Eye of Ra
The Eye of Re ( also eye of Aton, eastern eye) symbolized in ancient Egypt, the sun disk of the sun gods, for example, of Re, Amun -Re, Re - Harachte and Aton. The corresponding hieroglyph shows the eye of Horus mirrored iconographically: From the perspective of vision ends as the left eye; from the perspective of the sun god but the right eye.
" Myth of the sun 's eye"
Content
The text is available in several different versions, and partly in Greek translations. The frame story is embedded in fables, dialogues and long philosophical and theological discussions.
The papyri report the wearer from the eye of Re, which is also dubbed a dangerous goddess. After an argument with her father Re, she left Egypt and moved up to punt. Arduous negotiations with her and the other gods followed. According to the agreement reached dangerous goddess joined forces with a messenger of wisdom god Thoth on the way home.
In the myth of the sun eye to show the different sides of the dangerous goddess who appears first as a cat, then turned into a lioness after the tantrum and finally soothed with dance performances and music. In honor of her return to Egypt gives her brother as host of the ceremony the new annual event supposed to take the name Bastet festival.
Historical reference
Basis of the narrative is the repetitive annual cycle of Sirius, which is equated with the goddess Sopdet. According to the ideas of the Egyptians, the goddess Sopdet moved for the duration of invisibility in the sky at the stranger to the southeast. During the seventy -day absence the people impatiently awaited their return.
On the day of their arrival in Egypt at the same time was the heliacal rising of Sirius, the BC signaled the short time later incoming flood of the Nile in the third millennium. The first Achet I was in this context as an ideal beginning.
The priests interpreted the rise in reddish color to the effect that Sopdet angrily returned from Nubia and had to be appeased. The further appearance as an epidemic bringer and destroyer of enemies provider was true for all wearers from the eye of Re, which is why identifications were also made with Sekhmet and Bastet. Memphis is striking as a later origin of Sopdet who was worshiped there in the Memphite form as Sekhmet.
"The Myth of the Heavenly Cow "
The myth describes the effect of the " Eye of Re", which could be theoretically taken from any other deity "on behalf " of the god Re. In practice, this allocation learned mostly only the wives or daughters of the sun god. As the " Lady of Heaven " took over, for example " Courage Hathor " automatically the mythological function "Eye of Re".
"
With the elevation to the " eye of the sun " united " mother Hathor " the properties of the lioness goddess Sekhmet in itself and symbolized in form of a lion as "Eye of Re" the uraeus of Re. The goddess Mut led already in the 11th Dynasty the nickname Weret Hekau what " magic kingdom " and refers to " the uraeus " and also refers to the eye of the sun.