Birth of Kemet's Ennead
At a time when the universe was nothing but dark, endless waters, where nothing could be seen and nothing else existed, the primordial mound—the first mountain, the hill of chaos—rose from the waters of Nun. From it emerged the god Ra.
Ra was the very beginning of creation—the dawn of the first day, the first ray of sunlight to touch the world, and the fertile land of Kemet.
As time passed, Ra began to shape his world—his family, his kingdom, and, above all else, his children.
Ra’s eldest son was the god Shu, the wisest and calmest of his children. He was the god of air and the bearer of the sky. Ra loved Shu because he spoke little, which meant he argued little. That also meant there were fewer objections from Shu.
Then, some time later, he created his first daughter, Tefnut, the goddess of fertility. As soon as the earth and mankind were created, she immediately became the favorite of the Egyptians, for they depended on air and fertility, so they loved both her and Shu.
Tefnut was not only loved by the Egyptians. Her heart and beauty did not go unnoticed by Shu. He was captivated by her, her intelligence, and her beauty, and he asked Ra to let him have this chance. Since the world of the gods was in need of growth and multiplication, Ra did not object to Shu’s relationship with Tefnut.
Ra was not going to create only life and fertility. The world also needed balance, strength, and wrath. This was where his second daughter, Sekhmet, appeared. She was the goddess of chaos and wrath. She brought disaster, and she ended it. That was exactly what Ra wanted. She was to be his eyes below, among Kemet in the world of mankind: to spread disease among the people, and then for him to be the one who had sent her to heal them as well, so that he would appear as the true hero and the first and last protector of the land of Kemet.
After Ra had stopped creating children, certain things happened that had not been expected. Although the Egyptians worshipped him exactly as he had wanted, there was still a small amount of rebellion against him among humans, and that was not what he wanted at all. So he sent Sekhmet to punish them and bring them harm. And who would dare object? Shu could only watch, feeling as though he did not know what to do. He was not accustomed to stand against his father or object to his rule and his judgment over humans.
But even so, the real objection came from his first daughter.
Tefnut entered the hall that had been built as a place where the gods would meet and discuss matters. She stopped before the massive throne adorned with gold, where Ra sat. His black hair draped over the throne, reaching all the way to the floor. A faint laugh escaped him, barely more than a chuckle, as though he already knew why Tefnut was here.
She looked at him with an angry glare and said sharply, “I see you’re pleased with what Sekhmet has done to the humans?”
“Very pleased,” he said calmly as he looked at her, resting his hand on his chin....Still filled with anger, she stepped closer to him and spoke in a voice loud enough to echo through the hall. It made Shu arrive at the sound of her raised voice, and he asked in his steady voice, “What’s going on?”
“How will you win back the Egyptians’ trust and love if they find out that you are behind their punishment, not Sekhmet?” Tefnut said...“Why don’t you stop objecting and join your sister, Tefnut?” He stood and walked toward her calmly, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I am not punishing them because I believe humanity should be wiped out. I am punishing them because they rebelled against me and questioned my existence.”
“You could have punished only those who rebelled, but instead you keep Kemet in a state of mourning and grief because of the loss of children and loved ones. These people are innocent!” Tefnut shouted at Ra angrily.. Shu gently took hold of her and whispered, “Calm down.”
“No, I won’t calm down.” She forcefully shook his hand off and looked at Ra, who did not even flinch in the face of her furious outburst.“Evil spreads and reaches everyone, while good reaches only a few. Do you want all the Egyptians to rebel against us?”Ra said.
Without answering him, Tefnut stepped away from Ra and Shu and quickly left the great hall. As she walked out, she was met by Sekhmet. Sekhmet gave her that irritating smile, then let Tefnut walk away.
But on that morning, no one knew that Tefnut would disappear and leave, departing Kemet entirely. At that point, Kemet suffered not only from the disease and suffering caused by Sekhmet, but also from drought and poor harvests because of Tefnut’s departure. Shu’s presence alone was no longer enough for them.
Ra felt more surprise than regret. What was Tefnut thinking? Did she even realize the harm her disappearance had caused? So he ordered Sekhmet to stop, heal the sick, and cease the killing.
Shu’s situation was difficult. He was worried about Tefnut and had no idea where to look for her. He was also worried about the humans. He went to his father and seriously asked him to search for Tefnut and bring her back to Kemet, because the situation among the humans was becoming catastrophic. It could lead to their deaths from starvation, since they depended entirely on agriculture, which had now become impossible with the loss of rain and fertility and the coming of drought.
When the search for Tefnut began and Ra knew that she was now wandering freely in the land of Kush among the humans and gods there, he decided to send Shu to her. He knew that the love between them might have an effect on her and help convince her to return to Kemet.
Shu traveled to Kush in search of his beloved, hoping to convince her to return. However, tracking her became difficult, so he began introducing himself to the gods and humans there in order to gain their information. He was welcomed warmly, especially by the humans, who told him that nothing unusual had happened except for the appearance of a beautiful lioness that would sometimes run back and forth from the nearby desert.
When he went to the desert, Tefnut immediately sensed his presence and met him in her human form. He did not hesitate for a moment to take her into his arms in a warm and loving embrace, kissing the top of her head.
“Shu... why are you here?” she asked in a calm voice. She did not push him away. She did not hate him, and he had never hurt her in any way. She truly loved him, but she had already reached the greatest point of her anger in her lioness form.
He looked at her face, then gently held it between his hands. “To take you back with me to Kemet.”
She refused him, moving his hands away from her face. “I will not return. You can simply go back there and leave me.”
He sighed in frustration and leaned his head toward her. “Please, you cannot leave me like this, Tefnut. Do you know how much my heart longed to know whether you were safe or not?”
“Now you know that I am fine. Go back. I will not return there ever again, so do not try.” She said harshly as she transformed once again into a lioness.
“Please, wait. You can return and settle things with Ra. I am certain that, in some way, he regrets what he did. Besides, he has stopped the killing of the Egyptians.”But she did not answer him. She began running away, leaving Shu to return to Kemet empty-handed.
Ra was deeply angered. How could Shu have failed to convince her to return? This left him in a state of tension. The humans had begun praying and calling out to the gods for help, but how would the gods now explain their inability to restore order, life, and fertility?
During a gathering of some of Ra’s servants, in the presence of Sekhmet and Shu, one of the human priests present spoke:“Why don’t we send a message to the gods of Khemnu and ask them for help?” Shu looked at the priest with interest and asked, “How would the gods of Khemnu help? What kind of assistance could they possibly offer?”
“The god Thoth may find a way to convince her to return to Kemet and restore fertility to the land.”Ra looked at him and gestured with his hand in agreement.“Yes. Bring Thoth to Iunu so we can discuss the matter with him.”
To be continue...
