Egyptian religious poetry

18 EGYPTIAN RELIGIOUS POETRY

So-and-so. The word has been translated in many ways, but the exact meaning is unknown.

Ka-mes. “Child of the Bull’ A king of whom there are few remains. He took part in driving out the Hyksos.

Khepri. “The Existent One.” The self-existent god, who gives life to the dead Sun and revivifies all nature. Represented as the scarab.

Kheri-aha. The traditional site of the fighting between Setekh and Horus.

Lady of Life. The serpent on the king’s head, emblematic of sovereignty. Also placed on the Sun’s disc.

Letopolis (Eg. Sekhem). Human sacrifice was a regular part of the ritual at this temple.

Manu. The hill of the Sunset.

Maot. The goddess of Truth, Justice and Righteousness, a daughter of the Sun-god. Represented as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. The fillet round her hair is perhaps the origin of the classical representation of Justice with bandaged eyes. Her name occurs in the throne-names of many Pharaohs.

Menes (Nar-mer). The first historic King of Egypt. He united Upper and Lower Egypt and brought the whole land under one rule. He founded Memphis (Eg. Men-nefer) by turning the course of the Nile and so reclaiming much land.

Mentu (Gr. Month). The God of War.

Mer-en-Ptah. “Beloved of Ptah.” A king of the xixth dynasty, son of Rameses II. He drove out all the foreigners who had settled in the Delta, among whom (if the chronology is correct) were the children of Israel.

Mut. “ Mother.” The chief goddess of Thebes. The personification of the crown of Upper Egypt (the White Crown).