the Egyptian hieroglyph for Re is , and though this sign, taken literally, immediatelyilluminatestheforegoingreferences,nooneseemsinclinedtotakethesign—orthetexts—literally.To the enclosure round the sun theEgyptians gave the nameAten, a term familiar to every student ofEgyptianreligion.“SpaciousisyourseatwithintheAten,”readtheCoffinTexts.[280]OneofRe’stitlesisamaten-f,the“dwellerinhisAten.”BothAtumandHoruspossessthesametitle.Similarly,theBookof theDead invokes Osiris: “O great god who livest in thy divine Aten.”[281] Since the EgyptianpictographoftheAtenis or ,itshouldbeclearthatthetermreferstoacircularenclosurehousingthesun-god.ButfromthebeginningEgyptologistshaveattemptedtoexplaintheAtenasthesunitself,translatingthewordas“thesolardisk.”Rather thanclarify theEgyptianconcept,sucha translationonlyconfuses the
sun-godwithhiscelestialdwelling.OneEgyptologist,forexample,statesthattheAtenwasthesun,andthatthesunwasconceivedas“thewindowinheaventhroughwhichtheunknowngod,‘LordoftheDisk,’shedaportionofhisradianceupontheworld.”[282]HavingidentifiedtheAtenwiththesolarorb,thewriterconcludesthatthegodwhoresidesintheAtenisan invisiblegod.Budgevoicesasimilaropinionwhenhecalls theAten“thematerialbodyof thesunwhereindweltthegodRe”[283]asifRehimselfwereaninvisiblepowerandthesolarorbthevisibleemanationanddwellingofthegod.It is impossibletoreconcilesuchmetaphysicalinterpretationswiththeconcreteimageryoftheAten inEgyptian texts.TheAten is indeed thevisible“window inheaven”and the“bodyof thesun,”but this
“window” or “body” is surely not the solar orb. It is, as theAten sign ( , ) indicates, a bandhousingthesun.Andtheprimeval“sun”isSaturn.ThesamemisunderstandingoccursinthecaseoftheEgyptiantermskhuandkhut.Thetermsreferto“thecircleofglory”or the“brilliantcircle,”conceivedasa fixedplace—“theplacewhere the[primeval]sun shines forth.” Though the Egyptians regarded this circle as the visible emanation of the creator,standardtranslationsrenderkhuas“Spirit”or“Soul”(implyinganunseenpower)andkhutas“horizon”(suggesting the place of the solar sunrise). Both translations violate the literal sense of the words:
literally,thekhut(writtenwiththesign )isthe“MountofGlory.”Thecircleof thekhuorkhutwas the“glory,”“halo,”“nimbus,”or“aureole”of thecreator—what theHebrewscalledtheShekinah(theencircling“glory”ofGod)andtheGreeksstephanos(circleorcrownof“glory”).Indeed,everyfigureofthecreatorstandswithintheluminousring,alwaysconsideredashisownemanation.Theband isnotonly thegod’s“halo,”buthisdwelling at thecosmiccentre.[284] “IndiagramsoftheCosmos”observesJ.C.Cirlot,“thecentralspaceisalwaysreservedfortheCreator,sothatheappearsasifsurroundedbyacircularoralmond-shapedhalo.”[285]
Figure8.MithraicSaturn,withsurroundinghalo.
Figure9.JapaneseBuddha,withsurroundinghalo.
Ifoneaccepts theimmediatesenseof thearchaicterminology, theenclosurewasnoabstraction.ItwasSaturn’sshiningband.TheBabylonianAnu—Saturn—was“theHighOneoftheEnclosureofLife,”[286]his dwelling “the brilliant enclosure.” (Here, too, the enclosure becomes the place of the primeval“sunrise.”)[287]TheMaoriofNewZealandknowtheplanetSaturnasParearau,whosenameconveysthemeaning“circlet”or“surroundingband.”FromthisnameofSaturn,Stowellconcluded that thenativescould see the present Saturnian ring with the naked eye—something all astronomers know to beimpossibletoday.[288]When the African Dogon draw Saturn they depict it as an orb within a circle—a fact which RobertTemple, in his book The Sirius Mystery, cites as evidence for seemingly inexplicable Dogonastronomicalknowledge(whichhecontendswasintroducedtotheancientsbyextra-terrestrialvisitors!).But noone askswhether the order of the solar systemmayhave changed, allowing for aonce-visibleSaturnianband.
TheLostIsland
Figure10.Classicalartistsoftenportrayedthegreatgod’s“halo”or“aura”asanarchedmantle.
FortheprimevalenclosuretheEgyptiansemployedavarietyofinterrelatedsymbols.ThecircleofthekhuorAtenwasnothingother than the IslandofFire, theProvinceofBeginning.Asingle spellof theCoffinTextsthusidentifiesReas“thenobleonewhoisatthelandoftheIslandofFire,”butalsocallsRethegod“whois inhisAten.”[289]Thesubject isnot twodifferentenclosuresbutoneenclosureundertwodifferenttitles.Andthis identificationof thecentralsunasanenclosedorencircledgodappears to throwlighton theendlesslyrepeatedmythofthelostisland.WhattheGreekscalledOgygia(theislandofKronos/Saturninthefarthestnorth)occursundermanydifferentnamestheworldover.Thewhiteisland,thefloatingisland,therevolvingisland—maynottheseprimevaldwellingssimplyechotheSaturnianenclosure?OnerecallsthewordsofDionysiusofHalicarnassus:
Hastetotherealms[rings]ofSaturnshapeyourcourse,
WhereCotyle’sfamedislandwanderingfloatsOnthebroadsurfaceofasacredlake[theAbyss].[290]
Notofourearth,thelostislefloatedintheseaofheaven.JapaneselegendsrecalltheancientcradleoflifeasOnogora,afloatingisland(“thedriftingland”)whichcongealedonthewaters.ThiswastheisleoftheCongealedDrop.Itslocation,statesanativecommentator,wasoriginallytheNorthPole,fromwhichiteventuallymovedtoitspresentposition.[291]O’NeillproperlyrelatestheJapaneseisletothefloatingisland of Delos raised from the sea by Poseidon. Another name for this island was Ortygia, whichO’NeillconnectswiththeLatinverto,Sanskritvart,“toturn.”[292]AnsweringtothesametraditionaretheFloatingIslandsoftheArgonautica,calledtheStrophades,or“IslandsofTurning.”InthevoyagesoftheCelticdivineheroMaelduintheadventurerencountersafabulousisleinthemidstofthesea:“Aroundtheislandwasafieryrampart,anditwaseverwonttoturnaroundandaboutit.”[293]Examples are too numerous to receive elaborate treatment here: the primeval, revolving islands ofRhodesandCorcyra,spunonthecosmicspindle;theprimevalisleoftheCyclos,“wheel,”whichgaveitsnametotheCyclades;the“whiteisland”ofZeus“inthemidstofthesea”;thefloatingHinduwhiteisland(Shweta-dwipa)atthepolarcentre;thelostToltec“whiteisland”ofTula,thecentreoftheworld.[294]Withoutexception,theshining,floating,revolvingislandsareesteemedastheplacewherehistorybeganandseemtoanswertothesamearchaictraditionastheEgyptianProvinceoftheBeginning,therevolvingenclosurearoundthecentralsun.Isitpossiblethattheancientssawthemythicalisland—thattheislewas
not a geographical location, but a visible band enclosing Saturn? One must consider several closelyrelatedimages,whichalsoimplyavisiblebandaroundtheancientsun-planet.TheEgg
AhymnfromtheEgyptianCoffinTextsreads:
Iwashewhocameintoexistenceascircle,hewhowasthedwellerinhisegg.
Iwastheonewhobeganeverything,thedwellerintheprimevalwaters.[295]HerethereferenceistoAtumasthecreatoroftheegg,butothertraditionssayofthegreatgodPtahthathe“createdtheeggwhichproceededfromNun[thecosmicwaters].[296]IntheBookoftheDeadthelightgodshinesas“themightyonewithintheegg.”[297]“Homagetothee,Othouholygodwhodwellestinthineegg.”[298]Asthestationarylightgod“turnsroundabout”hiseggrevolvesaroundhim.“Iamthegodwhokeepethopposition in equipoise as his Egg circleth round.”[299] “O thou who circlest round, within thineEgg.”[300]Atum, as governor of the revolving egg, is the lord of Time, for “time is regulated by themotionaroundtheegg,”Clarktellsus.[301]Similar to the egg of Atum is the revolving sphere produced by the Orphic Chronos (Time, who isKronos,Saturn):
ThegreatChronosfashionedinthedivineAether[thefierysea]asilveregg.
Anditmovedwithoutslackeninginavastcircle.[302]TothisrevolvingeggcomparesthatoftheSocietyIslands’creatorTa’oroa,“theancestorofallthegods,”whosat“inhisshellinaneggrevolvinginendlessspace.”[303]
Figure11.Ptah,fashioningtheWorldEgguponapotterswheel.
ThesameeggappearsinHindumyth,setinmotionbythecentralsunPrajapati.[304]MirceaEliadefindsrecollections of the cosmic egg in Indonesia, Iran, Phoenicia, Latvia, Estonia, West Africa, CentralAmerica,andthewestcoastofSouthAmericaaswell.[305]Certainly, none of the later traditions improve upon the Egyptian texts which describe the egg as theenclosureroundAtum-Re.Butonecanhardlyfailtobeimpressedbytheconsistencyofthetradition.Andeventhealchemists,muchofwhoseteachingsdescendedfromEgypt,remembertheconnectionoftheeggwithSaturn.Theyrecalltheeggasafieryenclosureontheprimordialsea—acirclewitha“sun-point”in
thecentre(i.e., ).This“world-eggistheancientSaturn,”theysay.[306]Is not this cosmic egg the bandwhich the Egyptians calledAten? “O thouwho art in thine egg,whoshinestfromthyAten,”readstheBookoftheDead.[307]JustastheEgyptiangod-kingis“therulerofallthattheAtenencircles,”soalsoishe“powerfulintheegg”or“rulingintheegg.”[308]Incelebratingtheprimevalegg,thepriestscommemoratedtheislandofbeginnings.BudgesummarizestheEgyptiantradition:“Thefirstactofcreationbeganwiththeformationoutoftheprimevalwaterymassofanegg,wherefromissuedthelightoftheday,i.e.,Re.”[309]Concerningtheidentityofthiseggandtheislandor“ProvinceoftheBeginning,”thetextsfromthetempleofEdfuremovealldoubt:anothernamefortheProvinceoftheBeginningwas“theIslandof theEgg.”[310]Egyptiansources thussuggest thisequation:
Aten(enclosureofthecentralsun)=CosmicEgg=PrimevalIsland.TheBond.ToresidewithintheAtenistoreside“inthecoil”or“inthecord.”TheHieroglyphsdepict
theAtenasacosmicbondorknot,indicatedbyanenclosureofropewiththeendstiedtogether(shen
). (Thus shen, “coil,” “bond,” may be written with the determinative , the Aten sign.) The bondsignifiesbothaboundary—distinguishingtheunifieddomainoftheUniversalMonarchfromtherestofspace—and order, marked by ceaseless, stable revolution round the central sun. It is the “bond ofregularity”(shesmaat),protectingthegod-kingfromthesurroundingwatersofChaos.Accordingly,theEgyptian king, considered as the incarnation of the Universal Monarch, takes up symbolic residencewithin thecelestialcord,acquiringthegreatgod’spoweras“rulerofall that theAtenencircles.”Thepriestsindicatedthispoweroftheterrestrialrulerbyplacinghishieroglyphicnamewithintheshen-coil
.And in order to accommodate longer names they eventually expanded the coil to an ovoid form,whichyieldedthefamiliarroyalcartouche inwhichthenamesofalllaterkingswereinscribed.Of this cosmic bond or knot the hieroglyphics offer many signs (among them
). But each possesses the same root meaning as aprotectiveboundarydefiningtheoriginaldwellingofthecreatorinheaven.Thesymbolsconveythesense“tocircumscribe,”“tosetthebounds.”Thecreator,astheMeasurer,prescribesthelimitsandmeasuresoutthesacredenclosureby“stretchingthecord”roundabout,producingaunifieddwelling(theprimevalisland),protectedfromtheevilsofChaosanddarkness.[311]ThattheancientmythmakersconceivedSaturn’senclosureasacordbindingtogetherthegod’sdwellingwillexplainwhytheBabylonianNinurta,Saturn,holdsthemarkasuor“bond”oftheCosmos.Langdonwrites: “The word markasu, ‘band,’ ‘rope,’ is employed in Babylonian philosophy for the cosmicprinciplewhichunitesall things, and isusedalso in the senseof ‘support,’ thedivinepowerand lawwhichholdtheuniversetogether.”[312]TheOrphicpoetthuscelebratesSaturn(Kronos)as“Fatheroftheblessedgodsaswellasofman...youwhoholdtheindestructiblebond...”[313]It is easy for contemporary writers to speak of Saturn’s bond as an invisible principle holding “theuniversetogether,”butintheoriginalsymbolismoneseesthebondastheshiningboundaryofSaturn’sdwelling(thetrueCosmos).ItwasnotinEgyptalonethatthecordsignifiedthe“edge”or“border.”WhattheGreekscalledpeirata, “rope”or “bond,” possesses the additionalmeaning “boundary.”TheLatinora,“cord,”meansalso“edge.”[314]Asimilarmeaningattachestothe“noose”oftheHinduVarunaandYama.Thebonddelimitedandprotected thesacredspaceoccupiedby theUniversalMonarch,and its
connectionwiththesign linksitdirectlywithSaturn’sisland-egg.TheGarment.MythmakingimaginationalsoappearstohaveconceivedtheSaturnianbandasthegod’sgirdle,collar,orbelt.“IamthegirdleofthegarmentofNu,shining,sheddinglight,”statesahymnfromtheEgyptianBookof theDead.[315]The great god is “theGirdled and theMighty one, coming forth
triumphantly.”[316]Acommonhieroglyphicdeterminativeofthe“girdle”or“collar”isthecordsign .TheShield.AllcreationlegendsinvolveastrugglebetweenthelightgodandthedestructivepowersoftheAbyss(Chaos).Themythicenclosureprovidesthegod’sdefenseagainsttheturbulentwaterswhichoriginallyprevailed.TheEgyptianenclosure,statesReymond,“hadthefunctionofprotectingthesacredarea from the evil coming fromoutside.”[317]Atenwas one of the numerousEgyptian names for thisdefensiverampartinheaven:“TheAtenmakesthyprotection,”statestheLitanyofRe.[318]Thecosmiceggservesasthesamefortress:“IamHorus...,whoseprotectionwasmadewithintheegg;thefieryblastofyourmouths[thefierywaterofChaos]doesnotattackme.”[319]
ThebandoftheAten ,astheprotectiveboundary,wasthegreatgod’s“shield,”fendingoffwhatthetexts call “the fiends” of disorder. It is this mythic history of the band which explains why, in the
hieroglyphs, theshieldsign signifiedsacredspace ingeneral.Allwho residedwithin the shield’senclosureoccupiedthesafeandstableground.
Figure12.Mexicandivinityholdingarevolvingcord-shield.
Cord,belt,andshieldconverge.Thegreatfatherwearsthecordasagirdle:itprotectshimasashield—notmerelyinEgyptiansymbolism,butintheinternationallanguageofsymbols.Why,forexample,diddivine figures fromBabylonia toGreece toMexicoweara sacredbeltof rope, andwhywas thebeltconceivedasanimpenetrabledefense?Mexicanillustrationsofthedivineshieldshowittobenothingmorethanacircleofrope.Itwascertainlynotpracticalexperiencewhichsuggestedthemagicalpowersofashieldsoconceived!Butthemythicalimageryoftheenclosedsun isquitesufficienttoexplainsuch anomalies: the great god’s shield and the celestial cord signified one and the same protectiveenclosure.If the ancients actually saw a band around Saturn, it is clear that the enclosure fostered diverse butinterrelated mythical interpretations. A literal reading of Egyptian and other texts will confirm anextraordinaryequation:Enclosureofthecentralsun=primevalisland=cosmicegg=cord(bond)=girdle(belt,collar)=shield.Concerning the overlapping images much more needs to be said. The signs and the myths become
comprehensibleonlywhenonerelatesthemtotheheavensofancienttimes.Celestialisland,egg,cord,girdle,andshieldmeannothingmorethanashining,revolvingenclosurearoundthegreatgod.Wasthisband real or imaginary? The question can be answered by exploring certain other aspects of theenclosure.
TheCosmosAndTheDivineAssembly
Thesignoftheenclosedsun portraysacircleofsecondarylightsrevolvingaboutthestationarygodandformingSaturn’sCosmos.Themystictraditionsofthegreatfatherpresentanapparentparadox:heisthegodOne,thesolitarygodinthecosmicsea;yetheistheAll,embracingacompanyoflessergods.Thisisnotacontradiction.Inthefirstphaseofcreationthegodbroughtforthacircleofsecondarylights:theseissueddirectlyfromthegodtobecomehisvisiblelimbs.ItisthefundamentalcharacterofthegodOne—theHeavenMan—touniteinasingle“body”allthesecondarypowersoftheCosmos.InPythagorean,Neoplatonist,andGnosticsystemstheprimalfigureis“theOne,theAll,”whosesymbol
istheenclosedsun .Hindumysticismoffersthelattersignastheimageoftheprimordialunity,andthesameinterpretationisrepeatedbythealchemists.Today one naturally thinks of “the All” as boundless space. The terms which translators render asCosmos, heaven, firmament, sky, or universe suggest to themodernmind a limitless arena of the sun,moon,planets, andconstellations.But theoriginalmeaningof theAll isbounded space—aplace (theplace,orplaceparexcellence).TheCosmossimplymeanstheprovinceofthegodOne,who,asLordofthe All, governs and is the “whole and its parts.” Having overlooked this restricted sense of theterminology the translators replaceconcretemeaningswithambiguity (in theguiseofmodern-soundingmetaphysics). The once-visible dwelling of the central sun thus becomes, in the translations, “allexistence.”Almostwithout exception the translators fail to notice 1) that the creatorwas Saturn, recalled as the
centralsun;and2)thatthesignofthecentralsunandthesignoftheAllwerethesameimage .ThetrueCosmoswasSaturn’s enclosure.Andnothingelse isnecessary inorder forone tounderstand theancient characterization ofSaturn as theHeavenManwhose “body”encompassed theCosmos.WhenHildegardLewy reports that the Sumero-Babylonian priests of Saturn regarded the planet-god as “theembodimentofthewholeuniverse”themodernmindboggles:couldtheancientshavebeensofrivolousas to identify Saturn—the present, barely discernible point of light—with “thewhole universe”? Theanswer is that Saturnwas not amere speck of light, but a gigantic globe at the polar centre; and the“universe” did not mean the open heavens but Saturn’s dwelling, the an-ki or band of the Cosmos.Saturn’stoweringform“filledthean-ki.”ZoroastriantextsdescribetheoriginalCosmosasthebodyofZurvan(Time,Saturn),arevolvingwheelcalledtheSpihr,whichremainedeverinthesameposition.Thefallof thestationarywheelcoincidedwiththecollapseoftheprimordialera.[320]Theimagesuggests,notunlimited“space,”butthetangible
configurationoftheenclosedsun .
Accordingly,thelatermystictraditions,asreviewedbyJung,describetheimage asthecosmicformof Adam, the Anthropos, the Original Man or Man on High—identified as Saturn.[321] Always the“body”ofthisprimalmanmeans“Cosmos.”TheinterrelatedmythsandsymbolsofSaturn’sCosmosreceiveremarkableclarificationinthecreationaccounts and the liturgies of ancient Egypt. Though I briefly touched on the Egyptian texts in earlierdiscussionsoftheHeavenMan,amplificationisnecessary.
TheCircleOfTheGods
WhethercalledAtum,Re,Osiris,Horus,Khepera,orPtah,theEgyptiangreatgodsitsenthronedwithinacircleofsecondarydeities,satellitesofthecentralsun.ThegodsaretheGloriousOnes,Never-RestingOnes,orLivingOnes; theCircleofFire,DivineChiefs,ApesofDawn,HolyAncestors,orRevolvingOnes;theFollowersofHorus,theFollowersofRe,ortheFollowersofOsiris.While the divine assembly possessedmany names, its singular character stands out in the texts of allregions.ThereisnoEgyptiancompanyofthegodsotherthanthatwhichrevolvesroundthecentralsun—afactuniformlyignoredbywritersonEgyptianreligion.Thetextsrepeatedlyconfirmthesamerelationshipoftheassemblytothegreatgod:
ThisistheCircleofgodsaboutReandaboutOsiris.[322]ThesatellitesofRemaketheirround.[323]
Thyfollowerscircleabout.[324]Remakethhisappearance...withthecycleofgodsabouthim.[325]
HisEnnead[circleofgods]isaroundabouthisseat.[326]IamReamidsthisEnnead.[327]
Goyeroundaboutme,Oyegods.[328]Hailtoyou,Tribunal...Oyouwhosurroundme...[329]
Divineisyournameinthemiddleofthegods.[330]Thesegodsshallrevolveroundabouthim.[331]
Gloriousisyoursah[brilliantform]inthemidstofthelivingOnes.[332]Thesearethe“starswhosurroundRe.”[333]
Whenitislightallfacesadorehim,theBrilliantOne,hewhoarises[shines]inthemidstofhisEnnead.[334]
Thedilemmaforsolarmythologyisobvious:seeingthereferencestothegreatgodintheabovelines,noonewouldthinkofdenyingthatthesubjectisavisiblepower(whichallpresumetobeoursun).Butthedescriptions of the god’s revolving companions are equally explicit. Towhat visible powers do theyanswer?Nocircleoflightsappearstorevolveaboutthebodywecallsuntoday.Egyptiandescriptionsofthecelestialassemblytakeusbacktotheremoteage,separatedfromthepresentby awide chasm. Every Egyptian cult possessedmythical accounts relating to the birth of the divineassemblyinremotetimes.Despitenumerousversionsofthelegend,itisimpossibletoignorethecoherentpattern.Fromastudyofthenumerousfragments,Iofferthefollowingreconstructionandinterpretationofthemyth.IntheprimordialepochthecreatorfirstappearedintheAbyss,alone,wandering,withoutarestingplace.“Ifoundnoplacetostand—Iwasalone,”statesthegod.[335]After his appearance the god “uttered words” and these utterances possessed a visible form as thekheperu,thefirstthingscreated.Thekheperu“cameforthfrommymouth.”[336]Thesevisible“words”flowed from the creator as thewaters of Chaos, the sea in heaven uponwhich the creator floated orwandered.Toreckonwiththetraditioninitsowntermsonemustthinkoftheprimordialseaasafiery
“oceanofwords”inheaven,emittedbythegodinaprolongedandresoundingexplosion.AnEgyptiantermvirtuallyidenticaltokheperuispautti,oftentranslatedas“primevalmatter.”Thepauttiissueddirectlyfromthecreatorintheformofradiantspeech,formingafiery,waterymass.Thecreatorbroughtforththisprimevalmatterand,paradoxically,“producedhimself”init(“IproducedmyselffromtheprimevalmatterwhichImade”).[337]Foratimethecreatorwanderedintheluminousseabuteventuallycametorestatapointofstability,thecosmiccentre.Twoeventsfollowed:anislandcongealedaroundthegodashis“placeofrest,”andthecircleofthegodscameintobeing,embracingthecreator.Thetwoeventsaresynonymous.From the unorganized sea of words—the kheperu or pautti—the creator brought forth an organizeddwelling.He“gathered” theenclosure togetherasabarrieragainst thewateryChaoswhichhehimselfhadcreated.Thefieryparticlesofthenewlyformedenclosurecomposedthecircleofthegods.Thatis,
thegodsstoodontheenclosure’s“edge”or“border”—the“shore”ofthecelestial isle . Inone texttheseare“thegodswhobelongtotheShore.TheygiveanislandtotheOsirisNN.”[338]ThiswastheCosmos,formedbythe“CouncilofthegodswhosurroundtheIslandofFire.”[339]Vital to this interpretationof themyth is the identityof thedivine assemblywith thekheperuor pautti“uttered”bythecreator.Thesecondarygodsarethemselvestheshining“words”or“names”spokenbythecreatorandorganizedintoarevolvingcircle.Kheperuthusmeans“therevolvingones,”whilepauttisignifies“theprimevalones,”whoinhabitandgiveformtotheIslandofFire.[340]What,then,dothetextsmeanwhentheysaythatthekheperuorpautti, thougheruptingfromthecreator,“produced”thegreatgod?Theanswerisclear-cut:thecircleintowhichtheconstituentparticles(visiblewords) congealedwas the creator’s “body.”The godOne “collected” or “gathered together”hisownlimbs(“Iunitedmymembers”).He“producedhimself.”[341]TheCoffinTextsdepictthecreatoraloneintheprimevalsea:
[Iwas]hewhohadnocompanionwhen[oruntil]mynamecameintoexistence...Icreatedmylimbsinmy“glory”Iwasthemakerofmyself...[342]
Literally, the limbs which the god produced are “my limbs of my khu.” The phrase is of sweeping
significance.AnEgyptiansignofthekhuwasthehieroglyph .Theterm,inexplicitreferencetothecreator’s “circle of glory” (halo, aura,Aten),means at once “words of power” and “brilliant lights.”Depictedbythehieroglyphistheislandofcreation,aroundwhicharerangedthesecondarydeities(khu)produced through the creator’s “speech.” Inbringing forth thisdivine assembly the creatorbecame themakerofhisownbody.“OKhepera...whosebodyisthecycleofthegodsforever,”proclaimstheBookoftheDead.[343]Thesametextsspeakof“thesoulsofthegodswhohavecomeintobeingin[oras]themembersofOsiris.”[344]
Theentiresymbolismfocusesonthecelestialformoftheenclosedsun .Individually,thefierylightswhichcomposetheenclosure(islandoftheCosmos)arethecreator’s“limbs”(plural),butasaunifiedcircle,theassemblyformshis“body”(singular).Correspondingly,therespectivelightsarethecreator’smultiple“names”or“words”(“thenamesofhislimbs”),whileasanorganicwhole(theAll)thecircleisthegod’ssingular “Name.”When the hymncited above states that the godwas alone “untilmynamecameintoexistence,”themeaningisconcrete,notabstract.Thecreatorremainedaloneuntilhebrought
forththecircleofthekhu,hisvisibleNameinheaven.Thatthegod’sNamewashistangibledwelling—hiscircleofglory—isafactabsolutelyessentialtoacomprehensionoftheenigmaticsymbolism.“Ihavemadefirmmyname,andhavepreserveditthatImayhavelifethroughit.”[345]Thereferenceistotheenclosureoflife,theIslandofFire“madefirm”atthestationary cosmic centre, when the creator ceased to wander in the Abyss. Thus the hieroglyphic
determinativeof “name” (ren) is the shensign , the signof the celestial enclosureor circle of the
Aten.Topossessa“name”istoresidewithintheAten .AsinglehymnfromtheBookof theDeadprovidesaremarkablesummaryoftherelatedsymbols:
Iamthegreatgodwhocameintoexistencebyhimself.ThisisNuwhocreatedhisnamespautneteruasgod.
Who,thenisthis?ItisRe,whocreatedthenamesofhislimbs.
TherecameintoexistenceintheformofthegodswhoareinthefollowingofRe...
Who,then,isthis?ItisTem[Atum]inhisAten.[346]
Theself-generatedgodintheabovelinesisNu,whosehieroglyph identifieshimasboththesourceandthesubstanceofthecosmicwaters.Thetextsaysnotonlythatthegreatgod“createdhisnames”butthatthese“names”arethepautneteru—thecircleofthegods.Butwhy is the assembly called thepaut, or primevalmatter? It is because the revolvinggods erupteddirectlyfromthecreator,eventuallyformingtheorganizedenclosure.Thesecondarygods,aswordsornamesspokenbythecreator,composedthegod’sown“limbs,”sothatthetextcansaythegod“createdthenamesofhislimbs.”Thatthese“cameintoexistenceintheformofthegodswhoareinthefollowingofRe”meanssimplythattheyformedtherevolvingassembly.Who,then,isthisgodwhoshineswithinthecircleofhisownlimbs?“ItisAtuminhisAten.”Thepriestscould not have stated more emphatically the equation of the celestial assembly and enclosure of the
primevalsun .HereistheformulasetforthbytheEgyptiantexts:Cosmos(enclosureofthecentralsun)=primevalmatter(seaofwords)initsorganizedform=circleof
thegods=limbsorbodyofcreator=creator’svisibleName.Thatthecircleformedbythedivineassemblyisthecosmicdwellingofthecreatorisatruthaffirmednotbyonelocalcultalone,butbyallstreamsofEgyptianritual.BelowIlistafewoftheEgyptianwordsthatconnecttheassemblywiththeenclosureofthecentralsun:Khu. In thecreation,asnotedabove, thekhuerupt fromthecreatoras“wordsofpower”or“brilliant
lights.”This“circleofglory” thebodyofOsirisorRecomposesthegod’scelestialhome,theAten
.Thuskhusmeans“tofashionadwelling.”
Figure13.ThebodyofOsirisformingthecircleoftheTuat,theCosmos.
Tuat.Thetermreferstothe“restingplace”ofthecreatoratthesummit.Thehieroglyphicsymbolofthe
Tuat showsthelightgodwithinacelestialbandwhichthetextsequatewiththecircleoftheAten,“TheMysteriousSoul,whichrestsinitsAten,restsintheTuatofRe.”[347]Inthehymnsandinart,theEgyptiansdepictedtheTuatasthebodyofOsirisorRe.ButTuatmeansalso“thecircleofthegods”;theenclosure,the“body”ofthesun-godandthedivineassemblyaresynonymous.
Shen,shenit,sheniu,shenbet.Theshensigns and portraythecentralsun’senclosureasacordofrope—thebondoftheCosmos.Shenmeans“torevolve,”inreferencetotherevolvingbandoftheAten.
(Theshensign and theAtensign functionas interchangeableglyphs.)Hence, thesheniu is thegreatgod’scosmic“chamber”whiletheshenitarethe“chiefs”or“nobles”onhighwhotravelthecircuitroundtheshen.Shenbet,meaning“body,”isthebetor“place”markedoutbytheshen.Again,enclosure,“body,”andassemblyconverge.Tchatchat. The tchatchat are the “chiefs” or “heads”—the council of gods revolving around thestationary sun. But tchatchat also signifies “boundary,” “enclosure,” or “holy domain.” The circuittraversedbythechiefsistheboundaryofthecelestialenclosure .Rer, reri, rert. While rer means “to revolve or encircle,” rert means “men”—the inhabitants of theprimordial domain. The reri are “the revolving ones” (comparable to the kheperu), who collectivelyenclosethesacredspace.Accordingly,rerpossessestheadditionalmeaning“theencloseddomain.”Paut,pat.Thesecondarygodsarethepautti, the“primevalmatter”which(asstatedabove)congealedintothecreator’srevolvingdwelling.Pautthussignifiesthecreator’s“body.”Obviouslyrelatedarethepat,theprimevalgodswhosenameconveysthesense“togoroundlikeawheelorinacircle.”Itisno
coincidencethatthehieroglyphicdeterminativeofthepatisanegg :thecirclearoundwhichthepatrevolveistheeggoftheCosmos,andthiseggisthe“body”ofthegodSeb.Tchet,tchetu.Whiletchetmeans“tospeak,” tchetu signifies“words,”“thingsspoken.” In thecreationthegreatgodutteredvisible“words”intheformofthelessergods.Thatthecreator’swordsbecamehisdwelling is reflected in the term tchet, the “house” or “chamber” of the great god.Tchet alsomeans“body.”
Shes,shesi.AnEgyptiannameofthecosmicbondisshes,writtenwiththehieroglyph .TheTuat( ,dwellingofReorOsiris)istheshesmaat,the“bondofregularity”(orofstable,ceaselessrevolution).Thetextsalsospeakofcelestialshesi,divine“warriors”whoprotectthegreatgod.They“protect”the
godbecause,collectively,theyformthedefensiverampart,thecosmicshield.Thelanguageandsymbolismofthecelestialassemblyrevealanunderlyingideaconnectingtheseparatetraditions. The secondary gods are not merely ill-defined “companions,” or “assistants” (as so manyEgyptologists seem to assume); rather, they possess concrete form as the enclosure of life, the veryenclosurewhichthepriestscelebrateastheislandofbeginnings,therevolvingbond,orthecosmicegg(allfiguresoftheCosmos).TheCosmos,inotherwords,hasnothingtodowith“allexistence.”Theconceptrelatestoanorganizeddomain—“the whole and its parts”—fashioned by the creator out of previously unorganized cosmicdebris (primeval matter). An Egyptian word for the unified domain is temt, which means “all” or“complete” and also “to collect,” “to gather together.”Clearly related is thewordTemtiu, one of thenamesofthesecondarygods.Itisthesecondarygodsthemselvesthatthecreator“collects”or“gatherstogether”toformthecosmicisland.Pertainingtothesamerootconceptarethetermstema,“tounify,jointogether”;temi,“shore,”“bank,”or“border”; and temen, “all,” “totality.”TheunifiedAll (Cosmos) is containedwithin the border of theenclosure,andtheborderistheshoreofthecosmicisland .TheSaturnianband is thus thepathway traversedby the secondarygods.Thegods revolvearound theshore,oraroundthebond,oraroundtheegg.“Everygodwhoisontheborderofyourenclosureisonthepath...,”statesaCoffinText.[348]Thetestimonycouldnotbemoreexplicit.Theroadtraveledbythesecondarygodsistheuat,the“way”or“path,”denotedbytheglyph .Butthesameglyphsignifiesthetcher,“boundary.”ThepathofthegodsandtheboundaryoftheunifiedCosmos(theAll)aresynonymous.Thusthephraseertcher(“tothetcher”or“totheboundary”)means“all,”“thewhole.”Thegreatgod,asNeb-er-tcher—“hewhorulestotheboundary”—istherulerofthewhole,lordoftherevolvingCosmos.Itisthesamethingtosaythathe
governs “all that the Aten [ ] encircles.” The whole range of images challenges orthodoxinterpretations.ButthesymbolismoftheCosmosanddivineassemblyreachesfarbeyondEgypt.Donotallsupremegodssit enthronedwithin thecircleof secondarydivinities?Ninurta,Kronos,El,Yama,Huang-ti andeveryother Saturnian figure has his “sons,” “councilors,” “spies,” “followers,” “assistants,” or “warriors”
seatedroundabouthim.TheMesopotamiansign isaself-evidentimageofthecelestialassembly.Itis thisCosmos—notboundlessspace—whichSaturn’s“body”encompassed.What themysticsknewas“theuniverse”organizedwithinSaturn’s “bond”or “cord” (Babylonianmarkasu) becomesmeaningfulonlyasthevisibleSaturnianband,orcircleofthegods.[349]
TheGreatMother
Thesignoftheenclosedsun alsoportraysSaturn, thegenerativeSeed,within thewombof themothergoddess.As the femalepersonificationof theCosmos, thegreatmother is inseparable fromSaturn’s“body.”Themysteriesofthemothergoddessgiverisetoanendlessdebate.WhatisthefactinnaturewhichwillexplainthecosmicunionofIsisandOsiris,TammuzandIshtarorKronosandGaea?Onescholarafteranotherpuzzlesoverthegoddess’variedforms,findinghereverywhereandnowhere.Iftoonewritersheisthefertileeartharoundus,toanothersheisthemoonandtoanother“theuniverse,”the“sky,”orthemorningstar.Thediverseinterpretationsseemtosuggestthatthereweremanygoddesseswithasingularfigure—theheavenlyconsortofthegreatfather.Here,forexample,isonestatement,offeredasthewordsoftheEgyptiangoddessIsistoApuleius:...Myname,mydivinityisadoredthroughouttheworld,indiversmanners,invariablecustoms,andbymany names. For the Phrygians that are the first of allmen callme theMother of the gods ofPessinus; the Athenians, which are sprung from their own soil, CecropianMinerva; the Cyprians,whicharegirtaboutbythesea,PaphianVenus;theCretans,whichbeararrows,DictynianDiana;theSicilians, which speak three tongues, infernal Prosperpine; the Elusinians, their ancient goddessCeres;someJuno,othersBellona,othersHecate,othersRamnusie...;andtheEgyptians,whichareexcellentinallkindofancientdoctrine,andbytheirproperceremoniesaccustomedtoworshipme,docallmebymytruename,QueenIsis.[350]IntheircosmicritestheEgyptiansseemedunwillingtodistinguishIsisfromsuchlocalfiguresofthegreatmotherasNut,Hathor,Mut,orNeith.Eachlocalgoddessboreidenticalorsimilarepithets(“theEyeofRe,”“themotherofRe,”“theLadyoftheHolyLand,”etc.).But if the ancients acknowledged a common personality of the goddess, what was that personality’sunderlyingtrait?Thereisoneuniversalattribute:thegreatgoddesspossessestheformofanenclosure—acircle orwomb—housing and “giving birth to” the great father.Neumannperceived this traitwhenhedescribedthegoddess’“elementarycharacter”as“theGreatRound”or“theworld-containingandworld-creatinguterus.”[351]Fromhis exhaustive studyof the greatmotherG.S. Faber concluded thateverygoddessappearsasaprotectiveenclosureshelteringthegreatfather.Ofthistruththereisnoshortageofevidence.[352]The godTammuz sitswithin thewomb of Tiamat, “themother of the hollow.” “Mother-womb” is theepithetoftheSumeriangoddessGula,whileIshtar’snamemeans“womb.”[353]Hindusourcesdescribethe great mother as the yoni or “womb” and the great father as “he enveloped in his Mother’sWomb.”[354]Agniisthemalegod“shiningintheMother’seternalwomb.”[355]Similarly, the Norse Odin is “the dweller in Frigg’s bosom.”[356] In Orphic doctrine the receptaclehousing thegreat father is thegoddessVesta.TheGnostics remembered theoldgodas the“AncientofDayswhodwelt as ababewithin thewomb.”[357]Among theMaori the greatmother is the “ShelterMaid”or“HavenMaid.”[358]Descriptionsof theprimevalwombshow that the ancients recall thegoddess as avisible band—whatHindutextscallthe“goldenwomb,”[359]andBabylonian“thejeweledcirclet”(atitleofIshtar).[360]
Theimagerypertainsdirectlytotheenclosedsun .InHinduismthelattersigndepicts“themaleseed-pointorbinduinthecosmicwomb,”statesAlanWatts.[361]“TheFatherislikethecentre(Nabhi)ofthe
circle and theMother the circumference (Paramanta),” notes Agrawala.[362] The same male-femalesymbolismoftheenclosedsun occursinEuropeanstonecarvingsdiscussedbyV.C.C.Collum.[363]That theHebrewsregarded theShekinah (thecreator’sencircling“aura,”“anima,”or“glory”)as“theMother”[364]leadstothesameconclusion:thegreatgod’shalowashisownspouse.Accordingly, theTibetanritualinvokesthegreatgodas“thecentreoftheCircle,enhaloedinradiance,embracedbythe(divine)Mother.”[365]This conception of the great mother receives compelling support from ancient Egyptian sources. TheEgyptiansun-godhashishomewithinthewombofhismotherandconsort,the“GreatProtectress.”[366]OfRe,theBookoftheDeadproclaims,“Thoushinest,thoumakestlightinthymother.”[367]ElsewhereReappearsasthesun“inthewombofHathor.”[368]OsirisshinesforthfromtheenclosureofhismotherNut:“Homagetothee,Kingofkings,Lordoflords,Princeofprinces,whofromthewombofNuthathruledalltheworld.”[369]TheabodeofHorusishismotherHathor,whosenamemeans“theHouseofHorus.”AndthegoddessNekhebetissaidtopersonifytheprimevalabodeofthesun.[370]
Asearliernoted,theEgyptiansportrayedthecelestialdwellingastheshenbond .ButthisenclosurewasreallythewombofNut,statesPiankoff.[371](ThusthegoddessShentittakeshernamefromtheshenbond.)Themothergoddesswasnotourearth,nottheopensky,notthemoon,butthedwellingofthecentralsun,the enclosure of the Aten : “My Aten has given me birth,” states the god-king.[372] This direct
connectionof themothergoddesswith the sun’s enclosurewill explainwhy theAtensign , thoughservingastheglyphofRe,alsodenotes“mistress,”inreferencetothegod’scelestialconsort.[373]Thegod’smistresswashisownemanation,hishaloof“glory”or“splendour.”Thepriestswhoinvokedthegreatgod’skhutor“circleofglory”alsocelebratedthegoddessKhut,whowasthesamecircle.Residingwithin the enclosure, the central sun is the shining seed impregnating thegreatmother. “I amindeedtheGreatSeed,”declaresRe.[374]“ORe,makethewombofNutpregnantwiththeseedofthespiritwhichisinher,”readsahymnofthePyramidTexts.[375]Thesametextscelebrate“thewomboftheskywiththepoweroftheseedofthegodwhichisinit.”[376]Andagain,“Pressureisinyourwomb,ONut,throughtheseedofthegodwhichisinyou.”[377]In his coming forth within the cosmic womb the sun “copulates with” or “impregnates” the mothergoddess,andthisrelationshipexpressesitselfinthelanguage.TheEgyptiannehepmeans“tocopulate”whilenehepumeans“toshine.”Thoughbekadenotes“thecomingforth”ofthesun,thesamewordmeans“pregnant.”Thustheunionoftheprimalpairisreneweddaily(orwitheach“dawn”ofthecentralsun).Butthesamecomingforthreceivesmythicalinterpretationasthebirthofthelightgod.NutisatonceRe’sspouseandhismother,who“bearsRedaily”:[378]Iamexaltedlikethatvenerablegod,theLordoftheGreatHouse,andthegodsrejoiceatseeinghis
beautifulcomingsforthfromthewombofNut.[379]Hisbirthiswonderful,raisinguphisbeautifulforminthewombofNut.[380]
Hail,Prince,whocomestforthfromthewomb.[381]Conception and birth are thus confused. The impregnating Seed (father) is also the Child. It is thisequationwhichyieldsRe’stitleas“Man-Child.”[382]Heistheprototypeof“thesonwhoimpregnates
hismother,”orthe“fatherwhogivesbirthtohimself.”But the confusion does not end here, for the mother goddess, as the great father’s encircling aura, isherself the emanation of the masculine power. The solitary god brings forth the womb of heavenunassisted. In this sense thegoddess is thegreat father’s“daughter,” so that ifoneconsiders theentirerange of possibilities, three relationships to the goddess—father, husband, and son—are united in onefigure.ImageryofthissortrunsthroughallofthereligioustextsofancientEgypt.Amon-Reis“hewhobegetshisfather.”[383]ThegoddessHathorbecomes“themotherofherfatherandthedaughterofherson.”[384]Atum-Kheprer“broughthimselfintobeinguponthethighofhisdivinemother.”[385]IntheritualoftheKarnaktempleRe’s“daughter”Mutencircled“herfatherReandgavebirthtohimasKhonsu.”[386]Thesamegoddessis“thedaughterandmotherwhomadehersire.”[387]Equation of father and son is explicit in the case of Osiris and his “son” Horus.ThePyramid TextsdescribeOsirisshining“intheskyasHorusfromthewombofthesky.”[388]“Thekingisyourseed,OOsiris,youbeingpotent inyournameofHoruswho is in the sea.”[389]Thegods, in theBookof theDead,recalltheancienttimeofHorus“whenheexistedintheformofhisownchild.”[390]BecausetheterrestrialkingsymbolicallyacquirestheattributesoftheUniversalMonarch,theritesshowthe local ruler unitingwith themother goddess and reproducing himselfwithin the cosmicwomb.Heannounces that hehas been “fashioned in thewomb”of thegreatmother,[391] and after invoking “thewomboftheskywiththepoweroftheseedofthespiritwhichisinit,”thenproclaims:“Beholdme,Iamtheseedof thespiritwhichis inher.”[392]“ONut . . . it is Iwhoamtheseedof thegodwhichis inyou.”[393]Frankfortdealswiththesubjectatlength,showingthattheking’simpregnationofthemothergoddessandsimultaneousbirthinthewombwascentraltoEgyptianritual.Theking“entersher,impregnatesher,andthusisborneagainbyher”[394]exactlyasthegreatgodhimself.IfthekingreceiveshisauthorityonearththroughpersonificationoftheUniversalMonarch,itisthroughthe same identification that he attains the heavenly abode of the goddess upon death, taking up hisresidencewithintheshelteringwombasanImperishableOne.InahymntoNut,KingPepibeseechesthegoddess,“MayestthouputthisPepiintothyselfasanimperishablestar.”[395]“MayestthoutransfigurethisPepiwithintheethathemaynotdie.”[396]Frankfortcomments:“...thenotionofagodwhobegetshimselfonhisownmotherbecameinEgyptatheologicalfigureofthoughtexpressingimmortality.Thegodwhoisimmortalbecausehecanre-createhimself is called Kamutef, ‘bull of his mother.’”[397] The king aspires to duplicate the feat of theUniversal Monarch, giving birth to himself in the womb of Nut. Though the divine marriage and itsimitationinkingshipritualinvolvemanycomplexitiesandenigmas,theunderlyingthemeremainsclearlydefined. Symbolically, the king has his home in the cosmicwomb; he simultaneously impregnates thegoddessandis“born”byher.Thesourceoftheritualiscelestial,foritreenactstheFirstOccasionwhenthegreatfather,thefierySeed,tooktowifethebandof“glory”whichcongealedaroundhim.Thesignof
theprimordialunioniseverywherebeforeusbutrarelyrecognized.Itisthesignoftheenclosedsun .
WombAndThigh
In connection with the symbolism of the mother goddess one notes that the “womb” is generallysynonymouswiththe“thigh”or“lap.”Whenancientreliefsdepictthegodorkingonthelapofthegreatmother, they refer to the primeval union, in which the father of the gods resides within the goddess’protectiveenclosure.AnAssyriantributetoAssurbanipalreads:“Ameekbabeartthou,Assurbanipal,whoseseatisonthelapoftheQueenofNinevah[Ishtar].”[398]ThustheSanskrityoni,thefemaleenclosureanddwellingofthegreat father,maybe translatedeither“lap”or“womb.”TheLatinword for“thigh”—femen, feminis—means “that which engenders.”[399] A similar connection occurs in Egypt, where Khepesh, “thigh,”meansthewombofNuthousingOsirisorRe.Many gods—in Hindu, Greek, and European myth—are thus “born from the thigh,” like the EgyptianKheprerwho“broughthimselfintobeinguponthethighofthedivinemother.”[400]This overlapping symbolism of womb, lap, and thigh will be met more than once in the followingsections.
WombAndCosmos
Toidentifythemothergoddessasthebandoftheenclosedsun istoequatethegoddesswithSaturn’sCosmos, the revolving company of the gods. The goddess Nut is “the representation of the cosmos,”statesPiankoff.[401]ThuswhiletheEgyptiankhutsignifiesthe“circleofglory”formedbythesecondarygods,Khutalsomeansthemothergoddess.Andthoughtheshenitarethe“princes”inthedivinecircle,thegoddessisShentit;bothwordsderivefromtheshen,thebondoftheCosmos.
Figure14.TheMan-Childonthelapofthemothergoddess.(a)Cyprus;
Figure14.(b)Egypt;
Figure14.(c)India;
Figure14.(d);
Figure14.(e)BritishgoddessGwen.
The religious texts confirm the equation. “He is the onewho cometh forth this day from the primevalwombof them [the secondarygods]whowerebeforeRe,” reads theBookof theDead.[402] “I havecomeforthbetweenthethighsofthecompanyofthegods.”[403]WhattheBookoftheDeadcalls“divinebeingsof theThigh”[404]means the celestial assembly, the secondarygodswhocollectively form thewombofcosmicgenesis.But theinterrelatedsymbolismdoesnotstophere.EveryEgyptianpriestknewthat themothergoddess
wastherevolvingegghousingthecentralsun.Indeed,thehieroglyphicimageofanegg attheendofthedivinenamemeans“goddess.”OfOsiristhegoddessIsisdeclares:“Hisseediswithinmywomb,IhavemoldedtheshapeofthegodwithintheeggasmysonwhoisattheheadoftheEnnead.”[405]Thegodwithinthewombisthegodwithintheegg,whoisthegodrulingtheEnnead(circleofgods).Bythesameequationthewombbecomesthegarmentorbeltgirdlingthesun:thedeceasedkingpraysthathemaybegirtbythegoddessTait,[406]orannouncesthat“MykiltwhichisonmeisHathor.”[407] Inthe case of the goddessNeith thewombbecomes the shield. (The shield is the hieroglyph forNeith.)[408] Though the symbols of the primeval enclosure differ, each is presented as a form of the great
mother,whoseentirecharacteranswerstothevisibleSaturnianband .
TheHermaphrodite
IntheGreatMagicalPapyrusofParis,datedaroundthefirsthalfofthefourthcenturyA.D.,appearstheOracleofKronos.The recommendedprayer invokesKronos as “Lordof theWorld,FirstFather,” butalsobestowson thegod thepeculiar title“Man-Woman.”[409]Kronos isSaturn, theprimeval sun.Towhataspectofthegoddidthistitlerefer?InSaturntheprimalmaleandfemaleprinciplesunite,yieldingthehermaphrodite,orandrogyne.Fewofthepreeminentdeitiesofantiquityarefreeofthisduality.TheSumerianAnu,Ninurta,Tammuz,andEnki;theHebrewEl;theHinduVishnu,Brahma,andShiva;theIranianZurvan;theMexicanQuetzalcoatl—allrevealafemaledimension.Theirspouseisneverwhollyseparatedfromtheirownbody.TheEgyptians esteemedAtum as “that greatHe-She,”[410]while celebratingAmen as the “GloriousMother of gods and men.”[411] The Egyptian word for this primeval unity isMut-tef, or “Mother-Father.”Fromwhathasbeenestablishedinthepreviouspagesconcerningthesymbolismoftheenclosed
sun there can be little doubt as to the concrete meaning of theMut-tef. The word signified theorganizedCosmos,[412] the central sun and its enclosure, considered as themale and female parentsunitedinasinglepersonality:thegreatfather’sbodywasalsothegod’sspouse,thewombofheaven.This duality finds expression in the Egyptian term khat, which may be translated either “body” or“womb.”Theman-childHorus,whodwellsinthewombofHathor,isKhenti-Khati,atonce“thedwellerinthebody”and“thedwellerinthewomb.”TheLitanyofReproclaimsthat“thekhat[body]ofReisthegreatNut,”themothergoddess.[413]EgyptianartistsshowedthebodyofOsirisformingthecircleoftheTuat,theabodeofOsirisorRe.[414]ButeverystudentofEgyptianreligionknowsthattheTuat,houseofrest,wasthewombofNut.Thehermaphrodite,then,personifiestheoriginalCosmos,whichmeansSaturnandhisvisibledwelling
.G.S.Faber,inhiscomprehensivestudyofancientritual,notesthatthegreatfather(“theIntelligentBeing”)“wassometimesesteemedtheanimatingSoulandsometimesthehusbandoftheUniverse,whiletheUniversewassometimesreckonedthebodyandsometimesthewifeoftheIntelligentBeing:and,astheonetheorysupposedaunionasperfectasthatofthesoulandbodyinoneman,sotheotherproducedasimilarunionbyblendingtogetherthehusbandandwifeintoonehermaphrodite.”[415]WithFaber’sassessmentitisimpossibletodisagree,solongasoneremembersthattotheancients,the“universe” (Cosmos)meantSaturn’s home,not a boundless expanse.ThatSaturn’sCosmos acquired adual character as the god’s “body” and as his “spouse” is sufficient to explain the primordial Father-Mother.Thehermaphroditeorandrogyne,Eliadetellsus, is“thedistinguishingsignoftheoriginaltotality[i.e.,theAll].”Itscustomaryformis“spherical,”henotes.[416]Wethusarriveatthefollowingequation:Bandoftheenclosedsun=Cosmos(island,egg,cord,girdle,shield,circleofthegods)=bodyofthe
greatfather=wombofthegreatmother.
V:TheHolyLandAncientritualtheworldoverconceivedtheterrestrialrulerastheincarnationoftheUniversalMonarch.Bythesameprincipleeachlocalcityorkingdombecameatranscriptofthegod-king’sprimevaldomain.Thesanctifiedterritoryonearthwaslaidoutaccordingtoacosmicplan,revealedinremotetimes.On this priority of the cosmic dwelling all major traditions concur. A celestial Sumer and Akkadprecededtheorganizationof theactualMesopotamiankingdoms.AndsuchsettlementsasEridu,Erech,Babylon,andLagashtooktheirnamesfromaheavenlycityoccupiedbythecentralsun.EveryEgyptiantown—Heliopolis,Herakleopolis,Memphis,Abydos,Thebes,Hermopolis—mirroredaprototype,a“cityinwhichthesunshoneforthinthebeginning.”SodidEgyptasawhole,accordingtotheritual,reproducethedwellinggatheredtogetherandunifiedbythecreator.Hebrew tradition knewa heavenly Jerusalemwhichgave its name to the terrestrial city; andwhat theHebrewsclaimedoftheircity,theMuslimsclaimedofMecca.TheChinesedeclaredtheirkingdomtobeacopyofthecelestialempire,andeachcapitalcityimitatedthesameplan.Inunison,diverse traditionsof theNearEast,Europe,Asia,and theAmericas recall aHolyLandparexcellence, founded and ruled by the creator himself. From this Saturnian kingdom every nation tookinstructionintheidealsofkingshipandintheproperorganizationofthesacreddomain.
TheMotherLand
Inthecreationmyththegreatgodraisedacircularplotof“earth”fromthecosmicwaters.TheenclosurewasSaturn’sparadise—thekingdomofheaven—appearingasavastwheelor throne turningabout thestationarygod.
Saturn’sEarth[417]
Inseemingreferencetothefertilesoilaroundus,theLatinpoetVirgilcelebratesthe“motherofharvests”and“themightymotherofmen.”Buthegives thegreatgoddessoffertilityan intriguingtitle:“Saturn’sEarth.”WhySaturn’sEarth?ThecuriosityincreaseswhenonenoticesthattheSumerianAn,Enki,andNinurta—all identified as Saturn—rule “in theEkur.”The translators renderEkur as “earth.”[418] So also didChineseastronomydeemSaturntheplanetofthe“earth,”[419]whilethePhoenicianSaturnissaidtohavedwelt“inthecentreoftheearth.”TheEgyptian“earthgod” isSeb (orGeb).That is,writesBudge,“theearth formedhisbodyandwascalledthe‘houseofSeb.’”[420]But ifSeb’sbodywastheearth,whydidtheGreekhistorianPlutarchtranslateSebasKronos(Saturn)?[421]What connection of the planet Saturn and the “earth”might have justified this identity?Of course thecommonEnglishtranslation,“earth,”naturallysuggeststothemodernmindourplanetsuspendedinspace.But to theancientsnosuchdetachedviewwaspossible.Theyknewonlya terrestrialregion,howeverlarge or small. In archaic ritual, the terms which experts translate as “earth” mean literally “land,”“place,” “province”; and theonly regionwhich theancients consideredworthyof sanctificationas the“land”wastheirownunifiedstateornation—allelsebelongingtothe“barbarians.”But every sacred “land” organized around a religious-political centre proclaimed itself a copy of theprimevaldwellinginheaven.ThustheEgyptianta,oftenrenderedas“earth,”refersfirstandforemosttothe heavenly province of the creator—the ta ab (“pure land”), ta nefer (“beautiful land”), ta sheta(“mysteriousland”),taankhtet(“landoflife”),ortaur(“greatland”).SuchtermsaresynonymouswithtaTuat, the“landof theTuat,” thecosmicdwellingofOsirisorRe. InnamingterrestrialEgypt ta, theEgyptiansgavetheirhomelandthenameofthecosmic“place”parexcellence.Tasignifiesthecosmicdwelling“gatheredtogether”bythecreator.ThattheEgyptiansconceivedthe taasthe“bodyofSeb”correspondswitheverythingwehavelearnedoftheprimevalenclosure.Ofequal
significance isSeb’shieroglyphicsymbol, theegg .Themythssay that theeggofSeb is that fromwhichthesunfirstshoneforth(i.e.,itisthesameastherevolvingeggofAtum,theeggoftheCosmos).Thisso-called“worldegg”hasnoconnectionwithourplanet.NordidtheSumerianEkur,“earth,”denoteourplanet.AsobservedbyJensen,Langdon,andothers,theEkurappearsasthecelestialhomeofthecreator.[422]ÅkeSjöbergandE.Bergmannstatetheidentitybluntly.[423]TheSumeriansknewthiscelestialdomainastheki—“theplace”or“theland”—invokedaski-sikil-la,the“pureland”or“pureplace,”andki-gal,“greatland.”[424]TheSumeriankiwastheAssyrianEsara,thesupreme“place.”Ratherthanfamiliargeography,thetermreferstothecreatedlandofcosmicbeginnings.ThusEsara,accordingtoJensen,wasusedwithspecialreferenceto“theearthasitappearedatthecreation.”[425]Equivalentisthe“celestial land”ofHindumyth,[426]or the“pure land”of theBuddhists.[427]Nogreatermistakecouldbemade than to seekageographicallocationofthislostland.Ancientcosmologylocatestheprimordial“place,”not“downhere,”butatthecelestialpole,thecentreandsummit.InEgyptianthought,statesClark,thecelestialpoleis“thatplace”or“thegreatcity.”Heredwellsthe“MasterofthePrimevalPlace.”[428]WhenthegodintheCoffinTextsproclaims,“Iamthecreatorwhosits inthesupremeplace,”thereferenceis tothepolarabode,Clarktellsus.[429] Iranian
astronomydrewonthesametraditionwhenitdesignatedthecelestialpoleasGah,whichmeanssimply“theplace,”thedwellingof“theGreatOneintheMiddleoftheSky.”[430]InIraniancosmologyitisSaturnwhooccupiesthepolarGah,“place”—justasitisSaturnwho,intheform of the polar An, rules the Sumerian “pure place.” Hence, one could properly call this domain“Saturn’sLand,”or“Saturn’sProvince.”Andthissimplerelationshipenablesustounderstandwhytheancients,whoregardedtheirownsacredterritoryasaduplicationofthecelestialdwelling,extolledthefertilesoilas“Saturn’sEarth.”
TheEgyptianParadise
AclarificationoftheEgyptianconceptwillhelptoilluminatethegeneraltradition.OneofthefeaturesoftheEgyptianta,“land,”whichhasencourageditsidentificationwithourearthisitsmythicalcharacterasagardenorfieldofabundance.ToresideinthetaistoliveintheGardenofHetep.Manydescriptionsofthisprimevaldomaindoindeedsoundverymuchlikeaterrestrialparadise.Thelandisfilledwithwheatorbarley,andtheinhabitantsdrinkofbeerandcoolwaters.IntheBookoftheDead, thedeceasedkingannounces,“Iknowthenamesofthedomains,thedistrictsandthestreamswithintheGardenofHetep...thereisgiventometheabundance...”[431]ThePyramidTextsdepictthedeceasedkingdrinkingoilandwineandlivingoff“thebreadofeternity”and“thebeerofeverlastingness.”[432]TheEgyptiansdeemedthemeadowofpeaceandplentyatoncetheancestrallandandthefuturehomeofthoseyettopassbeyond.Manywriters,ofcourse,recognizetheGardenofHetepasanearly—perhapsthe earliest—mythical expression of the lost paradise. Its underlying nature, however, has yet to bepenetratedbytheconventionalschools.ToanyonewillingtoconsidertheentirecontextofEgyptianevidence,itshouldbeclearthattheprimevallandproducedbythecreatorandimbuedwithoverflowingabundancewascelestial.ThosewhoattaintheGardenofHetepreachtheheavenofthecreator.ThedeceasedkinginthePyramidTextsgoes“toseehisfatherOsiris.”Heannounces:“IhavegonetothegreatislandinthemidstoftheSekhtetHetepet[GardenofHetepet]onwhichtheswallow-godsalight;theswallowsaretheImperishableStars...Iwilleatofwhatyoueat.Iwilldrinkofwhatyoudrink,andyouwillgivesatietytomeatthepole...Youshallsetme to be a magistrate among the Khu, the Imperishable Stars in the north of the sky, who rule overofferingsandprotectthereapedcorn,whocausethistogodowntothechiefestofthefood-spiritswhoareinthesky.”[433]Letusanalyzethisimportanttext,whichcombinesseveralEgyptianinterpretationsofthecelestialgarden.Asusedabove,thetermHetepetsignifies“abundance”or“foodofferings.”sothattheGardenofHetepetis theGardenofAbundanceorGardenofFoodOfferings inheaven.Hetepetpossessesarootsenseof“gatheringtogether”or“uniting”(muchliketemt,“collecting,”“gatheringtogether”),ameaningwhichisvitaltothesymbolismasawhole.Hetepetis,ofcourse,inseparablefromhetep,“rest,”“standinginoneplace.”TheGardenofHetepetistheGardenofHetep.Onecan reasonably speakof theGardenas thedwellingofrestand abundance(i.e.,“peaceandplenty”),gatheredtogetherbythecreator.Thesymbolismis,asIshallattempttoshow,muchdeeperthanstandardinterpretationswouldsuggest.Inthemidstofthecelestialgardenisthe“greatisland,”whoseinhabitants—theswallow-gods—aretheAkhemu-Seku(“never-corrupting”ones),heretranslatedas“theImperishableStars.”TheEgyptiansalsocalled these divinities Akhemu-Urtu (“never-resting” ones), conventionally identified as circumpolarstars who, revolving around the polar axis, never sink beneath the horizon. But the foregoing textidentifiesthesegodsasmorethan“stars”(inthemodernsenseoftheword).TheyaretheKhu(“wordsofpower”or“lightspirits”),whicherupteddirectlyfromthecreator.Thereisavastbodyofevidence toshow that these secondary light godswere themselves the abundant “food” or “offerings” of thecelestialgardenandthatthisiswhattheabovehymnmeanswhenitspeaksofthe“food-spirits.”Theflowingbeer(orwine)andthefieldofgrain(wheat,barley,corn)are,infact,indistinguishablefromthe primeval sea of words (secondary gods) which sprang from the creator and which the great godgatheredtogethertoformtheenclosureoftheprimevalisland—hisown“body.”Onthe“greatislandin
the midst of the Garden of Hetepet” the fiery particles (Khu, Akhemu-Urtu) “alighted,” collectivelyformingtheenclosure.If,inonemyth,thegod’sshining“words”congealedintotheisland,inanother,theislewas produced from the luminous “grain of heaven.”The“wordsofpower,” the “grain,”and the“companyofthegods”representedinterrelatedmythicalinterpretationsoftheprimevalmatterejectedbythecreator.IntheimaginationoftheEgyptiansthecreatorcollectedthegrainfromthecelestialfield(sometimescalledtheSekhet-Sasaor“FieldofFire”),andproducedtheenclosureasthe“granaryofthegods”—the house of abundancewhich every king hoped to attain upon death. The grain served as the“dough”fromwhichthecreatorfashionedhisdwelling;anditisthiscrucialrelationshipwhichexplainstheinterconnectedmeaningsoftheEgyptiantermpautorpautti—signifyingatoncethe“primevalmatter”(companyofgods)and“dough”or“bread.”Thecreatororganizedthecompanyofgods(thegrain)intotherevolvingCosmos,conceivedasacelestiallandofabundance.
Primevalmatter=creative“words”=secondarygods=grainofheaven(dough,bread).In their ceremonies the Egyptians reenacted the creation on a microcosmic scale by fashioning ritualdoughcakesusedinofferingstothedead.Thesecakesofpautsymbolizedthecreated“land”or“earth,”producedfromtheoverflowinggrainofheaven.Thus,whiletheEgyptiantameans“land,”taalsomeans“bread”or“cakes.”SuchinterrelatedterminologypervadestheEgyptianlanguage.Areviewofthisusagerevealstwoconsistentprinciples:1.Thelessergods(children,servants,assistants)coincidewiththe“dough”—thebeerandgrainwhicheruptedfromthecreator.(Priortounificationasthe“land,”orCosmos,thefieryparticlescomposetheseaofChaosandthusmaybetermed“fiends”or“demons”ofdarkness.)2. The organized dwelling (“land,” “city,” “place,” “domain”) coincides with the “granary” and themolded“cake”or“bread”ofheaven.Hereareafewofthemanyexamples:The“children”ofthegreatgodarethepert,“thingswhichappear”;butpertalsomeans“grain.”Thetextsdescribe the beer and grain (the children) as pert er kheru, “appearing at [or as] the words” of thecreator.Thus,whileakhibmeans“tospeak,”akhabusignifies“grain,”andtheinhabitantsoftheheavenlydwellingaretheAkhabiu.Similarly,serumeansatonce“grain”and“princes”or“chiefs”;bothusesareinseparablefromser,“tocommand,”andserui,“flame.”Properlyunderstoodthe“grain”andthe“princes”refertothesamefierymaterialmythicallyperceivedasthecreator’sflaming“commands.”Thoughheqsignifiesthe“ale”or“beer”spitoutbythecreator,italsomeans“tocommand.”Ifautis“radiance”or“glory”(comparekhu),thesamewordsignifies“abundance.”Butautderivesfromau,“children.”Theabundantwheatandbarley—i.e.,thelightspiritswhoglorifythecreator—arebroughtforthasthegod’sownoffspring.Henu means the “servants” of the great god, who “go round about” (hennui); but henu also denotes“abundance.”Thelushgrowthofthecelestialabodeisthehen,butthesamewordsignifiesthe“glory”or“majesty”oftherulingdivinity.Fromthenotionthatthecelestiallights“glorify”thecreator,itisaveryshortsteptotheideathatthey“praise”himor“singprayers”tohim.Thushenmeansalso“topraise.”Accordingly, the word tebhu means “abundance” but also “prayers.” (One should not attempt todistinguishthe“prayers”fromtheprayinggods;thosewhoglorifythegreatgodaretheglory.)Soalsodoessenemmean,atonce,“abundance”and“topray,”“adore.”
While“grain”isshert,therelatedtermsherriusignifiesthe“littlegods.”Fenkhumeans“abundance,”butthesameworddenotestheinhabitantsofthecelestialland.Ahaumeans“food”butalsothedwellersinthe“land.”Hetepetmeans“abundance,”whilethehetepetiuarethesecondarygods.Khefais“food,”buttheKheftiuarethe“fiends”ofChaos(eventuallyorganizedintotheunifieddwelling).Betumeansthe“grain”or“barley”ofheaven,butalsothe“demons.”Justasthesecondarygodscomposethe“limbs”or“members”ofthecentralsun,sodoesthegrain.AnEgyptian term for “grain” is atpet, manifestly derived from at, “limb,” and pet, “heaven.” The grainbecomesthe“limbsofheaven”(oroftheHeavenMan).Thusnepusignifies“limb”or“flesh,”whilenepermeans“grain.”TheprimevalabodeisNepert,i.e.,thelandformedfromthegrain.Gatheredtogetherbythecreator,thegrainbecomestheenclosureoftheprimevalland—the“granary”orthe“bread”ofthegods(symbolizedbythedoughcakesemployedintheritesofthedead).Thus,while
shen ( , ) denotes the “bond” or “cord” in which the great god dwells, shena means at once“granary”and“body”(thegod’sbodyencompassesthegrain).Shentialsomeans“granary,”butthesameword signifies “garment.” (The garment—belt, girdle, collar—is the organized band of grain.)Symbolizingthiscelestialenclosurearetheshens,orsacrificialcakes.Peqisanameofthecelestialland;andthegreatgod’sgarment(=land)ispeqt.Butpeqtalsomeansthe“cake”ofthegods.Similarly,sesheristhegod’sgarment,whileseshertdenotesthecakeorbreadofheaven.Qefenuisanameofthegod’sdwelling,whileqefensignifiesthesacred“cake.”Nes means both “grain” and “fire.” (The field of grain is the field of fire.) In the rites the grain isfashionedintothenestorsacrificialcake.Butnestalsodenotes the“throne”of thecreator. (Creator’sthrone=primevalland.)Thebenetare light-spiritswhoaccompany thecreator.Helping toexplain the termis therelatedwordbennut,signifyingthe“matter”or“fluid”whicheruptedfromthesolitarygod.Thisprimevalmatterformsthesacredcake,for“cake”or“bread”isbennu.Bener,anameofthecreatedland,derivesfromthesameroot.The“food-spirits”gatheredtogethertoformtheprimevalenclosurearethe“builders”ofthegod’shome.Thus, the “beer” which flows from the creator is aqet, but aqet also denotes a “builder” or“mason”—i.e.,oneoftheaqetuwhofashionthecelestialdwelling.Thelanguagerepeatsthesameconnectionsagainandagain:1.Secondarylightgods=celestialabundance(grain,beer,etc.)2. Unified dwelling of god=celestial abundance (grain, land, body, garment, beer, etc.) gathered intoorganizedform,i.e.,as“cake”or“bread.”Itisclearthat,inEgyptianritual,thesacredcakesmeantmuchmorethanmere“bread.”Thecakesweresymbolsofthegreatgodandhiscreation—theGardenofAbundance.Thecelestialprototypeofthecakewas the island of beginnings,which the creator organized from a previously chaotic sea of “beer and
grain.”ThattheEgyptiansconceivedtheunified“land”orcelestial“bread”asthebodyofthecreatoriscrucialtothesymbolism;ineatingthecake,orindrinkingthesanctifiedbeer,theinitiatessymbolicallyenjoyed the abundanceof the primeval age, or,what is the same thing, they consumed the bodyof thecreator. (I shall not distract from the present discussion by elaborating parallels in later religioussymbolism.)
Theinterrelatedterminologyidentifiestheprimevalta,“land,”withtheenclosureofthecentralsun .The Egyptians knew that the primeval garden lay within the circle of the Aten. (“Thou makest thycreationsinthygreatAten,”readstheLitanyofRe.)[434]ThustheEgyptiansdenotedthegardenofRe
bycombiningtheAtenglyphwiththeglyphfor“garden”: .Thesignificanceofsuchimageryseemstohaveescapedmythologists:thelost“homeland”ofgloballorewas theoriginaldwellingof thesun-god.Of theEgyptianhanor“homeland,”Reymondwrites:“TheSun-Godwas believed to operate from his birthplace . . . In its essential nature the primeval sacreddomainwas theveryplacefromwhich theRadiance issuedfirst.”[435]This“sacreddomain”was theislandofta,thecelestialearth.EgyptiansourcestermthecreateddomainNeter-ta—the“HolyLand”or“God’sEarth.”Hereoccurredtheprimordialdawn.Thatis,itwasfromNeter-tathatthestationarysunshoneforth.AhymntoAmen-Re,forexample, invokesthesun-godas the“BeautifulFace,whocomest[shines]fromNeter-ta.”[436]NowonderthatEgyptologistsconfusethisHolyLandwiththeterrestrialeast—theplaceofthesolarsunrise!TheexactcounterpartoftheEgyptianNeter-taistheSumerianDilmun,the“clearandradiant”dwellingof thegods, ruledby theUniversalMonarchEnki.Dilmun,according toSumerianhymns, is“theplacewherethesunrises.”[437]AndmanythousandsofmilesfromMesopotamiathenativesofHawaiirecallanancestralland,TahitiNa,“ourpeacefulmotherland:thetranquillandofDawn.”[438]SoalsodidtheHindus,Persians,Chinese,andmanyAmericanIndiantribesconceivethelostparadiseastheplaceofthe“sunrise.”[439]
TheWorldWheel
ThatSaturn,theprimevalsun,firstsheditslightfromthecircleofthecreated“earth”willexplainwhythecelestial landoftenappearsasagreatwheel revolvingaround the stationary sun. Itmaybecalledalternately the“worldwheel,”“worldmill,”or“chariot.”And this turningwheelof theHolyLand is
consistentlyrepresentedbythesigns and .Hindu descriptions of the cosmic wheel affirm that the ancient sun stands at the centre, as theChakravartinor“wheel-turner.”Fromthestationarypivotofthewheel,theUniversalMonarch“directsthemovementwithoutparticipatinginithimself,”statesGuenon.[440]On the Buddhist iconography of the world wheel, Coomaraswamy writes: “He whose seat is on thelotiformnaveornavelofthewheel,andhimselfunmovingsetsandkeepsitspinning,istheruleroftheworld,ofallthatisnaturedandextendedinthemiddleregion,betweentheessentialnaveandthenatural
felly.”[441]Theorganized“world”lieswithintheever-turningrim .TheBuddhistsregardthissacreddomain as both an ancestral paradise and “the situationof theGoal,”[442] the heaven reached by thedeceased.Buddhistmythssay thataplotof“land”congealedoutof thecosmicwaters toformabandaroundthegreat father, becoming the “golden wheel”: “The surface of these waters, just as in the BrahmanicalcosmologyandinGenesis,isstirredbythedawnwindofcreation.Thefoamofthewaterssolidifiestoform the golden circle (Kancana-mandala) or ‘Land ofGold’ (Kancana-bhumi), the same as Hsuan-tsang’s‘goldenwheel’andrepresenting‘thefoundationsoftheearth’...ThesurfaceoftheLandofGoldistheRoundoftheWorld.”[443]ThattheworldwheelstoodatthestationarypoleisconfirmedbytheBuddhistaccountoftheprimeval“wheelking”—ownerofa“wheelwhosesteadfastnesswasthemeasureofhisfitnesstorule.”Hewas“auniversalking,”“arighteouskingrulinginrighteousness,lordofthefourquartersoftheearth.”(Thefour
quarterswere the four divisions of thewheel .)Themyth states not only that the revolvingwheelremainedinastationaryposition,butthatafallfromitsfixedplacewouldmeanthedeathoftheruler.“IftheCelestialWheelofaWheel-turningkingshallsinkdown,shallslipdownfromitsplace,thatkinghasnotmuchtimetolive...”[444]Thatis,ofcourse,exactlywhathappened:thewheelfell,theUniversalMonarchdied,andtheworldwasthrownintoconfusion.OneisremindedoftheZoroastrianworldwheelcalledtheSpihr.Thisever-turningwheelwasthe“body”ofZurvan,orTime,theplanetSaturn.Throughouttheprimordialepoch,thewheeloftheSpihrremainedinonespot;anditsfallcoincidedwiththecollapseoftheprosperousage.[445]InmanymythsSaturn’searth-wheelacquiresthepoeticformofanenormousmillchurningoutabundance.AnoldIcelandic tradition,forexample,knewthemillas thefabulouspossessionofAmlodhiorFrodhiunderwhoserulemankindenjoyedpeaceandprosperity.RecruitedbyFrodhitoworkthemillweretwogiantmaidens,whodayandnightturnedthemassivewheel,grindingoutgoldandhappiness.Butlikeallfabledwheels,Frodhi’smilleventuallybrokedown,causingthedeathofthegreatmonarch.As shownby deSantillana and vonDechend, Frodhiwas the planet Saturn.[446]The authors (whoseworkistitledHamlet’sMill)reviewwidespreadtraditionsofthecosmicmill—fromIcelandtoFinlandto India to Greece—finding many unexpected connections with the same remote planet. (Not once,however,dothetwowriterswonderwhetherthetraditionoftheSaturnianwheelmayhaveoriginatedintheactualobservationofabandaroundtheplanet.)
AsthepossessionoftheUniversalMonarch,themillliesinthefarthestnorthandisregularlyidentifiedwiththe“pole”or“axis”oftheworld.TheFinnishKalevalalocatesthemill(herecalledtheSampo)onagreatrockin“NorthFarm,”thepolargardenofplenty.TheheroIlmarinen:...forgedtheSamposkillfully:ononesideagrainmill,onthesecondsideasaltmill,inthethirda
money[i.e.,gold]mill.ThentheSampogroundaway,thelidofmanycolourswentroundandround.[447]
Thiscosmicmill,too,brokedown,bringingwholesaledisorder.AndiftheFinnishSampoisalateandfancifulversionofthemill,thelinguistsnowrecognizetheSampo’sconnectionwiththeolderskambhaofHinduritual.[448]IntheAtharvaVedatheSkambha(meaning“pole”)appearsasthe“goldenembryo”and the “frame of creation,” amill-like edifice “which poured forth the goldwithin theworld.” TheVedichymnequatesthemill(Skambha)withthewholecreation.ThebodyoftheSkambhahousesthelifeelementsandthegods;itisthe“ancientone”or“greatmonster,”whoseveinsarethefourquartersofthe
world(i.e., ).ThatthecosmicmillisatoncetheUniversalMonarch’sbodyandthecreatedparadisewillimmediatelyexplainwhy,inthegeneraltradition,thecollapseofthegreatwheelcoincideswiththedeathofthegod-kingandthesinkingofthelostlandintothewatersoftheAbyss.Nothing so confuses the underlying theme as the habit, begun long ago, of conceiving the primordialwheel, or island of “earth,” in terrestrial terms. Could the landscape familiar to the ancients haveproducedthemanyinterrelatedimagesoftheturningwheel?
TheOne-WheeledChariot
The great god sits enthroned within the celestial earth as in a one-wheeled chariot. Thus, inScandinavianrockcarvingsthesymbol —theuniversalsignoftheworldwheel—mayeitherappearaloneorasthewheelofacelestialwagon.Allancientsun-godsseemtoownsuchawheelorchariot.The one-wheeled chariot of the Hindu Surya clearly answers to the same cosmic form as “the high-wheeledchariot”oftheIranianMithra.[449]AnearlyformwasthefamoussunwheeloftheBabylonianShamash.
Figure15.ThewheelofShamash,heldinplacebyacord.
Figure16.Triptolemusridingonasinglewheel.
Figure17.ThewheelofIxion.
Figure18.HebrewYahwehonasinglewheel.
GreekartdepictsthegreatfatherDionysusseateduponaone-wheeledchariot,muchlikethatoftheoldgodTriptolemos.IntheAstronomicaofHyginusonefindsTriptolemosrememberedas“thefirstofalltouseasinglewheel.”[450]ArgivetraditionheldthatthefatherofTriptolemoswasTrochilos,“heofthewheel,”whomsomeidentifiedastheinventorofthefirstchariot.TheGreeksofChiosknewtheprimevalgodGyrapsios, “heof the roundwheel.”[451]Obviously, none of thesewheels orwheel gods can beseparated from the famouswheel of Ixion, set loose in a celestial conflagration.TheHebrewYahwehsimilarlysitsuponasinglewheel.Whilemoderncommentatorsoffercompetinginterpretationsofthecosmicwheel—thechariotofthegods—fewstop tonotice the linkwithSaturn.Cook, forexample,afteraprolongedstudyofancientwheelsymbolism,acknowledgesKronos(Saturn)astheoldwheelor“disk”bearer,butisnotinclinedtodrawanyconclusionsfromthis.[452]The“inventor”of thewheel,or “chariot,”was thenow-distantplanet.This iswhat theChinesetelluswhentheyreport that thegod-kingHuang-ti,whois identifiedwiththeplanetSaturn,wasthefirsttousethewheeledchariot.Inmorethanoneoftheillustrationspresentedherethecosmicwheelservesasthethroneoftherulinggod.L’Orangecallsthis“thethronechariot,”notingmanyexamplesintheancientNearEast.[453]Oneofthedivinitiestosituponsuchachariot(orwheel-throne) is theHebrewYahweh,whose seat is “thewheel of the throne of his glory.”[454] (The god’srevolvingthroneisthecircleof“glory”—thatis,hisown“halo.”)Iflaterartshowedthegodonthewheeledseat,theoriginalmotifhasthegodinit,forthethronerevolvesaround thegod.Here, forexample, isaverse from theEgyptianBookof theDead, revealing a little-noticedaspectofthecosmicthrone:“OmySeat,OmyThrone,comeyetome,andgoyeroundaboutme,Oye gods. I am a sah [luminous body], therefore letme rise up [shine] among thosewho follow [goaround] the great god.”[455]When the deceased king attains the celestial throne he standswithin therevolvingcircleof thegods, the“followers”of thecentralsun.TheEdfu textscall this the“throne-of-gods,”forthedivineassemblyitselfformsthewheelofthethrone.[456]
Figure19.TheCelticgodofthewheel.
Figure20.Anglo-SaxonSeater,withwheel.
Denotedbythethroneorwheel-throneistheplotofta,“land,”whichfirstemergedfromthecosmicsea.The creator brought forth the revolving circle of earth as his “primeval seat.” Reymondwrites: “TheEarthwascausedtoemergefromNunbyvirtueoftheradianceoftheSun-Godwhowasbelievedtodryup thewateraroundhisprimevalseat.”[457]Thisplotofcreated“earth”was thehan or “homeland,”whichthetextscallneset,the“throne.”[458]TheimplicationsreachfarbeyondEgyptandbeardirectlyonthewide-rangingmythsofcosmicchariotsandprimevalmillsnotedabove.Whatoneusuallyregardsas twoseparate themes—the“chariotof thesun”andthe“worldwheel”—convergeinasingleimage:thewheelofSaturn,theprimevalsun.Thatthe
ancients denoted the “sun wheel” and the created “earth” by one and the same sign was nocoincidence.
TheCityOfHeaven
TheSaturnmyth tells us not only that the planet-god ruled theHolyLand as the first king but that hefoundedthefirstcity.Saturn’s“city”means“Saturn’sEarth.”
Thegreatgodlivesfixedinthemiddleofthesky...
dwellerinthecity.[459]ThisisthepronouncementoftheEgyptianCoffinTexts.Thecosmiccity is thePrimevalPlace:“Ihavecome to this city, the region of the ‘First Time’ to be . . . a dweller in ‘this land.’”[460] Thus theEgyptians invokea celestialMemphis, “thedivineemergingprimeval island”; a celestialThebes, “theisland emerging inNunwhich first came into being”; a celestialHermonthes, “the high groundwhichgrewoutofNun,”or“theeggwhichoriginatedinthebeginning”;[461]acelestialElephantine,the“cityin themidst of the waters,” or the “throne of Re”;[462] and a celestial Abydos, the ta-ur or “Great(Primeval)Land.”[463]The integrated symbolism—though at times complex—never departs from the underlying idea of anenclosurearound thecentral sun.The imageryconcerns“theoriginal stateof theworld,” rather thanaterrestrialcity,statesClark.[464]Depictedisthecityofthe“dawn”orofthe“sun’scomingforth.”Thetradition is universal. Mention Erech and historians naturally think of the ancient city in southernMesopotamia.ButtheErechinvokedintheritualisnoterrestrialhabitation.Itis:
Erech,thehandiworkofthegods,Thegreatwalltouchingthesky,
TheloftydwellingplaceestablishedbyAnu.[465]ThecreatorAn(Anu)—whoistheplanetSaturn—dweltintheuru-ul-la,“thecityofformertimes”—nota city on earth but the embryo of theCosmos, according toVanDijk.[466] Ruling from the “midst ofheaven,”Anshinesas“theheroof the sacredcityonhigh.”[467]This is the“city foundedbyAn . . .Placewhere thegreatgodsdine, filledwith radianceandawe . . .”[468]Thehymnscall it “thegreatcity,”and“theplacewherethesunrises.”[469]AllMesopotamiantraditionsdescribethecelestialcityastheoriginalgardenofabundance—“thedaisofplenty...thepureplace...Itsheartlikeadistantshrine...Itsfeastsflowwithfatandmilk,arerichwithabundance.”[470]ThusdidtheSumeriansrecallthelostlandofDilmunas“theprimevalcity”:
Dilmun,thecitythouhastfounded...Lo,thycitydrinkswaterinabundance.
Lo,Dilmundrinkswaterinabundance.[471]EgyptianandMesopotamiandescriptionsofthecosmiccitymakeclearthatthishabitationwasthesameenclosureasthelostparadise,andtheidentitypersistsinHebrewandMuslimthought,whichcontinuallyassociatesAdam’sparadisewithacosmicJerusalem.ThelightoftheJerusalemabovewasprovidedbyGod himself. “And the building of thewall of itwas of jasper: and the citywas pure fold, like untoglass.”[472]OneofthePsalmsglorifiesthecelestialJerusalemas“Sublimeinelevationintheuttermostnorth . . . theCityof theKing.”[473]Theheavenly city lay at the cosmic centre; itwas the first thingcreated by God; and it was surrounded by the primeval sea. The image, observes Faber, is “plainlyborrowedfromthegardenofEden.”
TheHebrewsalsopreserved the traditionofaprimordial cityofTyre, similarly identifiedwithEden.[474]InEzekielweread:
“OTyre,youhavesaid,‘Iamperfectinbeauty.’
Yourbordersareintheheartoftheseas...YouwereinEden,thegardenofGod;
everypreciousstonewasyourcovering.”[475]Thisequationofthecosmiccityandtheoriginalparadisefindsnumerousparallelsinothertraditions.ThePersianvara fashioned byAhuraMazda is at once the first city and the lost paradise.[476] The “all-containingcityofBrahma”atthepolemergesintotheparadisalplainofIla;[477]theImperialCityoftheChineseShang-ticoincideswiththemythicalparadiseofKwen-lun;[478]whiletheMexicanlostcityofAztlan(“surroundedbywaters”)andtheMayanlostcityofTula(the“enclosure”inthesea)bothappearasgardensofabundance.[479]Acoherentpatternunifieswhatareoftenassumedtobeunrelatedmythsandsymbols:thecreated“earth,”the lost paradise, the wheel of the sun, the revolving throne, and the cosmic city.While themythicalformulationsvary,allpointtothesamebandhousingthecentralsun.Surely it isofsignificancethat,while these imagesareoftendissociatedin latermyths, theyconstantlyoverlap in the earliestversions.TheAztecsmayhave forgotten that the lost citywas the throneof thecreator; and perhaps many Greek cults no longer remembered that the Island of the Blessed was theturningwheelofthesun,butsuchconnectionsarecentraltotheworld’soldestcosmologies.The interrelationships are clearly evident in the image of themother goddess, who unites in a singlepersonalitythevariedaspectsofthecelestialearth:paradise,wheel,throne,andcity.TheEgyptiangreatmother—whethercalledIsis,Nut,Hathor,Mut,orNeith—isnebtenneter ta, “theLadyoftheHolyLand”or“theLadyofGod’sEarth.”The“islandofearth,”accordingtothePyramidTexts, lies “between the thighs of Nut.”[480] If one permits the Egyptian concept to illuminate latersymbolismofthe“motherearth”oneseesthatthesupposeddistinctionbetweenearthgoddessesandskygoddesseslacksfoundation.“God’sEarth”meansSaturn’sEarth,andthismotherland,circumscribedbythewombofthegoddess,istheenclosureofthecentralsun .
NorcanonefailtonoticethatthehieroglyphforthegoddessNut —“theholyabode”—istheformofawheel and an obvious prototype of the “worldwheels” so common toEastern symbolism. Isis, in theclassicalage,wasalsosymbolizedbyawheel.[481]MesopotamiancultsrepresentedthegoddessIshtar,“thewomb,”byawheel.TheHindugoddessRtaisthe“wheeloflaw”controllingthecosmiccycle,whilethegoddessIlapersonifiesthechakraorworldwheel.ThenameoftheCelticgoddessArianrhodmeans“silverwheel.”Oneisremindedalsooftheiynxwheel ofAphrodite and thewheels of Tyche,Nemesis, and Fortuna, all ofwhich appear to reflect acommon idea. As the stable, ever-turning circle of the Cosmos, the goddess eventually became theabstract“wheelofMotherNature.”[482]Andwhen one realizes that thewheel served as the great father’s revolving throne it can come as nosurprisetodiscoverthat,inthearchaicterminology,“throne”and“goddess”aresynonymous.“Theseatedgreatmother,” statesNeumann, “is the original formof the‘enthroned goddess,’ and also of the throneitself.AsmotherandearthwomantheGreatMotheristhe‘throne’pureandsimple...Thekingcomesto
powerby ‘mounting the throne’ and so takeshis placeon the lapof theGreatGoddess, the earth—hebecomesherson.”[483]
Figure21.ThegoddessNemesis,withwheeloffate.
IntheHindukingshipritesreviewedbyHocart,“thekingismadetositonathronewhichrepresentsthewomb.”[484] But the identity of the throne and womb is as old as human language: the Egyptian
hieroglyphforIsis,thewombofheaven,isasimplethrone .But the same mother goddess encloses the cosmic city. The determinative of “city” in the Egyptianhieroglyphs issimply thesignof the“holyabode” , thegoddessNut.ThePyramidTexts invoke thegoddess,“inthisyournameof‘settlements,’...inthisyournameof‘City.’”[485]whiletheBookoftheDeadextolsthegreatmotheras“Ladyofterrors,loftyofwalls.”[486]The Egyptian city-goddess finds a close parallel in the Babylonian goddess Ura-azaga, whose namemeans“brillianttown.”[487]Tyro,themothergoddessoftheTyrians,gavetheGreekstheirwordtyrsis,“walledcity.”[488]Toenterthecelestialcityistofindshelterintheprimevalwomb.ThustherefugeofDelphiis“thewomb”andJerusalem“thecityoftheheavenlywomb.”[489]In theNewTestament (Book ofRevelation) one finds a fascinating equation of primeval goddess andprimevalcity.Inhisvision,Johnbeholds“thegreatwhorethatsittethuponmanywaters:Withwhomthekingsoftheearthhavecommittedfornication...anduponherforeheadwasanamewritten,‘MYSTERY,BABYLONTHEGREAT,THEMOTHEROFHARLOTSANDABOMINATIONSOFTHEEARTH.”Whowasthis“motherofharlots”?Theangelexplains:“Andthewomanwhichthousawestisthatgreatcity,whichreignethoverthekingsoftheearth.”[490]Thelanguagepointstotheancientritesofkingship,inwhicheverylocalrulertookashisconsortthecity(womb)onthecosmicwaters.In rangingover themythsandsymbolsof thecreatedearth,paradise,wheel, throne,andcity,one thusremains in the shadowof a singlemother goddess,who containswithin herwomb the first organized
domaininheaven,theislandofSaturn’sCosmos .
TheEnclosureAsPrototype
IndealingwiththemythsandsymbolsoftheHolyLandonemustreckonwiththedistinction—notalwaysspelledout inancient literature—betweenthecelestialprototypeand the terrestrialcopy.Everysacredkingdom or city derives its character from the primeval dwelling, so that whatever was said of theenclosureabovewasalsosaidoftheimitativeformconstructedbymen.“Fromtheconcordanttestimonyofallthetraditions,”writesGuenon,“aconclusionemergesveryclearly:the affirmation that there exists a ‘HolyLand’ par excellence, prototypeof all other ‘HolyLands,’ thespiritualcentretowhichallothercentresaresubordinated.”[491]Through identification, the sacredhistoryof the raceornationmergeswith thehistoryof thegods, foreachorganizedcommunityvieweditselfasaduplicationofthecelestial“race.”Eachlineofhistoricalkingsleadsbacktoafirstkingwhoisnotaman,butSaturn,thesupremepowerofheaven;inthesameway,theraceasawholetracesitsancestrytoagenerationofgodsorsemi-divinebeingswhoinhabitedthe “earth” raised in the creation.By thisuniversal tendency,Saturn’sparadisebecomes theancestralland,theplacewherehistorybegan.Doesnoteverynationclaimthatitsancestorsdescendedfromaraceofgods,whooccupiedahappygardenatthecentreandsummit?Itwaswith the utmost seriousness that the ancients laid out their first political settlements, taking thecosmic habitation as the prescribed plan. The purpose was to establish Saturn’s kingdom on earth,repeating the creator’s defeat of Chaos and founding a central authority whose power extended to aprotective“border”separatingthekingdomoflightfromthepowersofdarknessanddisorganization(the“barbarians”).Accordingly, thefirstsacredcitieswereorganizedascircularenclosuresaroundtherulinglord.Ritualrequirements superseded practical considerations, and evenwhen geography and growth prevented ordistorted the purely circular form, the sacred city was still conceived as a revolving enclosure.Symbolically, every Egyptian city lay within the shield or protective border of Nut (the “GreatProtectoress”). The Babylonian map shows the land as a circle around a centre. “Here,” concludesEliade,“theearthlyabodeisthecounterpart(mehret)oftheheavenlyabode.”[492]Hebrew thought repeatedly insists that the terrestrial Jerusalem was but a likeness of the city firstconstructedbyGod.“AcelestialJerusalemwascreatedbyGodbeforethecitywasbuiltbythehandofman. . .TheheavenlyJerusalemkindledtheinspirationofall theHebrewprophets,”observesEliade.[493]ThedistinctionbetweenthelocalandtheprimordialcityreceivesemphaticstatementintheSyriacApocalypse ofBaruch,whenGod asks, “Dost thou think that this is that city ofwhich I said: ‘On thepalmsofmyhandshaveIgraventhee’?Thisbuildingnowbuiltinyourmidstisnotthatwhichisrevealedwithme,thatwhichwaspreparedbeforehandherefromthetimewhenItookcounseltomakeParadise...”[494](Again,notetheequationofthecity—Jerusalemandparadise.)EquallyclearistheprimacyofthearchetypalcityinHinduism,accordingtoEliade.“AlltheIndianroyalcities,eventhemodernones,arebuiltafterthemythicalmodelofthecelestialcity,where,intheageofgold (in illo tempore), the Universal Sovereign dwelt . . . Thus, for example, the palace fortress ofSigiriya, inCeylon, isbuilt after themodelof thecelestialcityAlakamandaand is ‘hardofascent forhumanbeings’”[495]Symbolically, each Hindu settlement stood within themandala or “circle,” delineating a consecratedspacemagicallyprotectedfromtheinvadingforcesofdisintegration.[496]Thesanctifiedarea,observesTucci,“by the lineofdefensewhichcircumscribes it, representsprotection from themysterious forces
that menace the sacred purity of the spot . . .” This protective circle is “above all, a map of thecosmos.”[497]AsdocumentedbyL’Orange, thecirclearoundacentrewastheidealformofsacredcities in theNearEast, as typifiedby the residentialcitiesofDarabjirdandFiruzabad,whosecircular formservedasaprecedentforthe“RoundCity”ofBaghdad.TheidealpatternderivedfromtheancientconceptionoftheCosmos,statesL’Orange.[498]ThesamesymbolismattachestotheRomanmundusatrenchdugaroundthespotonwhichanewcitywastobebuilt.Theenclosureservedasaprotectivebond,ordaining thecityasarenewalof theprimevalhomeland.[499]IntheolddocumentstheRomancitiesweretheurbes,fromorbis,“round.”[500]The consistent pattern of the sacred territory shows the influence of a universal prototype. Yet fewresearchers take the prototype seriously. When the creation myths speak of a primordial Heliopolis,Erech,or Jerusalem, the analysts thinkonlyof the terrestrial city.Onecan,with fargreater assurance,insistthatthelocalhabitationneverproduces,onitsown,acosmicmythofanykind.InEgypt,itistheprimevalsunwhorulestheoriginalHeliopolis,Memphis,Thebes,Herakleopolis,justasitistheprimevalsunwhogovernsasthefirstkingofEgyptasawhole.Thecityandkingdomrepeat,ondifferentscales,thesamehistoryandthisfactaloneissufficienttoshowthatthe“history”isnotlocalbutuniversal. If themythssay thatEgyptwas“gathered together” fromtheprimevalmatter, forminganislandaroundthesun,theysaythesameofthesacredcity,whateveritsname.[501]Thattheancientsoftenforgotthedistinctionbetweentheirowncityorkingdomandthecelestialprototypewasanaturalresultoftheinseparablebondbetweenthetwo.Thelocalhabitationinheritedthemythicalcharacter of the celestial, so that the divergent actual histories of ancient nations lead back to oneuniversalhistory.Itisinthissensethatonemustunderstandthelegendsofthefirstkingsandprimevalgenerations.ManyEgyptian texts, for example, refer to a remote time inwhich the landwas ruled by the “followers ofHorus.”An inscriptionofaKingRanofer (justprior to theMiddleKingdom)recalls“the timeofyour(fore)fathers,thekings,FollowersofHorus.”AtextofThutmoseIspeaksofgreatfamethelikeofwhichwasnot“seenintheannalsoftheancestorssincetheFollowersofHorus.”TheTurinPapyrusplacesthisprimevalgenerationpriortothefirsthistoricalking,Menes.[502]Didthesemythical“ancestors”actuallyruleterrestrialEgypt?Intruththe“FollowersofHorus”means,not agenerationofmortals,but theassemblyof thegods.The“ancestors”were the light-spiritsof thecelestialcity,encirclingandprotectingthecentralsun.JustasthemythstranslatetheUniversalMonarchintothefirstkingofEgypt,soalsodotheyexpressthegod-king’scompanionsasaprimevalracefromwhichallEgyptiannobilitymight claimdescent.EveryHolyLandonour earthwasassimilated to thesamecelestialkingdomandeveryracetothesamegenerationofgods.
TheWorldNavel
ThroughidentificationwithSaturn’sdwelling,eachterrestrialkingdomorcityofantiquitydistinguisheditselfastheMiddlePlace,thecentrefromwhichhistorytookitsstart.SymbolicallyeachlocalHolyLandbecametheomphalosor“naveloftheworld.”Thus, themythicnavelconstitutesaglobalmotifofarchaic symbolism.Asdocumented in the separatestudies ofRoscher andMuller,[503] the ancient cities ofBabylon andNineveh (aswell asBaghdad),Jerusalem,HebronBethel,Shechem,and theentire landofPalestine;numerousGreekcities (includingAthens);theMuslimcityofMecca;andcountlessothercitiesofAsiaandEuropewerestyled“thenavel”or“thecentreoftheearth.”JustastheEgyptiansconceivedtheirlandasthe“middle-earth”(Aguipte),theChineseproclaimedtheirempiretobethe“KingdomoftheMiddle.”[504]EarlyJapanesesourcescallJapanthecentreoftheearth—or the “middle kingdomof the reedplain,”while theMongolians regard their homeas “theMiddlePlace.”[505]PeoplesofnorthernSiberiaknowtheYeniseias“thecentreoftheworld,”[506]IrelandwasoncethekingdomoftheMideor“Middle.”[507]In farawayEaster Island thenatives speakof their landas the“navel.”[508]And in theAmericas, theZunicall(oroncecalled)theirtown“theMiddlePlace”;theIncacityofCuzcosignified“thenaveloftheearth”;[509] so also did the Chickasaw of Mississippi regard their territory as “the centre of theearth.”[510]Thereadermayrespond:isn’titperfectlynaturalthatapeople,seeingotherlandsandnationsdistributedaroundthem,wouldcometoregardtheirownasthe“centre”?Thisis,ofcourse,acommonexplanationof theuniversalhabit.Oncloserexamination,however, itbecomesclear that theconceptof theworldnavelreflectssomethingmorethannarrowvisionortribalarrogance.Theacknowledgedreligiouscentreof theGreekswasDelphi,on thesteepslopesofMountParnassus.Herewaslocatedtheomphalos(“navel”),reveredastheSeatofApolloand“thecentreoftheearth.”Butamong theGreeks,Delphiwasnot alone inclaimingdistinctionas theomphalos. Similar claimsweremade forworld navels in thePeloponnesus, atElis, atThessaly, and atCrete.Both theAetolians andEpiroteswerecalledomphaliansor“peopleofthenavel.”[511]ManycompetingseatsofApolloappearastheomphalos,accordingtoRoscher.[512]Ratherthansuggestnarrow-mindedness,suchrepeatedclaimsconfirmaconsistentmemory:fromhighantiquitytheideamusthavebeenpasseddownthatApollo’sthroneoccupiedthe“centre.”Alllocalshrinescertainlysharedthistradition.Butonemustnotmistaketheimitationfortheoriginal.JustasonemightsayofApollo’sstatue,“ThisisthegodApollo,”withoutintendingaliteralidentification,socouldthecultworshipperssayofthelocalshrine,“ThisisthethroneofApolloattheearthnavel.”Thatthestatementcomesfrommorethanonelocalityonlyreinforcesthegeneraltradition.ThetruthwasobservedbyW.T.WarrenlongagowhenhedeclaredDelphitobe“amemorialshrine,anattemptedcopyofthegreatoriginal.”[513]Clearly,the“greatoriginal”—thegod’sprimevalhome—wasnotofourearth.Apollo,thepolarsun,wasnottheonlygodtooccupythiscentre.InMexico,aNahuatlhymnextolsthegodOmeteotlas:
MotheroftheGods,FatheroftheGods,theoldGod
distendedinthenaveloftheearth,engagedintheenclosureofturquoise
Hewhodwellsinwatersthecolourofthebluebird.[514]ABabylonianhymnlocatedthegodEaatthe“centreoftheearth”:
ThepathofEawasinEridu,teemingwithfertility.Hisseat(there)isthecentreoftheearth;hiscouchisthebedoftheprimeval
mother.[515]Similarly, theEgyptianOsiris“sits in judgementon thePrimevalMound,which is in themiddleof theworld,” states Clark.[516] In the ancient account of Sanchuniathon, the great god El (Kronos/Saturn)acquiressupremacy“inacertainplaceinthecenteroftheearth.”[517]Theearthnavel,intheoriginaltradition,isthe inaccessibledwellingat thecosmicsummitwhich iswhy theHinduscouldsayof thefiregodAgni,[518]“He is theheadandsummitof thesky, thecentre[Nabhi,navel]oftheearth.”HebrewandMuslimthoughtconstantlyidentifiesthethroneofYahwehandAllahwith the“navelof theearth,”but thisnavel isabove, for theMuslimtextstatesof theKa’ba,orearthnavel:“Knowthatthecentreoftheearth,accordingtoatraditionontheauthorityoftheProphet,istheKa’ba: ithas the significanceof thenavelof theearth,becauseof its risingabove the levelof theearth.”[519]Anothersourcerelates,“Traditionsays:thepolestarprovestheKa’baisthehighestsituatedterritory;forit lies over against the centre of heaven.”[520]Both Jerusalem andMecca, as earth navels, lie at thecosmicsummit.“Thecentreof theearthand thepoleofheaven,bothare intimatelyconnectedwith thethrone,”observesWensinck.[521]Similarly, Gnostic traditions surveyed by Jung consider the polar region both “the seat of the highestgods” and “the navel of the world.”[522] That the Greek omphalos received the appellation “axis”indicatesanobviousconnectionwiththepole.[523]Inallofthesetraditions,ofcourse,onehastocontendwiththeconfusionbetweenthecelestialearthandwhatwecall“earth”today.Itcanhardlybedoubtedthatancientraceseventuallycametousethephrase“worldnavel”inconnectionwiththeterrestriallandscape.Theoriginalconceptofthenavel,however,isnotcomplicatedbyambiguousmeaningsofthe“earth.”Intheoriginaltradition,thecreatedearthisthenavel,pureandsimple;Saturn’sCosmosappearedasacentralenclosureor“navel”ofdrygroundrisingfromtheprimordialwaters.Soitisnotsurprisingtofindthatthesymbolofthenavelwastheenclosed
sun , the sign of the world wheel. “The concentric circles or the dot-in-circle denoted, in theMediterraneanarea,theomphalos,thenaveloftheearth,”statesButterworth.[524](Thus,inorganizingtheirsacredcitiesintheformofawheeltheancientsexpressedthecities’characteras“navel.”)
The enclosed sun , according to Neumann, served as “the life symbol of the womb-navel-centre.”[525] Itwouldbedifficult to improveupon thisdefinition.To residewithin the life-containingnavelistodwellinthewombofthemothergoddess,fortheomphalos,asdiscernedbyUnoHolmberg,is“therepresentativeof theGreatMother”notonlyinclassicalsymbolismbut inHinduandAltaicritualalso.[526]HenceDelphi,theGreekomphalos,signifies“thewomb.”[527]ThespouseofHerculesisOmphale,thefemale personification of the omphalos.[528] In the same way, Hindu ritual constantly identifies themysticyonior“womb”with thenavel:Agni is“born fromtheyoniornavelof theearth,”[529]whileBrahmaisthe“navel-born.”[530]
Suchsymbolismconnects thefamousnavelwith theprimevalenclosure.Saturn’sband,markingout thestable, revolving islandwhich appeared in the cosmicwaters, came to be remembered as the cosmiccentre—wheremythicalhistorybegan.
TheOcean
Manyancienttraditionsdescribeacircularoceanorrivergirdlingthe“earth.”
Thegods,accordingtotheNorsecreationlegend,“madethevastocean,inthemidstofwhichtheyfixedtheearth,theoceanencirclingitasaring.”[531]BytheGreekOkeanos,“thewholeearthisbound.”[532]TheBabylonianssaidofthenetherriver,“allearthitencloses.”[533]HebrewandArabiccosmologies,according toWensinck, hold that “the whole of the earth is round and the ocean surrounds it like acollar.”[534]Inspiteofthewidespreadbelief,certainclassicalwritersgrewskeptical.Ofthefamousocean-streamthehistorianHerodotusannounced:“Formypart,IcannotbutlaughwhenIseenumbersofpersonsdrawingmapsoftheworldwithoutreasontoguidethem;making,astheydo,theOcean-streamtorunallroundtheearth.”[535]Oragain:“TheboundariesofEuropearequiteunknown,andthereisnotamanwhocansaywhetheranysea girds it round either on the north or on the east.”[536] Such was the inevitable conclusion ofhistoriansandphilosophers,oncethe“world”or“earth”lostitsoriginalcosmicmeaningandpassedintoa figure of geography. Even today conventional treatments of the mythical ocean perpetuate themisunderstanding.Thecynicsoverlookedamostsignificantpoint:originally, theoceanencircled thecreator as agirdle:Okeanoswasnoterrestrialriver,butthe“belt”aroundthecosmicdeity.[537]The“land”whichtheoceanenclosedwasthedwellingofthegods.Hesiod,forexample,inhisdescriptionoftheshieldofHercules(anacknowledgedfigureoftheCosmos)identifiestheoceanastherimoftheshield,enclosingacelestialparadise.The shieldwas awonder to see, “for itswhole orbwas a-shimmerwith enamel andwhite ivory andelectrum,anditglowedwithshininggold.”Withintheshield’sprotectiveenclosuredweltthegreatgodandthelesserdivinities:“Therealsowastheabodeofthegods,pureOlympus,andtheirassembly,andinfinitericheswerespreadaroundinthegatheringofthedeathlessgods.”Theinhabitantsofthiscircularlandabovecelebratedacontinualfestival,forheregrewgrapesandcorninabundance.“Andaroundtherim,”writesHesiod,“Oceanwasflowing,withafullstreamasitseemed,andenclosedallthecunningworkoftheshield.”[538]Asinthecaseoftheworldnavel,theimagerymakessenseonlywhenoneunderstandsthecreated“earth”asthedwellingofthegreatgodhimself.Egyptian sources remove all possible doubt as to the celestial character of the encircling stream.TheCoffinTexts sayof theFatherof theGods:“theriveraroundhimisablazewith light.”[539]Thesamecircularriveriscalledalakeoffire.Reappearsasami-mer-nesert,“hewhoisinhisfierylake”;whilethethroneofHorusisthe“LakeofDoubleFire.”[540]Actually,theEgyptianoceanorlakeissimplytheTuat,thedwellingofOsirisorRe:[541]“ThisisthelakewhichisintheTuat...Thislakeisfilledwithbarley[i.e.,grain,abundance].Thewaterofthelakeisfire.”[542]ContainingthefierywatersoftheAbyss,thecelestialriverorlakeencircledthe“world.”ThePyramidTextsinvoke:
TheGreatCircle,inyournameof“GreatSurround,”anenvelopingring,inthe“Ringthatencirclesthe
OutermostLands”,AGreatCircleintheGreatRoundofthe
SurroundingOcean.[543]
In the Egyptian symbolism this watery circle is the band of the enclosed sun , the band whichcircumscribedtheoutermostlimitofthecosmicdwelling.The“ocean”intheabovetextistheShen-ur,
or“thegreatShen.”IntheEgyptianlanguagetheshenbondorcord( , )signifiesatoncethebandoftheAten and “ocean” or “river.”One can properly term this circle ofwater “the river of the cosmicbond”or“theoceanofthecord.”Pointing to the same interrelationships is the Egyptian word nut. Nut, the goddess, is the femalepersonificationoftheCosmosorshenbond;butnutalsodenotes“stream,”“river,”“sea.”Theencirclingriver,as theborder of the “Holy abode” (nut), thus gives rise to the phrase “the ocean, the border ofNut.”[544]Thatnutfurthermeans“cord”and“city”onlyconfirmstheintegratedsymbolism.Innoneof this symbolism is there any suggestionof a terrestrial ocean.As detailed byReymond, theprimevalwaters formanenclosurearound therestingplaceof thegreatgod “perhaps resembling thechannel which was made around sacred places later on.”[545] Encircled by the celestial river, theprovince of beginning becomes the “island in the stream,”[546] or the “pool.” (See, for example, the“poolofHermopolis”;thecelestialAbydoswasthe“poolofMaati.”)[547]Themythical “waters” are inseparable from the primevalmatter or company of godswhich explodedfrom the creator, subsequently to be gathered into the circle of glory (khut). The radiant gods—or“PrimevalOnes”—revolvedaroundtheborderofthecosmicoceanorlake,fortheEgyptians,accordingtoReymond, “imagined that, after the phases of the primary creationwere completed, these PrimevalOnes lived in the vicinity of the pool . . . Their resting place, however, is portrayed as of the mostprimitiveappearance:thebareedgesofthepool.”[548]Thegodsoccupytheborderandrevolvearoundit,asconfirmedbytheBookoftheDead:“‘Hail,’saythesegodswhodwellintheircompaniesandwhogoroundabouttheTurquoisePool.”[549]
Nor inEgyptalonedoes thecosmicoceanformthebandof theenclosedsun .Here is aSumeriandescriptionoftheEnguror“river”aroundthemotionlesslordEnki:
ThouRiver,creatressofallthings,Whenthegreatgodsdugthee,onthybanktheyplacedmercy.
WithintheeEa,KingoftheApsu,builthisabode.TheygavetheetheFlood,theunequalled.Fire,rage,splendour,andterror...
OgreatRiver,far-famedRiver...[550]ThesearethewatersofthecosmicseaApsu—“thewaterswhichareforevercollected together in thedeep,”[551]correspondingtotheEgyptiandwellinggatheredtogetherbythecreator.Theoldestimageofthis encircling river or ocean is the ancient Sumerian sign for Kis (the all, the complete land, theCosmos): .Theband in this sign, according to Jeremias, represents the encirclingocean, the sameriver that is depicted encircling the “earth” (Cosmos) in the Babylonian world map.[552] Like theEgyptianoceantherevolvingstreamformstheborderofthecelestialland.Asthewombofprimevalbirth,theSumerianEngur,“River,”providesacloseparalleltotheEgyptian
goddessNut.Indeed,likeNut,theSumero-Babylonianrivergoddesswasconceivedastheunifyingcord.The waters of Engur (Apsu) compose the tarkullu, “rope,” or themarkasu, “band,” bond,” holdingtogetherthecreatedCosmos.[553]LiketheEgyptians,theSumero-Babyloniansrecalledtheenclosureofthecosmicoceanasthatwhichgavebirthtotheprimevalsun.Thegodwho“illuminatestheinterioroftheApsu”isNinurta,theplanetSaturn.[554]
VI.TheEnclosedSun-CrossTheFourRiversOfParadise
“AndariverwentoutofEdentowaterthegarden;andfromthenceitwasparted,andbecameintofourheads.”[555] So reads the Book of Genesis. The four rivers of Adam’s paradise, according to manyHebrewandearlyChristianaccounts,flowedinoppositedirections,spreadingtothefourcornersoftheworld.[556]Thetraditionisapparentlyuniversal.TheNavahoIndiannarrationofthe“AgeofBeginnings”speaksofanancestrallandfromwhichtheinhabitantsweredrivenbyagreatcatastrophe.Amongtheoccupantsofthisremotehome,somesay,were“FirstMan”and“FirstWoman.”Mostinterestingisthemeansbywhichthe landwaswatered: “In its centrewasa spring fromwhich four streams flowed,one to eachof thecardinalpoints...”[557]TheChineseparadiseofKwen-lun,adornedwithpearls,jade,andpreciousstones,layatthecentreandzenithof theworld.[558] In thishappyabodestoodacentral fountain fromwhich flowed“inoppositedirectionsthefourgreatriversoftheworld.”[559]FourriversappearalsointheHinduRigVeda:“thenoblest,themostwonderfulworkofthismagnificentone[Indra], is thatofhavingfilled thebedof thefourriverswithwaterassweetashoney.”[560]TheVishnuPurana identifies thefourstreamswith theparadiseofBrahmaat theworldsummit.They, too,flowinfourdirections.[561]Iranian myth recalls four streams issuing from the central fount Ardvi Sura and radiating in the fourdirections.Similarly, theKalmucksofSiberiadescribeaprimordial seaof life and fertility,with fourriversflowing“towardthefourdifferentpointsofthecompass.”[562]The tradition is repeated by many other nations. The Mandaeans of Iraq enumerate four great riversflowing from the north.[563] Just as the Babylonians recalled “the land of the four rivers,”[564] theEgyptiansknew“FourNiles,”flowingtothefourquarters.[565]ThehomeoftheGreekgoddessCalypso,in the “navel of the sea,” possessed a central fountain sending forth “four streams, flowing each inoppositedirections.”[566]In the Scandinavian Edda, the world’s waters originate in the four streams flowing from the springHvergelmirinthelandofthegods,[567]whileSlavictraditionrecallsfourstreamsissuingfromunderthemagicstoneAlatuirintheislandparadiseofBonyan.[568]BrintonfindsthefourmysticriversamongtheSioux,Aztecs,andMaya,justasFornanderdiscoverstheminPolynesianmyth.[569]The lost land of the four rivers presents a particularly enigmatic theme for conventional mythologybecausefew,ifany,ofthenationspossessingthememorycanpointtoanyconvincinggeographicalsourceof the imagery.When theBabylonians invoke Ishtaras“Lady,Queenof the landof theFourRiversofErech,”[570]orwhenanEgyptian text atDenderacelebrates theFourNiles atElephantine,onemightexpect the familiar landscape to explain the usage.Butwherever themythical four rivers appear, theypossessthecharacterofan“ideal”land,incontrasttoactualgeography.The reason for this disparity between the mythical and terrestrial landscapes is that the four riversflowed,notonourearth,but through the fourquartersof thepolar “homeland.” Towhat aspect ofSaturn’skingdommightthemythicalriversrefer?For every dominant mythical theme there are corresponding signs (though this truth is still to be
acknowledgedbymostauthorities).Thesignsofthefourriversarethesun-cross and theenclosed
sun-cross , the latter sign illuminating the former by showing that the four streams belong to theprimevalenclosure.Issuingfromthepolarcentre(i.e., thecentralsun), thefourriversflowtothefourcornersofSaturn’sEarth.
Thesignoftheenclosedsun-cross ,observesCirlot,“expressestheoriginalOneness(symbolizedbythecentre),”and“thefourradii...arethesameasthefourriverswhichwellupfromthefonsvitae...”[571]
But if one myth identifies the arms of the sun-cross as four paradisal rivers, there are otherinterpretations of the cross as well, for this primal image produced a wide-ranging and coherentsymbolism,asIshallnowattempttoshow.
TheCrossroads
FromSaturn,thecentralsun, flowed fourprimarypathsof light. In themyths theseappearas fourrivers, fourwinds, four streamsofarrows,or four children,assistants, or light-spiritsbearing theSaturnianseed(thelifeelements)throughthefourquartersofthecelestialkingdom.
Thesun-cross andenclosedsun-cross ,depicting the four life-bearingstreams, thusserveasuniversalsignsoftheHolyLand.Themodernworldisaccustomedtothinkof“thefourquarters”interrestrialterms.Todayweconceivenorth,east,west,andsouthonlyinrelationshiptoourownpositionortoafixedgeographicalreferencepoint.Chicagois“west”ofNewYorkand“east”ofOmaha,andtothemodernmindthe“fourcornersoftheworld”onlyservesasavaguemetaphorfor“theentireglobe.”To the ancients, however, “theFourCorners of theWorld” possessed explicitmeaning; originally, thephrasereferrednottogeographybuttocosmography,the“map”ofthecelestialkingdom,laidoutinthepolar heaven. One of the few scholars to recognize this quality of the mythical “four corners” wasO’Neill:“Itresultsfromanyfullstudyofthemyths,symbolism,andnomenclatureoftheFourQuartersthatthesedirectionswereviewedinthestrictorthodoxyofheavens-mythology,notastheNSEWofeveryspotwhatever,butfourheavens-divisionsspreadoutaroundthepole.”[572]
Thesun-cross ,asthesymbolofthefourquarters,belongstothecentralsun.Insacredcosmographythe central position of the sun-god becomes the “fifth” direction. To understand such language, it isconvenient to thinkof themythical “directions” (or armsof the cross) asmotions or flowsof energy.Fromthegreatgodtheelementsoflifeflowinfourdirections.Thegodhimself,whoembodiesall theelements, is “firm,” “steadfast,”or “resting”; his fifthmotion is that of rotationwhile standing in oneplace.Thedirectionscanalsobeconceivedasregions: thecentral (fifth)regionandthefourquartersspacedaroundit.ThisiswhythePythagoreansregardedthenumberfiveasarepresentativeofthefixedworldaxis.[573]ThePythagoreanideaclearlycorrespondswiththeolderHindusymbolismofthedirections.Inadditiontothestandardfourdirections,Hindudoctrineknowsafifth,calledthe“fixeddirection,”thepolarcentre.[574]InChina, too, thepole is the immovable fifthdirection, the“centralpalace”aroundwhich thecardinalpoints are spaced.[575] And in Mexico, Nahuatl symbolism asserts that “five is the number of thecentre.”[576]Inthe“ideal”kingdomofheaventheUniversalMonarchstandsatthecentre,andalltheelementsoflife—fire,water,air,andseed—flowfromthegod-king infourbrilliantstreams.Often interpretedasfoursonsofthecreator,thestreamsmarkoutthefourquartersofthecosmicisle,or“earth.”Let us consider first the Egyptian symbolism of the directional streams. According to the Egyptiancreationtexts,thegreatgod,standingalone,broughtforthashisown“speech”theprimevalmatter—orseaof“words”—whichcongealedintoanenclosure.TheEgyptiansassociatethispouringoutoftheseedorlifeelementswithfourluminousstreamsflowingfromthecentralsun.Thefouremanationsarethefour“sons”ofAtumortheFourSonsofHorus,eachidentifiedwithaquarteroftheheavenlykingdom.[577]Importantly, theEgyptians term these paths of light the “FourKhu”: they are the “words of power”—
streamsofcreative“speech”coursingthroughthefourdivisionsoforganizedspace.ThePyramidTextscall these“thefourblusteringwindswhichareaboutyou.”[578]TheFourSonsofHorus“send the fourwinds.” Inone source the fourwinds issue from themouthofAmen.[579] In theBookof theDead they are “the four blazing flames which are made for [or as] the Khu [words ofpower],”[580]whiletheCoffinTexts invokethemasthe“fourgodswhoarepowerfulandstrong,whobringthewater.”[581]TheEgyptiansalsointerpretedthefourpathsoflightas“arrows”launchedbythecreatortowardthefourquarters. (In hieroglyphs, the arrowmeans “shaft of light.”) Itwas an ancient practice of theEgyptianking,onassumingthethrone,toreleaseanarrow,ineachofthefourdirections,[582]thusreenactingthecreation,ororganizationofthecelestialkingdom.Thearrowissat,whichmeans“toshoot,”butalso“topourout”;forthefourarrowslaunchedbythekingsignifiedthewatersoflifeoriginally“pouredout”bythecreator,whomthekingpersonified.Satalsomeans“tosow”or“toscatterseedabroad”;whichistosay, the fourstreamscarried to the fourcorners thecreativeseedofabundance.[583]By launching thefour arrows the localkingproclaimedhimself theUniversalMonarch and sanctifiedhis kingdom as aduplicationoftheprimevalabode.InEgypt thecross—as thesymbolof the fourdirectional streams—possesses two importantmeanings.
Theform ,un,signifies“comingtolife,”forthedirectionalstreamsshoneforthwiththedailybirthof
thecentralsun(i.e.,withthesettingofthesolarorb).Intheform (or ),ami,thecrossmeans“tobein”or“tobeenclosedby”—inreferencetotheunifiedspaceenclosedwithinthewombofthemothergoddess .
WhencertainEgyptologistsfirstencounteredthesymbolofthegoddessNut ,theysawinit“apictorialsymbol of primitive Eden divided by the four-fold river.”[584] That conclusion would gain littlecredence among modern Egyptologists, yet it is much closer to the truth than the bland explanationscurrently in fashion.Thefourstreamsof life,emanatingfromthecreator,coursed through thewombofNut,theHolyLand.Thusthedeceasedimploresthegoddess,“Givemethewaterandthewindwhichareinthee.”[585]
Anothersymbolofthe“holyabode”isthesign [586]showingacrossofarrowssuperimposeduponashield.TheglyphispreciselyequivalenttothesymbolofNut ,forNut,theGreatProtectoress,wasthecosmicshield,andthefourstreamsoflife,enclosedwithinthewombofNut,werethesameastheshaftsorarrowsoflightlaunchedtowardthefourcorners.Thelandofthefourriverswasthatwhichthecreatorgatheredtogetherfromtheseaofwords,hisownemanation.Thehieroglyphicsymbolfor“tocollect,gathertogether”andfor“theunifiedland”is ,depictingtheprimevalenclosure(shen)dividedintoquartersbyacrossoftwoflails.Thattheflailsign
, in theEgyptian language, is readKhu, equates the flail-crosswith the four streamsof life (khu,“wordsofpower”)radiatingfromthecentralsun.Thereis,inotherwords,alevelofEgyptiansymbolismthatthespecialistshaveyettopenetrate.StandardtreatmentsoftheEgyptianHolyLandsaylittleornothingofthedirectionalstreams,thoughthesepowersarevitaltothesymbolismasawhole.Andonecanbecertainthatthepathsoflightandlifehavenothing
todowithan ill-defined“fourquarters”ofour earth,where theyareconventionally located.The fourwinds, or four rivers, or four pathways, or four shafts of light (arrows) belonged to the lost land inheaven,andonlythroughsymbolicassimilationtothiscosmicdwellingdidtheterrestrialhabitationshareintheimagery.A comparison of Egyptian cross symbolism with that of other lands reveals numerous parallels. The
oldest Mesopotamian image of divinity was the sun-cross , symbol of the creator An, the planetSaturn.An,likehiscounterpartsaroundtheworld,“broughtforthandbegatthefourfoldwind”withinthewombofTiamat,thecosmicsea.[587]ThecultworshippersofNinurta(Saturn)alsorepresentedtheirgodbythecross.Hence, thecuneiformideogramsforthefourfoldsaru,“wind,”andformehu,“stormwind”—bothofwhichbelongtoSaturn—taketheformofacross(figs.22and23).TheBabylonianSaturn inaugurates theday,“comingforth insplendour,”andthiscomingforthofSaturnmeansthecomingforthofthefourwinds(asinEgypt),fortheAkkadianumumdenotesboth“day”and“wind,” justas theSumeriansignsUDandUG,bothusedfor“day,”occuralso in the senseof “wind.”[588] (TheancientHebrewexpression“until thedayblows”conveysthesameidentity.)
Figure22.Babyloniansaru,“wind.”
Figure23.Ideogramformehu,or“stormwind.”
Saturn’sfourwindsmarkoutthequartersordirectionsoftheCosmos,Saturn’skingdom.Cosmologicaltexts speakof the“furiouswind . . . commanding thedirections”:[589] theSumerian im andAkkadiansaru,“wind,”alsosignify“region(orquarter)ofheaven.”[590]AsinEgypt,theMesopotamianfourwindscoincidewiththefourriversoflife.Insteadofthesimplesign
, some images show four streamsofwater radiating from the central sun (fig.24).[591] The best-known Mesopotamian figure of these streams is the famous “sun wheel” of Shamash (a god also
identifiedasSaturn).Portrayedarefourraysoflightandfourriversflowingfromthecentralgodtotheborderofthewheel(fig.15).
Figure24.(a)Mycenaeanfourriverssymbol;
Figure24.(b)Fourriverssymbol,Troy;
Figure24.(c)Babylonianimagepresentingthearmsofthesun-crossasfourrivers.
Hroznytentativelysuggests thatShamash’scrosswasasignfor“settlement.”[592]With thissuggestiononeiscompelledtoagree,forthefirstsettlements,organizedforaritualpurpose,imitatedtheheavenlyabode.Each sacred territory became “the landof the four rivers” and each ruler “the kingof the fourquarters.”Geographical limitations did not prevent the Assyro-Babylonian priests from assimilating the map oftheirlandtothequarteredcircleoftheprimevalkingdom.ThusatextreproducedbyVirolleaudlocatesthelandofAkkad,Elam,Subartu,andAmurruwithinthefourfoldenclosureofthesun .[593]“Everyland,”statesJeremias,“hasits‘paradise,’whichcorrespondswiththecosmicparadise.”[594]
The land of the sun-cross lay within the primeval circle, and this fact will explain why the
Babylonian sign of the four kibrati or “world quarters” (i.e., ) also denoted “the interior” or “the
enclosedspace.”[595]TheterminologyoffersafascinatingparalleltotheEgyptianami( , ),“tobein,”“tobeenclosedby.”TodwellinthelandofthefourriversistooccupytheSaturnianenclosure.[596]ThesameoverlappinginterpretationsofthefourstreamsoccurinHindusymbolism.Herethecrossandthecircle,accordingtooneobserver,represent“thetraditionalabodeoftheirprimevalancestors...Andlet us askwhat better pictureormore significant characters in the complicated alphabet of symbolismcouldhavebeenselectedforthepurposethanacircleandacross—theonetodenotearegionofabsolutepurityandperpetualfelicity,theotherthosefourperennialstreamsthatdividedandwateredtheseveralquartersofit.”[597]TheHinduHolyLandlieswithintheworldwheel,turnedbythestationarysunatthecentre.Thespokesofthewheel,delimitingthefourquarters,“havetheirfoundationinthesinglecentrewhichisSurya[thesun],”notesAgrawala.[598]
IntheritualoftheSatapathaBrahmana thespokesofthewheel become“arrows” launched in thefourdirectionsandcarryingthelifeelementstothefourcorners.Thearrowssentinonedirection“arefire,” those in another “are the waters,” those in another “are wind,” and those in another “are theherbs.”[599]ThePaippaladaorKashmirianArtharvaVedatermsthelatterflowofarrows“food.”Theidea seems to be that of abundance or “plenty” radiating from the heart of the Cosmos (and thusansweringtothefourEgyptianarrows[sat]transmittingtheseedofabundancetotheoutermostlimitsofthekingdom).TheHindussymbolizedtheseshaftsoflightbysettingafirethespokesofthesacredwheel.[600]
Figure25.Hinducross.
ApictorialimageofthefourstreamsoccursonancientHinducoinsdepictingthearmsofthesun-crossasarrowsdirectedtowardthefourcorners(fig.25).EveryancientIndiansettlementreflectedtheprimevalmapoftheCosmos,itsunifieddomainlyingwithinthe sacred circle and its four primary streets answering to the celestial crossroads. The settlement’sorganizationreenactedthecreation.AsnotedbyW.Muller,theHindusacredcity“duplicatestheCosmosin wood, brick and stone: its axes [north-south; east-west] demarcate the four quarters of theuniverse.”[601]Muller finds the same concept of the quartered kingdom in Ceylon, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, andVietnam.Eachsacredhabitationappearsas“thecelestialcityoftheking”andeachrulerasthewheel-
king. “State and nation represent a quartered universe [Cosmos],” writesMuller. Every image of thesacred“settlement”reflectstheimageofthe“world”—thecircleandcross.[602]InChina, the emperor stands symbolically at thepole,while rangedaroundhimare thepowersof thecardinal points.[603] The cosmic centre is ch’ien, from which, to use Jung’s phraseology, “the fouremanationsgoforth,liketheheavenlyforcesextendingthroughspace.”[604]Atthech’ien,thecentre,thefoursheorworldquartersconverge.[605]
The ideal celestial organization finds expression in the ancient Chinese hieroglyph . The sign,according toC.Hentze,denotes thecontreesuburbaineor settlementaroundacentre.[606] Is thisnotoncemoretheprimeval“place”sustainedbytheoutwardflowof“life”(or“arrows”)fromthecentralgod?L’Orange, inhisstudiesofcosmicsymbolismin theNearEast,notes that thegreat residentialcitiesofEkbatana, Darabjird, and Firuzabad were patterned after the wheel of the Cosmos, with the kingappearing at the intersection of the crossroads. “Wall and fosse are traced mathematically with thecompass,asanimageoftheheavens,aprojectionoftheupperhemisphereonearth.Thetwoaxisstreets,onerunningnorth-southandtheothereast-west,dividethecityintofourquadrantswhichreflectthefourquartersoftheworld.Attheverypointofintersection,intheveryaxisoftheworldwheel,thepalaceissituated, here sits the king, ‘TheAxis andPole of theWorld,’ ‘TheKing of the fourQuadrants of theWorld’...”[607]TothiscityofthewheelalsocorrespondstheimageryofJerusalemandPalestine.Theterrestrialcityand
HolyLand,inmorethanonemedievalmap,appearintheidealformofaquarteredcircle ,forsuchwas the image of the Eden paradise, with its four directional streams. And this is why Solomon andHezekiah, in constructing works for the distribution of Jerusalem’s waters, sought to imitate the fourriversofparadise—even to thepointofnamingonestreamGihon (a riverofEden)anddeclaring thatfrombeneaththetemplethesestreamsflowedoutoverthewholeworld.[608]The ancient Etruscans, followed by theRomans, looked to the same image of the fourfoldCosmos inlaying out the plan of the sacred city. The surveyors, according toW.Muller, sought to map out the“terrestrial imageof a celestialprototype,” and theirdivisionof the land into four regions—theRomaquadrata—“reflects a powerful cosmological model: the quartered earth of the Roman worldimage.”[609]
It is surely significant that allof thekey featuresof the sun-cross and the enclosed sun-crossreviewedaboveoccuralso in theAmericas.Often theparallelsarestunning.TheOmahaIndians, forexample,invokethe“AgedOne”:
...seatedwithassuredpermanencyandendurance,Inthecentrewhereconvergedthepaths,
There,exposedtotheviolenceofthefourwinds,yousat,
Possessedwithpowertoreceivesupplications,AgedOne...[610]
To reside at the intersectionof the celestial crossroads is to “sit” (rest) at the cosmic centre, theabodeof“permanency”and“endurance.”This“centre”isalsotheplacewherethe“fourwinds”meet,
forthefourwindsandheavenlypathwaysaresynonymous.Burlandrelates that thesymbolof theMexicangodXiuhtechuhtli—the“Old,OldOne,” the lordof thecentral fire at the pole—was “a white cross of the Four Directions in the black background of thenight.”[611]The IncaYupanqui,writesNuttall, “raised a temple inCuzco to theCreatorwho, superior to the sun[solarorb],couldrestandlighttheworldfromonespot.”Thiscentralsunwasrepresentedbyacross.[612]Indeed,thesun-crossisasymboloftheprimevalgodthroughouttheAmericas—fromtheIncaofPerutotheEskimosofAlaska.Wherever theNewWorld symbolismcanbeexamined in sufficientdetail, onefindsthatthecrosspossessedthesamesignificanceasintheOldWorld.The best authorities tell us the native American sun-cross depicts the “four winds”—conceived asvisible,evenviolentflowsoflifeandenergyfromacentralorstationarygod.(That is, thewindsarejust the opposite of the incongruous abstractions to which they have been reduced by so manymythologists.)Thefourwindsarethe“breath”ofthesun-god(asinancientEgypt),bearingtheseedoflifefromthecentre to thefourcorners.ThustheMayanIkmeansatonce“wind,”“breath,”and“life.”LiketheEgyptianstreamsofsatitis“thecauserofgermination.”[613]InMexico,Quetzalcoatl,“godoftheFourMotions,”wasrepresentedbythesun-cross,andthissymbolexplainshistitle,“Lordofthefourwinds.”AccordingtoNuttall,thecross“hadadeepermeaningthanhasbeenrealized,foritrepresentslife-givingbreathcarryingwithittheseedsofthefourvitalelements,emanatingfromthecentrallordoflife,[and]spreadingtothefourquarters...”[614]AlsonotedbyNuttall is theuseof thecross inCopan,where it“isassociatedwithafigure inrepose,occupyingtheMiddle,andfourpuffsofbreathorair,ladenwithlife-seeds,emanatingfromthis.”[615]Just as the Egyptians personified the four emanations as four “sons” of the central god, so did theMexicans.FromthesupremegodOmeteotl issued thefourTezcatlipocas,“theprimordial forceswhichweretogeneratethehistoryoftheworld.”Thefoursonscorrespondedtothefourquartersoftheworld.[616]
Figure26.Variationsoftheenclosedsun-crossintheMississippiValley.
Figure27.Arapahosignofthefourwinds.
Thesamepowers—centralgodandfouremissions—wererepresentedbythefiveTlalocs,who,liketheMayanBacabsandChacs,“weresetatfourcardinalpointsandatthecentreoftheheavens.”[617]FromhisdwellingattheworldsummitTlalocsentforththewatersofthefourquarters,oftensymbolized(asinEgyptandIndia)byfourvases.Thegodswhotransmittedthewaterstothefourcornerswerethesameasthegodsofthefourwinds.[618]ButthereisanevenmorestrikingparallelwithOldWorldsymbolism:thefourstreamsoflightandlifewere interpreted asarrows coursing in the four directions. In theNahuatl language theword tonamitlmeansatoncea“rayorshaftoflight”and“theshiningarrow.”AccordingtothechroniclerIxtlilxochitl,itwas anative custom,on consecrating anew territory, “toshootwithutmost force fourarrows in thedirectionofthefourregionsoftheworld.”[619]Thusdidthepriestssanctifythelandasarenewaloftheprimevalkingdom,inexactaccordwiththeancientEgyptianpractice!
Consistentwiththeglobaliconographyofthecentralsun,theAmericanIndiansreveredthesun-cross
andenclosedsun-cross asemblemsoftheunifieddomain,theHolyLand.AmongtheMexicans“thecross and the circle” are a “native symbol for ‘an integral state,’” writes Nuttall. Illustrating thissymbolismisthefamousMexicanCalendarWheel,displayingfourprincipalandfoursecondaryrays(or“arrows”), signifying the four quarters and their four subdivisions.Thiswheel ofTime, statesNuttall,[620]portraystheidealhabitation,andtheprototypelayinheaven,notonearth.Thewheelis“asclearlyan imageof thenocturnalheavenas it is of avast territorial statewhichonce existed in thevalleyofMexico,andhadbeenestablishedasareproductionuponearthoftheharmoniousorderandfixedlawswhichapparentlygovernedtheheavens.”[621]From the center of the ancient Inca city of Cuzco, four roads radiated in the four directions. At theintersectionofthecrossroadsrestedagoldenvasefromwhichafountainflowed.Thusdidthefourroadsimitatethefourpathsorstreamstransportingthewatersoflifetothefourquarters.TheMayanBookofChilamBalamoffersthefollowingmapofnorthernYucatan:[622]
Figure28.CosmologicalmapofnorthernYucatan.
Roysreportsthatthismap—adaptingactualgeographytotheprimordialideal—“isfairlytypicalinMayadocuments.”[623]Hereagain is theRomaquadrata, the celestial Jerusalem,orEgyptianNeter ta, theHolyLand.TheDelawaresacredtextcalledtheWalumOlum recordstheprimevaldwellingof theGreatSpiritby
theimage .Thiswasthenation’sancestralhomeland,theysay.[624]Agroup of anthropologists, on examining theWalumOlum, reported that the four points on the circle“indicatethefourquartersoftheearth.”By“earth”theyobviouslymeanttheterrestriallandscape.Butifthequarteredcircle refers toourearth,[625] then thedot insidecertainly isnot the sun, in spiteof thesteadfastopinionofsolarmythologists.Inthiscase,theexpertspossessedtheanswerwithoutrecognizingit.Thetextitselfidentifiesthesignwith“theplacewheretheGreatSpiritstayed.”Tothisstatementthecommentatorsadd:“Concentriccirclesora circlewith a dot in the centremeans divine or hallowed.”[626] Combining the two statements oneobtainsaclear-cutdefinitionofthesignas“thedivineorhallowedplacewheretheGreatSpiritstayed.”Denotedisthequartered,primevalland,ofwhichtheterrestrialHolyLandwasbutasymbol.Asa finalexample, Inote that thesun-crossand the life-givingstreamsare recalledeven inHawaiianmyth.HerethecreatorTeaveisthe“Father-Mother”fromwhom“lifecoursedtothefourdirectionsoftheworld.”[627] From the cosmic centre and zenith, Teave organized the celestial “kingdom” with his“flamingcrossof shiningwhite light,” “the first and foremost Cross ofGod.”[628] The “PrimordialLord of the Sun” (Teave) transmitted the life elements to the four corners through the agency of fourassistantgods:“...Thebloodoflifepulsatedfromtheinfiniteandcoursedtothenorth,east,south,west,viatheFourSacredHeartsofGod,thedeitiesTane,Tanaoroa,Tu,Rono.”[629]The widespread traditions of the primordial kingdom and the four life-streams reflect a consistentmemory.Oneverycontinentonefindsacompulsiontoorganizethenativelandafteracosmicoriginal,
definedbytheenclosedsun-cross .Thefocusistheprimevalgroundoccupiedbythegreatfather—whosehome is the “earth”brought forth in the creation legend.By superimposing themapofSaturn’sEarthontothelocallandscape,theancientsconsecratedtheirnativeterritoryasalikeness,orarenewal,ofthecelestialabode.
TheFour-EyedOrFour-FacedGod
IntheancientEgyptianHeb-Sedfestival,thekingascendstothethroneofOsiris,whereheisdeifiedasthegreatgod’ssuccessor.TocertifyhisauthorityasUniversalMonarch,helaunchesfourarrowstowardthefourcorners,thenassumeshisthrone,turningtothefourcardinalpointsinsuccession.[630]By facing the four directions the king repeats the feat of the great god; for the Universal Monarch,occupying thesteadfastcentre (or fifth region),ceaselessly turned roundabout, sendinghis raysof lifethroughthefourdivisionsofunifiedspace.The classical historianDiodorus tells us that when the nameOsiris is translated intoGreek itmeans“many-eyed”—“andproperlyso;forinsheddinghisraysineverydirectionhesurveyswithmanyeyes,asit were, all land and sea.” To Osiris, Herodotus compares the Greek Dionysus—a god who, in theBacchicHymn,shines“likeastar,withafieryeyeineveryray.”[631]Byfacingthefourdirectionsandbysendingforththefourdirectionalstreams,theUniversalMonarchbecomesthegodoffourfacesorfoureyes.“Homagetothee,Othouwhohastfourfaces,”readsalineofthePyramidTexts.[632]Osiris,astheRamofMendes,isthegodof“fourfacesononeneck.”[633]TheHinduAtharvaVedaspeaksofthe“fourheavenlydirections,havingthewindaslord,uponwhichthesunlooksout.”[634]This,ofcourse,canonlybethecentralsun,whoisBrahma,agodoffourfaces.ThemythsalsoattributefourfacestoShiva.[635]ThecentralsunPrajapati takes theformof thefour-eyed,four-faced,andfour-armedVivvakarman,the“allmaker.”[636]Agni,too,faces“inalldirections,”[637]asdoesKrishna.[638]Chinesemyths recall a four-eyed sage named Ts’ang Chieh, a legendary inventor of writing (i.e., theUniversalMonarch).[639]TheoldGreekgodArgos,intheAigimiosofHesiod,looks“thiswayandthatwithfoureyes.”[640]MacrobiustellsusthegreatgodJanuswassometimesrepresentedwithfourfaces,inallusiontothefourquartersoftheCosmos.[641]AmongtheTarahumarainNorthAmerica,thecrossrepresentedthegodHikuli,“thefour-facedgodwhoseesallthings.”[642]The“CentralLord”ofMexicanritual,representedbythecross,is“Hewholooksinfourdirections.”[643]Therecannolongerbeanydoubtthatthefour-eyedorfour-facedgodisSaturn,forthesun-planetappearsin Babylonian myth as Ea (Sumerian Enki)—a god of four eyes that “behold all things.”[644] ThePhoenician El—Saturn—has four eyes, as does the Orphic Kronos (Saturn). The Chinese YellowEmperorHuang-ti—identifiedasSaturn—isalsofour-eyed.[645]The four-eyes,or four faces,becomeintelligible only in connection with the five regions—the polar centre and the four divisions rangedaroundit.
TheFoundationStone
Residingat the immovable centreof theCosmos,Saturnwas the stoneor rockof foundation, theprototypeof the cornerstone (situatedwhere the four cornersmeet— ).The fourbeamsof lightwhichradiatedfromtheSaturnianstoneappearedtosustaintheworldwheelatits“fourcorners” ,sothat,inmanymyths,thelife-bearingstreamsaresynonymouswiththe“fourpillarsoftheworld.”InthemystictraditionsreviewedbyManlyP.Hall(Masonic,Hermetic,Qabalistic,Rosicrucian,etc.),theplanetSaturnloomsastheelementarypowerofcreation.Theplanet-god“wasalwaysworshippedunderthe symbol of the base or footing, inasmuch as he was considered to be the substructure upholdingcreation,”statesHall.[646]Thewriteris,ofcourse,thinkinginmetaphysicalterms,andwhenhespeaksof“creation”hedoubtlessmeanssomethingmuchdifferentfromthe“creation”discussedintheforegoingsections.Yethissummary,when stripped ofmetaphysics and solar terminology, accurately conveys an age-old idea: “The solarsystem [read:Cosmos]was organized by forces operating inward from the great ring of theSaturniansphere; and since the beginning of all things was under the control of Saturn, the most reasonableinferenceisthatthefirstformsofworshipwerededicatedtohiminhispeculiarsymbol—thestone.ThustheintrinsicnatureofSaturnissynonymouswiththatspiritualrockwhichistheenduringfoundationoftheSolartemple[read:dwellingofthecentralsun].”[647]IntheearliersymbolismoftheFoundationStone,thereisnohintofsolarassociations,andthestoneisnota “spiritual [invisible] rock,” but the shining center around which the created earth, or Cosmos,congealed.TheEgyptiansknew theFoundationStoneas theBenben.Frankfortwrites that the“firstpieceof solidmatteractuallycreatedbyAtumintheprimevalocean...wasastone,theBenben;andithadoriginatedfromadropoftheseedofAtumwhichfellintotheprimevalocean.”[648]Moreprecisely,oneshouldsaythatAtumwas the seed and the seedwas the Benben stone—the first thing to stabilize at the cosmiccentre.“Thou[Atum]didstshineforthasBenben,”recallsaPyramidText, inconnectionwith thefirstphasesofcreation.[649]Atum,orRe,isthe“GreatSeed,”andthisaspectofthegodisconveyedbythetermben(fromwhichthewordBenben was produced):ben signifies “to beget.” But the same wordmeans “to go round”: theBenbenisthesteadfastseed-stone,which,turningroundabout,movedthewheeloftheCosmos.FromAtum,theBenben,flowedthefourstreamsoflife,demarcatingthefourquartersorcornersofthecosmicdwelling.Itisthusvitalthatbensignifies“corner,”whilethehieroglyphicsignfor“corner”is
.[650]Sincethestoneoffoundationlayatthecenter,the“corner”ofthebencannothaveoriginallymeantthecornerofasquareorrectangularedifice—eveniflatergenerationscametoconceiveitassuch.
Denotedisoneofthefour“quarters”convergingonthecentralstone .Thismeaningissuggestedbyanothersign— ,apt, signifying“divisionof theholyabode.”Thesacrededifice isdivided intofour
quartersorcorners definedbytheanglesoftheben .Alsorelevantherearethesignses— ,“todivide,” and the common sign of “the holy abode”— ,nut. The “four corners”meet at theBenben(Atum),theFoundationStone.“GotothestreamingsoftheNile[thatis,theheavenlywaters]andthereyouwillfindastonethathasa
spirit,” stated anold alchemical source.[651]Clearly, the tradition refers to theFoundationStone, thecentralsourceofthefourstreamsradiatinglifetotheinhabitantsofthecelestialkingdom.Thisqualityof thecentralsunpersists inHebrewandMuslimimageryofAdam,theHeavenMan.TheNassenes esteemedAdamas the “rock” and “cornerstone.”[652]Writes Jung: “The stone is indeedofsupremeimportance,becauseitfulfillsthefunctionofAdamKadmonasthe‘capitalstone,’fromwhichalltheupperandlowerhostsintheworkofcreationarebroughtintobeing.”[653]ThetheosophicZohardeclares,“TheworlddidnotcomeintobeinguntilGodtookacertainstone,whichiscalledthefoundationstone,andcastitintotheabysssothatitheldfastthere,andfromittheworldwasplanted.Thisisthecentralpointoftheuniverse,andonthispointstandstheHolyofHolies.”[654]Patai summarized the tradition: “In themiddle of theTemple and constituting the floor of theHoly ofHolies,wasahugenativerockwhichwasadornedbyJewishlegendswithallthepeculiarfeaturesofanOmphalos,ANaveloftheEarth.Thisrock,calledinHebrewEbhenShetiyyah,theStoneofFoundation,was the first solid [i.e., stable, stationary] thing created, and was placed by God amidst the as yetboundlessfluidoftheprimevalwaters.Legendhasitthatjustasthebodyofanembryoisbuiltupinitsmother’swombfromthenavel,soGodbuiltuptheearthconcentricallyaroundthisStone.”[655]Is this not the same account as that recorded by the Egyptians, who say that Atum, the masculineFoundationStone,cametorestatthecosmiccentre,andthatthecreated“land”or“earth”—thewombofthemothergoddess—congealedaroundthecentralgod?HebrewandMuslimtraditionslocatetheFoundationStoneintheparadiseofEden.TheArabictermforthestoneises-Sakra—“theRock.”ThustheMosqueofOmar—knownasKubbates-Sakra,“DomeoftheRock”—bears on its western facade the inscription: “The Rock of the Temple—from the Garden ofEden.”[656]ThelegendsrelatethattheFoundationStoneconcealsbeneathitalltheworld’swatersandwinds:“AllsweetwatercomesfromundertheHolyRock,”notesWensinck;“thereafteritspreadsovertheearth.”AMuslimtextstatesthat“allriversandcloudsandvapoursandwindscomefromundertheHolyRockinJerusalem.”[657]ThiscanonlymeanthatthefourriversofEden,whichwater“thewholeearth,”havetheiroriginin,orunder,theFoundationStone.Thoughthestonebelongstothecentre, it is, liketheEgyptianBenben,acornerstone, foronereads inIsaiah,“ThereforethussaiththeLordGod,BeholdIlayinZion[i.e.,Jerusalem]forafoundationastone,atriedstone,apreciouscornerstone,asurefoundation.”[658]Thecenteristheintersectionofthefourcorners .ThattheFoundationStonestoodatthesourceofthefourdirectionalpathsistheconsistentthemeinalloftheancientarchitecturalplansreviewedbyW.Muller—fromEuropetoSoutheastAsia.WhentheRomanaugurmarkedoutthefourdirectionsofthesacredcityhesatuponastone—whichdenotedthecenter,theintersectionof thenorth-southandeast-westaxes.[659] (Onenaturally thinksalsoof the lapisnigerorblackstoneoftheRomanForum,signifyingthecentreoftheworld.)The map of ancient Ireland shows four provinces—Connaught, Ulster, Leinster, and Munster—surrounding thecentralprovinceofMide(“theMiddle”),wherewassituated theAillna-Mircann, the“Stoneof theDivisions.”[660]This basic pattern occurs also in the original planofNimwegen in theNetherlands:attheintersectionofthe“fourstreetsoftheworld”stoodagreatbluestone.[661]Asimilarstone stoodat the symbolic centreofLeiden, fromwhich fourmain streets radiated in fourdirections.[662]
AtthecenterofthesacredHindudwelling,wherethedirectionalpathsmeet,stoodtheFoundationStone,consideredas thefixedpoint fromwhichcreationbegan.[663] InThailand theFoundationStoneof theroyalpalace,lyingattheintersectionofthecrossroads,wasthe“corner-stoneoftheland.”[664]Nor can one ignore the identity of the Foundation Stone and the planet Saturn. Arabic thought oftenidentifies the Foundation Stone of Eden/Jerusalemwith the sacred stone of theKa’ba inMecca.[665](TraditionsaysthatAdamhimselfsatupontheKa’bastone,andthat“fortyyearsbeforeAllahcreatedtheheavensandearththeKa’bawasadryspotfloatingonthewaterandfromittheworldhasbeenspreadout.”[666]It isreportedthatinthepre-IslamicperiodthestatueofagodHubalstoodinsidetheKa’baabovetheopeningofawell.Thewellsymbolizedthecentralsourceoftheworld’swaters,andHubalwastheplanetSaturn.InthetraditionreconstructedbyHildegardLewy,thestatueofHubalfilledthesamepurposeasthestone.Whenthestonewasremoved“astatueoftheplanetSaturn[Hubal]hadservedinitsplaceasthevisiblesymboloftheplanetarygodtowhomtheKa’bawasdedicated.”[667]ButtheMeccanstone,asaffirmedbynumerousaccounts,symbolizedtheveryrockwhichtheHebrewscalled Ebhen Shetiyyah—the Foundation Stone.[668] The Mohammedans, writes Lewy, “were fullyaware of the functions of the sacred stone of Mecca and Jerusalem. The sacred stone of Jerusalemrepresentedthesamegod[Saturn]astheBlackStoneofMecca.”[669]The Foundation Stone is thus an indispensable ingredient in the symbolism of the four life-bearingstreams.ThestonedenotesSaturninhischaracterasthesteadfastsupportoftheturningCosmosandthesourceoftheradiatinglifeelements.
TheFourPillarsOfHeaven
Thereisanaspectofthefourstreamswhichseemstodefynatureandreason:theyarecalled“pillars.”TheEgyptianFourSonsofHorusappearasfoursupportsholdingaloftthewombofheaven(Nut).Butthestandardanalysisofthefourpillar-gods,bydispersingthemtoanindefinable“fourcorners”ofourearth,deprivesthemoftheirconcreteaspectaslife-streamsflowingfromthecentralsun.WhenthegreatgodidentifiestheFourSonsofHorusasthespiritswho“havesprungfrommybodyandwhoshallbewithme in theformofeverlasting judges . . . ,” it isclear that thefourpowersoccupyaparticularplace.[670]ThusthePyramidTextslocateAtum-Reat“theplaceofthefourpillars,”[671]andthis“place”isdoubtless the womb of Nut, the Holy Abode . The four streams are conceived as four pillarsradiatingfromtheimmovableFoundationStonetosustainSaturn’sCosmosatfourcardinalpoints.TheHinduSatapathaBrahmana,insettingforththeritualoftheworldwheel,extolsthegreatgodVishnuwiththewords:“OVishnu,withbeamsoflightthoudidstholdfasttheearthonallsides.”[672]Thefour
primary rays of the Hindu central sun constitute the pillars of the celestial dwelling . (TheconnectionisimplicitintheEnglishwordbeam,whichmeansbotharayoflightandafixedsupport.)Soalsodothefourwindsserveaspillars.TheEthiopicBookofEnochreads:“Isawthetreasuresofallthewinds:IsawhowHehadfurnishedwiththemthewholecreationandthefirmfoundationsoftheearth.AndIsawthecornerstoneoftheearth:Isawthefourwinds...:thesearethepillarsoftheearth.”[673]InarchitecturalrepresentationsofEden’sfourrivers,theytooappearaspillars.[674]TheMayanBacabs,whopersonifythefourdirectionalstreams,arethefourpropsofheaven.Similarly,inHawaiianmyth,thelifeelementsradiatetothefourcornersofheavenbymeansofthefourspirits,Tane,Rono,TanaoroaandTucalled“theFourMalePillarsofCreation.”[675]Onourearthnoonehaseverseenabeamoflight,awind,orariverservingasapillar,yetthisistheextraordinaryfunctionofthefourpathsoflightandlifeflowingfromthecreator.Asspokesoftheworld
wheel ,thestreamsappearedto“pillarapart”andtosteadytherevolvingenclosure.
SymmetricalElaborationsOfTheSun-Cross
In thecourseofmanycenturies thesun-crossoftenacquiredcomplexandsymmetricalassociations,asschools ofmyth and theology combined various interpretations of the four streams in formal systems.These evolved systemsoften identify eachquarterof sacred spacewith an element, colour, season,orrepresentativeanimal.Anearlyexampleofthistendencyistheassignmentofadifferentsubstancetoeachofthefourparadisalrivers.WhileMarcoPolojourneyedtothecourtofKublaiKhanhewastoldthelegendofanoldrulercalledtheSheikhoftheMountain.Thesheikhwasdistinguishedforhispossessionoftheworld’smostbeautiful garden, containing the best fruits of the earth. Through the garden passed four conduits, oneflowingwithwine,onewithmilk,onewithhoney,andonewithwater.Thesheikhproclaimedhisgardentobeparadise.[676]Hinduliteraturedescribesthefourriversofparadiseasflowingrespectivelywithmilk,butter,honey,andwine.[677]Similarly,Strabo relates the reportofCalamus that the first raceofmenenjoyedablissfullandinwhich“cornofallsortsaboundedasplentifullyasdustdoesatpresent;andthefountainspouredforthstreams,someofwater,someofmilk,someofhoney,someofwine,andsomeofoil.”[678]In a correspondingmanner each river receives a different color. The four rivers of theChinese polarparadiseKwen-lun possess a remarkable feature: one is blue, anotherwhite, another red, and anotherblack.[679]EachoftheHindufourrivershasitsspecialcolour.[680]TheKalmucksofSiberiadescribeaprimordialseafromwhichfourriversflowed“towardthedifferentpointsofthecompass,”eachissuingfrom themouth of a different animal and identifiedwith different colours: “The eastern river containssilversand,thesouthernbluejewelsand,thewesternredjewelsandandthenortherngoldsand.”[681]Indeveloping thesymbolismof the terrestrialkingdom, theancientsborrowedfromthe imageryof thecelestial, assigning a different colour, element, or season to each geographical “cardinal point.” Of
coursethecelestialprototype,thesun-cross ,doesnotitselfsuggestwhichterrestrialdirectionshouldbeassociatedwith“fire”andwhichwith“air,”orwhetheronespecialdirectionshouldbelinkedwith“blue”andanotherwith“red.”Thusthereseemstobenosinglepatternofthesymbolismfromonelandtoanother.Butthetendencytowardsuchformalizationwasuniversal.BoththeMexicansandtheZuniidentifiedthefour directions with respective colours and “elements” (air, water, fire, earth), though the specificrelationshipdiffered,asindicatedbelow:[682]
TheMaya,ontheotherhand,connectedtheeastwithred,thenorthwithwhite,thewestwithblack,andthe southwith yellow. Throughout NorthAmerica, according to Alexander, the directional godswere
associatedwithrespectivecolours,thoughthere“isnouniformityinthedistributionofthecolourstotheseveralregions.”[683]BuddhistsymbolismshowsfourraysradiatingfromtheheadsofMakasukhatothefourcorners,eachrayassociatedwithacolour,[684]whiletheChinesedevelopedthefollowingassociationsofthedirections:
Takenalone, thesevariedconnections tellus little, forsuchdevelopmentsare largelyamatterof localinnovation.What is important forouranalysis is theunanimitywithwhich theancientsconceived theirland as four quarters around a centre, identifying the quarterswith the primal life elementswhich alltraditionsdescribeflowingfromthecentralsuninradiantstreams.Moreover, there is one aspect of the elaborated symbolismof the four quarterswhichdeserves closerattention—namely, the connection of the planet Saturn with the centre around which the four“elements” or colors or seasons are ranged. In the specific associations of the Chinese directionsindicatedaboveonerecognizesnocorrespondencewitha“generaltradition.”Forexample,theChineseidentificationof thecenterwiththeelement“earth”orwiththecoloryellowfails tocoincidewithanyworld-widepattern.Surelyitissignificant,however,thatinChinathecenter,theelement“earth,”andthecolouryellowallbelonguniquelytotheplanetSaturn—astartlingfactwhichagreeswith theequallystartlingplacementofSaturnat thepole, thecosmiccentreinChinesethought.[685]Saturn isHuang-ti,theYellowEmperor,hisresidencetheCentralPalacefromwhichthefourdirectionsradiate.ThischaracterofSaturnprevailsintheChinesesymbolismofthefivevisibleplanets.Saturnisplacedatthe centre, while Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are spaced at the “four corners” around Saturn.NothinginthepresentorbitsoftheplanetswouldsuggestSaturn’slocationatthecentreofthissystem.Infact,astheoutermostvisibleplanet,Saturnwouldseemtheleastworthyofsuchdistinction.Butoriginally,Saturnwasthepolarsun,thecentralsourceofthedirectionalstreams,anditwasonlytobe expected that the other four planets, like the four seasons, four colours, or four elements, came tosymbolizethepowersofthefourquarters,theirsymboliclocationpossiblybeingdecidedbytheelementwithwhich eachplanetwas identified.As to the “center,”Saturn couldbe theonly choice.Theorderwas:
ThiscosmologicalsystemreceivesextensivetreatmentbyLeopolddeSaussure.[686]TotheChinese,hereports,Saturncorrespondedtothesacredcentre,aroundwhichthecardinalpointsranged;symbolismofthe terrestrialcentremirrored thesymbolismof thecelestialpole.Theotherfourplanetswereequatedwiththefourseasons,elements,andcolours,theentiresystemhavingitsoriginintheconceptofthefourdivisionsofheaven,towhichthepolarcentre,Saturn’sdomain,wasaddedasthe“fifth.”What is even more extraordinary, the location of Saturn at the polar centre—with the four quartersdispersed around him—was not unique to China. De Saussure finds the same system in Iran. Iraniancosmologyconnectsthefiveplanetswithfiveregionsofspace,thecentrebeingfixedatthecelestialpole.Placedat thepolewasKevan, the planet Saturn, precisely duplicating the station of theChineseSaturn.Hereisthesystem:
Thereaderwillnotethatthedirectionalconnectionsofthefourperipheralplanetsdonotcorrespondtotheconnectionsin theChinesesystem.What isvital isSaturn’scentralstationas thesourceof thefouremanations. “The planet that the Chinese consider as the symbol of the emperor [i.e., Saturn] isassociated,inIran,withtheGreatOneintheMiddleofHeaven,whichistosay,withthecelestialpole;itbearsthename...ofKevananditispreciselyidentifiedbythetranslatorswithSaturn.”[687]AfterreviewingthestunningconcordanceoftheChineseandIraniansymbolism,deSaussureconcludedthat the Iranian system must have been borrowed from the Chinese. Later, however, followingcorrespondencewiththeIranianscholarJunker,deSaussurechangedhisopinion;forJunkerpointedoutthat the same idea—the polar centre surrounded by four heavens-divisions—prevailed in the olderBabylonian andHindu systems.Therefore, concludeddeSaussure, “thedivisionof theuniverse into acentral region and four peripheral divisions [and] the assimilation of the terrestrial sovereign to thecelestialpole...occursnotonlyinChinesecosmology—whichisparticularlyrational,symmetricalandwellpreserved—butalsoinBabylonian,Vedic[Hindu]andIraniancosmologies.”[688]Mostsurprisingofall,however,wasthediscoverybydeSaussureandJunkerthatwhentheprinciplesof
thefiveregionsareappliedtotheoldestenumerationofthesun,moon,andplanetsinBabylonia,Saturnacquiresthecentral(polar)station.[689]“InthemostancientBabylonianseries[ofplanets]basedonthenumberfive,”statesdeSaussure,“theplanetSaturnisplaced,asinChina,inthemiddle.”[690]ThepolarSaturn,presidingoverthecentralregionandsurroundedbythepowersofthefourquarters,thusoccursintheearliestformalastronomy.
Tosummarize:Theimageryofthequarteredkingdomcentersonthesignofthesun-cross ,depictingSaturn sending the seed of life in the four directions. Ancient mythmakers interpreted the radiatingstreamsasfourbeamsoflight,fourwinds,fourrivers,fourpathsofarrows,orfourpillarsoftheCosmos
.Buttheheaven-dividingstreamseventuallypassedintoanexpandedsymbolism,relatingeachdirectiontoan element, season, colour, or planet. In such elaborate and symmetrical renderings of the quarteredkingdom,onerecognizesthearbitraryinfluenceofinnovation.Buttherootidearemainsconsistentfromonelandtoanother,andwhensuchsymbolismissubjecttoscrutiny,Saturnloomsatthecosmiccentre—the“fifthregion,” the immovablepolearoundwhich thedirectionalelements,seasons,planets,etc.areranged.
VII:Temple,Crown,Vase,Eye,AndCircularSerpentAprimarythesisofthisbookisthattheSaturnianconfigurationprovokedmanydifferentsymbols,whoseunderlyingrelationshiptoasinglecosmicformtoooftengoesunnoticed.When theancients laidout thesacredcity theysought toestablisha likenessof thecosmicdwelling,acirclearoundafixedcentre.Andinorganizingthefirstkingdoms,unifyingonce-separateterritories,thefoundersfollowedthesamecelestialplan.Therewasonlyonedwellingofthegreatgod,butthisdwellinginspiredimitativeformsofvaryingscaleand varying ritual functions. At root the creator’s home is simply “the place,” “the land,” “the holyabode,” or “the enclosure.” Only with the construction of imitative cities does the god’s residencebecome “the cosmic city.” And only after the organization of imitative terrestrial kingdoms can onemeaningfullytermtheheavenlyabodea“celestialkingdom.”WhatthesmallestcityandgrandestempirehaveincommonisanidenticalrelationshiptotheSaturnianenclosure.Distinctionsofscale“downhere”donotalterthefactthatthecelestialcityandkingdomareabsolutelysynonymous.InadditiontotheimagesoftheSaturnianbandreviewedintheforegoingsections,severalothersrequireattention.
TheTemple
Like theancientcityandkingdom, the terrestrialshrinecopiesSaturn’sdwelling. (Saturn,aswehaveseen, founded the “first” temple.) Though the local temple acquired its own special functions andattributes, the ritual leaves no doubt that thecosmic “house,” “shrine,” and “chamber”mean the samethingasthe“cityofheaven.”SumeriantextsdescribethecosmiccityofEriduas:
Thehousebuiltofsilver,adornedwithlapislazuli...Theabyss[cosmicocean],
theshrineofthegoodnessofEnki,befittingthedivinedecrees,Eridu,thepurehousehavingbeenbuilt.[691]
Conversely, the celestial temple is called “the primeval city” (the very title of many Sumerian citiesthemselves),andthehymnssayoftheKestemple:
Indeeditisacity,indeeditisacity,whoknowitsinterior?TheKestempleisindeedacity,whoknowsitsinterior?[692]
Enki,theSumerianSaturn,erectshistempleor“seahouse”asthecrowningactofcreation:Afterthewaterofcreationhasbeendecreed,
Afterthenamehegal(Abundance),bornofheaven,Liketheplantandherbhadclothedtheland,
Thelordoftheabyss,theKingEnki,Enki,thelordwhodecreesthefates,
Builthishouseofsilverandlapislazuli:Itssilverandlapislazuli,likesparklinglight.Thefatherfashionedfittinglyintheabyss.[693]
This is the “far-famed house built in the bosom [heart, centre] of the Nether sea.”[694] The cosmicdwelling becomes the “Good temple built on a good place . . . floating in the sky . . . heaven’smidst.”[695]Itissaidto“floatlikeacloudinthemidstofthesky.”[696]Inconstructingtheearthboundcopyofthetempleabove,statesJastrow,theBabyloniansstrovetomakeboth the exterior and interior “resplendent with brilliant colouring—‘brilliant as the sun.’”[697] Thepurposeisclear:toimbuethelocaltemplewithalustrematchingthatoftheprototype.Symbolically,thelocaltempletakesontheradianceofthecelestial,becomingthe“houseoflight,”“houseofthebrilliantprecinct,”or“loftyandbrilliantwall”;“thehouseofgreatsplendour,”“thebeautifulhouse,”“thebrillianthouse.”[698]TodealwiththeSumero-Babylonianimageryinitsowntermsonemustunderstandthecosmictemplenotonly as the god’s house—but more. The temple fashioned in the abyss is the created “earth.” TheSumerianEkur, the house of Enlil on the cosmic seaApsu,means both “temple” and “earth” (“land,”“place”).[699]Gragg confirms the identity of the cosmic temple and the created “earth” when he notes “the cosmicdimensionsofthetemple.Itfillsthewholeworld.”[700]TheSumerianscelebratedthegod’sshrineasthe“pureplace,earthofAn,”(thatis,Saturn’sEarth).[701]
ThroughouttheprevioussectionsIhavecontendedthatSaturn’sdwellingproducedtheoriginalmythofthe lostparadise.That thegreatgod’shouseenclosed thecosmic landof fertilityandabundance is thestraightforward declaration of theSumerian temple hymns. (Though someof the lines in the followingquotesarebroken,onecannotfailtodiscerntheconsistenttheme):
House,Mountain,likeherbsandplantsbeautifullyblooming...yourinteriorisplentitude.[702]
Thetempleisbuilt;itsabundanceisgood!TheKestempleisbuilt;itsabundanceisgood![703]Housewithwell-formedjars,setupunderheaven...(Fullof)theabundanceofthemidstofthesea...
Emah,thehouseofSara,thefaithfulmanhasenlargedforyou(Umma)inplenty...(With)goodfortuneitisexpanding,(its)...abundanceandwell-being...[704]House...fromyourmidst(comes)plenty,
Yourtreasury(is)amountainofabundance...[705]Yourinterioristheplacewherethesunrises,endowedwithabundance,far-reaching...[706]
Housewiththegreatme’sofKulaba...,(its)...hasmadethetempleflourish,
Wellgrownfreshfruit,marvellous,filledwithripeness,Descendingfromthemidstofheaven...[707]
Oneseesthatthetemplestandsatthecosmic“midst”orcentre.Fromitsinteriorshinestheprimevalsun,ithousestheflourishingcelestialgarden.Thechamberofthegreatgod,accordingtoSumeriancreationmyths,wasthatinwhichdwelttheoriginalgenerationof“men”(i.e., thecompanyofgods towhomallraces tracedtheirancestryandfromwhicheachracetookitsname).ThechamberwastheprototypeofEden,theancestralbirthplace.IntheSumerianmythoftheprimordialheroTagtugoccursalivelydescriptionofthegod’schamberasacelestialgarden.Occupyingthehouseofabundanceare theAnunnaki, thegreatgod’scompanions.Andherecameintobeingthefirstgenerationof“Mankind”:
TheabundanceofthegoddessofflocksandoftheGrainGoddess,TheAnunnakiin“theholychamber”
Ateandwerenotfilled...TheAnunnakiin“theholychamber”
Drankandwerenotfilled.Intheholypark,fortheir(thegod’s)benefit,Mankindwiththesouloflifecameintobeing.
ThenEnkisaidtoEnlil:“FatherEnlil,flocksandgrain
In“theholychamber”havebeenmadeplentiful.In“theholychamber”mightilyshalltheybringforth.”
BytheincantationofEnkiandEnlilFlocksandgrainin“theholychamber”broughtforth.
Pasturetheyprovidedforthemabundantly,FortheGrain-goddesstheypreparedahouse...[708]
The flowering of the celestial garden is awidespread themewhich I touched on briefly in the earlierdiscussionoftheEgyptiancreationandwhichIintendtoexploreatgreaterlengthinasubsequentvolume.It is surelyworthy of note, however, that the great god’s “chamber” is the same as the “holy park” inwhich“Mankind”wasbroughtforth.IfonereadstheabovelinesinthelightoftheEgyptiansymbolism—whichequatesthefirstgenerationofgods(men)withthe“abundance”eruptingfromthecreator—theSumerianmythtakesongreatermeaningthanmightotherwisebeevident.Immediatelyafterthestatement,“Mankindwiththesouloflifecameintobeing,” Enki declares that “flocks and grain in ‘the holy chamber’ have been made plentiful.” Theprimevalgenerationwasthesamethingas theoverflowingabundance,bothreferring to the luminousdebriswhicheruptedfromthecreatoras“speech.”Thus the“flocksandgrain”of thecelestialgarden,accordingtotheSumeriantext,arebroughtforth“bytheincantation[i.e.,speech]ofEnkiandEnlil”(twocompetingfiguresofthesinglecreator).Tomyknowledge,suchcloseparallelsbetweentheEgyptianandMesopotamiancreationaccountshaveneverreceivedadequateattentionbycomparativemythologists.TheblossomingchamberoftheSumeriancreationalsofindsacounterpart inaHawaiiangenesismyth,reproducedbyLeinaniMelville:
MandescendedfromtheSacredShrineofTheKingwhocreatedtheheavens.
TheShrineoftheKingofHeavenwhocausedthatdistantrealmtobloomandflower:
TheConsecratedRealmofTeave,theWorldofTeave.[709]Both the Hawaiian and Sumerian sources place the genesis of the race in the great god’s shrine orchamber, likened to a flowering garden. Just as the Sumerian chamber or temple corresponds to the“earth,”sodoestheHawaiiansacredshrineanswerto“theWorldofTeave.”
TheEgyptianTemple
AsinMesopotamia,Egyptiansourcesportraytheprimevaltempleasthevisibledwellingofthesun-god:
MayIshinelikeReinhisdivinesplendourinthetemple.[710]Homagetothee[OsirisNu],Othouwhoartwithinthedivineshrine,whoshinestwithraysoflightand
sendestforthradiancefromthyself.[711]...Everygodshall...rejoiceatthelifeofPtahwhenhemakethhisappearancefromthegreattemple
oftheAgedOnewhichisinAnnu.[712]Thouarttherulerofallthegodsandthouhastjoyofheartwithintheshrine.[713]
Thegreatgod’sshrine,house,ortempleisthebandof“glory,”theAten :“YourpavilionisenlargedintheinterioroftheAten,”statesaCoffinText.[714]When the Egyptians laid the foundation of a temple, they consecrated the enclosed ground as “theprimeval territory of the domain of the sun-god.”[715]Each temple became aminiature of the cosmichabitation founded in the creation. Thus the Egyptians viewed the Edfu temple as “the veritabledescendantof themythical temple thatwascreatedat thedawnof thisworld . . . ,”Reymond tellsus.[716]Thefoundationgroundbecame“theBlessedTerritoryfromthetimeofthePrimevalOnes...,theHinterland of the Primeval Water.”[717] This was the Province of the Beginning, “the BlessedHomeland.”[718]InHebrew cosmology, reportsWensinck, “the sanctuary is the type and representation ofCosmos andParadiseandassuchapowerdiametricallyopposedtoChaos.”[719]FromtheveryspotoftheHebrewtemple“thefirstrayoflightissuedandilluminatedthewholeworld.”Indeed, the templewas the “whole world,” according to aMidrash: “The temple corresponds to thewholeworld.”[720]Traditionstatesthattheprimordiallightwas“notidenticalwiththelightofthesun,moonandstars,”but litup the temple from its centreand radiatedout through thewindows.[721] Thecosmictemple,inotherwords,wasthelostlandofthe“dawn”orfirst“sunrise.”
TempleAndWomb
Nothing is more basic to the imagery of the temple than its identity as the cosmic womb. Neumannobserves:“Justasthetempleis. . .asymboloftheGreatGoddessashouseandshelter,sothetemplegateistheentranceintothegoddess;itisherwomb,andtheinnumerableentranceandthresholdritesofmankindareexpressionsofthisnuminousfeminineplace.”[722]ThroughouttheNearEast,statesAllegro,“thetemplewasdesignedwithalargemeasureofuniformity”andthissacredabodeis“nowrecognizableasamicrocosmofthewomb.”[723]Not inone land,but ineverysegmentof theworld, thesacredtextsconfirmthis identityof templeandwomb.TheEgyptiangreatgodresideswithinthewombofthegoddessasina“house”or“chamber.”ThegoddessHathoris“thehouseofHorus.”[724]ThenameofIsismeans“chamber,”“house,”“abode,”etc.,and theEgyptians claimed shewas the house inwhichHorus came into being.[725]Nut is “the goodhouse,”[726] and Neith the “house of Osiris,”[727] while the name of Nephthys means “Lady of theHouse.”The identity stands out in this hymn toRe: “I amexalted like the holy godwhodwelleth in theGreatTemple,andthegodsrejoicewhentheyseemeinmybeautifulcomingforthfromthebody[khat,womb]ofNut,whenmymotherNutgivethbirthtome.”[728]Toshineasthe“sun”withinthecosmictempleistocomeforthwithinthewombofNut,“thegoodhouse.”AmongtheEgyptians,notesSethe,“house”servedasapoeticexpressionforthewomb.[729]Clearly,this“poeticexpression”originatedasaradicalidentityintheritual.Justasthegoddess’titlesdenominateherthe“house”or“temple”ofthegreatgod,sodoesthetemplereceivethecharacterofthegoddess.Ptah’stemple atMemphis is the “mistress of life,”[730] and an inscription in King Seti I’s funerary templestates,“Iamthytemple,thymother,foreverandforever.”[731]TheHolyChamberfromwhichReshinesforth is, according to Piankoff, “The Holy Chamber of the Netherworld [Tuat], the womb of divinebirth.”[732]ThroughoutMesopotamia,onediscoversthesamefeaturesofthetemple.Here,too,thecosmic“house”appears as the womb of primeval genesis. Urukug is “the shrine which causes the seed to comeforth,”[733]whilethetempleofAruruis“theprocreativewombofEmah”[734]andthetempleofLilzag“thehouseofexaltedseed.”[735]The Mesopotamian temple or chamber thus gives birth to the god. Tammuz, the man-child, is “theoffspring of the house”[736] and Marduk the “Child of the holy chamber.”[737] In the Babyloniancreationepicweread:
Inthechamberoffate,theabodeofdestinies,Agodwasengendered,mostableandwisestofgods.IntheheartoftheApsuwasMardukcreated.[738]
“Youhavetakenmyseedintothewomb,havegivenbirthtomeintheshrine,”declaresKingGudeatothegoddess Gatumdug.[739] One can compare the Sumerian text: “In the great house he has begottenme.”[740]AsinEgypt,thegateofasanctuaryisconceivedastheentrancetothewombofthegoddess.[741]Hence,SargonstylesoneofthegatesofhispalaceBelitilani,“mistressofthegods.”[742]
TheCrown
Amongallancientracesthecrown,wreath,orheadbandsignifiedreligiousandpoliticalauthority.Yetthisworld-wide function of the crown reflects no self-evident fact of human nature or of the externalworld.Whatwasthesourceofthecrown’snuminouspowers?ThesymbolsofkingshiphavetheiroriginintheUniversalMonarch,theancestorofkingsand“founder”ofthekingshipritual.Legendsofthegreatgodsaythat,whenheestablishedhiskingdom,heworeasacrownhis“circleofglory”(halo,aura).BeforeEgyptianrulerseverdonnedtheWhiteCrown,thecrownofthegreatfatherOsirissheditslightatthecosmiccentre:“Hiscrownclovetheskyandconsortedwiththe stars.”[743] The primordial sun, reports Pliny, “established civilization and first triumphantlycrownedheavenwithhisglowingcircle.”[744]IntheritualoftheMandaeansitwasthe“FirstMan”whoworeasacrownthe“circleofradiance,lightandglory.”[745]Onecouldhardlymakeagreatermistakethantoassume,withsomanymodernscholars,thatthecrownswornbygodsaresimplyprojectionsontothe heaven order of the crowns worn by terrestrial kings. Divorced from the crown of the UniversalMonarch, theheaddressof the local kingbecomes ameaningless artifact.Whateverpowers the crownmaypossess,theyderivefromthecosmicprototype.Fundamentally, the crown is anenclosingband.Themost important component of theEgyptian crownwasthegoldheadband,whilethegreatgodwas“MasteroftheHead-Band.”[746]TheSumerianwordforcrown,uku,means“greatband.”[747]IntheclassicaletymologiesreviewedbyOniansthe“crown”possessestheconcretemeaningofa“circle”or“band”enclosingagodoraman.[748]WhentheEgyptianpriestsplacedthesacredbandontheheadoftheking,deeminghimtheregentofthe
sun-god Re, they were guided by the image of the great god himself, whose hieroglyphic was ,showingthesun-godinthecircleoftheAten.Thus,intheThebanritual,thegodsHorusandSetsaytothenew king, “Iwill give thee a life like unto that of Re, years even as the years of Tem,” and “IwillestablishthecrownuponthyheadevenliketheAtenontheheadofAmen-Re.”[749]Thegreatgodnotonlywearsthecrownofglory,hedwellsinit.He“appearsintheWhiteCrown”[750]or“comesforthfromtheVeryGreatCrown.”[751]IntheBookoftheDeadonefinds“thedivinebeingwhodwellethinthenemmescrown.”[752]Morespecifically, thegod’scrown ishisspouse—thewomb-goddesswhoemanated from thegod,yetgavebirthtohim.
ORedcrown,OInu[thecrown],OGreatOne...
OInu,thouhastcomeforthfromme;AndIhavecomeforthfromthee.[753]
Towearthecrownistoresidewithinthewomb;orconversely,tobeborninthewombistowearthecrown.[754]ItisinthissensethatonemustunderstandthestatementoftheCoffinTexts that thegodis“born” in the crownor that theking is “the sonof thewhite crown.”[755]The same identificationofcrown andwomb explains the statement thatOsiris first shone forth “fully crowned from hismothers
womb.”[756]Doesnotthesign depictthe“fullycrowned”godwithinthecosmicwomb?“I am he who is girt about with his girdle and who cometh forth from the goddess of the Ureretcrown.”[757] This statement from the Book of theDead concurs with numerous other references in
Egyptiantexts,equatingthecrownwiththemothergoddess.InthePyramidTextsweread:“Iknowmymother, I have not forgottenmymother, the white crown.”[758] The same texts say of the king: “thymother is the Great Wild Cow, living in Nekeb, the white crown, the Royal Headdress.”[759]Accordingly,theEgyptiansesteemedthegoddessIsisas“theCrownofRe-Horus”[760]andthegoddessTefnutasthe“diademofRe.”[761]Theidentityofgoddessandcrown,has,infact,beenfullyacknowledgedbyClarkandFrankfort,amongothers.[762]YetFrankfort’sexplanationamountstothis:“Thegoddessissimplythepersonificationofthepowerofroyalty . . .andhenceis immanent in thecrown.”[763]Thestatement tacitlyassumesthat thelocalcrowncamefirst(whoknowswhy)andthatthegreatgoddess,personifyinganabstract“powerofroyalty,”cametobeidentifiedwiththecrownsimplybecausethecrownwasasymbolofroyalpower.Buttherelationshipofthecrownandwombamountstoaradicalidentity;bothtaketheircharacterfromthesamevisibleband.IgnoredbyFrankfortistheexplicitequationofboththegoddessand thecrownwiththecircleoftheAten.Thatthegoddwellsinthecrownmeansthatthecrownisthegod’shouseortemple—whattheEgyptianscalled“thetempleoftheWhiteCrown.”SpeakingoftheheadgearofSumerandEgypt,Levynotesthat“ineachcaseitbearsarelationtothemonuments.It[thecrown]may,infact,beconsideredasitselfalittlesanctuary.”[764]Butwhatwasthesourceofthisunexpectedidentity?Sumeriantemplehymnsrepeatedlyinvoke thecosmic temple as thegreat god’s crown.The templeofEqaduda is the “Crownof thehighplain”[765]andSipparthe“Sanctuaryofheaven,starofheaven,crown,bornebyNingal.”[766]TheKestemplebecomesthe“Great,truetemple,reachingthesky,temple,greatcrown,reachingthesky...”[767]Thesameidentityprevailselsewhere.Hentze,observingthattheMexicanQuetzalcoatlwearshistempleas a crown, reports that such symbolism pervades early Chinese bronzes. One notes also the “worldhouse”wornas a crownby the famousDianaofEphesus.Like the sacredabodeof all greatgods thelattercrown-templehasfourdoorsfacinginfourdirections.[768]Sincethecosmictempleisthesamethingasthecosmiccity,oneshouldnotbesurprisedtofindthatthecityalsoappearsasthecrown.IntheBookoftheDeadoccursadescriptionof“RewhenatthebeginningheroseinthecityofSuten-henen[Heracleopolis],crownedlikeakinginhisrising.”[769]Theevidencesuggests that thecity (orkingdom) inwhichRe first shone forthwas theverycircleofglorywhichhe
woreasacrown—andthisiswhy,inthesymbols and ,theEgyptianscombinedthehetch-crown
andtesher-crown withthesymbolofthegoddessNut , the“city”or“holyland.”InaccordwiththisidentitytheBabylonianhymnproclaims,“Borsippa[thecosmiccity]isthycrown.”[770]Oftenthecrowntakestheformofacitywall.Themostfamousexample,perhaps,isthecrownofTycheofAntioch,whichcorrespondstotheturretedwallofthecity.[771]Concerningthegoddessofthecity-crown,Suhrwrites:“...thewholecitywall,inadiminutiveversion,wasplacedonherhead,beginningwithAstarteandcontinuingwithAphroditeofGreekandRoman times.”[772]Yetwhy the crownwasassimilatedtothecitywallremainsunexplainedbymodernresearchers—andwillcontinuetoremainapuzzleuntilscholarsacknowledgetheconcreteformofthemothergoddess,city,andcrownasasinglebandoflightaroundthegreatgod.
TheVase
MythmakingimaginationalsoexpressedtheSaturnianbandasavaseorreceptaclehousingthesun-godandhiswatersoflife:allthewatersoftheworld,accordingtoancientbelief,originatedinthesolitarygod.As a symbol of the all-containing receptacle above, the round vessel became a popular figure of themothergoddess.“...Thegreatgoddessasdivinewaterjaristhemistressoftheupperwaters.”observesNeumann.[773]G.ElliotSmithnoticesthecloseconnectionofthemothergoddesswiththevase:“TheideaoftheMotherPot is found not only in Babylonia, Egypt, India, and the Eastern Mediterranean, but wherever theinfluence of these ancient civilizations made itself felt. It is widespread among the Celtic-speakingpeoples...Itbecamealsoawitch’scauldron,themagiccup,theHolyGrail,thefontinwhichachildisreborn in the faith, thevessel ofwater herebeing interpreted in the earliest sense as theuterusor theorganofbirth.”[774]
Figure29.ThegoddessNutastherevolvingwatercontainer.
The vase, in the Egyptian hieroglyphs, denotes the celestial goddess Nut and the female principle ingeneral.[775]AninterestingEgyptianillustrationdepictsNut,bearingthecosmicvesselonherhead,andspinningaroundwithsufficientspeedtocausedropsofwatertoflyoutward(seefig.29).Themothergoddessistherevolvingwatercontainerinheaven.Sumero-BabyloniancylindersealsshowthepurifyingwatersoftheApsudescendingfromavase,regardedasthemotherwomb.Thevaseis in“theheavenofAnu,”called“theplaceoftheflowingforthofthewaterswhichopenthewomb.”[776]ThesamesymbolismofthevaseprevailsinChina,accordingtoHentze(whorelatesthesymbolismofthefeminine container to a global tradition).[777] TheZuni address the sacred pot as “theMother,”[778]whileaPeruvianjarcoveredwithbreastsonallsidesobviouslyexpressestheidenticaltheme.[779]Thusdoes the sun-goddwell in thevase, renewing his birth each “day”: “I have come forth frommydjenit-jar,andIwillappearinthemorning,”readsanEgyptianPyramidText.[780](Iremindthereaderthatarchaic“day”meansour“night.”)TothesamesymbolismbelongstheHinduVasishthawhois“bornfrom the jar”[781] and is obviously akin to the Iranian Fravashi Khumbya, “the son of the jar.”[782]MuslimtraditionechoesthisthemeindeclaringthatthesoulofMohammedpreexistedinavaseoflightintheworld of spirits.[783] TheChinese alchemistWei Po-Yang says: “The TrueMan living in a deepabyss,floatsaboutthecentreoftheroundvessel.”[784]ThemothervasehousingthemanchildappearseveninMexico(fig.31).[785]AmongtheMayans,writesNuttall,thevasesymbolized“thedivineessenceoflightandlifeproceeding
from ‘the Heart of Heaven.’”[786] Appropriately they designated the symbolic vase as the “navel orcentre,”[787] a characterizationwhichagreeswithNeumann’s interpretationof thevase as the “centrefromwhichtheuniverseisnourished.”[788]Thevasedenotes,inotherwords,thecelestialearth,theoriginallandofabundance.WhiletheEgyptianpriestsofPtahclaimedtheprimevallandtohavebeenfashionedbyPtahonhispotter’swheel,thehymnsalsoextol“thepotterywhichPtahmoulded”[789] inclear reference to thesameprimordialenclosure:the subject is the realmof the ancestors,where the resurrecteddead receive “the freshwater in a jarwhichPtahhasfashioned.”[790]
Figure30.Themothergoddessaswatercontainer.VasefromTroy,fourthstratum.
Figure31.Man-childinvase.FromMexico,ViennaCodex.
Hereisthedeclarationof“thepotter”inthePyramidTexts(astranslatedbyFaulkner):“Iamyourpotteruponearth. . .IhavecomeandhavebroughttoyouthismansionofyourswhichIbuiltforyouonthatnightwhenyouwereborn,onthedayofyourbirth-place;itisabeer-jar(sic!).”[791]MostinstructiveisFaulkner’sparenthetical“sic!”followingthephrase“beer-jar”—asiftosuggestthatthescribesufferedalapse of reason: what could a beer jar have to do with the great god’s “mansion” and “birthplace”?AmongtheEgyptiansbeersymbolizedfertilityandabundanceflowingfromonhigh.Theritual“beer-jar”wastheprimevalland—thedwellingwhichcongealedaroundthegreatfatherand(asthecosmicwomb)“gavebirth”tohim.Thesametextsinwhichtheabovelinesappearlocatethepottergodin“thisIslandofEarth.”Vessel,temple,earth,andwombdenotethesamecelestialenclosure.
TheEye
Oneofthemostmysterioussymbolswhichhavecomedowntousisthesolitaryandall-seeingEye.InancientEgypt,wherethemostcompleteinformationisavailable,thesymbolpervadesthemonumentsandthesacredtextsofallperiods.“TheEyeisthekeytothereligion,”statesClark.[792]YetnoarchaicsignhasbeenlessunderstoodthanthemysticEye:“TheEyeisthecommonestsymbolinEgyptianthoughtandthestrangesttous.”[793]IstheEye,asalmostuniformlyasserted,thesolarorb?Nowhereistheweaknessofsolarmythologymoreapparent than in its handling of this puzzling symbol.OneEgyptologist after another, by following thesolarinterpretation,passesoverinsilencethemanyenigmaticparticularsofeyesymbolism.Tomyknowledgetheonlywell-knownauthoritytorejectcategoricallythesolarinterpretationisRudolphAnthes.Afterdevotingextensive research to theEyeofRe,Anthesconcludes that theEye“apparentlyneverwasthesun.”[794]YetAnthes,seekingananswerintheheavensastheyappeartoustoday,doesnotbegintounraveltheinterconnectedsymbolismoftheEye.StrictlyspeakingtheEgyptianEyeisneithera“sun”nora“star,”butthecircleorenclosurefashionedbythecreatorashiscelestialhome.ThegreatgodresidesintheEyeasthepupil.Oneofthemostcommon
names of the Eye in Egypt is Utchat, hieroglyphically rendered as . The Utchat hieroglyphcombinesthreecloselyrelatedsigns:1) ,meaning“tosee”andalso“toform,fashion,create”;
2) ,“tofashion,encircle”;and
3) ,“cord,tobind,toencircle.”Theall-seeingEyeisthecreatedenclosure,thebondaroundtheprimevalsun.ThusthegodhashishomeintheUtchat(Eye):“IamintheUtchat.”[795]“IamhewhodwellethintheUtchat.”[796]“Enterthouinpeace[emhetep,“atrest”]intothedivineUtchat.”[797]ACoffinTextreads,“IamHorusinhisEye,”[798]whiletheHarrisMagicalPapyrusstates,“IamShuundertheformofRe,seatedinthemiddleofhisfather’seye.”[799]IntheBookoftheDeadonefinds:“Iamthepureoneinhiseye”;[800]“IamhewhodwellethinthemiddleofhisownEye.”[801]Thus does the great god reside in the enclosure of the Eye as the “pupil.” “Praise be to thee, O Ra,ExaltedSekhem,agedoneofthepupiloftheUtchat[Eye].”[802]“IamintheUtchat...Isitin[em,“as”]thepupiloftheeye...”;[803]“God-the-pupil-of-whose-eye-is-terribleisthyname...”Whenthetextsspeakof“theEyeof‘RewhoisinhisAten,”[804]onerecognizesthattheEyeistheAten,fortheEgyptianstreatedtheEyesign andtheAtensign asinterchangeablesymbols.JustastheAtenconstitutedtheprotectiveenclosure,sodidtheEye:“OOsirisNu,theEyeofHorusprotecteththee,itkeepeththeeinsafety...”[805]“...HeisHorusencircledwiththeprotectionofhisEye...”[806]“My refuge ismy Eye,my protection ismy Eye . . .”[807] “I am the dweller in the Eye; no evil orcalamitousthingsbefallme.”[808]Such references surely indicate that the Eye is not the sun or the sun-god, but the goddess, in whoseprotectivewomb the sun-god dwells.As amatter of fact, thoughEgyptian ritual presents the goddessunder many names, all primary figures of the goddess receive the appellation “Eye of Re.” This
includes, among others, Isis, Hathor, Nut, Sekhet, Iusaaset, Mehurt, Bast, Tefnut—and of course, thegoddessUtchat(“Eye”).[809]“Thecomplexmeshesofeyesymbolism,”statesClark,“arewovenallaroundtheEgyptianGoddessandshecannotbeunderstoodorcomparedwithothergoddessesuntiltheyareunravelled.”[810]Yet,whileClark notes several interesting associations of the Eye and goddess he fails to discern the Eye’s rootcharacter,astheprotectiveenclosure.OnlythedirectidentityoftheEyeandcosmicwombwillexplainitscontextintheritual:“ThechildwhoisintheeyeofHorus,hathbeenpresentedtothee...”[811]“Iamhewhosebeinghasbeenmouldedinhiseye.”[812]Horusissaidto“...rearandnourishthemultitudesthroughthatUniqueEye,MistressoftheDivineCompanyandLadyoftheUniverse[All,Cosmos].”[813]TheverygoddesseswhomthetextsdepictastheEyeoftheprimevalsunarealsocalledthe“house,”asweshouldexpect.AstotheidentityoftheEyeandthetemple,Egyptiansourcesleavenoroomfordebate(thoughIknowofnoEgyptologisttoobservetheconnection).ThetempleofKarnakis“thehealthyeyeoftheLordofAll,”[814]astrikingparalleltotheSumeriantempleasthe“House,eyeoftheland.”[815]IntheBookofthePylonsRehearkensbacktotheremoteagewhen“Iwasinthetempleofmyeye,”[816]while the Book of theDead speaks of the son of Osiris residing “within the temple of his Eye inAnnu.”[817]Elsewhereonefindstheprimevalsuncomingforth“inthesanctuaryofmyeye.”[818]
Figure32.Theeyeoftherestinggod.
Of course no one who automatically thinks “sun” when reading “eye” is likely to reflect on theoverlappingsymbolsoftheeyeasabandorenclosure.Norcanonesotrainedmeaningfullyexplainwhy,throughoutEgyptianritual, theeyeappears inconjunctionwiththecrown. IntheEgyptianmysteryplay,the king is commanded, “take thou thine eye, whole to thy face,” and the command is carried out byplacingthecrownupontheking—forthecrown,as“thesymbolandseatofroyalpower...iscalledtheeyeofHorus.”[819]The Pyramid Texts say, “Horus has given you his eye that you may take possession of the Urert-Crown.”[820]“Oking,standup,dontheeyeofHorus...thatyoumaygoforthinit,thatthegodsmaysee you clad in it.”[821] As to the identity of Eye and crown one could not ask for more explicitstatementsthanthese:“Iwearthewhitecrown,theeyeofHorus.”[822]“OOsiristheking,ImakefirmtheeyeofHorusonyourhead—aheadband.”[823]“IgiveyouthecrownofUpperEgypt,theeyewhichwentupfromyourhead.”[824](Thecircleofgloryissuedfromthecentralsun.)IfthegodwearstheEyeasacrown,soalsodoeshetaketheEyeasathrone,andthisrelationshipoftheEyeand thronehelps toexplain thehieroglyphforOsiris, inwhich the twosymbolsappear together—
.Buttoconventionalschoolsthecombinationmakeslittlesense.InBudge’sopinion,forexample,there is no clear basis for the assimilation of the two signs, and “the difficulty is hardly likely to beclearedup.”[825]
Yet to anyone aware of the interrelated images of the Aten , the Osiris hieroglyph will pose no
mystery.Thethrone is thesymbolofIsis(i.e.,Isisis the throne),but thesamegoddessappearsas“theeye”—sothatOsirissitsenthronedwithinthecircleoftheEye.Indeed,theEgyptianlanguagesaysasmuchwhenittermsthethroneastutchat—“thethroneoftheEye.”AndtheBookoftheDeadbringstheEyeandthroneintoconnectionwiththecrownandegg:“Iamthelordofthecrown.IamintheEye,myegg...Myseatisonmythrone.Isitin[em,“as”]thepupiloftheeye.”[826]Though the influence of the Eye was felt far beyond Egypt, it is the integrated Egyptian imagery thatthrowslightonlaterdevelopmentsofthesymbol.Whilethetextssometimesspeakof“twoeyes”(seethesectionTheTwoEyes), fundamentally there is onlyoneEyeof thegreat god. “I amRewhowept forhimselfinhissingleeye,”[827]statetheCoffinTexts.ThesingleEyeofReorHorusisparalleledbythe“clear-seeingeye”oftheSumerianEnki,[828]thesingleeyesoftheNorseOdin,[829]theIranianAhuraMazda,[830]andtheMexicanTlaloc,[831]the“agelesseyeofall-seeingZeus,”[832]andthe“one-eyeofheaven”belongingtotheJapaneseAmanoMa-hitotsu.[833]The Egyptian Eye of Horus, in theBook of theDead, is that which “shineth with splendours on theforehead of Re.”[834] One can easily understand how subsequent generations, possessing onlyconceptions rather than perceptions to guide them, gave the great god increasingly human form,translatingthecentralEyeintothelegendary“thirdeye,”whichinHindurepresentationsappearsaslittlemorethanadecorativejewel.ThesingleeyeoftheCyclopsbelongstothesameclassofimages.Iftheeyeisnotcenteredontheforehead,itmaybelocatedonthebreast,asinthecaseoftheHindudemonKabandha,slainbyRama,[835]andtheheadlessmanencounteredbyFionn,Oisin,andCaoilteinCeltic
myth.[836](ThepupiloftheEye istheHeartofHeaven.)Surelyonecannotproperlyevaluatethefancifulone-eyedgiantsoftheclassicalandmedievalagewithoutfirsttakingintoaccountthecelestialEye—whichleftamightyimprintontheearliestritual.[837]TheCyclops,or “wheel-eyed”giant, corresponds inmanyways to thegodOdin,ofNorsemythology.Odin’sall-piercingeyeisalso“agiantwheel.”[838]Inancientcosmologynothingismoreexplicitthansuch imageryof theenclosed sun. If theexpertshave failed tounravel themysteryof theEyeorEye-wheel ,thefailureisnotduetoalackofevidencebuttothehabitoftheresearchers,who,fromthestart,excludedtheenclosurefromthemythologicalinvestigation.
TheCircularSerpent
Figure33.SaturnasMithraicZurvan(Time),withcentraleye.(Pupilofeye=heartofheaven.)
Itwouldbequiteimpossible,withinthelimitedspacepermittedhere,toreviewalltheinterconnectionsunifying the imageryof theSaturnianband.Forevery instancepreviouslycited,manyothershavebeenleftoutsimplytoavoidexcessivemonotony.As a final example of overlapping imagery, I shall cite the case of the circular serpent. All of theSaturniangods—Atum-Re,An,Yama,Huang-ti,Quetzalcoatl,Kronos—residewithinthefoldofaserpent(dragon,fish,crocodile,etc.).Butthissymbolcannotbeevaluatedinisolationfromthecelestialearths,eggs,wheels,temples,crowns,andeyeswhichfilltheancientlexicon.In the general mystic tradition, reports Cirlot, “the dragon, the serpent or the fish biting its tail, is arepresentativeoftime.”[839]FatherTime,ofcourse, isSaturn.Thus theGreeksplaced in thehandsofChronosa snakewhich formeda ringbyholding its tail in itsmouth,[840] and this circular serpent isclearlythatwhichtheHinduscalledKali(“Time”).TheZoroastriansrepresentedZurvan(“Time”)byanenclosingserpent.AserpentencirclesaNahuatlcalendarwheel(wheeloftime)publishedbyClavigero.[841]OnthefamousMexicancalendarstonetwinserpentsformasingleenclosurearoundthestone.[842]TheEgyptiansassociatedthecircularserpentwithAtum(godofTime), identifyingtheserpentwiththecosmicwaterseruptingfromthecreator:“IamtheoutflowofthePrimevalFlood,hewhoemergedfromthewaters,”theserpentannounces.[843]The water serpent, issuing fromAtum, constituted an aspect of the creator, eventually forming a coilaround“himself”:
Ibentrightaround,Iwasencircledinmycoils,Onewhomadeaplaceforhimselfinthemidstofhiscoils.Hisutterancewaswhatcameforthfromhismouth.[844]
Why the reference to the“utterance”of thegod inassociationwith theappearanceof theserpent-coil?Thereasonisthattheserpent,embodyingthe“outflow”oferuptingwaters,washimselfamanifestationofthecreator’sspeech.IntheCoffinText,thegreatgod,orMasteroftheAll(Cosmos),recallstheoriginalage“whileIwasstillin themidstof theserpentcoil.”[845]And thekinghopes toattain thisveryenclosure:“TheKing liesdowninyourcoil,theKingsitsinyourcircle”proclaimsaPyramidText.[846]
Canthisserpentbeanythingotherthanthebandoftheenclosedsun ?Thesun-godRe,whiledeemedamikhet, “dweller in the fiery circle,” is alsoami-hem-f, “dweller in his fiery serpent.”Do not the
circle and the serpent mean the same thing? The hieroglyphs offer conclusive evidence. Though the
commonpictographofReis ,theEgyptiansalsodenotedRebytheglyph ,showingtheserpentasthebandaroundtheprimevalsun.ThisdirectidentificationoftheserpentandthecircleoftheAtenenablesustotestthecoherenceofAten
symbolismasawhole.Foriftheserpentdenotedthebandoftheenclosedsun oneshouldfind:1.ThattheserpentwasthecircleofthemothergoddessanddefinedthelimitsoftheAll(i.e.,thecord,egg,shield,orbeltofSaturn’sCosmos).2.Thattheserpentenclosedtheworld-wheel,city,throne,earth-navelandcelestialocean.3. That the same serpent formed the wall of the cosmic temple, encircled the god-king as a crown,enclosedthecelestialwatersasavase,anddefinedthecircleoftheall-seeingEye.
Figure34.(a)Egyptianand
Figure34.(b)Mayanversionsofthecircularserpentaswatercontainer.
Throughout all of ancient Egypt the circular serpent was the symbol of the great mother. In thehieroglyphs,theUraeusserpent,oftenusedinconjunctionwithanegg,means“goddess.”“ThegoddessUatchetcomethuntotheeintheformofthelivingUraeus,toanointthyhead...,”readstheBookoftheDead.[847]AKarnaktempleinscriptionstatesthatthegoddessMut,intheformofaserpent,encircled“herfatherReandgavebirthtohimasKhonsu.”[848]In the sameway theBabylonians knew the great goddess as “themother pythonof heaven.”[849] TheCosmos, according to Jeremias, was represented as the womb of the “shining Tiamat,” the enclosingserpentordragonoftheprimevalsea.[850]SoalsodidtheHindus,Cretans,Celts,Greeks,Romans,andMexicansrepresentthemothergoddessasaserpentordragon.[851]ItisthesamethingtosaythatthecircularserpentenclosedSaturn’sCosmos.IntheEgyptianlanguagethe
“coil”formedbytheserpentisliterally“thecord”or“theband,”indicatedbythehieroglyphs and. The serpent itselfwas the rope which the creator stretched round about, gathering the primeval
watersorprimevalmatterintoanorganizedenclosure.
Figure35.CirculardragoninHaropollo,Selectahieroglyphica(1597).
Figure36.Thealchemistcirculardragon.
Figure37.Mexicancircularserpentbitingitstail.
Figure38.CircularserpentmotifontheinteriorofafoodbasinfromSikyatkiintheSouth-WesternUnitedStates.
Figure39(a)[&b]TwoChineseversionsofthecirculardragon.
Figure39b.Thedragonenclosesthecentralsun.
Figure40.Hinducircularserpent,enclosingthebindu,orcentralsun.
Figure41.Alaskacircularserpent,indicatingcloserelationshiptoenclosedsun.
In Sumero-Babylonian imagery, too, a circular serpent—called “the rope of the great god”[852]—enclosestheoriginalCosmos.Theserpent-ropeis“thebondoftheAll”heldbyEnkiorNinurta(Saturn).But the cord is synonymouswith the cosmic eggandgirdle, and this conjunctionofSaturnian symbolsmakesparticularlyinterestingthestatementoftheGreekphilosopherEpicurustoEpiphanius:“...theAllwasfromthebeginninglikeanegg,andthepneuma [WorldSoul] inserpentwisearound theeggwasthen a tight band as awreath or belt around the universe.”[853] The Orphics called this serpentChronos,describingitasthebond(peirata)oftheCosmos.Theserpent-bond“liesaroundtheCosmos,”proclaimed thePythagoreans.[854] Itwas thus an ancient custom to display images of the cosmic eggencircledbyavastserpent.All the evidence in the foregoing sections indicates that this circle of theCosmoswas the “earth” or“place” fashioned in thecreation.Hence, the serpentwhocircumscribes theorganizedAll is the sameserpentwhomtheancientsdepictedencirclingthecreated“world.”In theGnosticworkPistisSophia,OurLord states, “Theouter darkness is a great serpent, the tail ofwhichisinitsmouth,anditisoutsidethewholeworld.”[855]AsshownbyBudge,theideahaditsrootsin Egypt,where theworld-encircling serpentwasApepi, “a serpentwith his tail in hismouth.”[856]HorapolloreportsthatwhentheEgyptianswishedtodepictthe“world,”theypaintedaserpent.[857]TheBabylonianEsharra,thecircleofcreated“earth,”isidentifiedastheprimordialbeastTiamat,[858]theworld-enclosingserpent-dragonwhichtheHebrewscalledTehomandtheMuslimsthe“MysteriousSerpent.”[859] To the Hindus it was the fabulous serpent Naga that enclosed the world in its folds.ScandinavianmythknewtheserpentMidgard,theWeltumspanner,or“Stretcher-round-the-World.”[860]Allancientcosmologieswhichspeakofaworld-encirclingserpentsaythatitsbodyformedtheriverorocean shielding the organized earth from Chaos. The serpent, dragon, or crocodile, in the Egyptiansystem, thus denotes the celestialwatercourse. (Hence, the primeval serpent encirclingAtum not onlyemergesfromthecosmicsea;itisitself“theoutflowofthePrimevalFlood.”)[861]Sumero-Babylonian cosmology knows “the river of the girdle of the great god”—a world-encirclingoceanwhichisalsocalled“theriverofthesnake.”[862]AccordingtoHebrewandArabicthought,statesWensinck, “The whole of the earth is round and the ocean surrounds it like a collar. Other authorscomparethecircleoftheoceanaroundtheearthwithawreath,aring,orwiththehaloroundthemoon.Thecommonest image of the ocean,however, is thatofa serpent.”[863] Thus the famous Leviathan“grips his tail betweenhis teeth and forms a ring around the ocean.”[864]TheScandinavianMidgardserpent occupied the same circular sea, biting his tail.[865] TheGreekOkeanos, the boundary of theworld, was the serpent Chronos.[866] Even the Aztecs knew “the sea as a circumambient Great
Serpent.”[867]Norcanone ignore the identical serpentenclosing,or forming, thegreatgod’s throne.Muslim legendsrecall a brilliant serpent around the throne ofAllah: “ThenAllah surrounded it by a serpent . . . thisserpentwounditselfaroundthethrone.”[868]Thesameserpent,inHebrewaccounts,wounditselfaroundthecosmicthrone-wheelofSolomon:“Andasilverdragonwasonthemachineryofthethrone.”[869]“...Andasilverserpentborethewheelofthethrone.”[870]One remembers also the serpentinewheeled seats of suchGreek figures asTriptolemos andDemeter.[871]TheseatoftheMayangodAnhelisaserpent,[872]muchlikethesnake-seatoftheprimordialpairrecalledbytheMiztecs.[873]JustastheEgyptianserpent-dragonSetbecomesthethroneofOsiris,sodotheparallelfiguresofTiamatandLeviathanbecomethethronesofMardukandYahwehinBabylonianandHebrewimagery.[874]So also is the temple likened to the circular serpent. Sumerian hymns describe the cosmic temple “inheavenlikeadragongleaming.”[875]Thisdragon-likeabodeanswerstotheBabyloniansanctuaryofEa,representedbyaserpentorfish.[876]BelongingtothesameclassaretheUraeiwhoformthewallsoftheheavenlydwellingofOsiris,[877]theserpentinetemplesordracontiaofAbury,[878]the“IguanaHouse”ofMayanritual,[879]andthegirdlingsnakeoftheGreekAchis,whichsurroundedthetemenosorinnershrineof thegods.[880]TheMuslimsdeclare thatat the foundingof theSacredHouseof theKa’ba,aserpent with a “glittering appearance”wrapped itself around thewall “so that its tail approached itshead.”[881]Thegreat father’sdwellingwas theencircling serpentordragon—issuing from thecosmic sea.And itmattersnotwhethertheabodebetermeda“temple”ora“city,”forthecosmiccitywasequallytiedtotheimageryofthecircularserpent,asconfirmedbyEgyptianillustrationsofaserpentencirclingthedistrictofHermopolis;[882]theHebrewimageryofLeviathansurroundingtheprimeval,celestialJerusalem;andtheserpentineenclosureoftheTeutonicAsgard,thecityofthegods.Alwaysweencounterthesameserpent,glitteringinthelightandmarkingouttheprimordialenclosure.InthecaseoftheEgyptianEyeandcrowntheidentitywiththeUraeusserpentisspelledoutwithuncannyboldness.EgyptianhymnslocatetheenclosingUraeusonthe“brow”ofthegreatgod,andthiscircularserpentisatoncethebandofthesingleEyeandthecircleofthecrown:Hehascometoyou,ONT-Crown;Hehascometoyou,OFierySerpent...OGreatCrown...IkhettheSerpenthasadornedyou...becauseyouareHorusencircledwiththeprotectionofhiseye.[883]OKing,thedreadofyouistheintactEyeofHorus,theWhiteCrown,theserpent-goddesswhoisin
Nekheb.[884]Towear the crown is to wear the Fiery Serpent, which, in turn, is to reside within the enclosure or“protection” of theEye.Though offering no explanation,Clark recognizes the identity of these cosmicimages: “TheEye is elevated as the defensive cobrawhich—on the pattern of the earthly pharaohs—encircledthebrowsoftheHighGod,”hewrites.[885]
Figure42.ThecircularserpentencirclingHermopolis.
Theconnection immediatelyexplainswhy theSumerianMus-crown, conceived as a goldenband,was“thegreatdragon.”[886]Thoughthecircularserpentappearsinmanyguises,atrootthereisonlyonesuchcreature,foritsdiverseforms—astheCosmos,“earth,”temple,city, throne,crown,andEye—aresimplythedifferentmythicalformulationsofthecircumpolarenclosure.Theseunnatural rolesof thecircular serpent—whichmythologists tend to regardas themost irrationaland unfathomable aspects of ancient symbolism—actually provide one of themost significant unifyingthreads.
InSummary:ACoherentDoctrine
Saturn’s primordial home was a simple enclosure, a dwelling universally recorded by the sign .Mythmakingimaginationexpressedtheenclosureinmanyways,anditistheveryvarietyofformulationswhichtestifiestotheband’soverwhelmingimpactontheancientworld.Todealmeaningfullywiththisimageryonemustadmittheinfluenceofacelestialordervastlydifferentfrom that familiar to us today. We customarily think of “myth” as the opposite of “reality.” Yet theconsistency of the testimony suggests that themythical view, passed down to us through sacred signs,monuments,andliterature,connectsuswithaveryrealworldconfrontedbythefirstmythmakers.Thepresentheavensexplainneither theancient ritesofkingshipnor thearrayofastral symbolswhichgrewuparoundtheking—whowasconceivedasthehumanincarnationoftherulingdivinityinheaven.Always,theritualandsymbolrefertoanagedifferentfromourown,anagewhenSaturn,thecentralsun,ruledfromthecelestialpole,encircledbyhisbandof“glory.”Saturn’s band was the primeval Cosmos, viewed as the planet-god’s own consort, the womb on thecosmicwaters. Themyths alternately depict the band as a revolving island in the sky, a cord of ropeformingtheboundaryofSaturn’sdomain,ashiningegg,ashield,andthecreator’scollar,belt,orgirdle.Thiswasthe“earth”which(intheuniversalcreationlegend)thegreatgodraisedfromthecelestialsea.Inmythicalhistoryitbecametheancestrallandofpeaceandplenty—Adam’sparadise.Saturn’skingdompossessedtheformofagreatwheel;itwasthecreator’srevolvingthrone,thecelestialcity,thelostnavelor Middle Place, where (cosmic, mythical) history took its start. Around the border of the heavenly“land”flowedacircularriverorocean.ThesamebandwasSaturn’srevolvingtemple,whichheworeasacrownandinwhichhedweltasthepupiloftheall-seeingEye.Asthecosmicvase,thebandhousedSaturn’swatersoflife.Andfinally,Saturn’sbandappearsintheguiseofashiningserpentwrappedaroundthecentralsunanddenotedbytheEgyptiansign .Divorced from the archetypal enclosure the various symbols (temples, crowns, thrones, wheels, etc.)appearasisolatedformsofuncertainorigin.Wesimplytakethemas“facts.”Why,then,weretheseformssystematicallyrelatedinlanguage,art,ritual,andmyth?Itisnotaquestionoflatergenerationsrecklesslyjoining unrelated images. The further back we go the greater the unity. The best evidence of theharmoniousvisioncomesfromtheoldestsourcesofancientEgyptandMesopotamia.Herewefind thecentralsunwearingthecosmiccityandtempleasacrown;takingashisthronetheeyeofheaven,theholyland,orthevaseofupperwaters;shininginthecentreofaneggcalledthe“earth”;andencircledbyariverwhich forms thewallof the templebut also thecircleof thegods. In eachcasewe find that thesymbolrefersdirectlytothewombofthemothergoddessenclosingthegreatfatherSaturn.In reviewing this imagery of the enclosure one confronts many dominant motifs of ancient religion.Whateverthemythicalformulationoftheband,thehymnscelebrateitspresenceatthepolarcentre.Yetwho can locate a source of the imagery in today’s tranquil heavens?Where is this revolving river of“splendour and terror”?Where is the city of “theWhiteWall,” the “clear and radiant” holy land, thetemple“likeadragongleaming,”the“throneoflight,”the“golden”egg,orthe“fiery”serpent?Ifthetextspresentalternativeversionsoftheband,theyneverquestionitsexistenceinprimevaltimes.It
isthearchaicrealityconcealedwithinamassivebodyofmythsandsymbols,allpointingtothesigns
and asimagesofSaturn,thepolarsun.
VIII:TheCosmicMountainTo the imagesof the enclosed sun and enclosed sun-cross ancientmyths add the cosmicmountain—acolumnoflightrisingalongtheworldaxisandvisuallyappearingtoholdaloftthegreat
god’shome.ThesignsoftheSaturnianmountainare and .Throughouttheworldoneencountersthestoryofashiningpeakwhichoncerosetothecentreofheaven.Though this cosmicmountain appears undermany different names, accounts from every section of theworld tell much the same story. The Egyptians knew the great column as the Primeval Hill, theBabyloniansas theWorldMountain.Themountpassed intoHinduismas thecosmicMeru, intoIranianmythasHera-Berezaiti,andintoChinesemythandastrologyasKwen-Lun.MexicancosmologygaveitthenameColhuacan.ItsmostfamiliarrepresentativeswereOlympusandZion.ButdoesnotOlympusrefertothewell-knownpeakinMacedonia,andZiontothesmallhillinPalestine?In truth the mythical Olympus and the mythical Zion are the same mountain; only their terrestrialrepresentations differ.When the ancients sanctified a familiar hill, giving it the name of the primevalmount,theysoughttocharacterizetheirownlandasaduplicationofthe“homeland.”Thelocalmountaintook its mythical attributes from the cosmic peak. Always the sacred mount rises “higher than anymountainonearth,”attainingthepolarcentreandfunctioningasthecosmicaxis.Legendsoftheheaven-sustainingpeaksaythatthecreator—thecentralsun—ruledhiskingdomfromthemountaintop,wherestoodtheoriginalparadisewithitsfourlife-bearingstreams.Egypt
Accordingto the long-standingbeliefofEgyptologists, thesun-godrisesover theeasternhorizoneachmorningandsinksbelowthewesternhorizoneachevening.Inwidelyacceptedtranslationsofthetexts,onerepeatedlyfindssuchwordingas“horizonfromwhichRegoesforth,”[887]“ThoulivingSoulwhocomestforthfromthehorizon,”[888]or“Rerisethinhishorizon.”[889]ButiftheEgyptianlightgodtrulyrisesfromthehorizonthensurelyitisnotSaturn,thesteadfastpolarsun.Acloserlookattheterminologyisneeded.AsIhavealreadyobserved,thewordswhichthetranslatorsrender as “rise” (pert,uben,un)mean literally “to appear,” “to shine,” “to send forth light,” etc.Theconventional choice of theword “rise” follows from the belief that the hymns describe the solarorbemergingintheeast.Butwhatabouttheword“horizon,”whichoccurswithsuchfrequencyinthestandardtranslations?TheEgyptian term for the place of the sun’s coming forth is khut, whose literal sense is anything but
“horizon.”[890]Thehieroglyphforkhut (or )combinestwosigns—theReorAtensign andthesignfor“mountain” .(Itakeupthelattersigninthesectiononthecleftpeak.)Itsliteralmeaning,as noted byRenouf, is “Mount ofGlory” and “there is no reasonwhywe should continue to use themisleading termhorizon.”Literally, thegreat goddoesnot “rise from thehorizon,” but “shines in theMountofGlory.”TowhatdidtheEgyptiansreferbysuchlanguage?Thehymnsspeaknotofthepresentworldorder,buttheformer,whenthecreatortookashisseatthepillaroftheCosmos.AninscriptionoftheKarnaktempleextolsthekhutorMountofGloryas“thevenerablehillofprimevalbeginning.”[891]Hearkeningtothesameage,theEdfutextsrecall“theFirstOccasionintheHighHillatthebeginningofComingIntoExistence.”[892]InthePyramidTextsweread,“Iamthe
PrimevalHill of the land in themidst of the sea,whose hand no earthlings have grasped.”[893] (Thereaderwillnowrecognizethe“midstofthesea”asthepolar“heart,”“navel,”or“centre”ofthecosmicwaters.)ThemythsandliturgiesoftheMountofGlory(PrimevalHill)relatethatthecreatorraisedthemountfromtheSeaofChaos.StatesFrankfort:“Withintheexpanseoftheprimevalwatershecreateddryland,thePrimevalHill,whichbecamethecentreoftheearth,oratleasttheplaceroundwhichtheearthsolidified.Localtraditionsdifferasregardsthedetails;buteverywherethesiteofcreation,thefirstlandtoemergefromchaos,wasthoughttohavebeenchargedwithvitalpower.AndeachgodcountingasCreatorwasmadetohavesomeconnectionwiththisHill.”[894]If Frankfort’s summary is accurate, then the PrimevalHill is directly related to the enclosure of earthwhichthecreatorgatheredtogetherasastabledwelling—theCosmos.TodiscerntheconnectionofthemountandenclosurewemustreturnoncemoretothelegendsofAtum.ThetextsofallperiodsagreethatinthebeginningAtum,orKhepera,floatedaloneintheAbysswithoutarestingplace.Thegodrecallstheoriginalepoch:
...WhenIwasaloneinthewaters...beforeIhadfoundanywheretostandorsit,beforeHeliopolis[thecelestialearth]hadbeenfoundedthatImightbethere,
beforeaperchhadbeenformedformetositon...[895]“IfoundnoplacewhereIcouldstand,”statesthegodinasimilaraccount.[896]Inthehieroglyphfor“to
stand,”(aha)thekeysignis ,conveyingthemeaning“tosupport,”“stability.”Whichistosaythatinthebeginningthegodwanderedwithoutastablesupport.Thiswas“beforeaperchhadbeenformedforme
tositon.”Theglyphfor“perch”is ,signifyingtheprimordialpedestalof thegreatgod.Itwasa
commonEgyptianpracticetoplacetheemblemsofthecreatorupontheperchsign ,fortheperchorpedestalmeansthesamethingas“mountain.”ThusOsiris,enthroneduponthePrimevalHill,is“likeanexaltedoneuponthypedestal,”[897]whileAnup,“thegodwhoisonhismountain,”isalso“thegodwhoisonhispedestal.”[898]Itseemsthatthecreationaccountsrefertoatimebeforetheappearanceofthegreatmountainorperch.Priortotheemergenceofthisfoundationoccursthecentralactofcreation,recalledinnumerousaccounts:the bringing forth of the khu—“brilliant lights,” “words of power”—the fiery “waters”which erupteddirectlyfromthecreatorandcametoberecalledasradiant“speech.”Aliteraltranslationofonetextyieldsthefollowing:
IcouldfindnoplacetostandIutteredtheincantation[khut]withmyheart.
IlaidthefoundationofMaa.Iproducedallthearu[the“guardians”ofthedeep,theassembly].
Iwasalone.IhadnotspitintheformofShu.IhadnotpouredoutTefnut.
Nootherworkedwithme.Ilaidafoundationwithmyownheart...
Ipouredout(seed,water)intheformofShu.Iemitted(seed,water)intheformofTefnut.[899]
The language indicates that the creator, originally alone, “uttered” or poured out from his “heart” thewaterymass(khu,khut) inwhich theprimordial foundationwas laid.That this foundation is identifiedwiththegodsMaaorShuiscrucial:forMaaandShusignifythecosmicpillarholdingaloftthecentralsun.ThatthepillarofShuwasbornfromthekhuorkhutemittedbyAtumistheexplicitstatementoftheCoffinTexts,whereShudeclares:
Iamlife,theLordofyears,livingforever,LordofeternitytheeldestonethatAtummadein[orfrom]hisKhu
ingivingbirthtoShu.[900]Oragain,Shuannounces:
...IcameintobeinginthelimbsoftheSelf-Creator.Heformedmein[with]hisheartandhecreatedmeinhisKhu.[901]
TheEgyptianpriestsclearlyknowthattheShu-pillar,formedinthefieryabyss,wasthesamethingasthe“perch,”or“pedestal”uponwhichtheheartofheaveneventuallyfound“rest.”Thus,whileoneCoffin
Textreads,“Iamraisedaloftonmystandard( ,“perch”)aboveyonderplacesoftheAbyss,”[902]anotherstates,“IamhighintheformofHorus...Hehasestablishedmyheartonhisgreatstandard.IdonotfallonaccountofShu.”[903]The“foundationofMaa,”citedabove,referstothesamemountainorpillar.Acommonglyphformaais ,theveryimageusedtodesignatethePrimevalHill.Oftentheglyph issimplyreadas the“pedestal”of thegreatgod. In its rootmeaning,maaormaatdenotes“thestable, enduring foundation,” the source of cosmic regularity. (It is the axle of theCosmos.) Thus thecreator,restingupontheaxle-pillar,ishewho“restsuponMaat.”In theEgyptian language, theconcept“support”or“foundation”mergeswith“mountain”or“hill.”Thewordthes, forexample,means“support,”“tobear, liftup.”butalso“mountain.”Thereasonis that theonlymountainwithwhichtheritualisconcernedistheprimevalmountain,thefoundationoftheCosmos.“MayIendureintheskylikea[orthe]mountain,likea[the]support,”readsaPyramidText.[904]
Figure43.ThesolitaryEyeupontheprimordial“Perch.”
Thecosmicpillar,accordingtothecreationaccounts,originatedintheseedorwateroflifeflowingfromthecreatorAtum:theverykhuorkhutwhichcongealedintothecircleof“glory”tookformalsoasthe
heaven-sustainingcolumn.Indeed,onefindsthatinmuchofthesymbolism,theenclosureandthemountareinseparable—theenclosurebeingconsideredasthehollowsummitofthemount.(Seebelow)
Tounderstand theEgyptianhieroglyph for theMountofGlory (khut, ), onemust consider the fullrangeofmeaningsattachedtothetermskhuandkhut.Intheirmostelementarysensethewordsrefertothefieryessenceorluminousmatterwhichexplodedfromthecreator.Fromthisrootmeaningarederivedanumberofinterrelatedhieroglyphicterms.
Whenwritten ,khu is often translated “soul” or “spirit.” The reference is not to invisiblepowersbut toflamingdebris,conceivedas theeruptingsubstanceof thecreatorandpersonifiedintheritualasthelight-spiritsoftheabyss.
Thus,whenwrittenwiththedeterminative (i.e., ),khutmeans“fire.”Butthemythmakersinterpretedthesameeruptingdebrisasvisible“speech”or“words”utteredbythe
creator. Hence khu ( ) means “words of power” while khut ( ) denotes the“creativeincantation”whichproducedthefiery,waterymass.In fashioning the Cosmos or celestial earth the creator gathered the sea of “words” into a circle of
“glory,” sometimes denoted by the sign (khu, oftenwritten or ). This is the
enclosureoftheAten ,thegreatgod’sencircling“aura”or“halo.”
But themostcommonsymbolof thecreator’s“glory” (khu,khut) is the sign ,depictingnotonlyanenclosurebutverticalstreamsoflightascendingtheworldaxis.Itisnocoincidence,then,thatthisverykhu sign also denotes Shu, the light-pillar formed in the primordial sea. The radiant column, asproclaimedinthetexts,was“pouredout”bythecreatorAtum.
Ofpreciselythesamesignificanceisthekhutsign ,the“MountofGlory,”ormorespecifically,“themount and enclosure of the khu.”Because the glyph is regularly used in the sense of “the place fromwhich the sun shines forth,”Egyptologists as awholeoverlook all the interconnectedmeaningsof theglyphandsimplytranslateitas“thehorizon.”Butaswehaveseen,“theplacefromwhichthesunshinesforth”meansthecircumpolarenclosure,nottheeasternhorizon.IntheEgyptianlanguageitisimpossibletoseparatethepolar“placeparexcellence”fromthecosmicmountain.To this celestial peak theEgyptians continually looked back in theirmyths and rites.On behalf of thedeceasedkingthepriestspouredaheapofsandonthefloorinsidethepyramid,placingatopthesandastatueofthekingandrecitingaprayerwhichbegan:Riseuponit,thislandwhichcameforthas[orfrom]Atum,thespittlewhichcameforthas[or from]Kheprer,assumeyourformuponit,risehighuponit.[905]
ThesandrepresentedthePrimevalHill,whichtheEgyptiansoftendepictedbyaflightofstairs, or,leadingtothecentreandsummitofheaven.IfAtum,orRe,shonefromthesummitofthehill,so
didOsiris: “Osiris sits in judgement in a palace in thePrimevalMound,which is in the centreof theworld,”writesClark.[906]“Hail,OOsiris,thouhastreceivedthysceptreandtheplacewhereonthouarttorest,andthystepsareunderthee,”readstheBookoftheDead.[907]Thehillwasthefixedrestingplaceofthecentralsun,itssummit the supremeobject of ascension symbolism.Thekingbeseeches thegreat god: “. . .May I beestablisheduponmyrestingplace liketheLordofLife.”[908]TheobviousEgyptianmonuments to themountsoconceivedarethegreatpyramids,whichrenderinstonetheancientideaofastairwaytoandsupportoftheheavenlydwelling.Thestepssignifytheprimevalfoundationlaidbythecreator.In allEgyptian symbols of themount one finds the samegeneral significance.Always, it is the stablepillarsupportingtherestinggod.
OneofthemostfamousrepresentationsofthePrimevalHillistheobelisk .ThesmallpyramidionontopoftheobeliskdenotedtheBenbenstone(FoundationStone), theSeedofAtum,thecentralsun.(Thesameformcrownedthepyramid.)
Atum-Khepri,thouwerthighastheHillThoudidstshineforthasBenben.[909]
Figure44.EgyptianReatopthesteps.
Tothemodernminditmayseempeculiarthatthefoundationstoneshouldlieatthesummitratherthanthebaseofthecosmichill.ButwhenonerealizesthatthesummitwasthefixedcentreoftheturningCosmos
theideatakesonaremarkablelogic.Atum,thestoneofthefoundation,wasthe“FirmHeartoftheSky,”restinguponastationarysupport:
TheGreatGodlives,fixedinthemiddleoftheskyuponhissupport.[910]
SoreadsaCoffinText, inobvious reference toAtumorRe,whomClark terms“thearbiterofdestiny
perchedonthetopoftheworldpole.”[911]Thustheobelisk ,thesymbolofAtumrestingonthecosmicpillar,cametobeemployedasanideographfortheEgyptianwordmen,signifying“stability”and“torestinoneplace.”Menalsomeans“mountain”and“pedestal.”Derived from the same root is the Egyptian wordmena orMenat, the celestial “mooring post.” TheEgyptiansconceivedthestationarypillarasthestaketowhichthelightsoftherevolvingassemblywere
bound.The cosmicmountain is theMena-uret, the “GreatMooringPost,” symbolized by the sign .(The rope drawn around the neck of the configuration confirms the close connection of the pillar andcosmicbond).[912]ItseemsmorethanalittlelikelythattheEgyptianMena-uretwastheverypillarfromwhichtheMuslimsderivedtheminaret,theloftytowerattachedtotheMuslimmosque,anddesignatedQutb, the“pole”or“axis.”Whileinmanymythsthemountispersonifiedasasecondarydivinity(Shu,Maa)holdingaloftthecreator,thehillmayalsoappearasthetrunkorlowerlimbsofthecreatorhimself.Atum,assuggestedbyseveralsourcescitedabove,isinseparablefromthemountonwhichherests.ThegreatgodPtahmergeswiththegodTatunen,apersonificationofthePrimevalHill,sothattheBookoftheDeadcansay“Thybeauties
arelikeuntothepillarofthegodPtah.”[913]TheglyphforthegreatgodAnis ,meaning“pillar.”
A famous Egyptian emblem of the pillar was the Tet , the special symbol of Osiris. The Tet signdenotesthesupportoftheCosmos.“TheideaoftheTetcolumn,”writesClark,“isthatitstandsfirmlyupright.”[914]Intheritualtheseemblemsserveas“worldpillarsholdinguptheskyandsoguaranteeing...theworldinwhichtheking’sauthorityholdsgood.”[915]Tetmeans“stability,”“permanence.”ItisthepedestalofOsiris,the“restingheart”or“motionlessheart.”Significantly,manyEgyptianillustrationsoftheTet-columnincludeapairofhumaneyesatthetop(fig.151a),emphasizingthatthecolumnwas(asEgyptologistsoftenobserve)thetrunkorbackboneofOsirishimself.Inotherwords,theEgyptiansviewedthecosmicmountainasthegreatgod’sownspinalcolumn.Hence
thesign ,depictingthepillarofthekhu(orofShu)asverticalstreamsoflight,alsomeans“back”or“backbone.”Thewordaat, signifying theprimeval“perch”or“pedestal”of thecreator,possesses theadditionalmeaningof“backbone.”
Pertainingtothesamesymbolismisthepillarsign ,readassept,“tobeprovidedwith.”Helpingtoexplainthesignistherootseporsepa,“stability,”oftenwrittenwiththedeterminative —“spinalcolumn.”[916]Sotoo,whilethewordthesreferstotheprimordial“pillar,”“prop,”or“mountain,”thescanalsomean“backbone.”
Figure45.Tet,the“stable”pillaroftheCosmos.
Throughextensionof the symbolism inadifferentdirection, thecosmicmountainbecame thecreator’s“staff”or“sceptre.”Textsandreliefsdepictthegreatgod’ssceptreasthesupportofheavenorofthegodhimself.[917]The thememaynot alwaysbe recognizedby conventional schools, however.Apreviously cited hymnfromtheBookoftheDeadproclaimstoOsiris,“Hail,OOsiris, thouhastreceivedthysceptreandtheplacewhereon thou art to rest and the steps are under thee.”[918]Fewhave stopped to think that thesceptresignifiesthesame“restingplace”asthesteps;bothrefertothecolumnoftheCosmos.Thus,in
thesign thesceptreholdsalofttheglyphfor“heaven” .AspelloftheCoffinTextsreads,“Iamtheguardianofthisgreatpropwhichseparatestheearthfromthesky.”[919]Butanotherspelldeclares,“...Thatstaffwhichseparatedskyandearthisinmyhand.”[920]Oftenthesceptreisintheformofalotus,orpapyrusholdingaloftthegreatgod.[921]Whatevertheparticularsymbolismofthecosmicmountain,allsourcesagreeononepoint:therevolvingAten forms thehollowsummitof thepeak. To shine in theAten is to shine “in themidst” or “in theinterior”ofthekhut ,theMountofGlory.Thegodoccupies“theenclosureoftheHighHill.”“Overyhighmountain!Iholdmyselfinthyenclosure,”proclaimstheking.[922]AliteraltranslationofEgyptiantextswillyield:
Oyouinyouregg,shininginyourAten,growingbrightinyourMountofGlory.[923]Growbrightanddiminishatyourdesire...Yousendforthlighteverydayfromthemiddleofthe
MountofGlory.[924]YoushineintheMountofGlory.TheAtenreceivespraise,restinginthemountainandgivinglifeto
theworld.[925]Homagetoyou,OyoushiningintheAten,LivingOnecomingforthintheMountofGlory.[926]
OReintheMountofGlory.[927]ReshinesintheMountofGlory.[928]
TheOsirisNuisatrestintheMountofGlory.[929]YoushineintheMountofGlorydaybyday.[930]
Againandagainthesameterminologyoccurs.Thesun-goddoesnotrisefromthemount,butshinesinit.Iknow this claim may not be welcomed by those experts who have built their entire interpretation ofEgyptian cosmic symbolism around the rising and setting solar orb. But having reviewed all of theprimaryEgyptiansourcesIhaveyettofindanearlytextwhich,whentranslatedliterally,suggeststhatthesun-god(duringhisreign)everleavesthecosmicpeak.Thoughhesailsinaship,asweshallsee,onlytheshipmoves,revolvingroundthestationarygod.Andthoughthetextsdescribeapeakoftherightandoftheleft,theyaretwopeaksofasingularmount.The widely respected Egyptologist W. R. Kristensen tells us that fundamentally there was only one“horizon”(i.e.,khut,MountofGlory).The two“horizons”were“viewedasessentially identical;whatappliedtooneheldtruefortheothertoo.Thattheyweregeographicallyseparatedcouldnotobliteratetheimpression. Inmythical cosmography they often assume one another’s functions.Theplacewhere thelightsetsisalsocalledtheplacewhereitrises...”[931]
TowhatcosmicideadidtheEgyptiansreferinordertospeakofthesunrisingandsettingonthesamemountain? Kristensen assumes that while sacred cosmology united the two mountains, they were“geographicallyseparated.”Holdingtothesolarinterpretation,onecouldhardlybelieveanythingelse.Theproblemdoesnot liewith the texts,butwith thesolar interpretation,whichlooksfor imageryofarisingandsettingsunwherethereisnone.TheEgyptiansun-god“comesout”(“growsbright”)and“goesin” (“diminishes”) em hetep, “while standing in one place.” That “place” is the enclosure of thestationarysummit.
The universal signs of the sun on the mountaintop are and . To the former corresponds the
Egyptian hieroglyph denoting khut, the Mount of Glory, or Shu, the divine personification of theMount,butalsoservingasthedeterminativeof“spinalcolumn.”OtherEgyptianillustrationsdepictthediskoftheAtensupportedbytheTet-column,orrestingovertheobelisk(aswascustomaryintheearliestforms of the obelisk),[932] or raised aloft by the divine sceptre. The consistent theme is that theenclosureandtheMountareinseparable.
In the hieroglyphs, the simple form of the mena-uret or Great Mooring Post is , but the largerillustrationsofferamoredetailedportraitofthebindingpost.Apapyrus,forexample,showsthegoddess
Hathoramidthecelestialgarden,wearingtheMenatsymbol.[933]Heretheformis: .
The post, or “pillar of the cord (Cosmos),” appears to sustain a circle enclosing the image , theEgyptiansignofthefourlife-bearingstreams(un).Clarificationofthemooring-postsymbolisprovidedbyaCoffinText,inwhichthe“All-Lord”(ruleroftheCosmos)looksbacktotheprimordialageandthe“fourgooddeedswhichmyownheartdidformeinthemidst of the serpent-coil [cord, bond,Cosmos] . . . I did four gooddeedswithin the portal of theMountofGlory.Imadethefourwindsthateverymanmightbreathethereof.”[934]Does not the above imageof theGreatMooringPost answer directly to these lines?On theMount ofGlorystandsthegardenofabundance,animatedbythelifeelementsradiatinginluminousstreamsfromthecentralsun—thegreatgod’s“heart.”Of the Egyptian paradise,Masseywrites, “The general tradition is that this paradisewas a primevalplaceofbirthandthat itwas in thenorth,uponthesummitofamountnow inaccessible to the livinganywhereonearth.”[935]Thisparadisalenclosureatthesummitwasthecosmiccity—andeverysacredcity—be it Heliopolis, Thebes,Memphis, Busiris, or Abydos—mirrored the history of the prototype,symbolicallyrestingatopthePrimevalHill.Ofthedeceasedking,theCoffinTextsannounce:AnnubisismindfulofyouinBusiris,yoursoulrejoicesinAbydoswhereyourbodyishappy[emhetep,
“atrest”]ontheHighHill.[936]Whenthedeceasedrulerentersthecityofthegod-king,hereturnstotheHolyLand,thecelestialearthatthesummitofthepolarmountain.Osiris, the“godonthetopofthesteps[PrimevalHill],”[937]is theuniversal lord“inpossessionofaseat, his heart being at peace [em hetep, “at rest”] on the Mountain of the Necropolis [city of the
ancestors]”[938] Amen-Re is the “dweller in Thebes, the great god who appeareth in the Mount ofGlory.”[939]ThenameofAbydos—Abtu—signifiesthe“mountainoftheheart.”Inthesamewayeverytemple,asasymboloftheSaturnianenclosure,magicallyrestedonthePrimevalHill. “Eachandevery templewas supposed to standon it,”writesFrankfort. “This thought is appliedeventotemplesbuiltquitelateinthehistoryofEgypt.”[940]SurelythetemplebuildersknewthattheywerenotconstructingthelocaldwellingontheactualPrimevalHill;butinimbuingthetemplewiththemythicalqualitiesof theoriginaldwelling, thearchitectsgaveconcrete formtoan idealdefined in thebeginning. When Hatshepsut identifies the Karnak temple as the “Mount of Glory upon earth, thevenerable hill of primeval beginning,”[941] she connects the local edifice with the central hill ofcreation,themountonwhichthehouseofthesun-godoriginallystood.StatesFrankfort:“Thequeen,bybeautifyingKarnak,honouredthecentrefromwhichthecreationtookitsstart...TheidentityofthetempleswiththePrimevalHillamountstoasharingofessentialqualityandisexpressedintheirnamesandintheirarchitecturalarrangementsbymeansoframpsorsteps.Eachtemplerose from its entrance through its successive courts and halls to the Holy of Holies, which was thussituatedat apointnoticeablyhigher than theentrance.There the statue,bargeor fetishof thegodwaskept,restinguponthePrimevalHill.”[942]
Inallbasicdetails,theEgyptiansymbolismofthePrimevalHillcorrespondstothecosmicimages ,
.TheMountformsinthecosmicsea,stretchingupwardalongtheworldaxistoholdaloftthecentralsun.Thehollowsummitof theMount is thecircleof theAten,withinwhoseenclosurethesun“growsbright”and“diminishes”withthecycleofnightandday.ThisMountofGloryisthesiteoftheoriginalparadise,thecityortempleoftheUniversalMonarch.Areviewofsimilarimageryinotherlandswillshowtheinfluenceofaworld-widetradition.Mesopotamia
IhavearguedthattheEgyptianAtum,thesolitarygodinthedeep,istheveryfigurewhomBabylonianastronomyidentifiesastheplanetSaturn.Atum,“theFirmHeartoftheSky,”stands“fixedinthemiddleoftheskyuponhissupport.”Here,ontheotherhand,isabrokenSumerianreferencetoNinurash,orNinurta,theplanetSaturn:
Whomthe“godofthesteadystar”uponafoundationTo...causetoreposeinyearsofplenty.[943]
Saturn,founderoftheGoldenAge,wasthestationarylight“uponafoundation,”exactlyastheEgyptianAtum.Accordingly,BabylonianastronomicaltextsgiveSaturnthenameKaainu,theGreekkiun,“pillar.”WhatwasthisfoundationorpillarofSaturn?Itwasthe“mountainofthean-ki[Cosmos],”formed—liketheEgyptiancounterpart—amidthewatersofChaos.“...OfthehillwhichI,thehero,haveheapedup,”proclaimsNinurta, “let itsnamebeHursag [mountain].”[944]This cosmicpeak,whose “foundation islaidinthepureabyss,”theBabyloniansdenominated“themountainoftheworld.”[945]Ninurta“scaledthemountainandscatteredseedfarandwide”[946]justasAtum,restinguponthePrimevalHill,radiatedtheseedoflifeinalldirections.“Here,intheChaldeanOlympus,”writesSayce,“thegodswereimaginedtohavebeenborn;itssummit
washiddenbytheclouds,andthestarryfirmamentseemedtorestuponit.”[947]In what portion of the sky did the ancientMesopotamians locate the hill? Several texts, as normallytranslated,identifytheMountas“theplacewherethesunrises,”seemingtofixthepeakintheeast.ConcerningtheHursagraisedbyNinurta,ahymnreads:
Incantation—OSun-god,fromthegreatmountainisthyrising;fromthegreatmountain,themountainoftheravine,isthyrising;fromtheholymound,theplaceofdestinies,isthyrising.[948]
Thetextsalsoconnectthelost landofDilmunwithacosmicmountain,apeakwhichappearstobethesameastheHursag,forit is“themountainofDilmun,theplacewherethesunrises.”[949]The templehymnsemploythesameterminologyindescribingtheKur(“mountain”)asKur-d-utu-e’-a,“themountainwherethesunrises.”IntheEpicofGilgamesh,theherojourneystotheMashuMountainuponwhichthevaultofheavenrests.Throughitsgatethesuncomesforth.[950]Mesopotamian reliefs show the sun-god standing upon a cleft peak virtually identical to the Egyptian“mountain”symbol (fig.60).Withtherarestexceptions,authoritiesidentifytheimagewiththesolarorbrisingoveraneasternhill.Certainwriters, infact,believe that theentirecharacterof themythicalMountcanbeexplainedby thesimple experience of native races viewing the eastern sunrise. Jacobsen, for example, urges that weunderstandtheHursagas“therangeofmountainsborderingtheMesopotamianplainontheeast.Asseenontheeasternhorizon,itsshiningpeakstoweringfromearthupintoheaven,thehursagappearsindeedtobelongequallytobothofthesecosmicentities,andtheepithet...‘ofbothheavenandearth,’isthereforeasforcefulasitisapt.”[951]Butthereisacuriousfeatureofthegreatcolumn:themountfromwhichtheBabyloniansun-god“rises”is the samemountonwhich it “sets.” The singular hill is “the mountain of the night [“sunset”], themountainofthesunrise,themountainofthecentre.”[952]ThroughthegateoftheMashuMountainattainedbyGilgameshthesun-godShamashcomesforth.Butthekeepersofthismountain-gatearethosewho“guardShamashattherisingandsettingofthesun.”[953]Similarly,inconnectionwithahymntothe“Fire-god,”containingenigmaticreferencesto“themountainof the sun-set” and “the mountain of the sunrise,” Sayce writes: “Wemust consider the poet to havelookeduponthemountainbehindwhichthesunroseandsetasoneandthesame.”[954]WeretheSumero-Babylonianracesobliviousofthegeographicalrealities?OneremembersKristensen’sobservation that theEgyptian sun-god rises and sets upon a singular khut or “Mount ofGlory.” Is thisseeming confusion of east and west due to the abandon of the mythmakers, or to a modernmisunderstandingofancientcosmology?Onecanbegintoresolvethedilemmabycomprehendingtheprimevalmount’stitleas“themountainofthecentre.” Themount is the pivot, for the Assyro-Babylonians gave it the title “the axis of heaven”—adesignationwhichleadsLenormanttodescribethemountas“thecolumnwhichjoinedtheheavensandtheearthandservedasanaxis to thecelestialvault.”[955]This,ofcourse,createsaconflictwith theapparentsolarimageryofthepeak.Becausethe“sun”-godshinesfromthemountain,Lenormantseeksacompromisebetweenthepolarandtheeasternlocations:“...Themountainwhichactedasapivottothestarryheavenswastothenortheast...”Unfortunately,thecompromisefailstoexplaineithertraitofthemountain:theBabyloniansunrisedoesnotoccurtothenortheast,[956]andinnosensecouldthenortheast
appear as a cosmic axis.One faces the very paradox observed byButterworthwhen he speaks of the“ambiguitybetweenthePoleandtheSun.”[957]Theentiredifficultyvanisheswhenonerecalls:—thattheSumero-Babyloniansun-goddoesnotliterallyrise,but“comesforth”or“growsbright.”—thatthesun-godcomesforthatthepolarcentreorheartofheaven.—thatthesun-godisSaturn.These principles permit us to see that what conventional interpretations must regard as flatlycontradictory aspects of the world mountain actually reveal a harmonious idea. The subject is “themountainofthecentre”atwhosesummitshinesthestationarysun.Thegod“comesout”and“goesin”onthemountaintop,throughthe“gate”or“door”or“window”ofthepolarenclosure;butheaccomplishesthiswithoutmovingfromhisfixedabode.TheBabyloniansun-god,observedWarren,comesforthfrom“thetruesummitoftheEarth,theNorthernPole.”[958]Itis,infact,impossibletocomprehendBabyloniancosmologyapartfromthepolarcharacterofthegreatMount.Obviously,toascendtheworldmountainistoattaintheworldsummit,andthesummitis,asmanywritershavenoted,thepolardwellingofAn,the“midst”or“heart”ofheaven.Inallancientcosmologiesthecentreandsummitmeetat thecelestialpole,andtheSumero-Babylonianworldviewisnoexception.TheBabylonian“Pole-star,”statesRobertBrown,“isseatedinmajestyonthesummitofthenorthernheights.”[959]OneofthenamesofthepoleisDugga(SemiticSaqu),whichmeans“high”andisconnectedwiththeidea“toriseup,”“tocometothetop.”[960]Therulingpolargodisthusthecommanderofthesummit,whichcanonlybethesummitoftheworldmountain.The“JudgeofHeaven[Anu]inthecentreisbound”(i.e.,heisenclosedwithinthebond).And“intheCentrehefixedtheZenith”[961]thatis,heraisedtheworldmountain,theprimevalfoundation.LiketheEgyptianMena-uret, the Sumerian mount becomes the “binding post” or “mooring post” (DIM.GAL) of the turningCosmos.Thegodon thecosmicmountainwas theplanetSaturn,“thepillar.”Anuatop the“illustriousMound,”Shamashonthe“mountainoftheworld,”Ninurtaat thesummitofHursag,Tammuzonthe“Shepherd’sHill”ofArallu,andEnkirulingtheEkur(“mountainhouse”),orthe“mountainofDilmun”—allpointto
theplanetSaturn,theprimevalsunuponthecolumnoftheCosmos .WiththiscosmicmountaintheSumeriansidentifiedeverycityandeverytemple.AsinEgypt,theMountand enclosure always appear together, theMount serving as the heavenly abode’s support. Of Enki’stemple, the hymns record, “The holy foundation made with skill rises from the nether-sea.”[962]ConfirmingthisunionofthecosmictempleandMountarethetitlesofthesacreddwellings—“TheHouse,Foundation of theAn-ki (Cosmos)”; “House, themountain of the Cosmos”; “House of theMountain”;“Templewhoseplatformissuspendedfromheaven’smidst...growinguplikeamountain.”In the same manner the hymns extol the local city as a duplication of the celestial prototype. TheearthboundEridureceiveditsnamefromEnki’scityabove,thecosmicEridufashionedinthewatersofthe Apsu “like a holy highland” or “like a mountain.” The city of Ninazu was the “mountain, pureplace.”[963] Indeed the entire land of Akkad was symbolically linked with the great mountain andportrayedasthecentreoftheworld.[964]
Ifthesymbolsoftheenclosedsunare and ,thesymbolsoftheMountandenclosureare and
.ThebasicimagesoccurthroughoutMesopotamia.Depictedistheinaccessibleparadise,acircularplainsituatedatopthemountainoftheworldandwateredbyfourriversflowinginfourdirections.ThustheAssyrianscalledtheworldmountain“theland[ormountain]ofthefourrivers.”Masseyrecognizedthis as “the mythical Mount of the Pole and the four rivers of four quarters, which arose inParadise.”[965]YetneitherMasseynorthemoreconventionalauthoritiesseemtohaveperceivedthatthe
mountain-paradisecorrespondsineverywaytothesimpleimages and .Nor has any writer given sufficient attention to the extraordinary parallel between the Egyptian andMesopotamianimagesofthecosmicmountain.India
“In all the legends of India,” statesLenormant, “the origin of humanity is placed onMountMeru, theresidenceofthegodsandthecolumnwhichunitestheskytotheearth.”[966]FortheHindus,Meruwastheprototypeofthesacredhill.AstheAryansspreadthroughIndiatheynamedmanylocalpeaks“Meru,”deemingeachacopyoftheprimevalmount.[967]TheoriginalMeruwasthepolarmountain,itssummitthequarteredenclosureofthecelestialparadise
.HindusourcesdescribethemountasacosmicpillarfixedinthemiddleoftheplainJambu-dwipa,orrisinginthemidstofthecosmicsea.Onthesummitofthis“goldenmountain”or“JewelledPeak”liestheheavenly city of Brahma, and around the peak lie the cardinal points and intermediate quarters.[968]Towardeachofthefourquartersofthemountainparadiseflowsanoutletofthecentralwatersource,thecelestialGanges.[969]Meru reaches the centre of heaven, and around its summit the stars revolve.[970] The mount, statesLenormant, is “at once the north Pole and the centre of the habitable earth.”[971] The “world navel”meansthezenith.Hindu ritual commemorates the cosmic pillar through the sacrificial stake or post. In the SatapathaBrahmana,thepriestraisesthesacredstake(yupa)withthewords:“Withthycrestthouhasttouchedthesky;withthymiddlethouhastfilledtheair;withthyfootthouhaststeadiedtheearth.”[972]Thecosmicpillarwasthefoundationofheaven:“Propthouthesky!filltheair!standfirmontheearth.”[973]“Astayartthou!Dothoumakefirmthesky!”[974]This“firm”or“stable”supportcorrespondsineverywaytotheprimordialfoundationofEgyptianandMesopotamiancosmologies.TheSatapathaBrahmanalocatesthepostinthecentreofthesacrificeshed(Sadas), itselfasymbolof theCosmos.Theparticipants in theritualformacirclearoundthepostandtouchitwiththewords,“Hereisstability...Hereisjoy.”[975]The cosmic post, Eliade informs us,was the axis of theworld. Bymystically ascending the celestialpillarthesacrificerattainedthecosmiccentreandsummit.[976]TheIndianworldpillar,whetherconsideredasacosmicmountain(Meru)orasapoleorstakereachingfrom earth to heaven, is that which sustains the central sun. Buddhist iconography reviewed byCoomaraswamy depicts the wheel of the “sun” raised upon a cosmic column called “the pillar of
fire.”[977] To the solar mythologists the pillar can only be in the east, the direction of sunrise. YetCoomaraswamywrites:“Thewheelissupportedbyacolumn,theAxisoftheUniverse.”[978]The“sun,”in otherwords,means not thewandering solar orb, but theBuddha orBrahma—the “true sun”which“afterhavingrisenthenceupwards...risesandsetsnomore.Itremainsaloneinthecentre.”[979]
The Indian pillar—reflecting the cosmic images and —serves at once as the foundation of theCosmosand the axleof the revolvingwheel above.That theaxle is thepillar is confirmed in theRigVeda: “. . . by the axle of his wheeled-car indeed, by his abilities, he pillars apart Heaven andEarth.”[980]Restingatoptheaxle-pillar,thegreatgodappearsasthe“unmovedmover”oftherevolvingwheel.[981]Thusthe“axle-born”Buddharesidesatthecentreornaveofthewheel,impartingmotiontotheturningcircumferencewhilehimselfremainingmotionless.Thewheel,inturn,restsupon“auniversalground”orfoundation,alotus-likepillar.“ThepillarextendsfromEarthtoHeaven;itistheaxisoftheUniverse,”statesCoomaraswamy.[982]Buddhistartandarchitecturegivenumerousandelaborateexpressionstotheidea,butreducedtoitsfundamentals,itissimplythepolar“sun”-wheelsustainedbythecosmicmountain
.Japan,China,Iran,Siberia
With the axis-mountain of Indian thoughtwe can bracket closely related examples fromneighbouringlands:AtitleoftheIndianMeruwasSumeru,the“excellent”Meru,anamewhichBuddhismcarriedintoChinaasSiumi,andtoJapanasShumi.EventherelativelylateChinesecommentarytheLi-KhilocatesMountSiumiinthe“middle”oftheCosmos,i.e.,atthepole.[983]TheJapaneseMountShumiwas,accordingtoHepburn,“aBuddhistfabulousmountainofwonderfulheight,formingtheaxisofeveryUniverse,andthecentrearoundwhichalltheheavenlybodiesrevolve.”[984]ThemostcommonnameofthepolarmountaininChinaisKwen-lun.Calledtheworld’shighestmountain,Kwen-lunstoodat“thecentreoftheearth.”[985]Onitssummitlayashiningcircularplain,recalledasacelestialhomelandwhose“sparklingfountainsandpurlingstreamscontainthefar-famedambrosia.”[986]Theparadise,notesWarren,possesses“alivingfountainfromwhichflowinoppositedirectionsthefourgreatriversoftheworld.”[987]Named“thePearlMountain,”Kwen-Lunrisestothecelestialpole,theabodeofthefirstkingShang-ti.[988] Around it revolve the visible heavens.[989] Kwen-lun is “described as a stupendous heaven-sustainingmountain,markingthecentreorpole.”[990]Itisthe“GreatPeakofPerfectHarmony,”whosesummitdisplaysShang-ti’spalace,namedTsze-wei,“acelestialspacearoundtheN.Pole.”[991]DistinctfromKwen-lun,butrepresentingthesameidea,istheChineseMountKulkun,designatedasthe“KingoftheMountains,thesummitoftheearth,thesupporterofheavenandtheaxiswhichtouchesthepole.”[992]The true nature of the cosmic mount is evident in the Chinese symbolism of the king post. Mystictraditionsdefinedthecentrepostofaroof(orthetopofsuchapost)astheKi.Thechiefupright(Ki)ofthe local dwelling symbolized the Tai-Ki or “Great Ki” in heaven, the central support of the turningCosmos.The“GreatKi”wasthegod-kingShang-ti,dwellinguponthesummitofthepolarmountKwen-
lun.[993]TheIraniancounterpartofMeruwasthecosmicmountainHeraBerezaiti,raisedbyAhuraMazda.IntheZendAvestathis“brightmountain”appearsas“thefirstmountainthatroseupoutoftheearth.”[994]Fromthiscosmicmountainthesunshonefortheachday.“Up!riseupandrollalong!thouswift-horsedsun,aboveHeraBerezaiti,andproducelightfortheworld...”[995](Darmesteter’stranslationseemstosuggestasolarchariotascendingintheeasttopassswiftlyoverthesky.)AccordingtotheBundahishthe“lightrisesupfromHeraBerezaiti.”[996]Does themountain, then, lie to thegeographiceast?Itdoesnot.Thesunatop themount isMithra,“thelordofwidepastures,...sleepless,andeverawake;fromwhomtheMakerAhuraMazdahasbuiltupadwellingontheHera-Berezaiti,thebrightmountainaroundwhichthemanystarsrevolve,wherecomeneithernightnordarkness,nocoldwindandnohotwind,nodeathfulsickness,nouncleannessmadebytheDaevas,andthecloudscannotreachupuntotheHera-Berezaiti.”[997]ThepolarcharacterofthemountwasnotlostonLenormant,whowrote:“LiketheMeruoftheIndians,Hera-Berezaitiisthepoleandcentreoftheworld,thefixedpointaroundwhichthesunandtheplanetsperformtheirrevolutions.”[998]Throughtheparadiseatthezenithflowedthefourdirectionalrivers;andherewasAhuraMazda’s“shining”abode,the“houseofpraise.”[999]So profoundly influencedwere the Iranians by this primordialmountain that one encounters the samecosmic hill under numerous names. As reported by Lenormant, all the groups embodied by the race,“desiringtohavetheirownHera-Berezaiti,”leftcommemorativesacredmountainsinonelocationafteranother.[1000]When the ZendAvesta speaks of “Mount Us-hindu, that stands in the middle of the sea,”[1001] onerecognizesthesamecentralmountain.TheBundahishdescribesthecosmicpeakas“thatwhich,beingofruby,ofthesubstanceofthesky,isinthemidstofthewideformedocean.”[1002]IsthisnotthecharacterofeveryPrimevalHill,risingtothecentreofthecosmicsea?TheIraniansalsocalledthecosmicmountainTaera(orTerak).InthePahlaviTextsTaeraappearsasthe“Centreof theWorld.”[1003]Andagain, thecentralmount is theaxis, for theZendAvesta depicts the“holyRasnu”resting“upontheTaeraoftheheightHaraiti,aroundwhichthestars,themoonandthesunrevolve.”[1004]Onthecosmicmountlaythebirthplaceofthefirstancestor.Inthe“centreoftheearth”Gayomarthwasborn“radiantandtall,”rulinguponthegreathillas“kingofthemountain.”[1005]Thisworldcentrewasthe paradise Airan-vej, the Iranian Eden, and Gayomarth was the “first man.” The most distinctivecharacteristicofthisparadisewasthegreatpeakKadad-i-Daitik,termed“theCentreoftheEarth.”Andwherewasthisprimordialmountainatthecentreoftheworld?Itisidentifiedas“thepeakofjudgement”atopHeraBerezaiti.[1006]ThuscouldtheManichaeanssaywithassurance,“ThePrimevalMancomes,then,fromtheworldofthePoleStar.”[1007]Siberia
AmongAltaicracesonefindsawell-preservedmemoryofthecosmicpillar.“Theconceptionofasky-supporting pillar reaches back among the Altaic race to a comparatively early period,” states UnoHolmberg.[1008]Theconsensusholdsthatthecolumnrosetothestationarycelestialpole.Amongmanytribesitwas“thegoldenpillar.”TheKirghis,Bashkirs,andotherSiberianTatartribesrecallitas“the
ironpillar.”TotheTeleutsitwas“thelonepost”andtotheTungus-Orotshons,“thegoldenpost.”[1009]Siberianmythsdescribethepillarasagreatmountain,whichtheMongolsandKalmuckscallSumurorSumer and theBuriatsSumbur (closely related to theHinduMeruorSumeru). “Inwhatever form thismountainisimagined,itisconnectedalwayswiththecosmographyofthesepeoples,formingitscentre...Asfarbackascanbetracedithasbeenacosmologicalbelief.”“Where,then,isthesummitofthisearth-mountain?”asksUnoHolmberg.“WemightsupposeittobeatthesummitofHeaven,directlyaboveus...Itwasnot,however,envisagedthus,butinsteaditspeakrisestotheskyattheNorthStarwheretheaxisoftheskyissituated,andwhere,onthepeak,thedwellingofthe Over-god and his ‘golden throne’ are situated. To this idea points also the assumption, meteverywhereinAsia,thattheworldmountainisinthenorth.”[1010]Siberiancreationmythsrelatethatthe“highGod”Ulgen,atthecreationoftheworld,satatopa“goldenmountain.”[1011] The Siberians conceived the axle-pillar as the centre post to which the revolvingcelestialbodieswerebound.JustasEgyptian texts termed thepillar the“GreatMooringPost”and theSumerians denominated it the “binding post,” Altaic races gave it the name “mighty tethering post.”NomadsofCentralAsiaclaimthattheiruseofapostfortetheringoftheirsteedsimitatesthegods,whofastened theirhorses to theheavenspost.CertainSiberianTatar tribesdescribe thecosmicpillar as a“goldenhorsepost”raisedinfrontofthegods’dwelling.[1012]AltaicandFinno-Ugrictribescommemoratedtheworldpillarthroughthesacrificialpillarserectedinthecentreofthevillageorasthecentre-poleofthetent.TheritualpostoftheLappswasVeraldenTshould—“thepillarof theworld”—andrepresented the loftypolarcolumn.[1013]UnoHolmberg reports thatthewoodpostwhichsupportsthecentreoftheAltaicshaman’stentduplicatesthecosmiccharacteroftheprimevalpillarupholdingheaven.Inthemagicalritestheshamanascendsthisposttoreachthenavelandsummitoftheworld.“In the middle of the world stands a pillar of birch wood, say the Yakuts.”[1014] The sacred pole,Holmbergreports,stoodforthemountainofthenavel.Likesomanyotherraces,theFinnsidentifythenavelwiththesummit,fortheyrecalltheoriginoffire:
OverthereatthenavelofheavenOnthepeakofthefamousmountain.[1015]
Onthecosmicmountainappearedthe“firstman,”radiatinglight.AltaicandFinno-Ugricracesasawholeregard this centre—the “stillest place”—as the site of the lost paradise,watered by four rivers, eachassociatedwithadifferentcolour.Here,theyclaim,the“sun”neversetbeneaththehorizon,andheretheoriginalraceenjoyedaperpetualspring.[1016]GreeceAndRome
WhentheGreeksspeakofMountOlympusasthehomeofthegods,onecustomarilythinksofthefamousMacedonian peak, the highest mountain in Greece. Yet numerous peaks in Greece and Asia Minorcompeted for the title “Olympus.” Arcadia and Thessaly had their own Olympus, as did Laconia.Mountains inAttica, inEuboea, and in Skyros are still calledOlympus today. Four different peaks ofMountIdaborethename,whiletherewasanotherOlympusinGalatia,anotherinLydia,anotherinLycia,anotherinCelicia.SoalsodidLesbosandCypruspossessasacredOlympus.For an explanation of the many locations one must look to the cosmic prototype. Each hill entitledOlympuscommemoratedtheoriginalrestingplaceofthegreatfatherKronos(laterZeus),justasthehill
which the Romans called the Capitoline symbolized the “Mount of Saturn.”[1017] Dionysius ofHalicarnassus thus reports a complete assimilation of the Capitoline or Saturnian hill and the GreekOlympusorMountKronos.[1018]BothhillssignifiedtheprimordialmountonwhichtheoldgodSaturnfoundedhiscelestialresidence.ThemythicalOlympus,whichgaveitsnametosomanysacredpeaks,wasthe“wholly-shining”summit,the“aetherial”heightor “burning sky.”Theauthorof thePlatonicEpinomis refers toOlympusas “theCosmos.”[1019]Plato tells us thatOlympuswas theomphalos or navel of the earth,[1020] a fact of vital significance,sincetheGreeksknewtheomphalosasthe“axis.”Moreover, the tradition of Olympus cannot be divorced from that of Ida, another mythical mountainpossessingmorethanonelocalization.ThatMountIdabore thenameOlympusand, likeOlympus,wassaidtoriseintotheaether,[1021]revealstheunderlyingidentityofthetwoheaven’spillars.Idawasthebirthplace:
InthecentreoftheSeaistheWhiteIsleofZeusThereisMountIda,andourrace’scradle.[1022]
SodeclaresAeneas.Toanyoneawareofthegeneraltradition,thismountaininthemiddleoftheseacanonlybetheprimevalhill,thecosmicpeaktowhicheveryraceonearthtracesitsancestry.Alsoconceivedas thecentreof theworldwas the famousMountParnassus, fromwhich,according tolocalmyths,thehumanracedescended.OntheslopeofParnassusstoodDelphi,Apollo’spopularshrine,esteemed as “the navel.” But here too we must look beyond the commemorative terrestrial mount tocomprehenditssymbolism.ThemythicalParnassusisdoubtlessthesameastheSanskritParnasa,whichtheHinduPuranascallMeru,thepolarmountain.OneofthosetoperceivetheGreeksacredmountainasthecopyofthecosmicmountwasWarren,whoconcluded: “Olympus was simply the Atlantean pillar [the “pillar of heaven”] pictured as a loftymountain,andsupportingtheskyatitsnorthernPole.Infact,manywritersnowaffirmthattheOlympusofGreekmythologywas simply the north polar ‘World-mountain’ of the Asiatic nations.”[1023] But thepoint is only rarely acknowledged today, andmost treatments of the subject still ask theMacedonianmounttoexplainitsownmythicalimage.WesternSemitic
MountZion,thesiteoftheancientHebrewtemple,isasmallhillinJerusalem,betweentheTyropoeonandKedronvalleys.TheHebrewsfrequentlycallJerusalemitself“Zion.”Butinthe“lastdays,”accordingtoIsaiah(2:2),Zion“shallbeexaltedabovethehills.”Thiswillbethenew Jerusalem. The Book of Revelation, in reference to “a new heaven and a new earth,” implies atransformationofthemount:“[Anangel]carriedmeawayinthespirittoagreatandhighmountain,andshowedmethatgreatcity,theholyJerusalem,descendingoutofheaven.”[1024]Theversesuggeststhatintheordertocomethecelestialcitywillrestonamountainreachingtoheaven.The concrete image of the new Jerusalem, however, is supplied by the memory of the primordialJerusalem,foundedatthecreation.ThiswasthemountonwhichYahweh,orEl,stoodinthebeginning.Fromtheavailableevidence,oneobservesthefollowingcharacteristicsofthecosmicZion:1.Themountainstoodatthenaveloftheworld.[1025]
Thus,inthe“creation,”Godfashionedthe“earth”aroundZion.[1026]2.Themountaintopwastheworldsummit.AmongtheHebrews,statesWensinck,“thesanctuary[Zion]hasbeenconsideredasthehighestmountainor the highest territory of the earth.” This is,Wensinck adds, “the first character of the navel.”[1027](Every navelmarks the centre and summit.) Through assimilationwith the cosmic Zion, the local hillacquirestheimageryoftheoriginal.GreatistheLord,andgreatlytobepraisedinthecityofourGod,inthemountainofhisholiness.
Beautifulforsituation,thejoyofthewholeearth,ismountZion.[1028]Thephrase“beautifulforsituation”(yepehnop)hastheconcretemeaningof“toweringsuperb”(Gaster’srenderingofthephrase).[1029]Needlesstosay,thesmallhillinterrestrialJerusalemdidnotsupplythisimage.3.Zionliesinthefarthestnorth.Mt.Zion,thou“farreachesoftheNorth,”anemperor’scitadel.[1030]HerethecosmicZionisidentifiedwiththecelestialZaphon,theMountofCongregationintheuttermostnorth.ThisisthemountfromwhichLuciferwascastdown:Forthou[Lucifer]hastsaidinthineheart,Iwillascendintoheaven,IwillexaltmythroneabovethestarsofGod:Iwillsitalsouponthemountofthecongregation,inthesidesofthenorth[Zaphon].Iwill
ascendabovetheheightsofclouds;IwillbelikethemostHigh.[1031]ThusdoesGod(asEl, theMostHigh) resideonagreatnorthernmountain, reaching thestars.Cliffordtellsusthat“Zaphon’smeaningseemstobepractically‘heavens.”[1032]ThatZionwassynonymouswiththiscosmicmountaininthefarnorthlinksthemodesthillinJerusalemwiththepolarmountainofglobalmythology.4.GodappearsasaradiantlightatopZion.
OutofZion,theperfectionofbeauty,Godhathshined.OurGodshallcome,andshallnotkeepsilence:afireshalldevourbeforehim,anditshallbeverytempestuousroundabouthim.[1033]
5.Theprimevaltemple(orcity)restsonZion.“. . . The habitation of Yahweh on Zion is the earthly counterpart of the glorious mansion which, intraditionalpopular lore, thedivineoverlordissaidtohavebuilt forhimselfonthesupernalhillof thegods,”writesGaster.[1034]6.Godresides“in”thecosmicZion.TheenclosureofGod’sdwelling(temple,city)isinseparablefromthemountainonwhichitrests.ThuscanthePsalmemploythephrase,“inthecityofourGod,inthemountainofhisholiness.”[1035]God’s“dwellingplaceinZion”[1036]istheenclosureofthesummit.7.ZionisthesiteofAdam’sparadise,thelandofthefourrivers.TotheprinceofTyre(clearlythecosmic,nottheterrestrialcity)theLorddeclares:ThouhastbeeninEden,thegardenofGod;everypreciousstonewasthycovering...ThouwastupontheholymountainofGod;thouhastwalkedupanddowninthemidstofthestonesoffire.[1037]
In these lines theprinceof thecosmiccityappears in thecharacterofAdam,enthronedamid the fierystonesofEden.Tooccupytheprimevalgardenistoabideupon“theholymountainofGod.”[1038]The
pointisnotedbyWensinck:“Paradisereallyconsistsofamountainhigherthananymountainonearth...Paradiseisalsoconsideredasanavel.”[1039]Thatthemountainsurpassedallterrestrialpeakssimplymeansthatitwascosmic,aswastheparadiseatthesummit.Thesecharacteristicsoftheheaven’speakinHebrewtraditionfindadditionalconfirmationinthecloselyrelatedcosmicmountainofCanaanitemyth.ZaphoninthefarnorthappearsrepeatedlyinthetextsastherestingplaceofthehighgodBaal.“Therearestrikingsimilaritiesbetweenthemountainspn[Zaphon]intheUgaritictextsandMountZionintheHebrewBible,”writesClifford.“Onboththedeitydwellsinhistemplefromwhichheexerciseshisrule;thunderandlightningarefrequentlyhismeansofdisclosure;themountain...isimpregnable;itisconnectedwithfertility;anditisacosmiccentre.”[1040]Noteworthyis“themythicandcosmicdimensionofthepillarormountain.Thatis,itjoinstheupperandlowerworld; init iscontainedasuperabundanceof life,ofwater; it is thethroneof thedeity.”[1041]Just as theHebrewYahwehdwells inZion, sodoes theCanaanitehighgodBaaldwell in the cosmicZaphon:
Inthemidstofmymountain,divineZaphon,Intheholyplace,themountainofmyheritage,Inthechosenspot,onthehillofvictory.[1042]
Baalisenthroned,yea(his)seatisthemountain...Inthemidstofhismountain,divineZaphon...
Hisheadiswonderful.[1043]ItmustbethiscosmichilldepictedinaPhoenicianivory,reproducedbyClifford.Theivory(datedtothefirstmilleniumB.C.)showsamountainpersonifiedasamaledeity.Themountain-godholdsinhishandavasefromwhichfourstreamsflowinoppositedirections.[1044]Issuingfromthesummitofthemount,thefourriversprovideadistinctparalleltothefourriversofothertraditions.TheAmericas
“TheancientMexicans,”writesWarren,“conceivedof thecradleof thehuman raceas situated in thefarthestNorth,uponthehighestofmountains,cloud-surrounded,theresidenceofthegodTlaloc.Thencecometherainsandallstreams,forTlalocisthegodofthewater.ThefirstmanQuetzalcoatl,afterhavingruledaskingoftheGoldenAgeofMexico,returnedbydivinedirectiontotheprimevalParadiseintheNorth(Tlapallan)andpartookofthedraughtofimmortality.Thestupendousterracedpyramid-templeofCholulawasacopyandsymbolofthesacredParadisemountainofAztectradition,whichwasdescribedasstanding‘intheCentreoftheMiddle-country.’”[1045]CalledColhuacan,Tlaloc’smountainwasthesiteofthemythicalhomelandAtzlan,the“WhiteMountain”fromwhich,accordingtothemyths,theMexicansdescended.[1046]RestingonthesummitofColhuacanwas the temple of Mixcoatl, “the god of the Pole Star.”[1047] Though Mexican myths abound withreferences to theprimordial“centre,”onenotes that (asstatedbySejourne)“thecentre . . . isalso thepointwhereheavenandearthmeet,”[1048]i.e.,itis“theworld’shighestpoint,”thesummitoftheworldmountain.AsanindicationoftheclosecorrespondencebetweentheMexicanparadisalmountainandthatofotherraces, I cite the followingMixtec account of divine origins. The account relates that “the father andmother of all the gods” constructed a mansion upon a great hill while the world yet lay “in deepobscurity”:
...Whenallwaschaosandconfusion,theearthwascoveredwithwater,
therewasonlymudandslimeonthesurfaceoftheearth.Atthattime...
therebecamevisibleagodwhohadthename1-DeerandthesurnameSnakeoftheLion
andagoddess,verygenteelandbeautiful,whosenamewasalso1-Deer
andwhosesurnamewasSnakeoftheTiger.Thesetwogodsaresaidtohavebeenthebeginning
ofallothergods...Assoonasthesetwogodsbecamevisibleonearth,inhumanform,theaccountsofourpeoplerelatethatwiththeirpowerandwisdom
theymadeandestablishedalargestoneonwhichtheybuiltaverysumptuousmansion,constructedwiththefinestworkmanship
whichwastheirseatandresidenceonearth...Thislargestoneandthemansion
wereonaveryhighhill,nearthevillageofApoala...Thislargestonewasnamed
“the-place-where-the-heavens-were.”Andtheretheyremainedmanycenturies
incompletetranquillityandcontentment,asinapleasantanddelightfulplace...Thepoemgoesontodescribetheplantingofagardenofabundanceonthemountaintopwith—
flowersandrosesandtreesandfruitandmanyherbsandinthisway
begantheMixteckingdom.[1049]HerewehavethegodOne(“1-Deer”)appearingintheprimevalwatersandtakingashisspousethegreatmother.Theappearanceoftheprimalpaircoincideswiththefashioningofamansionatop“averyhighhill.”Thatthiswasthecosmicmountainisclearfromthereferencetothe“largestone”offoundationatopthehill: itsnamewas“the-place-where-the-heavens-were”(itwasnotofourearth).Withitsgardenofplenty, this home of the Mixtec pair offered “complete tranquillity and contentment.” (Compare theEgyptianGardenofHetep,whoseverynameconveysthedualmeaning“rest”and“abundance.”)AllnationslookbacktothegodOneasthefirstkingandtothefirstgenerationofgodsasthe“ancestors.”Thusthepoemconcludes:“inthiswaybegantheMixteckingdom.”A central mountain, identified with “the earth’s navel,” appears also in the myths of the Pima of the
southwestern United States. From this mountain the world was populated.[1050] The OmahacommemoratethegreatrockwhichWakandasummonedfromthewaters,atthebeginningoftheworld:
...Thegreatwhiterock,Standingandreachingashighastheheavens,enwrappedinmist.
Verilyashighastheheavens...[1051]“TheIndians,liketheSemites,”statesAlexander,“conceivedtheworldtobeamountain,risingfromthewasteofcosmicwaters,andarchedbythecelestialdome.”[1052]TheaboriginesofGuianaknowthegreatmountainRoraima,“ever-fertilesourceofstreams.”Surroundingthis peak, the natives say, is “amagic circle.”On the samemountain they recall an enormous serpent“whichcouldentwineahundredpeopleinitsfolds.”[1053]IntheEskimotradition,theupperornetherworldliesbeyondagreatmountainaroundwhichthecelestialdomerevolves.Thelandabovethisaxis-mountainissaidtoresembleourearth.[1054]Like other races, theAmerican Indians represented the cosmicMount by the centre-post of the sacreddwelling.PerhapsthemostinterestingversionoccursintheDelawaresymbolismofthe“BigHouse,”aritualdwellingknowntorepresenttheprimevalcreation.Atopthecentre-postoftheBigHousestoodtheeffigyofthecreatorgodGicelemukaong.“Thepostonwhichhisfaceappearsrepresentshiminhisaspectascentrepostoftheuniverse,thesupporterofthewholestructureofcreation,”writesMuller.[1055]Theconnectionofthisking-postwiththeGreatBear[1056]provesitspolarcharacter,whilethecreatoratthesummitiswithoutdoubtthesupremepolargod.
ACollectiveMemory
Themythsandsymbolsof thecosmicmountainconstituteacollectivememorysharedbyallmankind.The Mount universally appears as the inaccessible height, attaining the centre of heaven. Around itssummit revolves thecircleof theCosmos. Inallprincipalaccounts theMountappearsas theancestralhomeland—thelostparadisewithitsfourrivers.Fromonesectionoftheworldtoanothertheancientsrepresentedtheprimevalhillthroughsacredpostsandpillars—thecentre-postsof templesandotherholydwellings,or thefree-standingcolumnsholdingaloftvariousemblemsofthegreatgodandhisenclosure.Thepillaroflightappearingtosupporttheplanet-godwas“theearth’shighestmountain.”Thegodonthemountaintopseemedtooccupythesummitoftheterrestriallandscape,yetalsoappearedliterallyasthepivotaroundwhichalltheheavenlybodiesturned.Inotherwords,onecanspeakofthegreatfatherasruling“onourearth”withoutreducinghimtomerehumanproportions.Thesamefigureruledasthecentralsun.It is to the cosmicmountain that onemust refer in order tomake sense of the commemorative hill orsacredcolumn.Yetthepriorityofthecosmicpeakisonlyrarelyadmittedbytheexperts.WeretheGreekssounsophisticatedastobelievethatKronos—acknowledgedtobetheplanetSaturn—satenthronedonalocalOlympus?DidtheHebrewstrulybelievethatYahweh,atthecreation,actuallystoodonthemoundofearthwhichwenowcallZion?(Thetruthisthatintheageofepicpoetryandfable,when the chroniclers confused the cosmic Olympus and Zion with their local representations, mosteducatedmenstoppedbelievingthemyths.)The memory of the cosmic mountain existed prior to the naming of sacred hills on our earth or thefashioning of symbolic representations. Indeed, the point should go without saying. While Greekmythologists like to think that theMacedonianOlympusgave rise tomythsof theOlympichomeof thegods, surely no onewould suggest that the towering obelisks, iron posts, orminarets were fashionedbefore men conceived the great god resting on such a support. The cosmic myth precedes and givesmeaning to the symbol.Localmountain and sacredpillar share the same role as characterizationsof acosmicprototype.Divorcedfromtheprototypethesymbolwillalwaysappearasanexpressionofgrossignorance.AgoodillustrationofthisisCook’sexplanationoftheGermanicsacredpillarIrminsaul,“thepillarofheaven.”Totheprimitive,Cooktellsus,“theskystandsinneedofavisiblesupport.Earlymanwasinfacthauntedbyaverydefinitedreadthatitmightcollapseonhim.”“Howthatbeliefarose,wecanonlysurmise.Itmaybethatinthedimpast,whentheancestorsofthesetribes developed out of hunters into herdsmen and emerged from the forest on to the open plain, theymissed the big tree that seemed to support the sky (‘heaven-reaching’ as Homer calls it). And in theabsenceofthemightyproptherewasnothingtoguaranteethesafetyoftheirroof[thesky].”“Nowearlymanwasapracticalperson.Hisroofbeinginsecure,heproceededtoshoreitup.”[1057]One observer after another confuses the symbol with the prototype. Can one credibly suggest thatprimitivesraisedthesacredpostbecause“theymissedthebigtreethatseemedtosupportthesky”?Couldthemost ignorant savages have believed that the very piece ofwood before them sustained the entireheavenssothatafewblowsofanaxwouldbringdownthesun,moon,andstars?
A fewcomparativemythologists, noting the sacredmountain’s connectionwith theworld axis, seek tounderstand it as an astronomical metaphor: the ancients must have been so impressed by the visualrevolutionoftheheavensaroundacentralpoint—thecelestialpole—thattheyconceivedagreatcolumnsupporting heaven at its pivot and constituting the fixed axle of the universe. These writers see themountainasaprimitivefictionemployedtoexplaintheregularandharmoniousmotionsoftheheavens.But in the ancient world view, the cosmic axis-pillar belongs to an integrated vision and cannot beseparatedfromothercentralthemes.IftheMountwasnomorethanacolourfulmetaphorforthecosmicaxis,inwhatmetaphordidthepolarsunoriginate?WhywasthisstationarylightcalledSaturn?Andwhydo thehymns incessantly invokea shiningbandaround thegod,or fourprimary raysof light radiatingfromthiscentralsun?Toexplain thecosmicmountasananalogydrawnbyprimitive imagination,one
must,insimilarterms,accountfortheentirerangeofmotifsattachedtothesigns and ,theworld-wideimagesofthemountain.Suchataskwouldrequireabstractionsfarbeyondanytowhichtheancientswereaccustomed.While modern man looks for an explanation of the myths in the present heavens, the mythmakersthemselves repeatedly tell us that they speak of a vanished world order. The cosmicmountain is thePrimevalHill;thegardenatthesummitisthelostparadise;andthecentralsunrulingtheenclosureisthebanishedgod-king.Theentiredramasetforthinarchaicritualtakesplaceinapreviousage,separatedfromourownbyoverwhelmingcatastrophes(asubjectwhichmustbereservedfortreatmentinaseparatevolume).When theancientpriests invoke the“MountofGlory,” the“JewelledPeak,” the“pillarof fire,”or the“goldenmountain”theyaffirmtheMountasavisibleandpowerfulapparition.Moreover,oneneedonlyconsider thediversemythicalformsof theMount todiscoverasymbolismofsuchbreadthandcoherenceastorefuteanyappealtoabstractions.
TheMountOfMasculinePower
Mythicalhistorypresentsthecosmicmountainasthemasculinepoweroftheheavens,implantingtheluminous“seed”(Saturn)withinthewombofthemothergoddess.Thegoddess,personifyingthebandaroundthecentralsun,thusbecomesthe“mistressofthemountain.”IftheEgyptianAtumorReistheGreatSeed,theMesopotamianNinurta,orNingirsu,is“thelifegivingSeed.”[1058]Theritualdeclarestheprimalseedtohavebeengeneratedbytheworldpillar.“MykingNingirsu. . . , trustylord,SeedspawnedbytheGreatMountain,”readsaSumerianhymn.[1059] In thesameveintheEgyptiansconceivedRethe“Seed”ofthecosmicmountainShu.Themountainisthegenerativepillarandthegreatgoddessitsqueen.UponformingthegreatcolumninthewatersofKur,NinurtaaddresseshiswifeNinmah(aformofNinhursag):
ThereforeonthehillwhichI,thehero,haveheapedup,LetitsnamebeHursag(mountain),andthoubeitsqueen.[1060]
Similarly,Ishtar,the“womb,”isthespouseonthemountain:Osuprememistressofthemountainoftheuniverse.[1061]
Theconcretemeaningof thegoddess’ titlewillbeobserved inaCanaanitefragmentreferring toIshtarandMountPisaisa:themountcohabitswiththegoddess.[1062]TheworldmountaintakestheformoftheIthyphallus,observesJeremias.[1063]Egyptianritualinvokesthemothergoddessasthe“SpouseontheMountain,”[1064]whilethegreatfatherbecomesAn-mut-f“thepillarofhismother.”[1065]Thatthegreatgoddess,asmistressorqueenofthemountain,actuallycohabitswithitmaynotalwaysbeexplicitlyspelledout,thoughtherelationshipisoftenexplicitinthesymbolismoftheMountitself.The
phallicdimensionof thecosmicpillar isveryclear in theEgyptianobelisk , symbolof thePrimevalHillsupportingtheBenbenstoneor“Seed”ofAtum.AccordingtoRouge,“AcomparativestudyoftheselittlemonumentsprovesthattheobeliskwasreveredbecauseitwasthesymbolofAmenthegenerator...Theobeliskpassesinsensiblyfromitsordinaryformtothatofthephallus.”[1066]The Egyptian andMesopotamian conceptions of theworldmountain asmasculine power accordwithHindusymbolismofthecosmicmountMeru,deemedthemaleprincipleoftheuniverse.[1067]Meruwas,infact,thefamedlingamorphallusofShiva,extendingupwardalongthe“axisoftheuniverse.”[1068]Reflectingthisideaisthephrase“thevirilemountain,”employedbytheAtharvaVeda.[1069]The“heavenlypillar”onwhichtheJapanesepairIzangiandIzanamistoodinthebeginning[1070]was,accordingtotherespectedauthorityHirata,atoncetheworldaxisandthelingam.[1071]“...EverymountainwasdeemedthephallusoftheWorld,andeveryphallusorconewasanimageoftheholymountain,”observesFaber.[1072]The phallic character ofmany sacred pillars is sowidely acknowledged as to require little argument.[1073]Indeed,certainscholarsaresoimpressedbythisattributeofsacredpillarsthattheyseektobuildanentireinterpretationofancientritualaroundthetheme:everypillarandeveryrelatedsymbolbecomesanexpressionofaprimitivepreoccupationwithhumanreproduction—andnothingelse.
Figure46.CretanMistressoftheMountain.
Yetineachinstance,oneseestheprevailing themeofthecosmicmountain.It isonethingtoadmit themasculineattributeofthepillar(amongotherattributes),butquiteanotherthingtoassert,assomedo,thatthepillarwas initiallynothingmore thanamasculineemblem.Thecosmicmountaincamefirst,and itwasquitenaturalthattheancients,reflectingonthemountain’srelationtotheenclosedsunatthesummit(
),interpretedtheentireconfigurationinmasculine-feminineterms.Faber,afterreviewingtheglobalimageoftheholymountain,concludesthat ineachcasethemountainhadonitssummitamysticcirclegiventhenameofthemothergoddessandcalled“theCircleoftheWorld.”The“sun”-god,statesFaber,resideswithin this enclosure as husbandof the greatmother,while themountain itself is the organ ofuniversalgeneration.(UnnoticedbyFaber,however,istheconnectionofthisuniversalcosmologywith
thesign .)Thosewho assert the absolute priority of phallicismnot only forget that the sacred pillarwas cosmicfromthestart(i.e.,itwasnotamerephallicemblemgraduallyenlargedtocosmicdimensions),butmustglossoverthemanyindependentattributesofthepillarandenclosure.(Itwouldbeabsurd,forexample,to argue that themythical lost paradise—watered by four rivers running to the four corners—was theproductofprimitivephallicism.)One interpretationof thepolarconfigurationoverlapswithanother.Butonly theprototypeexplains thesymbol.[1074]
TheCosmicMountainPersonified
Thecosmicmountainoften takes themythical formofagreatgiant supporting the central sunorholdingaloftthewomboftheCosmos.OnotheroccasionstheMountbecomesthelower limbsof thegreatgodhimself.Of the heaven-sustaining giant, there is no more popular figure than the Greek Atlas. In modernimaginationAtlasisthelonelygodbearingourearthonhisshoulders.ButHesiodsurelyspeaksfortheoriginal version when he writes: “And Atlas through hard constraint upholds the wide heaven withunwearying head and arms, standing at the borders of the earth, before the clear-voicedHesperides.”[1075]PindarhasAtlas“bearingupagainstheaven’sweight,”[1076]whileOvidspeaksof“strongAtlaswhowearsheavenonhisshoulders.”[1077] (Thereaderwill recall that“heaven”means“theCosmos.”)The usual view is that the Hesperides, in whose companyHesiod places Atlas, occupy amysteriousregioneither inLibyaor in the farwest.ButApollodorus,describing theeleventh labourofHercules,relatesthatthegoldenapplesguardedbytheHesperides“werenot,assomehavesaid,inLibya,butonAtlas,amongtheHyperboreans.”[1078]This,ofcourse,placesAtlasinthefarnorth,asnotedbyFrazer.[1079]WhenApollodorususesthephrase“onAtlas,”hereferstoAtlasasthemountainonwhichHeraplantedthegardenofthegods.[1080]ThemythicalMountAtlasandheaven-sustaininggodweresynonymous,themythsdeclaringthatPerseuspetrifiedAtlasintothemountain.[1081]SincethereisarangeofmountainsinnorthwestAfricacalledAtlasmanywritersassumethistobethesubjectofthemyth,butApollodorus’locationofthemountandgardenamongthefar-northernHyperboreansspeaksforaquitedifferentidea.To find theoriginalcharacterofAtlas,onemustconsult theglobal tradition, for thisheaven-sustaininggodhasmanycounterpartsaroundtheworld.InIndianumerousgodsappearaspersonificationsoftheworldmountain.Agniisa“supportingcolumn,”orthe“pillaroflife,”[1082]agodwho“upholdstheskybyhisefficaciousspells,”[1083]andservesasthe “axle” of the cosmic wheel or chariot.[1084] “Agni is represented as the axis of the Universe,extendingasapillarbetweenEarthandHeaven,”statesCoomaraswamy.[1085]CloselyrelatedisIndra,he“whoisvastandself-sustainedlikeamountain, theradiantandformidableIndra.”[1086]“Bethoujusthere;benotmovedaway;likeamountain,notunsteady;OIndra,standthoufixedjusthere;heredothoumaintainroyalty.”[1087]OfVishnu,Hinduritualdeclares,“Thouproppedstasunderthosetwoworlds,OVishnu.”[1088]Savitaris the axis-pillar of the world wheel: “All immortal things rest upon him as on the axle end of achariot.”[1089] And the Upanishads sing of Prajapati “By him the heavens are strong and earth issteadfast,byhimlight’srealmandsky-vaultaresupported.”[1090]Hindutraditionsoftheheaven-sustaininggodfindaparallel inthecosmicimageoftheBuddhaas“thegoldenmountain.”BuddhisticonographypresentstheBuddhaeitherasapillaroffireorasthecentralsunatopsuchapillar,whichwasthe“axisoftheUniverse.”[1091]AmongAltaicracesthecentralpillaroftenreceivespersonificationasa toweringfiguresupportingtheheavens.Thecelestialcolumnbecomes“theMan-PillarofFire,”[1092]or“theironpillarman.”[1093]TheFinnishsupremepolargodwasUkko,invokedintheKalevalawiththewords“OUkko,godonhigh,supporterofthewholesky!”[1094]
MithraicshrinesdepictMithrasintheformofAtlas,supportingthevaultofheaven.“FromthemomentofhisbirthMithrasheldtheglobeasKosmocrator(ruleroftheCosmos),”statesCumont.“Atlasservedtostress both the significanceofMithras’ task as bearer of theheavens and thepowerderived from thisjunction.”[1095]TheGermanicHeimdall represented the turningaxle-postof theheavens[1096]whilethenameoftheSemiticgodElhasforitsprimitivesense“acolumn.”In North America, the divinity widely recognized in legend and myth by diverse Indian tribes wasManabozho,who“residesuponan immensepieceof ice in theNorthernOcean,”directing the cosmicmovements.Oneof theformsofManabozhowasTa-ren-ya-wa-go,“theholderof theHeavens.”[1097]The assimilation of the great god to the cosmicmountain on which he rests will explain why, in thelanguageofancientastronomy,Saturnisthe“pillar.”TheconnectionbearsonanenigmaticreferencetoSaturnintheOldTestament.TheprophetAmoschargesIsraelwithhaving“bornethetabernacleofyourMolochandChiun,your images, the starofyourgod.”[1098]The termChiun refers to the “pillar”or“pedestal”of thestar-godworshippedbytheIsraelites inthedesert.It is thenameoftheplanetSaturnandtracesbacktotheBabylonianKaiun,alsoSaturn—the“steadystaruponafoundation.”Plutarchgivesthe titleKiun to the EgyptianAnup, the “godwho is on his pole.”Kiun, statesMassey, “denotes thehighestpoint,atthecentre,andisappliedtothefoundingoftheworld.ThenamewasassignedtoSaturnasthegodinthehighest.”[1099]Saturn,theHeavenMan,thusacquirestheformofacosmicgiant,whosevasttrunkisthemountainofthe
world.Thesign offersusapictureof theKosmocrator, theall-containing being embracing themaleandfemalepowersandsupportingtheCosmos.Moreover, this connection of the supreme god to the cosmic pillar provides a further refutation of thecommonviewwhichhasthegod,asoursun,leavethemountaineachmorningandsoaracrosstheskytosinkbelowthewesternhorizon.It is themountainthatgivesthegodhisidentityasthesupporteroftheheavens.Couldonereasonablycallthemountthegod’slowerlimbsifthesunwerejoinedtothemountonlyatthemomentofsunrise?Thetruelightgoddoesnotmove,butremainsfixedatthesummit.
TheSingleLeg
Reflectingtheassimilationofthegreatgodtothecosmicmountain is therepeatedcharacterizationoftheMountasthegod’ssingle“leg.”The ancientMayans knewno greater god thanHuracan, “theHeart ofHeaven.” In thePopulVuh, thesacredbookoftheQuicheMaya,Huracanpresidesoverthecreation,bringingforththefirstdawn.[1100]ThenameHuracanmeansliterally“One-Leg.”GoetzandMorleyrenderhisnameas“flashofalegorthelightning.”[1101]DidthesinglelegofHuracanderivefromaboltoflightning?Wecananswerthequestionbylookingatotherone-leggedgods,ofwhichworldmythologypresentsasurprisingnumber.Huracan’scounterpartinNahuatl ritualwas thepolar godTezcatlipoca,whoalsopossessed a single leg.And the samepeopleworshippedHuitzilopochtli:
Portentousone,whoinhabitstheregionofclouds,youhavebutonefoot.[1102]Similarly,theLillooetIndiansofBritishColumbiarecallanoldthundergodwhostoodononeleg.[1103]Looking beyond the Americas one finds that the natives of Australia remember a one-legged godTurunbulun,whoalsopossessedasingleeye.[1104]Thispeculiarity,inturn,remindsoneoftheominousfiguremet byOwein in theArthurian legend: coming to a clearing in the forest,Owein encountered alargemoundonwhichstoodablack,one-eyed,one-leggedgiant.[1105]TheCeltic Sol stood on one foot all day.[1106] TheAfricanWachoga tell of the old godMrulewhoresided on earth for a time before departing because of human unkindness; the god had only one leg.[1107]O’Neillnotes thatabronzestatueofaCabireangodof theMedici lararium stoodononefoot.[1108]RussianmythpresentsthedemonicVerliokaasaone-eyedandone-leggedfigure.[1109]SoalsowastheChineseprimevalgodK’ueione-footed.[1110]Thatmorethanoneof thesefigurespossessesasingleeyeinadditiontoonelegissurely thekeytoa
solution.TheCyclopeaneyeansweredtotheenclosedpolarsun ,whichthemythsplaceontheworld
pillar .Doesnot the latter imageofferus thesimplestandmostdirectexplanationof theone-eyed,one-leggedgod?Thedecisive evidence comes fromEgypt and India. In languagewhichEgyptologists rarely attempt tocomprehend,Egyptiantextsspeakofthe“leg”or“thigh”ofOsiris,Set,orPtah.Whilethefemale“thigh”wasthelap(womb)ofthegreatmother,Egyptiantextssimilarlyshowthatthemasculine“thigh”or“leg”wasthecosmicmountain.WhilenumeroustextsdepictthegodshiningovertheLightMountain,thegodOsiris is said to “shine above the Leg of heaven.”[1111] “Hail, Leg of fire, who comest forth fromAkhekhu”proclaimstheBookoftheDead.[1112]
The Egyptian sept, writtenwith themountain symbol , means “provide with.” But sept also means“leg.”Massey’sconclusionmustbeourown:“ThelegorthighwasanEgyptianfigureofthepole,aswefinditin‘thelegofPtah’...Hence,‘abovetheleg’isequivalentto‘overthepole.’”[1113]KeestellsusthatthelegofSet,fromwhichthe“Nile”wassaidtoflow,representedthepole.[1114]
The one-legged god appears to be represented in the Egyptian hieroglyph ab , for the
determinative seemstodepictafigureturningroundwhilestandingononeleg.Atleastthisisthe
motionsuggestedbytheword’ssense“togoround.”Thatab( )alsomeans“heart”suggeststhattheone-leggedgod is the stationarybut ever-turningheartofheaven—theEgyptian counterpart of theone-leggedMayangodHuracan,the“HeartofHeaven.”Wecan test this interpretationagainstHindu symbolism.Hindu legends say that theoldgodManu, the“kingofmen” (the firstmanand the firstking), “didarduouspenance for ten thousandyears”—all thewhile“poisedonone leg.”[1115]The great father Shiva not only endured “heavy penances onMountHimavant,” but “stood on one foot for a thousand years.”[1116] In theUpanishads one reads that the“Brahmanisonlyone-footed.”[1117]Thegreatgod’sonefootreinforcestheprincipleof“rest”,“Meditation,”or“penance.”AcaseinpointisthearchaicfigureofAjaEkapad,calledthe“one-footed”supportoftheCosmos.[1118]Agrawalatellsusthat “ekapad or one-footed denotes the absence of motion.” The one-footed god “was devoid of anymotionandrepresentedtheprincipleofAbsoluteStaticRest.”[1119]Onthemeaningofthegreatgod’ssingleleg,CoomaraswamyandNiveditawrite:“Theearliestofmaleanthropomorphic gods is said to have beenPole-star, and there is a touchof humour in thewayhe isportrayedupanddownthepagesofancientmythology.ThePole-star,itseems,fromhissolitarypositionattheapexofthestellarsystemgaverisetothenotionofagodwhowasone-footed...ThustheRig-VedacontainsnumerousreferencestoAja-Ekapad—anamethatmaybetranslatedeithertheOne-footedGoatortheBirthlessOne-footedOne.”[1120]TheHindusknewthecelestialpoleasDhruva-lokor“placeofDhruva,”(the“firm”god).[1121]IntheBhagavata-purana,onereadsthatDhruva,godofthepole,inprofoundmeditation,“maintainedhimselfuprightononefoot,motionlessasastake.”[1122](Intruth,theonelegofthemotionlessDhruvawasa“stake”—thecentralpillarormountainoftheworld.)ThatthepolargodrulestheworldwhilestandingononelegthrowslightontheSiameseritualinwhichthe king, in imitation of theUniversalMonarch, and in order to prove his fitness for holding supremeauthority,stoodonone leg.[1123]One thinksof theGreekpurification riteswhich required initiates tostand on one foot only.[1124] The practice of praying on one leg occurs also in old Jewish rites inJerusalemandamongMuslimdervishesandHinduhermits.[1125]Itwouldbeuselesstoseeka“natural”explanation for the practice, for the prototype does not lie in what we call the natural world today.EmulatedisthefeatoftheUniversalMonarchorfirstancestor,conceivedastheIdealMan.“Hewhohasonefoothasout-strippedthemthathavetwo,”statestheRigVeda.[1126]Thestatementderivesmeaningfrom the supremacy of the one-legged polar god, who, while standing fixed at the cosmic centre yetmovedtheturningheavens.Thegreatgod’ssingle“leg”meanstheworldmountain.[1127]
TheSerpent/Dragon
Theserpentfillsmorethanoneroleinthemythsofbeginnings.WhilethecircularserpentdenotestheSaturnianenclosure,thereisalsoamasculineserpentwhoservesasthefoundationorpillar.Acomparisonofglobal traditions indicates thatwhilemany legends locate thecelestial “earth”on thecosmic mountain, this enclosure may also appear as the crown of an erect serpent. In the beginning,accordingtoacreationmythofsoutheasternBorneo,therewasonlytheskyandthesea,“inwhichswamagreatserpentuponwhoseheadwasacrownofgoldsetwithashiningstone.Fromthesky-worldthedeitythrewearthupontheserpent’shead,thusbuildinganislandinthemidstofthesea;andthisislandbecametheworld.”[1128]TheBattakofSumatra say that in the“primevaloceanswamor layagreat serpentonwhosehead theheavenlymaidenspreadahandfulofearth...andthussheformedtheworld.”[1129]InHindumyth the gigantic serpent Shesha sustains the “world” on his head,[1130] as do theHebrewLeviathanandtheMuslimcosmicserpents.AmongtheBuriatsofSiberia, thetraditionprevailsthat themightyUlgencreatedagiantfishamidthecosmicwaterstosupportthe“world.”[1131]Isthereanunderlyingconsistencybetweenthesemythsandothermythswhichdepictthecelestialearthasthesummitoftheworldmountain?Whatistheconnectionoftheserpent/dragonandtheaxis-pillar?Of course, it is easy to imagine that a streamof iceordebris stretchingbetween theEarth andSaturnwould, before the latter orb attained stability at the polar centre, take on a twisting, serpentineappearance. And, in fact, the cosmic mountain in many creation epics is presented as a churning,serpentine column rising along theworld axis and finally achieving stability. (I intend to explore thischurningmountaininasubsequentvolume).Here is a fact which linguists and comparative mythologists overlook: in several lands the word for“mountain”isthesameasthewordfor“serpent”or“dragon,”thoughournaturalworldoffersnobasisfortheequivalence.InMexico,Nahuatlcanmean“serpent”butalso“mountain,”[1132]sothatonemighttermthepolarMountColhuacanacosmic“serpent-mountain.”“Serpent-Mountain”isindeedthetitleoftheMexicanprimevalhillCoatepelt.[1133]The Egyptian Set is the primordial serpent or dragon, but set also means “mountain.” The mythicalMountainofSet,infact,istheacknowledgedEgyptiancounterpartoftheHebrewZaphonin“thefarthestreachesofthenorth.”[1134]AndliketheMexicans,theEgyptiansknewthe“SerpentMountain,”afigureofthepole,accordingtoMassey.[1135]The ancient Sumerian dragon in the cosmic seawas theKur, playing a prominent role in the creationmyth,butkuralsopossessedthemeaning“mountain”;indeed,“thesignusedforitisactuallyapictographrepresenting amountain.”[1136] TheGreekBoreas is the primeval serpent raised from the waters ofChaos,butetymologistsconnecttheserpent-god’snamewithaprimitivebora,“mountain.”“Amongprimitivepeoples,”writesSuhr,“therearesignsofthecolumnintheformofapythonordragonridingfromtheleveloftheearthtotheclouds.”[1137]SuhrnotesseveralChinesepaintings“inwhichadragonisrepresentedasrisingfromthewateroftheearth.”[1138]“Adragonascendingfromtheearthtothe clouds can serve as the whirling column—which no doubt accounts for so many dragons onpillars.”[1139] In northernAustralia ceremonies of theMurngin commemoratewith a central pole thegreatpythonwho“risesupfromapool”and“towersuptotheleveloftheclouds...”Thepythonwasthecentralpillarofheaven.[1140]
Onlytheidentityoftheworldpillaranderectserpent/dragoncanexplaintheprimitivehabitofdecoratingcommemorativepillarswithscales.TheshaftofearlyJupitercolumns“wasoftenpatternedwithscales,”notesCook.[1141]InbothEgyptandMesopotamiaimagesofsacredmountainsrevealascaledpattern.SincethegreatgodoftenuniteswiththeMountinsuchawaythatitbecomeshislowerlimbs,weneedlook no further for an explanation of the great father’s universal serpentine character: the erectserpent/dragon formed the god’s pillar-like trunk.DescribingNingirsu as “like heaven his tremendoussize,”aSumerian textcalls thiscreatorgoda“Flood-demon[i.e.,dragon]byhis lower limbs.”[1142]“Your hinderparts are theCelestial Serpent,” declares theEgyptianPyramidTexts.[1143] The idea isvividly expressed by the illustration of the African god Ammon reproduced by Cook: the head andshouldersofthegodmeltintoapillar-trunkformedbythebodyofaserpent.[1144](fig.47)Babyloniancylindersealsshowthehighgodwearingarobeordressintheformofamountain.[1145]Typically,themountain-dressiscoveredwithscales,identifyingitwiththeserpent/dragon.Serpentine lower limbsofdivine figures are,of course, common to the artofmanypeoples. Indeed itwould be useless to attempt a reviewof all the creator gods joinedwith the serpent/dragon, since noprominentfigureofthegreatfatherappearstohaveescapedthisidentification,evenifattimessubdued.Theunansweredquestionis,Why?Thelastthingsuggested(tous)byslitheringserpentsistheideaofacreator!Yet theprototypical identityof theerectserpent/dragonandthecosmicmountaingivesstrikingcoherencetothesymbolismandplacestheworld-wideunionofcreatorandserpentabovegrotesqueandinexplicablecoincidence.
Figure47.Ammon,withserpentinetrunk.
An equally bizarre feature of the mythic serpent is its phallic powers, as documented by Crawley,Hartland,Briffault,Eliade,andothers.HereisEliade’ssummaryofthetheme:“Eventodayitissaidinthe Abruzzi that the serpent copulates with all women. The Greeks and Romans also believed it.AlexandertheGreat’smother,Olympia,playedwithsnakes.ThefamousAratusofSicyonwassaidtobeasonofAesculapiusbecause,accordingtoPausanias,hismotherconceivedhimofaserpent.SuetoniusandDioCassius tellhowthemotherofAugustusconceivedfromtheembraceofaserpent inApollo’stemple.AsimilarlegendwascurrentabouttheelderScipio.InGermany,France,Portugalandelsewhere,womenusedtobeafraidthatasnakewouldslipintotheirmouthswhentheywereasleep,andtheywouldbecomepregnant,particularlyduringmenstruation.InIndia,whenwomenwantedtohavechildren,theyadoredacobra.AllovertheEastitwasbelievedthatwoman’sfirstsexualcontactwaswithasnake,atpubertyorduringmenstruation.TheKomati tribe in theMysoreprovinceof Indiausessnakesmadeofstoneinaritetobringaboutthefertilityofwomen.ClaudiusAelianusdeclaresthattheHebrewsbelievedthatsnakesmatedwithunmarriedgirls;andwealsofindthisbeliefinJapan.APersiantraditionsaysthatafterthefirstwomanhadbeenseducedbytheserpentsheimmediatelybegantomenstruate.Anditwas
saidby the rabbis thatmenstruationwas the resultofEve’s relationswith theserpent in theGardenofEden. InAbyssinia it was thought that girlswere in danger of being raped by snakes until theyweremarried. One Algerian story tells how a snake escaped when no one was looking and raped all theunmarriedgirlsinahouse.SimilartraditionsaretobefoundamongtheMandiHottentotsofEastAfrica,inSierraLeoneandelsewhere.”[1146]Noextentofconventionalrationalizationcouldhopetoexplainthispervasivesuperstition.Thesupposedmasculinepowerofserpentsechoesanage-oldtradition,whoseoriginalsubjectwasthecosmicserpent,notthelowlyserpentsofourearth.Theimpregnatingserpentwasacreatureofmyth,hisphallicpowerderiving from his identity with the engendering mountain of the world. The primeval serpent, oftenregarded as themale organof the great father himself, rose along theworld axis.That this archetypalmemoryproducedreverberationsinglobalfolkloreforthousandsofyearsatteststothedramaticpoweroftheoriginalexperience.
TheStreamOfLife
Thecosmicmountainalsofoundexpressionasastreamofwindorwatereitherdescendingfromthepolarabodeor ascending theworld axis from “below.” As a stream of air itwas the life-giving“breath”of thegreat father,oftencalled the“NorthWind.”Asa river itwas the central stream inwhich theancientsbelievedall thewatersof theworld tooriginate—orawell, fountain,or springchannelingthewatersofthedeepupwardalongtheworldaxistobedispersedinfourstreamsflowing
tothefourcornersofthecelestialabode .BoreasAndTheHyperboreans
ThePelasgianBoreas orOphion is an archaic, serpentine godwhompre-HellenicGreeks apparentlyreveredasthefatherofcreation.Gravesreconstructsthefragmentsofthemyth:“In the beginning, Eurynome, the Goddess of All Things, rose naked from Chaos, but found nothingsubstantial forher feet to restuponand thereforedivided thesea fromthesky,dancing lonelyupon itswaves.Shedanced towards thesouth,and thewindset inmotionbehindher somethingnewandapartwithwhich tobeginaworkof creation.Wheelingabout, shecaughtholdof thisnorthwind, rubbed itbetweenherhandsandbehold!thegreatserpentOphion.Eurynomedancedtowarmherself,wildly,untilOphion, grown lustful, coiled about those divine limbs andmoved to couplewith her.Now theNorthWind,whoiscalledBoreas,fertilizes;whichiswhymaresoftenturntheirhindquarterstothewindandbreedfoalswithoutaidofastallion.SoEurynomewaslikewisegotwithchild.”[1147]AstotheoriginsofBoreas,Gravescanonlysaythathe“istheserpentdemiurgeofHebrewandEgyptianmyth,”fromwhomthePelasgiansclaimedtohavedescended.Butquestionscomeimmediatelytomind.WhywasBoreas,thePeloror“prodigiousserpent,”calledthe“NorthWind”?Whywasthiswind,liketheerectserpent,believedtobringaboutconception?Boreas, theNorthWind,figuresina long-standingdebateconcerningtheHyperboreans, theservantsofboreal Apollo. Ancient chroniclers unanimously agree that theHyperboreans lived beyond or aboveBoreas, taking this to mean “beyond the North Wind,” or in the farthest north. But certain modernetymologistscontendthattheclassicalinterpretationrestsonaconfusionofterms:thesecriticsconnectBoreasandtheHyperboreansnotwiththe“NorthWind,”butwithaprimitiveGreekword,bora,meaning“mountain.”BoraisthenameofamountaininMacedonia,thehighestpeakbetweentheHaliakmonandAxiosrivers.UnderthismoderninterpretationBoreasissimply“thewindofthemountain.”By such reasoning boreal Apollo becomes the god of a local peak, and Apollo’s servants (theHyperboreans)becomeeitherdivineassistantsabovethismountorhumanworshippersbeyondthemount.TheclassicalidentificationofBoreasandtheHyperboreanswiththeutmostnorthlosesitslong-standingvalidity.[1148]Yet to accept the primitive identity of Boreas with the bora or “mountain” does not require one toconcede thatBoraorBoreasoriginated in reference toaMacedonian peak. Ifwe focusonprototypesratherthanlocalgeographyweseethatBoreaspertainedtoboththe“mountain”andthe“NorthWind”—but theoriginal referencewascosmic.The“NorthWind”was the luminous“breath”of thepolargod,stretching along the world axis; and this very stream received mythical interpretation as the worldmountain(thetrueBorainheaven).TheNorthWindShu
Awidelyoverlookedfactisthattheworld’soldestritualdesignatesthecelestialpillaras“thebreathoflife.”TheEgyptians, as previously observed, personified theMount ofGlory as the heaven-sustaining giantShu.YetEgyptologistsasawholerarelythinkofthegodinsuchconcreteterms.Budgewrites:“Shuwasagodwhowasconnectedwiththeheatanddrynessofsunlightandwiththedryatmospherewhichexistsbetweentheearthandthesky.”[1149]Itishardtoimagineanylinkbetween“thedryatmosphere”andthegodwhomtheEgyptiansregularlydepictedasacosmicpillarholdingaloftthegoddessNut,thewombofheaven.ButBudge remarks, almost incidentally, thatShu“wasapersonificationof thewindof theNorth.”Oragain:“Hewascertainly,likehisfatherTem,thoughttobethecoolwindoftheNorth.”[1150]Budge’slanguage seems to describe a transitory breeze from Lower Egypt. If the god personified such anephemeralforce,whydidhereceiveexplicitrepresentationasthepillaroftheheavens?Theansweristhatthe“NorthWind”didnotrefertoaterrestrialbreezebuttothevisible“breath”ofAtum,the“firmHeartoftheSky”atthecelestialpole.MorethanoncetheBookoftheDeadspeaksof“thenorthwindwhichcomethforthfromTem[Atum].”[1151]“Ihavecometoprotectthee,Osiris,withtheNorthWindwhich cometh forth from Tem,” states one hymn.[1152] Elsewhere the wind issues from Atum-Re inconjunctionwiththemothergoddess:“Letmesnufftheairwhichcomethforthfromthynostrils,andthenorthwindwhichcomethforthfromthymother[Nut].”[1153]Thetextsleavenodoubtthatthis“wind”or“breath,”descendingfromAtum(orRe),wasthelightpillarShu:“...HebreathethandthegodShucomethintobeing,”statesonehymn.[1154]“Thouartestablisheduponthatwhichemanatethfromthyexistence,”statesanother.[1155]“ThouhastemittedShuandhehathcomeforthfromthymouth.”[1156]Onetextdescribesthegodas“agreatcolumnofair”holdingaloftthewombofNut.[1157]InthePyramidTextsthe“northwind”isdescribedas“smoke”andsaidto“liftup”thegod-king.[1158]Clearly,theEgyptiansconceivedthestreamofbreathasavisiblepillar.Rather than “air” I should call this life-bearingbreath “ether.”Whilemany sources describe thewinddescendingfromthemouthornostrilsofAtumorRe,othersviewitasrisingfrom“below”tovivifythegodandhiscompanyofcelestialspirits.“OthouRe,whodwellestinthydivineshrine,drawthouintothyselfthewinds,inhaletheNorthWind.”[1159]Thiswindisthe“sweetairforthynose.”[1160]“ThesweetwindoftheNorthisforthyheart.”[1161]Thedeceasedkingaspirestoattainthecosmicdomainofthegreatgod:“Iwilltakeformyselfmybreathoflife. . .Iwillsnuffthewindformyself,Iwillhaveabundanceofthenorthwind,Iwillbecontentamongthegods.”[1162]
Actually,theEgyptiansleftforusaveryexpressiveimageofthislife-bearingetherinthehieroglyph ,depictingluminousstreamsofkhu,“glory,” rising to theenclosedsun.And therelationshipofShu, the
heavenspillar,tothisstreamisbeyonddispute.Forthehieroglyph appearsas thedeterminative in
the name of Shu . Shu, the pillar bearing aloft the womb of themother goddess, was noterrestrialbreeze,butratherthevisibleNorthWindflowinginabrilliantstreambetweenourearthandSaturn’sCosmos.Thisveryconnectionof thepolarmount and thebreathof lifeprevails also inMesopotamia.One textstatesthatthecosmicmountainonwhichtheSumerianNingirsu(Saturn)residesisthedwellingplaceof
theNorthWind:TothemountainwheretheNorthWinddwells,
I[Ningirsu]havesetmyfoot.Themanofimmensestrength,theNorthWind,
Fromthemountain,thepureplace,Willblowthewindstraighttowardsyou.[1163]
ThetextcallsthisNorthWind“thebreathoflifetothepeople.”The Sumerians personified the cosmic mountain as the giant Enlil (“the great mountain”), a strikingcounterparttotheEgyptianpillar-godShu.LikeShu,Enlilisthe“WindoftheNetherworldMountain”—thatis,hepersonifiesatoncethecosmichillandthebreathofthecreator.“BetweenheavenandearththeSumeriansrecognizedasubstancewhichtheycalledlil[inEnlil],awordwhoseapproximatemeaningiswind(air,breath,spirit),”statesKramer.[1164]Enlilthusrepresentstheetherealcolumnjoiningheavenandearth.AndtheHinduAgni,thepillarofheaven,wasthesamestreamofair,or“smoke”:“He(Agni)asapillarofsmokeupholdstheheavens.”[1165]TheRigVedasays,“Agni,evenasitwereabuilder,hathlifteduponhighhissplendour”(compareShuholdingaloftthecircleofkhu,“glory”).“Hissmoke,yea,holdethupthesky...astandardasitwerethepillarofsacrifice,firmlyplantedanddulychrismed.”[1166]TheUpanishads thus declare: “TheBreath-of-Life is a pillar.”[1167]Both theHebrews andMuslimsclaimed that thecreatedearth restedon“thewind,”[1168] that is, theprimevalwind and the primevalfoundationwereoneandthesamething.Wereturn,then,totheGreekBoreas.InexploringthequestionofBoreasandtheHyperboreans,canoneignorethearchaicidentityofthecosmicmountainandNorthWind?Onceweacknowledgethisidentity,thequestionastowhetherBoreasreceivedhisnamefromtheNorthWindorfromthebora(“mountain”)becomesmeaningless:theNorthWindwasthemountain.AndBoreas’serpentineformcorrespondstotheoriginalformoftheMountinbothMesopotamiaandEgypt.Moreover,themythofBoreasimpregnatingthemothergoddess—whichgaverise to the laterbelief that thewindbringsaboutconception[1169]—agreeswiththeuniversalcharacterofthecosmicpillar:itistheengenderingmountainofheaven.TheRiverOfLife
Ancientritualalsocelebratesastreamofwatereitherdescendingfromonhighorwellingupfromthedeepasacentralfount,spring,orwellbringinglifetothecelestialabode.In Egypt the heaven-sustaining giant Shu—the ethereal pillar of the NorthWind—also represents thedescending or ascending river. Shu is the “waterway,” while the polar god “is established upon thewaterysupportsof thegodShu.”Egyptiancreation talesdescribe thepillar-godas theemissionof thepolarAtumorRe.Shuis“poured”or“spit”fromthemouthoftherulingdivinity.“WhatflowedfromtheebecameShu,”[1170] statesahymn toAmen-Re.[1171] “Youare the eldest sonofAtum,his first-born;AtumhasspatyoufromhismouthinyournameofShu.”[1172]“ThouhastemittedShu,andhehathcomeforthfromthymouth. . .Hehathbecomeagod,andhehathbroughtfortheeeverygoodthing;hehathtoiledforthee,andhehathemittedfortheeinhisnameofShu,the royaldouble.Hehath laboured for thee in these things,andhebearethup for theeheavenwithhishandsinhisnameofShu,thebodyofthesky.”[1173]The“toiling”Atlas-likepillarbearingtheheavenswasthewatery“emission”ofthecreator.Inthephrase
“ThouhastemittedShu,”theEgyptianwordtranslatedas“emitted”isashesh,whichmeansboth“pouringout” and “supporting,” as noted byBudge: “It is difficult to reconcile these totally differentmeaningsunlesswe remember that it is thatwhichTem, orRe-Temhas poured outwhich supports the heavenswhereinshines theSun-god.ThatwhichTem,orRe-Temhaspouredout is the light,and the lightwasdeclared tobe thepropof thesky.”[1174]Yet,while recognizing this connectionof theheavenspillarwiththe“waters”and“light”pouredoutbythecreator,Budgehasnoconcreteimagewithwhichtolinktheintegratedconcepts.Thecosmicriver,“pouredout”fromthereceptacleofthemotherwomb,wasnotonlytheworldmountain
butalsothesinglelegofthegreatgod.Thus,intheEgyptianglyph weseethevaserestingonthelegofheaven,asweshouldexpect.AndtheBookoftheDeadappropriatelyjuxtaposesthelegwiththeriveroflight:“OthoulegintheNorthernSky,andinthatmostconspicuousbutinaccessibleStream.”[1175]If
onereferstheimagerytothecosmicoriginal ,oneseesthatthedescendingstreamwastheleg!The Egyptian river of the pillar, the celestial Nile, compareswith the heavenly Euphrates invoked inMesopotamianritual.FortheBabyloniansknew“thepureEuphrates”asthe“greatmountain”Enlil:
Withwaterwhichthelord[Ea]hasguidedfromthegreatmountain[Enlil],WaterwhichdownthepureEuphrateshehasguided,
Theproductoftheapsu,forthepurposeoflustration.[1176]Enlil,theworldmountainpersonified,isthus“themanoftheriverofthenetherworld,themandevouringriver,”[1177]and,asnotedbyVanBuren,“theexpression‘tosetforthemountain’signifiedtodepartthislifebycrossingtheriverofdeath.”[1178]Whilesometraditionsdescribeadescendingpillar-stream,othersdepictitasanupward-flowingcurrent.Andoftenitisboth.InaSumerianmyth,Enlilsaystohiswife:
“The‘water’ofmyking,letitgotowardheaven,letitgotowardearth...”[1179]TheHinduRigVedahasthewaterspassing“upwardsanddownwards”—likethestreamofetherwhichAristotledescribesasaconstantlymoving“river”joiningheavenandearthandcomposedof“ascendingand descending vapours.”[1180] An ancient Chinese philosopher, Yang Hiung, states that “the etheremanatesandrises,and itssplendorousessencefloatsabove,androlls inasinuouscurrentwhichhasbeennamed theheaven-Riveror torrent, and thevaporous streamorpureRiver.”[1181]Havingnoted
thattheEgyptiansrecordedtheetherealstreambythehieroglyph ,symbolof thepillar-godShu,we
thus find most relevant the ancient Chinese hieroglyph for “ether” . This concrete image sharplycontrastswiththepopulardefinitionof themythicaletherasan imaginarysubstance filling theentireheavens.Theetherwasthefiery,pillar-likeriverflowingalongtheworldaxis.TheEden-Fountain
Thatalltheworld’swatersoriginateinacentralsourceisabelieffoundamongallancientpeoples.Theexplanation lies not in geography but in cosmography—themap of the celestial earth. Viewed as anupward-flowing current the heavenly river becomes the fountain, spring, or well whose waters are
dispersedinfourstreamsflowingtothefourcornersofthecircularplainonthemountaintop .Fromtheperspectiveofthecosmicdwelling,thefountrisesfrombelow,or“thedeep.”ThisveryideaoccursintheimageryofEden.IntheGenesisaccounttwostatementsconcernthewatersoftheprimitiveparadise:
Buttherewentupamistfromtheearth,andwateredthewholefaceoftheground.(Gen.2:6)AndariverwentoutfromEdentowaterthegarden;andfromthenceitwasparted,andbecameinto
fourheads.(Gen.2:10)Accordingtothegeneralconsensusofauthorities,thesecondreferenceamplifiesthefirst,indicatingthatacentralsource“wateredthewholefaceoftheground”throughfourheadstreams.[1182]Theword conventionally translated as “mist,” observesGaster, “is really a technical term (borrowedultimatelyfromSumerian)meaninganupsurgeofsubterraneanwaters.”[1183]Wecanreasonablyconnectthis channelofwater frombelowwith the “fountainof life”whichaPsalm locates in thedwellingofGod:“Andthoushaltmakethemdrinkoftheriverofthypleasures.Forwiththeeisthefountainoflife:inthylightshallweseelight.”[1184]Gastercallsthisthe“paradisiacalfountain.”[1185]But whether the life-bearing waters appear as “upsurge,” “river,” or “fountain,” one receives theimpressionof a central source rising frombelowand flowingoutward in four streams.Gaster findsaprototypeoftheupsurgeinanOldBabyloniancreationmythaccordingtowhich,atfirst,“alllandwassea,andinthemidstofthatseawasaspringwhichservedasapipe.”[1186]ThesamepassageisnotedbyButterworth,whosuggeststhatthepipeor“well”rosealongthecosmicaxis.[1187]Whenonerelatesthis evidence to the concreteMesopotamian imagery of four rivers radiating from the central sun the
connectionwiththecosmicimage becomesclear.That theBabylonianandHebrewchannelsofwateraredispersed in four streamssuggestsaGermanicparallel—thespringHvergelmer,the“navelofthewaters,”fromwhenceallriversflow.[1188]TheEddadeclares that four streams issue from this central fountwateringAsaheim, thehomeof thegods,whileHindu textsdescribea fourfoldheadspringofallwatersat “theCentreofHeaven.”[1189]The IranianRealmof theBlest iswateredbyfourstreams issuingfromthecentral fountainArdviSura,while thecentral fountof theChineseKwen-lundisperses itswaters in four streams,watering thegardenat thesummit.[1190]Itdoesnottakeagreatdealofimaginationtoseethattheparadisalfountain,sendingforththeelementsoflifeintheprimordialbirthplace—orplaceofrebirth—isthelegendary“fountainofyouth”or“fountainofimmortality.”ProbablytheearliestprototypeofthesefountainsistheEgyptianpillar-godShu,bearingthewatersandbreathoflifealongtheworldaxis.TobreathetheNorthWindofShuordrinkofthepolarwatersistoenjoy rebirth in the domain of beginnings, the land of immortality and perpetual youth. This breath orwater (as the fourWinds or FourNiles of heaven) courses out from the central fount and through thewombofNut,theHolyLandwhicheverykingsoughttoattainupondeath.[1191]
TheKingOfTheMountain
Thefewmythologistswhodiscussthecosmicmountatalltellusthatitisametaphorfortheworldaxis:theaxisoftheturningheavensislikeamountainreachingfromearthtothecelestialpole(orpolestar);byimaginingagreatpillarasthesupportandaxleoftheuniverse(saythesemythologists),theancientspossessedasimpleexplanationfortheobservedmotionsoftheheavenlybodies.Toevaluatethisinterpretationofthemythicalmountainonemustaskhowwellitaccountsforallaspectsof the tradition. In themyths theMount appears as a column of light, often constituting the UniversalMonarch’slowerlimbsorsingle“leg.”Unitedtothepillar,thegod-kingbecomestheheaven-sustaininggiant.ThemythsalsoexpresstheMountasacosmicserpent,whosebodyformstheserpentinetrunkofthegreatfather. Inmany traditions the pillar appears as the vertical stream of life—the ether, wind, breath, orwaters either coursing down the world axis or rising along the axis to be dispersed in four streamsanimatingthecelestialkingdom.Saturn,thecentralsun,enthronedwithinthepolarenclosure,ruledfromthemountaintop.Perhapswecanbest judge themetaphorical explanationof thecosmichillbyplacingourselves in thepositionof an ancientobserver and assuming that he lookedoutupon the sameheavenswhichwe seetoday.Ourobserver,noticingthatthestarsofthecircumpolarregionslowlyswingaroundacentralpoint,realizes thata linefromthatpolarpivot through theearthservesasan invisibleaxlearoundwhich thesun,themoon,andallthestarsrevolve.Starting from this perception,what conjecturesmust our observer add in order to evolve themythicalviewoutlinedinthepreviouspages?First,hemustdecide,incontradictionofhisobservations,thattheaxis is not an invisible column but a veritable pillar of fire and light. He must conclude also that astationarysunrests(oroncerested)atoptheshiningpillar—againincontrast toactualobservation.HemustidentifythiscentralsunnotwiththeblazingsolarorbbutratherwiththeplanetSaturn—thoughthisremote andunimpressiveplanet todaynever approaches thepolar region.Further, itmustoccur toourobserverthatSaturn,askingofthemountain,resides(oronceresided)withinagreatband,dividedbyfourprimarystreams.Andfinally,inaseriesofbaselessspeculations,hemustconcludethatinprimevaltimesSaturnruledatthesummitasthecreator,thefirstking,andthefirstman,presidingoveraparadiseofunlimitedabundance.Canonerealisticallyproposethatsuchaprogressionofthoughtcouldfollowfromameremetaphorfor
the world axis? To arrive at the complete mythical image of the cosmic mountain ( , ) ourhypotheticalobservermustnotonlyheaponeconjectureuponanother,butrepudiatedirectobservationat each stage. Of what value—religious, psychological, or otherwise—is a fiction which flatlycontradictsthephenomenaitisintendedtoexplain?Cynicsmaysaythatprimitivesarecapableofconjuringanyforceimaginabletoexplainsomethingtheydo not understand.But the hypothetical case before us does not require the primitive simply to inventexplanations for things observed; it requires him todeny immediateexperience and yet to compose agrandiosevisionsufficientlypersuasivetoacquirehypnoticpowerovertheancientworld.Ofcoursethemassofavailableevidencearguesagainstanysuchinventivenessonthepartofearlyman.Yetthesedifficultiesvanishoncewefreeourselvesfromthedoctrineofcosmicuniformityandconsider
whether our primitive observermayhave actuallywitnessed the strange forceswhich ancient recordsdescribe in such detail. The polarmountain is only one ingredient in an integrated cosmologywhichseemstohaveprevailedovertheentireancientworld.MaynotthemythicalMount,thecentralsun,the
polar enclosure and crossroads—focusing on the celestial image —speak for powerswhichwere“reallythere”?
IX:TheCrescentOurinvestigationuptothispointcoversfiveprimaryimagesoftheSaturnianconfiguration:theenclosed
sun ,thesun-cross ,theenclosedsun-cross ,theenclosedsunandpillar ,andtheenclosed
sun-cross and pillar . I have contended that these symbols realistically depict Saturn’s actualappearancetotheterrestrialobservers.Ofcourse,one facesa specialdifficulty inattempting toprove that the sacred signsdenotedavisible
apparition.Onecanshowthatacoherent,globalsymbolismdevelopedaroundthecosmicimage ;buthowcanonereallyprovethatthisconfigurationwasmorethantheinventionofanancientcult—perhapstheextraordinaryproductofanadvancedracewhoseabstractunificationofdiscordantcosmicpowersgainedworld-widedistribution?Thereisaspecificcategoryofevidence,Ibelieve,whichremovesanypossibleappealtoabstractions.Irefer to thesymbolismof thecrescent . In thedetailedsources leftusby theoldestcivilizations thesymboliccrescent—whichallmenautomaticallyidentifywithourmoon—playsavastlygreaterrolethangenerallyperceived.But innoneof theprimary sourcescanoneactually identify thecrescentwith thebodywecall“moon”today!If therewas any single turning point inmy inquiry itwas the realization that the crescentwithwhichancientritualdealsisinseparablefromthebandoftheenclosedsun .Thekeyistheimage (orthesimplified )showingthecrescentasthelowerhalfoftheband.It was this connection—occurring in both Egypt andMesopotamia—that convinced me of the band’srealityandledmetoexploremoredeeplyitsvariousmythicalformulations.
Thecrescentinthesign suggeststhatSaturn’sbandreceivedilluminationfromthesolarorbinsuchawayastopresentterrestrialobserverswithtwosemicirclesoflightandshadow.Theconceptofahalf-illuminatedbandimmediatelyplacesinanewperspectivetheuniversalimage :isitpossiblethatthefamoussun-in-crescentrepresentednotacontrived“conjunction”ofthesolarorband new moon (the conventional explanation), but rather the primeval sun Saturn resting over theilluminatedportionofhispolarenclosure?Certainly theoverlapping images and imply that theenclosedsunandsun-in-crescentpertaintoasingleastralconfiguration.
When O’Neill claimed that the sign symbolized the celestial pole, he took the sign as a kind ofmetaphor—anancientmeansofrepresentingtherevolutionofthecircumpolarstarsaroundafixedcentre.Othershaveidentifiedthebandastheillusoryatmospherichalowhichoccasionallysurroundsthesolarorb,whilestillothersexplainthebandasanabstract“circleofthesky.”Buttheconnectionofthebandwithacrescentwouldsuggestamoretangiblecharacter.Asatestofthispossibilityseveralquestionsrequireexamination:—IsSaturn,theprimevalsun,associatedwithacrescent?—Isthereaconsistentconnectionofthecrescentandthebandoftheenclosedsun ?—Isthecrescentequatedwiththecircleofthemothergoddess?
—DoestheHolyLandorcelestialearthrestwithintheembraceofthecrescent?—Doesacrescentoccupythesummitofthecosmicmountain?
TheCrescentAndSaturn
ItiswellknownthatinclassicalmythologySaturn(orKronos)wieldsacurvedharpeorsicklebywhichheestablisheshisprimevalrule,andmostauthoritieswouldconcurwithKerenyiinidentifyingthesickleasthe“imageofthenewmoon”[1192]ButwhyshouldSaturnpossessthe“newmoon”ashisweapon?Theconnectionappearstobeveryold,foritoccursalsoinancientBabylonia.Ninurta,theplanetSaturn,holdsinhishandsaweaponcalledSAR-UR-U-SAR-GAZ,andalsoBAB-BA-NU-IL-LA.ThefirstnameofNinurta’sweaponmeans“whogovernstheCosmosandwhomassacrestheCosmos,”whilethesecondnamemeans“hurricanewhichsparesnothing.”Theastonishingfactisthis:thesenamesofSaturn’sweaponaretheveryepithetsoftheBabylonianSin,the crescent “Moon.”[1193] That is, the crescent of Sin is the “weapon” (sickle, sword) with whichSaturnfoundedanddestroyedtheprimevalorder.But there is another peculiarity also: though always identified by scholars as the lunar sphere, Sin isnever presented as a “half-moon,” “three quarters moon” or “full moon.” He is simplyUdsar “thecrescent.” And however incongruous the relationship might appear today, Babylonian art continually
presentsSinasthelowerhalfoftheenclosedsun-cross .
Figure48.VariousMesopotamianversionsofthesun-in-crescent.
DidthisrelationshipoftheSin-crescenttoSaturnandhisenclosureoriginateinahaphazardcombinationofonceindependentsymbols—orinafundamentalequation?TheconnectionbetweenSinandAnu(theplanetSaturn)amounts toan“identity,”according toJensen.[1194]Rawlinson says the same thing: theBabylonians regarded Sin—the crescent—as an aspect of the planet Saturn.[1195] Jeremias states theequationunequivocally:Sin=Saturn.[1196]
WhenoneconsiderstherelationshipoftheSin-crescenttothesign ,thenatureoftheidentitybecomesclear.TheSin-crescentispartofthecirculardwellingor“body”ofSaturn.ThusthetextsinvokeSinastheprotectiverampartoftheCosmos—a“highdefensivewall,”[1197]ora:
Goldensanctuary,whichinthelandismagnificent!Luminoussanctuarywhichinthelandiselevated![1198]
AsSaturn’semanation,Sinissynonymouswiththegreatgod’scircleof“glory”(halo);andthisfactgivesstunning significance to what must otherwise be regarded as a purely esoteric statement of Assyro-Babylonianastronomicaltexts:“SaturnstandsinthehaloofSin,”thetextsproclaim(notoncebutseveraltimes).[1199]Crescentandenclosureareone.DonottheseevidencesstronglysuggestthattheancientsperceivedaliteralbandaroundSaturnandthat
thisSaturniandwellingor“halo”displayedacrescent?Another piece of evidence is noteworthy.TheBabylonians represented the circle of Saturn’sCosmos(thecircleofthegods)bythesign . Ifmycontentioniscorrect, thecrescentofSinwassimplythebrightly illuminated half of this circle (assembly). So it is of no small significance that Babylonian
symbolismalso represented theassemblyby thesign .Needless tosay, theheavens familiar toustodayoffernoconceivablesourceoftheimage.
Figure49.Sun-in-crescent,ontheUr-NammustelefromUr.
Figure50.Hawaiiancrossdesignshowingalternatepositionsofthecrescentaroundthecentralsun.
Figure51.AmericanIndianmounds,conveyingtheimageoftherevolvingcrescent.
Such identitiespointemphatically toanunderlyingrelationof theancientsigns and .While theformerdepictstheentireSaturnianenclosure,thelatterportraysonlythebrightlyilluminatedportionofthe band—so that one might appropriately speak of Saturn’s “crescent-enclosure” and schematicallyrendertheideathisway: .
Itshouldbestressed,however,thatthecommonlocationofthecrescentbeneaththecentralsun isnotitsonlyplacementinancientsymbolism.Attimesthecrescentappearstostandonend( or ),whileatothertimesitisinvertedabovethesun .Ofcourse,thisisexactlywhatweshouldexpect—forifthecrescent was the illuminated portion of a circumpolar band then that crescentmust have appeared torevolvearoundthebandwitheveryfull rotationofourplanetupon itsaxis.Onecould thusrender thedailyrotationofthecrescentschematically: .Asweshallsee,thereisadistinctiverelationshipofthisrevolvingcrescenttothephasesofthearchaic“day”and“night”—aswellastomanyotheraspectsofancientcosmography.Butletustakethepresentlineofinquiryalittlefurther.DoestheequationofthecrescentandenclosureoccuralsoinEgypt?The
Egyptians (aspreviouslyobserved)called theenclosureAten, recordedby thehieroglyph . (In the
courseoftimethissymbolevolvedintothesimplifiedform ,withtheenclosedsundroppedout.ItisthelatterformthatgenerallyprevailsinlaterEgyptianart.)Innumerousrepresentationsof theAtenacrescent forms the lowerhalfof theenclosure. In fig.52, IofferanimposingexamplefromthetombofRamessesVI,showingtheAtenrestingwithinacrescentandflankedbyfourmalefigures,tworightandtwoleft.
Figure52.TheEgyptiancrescent-enclosure.
Thehieroglyphic formof thecrescent-enclosure is , a formwhichprogressivelydeveloped into theimages , , , , as the artists gradually expanded and flattened the crescent into alargerreceptaclesupportingtheenclosure.ThisimageoftheAtenandcrescentseemstohavegeneratedgreatconfusionamongEgyptologists.Oneofthegodsassociatedwiththecrescent-enclosureisKhensu,whomallauthoritiesidentifyasthemoon.Butthegod’simageremainsenigmatic,forBudgewrites:“Hewearsonhisheadthelunardiskinacrescent,
or the solar disk with a uraeus, or the solar disk with the plumes and uraeus.”[1200] Did theEgyptianshavedifficultydecidingwhetherthegodwasthesunorthemoon?
Figure53.ThreeillustrationsoftheEgyptiangodKhensu,showingtheprogressiveenlargementoftheAten’screscentbyEgyptianartists.
WhenBudgecallsthesign a“lunardiskinacrescent,”heavoidsanyassociationofthesignwiththesun.ButonthefollowingpagehewritesofKhensu:“Onhisheadrestthelunarcrescentanddisk.Inthisformherepresentsboththesunatsunriseandthenewmoon.”[1201]EithertheEgyptianspossessedaremarkableindifferenceconcerningtheastralcharacteroftheirgods,orscholarshavemisunderstoodthesymbolism.By putting aside all apriori verdicts one discerns a root consistency in the Egyptian image of thecrescent-enclosure. InEgyptian ritual, the crescent is not themoon but a semi-circle “embracing” thecentralsun .VeryearlytheEgyptianspersonifiedthecrescent-enclosureasthedivinityAh,Aah,or
Aahu,denotedbytheglyph or ,andalwaystranslated“moon.”Thewordah,however,alsomeans“to embrace”—a concept devoid ofmeaning in connectionwith ourmoon, but chargedwithmeaningwhenreferredtotheband(ortheilluminatedportionoftheband)enclosingthecentralsun.Ahfurthersignifies“todefendagainst”and“collar.”Thatis,liketheBabylonian“moon”-godSin,theEgyptianah
signifies thedefensiverampartprotecting thesun-god:and thesamecrescent-enclosure iswornbythegreatgodashis“collar.”Again,suchinterrelationshipscanonlyappearabsurdwhenconsideredasaspectsofourmoon.
Figure54.Ah,godofthecrescent-enclosure.
Theonly“moon”invokedinearlyEgyptianritualisthatwhichhousesthecentralsun.ChapterLXVoftheBookoftheDead,bearingthetitle“TheChapterofComingForthbyDayandofGainingtheMasteryover Enemies,” begins, “Hail (thou) who shinest from the Moon [Ah] and who sendest forth lighttherefrom.”[1202]“Inseveralchaptersthesunisspokenofasshininginorfromthemoon,”notesRenouf.[1203]OneversionoftheCoffinTextsreads:“Goingforthintothedayandlivingafterdeath.OyouSoleOne
whorises[comesforth]inthemoon,OyouSoleOnewhoshinesinthemoon.”[1204]The“moon”isthedwelling of the solitary god, and the nature of this dwelling is accurately communicated to us in theancientsigns and .
Recalling that theBabylonians related the crescent of Sin to the circle of the gods , onewonderswhetherasimilarrelationshipoccursinEgypt.TheEgyptianassemblyisthepaut—atermwhichrefersatoncetothecompanyofgods,thelimbsofOsirisorRe,andthegrainorbreadofheaven.ThoughtheAten
sign mayserveasthedeterminativeofpaut,themostcommonhieroglyphforpautis ,theinvertedcrescent-enclosure!One thus finds a striking correspondence between the Egyptian andMesopotamian symbolism of thecrescent—asymbolismwhichtakesoncoherenceonlywhenoneseesthecrescentastheilluminatedhalfofthepolarenclosure .Bynoextentofrationalizationcanoneaccommodatetheimagerytothesunandmoonfamiliartoustoday.IndeedthedifficultyisrecognizedbyButterworthinhisexaminationofthesun-in-crescent .Thecrescent“isnotthenaturalluminaryofheaven,”writesButterworth,“forithasitshollowsideturnedtowardsthe‘sun.’”[1205]Thepointisworthemphasizing.Thecrescentofourmoonalwaysfacesthesolarorb,butintheearlysymbolismofthesunandcrescentsucharelationshiprarelyifeveroccurs.Nomatterwhatthepositionofthecrescentaroundthesun( , , ,or ), thesunstandswithinthe“embrace”ofthecrescent,givingrisetowhatBriffaultdeemsan“astronomicallyincongruous” image.[1206] But the image appears discordant only if we judge it against the presentheavens. The primeval sun, statesButterworth, is “contained in the hollow of the recumbent crescentmoon.Thisisthesunthatisalwaysinthezenith”[1207](i.e.,itisnotthebodywecall“sun”today).
Figure55.HindusyllableOM,thecreativeword.
Figure56.Phoeniciansun-in-crescent.
TheCrescentAndWomb
If the crescent revered in antiquity denoted the illuminated half of Saturn’s enclosure, then itmust besynonymouswiththecosmicwomb—themothergoddess.Thatnumerousgoddesses, in later times, came tobeassociatedwithourmoon is a fact so thoroughlydocumented thatweneednotbelabor theevidencehere.Yet the reasons for thisassociationarebynomeansclear.“Fromthebeginning,”statesG.E.Smith,reviewingtheearlycounterpartsoftheEgyptianHathor,“allgoddesses—andespeciallythismostprimitivestratumoffertilitydeities—wereforobviousreasonsintimatelyassociatedwiththemoon.”[1208]Andwhatarethe“obvious”reasonsfortheconnectionofthegoddesswiththemoon?Itis,Smithclaims,“the cyclical periodicity of the moon which suggested the analogy with the similar physiologicalperiodicityofwomen...”Also,“Theinfluenceofthemoonupondewandthetides,perhaps,suggestedits controlling power over water and emphasized the life-giving function which its association withwomenhadalreadysuggested.”[1209]Thesereasonsareneitherobviousnoradequate.What requiresexplanation is thecrescent-goddesses’elementarycharacterasareceptaclehousing thecentralsun.ThattheEgyptiangoddessHathorwasrepresentedbyacrescentor“lunette”doesnotalterthefactthatherverynamemeans“thedwellingofHorus.”Similarly,Isis,alsorepresentedbyacrescent,was the temple chamber or throne enclosing Osiris. The Babylonian Ishtar, whose symbol was thecrescent,wasthe“womb”housingtheman-childTammuz.Thisveryaspectofthecrescentisexplicitinthetitleofthe“moon”-divinitySin,whoiscalledthe“motherwomb,begetterofallthings.”[1210]It can hardly be doubted that the Saturnian crescent eventually became confusedwith ourmoon. TheconfusionismostnoticeableinthecaseoftheGreekSeleneandLatinLuna,whosenameswereassignedtothelunarsphere.ButneitherthenamesnortheimageryofSeleneandLunaoriginated inconnectionwithourmoon.WithinthesphereofLuna“Solishiddenlikeafire.”HeliosdwellsastheimpregnatingseedwithinthewombofSelene.[1211]“Accordingtotheseancientideas,”writesJung,“themoonisavesselofthesun:sheisauniversalreceptacleofthesuninparticular.”[1212]Foranexplanationofthisimageryonemustlooktotheformercelestialorder.LongbeforetheGreeksnamedthesolarorbHelios,theyknewHeliosastheplanetSaturn—justasSolprimitivelysignifiedthesameplanet.SeleneandLunaderivetheirmythicalcharacterfromSaturn’senclosure,andthesigns and offeraliteralportraitoftheancientmothergoddess.
CrescentAndMotherland
Thereisafurtherimplication:the“moon”mustmeanthesamethingasthecreated“earth”wateredbythefour riversof life.Though it isdifficult to imaginea less likely identity inconventional terms,here isFaber’sconclusionconcerning themoonandearth inglobalmythology:“The femaledivinity,howeverapparentlymultipliedaccordingthegeniusofpolytheism,ultimatelyresolvethemselvesintoone,whoisaccounted thegreatuniversalmotherbothofgodsandmen,and thissingledeity ispronounced tobealiketheMooninthefirmamentandtheall-productiveEarth.”[1213]Fabergivesfartoomanyexamplesthancanbecitedhere.Ineachcasethegoddess“wasastronomicallytheMoon,” but “hermystic circle is declared to be the circle of theWorld.”[1214]The goddess Isis,reports Faber, “was declared to be equally the moon and the earth: and she is at the same timeunanimously determined by the ancient theologists to be onewith Ceres, Proserpine,Minerva, Venus,Diane,Juno,Rhea,Cybele,Jana,Atergatis...(etc.).Theseagainaresaidtobemutuallythesamewitheachother:andifwedescendtoparticulars,westillfindthemindifferentlyidentifiedwiththeEarthandtheMoon.”[1215]Whatmightourearth(asperceivedbytheancients,notbymodernastronomy)haveincommonwiththelunarspheretopromotethisseeminglyirrationalidentity?ThequestionisraisedbyBriffault:“Thereisnot,infact,anearth-goddesswhoisnotatthesametimeamoon-goddess.AllEarthMothers,asBachofenremarked ‘lead a double life, as Earth and as Moon.’”[1216] The identity prevails not only in theadvanced civilizations but among primitive races also. TheMaori identify the “moon” (Hine, or “theWoman”)with the earth.SodoCaribbeannatives—and this identity correspondswith theoverlappingpersonalitiesof the“moon”and“earth”amongtheMexicans,Chaldaeans,Chinese,Hindu,Greeks,andnorthernEuropeanraces.Briffaultconfessestheirrationalityoftheequation:“TheGreeksexpresslycalledthemoon‘aheavenlyearth’ and ‘a part of the earth.’ That persistent identification of the moon with the earth would beunintelligibleinpeoplesignorantofmodernastronomicalconceptions,letaloneinunculturedracessuchas the Caribs and the Polynesians.When the earth is conceived as a huge, solid, immovable surfacecontrastingineveryrespectwiththewanderingsphereordiscofthemoonintheheavens,thereappearstobenoimaginablegroundforassimilatingtheonetotheother.Theidentificationcannotarisefromanyanalogyinappearanceorfunction.”[1217]Briffaultproposestoresolvethedilemmabypositinganintimateconnectionof“themoonandearthwithwomen and their functions.”He suggests that the divinized female came first and her attributeswere,throughanalogy,transferredatoncetothemoonandtheearth.[1218]Butthatsuchindirectreasoningonthepart of ancientman should lead to an identification souniversal and so fundamental is not easy tobelieve.Actually,norationalizationofthisidentityisnecessary.Inthearchaicworldorder,thecrescentandearth(land, province) were identical. The circle of the “moon” (crescent-enclosure) was the island ofbeginnings—Saturn’sEarth.Themythical“moon,”asFaberobserves,was“whatsomecall‘aterrestrialheaven’or ‘paradise,’andothersa ‘heavenlyearth’ . . . it isdescribedaswearing thesemblanceofafloatingisland...”[1219]This“islandoftheMoon”contained“withinitsspheretheElysianfieldsorParadise,”whichcametobeknownas“theparadiseofthemoon.”There exists, in fact, a most appropriateMesopotamian symbol of this paradise, though it has yet to
receivetheseriousattentionoftheexperts.Itisthesign ,repeatedagainandagainonMesopotamian
cylinder seals. The sign depicts the quartered earth, the celestial “land of the four rivers.” That thisparadisal earth lieswithin theembraceof avast crescentmayappear foolish tomoderncritics,but isstrictlyconsistentwithnumerousindependenttraditionsequatingtheprimeval“earth”and“moon.”[1220]
TheCrescentAndMount
Inallancientmythsofthelostparadise,thelandofpeaceandplentyrestsuponacosmicpillar—“earth’shighestmountain.”OneofthepeculiaritiesoftheMountisthatitpossessestwopeaks,risingtotherightandleftofthecentralcolumn.TheEgyptianMountofGlory(Khut)revealstwopeaksbetweenwhichreststheAtenorenclosedsun
.Depictedbythissignare“thetwogreatmountainsonwhichReappears.”[1221]AndwhatismostinterestingabouttheEgyptiansymbolofthecleftpeak isthatitfindsstrikinglysimilarparallelsinotherlands.TheMesopotamiansun-godrestsuponatwin-peakedworldmountainofidenticalform(fig.60),andthesamedualmountoccursalsoinMexico—heretoorevealingthesun-godbetweenthetwopeaks(fig.61).
Figure60.Assyro-BabylonianShamashstandingbetweenthetwopeaks.
Figure61.(a)Mexicantwinpeaks,withcentralstaff;
Figure61.(b)Centralsunbetweentwopeaks.
TheDelawareIndiansrecallaprimevalland—“theTalegacountry,”wherelongago“allkeptpeacewith
each other.” The pictograph of the lost land is —an extraordinary counterpart to the Egyptian
MountofGlory .InHebrewandMuslimthought“themountainofparadiseisadoubleone,”observesWensinck.[1222]TotheHebrewsSinai,Horeb,Ebol,andGerezimwereallconceivedasimagesofatwin-peakedmountain,statesJeremias.[1223]IntheprimevalTyre(paradise),accordingtothedescriptionofNonnus,a“doublerock”risesfromtheocean.Initscentreisanolive(thecentralsun)whichautomaticallyemitsfire,settingit in a perpetual blaze.[1224] The Syrian and Hittite great gods stand equally balanced upon twomountains.[1225]Inthebeginning,accordingtoacentralAsiaticlegendrelatedbyUnoHolmberg,“therewasonlywater,fromwhichthetwogreatmountainsemerged.”[1226]FromthecentralmountofHinducosmologyrisetwosecondarypeakstotherightandleft.[1227]Ofcourse,thetwinpillarsofHerculespointtothesameidea.The ancient concept of a cleft summit left a deep imprint in ancient architecture, according toVincentScully,authorof thebookTheEarth, theTempleand theGods. InCrete,“aclearlydefinedpatternoflandscapeusecanberecognizedateverypalacesite,”Scullywrites.“Morethanthis,eachpalacemakesuse,asfaraspossible,ofthesamelandscapeelements.Theseareasfollows:first,anenclosedvalleyofvaryingsizeinwhichthepalaceisset;Ishouldliketocallthisthe‘NaturalMegaron’;second,agentlymoundedorconicalhillinaxiswiththepalacetonorthorsouth,andlastlyahigher,double-peakedorcleftmountain some distance beyond the hill but on the same axis. The mountain may have othercharacteristicsofgreatsculpturalforce...butthedoublepeaksornotchedcleftseemessentialtoit...Itformsinallcasesaclimacticshapewhichhasthequalityofcausingtheobserver’seyetocometorestin its cup . . . All the landscape elements listed above are present at Knossos, Phaistos,Mallia, andGournia,andineachcasetheythemselves—andthispointmustbestressed—arethebasicarchitectureofthepalacecomplex.”[1228]The same pattern occurs repeatedly throughout Greece and AsiaMinor, according to Scully. A goodexampleisthesitingofthecitadelofTroy,whichlooksoutacrosstheisleofImbrosstothemoredistantisle of Samothrace fromwhich rises (directly “beyond the long lowmound of Imbross”) the “doublepeaks”ofPhengari.[1229]In what ritual notion did this common architectural requirement originate? The name of Samothrace’ssacredmountainoffersavitalclue:Phengariisthe“MountainoftheMoon.”Thetitleisnotincidental,forthe“MountainoftheMoon”—inmorethanoneland—istheverytitleofthePrimevalHill,thepillaroftheCosmos!Thus,the“WhiteIsland”ofHindumythisdistinguishedbythepresenceofaprimordialmountain rising to the “moon.” Mount Ararat, which Faber connects with the paradisal hill, isdenominatedLaban,“themountainoftheMoon.”SotoodoesthecrescentmoonrestonthesummitoftheHinduMeru.Faberwrites:“AttheheadoftheNile,accordingtotheIndiangeographers,istheMeruofthesouthernhemisphere:thisisalsoamountainoftheMoon...AtthesourceoftheRhine,theRhone,thePoand theDanube,allofwhichwereholy rivers, iswhatmaybestyled ‘theMeruof thewest’:hereagainwehave amountainof theMoon, forAlpan is but a variationofLaban, and Jura or Ira orRhedenotes‘theMoon’equallyintheCelticandtheBabyloniandialects.Lebanon,attheheadofthesacredriverJordan,wasanotherlunarmountain...AndevenintheislandofBorneo,thepeakattheheadofitslargestriverisknownbythetitleof‘themountainoftheMoon.’”[1230]Anearlyprototypeofsuchmountains,Fabercontends,isthevastsummitoftheHimalaya,fromwhichthe
Ganges flows. TheHindus deemed this toweringmassChandrasichara, the “mountain of theMoon,”while two small hillocks of this lofty region receive the title Somagiri, the “Mountains of theMoon.”[1231]Atworkisthecosmicimageofacrescentmoonrestinguponagreatmountainandtherebyformingacleftsummit.“...Thefigurepresentedtotheirimagination,wouldbeaconicalpeakterminatingintwopointsformed by the two horns of the crescent.”[1232]Consistentwith the universal sun-in-crescent , thegreatfatherhimselfstandsmidwaybetweenthepeaksoftherightandleft,statesFaber.[1233]
One thusderives the images and as the simplest renderings of the “Mountain of theCrescent.”Every student of ancient symbolism, of course, will recognize these as images of global distribution,presentedinaninfinitenumberofvariations.
Figure62.Babylonianpillaredcrescents.
Figure63.Sabaeanaltar,withpillaredsun-in-crescent.
Figure64.Hittitecrescent-enclosureonsupport.
Figure65.Pillaredcrescent,fromPeru.
Surelyonecannotignorethisgeneralsymbolismofthecosmicmountaininattemptingtounderstandthecommon mountain image . This pictograph, I suggest, simply adapts the primal crescent to itsmythicalinterpretationastwopeaks.Whichistosay,theEgyptian (orthelater )referstothesamecosmicformasthecrescent-enclosure .Infact,Budgesaysasmuchwhenhecallsthelattersign
an imageof“thesunat sunrise”—for this isprecisely thepurportedmeaningof thesign . (I shallsubsequentlyshowthatbypicturingthecrescentbelowthecentralsun asopposedtothealternativepositions , , theancientsdenotedthearchaic“day,”theperiodofSaturn’sgreatestbrilliance.)
ThatthetwopeaksoftheEgyptianKhut signifiedthecleftsummitofasinglemountainisforcefully
indicatedbythe“mountain-sceptre”ofRe,showingthedualmountasthetopofasinglecolumn .Asobservedbymanyauthorities,thesceptrerepresentedthepillarofheaven.Thisparticularformclosely
parallels the early “mountain” hieroglyph ,which passed into the image , identifying the cleftpeakwiththesolitarygod’soriginal“perch”or“pedestal.”[1234]The“pedestal,”aswehaveseen,was
also called the pillar of Shu, which the hieroglyphs record by the sign . Here too a single columnbranches into two secondary supports. (In following sections the readerwill findnumerous evidences
connectingtheimages and withtheunderlyingcosmicform ).
TheEgyptianhieroglyphsalsoemploy themountainsign ,appearing toshow threepeaks;and in
earlyrepresentationsthisconfiguration,too,appearsasthesummitofacentralpillar .Therecanbelittledoubtthatthethree-peakedmountpertainstothesameideaasthetwofoldsummit.Themiddlepeakappears to indicate a simple extension of the central column. The great god,who stands between thepeaksoftherightandleft,becomeshimselfapartofthemountonwhichherests.ThisdevelopmentfindsillustrationintheHindusymbolismofMountMeru,themountainofthecrescentmoon.Meru, despite its crescent peak, is the tricutadri, ormountain of three summits. Similarly, theHindu“WhiteIsland”orlostparadiseisdeemed“thethree-peakedland.”[1235]CompareOlympusintheGreekpoem:
FromOlympus,thesummitFromthethreepeaksofHeaven.[1236]
Thebasisofthissymbolism,accordingtoFaber,isthegreatgod,“standingupright”inthemidstofthecleftsoastopresenttheimageofacentralmountain“terminatinginthreepointsformedbythetwohornsofthecrescentanditscentricalmast[thegreatgod].”[1237]
Accordingly,theprimalHinduimage passesintothelater ,whichformsthecrestoftheHindu
trident —the symbol of the cosmic column. The trident, in other words, originated in the cleft
“MountainoftheMoon” .TothisimageanswerstheEgyptianthree-peakedcolumn .Of the three-peakedmountmuchmorecouldbesaid,butat thecostofdistractingfromthemorebasictheme—the two-fold summit. It is my contention that the myths of the split peak originated in the
prehistoricperceptionofavastcrescentseemingtoconstitutethesummitofacosmiccolumn .Within
thecupofthecrescentrestedthesun .Moreoverthecrescentwasitselfsimplytheilluminatedhalfof
acircularband .Andifweincludethefourriversoflifewearriveattheform as thecompleteimageoftheSaturnianconfiguration.Havetheancientspreservedforusaliteralrenderingofthisidea?Onecouldnotaskforamoreaccuraterepresentationthanthatprovidedbythecylindersealsofancient
Mesopotamia,whichoffersusthesymbol .[1238]Thecircularparadiseonthemountaintop,wateredbythefourrivers,laywithintheprimeval“moon”(ofwhichourlunarcrescentisbutapaleemblem).Surely the remarkable correspondence of myth and symbol concerning this celestial configuration (aconfigurationwhich flatly contradicts the present arrangement of the heavens) suggests that somethingmore than primitive fancy is at work. If the thesis outlined here is correct, then a single celestial
apparitiongaverisetotheseinterrelatedimages: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
.The crescent is a central ingredient in the symbolism, and its presence implies a tangible band soilluminatedastodisplaytwohalves,onebright,theothermoresubdued.
TheHeavenlyTwins
Saturn’senclosureunitedtwosemicirclesoflightandshadow,distinguishedbyarevolvingcrescent.In thebrightanddarkdivisionsof the enclosure theancientsperceived the cosmic twins, the “twofaces”oftheUniversalMonarch.Inthehumandomain,oneofeveryeighty-sixbirthsinvolvestwins.Butamongthegods,theabnormalistherule.Thegreatfather iseitherbornoforraisedbytwins,whilealsogivingbirthtotwins.Andthegreatgodhimselfcommonlyappearsindualform.Prevailingastronomicalexplanationsofthecelestialtwinsidentifythemasacircleofdayandnight,orasthe evening andmorning star, or as the sun andmoon. The constellationGemini became the zodiacalrepresentativeofthecelestialtwins,thoughitisalmostuniversallyagreedthatthemythicalpairexistedlongbeforethenamingofsuchstargroups.
WhoWereTheDioscuri?
PrivilegedasthestartingpointofcountlesstreatisesonthetwinsaretheGreekDioscuri(thetwosonsofZeus),CastorandPolydeuces.InabattlewiththeircousinsIdasandLynceus(sonsofAphareus)Castorfellmortallywounded.Whilehisbrothergaspedforbreath,PolydeucesbeseechedZeus:“Bidmealsodie,OKing,withthismybrother.”Zeus answered the prayer by granting that the twobrothers spend alternate days above and below theearth.PindarrecordsZeus’spromise:“...Ifthoucontendestforthybrother,andartmindedtohaveanequalsharewithhiminallthings,thenmayestthoubreatheforhalfthytimebeneaththeearth,andforhalfthytimeinthegoldenhomesofheaven.”[1239]Cook’s explanation of the reward is simple enough: the brothers represented the day and night sky,revolving round our earth.Their alternating position provides “a simple but graphic expression of theobvious fact that the divine sky is half dark, half bright.”[1240] Supporting this interpretation is theremarkofPhilontheJewconcerningthehabitofmythologists:“Theybisectedtheskytheoreticallyintohemispheres,oneabove,theotherbelow,theearth,andcalledthemDioskoroi,addingamarveloustaleabouttheirlifeonalternatedays.”[1241]SeveralcenturiesafterPhilon,JoannestheLydian(livinginthesixthcenturyA.D.)repeatedthetheory:“Thephilosophersdeclare that theDioskoroiare thehemispherebelow,andthehemisphereabove, theearth;theytakeitinturnstodie,accordingtothemyth,becauseturnandturnabouttheypassbeneathourfeet.”[1242] Observing that semicircles were sacred to the Dioscuri, Cook concludes that the twobrotherspersonifytwohalvesofacelestialcircle—“theanimateSky.”[1243]This,ofcourse,wouldnotprecludetheancientsfromemployingthesunandmoonorthemorningandeveningstarassymbolsofthelight and dark hemispheres: “These are but secondary modes of denoting the great primary contrastbetweenDayandNight,”statesCook.[1244]Of the celestial twins one could pursue example upon example in classical myth alone: Apollo andArtemis,ZetesandCalais,ZerhusandAmphion,HerculesandIphicles,OtusandEphialtes,PeliasandNeleus,tonameafew.AndthesefiguresofthecelestialtwinsaresimplyasmallsegmentofthevastlylargerIndo-EuropeanpatternreviewedbyWalker.[1245]
Figure66.TheLatintwingodJanus,whosesinglehatmeans“Cosmos.”
Also,onemustplacealongsidethetwinsthecomparable two-headedor two-facedgod.HerewemeetJanus,whomtheItaliansknewasthe“mostancientofgods,”andwhomtheyregularlydepictedwithtwofaces,lookinginoppositedirections(fig.66).Janus,accordingtoCook,personifiedthevaultofheaven,histwofacessignifyingthetwoaspectsofthesky(dayandnight):Janus“wasoriginallythedivineSky.
ThedivineSkyisbrightbydayanddarkbynight.Being,therefore,ofatwo-foldortwincharacter,Januswasnaturallyrepresentedasadouble-facedgod.”[1246]Janus,asthetwin-godparexcellencegivesusthetitleJaniform,appliedtoanytwo-headedortwo-faceddeity(ofwhichtheancientworldprovidesinnumerableinstances).IgiveasanexampleaspecimenfromEtruria (fig.66),depictinga Janiformheadwearingapetasos or broad-brimmedhat (often associatedwithHermes).Thiscompareswiththe“broad-brimmedhat”wornbyOdin,Attis,andothers.AccordingtoEisler,whoseopinionissharedbyCook,thehatsymbolized,simply,“thesky”sothatthetwofacestogethercorrespondtotheentirecircleofthehat(heaven,sky).[1247]
TheBlackAndWhiteTwins
Thoughnotalltwinsareblackandwhite,manyare,anditisthisverydichotomywhichCooknoticesinseveralGreekexamples.Incertaininstancesonetwinappearsonawhitehorseandtheotheronablack.[1248]Thisaspectofthetwinsappearstobeuniversal.Inhischaracterasatwin-godtheMexicanQuetzalcoatluniteswithMictlantecuhtli,thetwodivinitiesappearingbacktoback,oneblack,theotherwhite.[1249]The Zuni represented their twinwar gods by black andwhitemasks. The black andwhiteAsvins ofHindumythareanobviousparallel.Hinduphilosophers,statesAgrawala,dividedthecosmicwheelintotwohalves,oneblackandonewhite,whichtheypersonifiedas twinsistersforming“acircle(chakra)revolvingineternaltime.”[1250]InMelanesia,statesEliade,“oneconstantlycomesacrossthemythofthetwobrothers,onebright,theotherdull.”[1251]Oftenthetwinsstrugglewitheachother(sometimesoneis“good”andtheother“evil”),afeaturewhichcomplements the black-white and rising-setting aspect of the Dioscuri. Chinese myth describes twobrothersnamedOpehandSchichinatconstantwar.[1252]TheUgaritictwinsMotandAliyanquarrel,asdotheCelticGwynandGwythur.[1253]RemusdiesatthehandofRomulus.AcrisiusandProetusquarrelwhile in thewomb of theirmother. Jacob and Esau do the same. TheNorthAmerican IndianmothergoddessAwehaiconceivedtwinswhobattledwhileyet in thewomb.Therecanbelittledoubt that theChineseyinandyang(primordialforcesoflightanddarkness)ortheManichaeanprimalpairofgoodandevilboreacloserelationshiptothisgeneraltraditionofthecosmictwins.The black and white aspect of the twins appears to be consistent with Cook’s theory of a revolvingheavenlyspheredividedintocontendinghemispheresoflightanddarkness.ButthereareotherfeaturesofthetwinswhichfitlesscomfortablyintoCook’smodel.Whywerethetwinssooftenconceivedastwoprimevalrulers(ortwoaspectsoftheUniversalMonarch,thefounderofcivilization)?TheDioscuri bore a distinct relationship to the twinsRomulus andRemus, the legendary founders ofRome.Thereseems tohavebeenageneral traditionofdualkingship, for justas theDioscuri, inearlyDoricdays,foundpersonificationintwokingsofSparta,theLatinRomulusandRemusappearasroyaltwins,reigningwithequalrights.RepresentationsofRomulusandRemusoftenassimilatethepairtotheDioscuri.[1254]Thequestion iswhethersomethingasabstractasaboundless“sky”couldhaveprovoked the ideaofaprimevalpairrulingineffectasasingleking.Thetwins,asinthecaseofJanus,attachthemselvestotheUniversalMonarchashistwofaces,lookinginoppositedirections.Cook,ofcourse,recognizesthis,butheconceivesJanus,theprimevalgod-king,notinconcreteterms,butasanopenexpanse—the“sky.”Was this the true identity of Janus?One noteswith considerable interest the statement of Joannes theLydian:“OurownPhiladelphiastillpreservesatraceoftheancientbelief.Onthefirstdayofthemonth(i.e.,January)theregoesinprocessionnolessapersonagethanJanushimself,dressedupinatwo-facedmask,andthepeoplecallhimSaturnus,identifyinghimwithKronos.”[1255]ToCook this identityof JanusandSaturnmust result fromanancientconfusion,but tous it accuratelyreflects the archaicdoctrine. Janus, as the “most ancient indigenousgodof Italy” (Herodian’sphrase),[1256]isthegreatfather,whomthestar-worshippersofmanylandsrecognizedastheplanetSaturn.Alsocrucialistherelationshipofthecelestialpairtothecosmicpillar.Manyancientrepresentationsofthetwinsortwin-godplacethetwoheadsatopthesacredpole.AsfortheJaniformtypeinGreece,Cook
citesinstancesinwhich“thedoublefaceissetonapillarorpost.”[1257]Onefindssimilarportrayalsofthetwo-facedgodinChina,northernEurope,Siberia,India, theAmericas,andelsewhere.Toonewhoconceives thepost asnothingmore thanaveneratedpieceofwood, theconnectionbetween it and thetwo-facedgodwillmeannothing.ButtoonewhoseesthesacredpostastheemblemofthePrimevalHill,theplacementischargedwithmeaning:thecosmictwinsoccupiedthesummitofthecentralmountain.Of the male deities worshipped by the Navaho, states Alexander, the most important are the twinsNayanezganiandThobadzistshini,whobringtoanendtheprimevalAgeofGiants.“TheirhomeisonamountaininthecentreoftheNavahocountry.”“Thelegendoftheheaven-growingrock,liftingtwinstotheskies,occursmorethanonceinCalifornia.”[1258]HerearetwoaspectsofthecelestialtwinswhichdonotreadilyfitCook’sexplanationofthepair.Thetwins are two faces or two aspects of Saturn, the Universal Monarch; and they sit upon the cosmicmountain.Aretheseaccidentalattributesofthetwinsordotheypertaintoanintegratedimage?ItissurprisingthatCook,whilegivingmeticulousattentiontoclassicaltestimony,givesnoattentiontothemoreancientprototypeof theDioscuriand theJaniformgod.Themostcompleteevidencecomes fromancientEgypt,whoseritualandartprovideanincisiveportraitofthetwins.
Figure67.ThetwingodHorus-Set.
OftheblackandwhitebrotherstheworldknowsnoolderexamplethantheEgyptianpairHorusandSet.Infig.67theheadsofHorusandSetappearupononebody,lookingtotherightandleft.TheblackheadofSetcontrastssharplywith the lightheadofHorus,emphasizing thepair’s roleas“the twoopponentgods.”Closely related to Horus and Set are the twins Isis andNephthys, often portrayed back to back. TheEgyptian pairs Shu and Tefnut, Thoth and Maat, Sekhet and Neith all reveal a similar underlyingcharacter.
IntheBookoftheDeadthepictographofthetwo“portions”ofHorusandSetisthesign ,thebandoftheAten.[1259]Theclearimplicationisthatthesun-god’senclosurepossessestwotwin-likedivisions,one light, theotherdark.Moreover, if the circleof theAten is half light, half dark, surelyone cannotignoretherelatedsign , thecrescent-enclosure,whichappearstoprovidealiteral illustrationofthetworealmsofHorusandSet.
Inthesameway,theEgyptianshenbond stoodnotonlyforthesun-god’senclosure(Aten)butforthetwinsIsisandNephthys.TogetherIsisandNephthys,theback-to-backtwins,formedtheprotective“border”or“boundary”ofthe
All,theCosmos.WhiletheEgyptiantchermeans“boundary,”“limit,”teherameans“protectiverampart”andtchertithetwohalvesoftheboundaryorrampart.ThetwoTchertiareIsisandNephthys.Egyptiancosmologyrevealsthecoherentimageofabisectedenclosurerevolvingaroundthecentralsun.Twointerrelatedaspectsofthetwinsstandout:1. In one sense the twins are simply the light and dark halves of the enclosure—a characteristicmostpronouncedinthepairHorusandSet.2. But the twofold enclosure revolved around the stationary light god, and by its revolution, theilluminatedcrescent—the“face”ofthegreatgod—markedouttherespectivedivisionsofthe“rightandleft”( , )and“aboveandbelow”( , ).Intheirprimarypersonality,thetwinsIsisandNephthysrepresented these counterpoised positions of the crescent, and hence two divisions of the celestialkingdom.(Instandardtranslations,thedivisionsoftheleftandrightareusuallyrenderedas“east”and“west,”confusingcosmography(themapoftheCosmos)withthelocalgeography,whilethe“above”and“below”aretranslated“heaven”and“earth,”leadingtoadifferentbutequallytroublesomeconfusion).This interpretation of the cosmic twins coincideswith Cook’s in identifying the pair with a celestialcircle,halfdarkandhalflight.DistinguishingthisviewfromCook’s,however,istheproposednatureofthe circle. Did the twofold circle mean the abstract “sky,” or a concrete band (with crescent )enclosingthecentralsun?Arequirementoftheinterpretationsetforthhereisthatthesun-godstandbetweenthetwinsandthatthecircleofthetwinsrevolvearoundhim.Ofcourse, if the twinsrefer to theopen“sky”and thesun-godmeansthesolarorb,itwouldbemeaningless—infactacontradiction—toplacethegodinthecentreofthecircle(i.e.,betweenthesemicirclesofdayandnight)ortospeakofthetwinsrevolvingaroundthesun-god.TheEgyptians’greatgodwearstheenclosureoftheAtenasa“girdle.”AccordingtothePyramidTextsthisgarmentisthecircleofthecelestialtwins:“IamgirtwiththegirdleofHorus,IamcladwiththegarmentofThoth,IsisisbeforemeandNephthysisbehindme.”[1260]SuchlanguageoccursrepeatedlyinearlyEgyptiansources.IntheBookoftheDead, thekingasks,“MayIseeHorus . . . ,with thegodThothandthegoddessMaat,oneoneachsideofhim.”[1261] In theCoffinTextsAtumdeclaresof thetwinsShuandTefnut:“Iwasbetweenthesetwo,theonebeinginfrontofme,theotherbehindme.”[1262]“The twomistressesofButoaccompanyyou to the rightand left.”[1263]ThePyramidTexts announcethatthe“twogreatandmightyEnneads...setShuforyouonyoureast[left]sideandTefnutonyourwest[right]side.”[1264]Thekingproclaims,“Neithisbehindme,andSelketisbeforeme.”[1265]ThustheUniversalMonarchgives“judgementintheheavensbetweenthetwoContestants[HorusandSet].”[1266]Thelightanddarkhalvesoftheenclosure—inperpetualrevolution,or“conflict”—arebalancedbythegreatgod.“IamthegirdleoftherobeofthegodNu...whichuniteththetwofightingdeitieswhodwellin my body [khat, “womb”].”[1267] “I am the god who keepeth opposition in equipoise as his Eggcirclethround.”[1268]Withalittleimaginationonemightpossiblyconceivetheopenskyasablackandwhitesphererevolvingaroundourearth,butsuchacirclecouldinnosenseappearasatwofoldbandaroundacentralsun.Itishere,inshort,thatCook’sexplanationofthetwinsappearstobreakdown.
TheEgyptiantwinssignifytwodivisionsoftheAten .Thereisonlyoneenclosureofthesun,yetbyvirtueofitsportionsoflightandshadowitbecomesthe“twofoldcircle”or,asoftentranslated,“thetwo
circles.”And this“double”band is thewombof themothergoddess,givingbirth to thecentralsun.ACoffinTextthuscelebrates“thetworingswhichhavegivenbirthtothegods.”[1269]ThereferenceistothetwofoldenclosureofIsisandNephthys.“HewasconceivedinIsisandbegotteninNephthys,”statestheBookoftheDead.[1270]Thesamesourcedeclares:“IwasconceivedbythegoddessSekhet,andthegoddessNeithgavebirthtome.”[1271]Accordingly,theCoffinTextssay:
...YourtwomotherswhoareinNekheb[thecelestialprovince]shallcometoyou...[1272]OhyoutwowhoconceivedRe,youshallbearmewhoamintheegg.[1273]
ThePyramidTextsrevealthesamenotionofatwofoldwomb:...Thetwogreatladies[IsisandNephthys]boreyou.[1274]
MymotherisIsis,mynurseisNephthys.[1275]TheKingwasconceivedbySakhmet,anditisShezmetetwhoboretheKing.[1276]
Thetwogoddesseswerenotmerelytwins,butthetwohalvesofasinglewomb.ThesetwodivisionsmayappeareitherasthetwothighsofNut(“ReshinesbetweenthethighsofNut”)[1277]orasthethighsofIsisandNephthys.Toattaintheprimevalwomb“theKingascendsuponthethighsofIsis,theKingclimbsuponthethighsofNephthys.”[1278]That thetwo-foldenclosurewassomethingmorethananill-defined“sky”isprovedbytheenclosure’svarioussymbolic forms.Thefact is thateverymythical formulationof theSaturnianband (assembly,holy land, temple, city, eye, serpent, etc.) is specifically portrayed as a twofold circle,whose twodivisionsarethecosmictwins.HereareafewexamplesfromtheEgyptiansystem:TheTwoAssemblies
Egyptiantextsidentifythecircleofthegodsasthe“TwoConclaves”or“TwoEnneads”:
...YoustandintheConclavesoftheMountofGlory...theTwoEnneadscometoyoubowing.[1279]TheskyisstrongandNutjubilateswhensheseeswhatAtumhasdone,whilehesatamongtheTwo
Enneads.[1280]IhavegivenyouvindicationintheTwoConclaves.[1281]MylipsarethetwoEnneads:IamtheGreatWord.[1282]
This twofoldcircleof thegodsformsatonce the“body”of thegreatgodandthe“womb”of thegreatmother:Hail,Khepera...thetwo-foldcompanyofthegodsisthybody.[khat,“body,”mayalsobetranslated
“womb”].[1283]Iamagreatone,thesonofagreatone.IissuefrombetweenthethighsoftheTwoEnneads.[1284]
Ihavecomeforthbetweenthe[two]thighsofthecompanyofthegods.[1285]Itwasacrescentwhichdividedthecircularassemblyintotwoportions,forthehieroglyphicsymbolofpaut,“companyofthegods,”isthecrescent-enclosure .TheTwoLands
Thecelestial“Egypt,”foundedandruledbytheUniversalMonarch,possessedtwodivisions,alternatelytermed“therightandleft”or“theaboveandbelow.”ThepriestsoftheMemphitedoctrineannounced:“Thus itwas thatHorusappearedasKingofUpperEgyptandasKingofLowerEgyptwhounited theTwoLandsintheprovinceofthe(white)WallattheplacewheretheTwoLandsareunited.”[1286]Thefirstking is thecreator,and the“land”whichhegathered togetherandunified isa twofoldcircle.HencetheTwoLandsreceivethetitle“theTwoLadies”(IsisandNephthys)orappearas“theportionsofHorusandSet,”[1287]orthetwincircleofthegods.[1288]IntheirorganizationoftheterrestrialkingdomtheEgyptiansstrovetoreproducethebisectedenclosure,the ideal kingdom. Writes Frankfort: “The dualistic forms of Egyptian kingship did not result fromhistoricalincidents.TheyembodythepeculiarlyEgyptianthoughtthatatotalitycomprisesopposites...AStatedualisticallyconceivedmusthaveappeared to theEgyptians themanifestation of theorderofcreation...”[1289]
Figure68.TheEgyptiantwingodsbindtogethertheunified“land.”
Intheearlyritualtextsthephrase“UpperandLowerEgypt”consistentlyreferstothecelestialkingdom,notlocalgeography.WhenthePyramidTexts,forexample,declarethat“theTwoLandsshineagainandhe [the great god] clears the visions of the gods,”[1290] it should be obvious that they refer to theprimordialdwellingabove,ratherthanterrestrialEgypt.TheTwoCrowns
Thegod-kingis“theGoodRulerwhoappearsintheDoubleCrown,KingofUpperandLowerEgypt,LordoftheTwoLands.”[1291]Noonereadingtheselinesforthefirsttimeislikelytoimaginethatthe“Double Crown” denoted the same dual enclosure as the “Two Lands.” Yet, drawing on the cosmicimagerydiscussedinpreviouspagesoneperceivestheinfluenceofasingleconception.ThoughtheTwoLandsareIsisandNephthys,thesametwinsappearastwocrownswornbythegod-king.“...yourtwomothersthetwoWhiteCrownscaressyou,yourtwomothersthetwoWhiteCrownskissyou...”[1292]TheEgyptiansproclaimedthatthetwocrownscomposedthecircleofglory(khu)whichissuedfromtheheartorheadofthegreatgod.“Thetwo‘GreatinMagic’[crowns]grewoutofhishead.ThusitwasthatHorus appeared asKingofUpperEgypt and asKingofLowerEgypt . . .”[1293]To acquire the twocrownswastounifytheTwoLands.TheTwoEyes
“Thoudidst stretch out the heavenswherein thy two eyesmight travel,” reads theBookof theDead.[1294]Thetwoeyesaresimplythetwohalvesofthesingularrevolvingeye,personifiedbythecosmic
twins.“Thineeyebrowsarethetwosistergoddesseswhoareatpeacewitheachother,”readstheBookoftheDead.[1295]IsisandNephthysarethuscalled“thetwoeyes”ofRe.TheTwoSerpents
IftheEgyptiansign relatesthecircularserpentoruraeustothebandoftheenclosedsun,thesignofthe“two”uraei showsthelattertobetwohalvesofthesameband—afactwhichagreeswiththetitleofIsisandNephthysas“thetwoserpent-goddesses.”“ThegoddessNebt-Unnutisestablisheduponthyhead[asthecrown]andheruraeioftheSouth[UpperEgypt]andNorth[LowerEgypt]areuponthybrow.”[1296](TheTwoLandscomposethe twouraeiserpents,whichthegod-kingwearsasadoublecrown.)Thetextsleavenodoubtthat theeye,crown,andcircularserpent,eachreferringtothesameenclosurearound the light god, possessed a dual aspect, as two eyes, two crowns, and two serpents; and thistwofoldenclosurewasthedoublecircleofthegods(theTwoEnneads)encirclingtheTwoLands.OKing,IprovideyouwiththeEyeofHorus,theRedCrownrichinpowerandmanynatured,thatitmayprotectyou,Oking,justasitprotectsHorus;mayitsetyourpower,OKing,attheheadoftheTwoEnneadsasthetwoserpent-goddesseswhoareonyourbrow,thattheymayraiseyouup.[1297]Passingbrieflytootherformsoftheprimevalenclosureonefindsthesameconnectionwiththecelestialtwins:TheTwoThrones
ThekinghascometohisthronewhichisupontheTwoLadies.[1298]TheTwoVases(=TwoEyes)
TakethetwoEyesofHorus,theblackandwhite;takethemtoyourforeheadthattheymayilluminateyourface—theliftingupofawhitejarandablackjar.[1299]
TheTwoLakesorRivers
Iamborn,IpurifymyselfinthetwogreatandmightylakesinHeracleopolis...[1300]ODestroyerwhocomestoutoftheDoubleThroneLake.[1301]
HehascircumambulatedtheTwoBanks.[TheTwoBanksdenotedthecircleofUpperandLower“Egypt,”enclosedbytherevolvingriver.][1302]
TheTwoCords
Ohyoutwowhoareliftedup...,whomakethemetacordofthegod...[1303]
ThesearethetwoknotsofElephantinewhichareinthemouthofOsiris.[1304]Everymythical form of the primeval enclosure in Egypt appears as a twofold band, the circle of thecelestialtwins.Thediversefiguresofthetwins,thoughcomplicatingthesymbolism,alwayspointtothesamerootidea.Thetwinsdenotetherevolvingenclosureofthegreatgod’sdwellinginheaven,dividedintoequalportionsof lightandshadow.NeitherCook’s identificationof the twinsas theabstractnightanddaysky,noranyotherexplanationbasedonthepresentcelestialorder,canaccountfortheunderlyingidentityofthetwinsasacirclerevolvingaroundacentralsun.
Figure69.AnEtruscanmirrordepictstheDioscuritotherightandleftofacentral“sun”or“star.”
Figure70.TheUruboros,identifiedas“theOne,theAll,”halfdarkandhalflight.FromtheCodexMarcianus(11thcentury).
In numerous lands the great father appears to have his home within the embrace of celestial twins.Butterworthreportsthat“...FromAsiaMinortoEgypt,fromDelostoSyria,reliefsandcoinsandotherworksofartandcraftsmanshipbearrepresentationsofatriadconsistingoftheDioskoroi,the‘HeavenlyTwins,’dispersedoneithersideofadivinefigure...”[1305]InEgyptian,Sumero-Babylonian,Iranian,Hindu,andGreekimagerythetwinsappearastwindoors(oftherightandleft)fromwhichthesunshinesforth.[1306]TheGnosticuroborusorcircularserpentishalfblackandhalfwhiteandenclosesthesun(fig.70).TheMuslimcircularserpent,enclosingtheKa’baandconstitutingtheworldocean,“glitters”inthesunandishalfwhiteandhalfblack.[1307]ButthesametwofoldserpentwillbefoundfromChinatotheAmericas(figs.71,72,73,74&75).Theworld eggofHindu,Greek, andChinese symbolism is bisected intoblack andwhite semicircles.Hindusourcesdepicttheprimevalwombas“twobowls”whichtogetherformasinglecircle,halfwhite,halfblack.[1308]ThefaceoftheMexicanmothergoddessishalfblack,halfwhite,resemblingtheblackandwhiteGreekErinyesorthebrightanddarkaspectsoftheGreekgoddessDemeter-Persephone.[1309]Similarly,twowingedgoddessesturnthewheelofIxion,justastwogoddessesoperatethewheeloftheIcelandicworldmillorthewheeloftheHinduSkambha.[1310]The Babylonian Shamash and Tammuz rest within the mouth of the “twin rivers,”[1311] while theCanaanite El stands “at the sources of the Two Rivers, in the midst of the pools of the Double-Deep.”[1312]
Figure71.Twofoldcirculardragoninalchemistmanuscript.
Figure72.(a)Egyptian;
Figure72.(b)Sumerian,and
Figure72.(c)Malayanillustrationsoftheprimevaltwinsrevealaremarkablysimilarconcept.Togetherthetwinsformanenclosure.
Figure73.BuddhistTri-Ratna.
Figure74.Chinesetwindragons,andthequarteredcircle.
Figure75.TwofolddragonfromHonduras.
Thebandoftheenclosedsun,whateveritsmythicalform,isconsistentlyportrayedasatwofoldcircle,halfblackandhalfwhite.Whatdefinesthetwodivisionsistheilluminatedcrescent ,revolvingaboutthebandsoastoalternatelyface“aboveandbelow” , or“leftandright” , .While ancient sources never question the dual character of the enclosure, the language of the twodivisions is susceptible to considerable misunderstanding by anyone attempting to read it within thecontextofanassumedsolarmythologyoroflocalgeography.(Iexaminetheseconfusionsinlatersectionson“HeavenandEarth”and“EastandWest.”)
SymbolismOfTheCrescent
The connection of the circumpolar enclosure with a crescent confirms that the images and
pertainedtothesamecelestialconfigurationastheimages and .Butjustastheancientsinterpretedtheenclosureandcosmicmountainindifferentways,shouldwenotfindthattheyexpressedthecrescentinvarying formsalso? Inseeking toanswer thisquestiononemust reckonwith themostextraordinaryaspectsoftheSaturnianimagery.
Ofthecrescentintheprimaryimages and ancientsourcespresentthesebasicforms:—Thehornsofthebull-god(orcow-goddess).—Thegreatfather’sship.—Theupliftedarmsoftheheaven-sustaininggiant.—Theoutstretchedwingsofthemothergoddess(orwingedgod).In the languageof ancient ritual, “horns,” “ships,”“arms,”and“wings”possessanunderlying identitywhichdefiesallnaturalrelationshipsbetweensuchconceptsinthemodernworld.Toresidewithinthewings of themother goddess is to dwell upon the upraised arms of theHeavenMan.But these samewings, or arms, constitute the great god’s sailing vessel—which in turn is depicted as two shining
“horns.”LetusexaminetheconnectionoftheseformswiththeSaturnianconfiguration .
TheCrescentHorn
Inaccordwiththeimages and ,thecentralsunappearsasahornedgod(theBullofHeaven),whilehisspouse,thecow-goddess,enclosesthesun-godwithintwohorns.Thoughextolledas the“sun,”all figuresof thegreat fatherpossess thecrescent“moon”as twohorns,reigningoverthefirstageasthegenerativeBull.InEgypt,the“sun-gods”Re,Horus,Osiris,Amen,andPtahalltaketheformofahornedgod—themighty“bull.”[1313]Osiris is the “son of Nut, lord of the two horns.”[1314] TheLitanyofRe celebrates the god as the“supremepower,with attachedhead,withhighhorns.”[1315]OneofRe’s epithets is simply “ShiningHorn.”[1316]AchapteroftheBookoftheDeadbegins:“Iamthesharp-hornedBull,whoregulateththesky,theLordoftherisingsinheaven,thegreatGiverofLight,whoissuethfromFlame.”[1317]“IamseatedinfrontoftheGreatOneslikethehornedRe,”readsaCoffinText.[1318]Astheincarnationofthegreatgod,thekingacquiresthetitle“BullofLight.”[1319]ItisthegeneralconsensusofEgyptologiststhatReandhiscounterpartsoriginatedassolargods.Towhat,then,dothesun-god’sshining“horns”refer?Thecharacterizationofthegreatgodasahorneddeityseemstobeageneralprincipleofancientthought.A Babylonian hymn to Ramman (the “sun-god”) begins: “O lord Ramman, thy name is the great godglorious bull, child of heaven . . . , lord of plenty.”[1320] Anu, Ninurta, Enlil, and Enki all possessradianthorns.“...Thesun,asthe‘BullofLight’[theverytitleoftheEgyptiangod-king],wasaccordedthesupremepositionintheBabyloniansolar-godhierarchy,”writesConrad.[1321]Butthehornsof theBullofHeavenarethecrescent“moon”:
FatherNannar,heavenlylord...moongod...lordofUr...lordofthebrilliantcrescent...
Ostrongbull,greatofhorns.[1322]HindusourcesdepictVishnu,Brahma,Shiva,Agni,andIndraasbullswith luminoushorns.TheGreekDionysus (Latin Bacchus) is “the bull-horned god” said to have been born a “horned child.” Adonisreceives the same form.TheCanaaniteEl is addressed as “Bull-god”while theGreekKronos is “thehornedgod.”IfYahwehwas“theBullofIsrael,”Helioswasthe“Adiounianbull.”FromAfrica tonorthernEurope to theAmericas thearchaic“sun”-godwears thehornsof thecrescent“moon.”[1323]InthemythsofseverallandsthecelestialbullappearsintheguiseofHeavenMan,hisbodyprovidingtheprimevalmatteroftheCosmos.AhymnoftheHinduAtharvaVeda, titled“ExtollingtheOx,”identifiesthevariousgodswiththelimbsofthecosmicbull:“Prajapatiandthemostexaltedonearehistwohorns,Indrahishead,Agnihisforehead,Yamahisneck-joint...”etc.[1324]ThePersiansknewthisbeastasthe“PrimalBull”or“theSole-CreatedOx”dwellinginEranVej,the“centralland”;hisformwas“whiteandbrilliantasthemoon.”Theworldofthefirstmanandfirstwomanwascreatedfromhisbody.[1325]There is only one sense in which the myth of the horned “sun” or great father will find meaningful
interpretation.Thehornsbelong toSaturn, thesunwithin thecrescent-enclosure . If theBabyloniansknewSaturnasAnu,“thehornedone,”thePhoenicianscalledtheplanet-godBa’alQarnaim,“LordoftheTwoHorns.”[1326]TheGreekSaturn-nameKronos,according toRobertBrown,possesses theradicalsense“theHorned.”[1327]
Figure76.TwoEgyptianversionsofthewingedbull:(a)theApisbullofMemphis;
Figure76.(b)theBacchisbullofHermonthis.
Figure77.Thehornsofthecelestialibex(Mesopotamia)enclosethesun-cross.FromavasediscoveredatSusa.
Figure78.Bucraniumdesign,Mesopotamia.
Figure79.FragmentofpaintedvesselfromBaluchistan,showingthe“sun”betweenthebornsofthebull.
AncientEgyptianimageryisunvaryinginconnectingthehornswiththeAten,theenclosureofthesun .In aCoffinText the great god recalls the first occasion, “before the Aten had been fastened on thehorns.”[1328]Anothersourcedescribesthe“Atenwhichisbetweenhishorns.”[1329]PharaohThutmoseI calls himself the god “Horus-Re, Mighty-Bull—the sun with sharp horns who comes out of theAten.”[1330]Canoneseriouslydoubtthatsuchhymnsrefertothelightgodwithinthecrescent-enclosure
?Twopopular forms of theEgyptian horned godwere theApisBull,worshipped atMemphis, and theMnevisBullofHeliopolis.Illustrationsofthesebull-godsconfirmtheveryrelationshipofthehornsandenclosuredescribedinthehymns:thecircleof theAtenrests firmlyupon thebull’shorns,offering theprecise image .TheEgyptianbull-godBakha similarlywears theAtenbetweenhis twohorns.The
hieroglyphicsymbolofthehornedAtenis .(Onthemeaningofthisimagerythespecialistsremain
silent.)OneofthehieroglyphicformsoftheAtenhasasitsdeterminativethesign , signifying“the two-horned enclosure.” That themystic horns embrace or encircle the central sun is a principlereaching far beyond Egypt. In the famous horned cap of Mesopotamian divinities, “the horns wereimaginedas encircling theheadof adivinity rather than springingoutof it,”writesVanBuren.[1331]SometimesthesymbolichornsinMesopotamiaarenotthoseofabullbutratherofanibex,aheavenlybeastwhomthemythscallthe“IbexoftheApsu[cosmicocean].”[1332]Vasepaintingsshowthehornsoftheibexencirclingthesun-cross.[1333](fig.77)Elsewherethe“sun”appearsbetweenthehornsofabull(figs.78,79).InEgyptianandScandinavianrockdrawingsthe“sun”restsbetweenthehornsofbovinefigures,andthe
illustrationsoftenemphasize thehorns’characterasanenclosurebydrawing themfullcircle (figs.84,87).Correspondingly,apoemoftheEastAfricanDidingaextolsthe:
WhiteCowofheaven,yourhornshavecurvedfullcircleandarejoinedasone.[1334]In the same vein the Hindu Atharva Veda recalls “The ruddy one, the sharp-horned bull, whoencompassedAgni,thesun.”[1335]TheIranianVerethraghna,whobearsthe“glory”(halo )ofAhuraMazda,possesses“theshapeofawildbeautifulram,withhornsbentround.”[1336]
Thehornswhichare“bent round”willbe thecrescent-enclosure, thedwellingof thecentralsun —whichistosay,thehornsareinseparablefromthewombofthemothergoddess.HencetheEgyptiansign
,whichneatlyexpressesthecrescent’smythicalaspectastwohorns,denotesthegoddessHathor,the “House of Horus.” Because Hathor is the goddess of the hornedwomb, there is no contradictionbetweenthehymnslocatingRe“inthewombofthymotherHathor”andtherepresentationsofthegoddessas“sky-cowwhobearsthesun-godbetweenherhorns.”[1337]Inthesameway,HathorisatoncetheEyeofReandthehornssupportingtheEye:“IamthateyeofyourswhichisonthehornsofHathor,”readsaPyramidText.[1338]OneofthenamesoftheEgyptiangoddessissimply“Horns,LadyofPurification.”[1339]
Figure80.ThegoddessHathor,wearingthehornedAten.
Closely paralleling this title ofHathor is the name of theMesopotamian goddess: “the Ladywith thehornedcountenance.”[1340]TheSumeriangoddessInannadescribesherownwombas“ahorn,”[1341]while the related Phoenician goddessAshtoreth appears as “Queen of heavenwith crescent horns” or“Ashtorethof thedoublehorn.”[1342]Ahorn, in theHinduSatapathaBrahmana,means thewombofprimeval genesis. “. . . The black deer’s horn is the same as that womb,” states the text. The priest“toucheswith it [the horn] his forehead close over the right eyebrow,with the text, ‘Thou art Indra’swomb’—foritisindeedIndra’swomb,sinceinenteringitheentersthereby,andinbeingbornheisborntherefrom:thereforehesays,‘ThouartIndra’swomb.’”[1343]Itmakesnodifferencewhetherthehornsarethoseofabull,cow,ram,antelope,deer,goat,orbuffalo.Thevitalideawasofahornedenclosure,andancientnationsinheritingthetraditionobviouslyadaptedthecelestialhorntoanimalformsmostfamiliartothem.
TheHornedMountain
InthePyramidTexts,thekingreturnstothewombofhisbirth,withthewords:“IhavejoinedmymothertheGreatWildCow.Omymother,theWildCowwhichisupontheMountain. . .”[1344]“Homage tothee,Re, supremepower,ShiningHorn,PillarofAmentet,” reads theLitanyofRe.[1345]TheBakhabull,whichsupportstheAten betweenitshorns,is“theBullofthetwoMountains.”Thatthehornsofthebullorcowconstitutethetwopeaksofthecosmicmountaincanaloneexplainsuchimagery.TheBullofHeaven, in itsoriginal form, isnothingmore thanahornedpillar—as ismadeclear in a Pyramid Text addressing “the Pillar of the Stars . . . , the Pillar of Kenset, the Bull ofHeaven.”[1346] This is the bull “whose horns shine, the (well) anointed pillar, the Bull ofHeaven.”[1347]
Intruth,all thatdistinguishes thehornedAten fromthe“MountofGlory”hieroglyph is themythicalforminwhichtherecumbentcrescentfoundexpression.Mythically,thecrescentwasviewedasbothasplitpeakandtwohorns.Indeed, one finds that the Egyptian priests had no doubts about the identity of the horns and the cleftsummit,forthetwosymbolsconstantlyoverlapinEgyptianart.Sometimestheheadofabullisplacedbetweenthetwopeaksofthemountainsymbol ,withtheAtenrestingonthebull’stwohorns(figs.81,82).
Inanearlyperiod,theEgyptiansrepresentedthetwinpeaksbytheimage ,locatingthecleftsummit
atoptheprimeval“pedestal” .Atothertimes,however,theyshowedabullrestingonthepedestalwith themountain sign displaced to the side (fig. 83). Clearly, the artists recognized the overlappingmeaningsofthetwosymbols.Often,infact,themountainsignisdrawnsoastoappearmorelikehornsthantwohills(fig.85b),andthis image, as noted by PercyNewberry some time ago, is virtually identical to theCretan “horns ofconsecration”discussedbySirArthurEvansinhisnow-famouswork,“TheMycenaeanTreeandPillarCult”[1348] (fig. 85a) Thus G.E. Smith observes the “identity of what Evans calls the ‘horns ofconsecration’andthe[Egyptian]‘mountainsofthehorizon.’”[1349](By“mountainsofthehorizon”Smithmeans,ofcourse,thetwo-peakedMountofGlory.)
Figure81.IllustrationoftheAten(circularserpent)fromthePapyrusOfHer-UbenshowstheoverlappinginterpretationsoftheAten’screscentasatwin-peakedmountain,thehornsofacosmicbull,andtwinloins(Aker).
Figure82.ToshowtheidentityoftheAten’screscent-hornsandthetwinpeaks,Egyptianartistsplacedthebull’sheadbetweenthetwopeaks.
PerceivingthehornsasthecleftsummitofthepillarsustainingtheCosmos ,onecanunderstandthespelloftheCoffinTexts,whichreads:“IamtheBull,theOldOneofKenzet[Kenset,thehornedpillar]...Isupporttheskywithmyhorns.”[1350]
Figure83.PrehistoricEgyptiansymbolsforthetwo-peakedmount.
Figure84.Byindicatingthehornsasafullcircle,prehistoricEgyptianpicturesofthecosmicbull(ortwinbulls)emphasizetheconnectionofthehornswiththecelestialenclosure.
Figure85.(a)Cretan“hornsofconsecration”;
Figure85.(b)Egyptian“cleftpeak.”
Figure86.Mesopotamianhornedpillar.
TheSumero-Babylonianspersonifiedtheheaven-sustainingpeakHursagasthemountaingiantEnlil,alsoahornedpillar:
OgreatEnlil,im-hur-sag[GreatMountain]whoseheadrivalstheheavens,
whosefoundationislaidinthepureabyss,WhosehornsgleamliketheraysoftheSun-god.[1351]
BothEgyptianandMesopotamiansourcesgivetheheaven-sustainingmountainshininghorns!Thenameofthe Babylonian antediluvian king Alaparos derives from alap, “bull” and ur, “foundation.” He is the“BulloftheFoundation.”[1352]
Figure87.VariationsofthecosmicbullinScandinavianrockdrawings.Atrootthebullisthepillarandcrescent-enclosure.
Figure88.RockpicturefromGermany,identifiedbyHerbertKuhnas“stylizedoxen.”
Figure89.AmericanIndianhornedenclosure,restingonerectserpent.
Thustheparadisal“earth”resteduponthecrescent-horns.TheBabylonianscalledthehornedpillarthe“GreatBull,themostgreatBull,stampingattheholygates...directorofAbundance,whosupportsthegodNirba...”[1353]Lenormantcomments:“ThisbullthusplaystheroleofakindofAtlas,bearingtheearthanditsharvestsuponhisshoulders.”[1354]Buttheprimeval“earth,”aswehaveseen,wassimplySaturn’sCosmos.Many Siberian legends speak of a primeval bull supporting the “world.”[1355] Hebrew andMuslimtraditionsplaceabullatoptheserpent-dragonLeviathan(hereasymboloftheheavenspillar).Thebullsupportstheearthonitsshoulders.[1356]Theram’shornoftheGermanicHeimdalholdsfasttherimoftheworld.[1357]
We consider again the Mesopotamian symbol of the quartered earth upon its pillar . What is
astonishingaboutthissymbolisthatitexactlycorrespondstothemythicalimageofthebull,orhornedpillar,holdingaloftthecosmicenclosure(withfourstreamsoflife)andsupportingthesun-godbetweenitshorns.Tomyknowledge,however,noonehasyetproposedanyconnectionbetweenthissignandthemyths.As our earth turned on its axis, the crescent-hornmust have visually appeared to revolve around theenclosure , , , .“TheGreatBullofOsiriscirclesaround!”proclaimsatextfromtheShrinesofTut-Ankh-Amon.[1358]TwolinesfromtheBookoftheDeadsuggestthesamething:“Iamthesteer...IgoroundtheSekhet-Aaru[thecircularplainofabundance].”[1359]Accordingly,therevolvinghornsmarkoutatwofoldenclosure.OneoftheearliestsymbolsoftheTwoLandsisadouble-headedcow,facingtotherightandleft.[1360](fig.90)ThePyramidTextscallthis“thetwo bulls within the Ibis.”[1361] The reference is more significant than one might recognize at firstglance, for the ibis encompassing the two twins is the god Thoth—whose symbol is the crescent-enclosure —:“IhavecomeandIhaveinstalledthishouseofmine...Thedoorwhichisonitistwoopposingbulls,”readsaPyramidText.[1362]Togetherthe“opposing”hornsoftheleftandright , distinguishthefullcircleofthe“door.”ToanyoneperceivingtheroleoftheEgyptian“twoBulls”astwohalvesofthesun’senclosure(thedoororgatethroughwhichthesuncomesforth),itisimpossibletooverlookthecorrespondingimageryoftwobullsinMesopotamia,guardingthegatesofthepalaceortemple.Thesearethe“twobullsofthegateofthe templeofE-Shakil,” the“twobullsof thegateofEa,”or the“twobullsof thegateof thegoddessDamkina.”[1363]
Figure90.TheEgyptiantwin-headedbull,symbolofthe“TwoLands.”
Figure91.Mesopotamiandesignconveyingtheimageoftheprimevalenclosureandrevolvinghorns.
Astotheprimarymeaningsofthehornedgodorgoddessancientsourcesdonotequivocate:mythically,thehornssignifytherevolvingcrescentreachingaroundtheprimevalenclosureandseemingto“support”or “embrace” the sun-god. The horns compose the two peaks of the cosmic mountain. And in theiropposingpositionsaroundthecentralsun,theyareidentifiedasthecosmictwins,the“opponentgods.”
X:TheCrescent-Ship(Part2)Allancient sungods sail in a celestial ship. In the oldest ritual the ship appears as a crescentrevolvingaroundthecircleofthegreatgod’sdwelling,whilethegodhimselfremainsstationary.Theship’s“mooringpost”(and,byextension,its“mast”)isthecosmicmountain.OneofSaturn’smostextraordinarypossessions is thearkofheaven.Saturn is“literallyrepresentedassailing over the ocean in a ship,” remarks Faber.[1364] Ovid tells us that because the planet-godtraversedtheentiresphereofthe“earth”inhisprimordialvoyage,hisspecialtokenwasaship,andthisistheshipwhichappearsonthereverseofcoinsstampedwiththedoublefaceofJanus.[1365]Thelattergod,asSaturn’salterego,wasthe“inventor”ofbarksandships.[1366]AlloftheSaturniangodsoftheSumero-Babylonianpantheonsailinacelestialship,oneofwhosenamesisMagula-anna,“GreatboatofHeaven.”The“belovedship”ofNingirsuis“theonethatrisesupoutofthedamofthedeep.”[1367]Earides“theshipoftheantelopeoftheApsu,”[1368]whileNinurtasailsintheshipMagur.TheChineseHuang-ti—theplanetSaturn—wasthefirsttosailinaship.Inhisjourneyacrosstheocean,Herculesrode ina“goldengoblet”—theshipofHelios(Saturn)—towhichonenaturallycompares the“new-moon” boat of Dionysus. A ship of “self-made light” transports the Avestan great god Yima(Saturn).ThePhoeniciangreatfatherChrysor“wasthefirstmanwhofaredinships,”[1369]butitwasalsosaidthatthetwingodOusoos“wasthefirstwholaunchedaboat.”[1370]TheJapanesecreatorgodSukuna-Biko-Narides“onthecrestofthewavesinaheavenlyKagamiboat.”[1371]“Agoldenshipofgoldentacklemovedaboutinthesky,”readstheHinduAtharvaVeda.[1372]NativesoftheMarquesassaythatinthebeginningtherewasonlytheseaonwhichthecreatorTikifloatedinacanoe.[1373]TheHawaiiangodTanaroasailedaboveina“flyingcanoe,”[1374]muchlikethegreatshaman of theYeniseiOstiaks,who “rows his boat in heaven.”The legendaryHiawatha navigated “awhitecanoewhichmovedwithouthumanaid.”[1375]Thattheoriginalformofthesun-god’sshipwasacrescentisafactdisputedbynoone.ThecrescentformprevailsinEgypt,Mesopotamia,Persia,India,Greece,Scandinavia,andevenintheAmericas,leadingtothepopularbeliefthatthemythicalsunvoyagesinthe“shipofthenewmoon.”Thisopinionisduetoonefactalone:thenewmoonistheonlycrescentfamiliartothemodernage.Yetsoroutineistheidentificationofthecrescent-shipwithourmoonthatmythologistsgivealmostnoattentiontospecificimagerysuggestingaradicallydifferentinterpretation.Havingobserved the “unorthodox” role of the crescent-horn, it is appropriate to note first that ancientsymbolismalwaysequatesthegreatgod’sshipwiththebullorcowofheaven.PrehistoricdrawingsfromEgyptcontinuallyrelatetheshiptoahornedcreatureandlaterEgyptianartcontinuedthetheme.[1376]
Figure92.TheMesopotamiangreatgodssailinthehornedship.
ThesameconnectionoccursinmanyScandinavianrockdrawings.ArockpicturefromtheNubiandesertsouthofKermashowstheshipsoplacedonthebackofabullthattheboatandthegallopinganimalareone.[1377]TheSumero-BabylonianNannarorSin,esteemedas thebullwithglisteninghorns, isalso“theshiningbarkoftheheavens.”[1378]“MayyouferryoverbymeansoftheGreatBull,”readsanEgyptianPyramidText.[1379]Anotherdeclares:“theBulloftheskyhasbentdownhishornthathemaypassoverthereby...,”[1380]whileaCoffinTextcelebratesthe“long-hornwhichsupportsthebarkofAnubis.”[1381]Manyyears agoG.S.Faber, examining ancient symbolismof the ship,wrote: “Aheifer seems tohavebeenadoptedasperhapsthemostusualemblemoftheArk...ThattheheiferwasanemblemoftheArkappearsfromaverycuriouspassageinTheEtymologicalMagnum,theauthorofwhichinformsus,thatTheba, in the Syrian dialect, signified ‘a heifer’ . . . The import, however, of Theba, in the Hebrewlanguage,is‘anark’;andtheonlyreasonwhyaheiferwasdesignatedbythesameappellation,wasthecircumstanceofitsbeingusedasanarkiteemblem.”[1382]
If thecrescent-hornis thatwhichembracestheenclosedsun andvisually revolvesaround thebandeachday,theshipofheavenmustbethesamecrescent.Direct confirmation comes from ancient Egypt. Though the Egyptian ship (as depicted in the reliefs)alwayspossesses the crescent form, it revolves in a circle: “. . . the arkof heavenwas the revolvingsphere configurated as a sailing vessel . . . the ark is portrayed in the act of sailing over a vastunfathomablehollowvoid,”writesMassey.[1383]PerhapsthemostcommonEgyptianwordfor“tosail”isseqet,fromtherootqet,“acircle”(writtenwiththedeterminative ).Literally,seqetmeans“togo inacircle” (compareseqeti,“encircled”).Henceone text declares that “the barge circles in the sky,”[1384]while another extols “the circlings of thehenhenu-bark”[1385](henhenuisanameofthecircularoceanabove).Butwhatwasthenatureoftheship’scircularpathway?Theshipsailsaroundthesun-god’senclosure:“Istandupinthyenclosure,OMaa;Isailroundabout.”[1386]ChapterCXXXVIoftheBookoftheDeadisthus entitled “The Chapter of Sailing in the Great Boat of Re to Pass over the Circle of BrightFlame.”[1387]Moreover, this connectionof the crescent-boatwithanenclosurewill be foundalso inMesopotamia.ThoughthecrescentofSinwasthema-gurboatpossessedbyNinurta(Saturn),thesignforgurmeans“circularenclosure.”[1388]
Is there any direct statement that the enclosure depicted in the sign is the ship’s pathway? TheEgyptianscalledthebandAtenorkhu(“glory,”“halo”):“HailtoyouwhosailsinhisKhu,whonavigates
acirclewithinhisAten,”readstheBookoftheDead.[1389]Clearly, the subject is the crescent-enclosure. In thePyramidTexts, KingUnas announces, “I revolveroundheaven likeRe, I sail roundheaven likeThoth.”WhileRe’s image is theAten , the commonsymbolofThothisthecrescent-enclosure .Allowingtheoneimagetoexplaintheother,weseethatUnasdoesnothere engage in two separate acts, but in a single act depicted in twodifferentways: torevolvewithintheAtenistosailinthecrescent-shipofThoth.[1390]ThecircleoftheAtenisthe“brow”ofRe,anditisonRe’sbrowthatthetextslocatetheship:“IflyupandperchmyselfupontheforeheadofRe,inthebowsofhisboatwhichisinheaven,”statestheBookoftheDead.[1391]“ThousailestonhighintheEveningBarge,thoujoinestthefollowersoftheAten,”[1392]ToappreciatethislinefromtheShrinesofTut-Ankh-Amononemustrecognizethatthe“followers”themselvescomposetheenclosureoftheAten;thegreatgodintheshipresideswithinthecircleoflessergods.Itisthesamething to say that the secondary gods, by forming the enclosure, stand on the “pathway” of the ship, asstated in theCoffinTexts: “Every godwho is on the border of your enclosure is on the path of yourboat.”[1393]Couldoneaskforamoreexplicitstatementequatingtheenclosureandtherevolvingship?
Figure93.The“sun”-wheelrestinginthecosmicship,asdepictedinScandinavianrockdrawings.
ItisclearfromtheEgyptiansourcesthattheshipandthesecondarygods(theship’screw),inrevolvingaroundtheAten,circumscribethegreatgod,whoresidesinthecentreofthecircle:
IcauseTruth[maat]tocircleaboutattheheadofthegreatbargewhichcarriesthe
JustifiedOneinthecouncil...ThecrewofRecirclesabout.[1394]ThedwellersintheSektetBoatgo
roundaboutthee...[1395]
This,then,istheonlysenseinwhichthecentralsun“moves”:hesailsaroundtheenclosure , , ,, while yet remaining em hetep, “at rest” or “in one place.” The ship is thus “the Boat of Rest
[Hetep].”[1396]OGodRe,grantthouthattheOsirisNumaytraveloninthyboatemhetep.[1397]
Letmeembarkinthyboat,ORe,emhetep.[1398]ThyrestingplaceisthebargeofKhepri.[1399]
Agreeingwith thisviewof theshipandpathwayare themanyhymnsand liturgieswhichdescribe theboatofheavennavigatingthecircularocean.(Asearlierobserved,thisrevolvingriverwasthecircleof
theAten .)IhavemademywayandgoneroundtheheavenlyoceanonthepathofthebarkofRe.[1400]
Lo,IsailthegreatBarkontheStreamofthegodHetep.[1401]Otherhymnssimilarlydepict theshipgoingaroundthe“Lakeof theTuat,”“thePoolofMaat,”or“thePoolofFire.”[1402]Thiscosmicocean,lake,orrivermeansthecircularwomb(orbody)ofthemothergoddess.Hence,thegoddessNut,theenclosurearoundthesun-godRe,takestheformofthecircumambientsea,andnumerousreliefsshowthesun-god’sboatsailingover thebodyof thegoddess.“IamaSahu,whoassigneth theboundsashesailethroundthestarrythrongofHeaven,thebodyofmymotherNut,”statestheBookoftheDead.[1403]Butitisnotsufficienttoidentifythemothergoddessasthepathwayofthecrescent-ship,forthecrescentandenclosureareone:theshipisthegoddess.ThoughNutisthe“pathway,”thedeceasedkingbeseechesthegoddess:
“Rowme,Omotherofmine;towme,Oabodeofmine.”[1404]“OBoatofthesky...OBoatofNut.”[1405]
Similarly,the“shipofHathor,”asstatedbyBleeker,was“theexpressionofherbeing.Whentheboatwascarriedinprocession,itwasthedramatizationofthedeity’shierophany.”[1406]OneofthenamesoftheHathor-shipis“mistressoflove”;itiscalled“theboatwhichexaltsherbeauty.”[1407]AshipwasalsothesymbolofthegoddessIsis.[1408]Thedwellerintheprimevalwombisthecaptainoftheship.A survey of ship symbolism in other landswill reveal the same identity. Thewomb of the SumerianInannais“aship.”[1409]“Theshipofthebrilliantoff-spring”wasanepithetoftheBabyloniangoddessBau.[1410] In Hindumyth the goddesses Ila, Isi, Lacshmi, and Parvati are synonymous with the shipArgha,[1411]transportingthegreatfather(Manu,Shiva,Brahma)overthewaters.Bergelmir—theNorsemythical giant—“was born in a boat”[1412] (i.e., boat=womb). The Latin goddess Minerva “wassurnamedErgane,fromEregorErech,the‘ark’;underwhichtitleshewasveneratedbothinLaconia,andinBoeotia,”Fabertellsus.[1413]TheCelticGoddessCeridwentakestheformofaship,[1414]andtheshipwas the symbol of the oldLatin goddessCeres (Demeter), thePhrygian goddessCybele, and thePhoeniciangoddessAshtoreth.[1415]The ship, in other words, is part and parcel of the circumpolar enclosure. And the identity findsconfirmationinallmythicalformulationsoftheenclosure:TheWorld-Ship
TheEgyptianshipis“theBargeofEarth.”“OgodswhocarrytheBargeofEarth,whosupportthebargeoftheTuat,”proclaimstheBookofGates.[1416]WhilethenameoftheHindugoddessIda(or(Ila)means“theworld,”sheisdepictedasafloatingship;Stonehenge,thefamousDruidicmonument,wascalledatonce“thecircleoftheWorld,”“theenclosureoftheship-goddessCeridwen,”andthe“ArkoftheWorld.”[1417]Theship-goddessisnoneotherthanthemotherearthinheaven.TheIsland-Ship
Ancienthistoryisfilledwithlegendsoffloating,paradisalislands,ofwhichtheGreekDelosandHindu“islandoftheMoon”arenoteworthyexamples.TheItalianfloatingisleofCotyle;theEgyptianfloatingislandofChemnis,describedbyHerodotus;andtheCelticfloatingislandofSnowdonsuggestacommontheme.[1418]Thetraditionoftheisland-shipreceivesremarkableexpressionintheRomanislandofTiber,which,asamonumenttoAsclepius,wasfashionedwithabreastworkofmarbleintotheformofaship,itsupperpartimitatingthesternanditslowerpartthebow.[1419]Fig.94,takenfromCarlKerenyi’sAsklepios,showstheancientformofTiberIslandasreconstructedbyasixteenth-centurydraftsman.[1420]Symbolized istheislandoftheblessedrestingwithinthevastcrescentofthecosmicship.
Figure94.Thecity-shipofTiberisland,asreconstructedbyadraftsmaninthesixteenthcentury.
TheCity-Ship
TheEgyptianscommemoratedtheship’sdailyrevolutionbyfashioninganimageofthegreatgod’sbarge,placingitonasledge-shapedstand,anddraggingitaroundthewallsofthecity[1421]—forthecitywalldenoted theprimeval rampart, thepathof theship.“ThisGreatGod travels in thiscity,on thewater,”states one text.[1422] Thus, the Mesopotamian Surripak is “the city of the Ship,” corresponding toHomer’sMycenae,the“ark-city.”TheGreekcitiesofThebes,Argos,andBerytusareconnectedbyFaberwiththeancient“ship”namestheba,argha,andbarisorbarit.[1423]TheTemple-Ship
JustastheEgyptiansconveyedthesacredshiparoundthewallofthecitysodidtheyalsopullitaroundthe wall of the temple, in imitation of the cosmic ship which coursed daily around the great god’sdwelling.Egyptianillustrationsdepicttheshrineasaninseparablepartoftheboat.Andthetextsconfirmthisconnection:“TheSektetboatreceivethfairwinds,andtheheartofhimwhoisintheshrine thereofrejoiceth.”[1424]ASumerianhymntotheKestempleequatesthedwellingwith“theprincelyMagur-boat, floating in thesky.”[1425]
Goodtemple,builtonagoodplace,Kestemple,builtonagoodplace,
Like[oras]theprincelyMagur-boat,floatinginthesky.LikethepureMagur-boat...
Liketheboatofheaven,foundationofallthelands,Cabinofthebanda-boatwhichshinesfromthebeaches,
Temple,roaringlikeanox,bellowinglikeabreedbull.[1426]TheGreeksdesignateda templeandashipbythesameword,nausornaos.Ourwordnave (fromtheLatinnavis)possessesthedualsignificanceofatempleandaship.[1427]TheWheel-Ship
Oneofthemostunnaturalaspectsofthegreatgod’s“chariot”(wheel)isthatitfunctionsalsoasaship.Incommemorationofthegod’sremarkablevehicle,theancientsoftenplacedthesacredshiponwheels,drawingitondryland.Scandinavianrockcarvingsdepictthe“wheelofthesun”restinginacosmicboat(fig.93),andfromAssyriatoBritaintoPolynesiaimagesofcosmicshipseithercontainwheelsorareseton wheels. The vehicle of the Chinese Huang-ti was both a ship and a chariot.[1428] Similarly, the
Sumerianmagur-boatreceivestheappellation“chariot.”Cosmicshipandworldwheelareone.
Figure95.EggofLunus.
Figure96.Atum,seatedwithintheAten,sailsintheshipoftheEye.
TheEgg-Ship
“ThegodLunusofHeliopolisandCarrhae,”writesFaber,“wasanegg,on the topofwhich restedacrescentformedlikeaboat.”[1429](fig.95)ButthegodwhomclassicalwriterstranslatedasLunuswastheEgyptianAah,orThoth,whosehieroglyphwas thecrescent-enclosure , andone can reasonablyassumethat,inaccordwiththissymbol,theeggoriginallystoodwithin,orupon,thecrescentboat.ThustheHindusknewtheshipArghaasthelowerhalfofaprimevaleggwhichfloatedonthewatersofChaos.[1430]TheEye-Ship
AnEgyptianCoffinTextspeaksof“thebarge,theEyeofthyfather.”[1431]Elsewhereonefinds,“Iamthe Great One in themidst of his Eye, sitting and kneeling in the great barge of Khepri [the TurningOne].”[1432] “Oyouwho are in theEyeof theBarkof theGod.”[1433] In precise accordwith suchlanguagethesymbolicEyewasregularlyinscribeduponshipsofEgypt(fig.96).Interestingly,thesamesymbolappearsontheGreekArgo.APhoenicianterra-cottamodelofagalleyfromAmathusrevealsthecentralEyeuponitsprow.[1434]TheEyeoccursalsoonChineseboats.[1435]TheVase-Ship
Reflectingtheidentityoftheshipandreceptacleis theEnglishwordvessel,meaningboth“container”and“ship.”TheGermanSchiffmeans,atonce,“ship”and“watercontainer,”andtherootsoftheGermanKanne,“pot,”andKahn,“boat,”areidentical.[1436]
InEgyptiansymbolism,Piankofftellsus,“Thejaristhecradleandatthesametimeavesselforcrossingthecelestialwaters.”[1437]ThereceptaclesinwhichHindupriestsofferedfruitsandflowerstothegodswerecalledarghas.ButtheArghawastheshiponthecosmicsea.[1438]TheShield-Ship
Norsemythology knows the “shield-god”Ull, the son ofThor’swifeSif by an unknown father. “Theshield, according to the skalds,was ‘the shipofUll,’ thatonwhichhe traveled—a reference toa lostmythology...”writesMacCulloch.[1439]Similarly,KingArthur’smagicshieldPrydwenservedasthehero’sship.[1440]TheThrone-Ship
InthePyramidTextsthekingascendstothe“thronewhichisinyourbark,ORe.”[1441]AndtheBookoftheDeadlocatesthethroneinthesameship:“IshalladvancetomythronewhichisintheboatofRe.Ishallnotbemolested, and I shallnot suffer shipwreck frommy thronewhich is in theboatofRe, themightyone.”[1442]TheSerpent(Dragon)-Ship
G.E.Smithwrites:“Thecustomofemployingthename‘dragon’inreferencetoaboatisfoundinplacesasfarapartasScandinaviaandChina...InIndiatheMakara,theprototypeofthedragon,wassometimesrepresented as a boat which was looked upon as a fish-avatar of Vishnu, Buddha or some otherdeity.”[1443]Numerous Egyptian sources identify the ship with the cosmic serpent—who is also the “pathway”traversedbytheboat.TheBookoftheDead,forexample,describestheshipsailingoverthe“back”oftheserpent-dragonApepi.[1444]Adragon-likecreatureoftenservesasashipinMesopotamiancylinderseals,justastheserpentineChronosformsthepathoftheshipofHeliosOnecould,ofcourse,endlesslyexpandthelistofsuchconnectionsbetweentheenclosureandtheship.Onemightevensaythattheshiphasnoindependentexistenceapartfromtheenclosure.Nor can one ignore the widespread connection of the great god’s ship with the cosmic mountain. In
accordwiththearchaicforms and ,theshiprestsonthemountaintop,providingtheMountwithitscleftsummit.FromEgypttoMesopotamiatoScandinaviaonefindstheimagesoftheshipbroughtinto
connection with the pillared crescent . Fig. 101f, from southwest Norway can be compared to aprehistoricdrawing fromEgypt (fig.102f). In the latter instance thepillared crescent is shown twice,whileoneendoftheshipterminatesinacrescent-enclosure .ForamoreformalversionoftheshipandMountIofferdetailsfromtwoillustrationintheBookof theDead(fig.97).Inbothdrawingstheship,intheformofadoubleserpent,restsuponthePrimevalHill.While one shows the throne within the ship, the other shows the steps of the Primeval Hill: “I havereachedthehighportalsoftheEntourageofRe,whoreckonupthepillaredbark,”announcesthekinginaCoffinText.[1445]
Thesubjectisarevolvingship,traversingacirclearoundthesummitofthecosmicmountain, , , ,
.Thatis,theMountservesastheaxisoftheship’srevolution:“Iassumemypureseatwhichisinthe
bowoftheBarkofRe.ItisthesailorswhorowRe,anditisthesailorswhoconveyReroundabouttheMountofGlory,anditistheywhowillconveymeroundabouttheMountofGlory.”[1446]“Hail,OnlyOne!beholdthouartintheSektetboatasitgoethroundabouttheMountofGlory.”[1447]Whenthetextsdescribethegod“sailingoverthesupportsofShu,”[1448]orengagedinhis“voyageoverthe Leg of Ptah,”[1449] they do not depart from the integrated symbolism of theworld pillar, for the
supportsofShu( )andthelegofPtahrefertooneandthesamecosmiccolumn.It is surely significant that in bothEgypt andMesopotamia the cosmic pillar appears as the “mooringpost”ofthegreatgod’sship.WhattheSumerianscalleddimgal(Babyloniantarkullu)andtheEgyptiansmenaormenatmaybetranslatedeitherasthe“BindingPost”or“MooringPost.”TheEgyptianimageof
themenatis ,depictingtheenclosedsun-crossatopthecosmicpillar;butmenatisacommontermfortheposttowhichtheshipofheavenistiedormoored,andtheverbmenameans“totietheboattothepost.”One can also understand the axis-pillar as the ship’s mast. We earlier noted that the great father,consideredasanextensionoftheMount,becomesthecentral(third)peakrisingbetweenthetwopeaksoftherightandleft.Whenoneviewsthecrescent(twopeaks)astheshipofheaventheequivalenceoftheMountandtheship’s“mast”becomesself-evident.ThegeneraltraditionisobservedbyFaber:“Avastcentricalmountain formed themastorbossof themundaneboat: and thegreat father, risingoutof thesacredumbilicusof the arkiteworld, supplied to it theplaceof amast.Thatmountainwas thehill ofparadise.”[1450]TheHindusymboloftheshiponthemountaintop,accordingtoFaber,isthetridentofShiva, composed of a rod or staff surmounted by a “lunette” with a spike rising in its centre. Thetrident,hestates,denotes“theshipArghaunderitssiderealformofacrescentwithShivastandinginthemidstofitandsupplyingtheplaceofamast.”[1451]This identity of the ship’s mast and the axis-pillar is also noted by Coomaraswamy, who relates anintroductoryverseoftheDasakumaccrita,listing“themastoftheshipoftheearth”asanaspectof“theaxisoftheuniverse.”IntheconstructionofHindustupastheuniverseaxiswasrepresentedbyacentralfinialoftenextendingupwardtoanimpressiveheight.Thecolumnborethetitle“sky-scraping”yasti,or“mast.”[1452]ItisnoteworthyalsothattheSumeriandimgal,the“mooringpost”or“bindingpost,”oftenreceivesthetranslation“ship’smast.”[1453] Inourworldamastandamooringpostarewhollydistinct,but in thesymbolismofthecosmicshipandmountaintheyarestrictlysynonymous,asweshouldexpect.Byunderstandingtheship’smastasanextensionofthecosmicmountainoneperceivesadeepermeaninginthestepswhichriseinthecentreoftheEgyptianboatillustratedbelow(fig.97).Thesteps,asthemostcommonEgyptiansymbolof thePrimevalHill,here replace theship’smast.And it isnoaccident, for
while theEgyptiankhetmeans“steps” (PrimevalHill),khet alsomeans “ship’smast” (PrimevalHill=steps=mast=PrimevalHill).Thesymbolismbecomesallthemorefascinatingwhenonediscoversthat theHindus identified the stepsorpyramid asboth thepolarMountMeru and themast of the shipArgha.
Figure97.TwoEgyptianversionsofthecosmicshipandPrimevalHill.
Such integrated symbolism underlines the fundamental relation of the crescent-ship to the cosmicmountain. Faber thus concludes: “Here we may perceive the reason why the pagans deemed thosemountainspeculiarlysacred,whichbranchedoutattheirsummitsintoeithertwoorthreesmallerpeaksortumuli.Theyconsideredthem,intheonecase,asnaturallyshadowingouttheholyhillwiththenavicularMoon resting on its top, and in the other case, as still being a physical copy of the same holy hillsurmountedbytheMoon,but theMoonnowrenderedcompletebytheadditionof thecentricalmastorpilot...”[1454]It followsfromthis lineofevidence that theEgyptianmountainsigns and —offeringanaturalrepresentationofthetwo-orthree-peakedsummit—musthavepossessedthesameimportastheshipofheaven; both the ship and the cleft summit had their reference in the crescent, visually united to the
celestialcolumnsoastoformtheimage .Theshiponthemountaintopmergeswiththetwopeaksoftheright and left. Consistent with this overlapping imagery are those prehistoric Egyptian vase paintings
depictingthecosmicshipbearingthemountainsign .[1455]It is, of course, the universal opinion of Egyptologists that the mountain glyph represents twogeographicalpeaksrealorimaginary,fromwhichthesolarorbriseseachmorning.Butiftheanalysissetforthhereiscorrect,thetwinpeaksoftheMount,beingsynonymouswiththeshipof heaven,must have revolved daily around the sun-god’s enclosure—in flagrant contradiction ofnaturalgeography!
Figure98.Thetwin-peakedKhut ,depictedasaninseparablepartofthecosmicship.
CouldtheEgyptianshavebelievedthatthecleftsummitsailedwith,oras,thecosmicship?Actually,itwasnotuncommonfortheEgyptianartiststoplacetheKhut(MountofGlory )withintherevolvingship,proclaiming theessential identityof the two images(fig.98).Of this identityClarkprovides twoexamples.IneachcasetheAtenrestsbetweenthepeaksoftherightandleft,whichinturnsitsquarelyinthecosmicship.Respondingtothefirstinstance,Clarkcallstheclefthill the“easternhorizon,”addingthat“thishillisincongruouslyplacedinthesolarboat.”[1456]InthesecondillustrationtheAten“restsonthetwin-peakedmountainofsunrise.Againstallverisimilitude this figure,mountainandall, isbeingconveyedacross thewaters of the heavenly ocean in a boat.”[1457]As bizarre as this sailingmountaintopmayappeartoconventionalmythologists,itis,tous,oneofseveralindependentproofsthatthemountainsign
meanssimplytherevolvingSaturniancrescent,hererenderednaturalisticallyinitsmythicalformastwopeaks.Whenthetextssaythatthegod“sailsroundaboutintheKhut ,”theymeanliterallythathesailswithinthecleftpeakasinaship.Ofcourse,toreckonwiththeseconceptsonemustabandononceandforallthestandardtranslationofKhutas“horizon.”Thetwinpeaksareanythingbutafixtureofthelocallandscape.(Thoughthemostcommonpositionofthemountainimageisupright,someillustrationsdepict it inan invertedposition ,againcontradictinggeography.)Moreover, thedistinctionbetweentheuprightandinvertedpositionsoftherevolvingtwinpeaksiscrucialtothesymbolismofthearchaic“day”and“night,”asIshallshow.Equallyimportantistherelationoftheshiptothecosmictwins.Theimage tellsusthattheshipitselfdivides theenclosure into twoportionsof lightandshadow.Accordingly, though theEgyptianwordAtdenotestheboatofheaven,thesamewordmeans“todivide,bisect.”Thelanguageconformspreciselytothecosmologyofthecrescent-enclosure,halfdark,halflight.But theEgyptiansalso identified the shipwith the twins Isis-Nephthys, the“twoeyes” (the left andright positionsoftherevolvingcrescent).[1458]“ThyrighteyeisintheSektetboat,andthylefteyeisin theAtetboat,”declares theBookof theDead.[1459] In theritual for thedeceased,achapterof theBookoftheDeadistobe“saidoveraBarkofRecolouredinpuregreen.Andthoushallplaceapictureofthedeceasedattheprowthereof.AndmakeaSektetboatontherightsideofitandanAtetboatontheleftsideofit.”[1460]Together,theboatsoftheleftandrightcomposetheprotectiveenclosureorbond,
representedbytheshensign .Initseveryfeature,then,thegreatgod’sshipconformstotherevolvingSaturniancrescent—enclosingthecentralsun, restinguponthecosmicmountain,anddividing thecircumpolarenclosure intodivisionsof
lightandshadow.
TheCrescent-Arms
To terrestrial observers gazing up the axis-pillar, the Saturnian crescent appeared as twooutstretchedarmsreachingaroundandholdingaloftthecrescent-enclosure .
No one considering the image of the sun-in-crescent resting atop the cosmic pillar will have anydifficultyunderstandingwhythecrescentcametobeviewedastheoutstretchedarmsofthegreatmother,oroftheheaven-sustaininggod.Ofcourse, it isonly incombinationwith thecentral sunandpillar that thecrescent couldacquire thissignificance.Nothing inourcrescentmoon,forexample,couldpossiblysuggest theupraisedarmsofahuman-likefigure.Inancientart,however,thecrescentisoftenlocatedbehindtheshouldersofadivinity
(assuggestedbytheform )andincertaincasesreplacesthearms.(Infig.99IofferseveralexamplesfromtheAmericas.)In fig. 100 the Hindu twins Jagan-Nath and Bal-Rama, bearing the respective black and whitecountenances of Shiva and Vishnu (with whom they are identified), stand to the right and left of thegoddessSubhadra,aformofDevi.The“body”ofeachofthethreedeitiesappearstobecomposedoftwoeggs([twofold]egg=“body”);uponthebodiesofJagan-NathandBal-Ramarestsacrescent-likeformandineachcrescentappears theheadof thedeity.Commentingon this image,Faberwrites:“Thecrescentitselfexhibitstherudesemblanceofarms,asthetwofoldeggdoesthatofabody:butasortofstandardattachedtotheframeonwhichthethreedivinitiesareseated,sufficientlyshowsthattheapparentarmsarereallyalunette,forthestandarddisplaysinablackbackgroundthemysticcrescentwithacircularballwithinitrepresentingtheheadofthedeity.”[1461]
Figure99.(a)Columbianpictograph;
Figure99.(b)Columbianpictograph;
Figure99.(c)Bolivianpictograph;
Figure99.(d)Brazilianpictograph;
Figure99.(e)Arapahpsignfor“person”;
Figure99.(f)NorthAmericangoddess.
Figure100.Hindutwins,Jagan-NathandBal-Rama,withsemicirculararms,standtotherightandleftofthegoddessSubhadra.
Amore pure form of the crescent- or horned-arms occurs in Scandinavian rock drawings, repeatedly
exhibitingtheimage alongwithnumerousvariationswhichpresentthesemi-circularshapealternatelyashornsor asoutstretchedarmsofmorehuman-like forms (fig.101).Thismixture of images, in fact,
leavesthearchaeologistsundecidedas towhether, in thesimpleform , it isarms,orhorns, thatarehorn-likearms,orarmsextendedupwardtoformacrescent.Inotherinstances,thehumanfiguredoesnotstandintheboat,butholdstheboataloftonupraisedarms(figs.101a,101b).Moreover,insomecasestheshiprestsonthehumanshouldersinsuchawayastoreplacethearms(figs.101c,101d).
Figure101.(a)
Figure101.(b)
Figure101.(c)
Figure101.(d)InnumerousScandinavianrockdrawingsthecosmicshipeitherrestsontheupraisedarmsofaHeavenManoractuallyformsthegod’sarms(a,b,c&d);
Figure101.(e)
Figure101.(f)Inotherdrawingsfromthesamereligionapillaredcrescentstandsintheship.(e&f)
Figure102.PrehistoricEgyptianimagesofthecosmicshipalternatelyshowtheHeavenMan(withupraisedarms)orthepillaredcrescentstandingintheship.
Figure103.PredynasticEgyptianfigurines.
Figure104.Cretanmothergoddess.
Figure105.SymbolsofthePhoeniciangoddessTanit.
Figure106.Hittiteimage.
Thecosmicdivinitywithupraisedarmswillbefoundinallquartersoftheworld(figs.103,104,105&106).Mostcrucialaretheassociationsofsuchfigureswiththeaxis-pillarandenclosure.ThemythicalAfrite of Arabianmyth was an apostate angel, “tall and black” (Saturn=“black” planet), whose trunkformedavastpillar,hisarmsstretchingheavenward.ComparethedescriptionoftheHinduManu,the“glorioussage”andfirstking:“Witharmsupliftedandpoisedononeleg,he,thekingofmen,practicedhardausteritiesintheBadariforest,namedVishala.Andthere he did arduous penance for ten thousand years with his head downwards and his eyesunwinking.”[1462]OftheIranianMithra,theZendAvestadeclares:“WithhisarmslifteduptowardsImmortality,Mithra,thelordofwidepastures,drivesforward...inabeautifulchariot[theworldwheel]thatdriveson,ever-swift,adornedwithallsortsofornaments,andmadeofgold.”I pose the question: are the upraised arms an accidental convention, or an integral component of the
Saturnianimage ?AconclusiveanswerisprovidedbyEgyptiansources.
TheKa-Arms
OneofthemostfamiliarEgyptiantermsiska,thesymbolforwhichistwoupraisedarms .Thoughthewordkaoccurswithgreat frequency in thehieroglyphic texts, fewwriters canagreeona tangiblemeaning.Budgeconfessesthegenerallackofagreementonthesubject:“Theexactmeaningofthisword[ka] is unknown, but it has been translated by double, image, genius, subconscious self, naturaldisposition,abstractpersonality,character,mind,etc.;allthesemeaningsaresuggestedbytheircontexts,buttherealmeaningofthewordhasyettobediscovered.”[1463]“The closest approximation to the Egyptian notion of Ka is ‘vital force,’” writes Frankfort. “Thequalification ‘vital’ frees it from the precision of the natural sciences,whichwould, of course, be ananachronism:andthecombination‘vitalforce’maystandforasomewhatvaguepopularnotionwithoutmechanisticimplications.TheKa,accordingtothisview,shouldbeimpersonalandshouldbepresentinvaryingstrengthindifferentpersonsorinthesamepersonatdifferenttimes.”[1464]InnoneofthecommoninterpretationsistheKaregardedasavisiblepower.Instead,theexpertstendtotreattheKaasahiddensourceoflife.Clarktellsusthat“theKaisasymbolofthetransmissionoflifepowerfromthegodstoman.Butitisnotonlytheact,itisalsothesourceofthispower.Everyoneisareceiverofdivinepowerandeveryoneisanindividual,soeachhashisownKa.”[1465]Iamnotpreparedtoarguethatthesemodern-soundingdefinitionsarewhollywrong—onlythattheyfocuson derived, rather than concrete meanings. In its original sense the Ka is exactly what its glyphindicates—twoupraisedarms— !Theancientssaw thetwoarmsof theKa,andeveryaspectof thesymbolismspringsfromaoncevisiblerelationshipofthesearmstothegreatgodandhisdwelling.
InrecordingtheSaturnianconfiguration nothingcouldhavebeenmorenaturalthantheinterpretationofthecrescentastwoarms,strainingupward.Topresentthe“arms”inhumanform,is,ofcourse,theonlypossibleway toexpresspictorially thismythical interpretationof thecrescent (justas theonlyway todepict the crescent’smythical form as hornswas todraw itashorns or to place the crescent-enclosureontheheadofaBull).
TotesttheproposedconnectionoftheKa-arms withtheSaturnianimage ,severalquestionsrequireinvestigation:DoEgyptiansourceslocatethecentralsunwithintheKa-arms?Arethecosmicshipandhornsidentifiedwiththeseoutstretchedarms?DotheKa-armsreacharoundtheenclosure?Dothearmsconstitutethecleftsummitoftheworldmountain?IstheKaonehalfofatwincircle?
Figure107.(a)TheKa;
Figure107.(b)TheKarestingontheprimordial“perch”;
Figure107.(c)TheKaembracingtheroyal“name.”
Figure108.ThearmsoftheAbysssupportingtheAten.
Oneachofthesequestions,Egyptiansourcesyieldaclear-cutreply.1.WhilemostanalysesdiscusstheKaasa(hidden)dimensionofthehumanpersonality,EgyptiansourcesconsistentlylocatetheKanotinthisworld,butamongthegods.ThepointisnoticedbyBreasted:“...Thekawasnotanelementofthepersonality,asissooftenstated.ItseemstomeindeedfromastudyofthePyramidTexts,thatthenatureofthekahasbeenfundamentallymisunderstood...Itwasintheworldofthehereafterthehe[theKa]chieflyifnotexclusivelyhadhisabode...”[1466]Whenthekingdies“hegoestohisKainthesky,”[1467]andhere,inheaven,theKaprotectshimfromthedestructivedemonsofChaos.[1468]Butwhyisthisprotectivegeniusportrayedastwooutstretchedarms
?Thereasonisthattheheavenattainedbythedeceasedkingisthedwellingofthecentralsun,whoresideswithintheembraceoftwoshiningarmsraisedaloftintheAbyss.“Thisgodislikethis,”statesonemythologicaltext:“Twoarmsguardthebodyofthisgod.”[1469]AnotherinvokesAtumshiningforth
from“thearmsofAker.”[1470]ThegreatgodRe“islikethisonthearmsoftheMysteriousOne.”[1471]“TheAtenisintheTuat.ThearmsoftheMysteriousFacecomeoutandliftitup,”[1472]readsanothertext.ThusOsiris“rests”withinthetwoarmsoftheKa:“Hail,OOsiris,thykahathcomeuntotheeand. . .thouresteththereininthynameofKa-Hetep.”[1473]“ThyfatherTatunenlifteththeeupandhestretchethouthistwohandsbehindthee.”[1474]Intruth,thesaying“togotohiska”meanstoattainheavenandthustoresideintheprotectiveembraceof
theheaven-sustaininggod .ORe-Atum,yoursoncomestoyou,theKingcomestoyou;raisehimup,enclosehiminyourembrace.
..[1475]Itispleasantforme...withinthearmsofmyfather,withinthearmsofAtum.[1476]
OAtum,setyourarmsabouttheKing...OAtum,setyourprotectionoverthisKing...[1477]Gouponhigh,anditwillbewellwithyou,itwillbepleasantforyouintheembraceofyourfather,in
theembraceofAtum.[1478]To represent the unionof the kingwith the outstretched armsof heaven theEgyptians depicted theKaenclosingthecartoucheorroyalnameoftheHorus-king(fig.107c).InthehieroglyphstheKa-armssignify“toembrace”and“toprotect.”“TheroyalKaputhisarmsaroundtheHorusnametoprotect itfromharm,” notesClark.[1479]There is no need to seek out hiddenmetaphysical implications in thissymbolism, for theKawas ineverywayanemblemof thevisibleenclosure, theprotective rampart inheaven.2.That theKa-armspertain to the“embracing”crescentwillexplainwhythesun-godsailson the twoarms; thesame textwhichdescribesRe“like thison thearmsof theMysteriousOne,”declares,“ThisGreatGodsailsoverthiscavern[thehollowoftheTuat]onthearmsoftheMysteriousOne.”[1480]A spell from theCoffinTexts has the king appearing “in the bark of themorning . . . in the arms ofAnup.”[1481]AndOsirissails“onthetwoarmsofHorusinhis[Horus’]nameof‘Henu-bark.’”[1482]This equation of the ship and the outstretched arms finds repeated illustration in the cosmic scenesdepictedoncoffinsandpapyri.
It follows from this identity, of course, that the armsof theKa are synonymouswith the luminoushornsofthecelestialbull.AndhereliesthesimpleexplanationwhytheEgyptianwordfor“bull”isalsoka,writtenwiththesamearms ,towhichthedeterminatives areadded.(ThesubjectisthegenerativeBullofHeaven.)[1483]
IknowthesecretofHieraconopolis.Itisthetwohandsofhornsandwhatisinthem.[1484]
Theembracinghandsorarmsmeanthesamethingasthehorns.
3.Iftheoutstretchedarms,assuggestedbytheconfiguration ,reacharoundthecircumpolarenclosure,then“togotohisKa”mustsignifytheking’srebirthintheprimevalwomb.DidtheEgyptiansidentifytheKa-armswiththemothergoddess?“Whenthedeadkingwasplacedinhiscoffin,”writesPiankoff,“hewasplacedbetweenthearmsofhis
motherNut.”[1485]Theking’sreturntothemotherwombisexpressedinthePyramidTexts:ThouartgiventothymotherNut,inhernamecoffin;Sheembracesthee,inhernamesarcophagus.[1486]
Nut, the“coffin,”meansNut, thewombofprimevalbirth (or rebirth).And todwell in thewombis toresidewithin the embracing arms of the goddess. Thus, the very goddess in whosewomb shines thecentralsunisalsodescribedenclosingandprotectingthesun,orking,withoutstretchedarms.
IamthymotherNut.Myarmsencircletheeinlifeandhealth.[1487]ThearmsofNutwhoboreyouareaboutyousothatyourbeautymaybeupraised.[1488]
WordsspokenbyIsistheDivine:Ihavecome,Iencirclemysonwithmyarms...Ishallbehisprotectioneternally.[1489]
...ThegoddessMaatembraceththee.[1490]
Figure109.NutembracingtheAtenwithoutstretchedarms.
Inapparentdefianceofnature,thetextsproclaimthattheKa-armsgivebirthtothesun-god.ThePyramidTexts extol “theGreatOnewho came into being in the arms ofHerwho bore the god.”[1491] In theInstruction of Ptahhotep appears the statement, “He is thy son, whom thy Ka hath begotten forthee.”[1492]Andelsewhereweread:“Thymotherbringeth theeforthuponherhands, that thoumayestgivelighttothewholecircumferencewhichtheAtenenlighteneth.”[1493]InthetombofTut-Ankh-Amonappearfourgoldcoffinscontainingtheextractedviscera,eachcoffinbeingrepresentedbyagoddess, andsymbolicallyenclosingoneof theFourSonsofHorus.The inscriptionsupon the lids of the coffins leave no doubt as to the identity of the enclosing arms and the protectivewomb:WordsspokenbyIsis:Iclosemyarmsoverthatwhichisinme.IprotectImestywhoisinme,Imesty,
OsirisKingNeb-Kheperu-Re,justifiedbeforetheGreatGod.WordsspokenbyNephthys:Iembracewithmyarmsthatwhichisinme,IprotectHapyofOsirisKing
Neb-Kheperu-Re,justifiedbeforetheGreatGod.WordsspokenbyNeith:Iencirclewithmyarmsthatwhichisinme,IprotectDua-mutefwhoisinme,
Dua-mutef,OsirisKingNeb-Kheperu-Re,justifiedbeforetheGreatGod.WordsspokenbySelkit:Mytwoarmsareonwhatisinme.IprotectKeb-senufwhoisinme,Keb-
senuf,OsirisKingNeb-Kheperu-Re,thejustifiedone.[1494]The inscriptionsexplicitlydeclare that thearmsof thegoddessenclose thegod-kingwithin thewomb.
Thatthegoddess(womb)isthearms,andthatthesearmsarethoseoftheKa,isconfirmedbyadesigninthefunerarytempleofKingSetiI(fig.110).Thedesignshowsafemalefigureembracingtheking.OntheheadofthegoddessstandsthetwoarmsoftheKawithinwhichiswrittenthegoddess’name.[1495]IndepictingtheKa,Egyptianartistswereobviouslyconstrainedbytheawkwardnesswhichwouldresult
fromthehuman-likerepresentationoftheimage asaman-childwithinthearmsofagodorgoddess.Inourworld one does not embrace a childwith uplifted arms. To accommodate the primal image to anaturalanthropomorphicmodeofrepresentation,theartistsshowedthearmstwice—first,asthearmsofthe human, or personified Ka, embracing and protecting theman-child; and second, as upraised armsplacedupontheheadoftheKa-divinity.Itisthelatterrepresentationwhichexpressesthecosmicformoftheprotectiveembrace.
Figure110.ThedivinizedKaembracestheman-child.
Figure111.TheEgyptiangoddessIsis,whoseupraisedarmsenclosedthecentralsun.
Hence, the goddess Isis, often depicted enclosing her sonHorus upon her lap (womb), is also shownstanding erect with arms held aloft (fig. 111). Since the uplifted arms, by Egyptian symbolism,mean“protect”and“embrace,”onecanbecertainthattheraisedarmsofIsispertaindirectlytoIsis’roleasthe“protectress”of thesun-god.Cosmicsymbolismwasnotdeterminedbywhat is“natural”inthehuman
worldsomuchasbytheliteralformoftheSaturnapparition .TheoutstretchedarmsoftheEgyptiangreatgodorgoddessholdaloftandencirclethecelestialearth.OKing,youhaveenclosedeverygodwithinyourarms,theirlandsandalltheirpossessions.OKing,
youaregreatandroundasthecirclewhichsurroundstheHau-nebut.[1496]Theearthisraisedonhighundertheskybyyourarms,OTefenet.[1497]
An identical picture occurs in the Iranian ZendAvesta, where Mithra, “with arms lifted up towards
immortality,”encloses“theboundaryoftheearth.”Anddothou,OMithra!encompassingallthisaround,dothoureachit,allover,withthyarms.[1498]Pointing to thesamerelation is thecommonEgyptianphrase“houseof theKa.”[1499]Todwell in thecosmictempleistorestwithinthearms,andthetextsthusspeakof“thetwoarmsofthetemple.”[1500]4. Among the Egyptian gods none ismore often depictedwith upraised arms than the pillar-god Shu,betweenwhosearmsreststheprimevalsunAtum,orRe.EgyptianreliefsregularlyportrayShustandingerectandsustainingthebody(womb)ofthegoddessNutwithhisarmsheldinvirtuallythesamepositionas thoseof theKa-symbol .Thearmswhichenclose thesun-god belong to the cosmicmountain.Thus we read: “The mountain will hold out its arms to him and the living Ka’s will accompanyhim.”[1501]
ThehieroglyphicsymboloftheShu-pillarormountainis —called“thetwopillarsofheaven.”Thetwopillars,inotherwords,arereallyonepillar,withtwoarms.HenceRe,whoshinesbetweenthemountainpeaksoftherightandleft,alsorestsatoptheforkedpillarofShu,whosetwosecondarysupportsaretheembracingarmsoftheKa.“ThouseestReuponthepillarswhicharethearmsofheaven,”readstheBookoftheDead.[1502]InthePapyrusofMut-heteptheembracingarmsarethoseofTatunen,theacknowledgedpersonificationofthePrimevalHill.“ThyfatherTatunen,placinghishandsbehindthee,raiseththeeup.”[1503]WhatarethesetwoarmsofthePrimevalHillotherthanthetwopeaksoftherightandleft?
Most relevant in this connection is the hieroglyphic symbol for “living Re”— . The image not onlyshows the sun-god resting within the upraised Ka-arms, but presents the arms as an extension of theheavenspillar,sothattheentireconfigurationsuggestsahumanformvirtuallyidenticaltothatofShuintheabove-mentionedillustrations.Thesameimageinyetmorehumanformisofferedbythehieroglyph
,symboloftheelevatedgodandthecosmicsummit.Andintheglyph theEgyptiansdepictedthepersonifiedpillarholdingaloft thesymbolofheaven .What is clear froma surveyof the relatedtextsandsymbolsisthattheEgyptiansconceivedthearmsoftheMountorgodinvisibleterms.Whentheking,inaPyramidText,beseechesthegod,“OShu,mayyourtwoarmsbebehindTeti,”onewitnessestheinfluenceofthingsseen,notabstractspeculation.
Inthesigns , ,and ,wehave threecloselyrelatedwaysofrepresenting theprototypalform ,and it is thisprototypewhichenablesone toseewhy theEgyptianscelebrated theKa-armsas the twopeaksoftheMountofGlory.TheKa-sign andthemountainsign gavepictorialexpressiontotwoequallycompellinginterpretationsofthepillaredcrescent.Onceoneperceivesthisunderlyingidentityofthearmsandthetwofoldpeak,itisimpossiblenottonoticethattheEgyptiansthemselvesrememberedtheconnection throughmany centuries (even if theydidnot understand it perfectly).Repeatedly the artistsshowed twoarmsextendedupwardfromthecleftpeak(fig.112).As isusually thecasewith themostsignificantsymbolicrelationships,theunionofthearmsandtwopeaksissetforthinspiteofitsseemingmockeryofthenaturalorder.
Figure112.Kheprer,residingintheAten,appearsbetweenthetwoarms,whichcorrespondtothetwopeaksoftheKhut.
TheequivalenceoftheKa-armsandtwopeaksisconfirmedbyothersymbolsalso.OneoftheEgyptiannamesof the twofoldMountofGlorywasAker,drawnasa twin-headed lion .[1504] Just as theAtenrestsonthetwopeaksoftheKhut ,soalsodoesitlieonthe“backofAker.”Inonetextthesun-god Re commands Aker, “O, give me your arms, receive me . . . I give light for you, I dispel yourdarkness.”[1505] The arms of Aker can be nothing other than the two peaks fromwhich the sun-godshinesfortheachday,fortheBookofCavernssaysthatthe“OneoftheTuatgoesforth[shines]fromthearmsofAker.”[1506]Thesamesourcealsoinvokes:
Duati,theInfernalOne,whocomesoutofthearmsofAker.[1507]Atum,whocomesoutofthearmsofAker.Ifeny,whocomesoutofthearmsofAker.[1508]
Thoughtheterminologywilloffendthemodernear,itisperfectlyconsistentwiththecosmicimage tospeakofthe“twoarmsofthemountain,”andthisisexactlywhattheEgyptiansmeantbythephrase“thearmsofAker.”5. It remains to be asked, then, what was the relationship of the crescent-arms to the cosmic twins.CertainlyonecannotignorethefactthattheEgyptianka isoftentranslated“double”or“twin.”“Thekaofthekingishistwin;itaccompanieshimthroughlifeasaprotectivegenius,itactsashistwinandhisprotectorindeath.”[1509]TheimageryofthekinghasitsoriginintheimageoftheUniversalMonarch.IfthearmsdepictedbytheKasign refer to theSaturniancrescent, reachinghalfwayaround thecircumpolarenclosure, this in
itselfissufficienttoexplaintheKa’sdesignationasthe“twin.”Intheconfiguration thetwin(orhalftheenclosure)isthetwoarms.Inaccordwiththecounterpoisedpositionsoftherevolvingcrescent( and ,or and ),Egyptianrepresentationsofthearmsshowalternatingrelationshipstothecentralsun.WhiletheuprightpositionofthearmsisverycommoninEgyptianart,onefindsinnumerableinstancesinwhichthearmsembracetheAteneitherfromtherightorleft,orfromabove.OfthelatterinstanceIgivethreeexamples(figs.81,113,114).LikesomanyEgyptianrepresentations,alloftheseexamplesjuxtaposedifferentmythicalversionsofthecrescent.Inthefirst(fig.81)weseetheman-childsittinguponthemountainsymbol andrestingwithintheenclosureoftheAten,herepresentedasacircularserpentwith tail inmouth.Thiscircle, inturn, rests upon the horns of a bull whose head is placed between the twin lions Shu and Tefnut,representingthepeaksoftherightandleft.Butreachingaroundhalfoftheserpentinebandfromabovearetwoarms—clearlythesamearmswhichelsewhereembracetheAtenfrombelow.
Figure113.
Figure114.Todepictthefullcycleofthe“day”EgyptianartistsshowedtheoutstretchedarmsembracingtheAtenalternatelyfromaboveandfrombelow.(113&114)
Itismycontentionthatsuchsymbolismrepresentsalternatephasesofthearchaicday,each“day”beingmarkedbyafullrevolutionofthecrescentaroundtheenclosure,asitpassesfromitspositionbelowtoaninvertedpositionabove andbacktobelowagain.Asfiguresoftherevolvingcrescent,theuprightandinvertedarmsaresynonymouswiththecosmictwins,whopersonifytheaboveandbelow(aswellastherightandleft).Justthisconnectionofthearmswiththe twins is indicated in thePapyrus ofPa-di-Amon (fig.113).The illustration shows theAten in thecentreflankedbythetwogoddesses.Twomalefiguresarealsopresent,oneaboveandonebelow,eachreachingaroundtheAtenwithoutstretchedarms,sothattogethertheuprightandinvertedarmscomposeacomplete enclosure—the circle of the cosmic twins.[1510] The same relationship of the upright andinvertedarms to thecircleof theAtenwillbe seenalso in thePapyrusofKhonsu-Renep.[1511] (fig.114)Closely related are the symbolic representationswhichportray the armsalternately reaching round theAtenfromtherightandleft.OnesuchexampleoccursinthePapyrusofKhonsu-mesA.Herethearmsareexplicitlyconnectedwith thesymbolsofAbtetandAmentet, the twodivisionsof thecelestialkingdom(left-right).[1512]
Figure115.ThetwingoddessesIsisandNephthysstandtotherightandleftofOsiris-Re,forminganenclosurewiththeirarms.
Clearly,thecounterpoisedarmsdenotethecosmictwins,revolvingdailyroundtheAten.Thetextssayasmuchwhen they locate the great godwithin thearms (orhands)of the twins. In aCoffinText Atumrecallsthebeginning:
[Atfirst]Ilivedwithmytwochildren,mylittleones,theonebeforeme,theotherbehindme...
Iroseoverthem,buttheirarmswerearoundme.Similarly,onefinds:ThearmofHorusisaboutyou[and]thearmofThoth,thetwogreatgodshavesupportedyou.[1513]
YouareraisedaloftonthehandsofShuandTefnut...[1514]IsisandNephthyssalutethee,theysingsongsofjoyatthyrising[comingforth]intheboat,they
protecttheewiththeirhands.[1515]Togetherthecounterpoisedarmsofthetwinsformtheprotectiveenclosure—thewombgivingbirthtothecentralsun.
...ThegodisgivenbirthbytheskyuponthearmsofShuandTefnut.[1516]ThesymbolismoftheoutstretchedarmsmeetseverytestoftheSaturniancrescent.Thearmstaketheformofacrescentenclosingthecentralsun.Theyareinseparablefromthecosmicwomb;theyconstitutethetwopeaksoftheworldmountain;andtheyareidentifieddirectlywiththecelestialtwins.
TheCrescent-Wings
The same crescent which appeared to the ancients as upraised arms also received mythicalinterpretationsastheextendedwingsofthegreatgodorgoddess.AncientSumerianmythsrecallamonstrousbirdcalledImdugudhoveringover theprimevalwaters, itswingsoutstretched. Imdugud (theAkkadianwingeddragonZu)was a formofNingirsuorNinurta, theplanetSaturn.[1517]Inthisprimordialwind-birdorthunder-birdscholarsrecognizetheprototypeoftheTeutonicHraesvelgr,thewingedgodof the storm, and theHindueagleGaruda,whosewingswere sogreat as to affect thecosmic revolutions.According to theAthapascans ofNorthAmerica a raven hovered over thewatersgeneratingclapsofthunderbythemovementofhiswings.[1518]Natives of Hawaii say that at the beginning of time, when only the ocean existed, a great white birdappearedinthehighestheaven,theeggoftheworldrestingbetweenitsoutstretchedwings.[1519]VerysimilaristheHebrewmythicalbirdZiz,standinginmid-ocean.TheZizwasasmonstrousasLeviathan,forwhilehisanklesrestedonourearth,hisheadreachedthesky.[1520]Though the relation is sometimes forgotten, theprimevalwingedbeast originally appears either as thegreat god himself or as the god’s vehicle.When theOrphics celebrated the “Sun that soarest aloft ongoldenwings,” theyhearkenedback toanage-old tradition.Amongallof thegreatgodsofantiquity itwouldbedifficulttofindasinglefigurewhoneitherpossesseswingsnorridesuponwings.[1521]If theHebrewYahweh “rides upon thewings of thewind,” theHinduVishnu is carried about on theshoulders of the eagle Garuda. The HinduAgni,Mithra, Varuna, and Yama receive the title Suparna,meaning “strong-winged.” It is said that the outstretched wings of the Suparna embrace theCosmos.[1522]AlsopresentedaswingedgodsarethePersianMithraandZurvan,theHebrewandPhoenicianEl,theGreekKronos,andalloftheleadingdeitiesofancientEgypt.Anyonewilling to look beneath the surfacewill find that the great god’swings aremuchmore than acontrivedconvenienceenablinghimto“fly.”Tothoughtfulobserversthespecialroleofthewingedgodpresentsmanyenigmas.InEgypt,forexample,thehieroglyphforthegreatgodHorusisafalcon,butthewingsofthefalcon,inearlyEgyptianart,donotconveythesenseof“flight”(asoneshouldexpect,ifthegod acquired his wings for a “natural” purpose). Rather the wings—always outstretched—define thelimitsof theCosmos, and it isnot easy to seehow theEgyptianscouldhavearrivedat this consistentnotionthroughobservationofwhatwecallthenaturalworldtoday.Horusis“thevenerablebirdinwhoseshadow is the wide earth; Lord of the Two Lands under whose wings is the circuit of heaven [theCosmos].”[1523] Concerning this image of Horus, Frankfort writes, “. . . The central problem, therelationbetweengodandfalcon,seemsentirelyinsoluble.”[1524]Whatpowersdidtheancientsseektorepresentbythespreadwingsofthedivineeagle,hawk,orfalcon—or the extended wings of the purely mythical “thunder-bird” described around the world? TheEgyptians called the cosmic island of beginnings the “Great Foundation Ground of the Ruler of theWing”[1525]almostasiftheWingpossessedacharacterofitsown.ThedivinizedWingmarchedaroundtheisland,accordingtothetexts.[1526]Fewcomparativemythologistsseemtohaverecognizedthatacommonimageofthecosmicbirdprevails
throughouttheworld,andthisimagecorrespondsdirectlytothepillaredsun-in-crescent .Ratherthanportray thewingedbeast either in flightor in a seeminglynormal restingposition, theartists regularly
depicteditvirtuallystandingonitstailfeathers,withitswingsspreadupwardtoformacrescent.
Figure116.ExamplesofthewingeddivinityonthecylindersealsofwesternAsia.
Figure117.Theprimevaleagle,fromtheMesopotamiancityofLagash.
Figure118.Egyptianeagle,withsymbolsof“life.”
Figure120.TheAmericanIndianthunder-bird.
Infigs.116,117,118&120IincludeexamplesfromWesternAsiatotheAmericas.Thereaderwillseethatcertainof the instancesarevirtually indistinguishable—andallpresent thesacredbird in thesame“unnatural”way.InHomer’shymntoSelene,thepoetextols“thelong-wingedMoon.”[1527]Butdoesthelunarcrescent
alonesuggestextendedwings?Itisonlyinconnectionwiththecosmicform thatthecrescent’sroleaswingstakesonmeaning.Andthisistheverycrescentwhichtheancientsalsoknewasthesacredhorn,theship,andtheupraisedarms.Asseeninfig.121,thewingsofthecosmicfalconencloseandprotectthedeifiedking,inpreciselythesamefashionastheKa-arms.Areviewoftheartistictraditionshowsthatthewingsofthegreatgodorgoddessmeltintothedivinity’sextendedarmsinsuchawayastobecomeindistinguishablefromthem.The identity is also confirmed in Egyptian texts, where the arms of Re are called “the two birds ofPtah.”[1528] A text from the tomb of Ramesses VI invokes the great god’s “two wings, the arms ofTay.”[1529]
Figure121.Thecosmicfalcon.
Figure122.ThewingedgoddessNut.
Figure123.Zuniwingedgoddess.
Figure124.SpartangoddessArtemisOrthia.
Addingtothe“unnatural”characterofthewingeddivinityisthecontinualassociationofwingsandhorns.The great god may be called either a winged bull or a horned bird. Moreover, it is clear that thecombinationof the two imagesdidnot result fromsyncretism(a latermergingof incompatibleoronceindependent traditions).Frankfortacknowledges“thesimultaneousvalidityof theseviewsof theking,”insistingthatthewingedandhornedaspectsofthegodare“aprimitivefeatureandnottheproductofthesyncretism of later times.” Noting this dual aspect of the god Horus and his mother-spouse Hathor,Frankfortwrites:“TheminglingofthefalconandcattleimagesintherelationshipofHorusandHathorisnotdue tosyncretism.It recurs in thecaseof thewar-godMonthuofThebes,whowasconceivedasafalconbutwasalsomanifestintheBuchesbull.Theroyaltitularyshowsit,too,forafterThutmosisIthenamewhichiscrownedwiththefalconandiscalledtheHorus-orKa-nameregularlyincludestheepithet‘strongbull.’ThepaletteofNarmerillustrateshowlittleancientsweredisturbedbythissimultaneoususeofthetwoimages.Itshowstheking’svictorythreetimes,onceasamandestroyingtheenemychiefwithhismace,onceas theHorusfalconholdinghiminsubjectionwitharopepassed throughhisnose,andonceasa‘strongbull’demolishingenemystrongholds.”[1530]IftheEgyptianswerenotbotheredbythisparadoxicalduality,itwasforasimplereason:thegreatgod’sshininghornswerealsohiswings!ThisiswhytheApisbullwaspicturedwithoutstretchedwingsuponitsback[1531](fig.76a)andwhytheportraitoftheBakhabullshowsavultureextendingitswingsoverthebull’shindquarters.[1532](fig.76b)Thesamewingedbull,ofcourse,iscommontoMesopotamianritual(fig.126)andpassesintoHebrewcherubim,protectorsofthedivinethrone.Thewingsofthecherubim“reachedfromoneendoftheworldtotheother.”[1533]
Figure126.Assyrianwingedbull.
Further evidence isprovidedby thewinged ship,whichoccurs in almost every segmentof theworld.[1534]Whileitmaynotbeimmediatelyclearfromthelater,morefancifulversionsofthebird-ship,itisabundantlyclearintheearliestsourcesthatthewingsandtheshipare thesame thing. In theEgyptian
PyramidTexts,theexpandedwingsconstitutetheshipofthegods—justastheimage suggests:OyougodswhocrossoveronthewingofThothtoyondersideoftheWindingWaterway.[1535]...Ferrymeover,OThoth,onthetipofyourwingasSokarwhopresidesovertheBarkof
Righteousness.[1536]OwingsofThoth,ferrymeacross,donotleavemeboatless.[1537]
OThoth...putmeonthetipofyourwingonyondernorthernsideoftheWindingWaterway.[1538]Surely it is no coincidence that the symbol of Thoth, the master of the wing-ship, was the crescent-enclosure . The wings of the winged god or goddess answer to the illuminated portion of thecircumpolar band. The subject is awinged circle, as one discerns in numerous representations of theprimevalsun’sdwelling.WhetheritistheEgyptianAten,ortheAssyro-Babylonianenclosureofthesun,theGreekwheels of Ixion,Dionysus, or Triptolemus, theHinduworldwheel orChakra, theMexican“shield”ofthesun-god—theenclosureconsistentlyappearswithwingsand/ortailfeathers.Iftheancients
soonforgotthespecialformofthewingedenclosure(i.e., ),theydidnotlosethegeneralidea.
Figure127.TheEgyptianwingedKheprer,theTurningOne.
Figure128.TheAssyrianwingedcircle.
Figure129.TheHinduChakraorwingedwheelofthe“sun.”
Figure130.InscriptionatMehterhane,theCentralPrisonofConstantinople.
Figure131.Drawingfromathirteenth-centurywindowinAuxerrecatherdral.
Figure132.Mexicanwingedbird.
Figure133.Detailfromfig.74showingenclosedsunonbackofbird.
Figure134.(a)PersianAhuraMazda,dwellinginthewingedenclosure;
Figure134.(b)AssyrianwingedgodAsshur,inthewingedenclosure.NotethatboththeAssyrianandPersianexamplesconnectthegod’sskirtwiththetailfeathers.IntheancientMesopotamianpictographsthe“skirt”means“mountain.”
Figure135.Aztecshield,withtailfeathers.
Figure136.Mesopotamianwingedcirclesconfirm(a)thatthebandenclosesthesun-crossand
Figure136.(b)thatthebanddisplaysacrescent.
Figure137.Isis,protectingthesun-godwithherextendedwings.
Therelationofthewingstotheenclosureisvitaltoanymeaningfulinterpretationofthewingedgodor
goddess.Surelywearenotsimplydealingwithaveneratedbirdgraduallytranslatedintoagod(asmanyauthoritiespropose).Fromthebeginning,thewingsbelongedtotheSaturnianband.Inmanyinstancestheartistsshowthegreatgodresidingwithinorissuingfromthewingedcircle(figs.134a&134b).InthesymbolismoftheEgyptiangoddessNutoneseestheunderlyingidentityoftheoutstretchedwingsand the cosmicwomb.ThoughNut personifies the bandof theCosmos, she is often depicted standingerectwitharmsandwingsextendedoutwardandupward(fig.122)instrikingaccordwiththeprototypal
form .Thespreadwingsarethosewhichencloseandprotectthecentralsun,forthekingbeseechesthegoddess:“MotherNut,spreadthywingsoverme,encircle(me)withthyarmsinhealthandlifethatImaybeinsidethee,thatthou(mayest)bemyprotection.”[1539]Tobeembracedbytheoutspreadwingsistodwellwithinthegreatgoddess,inthewomb.Dailythegoddess“conceivesyou,shebearsyou,sheputsyou within her wing.”[1540] Nothing could be more futile than attempting to resolve the enigmaticlanguage in conventional (or “natural”) terms. But when referred to the overlapping images of the
Saturnianconfiguration , the ritual terminologyacquiresanextraordinaryprecision.Theoutstretchedandupraisedwingsactuallydoenclosethesunwithinthecelestialwomb.Nolessremarkableisthelocationoftheall-seeingEyeuponthecrescentwingorwings:
TheEyeofHorusgleamsuponthewingofThoth.[1541]TheEyeofHorusisplacedonthewingofhisbrotherSet.[1542]
Allfiguresoftheprimevalbirdrevealacommonfeature:theydwelluponthecosmicmountain.Indeed,asalreadyobserved,itistheMount,renderedasthe“tailfeathers,”whichmakesintelligiblethecommoninterpretationofthepolarcrescentasoutstretchedwings.EgyptianmythssaythatatthedawnoftheworldthegreatgodtooktheformoftheBennubirdorPhoenix,radiatinglightfromitsextendedwingsandperchedatopthePrimevalHill.TheBennuwasthe“Soul”ofRe,whichmeansthatitissueddirectlyfromRe,congealingoutoftheprimevalmatter,orwaters.(Thusbennut means “matter” or “issue,” while bennu means the “bread” of the gods, the primeval matterorganizedintoacircle.)
Figure138.PrehistoricHopiimageofwingedearthmother.
Figure139.Mesopotamianeaglesupportingdivinefigurebetweenitswings.
The relation of thePrimevalHill to thePhoenix orBennu is summarized byClark: “Since thewaterswere in absolute darkness the emergence ofGodmeant the coming of light, the firstmorning. For theHeliopolitansmorningwasmarkedbytheshiningoflightonanerectpillarorpyramidiononasupportwhichcouldreflecttheraysoftherisingsun.Atthebeginningalight-bird,thePhoenix,hadalightedonthesacredstand,knownastheBenben,toinitiatethegreatageofthevisibleGod.TherisingofthemoundandtheappearanceofthePhoenixarenotconsecutiveeventsbutparallelstatements,twoaspectsofthesupreme creativemoment.”[1543]To the same elementary image belongs thewingedKhepera, restinguponthetetorpillaroftheCosmos,andsupportingtheAtenwithoutstretchedwings.[1544]ThePyramidTextsspeakofthe“Mountainofthezehzeh-bird,”[1545]or“thePillarofthezehzeh-bird,”[1546]Similarly,theSumerianImdugud,who“looksdownuponthemountain,”[1547]wassaidtohavehishomeon the northern Mount Masius; while his counterparts—the Persian Saena or Simurgh and the HinduGaruda dwelt upon the polarmountains of Hera Berezaiti andMeru.[1548] Accordingly, the Assyro-Babyloniansconsistentlylocatedthewingedcircleofthe“sun”atopthecosmicpillar.[1549]ThenativesofNorthwestSiberiafixupontheirsymbolsoftheworldpillarawoodenfigureofabirdsometimeswithtwoheads.ThewingedfigureswhichsooftenadornthesummitofAmericanIndiantotempolesprovideanobviousparallel.
Figure140.Mesopotamiancylindersealsindicatethecloserelationofthe“sun”-bird’swingstothetwopeaksofthecosmicmountain.
Likeallfiguresofthecrescent,theexpandedwings,alternatelyembracingthecentralsunfromtheleftandfrom the right (or from above and below), appear in the role of the twins. The goddess Nutmay be
presented in the primary form ; but two secondary divinities flank the goddess to the right and left,extending theirwings toward each other so as to form a complete enclosure. Thesewinged twins areequivalenttoIsisandNephthys,the“twokites”who,standingtotherightandleft, togetherenclosethesun-godwithintheirwings.AspelloftheCoffinTextsreads:IsiscomesandNephthyscomes,oneofthemfromthewest[literallytheright]andoneofthemfromtheeast[literallytheleft],oneofthemasakiteandoneofthemasascreecher...TheypreventHorusof
theTwoLandsfromputrefying.[1550]ComparethislinefromthePyramidTexts:...ThisKinghasbecomepurethroughtheeyeofHorus,hisillisremovedbytheTwoKitesofOsiris.
[1551]
TobepurifiedandprotectedwithintheEye istobemadestrongbythe“TwoKites”oftheleftandright ( , ),whose counterpoisedwings shadow out the full circle of theEye. The same twin birdscomposethecrown:
OyoutwokiteswhoareonthewingsofThoth,youtwowhoareonthecrown...[1552]ThusthegoddessesIsisandNephthysaresaidtohaveplacedthemselvesupontheheadofthegreatgod“asthetwokites”andthese,inturn,areidentifiedasthetwouraeiserpentsandthetwoEyes—allfiguresof the bisectedwombor enclosure.[1553]And the proof of this identity is the very nameof the “twokites.”TheyaretheTcherti,whichmeansnothingmorethanthetwohalvesofthetcher,the“enclosure”
or“boundary,”oftheAten .
InterconnectedSymbols
A comprehensive discussion of the Saturnian crescent’s wide-ranging mythical forms would requirevastlymorespacethanavailablehere,butabriefsummaryshouldbesufficienttoindicatethebreadthofthe symbolism.Supplementing the imagerydiscussed above are the followingmythical versions of thecrescent:ThePlantOfLife
Egyptiansourcesrelatethattheoriginaldwellingofthesolitarygodtooktheformofashininglotus—called“theGreatLotus that issued from thepool in the Islandof theTwoFlames, theProvinceof theBeginning.”Thelotus“initiatedlight”atthe“FirstOccasionintheHighHillattheBeginningofComingintoExistence.”[1554]According to the legend, the lotus sprangup from thewatery abyss, emerging from theKhu (luminousmatter)eruptingfromthecreator.Oneof theEgyptiannamesfor thisplantof lifewasNeferTem (“theyoungorbeautifulTem”),apersonificationofthe“NorthWind”orbreathofRe.InChapterCLXXIVoftheBookof theDead, the deceased announced “I growbright likeNefer-Tem,who is the lotus at thenostrilsofRe,whenhecomesforthintheMountofGloryeachday.”Reisthus“thatgreatgodwhoiswithinthelotusbudofgold.”[1555]InscriptionsatDenderashowthekingofferingalotustothegodHoruswiththewords,“Ioffertheetheflower,whichwasinthebeginning,thegloriouslilyofthegreatwater.Thoucamestforthfromthemidstof its leaves in the town of Chmun (Hermopolis magna) and didst lighten the earth, which was stillwrappedindarkness.”[1556]ParallelstotheEgyptiancosmiclotus,asthehomeofthegreatgod,willbefoundinallsectionsoftheworld,includingtheAmericas.TheMayansknewthefloweras“theformofthemoistureofheaven,thesubstanceofheaven, theyellowblossomofheaven.”[1557]Lookingback to thecreationaMayan textrecalls,“Thenitwasthattheflowersprangup,wideopen. . .Thereupontheheartoftheflowercameforth toset itself inmotion.Four-fold[can-hek, literally“four-branched”]was theplaceof the flowerandAhKinXocbiltunwassetinthecentre.”[1558]
Figure141.Theprimevalsun’sbirthinthelotus.
Figure142.Theman-childHorusonthelotusblossom.
Much the same tradition occurs in Mesopotamia, where a Babylonian text depicts the plant of lifeemerginginEridu,thedwellingonthecosmicsea:
(In)Eriduastalkgrewover-shadowing:inaholyplacediditbecomegreen;itsrootwasofwhitecrystalwhichstretchedtowardthedeep;(before)EawasitscourseinEridu,teemingwithfertility;
itsseatwasthecentralplaceoftheearth:itsfoliagewasthecouchofZikum(theprimevalmother).Intotheheartofitsholyhousewhichspreaditsshadelikeaforesthathnomanentered...
InthemidstofitwasTammuz.[1559]
Figure143.Tut-Ankh-Amon,presentedintheformofNefer-Tem.
This“brightplantwhichgrowsupfromtheapsu[thecosmicsea]”[1560]isclearlyanearlyprototypeofthefamousHindusomaandIranianhaomaplantsbothrecognizedasbelongingoriginallytothegodsinheaven.[1561](Thusthehaomais“thefirstofthetreesplantedbyAhuraMazdainthefountainsoflife.”)[1562]Egyptian,Hindu, andBuddhist sourceseither show theheadof thegreatgodemerging froma lotusordepictthegodinarestingpositioninorabovethelotus.Itislogicaltorefersuchimageryofthelotus-seattothearchetypalsun-in-crescent andallthemoresobecause the plant of life is regularly identifiedwith the crescent “moon.”[1563]The soma and haomaplantsarewidelydiscussedas figuresof the“moon.”TheMayanBookofChilamBalamrefers to the“moon”asthe“flowerofthenight.”[1564]Similarly,theSumero-BabyloniancrescentofNannarorSinisthe“loftyplant,magnificent,whoseabundanceneverceases.”[1565]WehaveseenthattheBabyloniansdepictedthecrescentofSinasthesupport,orlowerhalf,oftheworldwheel .TherelationshipilluminatesHinduandBuddhistsymbolismofthecosmicwheelrestinginthe
expandedleafofalotus(fig.144).Thelotussupportsandreachesaroundthecelestial“land”andisthusalways identifiedwith themothergoddess, the femalepersonificationof thewheel. In the ritualof theSatapathaBrahmanaalotusleafbecomesthe“birthplaceofAgni”and“thesymbolofhiswomb.”Uponthesymboliclotusleafthepriestlaysaroundgolddisksaidtorepresentthe“sun.”“ThelotusmeanstheWaters,andthisearthisaleafthereof...andthissameearthisAgni’swomb,”readsthetext.[1566]ItisimageryofthissortwhichyieldssuchepithetsoftheHindugreatgodas“lotus-born,”“lotus-seated,”or“lotus-navelled.”[1567]The connectionof the lotus and “lotus-born” godwith the sun-in-crescent is equally evident in theequationofthelotusandthecosmicship.IntheEgyptiansystemtheshipandthelotusaresynonymous:thegreatgodsailsinalotus-ship,whichtheartistsillustrateeitherbyalotusblossominthecentreoftheshiporbyalotusterminatingeitheroneendorbothendsofthevessel.[1568]
Figure144.Hinduworldwheelrestinginlotusleaf.
Figure145.Lotusblossom=shipasmythicalimageoftheSaturniancrescent.
AndthesameequationoccursamongtheHindus,whotellusthatthecosmicshipArghawasthelotusonwhichthegreatgodsailedinthebeginning.[1569]Nowiftheblossomoftheplantoflifeisthecircumpolarcrescent,onecanassumethatthe“stem”isthe
cosmic mountain. The Egyptians represented the great god’s “sceptre” as a lotus and in both the
hieroglyphsandinart thissceptrebecomesthepillarupholding“heaven” .[1570]Lotus-pillarsareoftendepictedsupportingthegod’sshrineorthrone,[1571]whileatothertimesthegreatgodisdepictedrestinguponalotuscolumn.But the plant of life was also represented as a papyrus—and called “the Gleaming Sceptre of
Papyrus.”[1572]AtextpublishedbyDumichensays“Thouart theEyeofRe,at the tipof thepapyrus-stem.”[1573]Ofcourseothertextssaythatitisthelight-pillarShuwhichholdsalofttheEye,buttherecanbenocontradiction:theEgyptianwordshumeansboth“light-pillar”and“papyrus.”The identity of the twopowers is also explicit inHindu iconography.The somaplant, towhichmanyhymnsoftheRigVedaaredevoted,is“thestabilizerandsupporterofheaven.”[1574]The introductoryverseoftheDasakumaraccritaincludesasafigureoftheworldaxis“thestalkofthelotuswhereBrahmaresides.”[1575]OfthecosmiclotusinBuddhism,M.Muswrites:“Theprolongationofthestem,whichistheaxisofthesensibleworld,bearsat thesummitoftheuniversethespirituallotus-throne. . .”[1576]ThusdoesthecosmicMountMerubecomethe“lotus-mountain,”[1577]andinthesamewaytheIranianhaomaplantappearsasthe“imperishablepillaroflife.”[1578]
Figure146.TheLotuscolumnsurmountedbytheHorus-falcon.
Figure147.EgyptianEye(=crescent-enclosure)supportedonthelotuscolumn.
Figure148.Saturnridingonhisserpentinechariotandwieldinghisscythe(fromPoeticonAstronomicon,Venice,1485).
Sword
Saturncomestopowerwieldinghiscurvedswordorscythe,whichwritersgenerallyconnectwiththecrescent“moon.”TheGreekKronoscarriesashisspecialweaponthecurvedharpeandithasoftenbeen
proposedthatthisweaponliesbehindtherelativelylateastronomicalsignofSaturn, .Theharpeandthe winged harpies (birdlike female monsters) surely trace to the same root. (That is, “sword” and“wings”refertothesamecosmicform.)In aSumerianhymn,Ninurta, orSaturn, invokes the “sickleofmyAnuship” [i.e., of kingship] and theweaponiscalledatoncesharurandshargaz—bothnamesofSin,thecrescent“moon.”[1579]Sinisthe“sickle”andthe“curvedsabre”ofthegreatgod.[1580]
TheEgyptiansknewtheswordasthekhepesh,writtenwiththesigns and ,orasthema,whose
sign, ,depictsa sickle fashioned from the jawboneofananimal.ThePyramidTexts identify thegreatgod’sswordas“asharpstronghorn”[1581](sword=horn).Butkhepeshalsomeansthe“shoulder”or“twoarms”ofheaven.AndherethesymbolismmeshespreciselywiththatoftheBabyloniansystem,whichdeclaresthesickleofSintobe“thetwoarms”ofEnlil,thecosmicmountain.ThattheswordsharesinthecoherentimageryoftheSaturniancrescentissuggestedbyothertraditionsalso.InGenesis3:24,Yahwehissaidtohaveplacedinfront(translatorssaytothe“East”)“ofthegardenofEdenkerubimandtheflamingbladeoftheswordwhichturns,tokeepthewayofthetreeoflife.”Ifthethesispresentedhereiscorrect, thewingedkerubim refer tothesamerevolvingcrescentastheturningsword.Many scholars logically connect the Hebrew kerubim with the Assyro-Babylonian kirubi, thewinged and horned beasts who in the form of twins guard and define the limits of the great god’senclosure. In theAssyrianvocabulary,kirubmeans“bull,”whilekirubu designates a large species ofbird of prey. The revolving “sword” ofGenesis, on the other hand, is the khereb, a “curved sickle,”recognizedastheHebrewcounterpartoftheGreekharpeandtheEgyptiankhepesh.[1582]TheAltar
ForreasonswhichIintendtoexamineatlengthinasubsequentvolume,theSaturniancrescentwasthereceptacleofaprimordial“sacrifice.”Togetherthecrescentandcosmicmountain formed“theAltaroftheWorld.”
Egyptianhieroglyphsrecordthealtarbythesign .Uponthealtar—calledtheAltarofHetep(“rest”)orAltaroftheUatchet(Eye)—restsallthefoodanddrinkofthecelestialhabitation.IntheBookoftheDead,thegreatgodcomesforth“inthecityofAnnu,uponthealtaroftheladyofthetwolands,”anditisclearthattheEgyptiansconceivedthealtarassupportingandembracingtheentire
celestialdomain(ortwin“lands”).[1583]Hencethesign —glyphofthe“holydomain”—showsthewombofNut ,restingonthealtar.Always, the altar conveys the same significance as the primordial “world.”Among theHindus, notesEliade,“thebuildingofthealtarwasconceivedasacreationoftheworld.Thewaterwithwhichtheclaywasmixedwasthesameastheprimevalwaters.”[1584]“Aslargeasthealtaris,solargeistheearth,”readstheSatapathaBrahmana.[1585]
The same altar may be termed “the navel of the earth . . . the lap [womb] of Aditi,” in closecorrespondencewithEgyptiansymbolism.[1586]HebrewandMuslimthought,accordingtoWensinck,consideredthealtar“asasymbolicrepresentationof the earth.”[1587] A Midrash asks, “Where is the navel? In Jerusalem. But the navel itself is thealtar.”[1588]Oftheprimevalaltar,traditionsays,“Itstopreachedtoheaven.”[1589]
Thegoduponthealtarissimplythe“sun”restinginthepillaredcrescent .(Hencetheimageofthesun-in-crescentupontheSabaeanaltarinfig.63.)EarlyprototypesofthealtarthroughouttheancientworldnotonlyconnectitwiththecentralpillaroftheCosmos[1590]butsuggestaradicalassociationwiththecosmicbull,whilealtars fromPersia toCrete toAfricawereeitherdecoratedwithhornsorgiven theshapeofhorns.“Thehornedaltar”and“thehornsofthealtar”were,ofcourse,commonphrasesamongtheancientHebrews.
AboveAndBelow,LeftAndRight
Morethanonce,indiscussingcommontranslationsofancientsources,Ihavehadoccasiontorefertotheinappropriate use of the phrases “east and west,” “north and south.” and “heaven and earth.” Suchterminology,Ihavesuggestedarisesfromthehabitofreadingsolarimagery intonon-solar textsandofinterpretingthegreatgod’scosmicdwellinginterrestrialterms.Withoutattemptingtoprovideacompleteanalysisoftheproblem(whichIintendtoexploreinaseparatevolumeonEgyptianreligion),IshallsimplyindicatethemannerinwhichthequestioncanberesolvedbyreferencetotheSaturnianconfiguration.Ofcourse,therecanbelittleprogresstowardanimprovedunderstandingofancientreligioustextsuntilthetranslatorsandcommentatorsacknowledgethecelestialcharacteroftheimagery.Fromstarttofinishthehymnsandliturgiesdealwithcosmicfiguresandcosmicevents.Andwhenthesemythicalfiguresandevents are connectedwith a primordial “land” it is imperative that one understand this “land” as theenclosure of the original great god, who is Saturn. The texts deal, not with geography, but withcosmography—the map of the celestial kingdom. In relation to Saturn’s dwelling the words whichtranslators renderas“east”and“west”actuallymeansomethingquitedifferent.Andwhile themodernphrase“heavenandearth”suggestslittleconcretemeaning,thearchaictermssotranslatedconveyaveryspecificsense.In theEgyptian language thewordrenderedas“east” isAbtet (AbtorAbti),while theword translated“west”isAmentet(orAmenti).TowhatdidtheEgyptiansreferbythesewords?If the firstmistake of the translators is to assume that Abtet andAmentet are geographical terms, thesecondis toassumethat theynecessarily refer toopposite regions,ordirections.Standard translationsarebasedonthepremisethatthe“sun”risesintheeastandsetsinthewest.Yettoanyonefollowingthislogic ancientEgyptian textswill leave the impression that thepriestswere continually forgetful of theplaceof sunriseandsunset. IfAmentetwas the“west,”whydid theEgyptians repeatedlydescribe thegreatgod“comingforth”or“renewinghimself”inAmentet?Icitebelowafewconventionaltranslations:
BeholdthecomingforthfromtheWest.[1591]Osiris,HewhoarisesinHealth,HeattheHeadoftheWest.[1592]
ThearmsoftheinhabitantsoftheWestreceivetheeinthyformsofgloryandrejuvenation.[1593]Imakemyselfyoung(in)thefairWest.[1594]
Whenthoucomestforthinpeacethereariseshoutsofdelighttothee,Othoulordofheaven,thouprinceoftheWest.[1595]
Ofsuchimageryasthis,Kristensenwrites:“Whatwasmeantisevidentlythatthesun,whenitgoesdowndoesnotdiebutreachesthehiddenfountainoflife.”[1596]Butonenaturallyremainsskepticalofsuchconjecture.Dothehymnscitedaboveportraythesolarorb“whenitgoesdown”?Thetruthisthatifwesubstituted “east” for “west” in these lines they would appear to solar mythologists as perfectlyreasonabledescriptionsof therisingsun.Rather thanthe“west,”Amentet issimply theHolyLand, theprimevalenclosure.Thehead,orgovernor,ofAmentetisthecentralsun,whichdoesnotriseorset,but“goesinandout”(i.e.,growsbrightanddiminishes)withthefullcycleofeach“day.”Thegreatgod’s“coming forth inAmentet” signifies thebeginning of theday. (Anequivalent phrase, “coming forthbyday,”occursrepeatedlyinEgyptiantexts).ThusChapterCVIIoftheBookoftheDeadis“TheChapterofGoingIntoandComingOutfromtheGateoftheGodsofAmentet.”[1597]ChapterXVIIextolsthegreat
god’s“comingoutandgoingin”withinAmentet.[1598]It is the same thing to say that the god grows bright and diminishes within the womb of the mothergoddess.Therewas,infact,agoddessAmentwhomtheEgyptiansequatedwithIsis,whileIsisherselfwas“theDivineMother,LadyofAmentet.”[1599]Thephrasehasnooriginalconnectionwithgeography;itsimplyrefers toIsisas thewomborenclosureof theHolyLandabove.Hathor is thesamegoddess:“Hathor,LadyofAmentet...,LadyoftheHolyCountry.”[1600]ElsewherethetextsidentifyAmentetasthecircumpolarTuat,thewombofNut.[1601]Thereisnoassociationwiththegeographical“west.”ToresidewithintheHolyLandofAmentetistorestinthemother-womb,whichgoesbymanynames.Intext after text the priests seek to show that the various names of the Holy Land signified the sameenclosure.WhentheBookoftheDeadcallsOsiristhe“mightyonewhocomestforthfromNut,thoukinginthecityofNifu-ur,thouGovernorofAmentet,thoulordofAbtu(Abydos),”[1602]thereferenceisnottodifferentdwellingsbuttodifferentnamesofthesamedwelling.WhathascausedsomuchconfusionisthefactthattheHolyLandisabisectedcircle.Thecentralsunishewho“unitesthetwoTuats,thetworegionsofAmentet.”[1603]Hereonemustreckonwiththeparadoxofthecelestialtwins.InnamingthetwodivisionsoftheHolyLandtheEgyptiansbroughttogethertwoindependentnamesfortheenclosureasawhole,pairingthemasopposites.This development of the language stands out in the case of Isis and Nephthys, both of whom,independently,denote the full circleof theAten . Isis is the “house,” “chamber,” or “throne” of thecentralsun,whileNephthysisthe“LadyoftheHouse”(orsimply“Lady-House”).Asapair,however,Isis and Nephthys personify two halves of the circle, the “left and the right,” suggested by thecounterpoisedpositionsoftherevolvingcrescent , .InthesamewaytheEgyptianspairedthenameAmentetwithanothernameofthesamedwelling—Abtet—yieldingthedualkingdomofAmentet-Abtet.[1604]Whenjoinedasopposites,AmentetandAbtetareprecisely synonymous with the twins Isis and Nephthys. By this union, Amentet acquires the literalmeaning“regionoftheright”andAbtet,“regionof theleft.”Theideathat thegod-king,standingin thecentreof theenclosure,balancesthedivisionsof the leftandrightwillbefoundrepeatedlyinboththetextsandinart.Thattranslatorscommonlyusetheterms“eastand“west”hascausedamajorconfusioninconventionaltranslations.LikeAmentet,inotherwords,theEgyptiantermAbtet(conventionallytranslated“east”)mayrefereithertotheentirecelestialkingdomortooneofitstwodivisions.Fundamentally,Abtetisthesacredlandatthecentreandsummit.Theking,inthePyramidTexts,seekstoattainthisdwelling,withthewords,“MayIascendandliftmyselfuptotheskyasthegreatstarinthemidstofAbtet.”“Ihavecomeintoheaven,andI embrace my seat which is in Abtet,” reads a line from the Book of the Dead.[1605] Here, anyconnectionofAbtetwiththe“east”orthesolarorbexistsonlyinthemindofthetranslators.Thesameinappropriateuseoftermsisevidentinthephrase“heavenandearth”recurringinvirtuallyallacceptedtranslations.“Theuniverseasawholewasreferredtoas‘heavenandearth,’”statesFrankfort.[1606]Thetwotermsinquestionarepet(translated“heaven”)andta(translated“earth”).Literally,thephrase“petandta”means“theaboveandbelow.”NumerousEgyptianillustrationsindicatethat,together,thetwodivisionscomposedanenclosurearoundthe“sun”-god.Asoppositesthepetandtameanthecelestialtwins,herepersonifyingtherevolvingcrescentinitsalternatepositionsabove andbelow thestationarygod.Butthisdoesnotmeanthatpetnecessarilydenotes“above”anymorethantanecessarilymeans“below.”
Asamatteroffact,manysignsextol“twopet,”oneaboveandonebelow(denotedbythesign anditsinverse ).AndfewphrasesaremorecommoninEgyptiansources than the“two ta,”explicitlyreferringtotheupperandlowerdivisionsofthecelestialkingdom.Fundamentally,thepetisthetwofoldcircleofSaturn’sCosmos,andthetaisthesamecircle,conceivedasanenclosureof“land”aroundthecentralsun.Itisonlyasapairthatpetandtaacquirethemeaning“aboveandbelow.”Andinnosensedoesthetranslation“heavenandearth”conveythetangiblesignificanceoftheterms.
TheEgyptian“circleofaboveandbelow”isthewombofNut,the“holyabode”(writtenwiththesign).[1607]YetNut’sidentitywiththefullcircledidnotpreventtheEgyptiansfrompairingNutwithanothergoddess,Naunet,sothattogethertheyrepresentedthetwohalvesofthecircle,representedbythesignsofthe“above”(Nut )andthe“below”(Naunet ).InthesamewaythepriestsjoinedNutwiththemalefigureGeb,identifyingNutwiththeupperhalfoftheenclosureandGebwiththelower.Accordingto tradition the separation of the portionswas carried out by the godShu, the pillarwith outstretchedarms.Indeed,itwasthearmsofShu(i.e.,theSaturniancrescent)whichdivided thecircle intoupperandlowerregions,accordingtotheoriginaltradition.Thedivisionoftheenclosureintomale(lower)andfemale(upper)halvesgaverisetotwointerrelatedsignsofmasculineandfeminineconnotation.Thesign depictsthemalepower(usuallytranslated“lord”) while the same semicircular image inverted (and in smaller scale) signifies “feminine.”Together the upper and lower hemispheres compose the complete circle of theAtenor shen bond. Totranslate masculine and feminine divisions as “heaven” and “earth” simply destroys the interrelatedsymbolismoftheenclosure.
Figure149.NutandGeb,astheAboveandtheBelow.
Theterminologyinquestion(“leftandright,”“aboveandbelow”)concernscelestialregionsmarkedoutbytherevolvingSaturniancrescent,whichistheever-turningfaceofthecentralsun(orthe“two”facesofthetwingod).Thisiswhythesign ,whichmayalsobepresentedinversely ,means,amongotherthings,heru,or“face.”Theheruiarethe“twofaces”ofHorus,orofHorusandSet,acknowledgedpersonificationsofthe“UpperLand”andthe“LowerLand.”Pertaining to the same imagery is thenotionof two semicircular “mounds” joined so as to forma full
circle.TheEgyptian“mound”sign isnothingmorethanonehalfofthequarteredwombofNut .Itsmeaningis“divisionoftheholyabode.”Thecentralsunmaybedesignatedeither“theGreatOneintheMound”orthedwellerin“two”mounds.[1608]
Thetwomoundsarethetwoatentioraterti,thetwohalvesoftheAten.Atent,writtenwiththesign(onehalfoftheelongatedshenbond,orcartouche ),signifiesa“divisionintooppositeregions.”The
texts speakof anatertmeht, the “lower half” of theAten; and anatert shema, the “upper half.”Anyattempttounderstandsuchterminologyinterrestrialtermscanonlyyieldconfusion.Thedivisionsofthe“rightandleft”and“aboveandbelow”arenotonlymanifestlycosmic,theirspecialcharacterderivesfromtherelationoftherevolvingcrescenttothestationarygodandhisenclosure.Whenthecrescentpassesbelowthegod it“supports”him,andwhenitarchesabove ,it“bows”tohim.Thusthetextssayofthecosmictwins:“ThetwomistressesofButo[thecelestialcity]accompanyyoutotherightandleft...,theysupportyouandbowtoyou.”[1609]Thesamethingissaidofthetwinregions:ThetworegionsofAbtet[theleft]andAmentet[theright]makeadorationuntothee,bowinglowand
payinghomageunto[sethes,“supporting”]thee.[1610]Oluminary,thelowerandupperhalvesofHeaven[pet]cometotheeandbowlowinadoration.[1611]That thebowing regionmeans theupperhalfof theenclosure(inopposition to the“supporting”regionbelow ) is demonstratedby the symbolismofNut.WhileNut, in her relationship toGeb represents“above,” this quality of the goddess may be represented either by the sign or another sign of
preciselythesamesignificance— —depictingthe“above”asabowinggoddess.
Saturn’sDay
In the revolving crescentwepossess the key toEgyptian symbolismof the “day” and “night,” for thecrescent’sposition simply reflected thepositionof the solarorb in relation to the terrestrial observer.One should thinkof the revolvingcrescent asSaturn’s ship, inwhich thegodvoyagedaround the fourregions (“above” , “left” , “below” , “right” ), all thewhile standing in one place.The fourpositions(regions)willcorrespondtofoursegmentsofthearchaicday:1.Thecyclebeganwiththedescentofthecrescentasitmovedfromitsposition“above” (solarorbdirectlyoverhead)toitspositiondirectlytothe“left”ofSaturn (solarsunset).Onreachingtheregionofthe“left,”Saturnandthecrescentbegantogrowbright,duetothedarkeningoftheheavensasthesolarorbsankbelowthehorizon.Hence,inthegeneralsymbolismofthe“leftandright”(AbtetandAmentet)theleftistheregionof“dawn”or“growingbright.”Thecosmic ship, on reachingAbtet, the“left,”became theMatet ship,whose namemeans “becomingstrong.”Itwas,inotherwords,adescendingshipwhichgrewbright—afactwhichhasfrustratedmanysolarmythologists,whowouldhaveexpectedthe“dawn”or“morning”toexpressitselfinarisingsolarbark.“Idescendintheshipofthemorning,”statesthegod.[1612]
Includingthepolarmount,theimageofthe“dawn”is .TheEgyptiansgavehumanformtotheimagein
thehieroglyph ,symbolofthetuaor“morning.”Mythically,thegod“awakens,”andthespiritsofthecelestialcitycometolife,“praising”and“supporting”thegodwiththedescendingcrescent-arms.Itwas
these aspects of the archaic dawnwhich supplied the Egyptian pillar-sign with its interconnectedmeanings:“toawaken,”“topraise,”“tosupport.”2.Thesuprememomentofthe“day”wasthatatwhichtheSaturniancrescentsatsquarelyuponthecentral
pillar,thetwohornsofthecrescentreachingequallytotheleftandright .Atthismomentthesolarorbstooddirectlybeneaththeterrestrialobserver,andtheentireSaturnianconfigurationshoneitsbrightest.
3.As the crescent traveled toward the region of the “right” (which it reached at the solar sunrise)Saturn’sbrilliancebegantodiminish.Thegod’svesselbecametheSemktetship,ortheshipof“becomingweak.”Thegod“sailsupstream”intheSemktetship(again,asurprisetosolarmythologists).InthedualkingdomofAbtet-AmentettheregionofAmentet(the“right”)isthusthedomainofdeclining,or“goingin.”
4.Thecyclewascompletedwiththereturnofthecrescenttotheposition“above” (solarorbdirectlyoverhead).Thispointinthecycle,whenSaturn’slightwasmostsubdued,wasthearchaic“night.”The cycleof theday andnight is oneof themost pervasive themes inEgyptian art, and thekey is therevolvingcrescent.Inconnectionwiththecosmictwins,Ihavealreadynotedthattheprimalpairhasitsorigin in the alternating positions of the crescent around the central sun, and that this symmetricalopposition is depicted in illustrations of the daily cycle. The artists often showed a pair of arms(=crescent)reachingaroundtheAtenalternatelyfromaboveandbelow,orfromtheleftandright.Thesearenotonlypicturesofthedualregions,butofthecycleof“comingforthanddiminishing.”
AroundthiscycletheEgyptiansbuiltanimpressiverangeofsymbols,andtheunderlyingconnectionwiththerevolvingcrescentreflectsitselfintwobasicrules:1. All symbols of the “day” (in opposition to “night”) have their origin in the image of the crescent“below.”Thisiswhythesignsforthe“lower”regiongenerallyoverlapwithsignsforthe“day.”Infact,a
numberof interrelatedideasconvergeonthesamecelestial image( , , , ):“below,”“lower,”“day,”“comingforth,”“life,”“existence,”“awake,”“support,”“celebrate,”“masculinepower.”2.Similarly, the symbolsof the “night”generally coincidewith the symbolsof the “above,” all taking
their meaning from the inverted crescent ( , , , ), The meanings include: “above,” “upper,”“mound,” “night, diminished,” “negation, absence,” “asleep,” “concealment,” “bowing,” “feminine,”“arrival”(atthetop),and“completion”(ofthecycle).Hereareafewofthekeysigns:
1. , .ThesignsnotonlyportraytheKhutorMountofGlory,theysignify“thecomingforth”ofthesun-god,whoshinesbetweenthetwopeaksoftherightandleft.Inthissensethesignshaveexactlythesamemeaningastheimage ,i.e.,the“day.”Butthemountainsign alsomeans“thebelow.”WhileEgyptologistsliketothinkofthetwopeaksasfixedonourearth,theEgyptiansthemselvesknewthatthegreatgod“sailed”intheKhutor“revolved”roundtheAtenintheKhut.Thisiswhytheartistsnotonlyplaced the twopeaks in the revolving ship, butoftendepicted them in an invertedpositionabovetheAten.Theinvertedpeakssimultaneouslymean“theabove”and“concealment”or“obscurity.”Together,theuprightandinvertedpeaksrepresentboththefullcycleofthedayandthefullcircle(aboveandbelow)ofthecelestialkingdom.
Figure150.KhutandAnkh,interchangeablesymbolsofthetwin-peakedmountains.
Figure151.(a)
Figure151.(b)EgyptianillustrationsoftheAnkh,withoutstretchedarmsholdingalofttheAten.TheAnkhissuesfromtheTet,thepillarof“stability.”(a&b)
2. NoEgyptiansignismorefamiliartothemodernworldthantheAnkh.InEgyptiansymbolismtheAnkhcorresponds in fundamentalmeaning to theKhut,orMountofGlory.Toconvey thisequation theartistseithersuperimposedtheAnkhonthetwopeaks(fig.150)orshowedtheAtenresting,noton theKhut,butontwoarmsextendingupwardfromtheAnkh(figs.151a&151b).TheAnkh (whose origins the experts have long debated) is but a conventionalized image of the polarconfigurationduringtheperiodof“comingforth,”or“life.”Wehavealreadyseenthat theimageof the
crescent-enclosure passedintotherelatedforms , , , .TheAnkh merelyaddsthecentralpillar.Justasthecentralsun“comesforthintheMountofGlory,”soalsodoesit“comeforthintheAnkh”—literally, “in theMountain of life.”As a figure of the sun-god’s period of brilliance or “activity” thehieroglyphcametosignify“life”generally.3. .Thissignforthe“upperface”ofthesun-godtakesitsmeaningfromthecrescentinitsposition“above” ,i.e.,the“night”-timeposition.Thus,inadditiontoitsmeaningas“theupperregion”thesignalsodenotes“obscurity,”“concealment,”and“night.”Toshowtherelationofaboveandbelow(“nightandday”),theartistsoftenplacedthesign overthecleftpeak ,sothattogetherthetwoimagespresentanenclosure,signifyingthefullcircleoftheAten.
Figure152.Together,the“above”andthe“below”(theupraisedarms)formtheenclosureof“theaboveandbelow.”
Figure153.Nut,theAbove,heldaloftbyShu.(ArmsofShu=ship=twinpeaksasfiguresoftheBelow).
4. , , , , .Upraisedarms, inEgyptiansymbolism,signify thecrescent“below” ,and thus possess the full range of meanings associated with Saturn’s “day.” The Ka-arms, commonlyshownsupportingtheAten,conveythesenseof“life,”“comingforth,”“support,”and“masculinepower”
(“below”=“maleprinciple”).Thesign (or )denotes“livingRe,”while thesign carries theinterrelatedmeanings“tosupport,”“tocelebrate.”ButnumerousillustrationsalsoshowtheKa-armsembracingtheAtenfromabove(figs.113,114).Herethey denote “the upper region,” the region of the “night.”Hence the related signs and (inverted) armsmean“cessation,”“absence,”“negation,”andcompletion.”
5. , .Inillustrationsofthedailycycle,thesesignsofthe“upperregion”(correspondingtothe crescent above ) are interchangeablewith the image of the inverted cleft peak . They mean“hidden,”“concealed,”andbyextension,“mysterious,”“secret.”
(Concerning the sign , however, an additional significance deserves consideration. The twofoldenclosure,orcircleofthecosmictwins—pertainingtosymmetricallyrelatedpositionsofthecrescent—is a circle half light and half shadow. In one character, the twins simply represent the light and darkdivisions, so that the inverted semicircle might represent, not the “night”-time crescent, but the
shadow in the“day”-timeconfiguration . It is thushighlysignificant that thesign , readKhaibit,means“shadow.”Asthefemale[upper]portionofthecircle,theKhaibitcomestobeconceivedastheconsortofthemalepower[lowerregion].Ofcourse,onecouldhardlyexpecttheEgyptianstorigorouslymaintainthedistinctionbetweenthe“shadow”andtheinvertedcrescent.)
6. , , , .Asearliernoted,allsymbolsoftheAtenrestinginthehornssignify“coming
forth”and“below.”Butinthesign thehornsareinvertedoverthecentralsunandpillar.Thesign’smeaningis“concealed,”“mysterious.”
7. , , , .Alloftheseimagesoftheprimeval“mound”depicttheupperregion,markedoutby thecrescentat thecompletionof thedailycycle.Thus themoundsign (or )means “toarrive(at the top),”“tocomplete the journey(orcycle).”Closelyrelatedis thesign ,“toarrive.”Generallythemoundsignsrefertotheregionof“sleep,”“death,”or“diminishedlight.”Thereverseofthesemoundsignsis suggestingthecrescent in its“day”-timeposition.Theglyphmeans“golden”or“brilliant.”8. , .Whilethesign denotesthemasculinepoweroftheCosmos(thebelow),theinverseimage denotesthefeminine(theabove).Whenthecrescentreachesthebelowthecelestialkingdomisin“celebration.”Hencethesign means“celebration,”“festivaloflife.”ThoughmanyadditionalaspectsoftheEgyptiantwofoldkingdomandtherelatedcircleof“dayandnight”need tobeexplored, Icite theabovesimply to indicatehowtheSaturnianconfigurationcan illuminatecertainEgyptianimageswhichhavelongremainedunexplained.Concerning therelationof theEgyptiansystem to the languageandsymbolsofothernations, Ioffernosteadfast rule. But there is every reason to believe that certain general principles can be appliedelsewhere. In ancient Sumerian thought, for example, the “Cosmos” is designated by the term an-ki.(Jensen renders the word as “the All.”)[1613] Themost common translation of an-ki is “heaven andearth.” But the symbol of “the All” is , and the literal meaning of an-ki is “above and below,”suggestinganoteworthyparallelwiththeEgyptiancircleofpet-ta.AndjustastheEgyptiangoddessNutformsthe“circleofaboveandbelow,”sodoestheSumeriangoddessInanna“encompassthean-ki.”Tounravelthesymbolismofthedualkingdom,orofthequarteredkingdom,thefirstrequirementistoputaside prevailing geographical interpretations. The language originated in connectionwith the celestialdwelling. In the original imagery the phrase “heaven and earth” is meaningless. There is no “north,”“south,”“east,”or“west,”Thereissimplytheaboveandbelow,theleftandright,theregionsofcomingforthanddeclining.AstothecapacityofthisprincipletoresolvenumerousenigmasofancientspeechIhavenodoubt.
XI:ConclusionIn the foregoing pages I have attempted to show that the oldest motifs of ritual andmyth focus on acoherentsetofideas—andthattheseideasbearnorelationshiptothepresentworldorder.Whatmodernman views as creations of a fragmented and irrational imagination actually pertain to a vision ofexceptional simplicity. The Cyclopes, dragons, and one-legged giants speak not for unconstrainedspeculation,butforoncevisiblepowers.To modern writers, seeking to penetrate the language of myth, it is as if early races contrived theirfantasticsymbolisminconsciousdisdainfor laterefforts tounderstand.“Anyonewhohaseverenteredthe labyrinthofanarchaicculture’smythicalcompendia (thePyramidTexts, theVedas, theTheogony)cantestifytoadesperatesuspicionthatthereisnothreadofobjectivereality,”confessedoneclassicist.Such a suspicion is difficult to dispel in the face of such “primitive” imagery as golden mountainsreachingheaven,revolvingislandsandtemples,wingedgoddesses,cosmicbulls,circularserpents,anddescendingriversoffire.Mythologistsquicklydespairofrationalexplanation.But it is the thesisof thisbook that the confusion results chiefly from the failureof themodern age todiscerntheunderlyingcosmicordertowhichthemythsrefer.Ourreconstructionofthisorderincludesthefollowingelements:1.IntheearliestagerecalledbymantheplanetSaturnwasthedominantcelestialbody.Ancientracestheworldoverrecordthattherewasoncea“GoldenAge”—akingdomofcosmicharmonyruledbyacentrallightgod.NumeroussourcesidentifythislightgodastheplanetSaturn.2.Accounts of Saturn’s appearance suggest that the planet hung ominously close to the earth. In earlyritual and astronomy Saturn appears as the “primeval sun,” described as a figure of “terrifyingsplendour.”Today,Saturnappearsasabarespeckoflightfollowingthesamevisualpathasthesolarorb.ButduringthelegendaryGoldenAge,Saturnstoodinthenorth.Legendsfromeverycontinentdepicttheprimeval sun as an immense, fiery globe at the north celestial pole—the visual pivot of the heavens.Unliketherisingandsettingsolarorb,theprimevalsunremainedfixedinoneplace.3.Themodernagehasmisreadtheancientaccountsof“thebeginning.”Theseaccountsspeakofacreator,afirstman,andafirstking—allreferringtothesamecosmicfigure.Itisimpossibletounderstandtheseaccountsinanyconventionalsensebecausetheancientterminologycarriesmeaningsradicallydifferentfromthemodern.Thelegendarycreator,firstman,andfirstkingwasSaturn.4. The subject of the global creation legend is a spectacular cosmic event actually witnessed by theancients:massivequantitiesofcosmicdebrisexplodedfromSaturn,cloudingtheheavensandeventuallycongealingintoavastbandaroundtheplanet.InmythicaltermsthisbandwasSaturn’screated“land”inheaven. Saturn ruled this celestial kingdom as both theUniversalMonarch andAdam, the Primordial“Man.”5.TheancientsdrewpicturesofSaturnincessantly,andthesepictureswillbefoundaroundtheworld.Ancient papyri, clay tablets, monuments, artifacts, and rock drawings consistently show a central orbsurroundedbyacircle.Thissymbolofthe“enclosedsun”istheoriginalhieroglyphfortheplanetSaturn.6.ImagesofSaturninhisenclosureoccuroneverypageofancienttexts.ThebandisSaturn’sspouse,themothergoddess.Butitisalsohisrevolvingtemple,city,orislandinheaven.Itisthestationary,butever-turning“world-wheel”recalledbyalmosteveryancientrace.Saturnwearsthebandasagoldengirdle,collar, or crown.Hedwells in it as thepupil of the all-seeingEye.The sameband receivesmythical
interpretationasSaturn’sthrone,areceptacleofcosmicwaters,andanencirclingserpent.7. Four primary streams of light appeared to radiate from Saturn, dividing the Saturnian band into
quarters.Thesymbolsofthesefourstreamsarethesun-cross andenclosedsuncross .Mythically,thesearethefourriversofthelostparadise,thefourwinds,andthefourpillarsofSaturn’sCosmos.Theenclosed sun-cross is thus the universal imageof the “unified state” on our earth, for every terrestrial“holyland”wasacopyoftheidealkingdomabove.8.ThesamerecordswhichdescribeSaturn’sbandanditsfour-folddivisiondepictapillar-likestreamascendingtheworldaxisandvisuallyseemingtosustainSaturn’sdwelling.Twoprimaryimagesofthis
“cosmicmountain” are and . In themyths this column appears as the great god’s single leg, averticalstreamofwaterorair(theNorthWind),andtheerectserpentordragonofthedeep.9.Receivinglightfromthesolarorb,theSaturnianbandacquiredabrightlyilluminatedcrescent,which,astheearthrotatedonitsaxis,visuallyrevolvedaroundSaturneachday.Thelightanddarkportionsofthe band found expression in the black andwhite cosmic twins,while the alternating positions of thecrescentproducedthetwinsofthe“rightandleft”or“aboveandbelow.”
10.Inthepolarconfiguration theancientssaw,atonce,thecleftsummitofthecosmicmountain,withthecentralsunstandingbetweenthepeaksoftherightandleft;thecosmicbullsupportingSaturnbetweenitshorns;Saturn’screscent-shiponthemountaintop;theheaven-sustaininggiantwithout-stretchedarms;thewingedgodorgoddess;theplantoflife;Saturn’sturningsword;andthealtaroftheworld.ItwastherelationoftheSaturniancrescenttoSaturn’speriodofbrilliancewhichproducedtheoriginalsymbolismofthefourdirectionsandof“dayandnight.”IntheearliestagetheSaturnianconfigurationwastheexclusivefocalpointofreligiousrites.ButwhenSaturn’sGoldenAgepassedaway,mankinddrewonallaspectsofnaturetocommemoratehisreign.Thesolar orb, themoon,meteorological forces, various animals,mountains and rivers—allmanifest somespecial quality of the creator-king.Andwhere no representative powerswere available in nature, theancientsfashionedtheirownmonumentsinearthandstone.Thefirstrequirement,then,istodistinguishbetweentheprimeval,cosmicformsontheonehand,and,onthe other hand, the representative images chosen to depict those forms in ritual and myth. We mustseparatethearchetype(concealedreality)fromthesymbol(analogyorrepresentationofreality).In examining the world of symbolism our predicament is much like that of the dwellers in Plato’sallegoricalcave,whocandiscernthenatureofthingsonlythroughtheshadowyspecterscastonthewall.Most of the cave’s inhabitants take the shadows for the real world, but occasionally a wiser manrecognizesthattheshadowsaremerelytheblurredimageofamorecoherentreality.Soitiswithancientmythandritual.Onemustnotconfusetheshadowwithitssource,thesymbolwiththethingsymbolized.If the Egyptians came to regard the bull as sacred it was only because this animal was the naturalcounterpart to theBull ofHeaven,whose horns, supporting the very vault of theCosmos, “shone likeday.” If the eagle was similarly venerated, this was because its expanded wings seemed to mirror aspecialqualityofthe“winged”creator,orthe“winged”goddess.The same principle applies to the symbolism of the constellations. The vital powers depicted by
constellation figures date back to an era long before men began imposing anthropomorphic andzoomorphic forms on star groups. But eventually the ancients sought to represent diverse aspects andtraditionsofthegreatgodbysketchingthemoutintheheavens.CouldapatternlessgroupofstarshaveinspiredthehistoryofmightyOrion?Rather, thestoryofOrionpreceded astrology. (In fact,Orion iswidelyacknowledged tobe theGreekversionof theBabylonianTammuz-Ninurta,theplanetSaturn)Andwhenpriest-astronomersfinallyprojectedOrionontothestarrydome,theyreceivedonlythemostfeebleassistancefromthestellarpatternsthemselves.Likewise, our sun, contrary to long-standing opinion, never inspired the idea of a “supreme god” andneverproducedanoriginalmythofcreation.Onlyinlatertimesdidthepoetsandhistoriansconfusethesolar orb with the great god of beginnings. But that such a confusion did occur is crucial to anunderstanding of the development of ancient religion. In Egypt, for example, the original ritual of thecentralsunwaseventually transformed intoeulogies to thesolarorb;and thedevotion to thecelestialkingdompassedfinallyintoavenerationofnatureasawhole.(Themostdecisiveshiftoccurredinthetime of Akhenaten.) One could trace similar developments among numerous races, as priests,philosophers,astronomers,andmorepractical-mindedgenerationsbecameevermorepreoccupiedwith“thisworld,”recastingSaturnianimagerywithinthecontextofalessspectacularcosmicorder.Ratherthanattempttofollowthecomplexprocesshere,Iaskthereadertoawaittreatmentofthesubjectin thesecondvolumeof thiswork(entitledTheCataclysm).Thefact is that the traditionsreviewed inprevious sections supplyonly thepreface to theSaturniandrama. In thesepages I have sought only todemonstratetherealityofSaturn’spolarconfiguration,reservingdiscussionoftheultimatecalamityforthesubsequentvolume.Saturn’sdeathorfall,wewilldiscover,constitutedtheprototypalcatastrophe,recountedbytheancientsinnumerousformsandelaborations.Thecollapseofthecelestialkingdom;theworld-destroyingdeluge;thebattlewith theserpent-dragonof thedeep; thebirthofJupiter; theChild-Hero; theresurrectionandtransformationofSaturn;andSaturn’seventualdeparturetothedistantrealm—thesearekeyelementsinastoryofincalculableimpactonancientimagination.ButtodecipherthemythsofthegreatcatastropheonemusthaveclearlyinmindthenatureofthecelestialorderbroughttoanendwithSaturn’sfall.Forthosewillingtopursuethequestioninanobjectivespiritthereisthepromiseofdramaticdiscoveriesaboutman’spast.
BibliographyV.S.Agrawala,—SparksfromtheVedicFire(Benares,1962);—TheThousandSyllabledSpeech(Benares,1963).W.F.Albright,—“TheMouthoftheRivers,”TheAmericanJournalofSemiticLanguagesandLiteratures,Vol.XXXV,No.4;—“TheGoddessofLifeandWisdom,”TheAmericanJournalofSemiticLanguagesandLiteratures,Vol.XXXVI,No.261.HartleyBurrAlexander,—NorthAmericanMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.X(NewYork,1964);—LatinAmericanMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.XI(NewYork,1964).JohnM.Allegro,TheSacredMushroomandtheCross(NewYork,1970).Apollodorus,TheLibrary(Cambridge,1967),JamesG.Frazer,ed.,2vols.JamesBailey,TheGod-KingsandtheTitans(NewYork,1973).H.S.Bellamy,Moons,MythsandMan(NewYork,1938).ElsdonBest,TheAstronomicalKnowledgeoftheMaori(Wellington,1922).S.S.Bhawe,TheSomaHymnsoftheRigVeda(Baroda,1957).C.J.Bleeker,HathorandThoth(Leiden,1973).RaymondBloch,“LeSymbolismeCosmique,”SérieOrientaleRoma,Vol.XIV(Rome,1957).FranzBoll,“Kronos-Helios,”ArchivfürReligionswissenschaft,XIX(1916-19).A.Bouche-Leclerq,L’AstrologieGrecque(Paris,1899).RobertBriffault,TheMothers(London,1927),Vol.I.RobertBrown,Jr.,—Eradinus:RiverandConstellatton(London,1883);—ResearchesintotheOriginsofthePrimitiveConstellations(Oxford,1900),2vols.K.H.Brugsch,—ThesaurusInscriptionumÄgyptiacarum(Leipzig,1883-91);—ReligionundMythologiederAltenÄgypter(Leipzig,1890).E.A.Budge,—TheEgyptianBookoftheDead(London,1901);—AHieroglyphicVocabularytotheThebanRecensionoftheBookoftheDead(London,1911);—FromFetishtoGodinAncientEgypt(London,1934);—Osiris:TheEgyptianReligionofResurrection(NewYork,1961);
—ThePapyrusofAni(NewYork,1967);—TheGodsoftheEgyptians(Doveredition,NewYork,1969),2vols;—TheLitanyofFuneraryOfferings(NewYork,1972).C.A.Burland,TheGodsofMexico(NewYork,1967).E.A.S.Butterworth,—TheTreeattheNaveloftheEarth(Berlin,1970);—TheCambridgeAncientHistory(Cambridge,1971),Vol.I.JosephCampbell,—OrientalMythology(VikingCompassedition,NewYork,1970);—OccidentalMythology(VikingCompassedition,NewYork,1970).MauriceA.Canney,“AncientConceptionsofKingship,”OrientalStudiesinHonorofCursetjiE.Pavry,J.D.C.Pavry,ed.(London,1933).AlbertJ.Carnoy,IranianMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.VI(NewYork,1964).R.H.Charles,ed.,TheApocryphaandPseudepigraphaoftheOldTestament(Oxford,1913).MohiniM.Chatterji,translator,TheBhagavadGita(NewYork,1960).J.C.Cirlot,ADictionaryofSymbols(London,1962).R.T.RundleClark,MythandSymbolinAncientEgypt(NewYork,1959).HermannCollitz,“KönigYimaundSaturn,”inOrientalStudiesinHonorofCursetjiE.Pavry,J.D.C.Pavry,ed.(London,1933).V.C.C.Collum,“DieSchopferischeMutterGöttin,”inOlgaFröbe-Kapteyn,VorträgeüberGestaltundKultderGrossenMutter,EranosJahrbuch(Uppsala,1938).E.Combe,HistoireduCultedeSin(Paris,1908).JackRandolphConrad,TheHornandtheSword(NewYork,1957).A.B.Cook,Zeus:AStudyinAncientReligion(NewYork,1964),3vols.A.K.Coomaraswamy,—“SymbolismoftheDome,”TheIndianHistoricalQuarterly,Vol.XIV,No.1(March1938);—ANewApproachtotheVedas(London,1963);—ElementsofBuddhistIconography(NewDelhi,1972).A.K.CoomaraswamyandSisterNivedita,MythsoftheHindusandBuddhists(NewYork,1967).F.Cumont,TheMysteriesofMithra(NewYork,1956).JamesDarmesteter,TheZendAvesta(Oxford,1880),3vols.H.R.EllisDavidson,GodsandMythsofNorthernEurope,PenguinBooksedition(Middlesex,1964).HerthavonDechend,withGiorgiodeSantillana,Hamlet’sMill(Boston,1969).ArmandDelatte,ÉtudessurlaLitteraturePythagoricienne(Paris,1915).EdouardDhorme,LesReligionsdeBabylonieetd’Assyrie(Paris,1949).
RolandB.Dixon,OceanicMythology“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.IX(NewYork,1964).IgnatiusDonnelly,—Atlantis,theAntediluvianWorld(NewYork,1882);—Ragnarok:TheAgeofFireandGravel(NewYork,1883).M. J. Dresden, “Mythology of Ancient Iran,” in Samuel N. Kramer, ed.,Mythologiesof the AncientWorld(GardenCity,1961).E.S.Drower,TheCoronationoftheGreatSislam(Leiden,1962).FrayDiegoDuran,BookoftheGodsandRites,FernandoHorcasitasandDorisHeyden,trans.(Norman,1971).J.Eggeling,trans.,SatapathaBrahmana(Delhi,1963),3vols.RobertEisler,WeltenmantelundHimmelszelt(Munchen,1910).MirceaEliade,—LeChamanismeetlesTechniquesArchaiquesdel’Extase(Paris,1951);—TheMythoftheEternalReturn(Westminster,1954);—PatternsinComparativeReligion(NewYork,1963).EllenRussellEmerson,IndianMyths(Wayzata,1965).Énel,LesOriginesdelaGenèseetl’EnseignementdesTemplesdel’AncienneÉgypte(Paris,1963).AdolfErman,TheLiteratureoftheAncientEgyptians(NewYork,1971).W.Y.Evans-Wentz,TheTibetanBookoftheDead(Oxford,1957).HughG.Evelyn-White,trans.,Hesiod,theHomericHymnsandHomerica(Cambridge,1970).G.S.Faber,—ADissertationontheCabiri(Oxford,1803),2vols.;—TheOriginsofPaganIdolatry(London,1816),3vols.R.O.Faulkner, trans.,TheAncientEgyptianPyramidTexts (Oxford, 1969) , trans.,TheCoffinTexts(Oxford,1974).JohnC.Ferguson,ChineseMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.VIII(NewYork,1964).MauriceFluegel,Philosophy,QabbalaandVedanta(Baltimore,1902).HenriFrankfort,—TheIntellectualAdventureofAncientMan(Chicago,1946);—KingshipandtheGods(Chicago,1948).JamesG.Frazer,—TheGoldenBough,Vol.l(London,1907);—TheGoldenBough,abridgededition(NewYork,1963).TheodorH.Gaster,Myth,LegendandCustomintheOldTestament(NewYork1969).
PeterGelling,withHildaDavidson,TheChariotoftheSun(NewYork,1969).LouisGinzberg,TheLegendsoftheJews(Philadelphia,1913),Vols.Iand11.EugeneGobletd’Alviella,TheMigrationofSymbols(NewYork,1956).DeliaGoetz,withSylvanusG.Morley,PopulVuh(Norman,1950).B.L.Goff,SymbolsofPrehistoricMesopotamia(Yale,1963).IgnazGoldziher,MythologyAmongtheHebrews(NewYork,1967).RobertGraves,TheGreekMyths(NewYork,1955).RobertGraves,withRaphaelPatai,HebrewMyths:TheBookofGenesis(NewYork,1966).L.Grevan,DerKainTheologieundKönigskultderÄgypterdesAltenReichs(Gluckstadt,1952).JacobGrimm,TeutonicMythology,J.S.Stallybrass,trans.(NewYork,1966),4vols.ReneGuenon,—LeRoiduMonde(Paris,1958);—LeSymbolismedelaCroix(Paris,1931);—Étudessurl’Hindouisme(Paris,1968);—FormesTraditionellesetCyclesCosmiques(Paris,1970).W.K.C.Guthrie,—TheGreeksandTheirGods(Boston,1955);—OrpheusandGreekReligion(NewYork,1966).ManlyP.Hall,AnEncyclopedicOutlineofMasonic,Hermetic,QabalisticandRosicrucianSymbolicPhilosophy(SanFrancisco,1928).J.RenelHarris,Boanerges(Cambridge,1913).M.SelimHassan,HymnesReligieuxduMoyenEmpire(Cairo,1928).C.Hentze,—“Cosmogonie du Monde Dresse Debout et duMonde Renverse,” SerieOrientale Roma, Vol. XIV(Rome,1957);—DasHausalsWeltortdeSeele(Stuttgart,1961).H.Heras,TheEmpireoftheSwastika(Bombay,1937).ThorHeyerdahl,Kon-Tiki(Chicago,1951).Hirata,PureShinto(Yokohama,1910).A.M.Hocart,—Kingship(Oxford,1927);—KingsandCouncilors(Chicago,1970).
HansHoerbiger,GlacialKosmogonie,2ndedition(Leipzig,1925).MajSandrnanHolmberg,TheGodPtah(Lund,1946).
UnoHolmberg,—DerBaumdesLebens(Helsinki,1922);—DieReligiösenVorstellungen der Altaischen Völker, Folklore Fellows Communications, Vol. 125(1938);—SiberianMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.IV(NewYork,1964).Indianapolis,Indiana,HistoricalSociety,WalumOlum(Indianapolis,1954).T.Jacobsen,TowardtheImageofTammuz(Harvard,1970).M.Jastrow,—TheReligionofBabyloniaandAssyria(Boston,1898);—“SunandSaturn,”Revued’Assyriologieetd’ArcheologieOrientale,Vol.7(1909).PeterJensen,DieKosmologiederBabylonier(Strassburg,1890).AlfredJeremias,—MonotheistischeStrömungenInnerhalbderBab.Religion(Leipzig,1904).—HandbuchderAltorientalischenGeisteskultur(Leipzig,1913);C.G.Jung,CollectedWorks,BollingenSeries(Princeton,1956-72).C.G.Jung,withC.Kerenyi,—EssaysonaScienceofMythology,R.F.C.Hull,trans.(Princeton,1969);—TheKalevala(Cambridge,1963),FrancisP.Magoun,Jr.,translator.HermannKees, “Kulttopographische undMythologischeBeiträge,”Zeitschrift fürÄgyptischeSpracheundAltertumskunde,71Band,ErstesHeft.A.B.Keith,—IndianMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.XII(NewYork,1964);—TheReligionandPhilosophyoftheVedaandUpanishads(Delhi,1970),2vols.;—RigvedaBrahmanas(Delhi,1971).CarlKerenyi,—Asklepios(NewYork,1959);—Prometheus(NewYork,1963).C.Kerenyi,withC.G.Jung,EssaysonaScienceofMythology,R.F.C.Hull,trans.(Princeton,1969).R.Klibansky,withE.PanofskyandR.Saxl,SaturnandMelancholy(London,1964).SamuelNoahKramer,—FromtheTabletsofSumer(IndianHills,1956);—MythologiesoftheAncientWorld(NewYork,1961);—TheSacredMarriageRite(Bloomington,1969);—SumerianMythology(NewYork,1972).
WalterKrickeberg,Pre-ColumbianAmericanReligions(NewYork,1969).PierreLacau,TraductiondesTextesdesCercueikduMoyenEmpire(Paris,1937).StephenLangdon,—ASumerianGrammar(Paris,1911);—SumerianLiturgicalTexts(Philadelphia,1917);—SumerianLiturgiesandPsalms(Philadelphia,1919);—“AHymntoEridu,”JournaloftheSocietyofOrientalResearch,Vol.5,No.2(1921);—SemiticMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.V(NewYork,1964).FrancoisLenormant,—ChaldeanMagic(London,1878);—LesOriginesdel’Histoire(Paris,1880),3vols.MiguelLeon-Portilla,Pre-ColumbianLiteraturesofMexico(Norman,1969).G.RachelLevy,ReligiousConceptionsoftheStoneAge(NewYork,1963).HildegardLewy,“OriginandSignificanceoftheMâgenDâwîd,”ArchivOrientalni,Vol.18(1950).Hildegard and Julius Lewy, “TheOrigin of theWeek and theOldestWestAsiatic Calendar”HebrewUnionCollegeAnnual,Vol.17(1942-43).H.P.L’Orange,StudiesintheIconographyofCosmicKingship(Oslo,1953).J.A.MacCulloch,—EddicMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.II(NewYork,1964);—CelticMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.III(NewYork,1964).DonaldA.Mackenzie,TheMigrationofSymbols(London,1926).F.P.Magoun,Jr.,trans.,TheKalevala(Harvard,1963).MaudeWorcesterMakemson,TheMorningStarRises(NewHaven,1941).A.E.Mariette,Denderah(Paris,1880).GeraldMassey,—TheNaturalGenesis(London,1883),2vols.;—AncientEgypt(NewYork,1970),2vols.LeinaniMelville,ChildrenoftheRainbow(Wheaton,1969).SiegriedMorenz,withJohannesSchubert,DerGottaufderBlume(Ascona,1954).M.A.Moret,“LeLotusetlaNaissancedesDieuxinÉgypte,”JournalAsiatique,TIXNo.1(Jan.-Feb.1917).WilliamMullen,“TheCenterHolds,”Pensee(May1972).W.Muller,DieHeiligeStadt(Stuttgart,1961).W.M.Muller,EgyptianMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.12(NewYork,1964).
E.Neumann,TheGreatMother(Princeton,1973).PercyE.Newberry,—“ThePetty-KingdomoftheHarpoonandEgypt’sEarliestMediterraneanPort,”AnnalsofArchaeologyandAnthropology,Vol.l(1908);—“TwoCultsoftheOldKingdom,”AnnalsofArchaeologyandAnthropology,Vol.I(1908).HughNibley,“Tenting,Toll,andTaxing,”TheWesternPoliticalQuarterly,Vol.XIX(1966).SwamiNikhilananda,TheUpanishads,abridgededition(NewYork,1963).SisterNivedita,withA.K.Coomaraswamy,MythsoftheHindusandBuddhists(NewYork,1967).Zelia Nuttall, Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilization, Archaeological andEthnologicalPapersofthePeabodyMuseum,Vol.II(Harvard,1901).W.T.Olcott,MythsoftheSun(CapricornBooksedition,NewYork,1967).JohnO’Neill,TheNightoftheGods(London,1893).R.B.Onians,TheOriginsofEuropeanThought(Cambridge,1954).Ovid,TheMetamorphoses,HoraceGreeley,trans.(NewYork,1960).E.Panofsky,withR.SaxlandR.Klibansky,SaturnandMelancholy(London,1964).RaphaelPatai,—TheHebrewGoddess(NewYork,1967);—ManandTemple(NewYork,1967).RaphaelPatai,withRobertGraves,HebrewMyths:TheBookofGenesis(NewYork,1966).JohnWeirrPerry,LordoftheFourQuarters(G.Braziller,1966).DonaldL.Philippi,trans.,TheKojiki(Princeton,1969).AlexanderPiankoff,—TheTombofRamessesVI(NewYork,1954);—TheShrinesofTut-Ankh-Amon(NewYork,1955);—MythologicalPapyri(NewYork,1957);—TheLitanyofRe(NewYork,1964);—ThePyramidofUnas(Princeton,1968);—TheWanderingoftheSoul(Princeton,1974).Erwin Pousselle, “Seelische Führung in Lebenden Taoismus,” in Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn, ed., Yoga undMeditationimOstenundimWesten(Zurich,1934);J.B.Pritchard,ed.,AncientNearEasternTextsReachingtotheOldTestament(Princeton,1969);GeorgeRawlinson,Herodotus(London,1964);P.Renouf,TheEgyptianBookoftheDead(London,1904);E.A.Reymond,TheMythicalOriginoftheEgyptianTemple(NewYork,1969);JohnRhys,StudiesintheArthureanLegend(Oxford,1891);
WilliamRidgeway,—TheOriginofTragedy(NewYork,1910).—DramasandDramaticDancesofNon-EuropeanRaces(Cambridge,1915);W.H.Roscher,—Omphalos(Leipzig,1913).—NeueOmphalosstudien(Leipzig,1915).—DerOmphalosgedankebeiVerschiedenenVölkern(Leipzig,1918);RalphL.Roys,TheBookoftheChilamBalem(Norman,1967);GiorgiodeSantillana,withHerthavonDechend,Hamlet’sMill(Boston,1969);LeopolddeSaussure,—“OrigineChinoisedelaCosmologieIranienne,”JournalAsiatique(Oct.-Dec.1922);—“OrigineBabylonienne de l’AstronomieChinoise,”ArchivesdesSciencesPhysiques etNaturelles,Vol.5(Jan.-Feb.1923);—“LeSystemeCosmologiqueSino-lranienne,”JournalAsiatique(April-June1923);—“La Série Septénaire, Cosmologique et Planétaire,” Journal Asiatique (April-June 1924), LesOriginesdel’AstronomieChinoise(Paris,1930).R.Saxl,withR.KlibanskyandE.Panofsky,SaturnandMelancholy(London,1964).A.Sayce,LecturesontheOriginandGrowthofReligion(Oxford,1898).HeinrichSchäfer,“AltägyptischeBilderderAuf-undUntergehendenSonne,”ZeitschriftfürÄgyptischeSpracheundAltertumskunde,VIBand.G.Schlegel,L’UranographieChinoise(Taipei,1967).G.G.Scholem,JewishGnosticism,MerkabahMysticismandTalmudicTradition(NewYork,1960).JohannesSchubert,withSiegriedMorenz,DerGottaufderBlume(Ascona,1954).JuliusSchwabe,ArchetypundTierkreis(Basle,1951).VincentScully,TheEarth,theTempleandtheGods(NewYork,1969).LauretteSejourne,BurningWater(NewYork,1956).ÅkeW.SjöbergwithE.Bergmann,TheCollectionoftheSumerianTempleHymns(LocustValley,1969).G.ElliotSmith,TheEvolutionoftheDragon(Manchester,1919).VincentA.Smith,“TheIronPillarofDerhi,”JournaloftheRoyalAsiaticSociety(January1897).HerbertSpencer,ThePrinciplesofSociology(London,1872-96).M.C.Stevenson,TheZuniIndians(Washington,1905).SnorriSturluson,TheProseEdda,J.I.Young,trans.(Berkley,1971).ElmerG.Suhr,—BeforeOlympos(NewYork,1967);
—TheSpinningAphrodite(NewYork,1969);—TheMask,theUnicornandtheMessiah(NewYork,1970).SuryaKanta,TheFloodLegendinSanskritLiterature(Delhi,1950).KnutTallquist,“HimmelsgegendeundWinde,”StudiaOrientalia11(1928).J.EricandS.Thompson,MayaHistoryandReligion(UniversityofOklahoma,1970).R.C.Thompson,—TheReportsoftheMagiciansandAstrologersofNinevahandBabylon,Vol.II(London,1900);—TheDevilsandEvilSpiritsofBabylonia(London,1903).GiuseppeTucci,TheTheoryandPracticeoftheMandala(London,1969).EdwardBurnettTylor,—ResearchesintotheEarlyHistoryofMankind(London,1878);—PrimitiveCulture(London,1903).E.DouglasVanBuren, “Concerning theHornedCap of theMesopotamianGods,”Orientalia, Vol. 12(1943)SymbolsoftheGodsinMesopotamia(Rome,1945).F.A.Vanderburgh,SumerianHymnsfromCuneiformTextsintheBritishMuseum(NewYork,1966).Hans Henning Van Der Osten, AncientOriental Seats in the Collection of Mr. Edward T. Newell(UniversityofChicagoOrientalInstitutePublications,Vol.XXII).JacquesVandier,“Iousâaset(Hathor)-Nébet-Hétépet,”Revued’Egyptologiet.17(1965).J.VanDijk“LeMotifCosmiquedanslaPenséeSumérienne”ActaOrientalia(Vol.XXVIIINo.1-2).H.D.Velanker,RigvedaMandalaVII(Bombay,1963).ZevVilnay,LegendsofJerusalem(Philadelphia,1973).W.H.Ward,TheCylinderSealsofWesternAsia(Washington,1910).W.F.Warren,—“TheGatesofSunrise inAncientBabylonianArt,”TheBabylonianandOrientalRecord,Vol. 111,No.11(Oct.1889);—ParadiseFound(Boston,1885).A.J.Wensinck,—“TheIdeasof theWesternSemitesConcerningtheNavelof theEarth,”AfdeelingLetterkunde (DeelXVIINo.1);—“TheOceanintheLiteratureoftheWesternSemites,”AfdeelingLetterkunde(DeelXIXNo.2).AliceWerner,AfricanMythology,“MythologyofAllRaces,”Vol.VII(NewYork,1964).WilliamWhiston,ANewTheoryoftheEarth(London,1696).W.D.Whitney,AtharvaVeda(Berlin,1966).HansWinkler,RockDrawingsofSouthernEgypt(London,1938).R.C.Zaehner,Zurvan:AZoroastrianDilemme(Oxford,1955).
