The Ancient Egyptians had
many different ways of trying to obtain a divine intervention in their
lives, or to try to take a glance at the perils or fortunes the future
might have in store for them.
Friday the 13th:
Similar to Friday the 13th in western
culture, the Ancient Egyptians had several days per year that were
considered unlucky. On such days, it was best not to undertake journeys,
or to attempt to harvest. Other days, however, were particularly
benevolent.
This calendar may in part
have been based on some sort of experience. For instance, the last days
of the year, just preceding the annual flooding of the Nile, were
considered dangerous and unlucky days, because of the hot weather and
the many insects that caused sickness or even death.
Tall Tales #1: Dreams
were another way to try to predict the future or to solve a problem.
In a story about Khaemwaset, one of the sons of the
great king Ramesses II, it is told that
the hero’s wife was unable to get pregnant and bear children. During a
dream, however, the desperate woman is visited by the gods who tell her
which potions and herbs to use to cure her problem. And indeed, after
she follows the divine advice, she gets pregnant and bears her husband a
son!
Tall Tales #2: Legend
has it that one could actively invoke the intervention of one or more
gods. In the archives of Deir el-Medina, the village of the craftsmen
who built the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, a particularly
interesting account of a theft has been found.
One day, one of the craftsmen
found that a little statuette was missing from his house and he informed
the local authorities. The resulting investigations, however, were
unable to find the missing statue, so the man turned to the god Amun and
asked him to reveal the identity of the thief. The statue of the god was
then taken into procession through the village. Before each door, the
statue was asked whether the thief resided in that house.
Suddenly, before the door of
one house, the divine statue moved, as if it were nodding, thus
indicating where the culprit was to be found. The accused man at first
denied any involvement in the theft and asked another god to prove his
innocence. But instead of proving the alleged thief’s innocence, this
god too confirmed his guilt.
In the end, the man indicated
by the gods was found guilty, the stolen object found, and finally
returned. This thief was lucky, though, for the gods normally punish
hard those who invoke their names falsely!
Tall Tales #3:
One of the many texts I read when I was still a student, was found
on a stela dated to the Ramesside era. It was written for a man who
describes himself as an outcast, living "like a dog in a
temple", because he falsely swore an oath in the name of the god
Ptah. The text ends with a warning to all those who read the text to
take guard of the gods and to never swear any false oaths using their
name.
So beware, you all,
not to invoke the wrath of the gods by using their names with less than
honourable intent!
