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'God's Seen With A Upraised-Arm' Dons Notes In Red! The Following Is Archetype's
of Mans Ancient (Forms and or Pictures) of God! In
the depictions of mythological scenes on Near Eastern archaeological
monuments a number of 'archetypal images' are apparent. One of the most
intriguing of these is the 'God with the Upraised-Arm', “) Usual Depiction of Amen Ra”, a good
term to describe this is overlord, hand raised over.) This can be
found in scenes from Egypt, right through the fertile-crescent to Anatolia.
In Egypt it is apparent from the time of unification onwards, seen in
identical depictions that capture the pharaoh in the act of smiting his
enemies. This common image can be linked within a mythological context to the
contending of the gods Horus and Seth, with the king identified as Horus and
the enemy Seth. Further, it would also appear that the 'smiting pose' was
considered by the Egyptians to be visible as a constellation in their sky.
The constellation of Orion presents itself as the most convincing candidate,
although previous studies will have to be considered before accepting this
identification. If correct, this would suggest that some of Horus'
characteristics were due to the use of Orion as a seasonal marker. This
becomes even more apparent when we shift our gaze to other parts of the Near
East, where the 'God with the Upraised Arm' can be found in abundance. His
context remains the same: either as the adversary of chaos, or to bring order, the Mode; and/or all control of Life in the Universe,
or as the bringer of rain and fertility. The common depiction and
mythological treatment of this god across a range of cultures and
time-periods suggests that it must be have been based upon an important and
archetypal image. It is impossible to say for certain whether this image was
Orion; nonetheless, this identification provides a comprehensive explanation
for certain characteristics of the 'God with the Upraised Arm'. The Narmer
Palette (Figure 1) is often seen as a historical depiction of the unification
of Upper and Lower Egypt. The image of King Narmer, wearing the white crown
of the south and smiting an enemy commonly held to be a northerner, is often
cited as evidence that he was the unifier of the two lands (Grimal 1992, p.
37). This became a standard picture of the king throughout the history of
Egypt (see Figures 2 and 3), whether the king holds a mace, a spear or even a
bowstring in his right hand. Frankfort (1948, pp. 7-9) sees this as not only
a scene showing a decisive historical battle, but also as a representation of
the king as the divine ruler.
He asserts that the
real meaning of the scene is that the king's victory represents the
'reduction of chaos to order', an important pre-occupation with the ancient
Egyptians. Chaos assumed many forms: death, drought, invading enemies; these
were all seen as manifestations of Seth (Frankfort 1948, p. 183). It was the
king's job, as the earthly incarnation of Horus, to overpower Seth/chaos and
maintain the established order. This is obvious from ancient Egyptian texts.
For example, in the Cosmology of Abydos we find the following passage
describing the triumph of Horus over Seth: 'Dignity has been set in place,
honesty has been established through his laws, evil has departed, wickedness
is gone, the land is at peace under its lord' (Colless 1994, p. 23). If the
Narmer Palette scene were thus considered a symbolic representation of Horus
defeating Seth, we would expect to see similar representations explicitly
showing these gods battling. There is ample evidence of this and,
importantly, certain elements such as the 'upraised arm' seem to hold great
significance. At the Temple of
Edfu there is an abundance of imagery concerning the contending between Horus
and Seth. On approaching the temple one is immediately met by huge images on
the pylons of the king in 'smiting pose' in the presence of Horus (Figure 4).
Inside the temple is found the dramatic text 'The Triumph of Horus' with
associated scenes.
Figure 4 : Temple of Edfu - front pylons (Source:
Fairman 1974) Dated to
approximately 110 BCE, its antecedents would appear to be in feasts and texts
from the earliest dynasties (Fairman 1974, p. 34). The drama concerns the
harpooning of Seth by Horus (10 times, a symbolic detail which perhaps shares
a common origin with the 10 decapitated bodies on the Narmer Palette), after
which Horus is crowned the King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Fairman (1974, p.
32) points out that this was not just the re-enactment of myth, but also a
means by which the success of the king was ensured each year. Again, Horus is
depicted with his arm raised (Figure 5), this time harpooning Seth
(represented by a hippopotamus).
Figure 5 : Triumph of Horus - Horus harpooning
Seth (Source: Fairman 1974, p 109) That this pose is
not simply incidental is confirmed by the naming of Horus in the text as
'Him-with-the-upraised-arm' (Fairman 1974, pp. 106, 117). This was originally
the epithet of Min, the god of rain and fertility, for obvious reasons (see
Figure 6): he is pictured with an upraised arm holding what is thought to be
a thunderbolt. Horus and Min became increasingly identified as one and the
same during the Middle Kingdom, although Min was already associated with the
Pharaoh at least as early as the 4th Dynasty. On the verso of the Stela of
Sobek-iry is found the Hymn to Min, which includes the verse 'I worship Min,
I extol arm-raising Horus' (Lichtheim 1973, p. 204). The overall impression
is that the upraised arm of Min-Horus was considered to be a characteristic
pose of vital importance.
Figure 6 : Min (Source: Gray 1969) Another crucial
point to emerge from the 'Triumph of Horus' is that Horus was the 'Great God,
Lord of the Sky' (Fairman 1974, p. 90), a quote, which is followed by the
passage 'we grant strength to thine arm'. There are numerous other references
implying that Horus is to be looked for in the sky; for example 'the gods of
the sky are in terror of Horus' (Fairman 1974, p. 102). Significantly, Min in
pre-Dynastic times was a sky-god called the 'Chief of Heaven' (Arnold 1999).
This raises the question of whether the archetypal image has its origin in
the sky. A look at the astronomical ceilings of Senmut and Seti I confirms
this. On Senmut's ceiling (Figure 7) there is an almost identical depiction
of Horus as at Edfu, with the arm upraised in the act of harpooning Seth
(this time represented as the constellation Meskhetiu). There is also an
unidentified individual in the same pose amongst the group of constellations
at the lower part of the image, this time harpooning a crocodile (another
incarnation of Seth). He appears almost identically on the Seti I ceiling
(Figure 8). Thus the 'God with the Upraised Arm' can be considered a
constellation recognizable by the ancient Egyptians. The obvious question
therefore, is which one?
The outstanding candidate
to fit the description is the constellation of Orion (Figure 9), at the very
least on sheer resemblance. This constellation was well known to the
Egyptians, mentioned in the Pyramid Texts in connection with the stellar
destiny of the 'resurrected pharaoh'. For example, in Utterance 442 we find
'Lo, Osiris has come as Orion' (Lichtheim 1973, p. 45). That Osiris is seen
as Orion is not considered a problem to the thesis currently under
discussion; he was also thought to be incarnate in the Moon and the Nile, and
ancient Egyptian cosmologies often contain seemingly contradictory concepts
(Frankfort et al. 1946, p. 47).
Figure 9 : Orion Constellation (Source: Sidgwick
1951, p 159) Turning our
attention to Horus, we find evidence in Plutarch's Isis and Osiris (1927, p.
53) of a connection with Orion: 'the soul of Isis is called Sothis (Sirius),
the soul of Horus is called Orion, and the soul of Typhon (Seth) the Bear'.
Plutarch may be thought of as slightly unreliable in regards to the recording
of Egyptian culture, however, considering the correct attribution of Isis and
Seth to their respective constellations the conflation of Horus and Orion
should be taken seriously. More circumstantial is the story recorded on the
Metternich Stela in which the young Horus is stung by a scorpion, a
mythological motif suggesting the setting of Orion as Scorpius rises (Krupp
1991, p. 137). It should be taken into account as well that Horus was said to
have been placed upon the 'seat of his father Osiris', perhaps an indication
that they were both identified with Orion. One of the
arguments against this identification could well be that the constellations
on this section of the 'astronomical ceilings' are all supposed to be north
of the ecliptic (Parker 1974, p.60). It is pertinent to note that Parker
actually says 'we are reasonably sure they are all north of the ecliptic'.
Neugebauer (1957, p.89) names them as the northern constellations directly
after mentioning that 'artistic principles determined the arrangement of
astronomical ceiling decorations'. Also, in describing the northern
constellations on the Denderah Zodiac, Parker (1974, p. 63) mentions that
these are 'presumably all north of the ecliptic but none is depicted in the
usual group of northern constellations'. Interestingly Plutarch (1927, p. 93)
mentions that the Egyptians hold the lion in honour because the Nile
overflows when the sun comes into conjunction with Leo, which is on the
ecliptic (Leo and Sirius rise almost together in Egypt). This suggests that
the 'Lion' constellation on the astronomical ceilings may in fact be Leo
(contrary to current thought). Lastly, to illustrate that the Egyptian
conception of the sky was perhaps completely different to ours, consider the
following passage from a tomb at Luxor, describing the movements of the ship
of Re: 'Once the constellation of Masheti (Meskhetiu) has been passed, they
reach shelter in the centre of the sky on the side south of Sah-Orion, and
they turn towards the western horizon' (Zinner 1957, p. 28). From this
account of the east-west passage of the sun, the ancient Egyptians'
conception of the heavens appears to be more complex than usually thought.
Another argument against the Horus-Orion link may be that the figure with the
upraised arm is sometimes reversed, however, the same is true of the northern
constellation of the hippopotamus on the Denderah circular zodiac. Probably
the most difficult problem is that on the decanal list on the Senmut ceiling
Isis is illustrated with her arm upraised, the significance of which is not
clear. However, accepting a link between Horus and Orion has the strong point
of explaining the attributes of the god, especially once Orion's role as a
seasonal marker is understood. Using stars and
constellations as seasonal markers was commonplace in the ancient world. The
heliacal rising of Sirius in July was considered by the Romans to be the
reason for the sultry weather (Krupp 1991, p. 222). To the Egyptians this
same event signaled the beginning of the Nile flood and thus the New Year.
The heliacal rising of a star or constellation was seen as its resurrection
after being 'dead' for a period of time. This is due to the apparent motion
of the sun through different portions of the sky (a result of the actual
motion of the Earth around the sun). When the sun moved into the vicinity of
a certain star or constellation it would only be seen late in the west just
after the setting of the sun, and after a time would eventually 'disappear'
(when the sun was in direct conjunction with it). Once the sun moved further
still the star/constellation would then appear in the morning sky in the east
just before dawn: this was its heliacal rising. Sirius and Orion both 'died'
for approximately 70 days, which could well be the origin of the embalming
time for Egyptian mummies (Neugebauer 1957, p. 87). In the time of the
ancient Egyptians, Orion was 'dead' from around the spring equinox through to
mid-summer. Interestingly, Frankfort et al (1946, p. 35) note that in Egypt
the prevailing wind is from the north, which gives relief from the heat of
the sun and makes life much more comfortable. However, late spring (at the
time of Orion's 'death') was the season of hot dry winds bringing 'sandstorms
and a brittle heat out of Africa to the south'. It was from this period until
Sirius' heliacal rising that the Nile was at its lowest ebb also. Plutarch
(1927, pp. 93-99) states that Seth was considered the power of drought and
the south wind, while Horus was the north wind, the 'seasonal tempering of
the surrounding air'. He asserts that the story of their battles is actually
an allegory for the seasonal changes: so as Horus 'dies' in spring, Seth
gains the upper hand until the reappearance of the rightful king. Thus Orion,
connected with Horus, seems to have been used as a seasonal marker indicating
the return of 'orderly' weather. As Krupp (1979, p. 189) says, the 'apparent
connection between celestial and terrestrial phenomena greatly affected the
Egyptian view of the world'. This is just as evident when we turn our gaze to
other parts of the Near East. The 'God with the
Upraised Arm' was present in many cultures and across a wide timeframe in the
Near East. The gods Teshub, Adad, Baal and the unnamed Hittite weather god
(Figures 10 - 13) all had similar appearances and mythological contexts and
could be considered incarnations of this one god (Krupp 1997, p. 147). A
common motif in the depiction of all of these is the upraised arm wielding a
mace or lightning. Also sometimes present is a vertical object in the left
hand such as a spear or lightning, which has a parallel in the depictions of
the Egyptian pharaohs in their smiting pose (see Figure 2). The god is also
often presented as riding on two mountain gods, or some sort of animal
(another parallel with Horus standing upon the hippopotamus).
All of these characteristics are indicative of the
constellation Orion (see Figure 14 which is an Islamic depiction of Orion,
portrayed from outside the celestial globe, hence it is reversed), although
it far from proves the case. Treating the Ugaritic god Baal as representative
of this group of gods may prove illuminating however.
Figure 14 : Islamic Orion (Source: Santillana
& Von Dechend 1998) The myths
concerning Baal have two major themes, which are very similar to the mythic
themes surrounding Horus. The first is Baal's battle with Yamm, which
personifies the battle of order against chaos. The other is Baal's death at
the hand of Mot, and subsequent resurrection. This myth clearly suggests the
yearly cycle, and also that Baal may well be a constellation. In a direct
parallel to the Horus-Seth confrontation, Baal finds out that he is to be
swallowed by Mot, the god of death and drought. His descent suggests that he
is a sky-god: he is to be 'numbered with those who descend into the earth'
and set his face 'to go to the mountains where [the sun sets]' (Colless 1994,
pp. 166-167). Also, after his death Athtar (who is identified with Venus)
tries to take Baal's throne, but he cannot reach it (Gray 1969, p. 75). In
his absence 'Shapash (the Sun) the luminary of the gods glowed hot, the
heavens languished under the hand of Mot (drought)...the days passed into
months' (Colless 1994, p. 169), a clear indication of the heat of summer.
Baal's return heralds the return of the rain, for he was believed to be
manifest in the storms of late autumn and winter (Gray 1969, p. 81). While
acknowledging that cultivation was of the utmost importance to these early
civilizations, it is difficult to subscribe to the common opinion that this
is a 'vegetation myth' (Ringren 1973, p. 134). Certainly this is part of it,
but it encompasses more than this. For the result of the weather gods'
disappearance is not restricted to the suffering of vegetation; every aspect
of life is affected (Deighton 1982, p. 71). This indicates an allegory for
seasonal change. And the seasonal marker par excellence of the
Mediterranean was Orion. His heliacal rising indicated summer, and the time
of threshing; his evening appearance the approach of winter and its attendant
storms (Allen 1963, p.306). Even taking into account the precession of the
equinoxes, this attribute of Orion would have been reasonably constant for
the time period concerning ancient civilization in the Near East. The similarity in
depictions of this god across the Near East argues for its importance.
Deighton (1982, p. 29) mentions that 'certain types of scene are repeated
time and time again...the wealth of meaning which must have lain behind the
monuments...was so alive to those who produced them that they did not require
any explanatory notes'. Also the common mythological motifs: Baal goes into
the earth, the Hittite weather god is deemed to have withdrawn into a hole;
Horus' victory marks the return of the cooling north wind, Marduk's
vanquishing of Tiamat results in the 'bringing of rain and coolness' (Colless
1994, p. 102). The acceptance of this 'God with the Upraised Arm' as Orion,
and as seasonal marker, fits the pictorial and textual evidence well.
Needless to say, restricting any definition of these gods to one particular
manifestation is unwise. The significance of the ancient gods was manifold to
their respective cultures, the many aspects of Osiris being good evidence of
this. But the archetypal model upon which the 'God with the Upraised Arm' was
based is quite probably the constellation Orion, in both depiction and
'nature'. Describing these mythological concepts as agricultural in nature
only covers part of the territory, as agriculture depends upon the celestial
cycles. The importance of these cycles to ancient people cannot be
underestimated. It is a proven fact that they recognized significant
'markers' within this cycle, and it is only natural that one of most
important of these should be the constellation of Orion. To paraphrase Sir
James Frazer in The Golden Bough (1922, p. 506): in the course of our enquiry
it has, I trust, been made clear that there is another natural phenomenon to
which the conception of death and resurrection is as applicable as to the
agricultural cycle. This phenomenon is the yearly death and resurrection of
the constellation of Orion, as represented in the mythic themes concerning
the various incarnations of the 'God with the Upraised Arm'.
References Aldred, Cyril, 1965. Egypt to the End of the Old Kingdom. Thames and Hudson, London. Allen, Richard Hinckley, 1963. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover Publications, New York. Arnold, April 1999 'Min', Ancient Egypt: The Mythology, http://www.ixpres.com/netjert/min.htm. Colless, Brian, 1994. Hieroglyph and Cuneiform: Ancient religious writings. Deighton, Hilary J. 1982. The 'Weather-God' in Hittite Anatolia: An Examination of the Archaeological and Textual Sources. Biblical Archaeology Review, Oxford. Fairman, H. W. (ed.), 1974. The Triumph of Horus: An Ancient Egyptian Sacred Drama. B. T. Batsford Ltd, London. Frankfort, H. and H. A., Wilson, John A., Jacobsen, Thorkild, Irwin, William A., 1946. The Intellectual Adventure of Early Man. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Frankfort, H., 1948. Kingship and the Gods. University of Chicago Press, Chicago Frazer, Sir James George, 1922. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Abridged edition). Macmillan Press Ltd., London. Gray, John. 1969. Near Eastern Mythology. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., Sydney. Grimal, Nicolas, 1988. A History of Ancient Egypt, trans. Ian Shaw, Blackwell, Oxford. Guirand, Felix, 1996. The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, trans Richard Aldrington and Delano Ames, Chancellor Press, London. Krupp, E. C. 1979. In Search of Ancient Astronomies. Chatto and Windus, London. Krupp, E. C. 1991. Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars and Planets. Harper Collins, New York. Krupp, E. C. 1997. Skywatchers, Shamans and Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. Lichtheim, Miriam. 1973. Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdom. University of California Press, Los Angeles. Neugebauer, O. 1957. The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. Brown University Press, Providence, Rhode Island. Parker, Richard A., 'Ancient Egyptian Astronomy', in The Place of Astronomy in the Ancient World, ed. F. R. Hodson, Oxford University Press, London. Plutarch, 1927. Plutarch's Moralia, trans. Frank Cole Babbit, William Heinemann Ltd., London. Ringren, Helmer, 1973. Religions of the Ancient Near East, trans. John Sturdy, S.P.C.K, London. Sidgwick, J. B., 1951. Introducing Astronomy, Faber & Faber Ltd., London. Santillana, Georgio and Von Dechend, Hertha, 1969. Hamlet's Mill: An essay investigating the origins of human knowledge and its transmission through myth. David R. Godine, New Hampshire. Zinner, Ernst, 1957. The Stars Above Us. George Allen & Unwin, London. Text is copyright © 1999 to Greg Taylor. Published on the internet on 4th November 1999, at http://www.dailygrail.com/misc/private/index.html. Publiuslogic Links, Return to What is Ra? |
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