Egyptian religious poetry

INTRODUCTION 35

and sister. A conquest, however, had a different effect on the deities, for it meant the imposing of the god of the conquerors on the vanquished population. The clash of two religions often gave interesting results. A good historical example is seen in the attempt of the Hebrew invaders to force their tribal god on the reluctant Canaanites. The conquerors formed the aristocracy of the country and worshipped their own god, despising the local deities and persecuting their worshippers. The conquered population remained faithful to their old gods for many centuries, but as they were illiterate the only records that survive were made by the annalists of the conquering religion. This is true of all countries where a new religion is enforced, the old religion is driven underground, but influences the new both in beliefs and ritual. The old rites, with perhaps a new legend to explain them, are incorporated into the religion of the conquerors, and a compound religion emerges. Very often, however, the god of the old religion is gradually dethroned from his high position as the Creator and Giver of all good things, and becomes the Principle of Evil, the great Enemy of the god of the conquerors, who in his turn is now the Creator and Giver of all good things. In short, “ the God of the old religion becomes the Devil of the new”’. This was markedly the case in Egypt ; Setekh, at one time the great Creator and Ruler of the world, became the Wicked One, the Enemy of Osiris, the Good Being ; Osiris in his turn became to the Christian Amente the Devil. The fusion of several races with their varying beliefs gave rise not only to a plurality of gods but also to various rituals, which in their turn affected the beliefs. This is markedly the case in the relation of Osiris and Horus with the King. In the earliest periods the Delta seems to have been the leader in civilization. The deities of Lower (Northern) Egypt were the cobra-goddess Wazt and the falcon-god Horus. These retained their suprem-