house of the two gods

Court of Amen 29

 

Ra-Atum (Tem, Temu) is a composite ram-headed God by the era of 
Seti 1st (circa 1300 B.C.), and was said to traverse the waterways of the 
netherworld in a ship called the "night bark." His crew included Ma'at 
(truth and order), Sia the lookout on the prow (perception or 
intelligence), Heka (the personification of 'magic'), Hu (the god 
of 'authorative utterance'), and the divine bodyguard, the serpent 
Mehen. See discussion of the various Game Texts in Zenet One.

On the senet board, the separate images of Atum and Ra on their 
square evokes the identity of the two aspects of the sun, the God who 
passes from old age and death at sunset to new life and 
eventual rebirth as he approaches the eastern horizon through the 
underworld, gaining strength and power through his victories. 

By playing ritual Zenet, we have our Solar and Lunar cycles reconciled.

The eye of Ra-Atum, mentioned above, is the mythological symbol for
the sun. At one point, Shu and Tefnut, twin children of Ra-Atum,
were separated from him. He sent his eye to find them. While the eye
was searching, Ra-Atum replaced the eye with another. When the eye
returned with Shu and Tefnut, Ra-Atum wept with joy, and the tears
created humankind. However, the eye was enraged at having been
replaced. Ra-Atum placed the eye on his forehead so that the eye
could rule the world; thus becoming associated with the sun. The
second eye is associated with the moon.

 

SPELL TO BECOME A MAGICIAN

O you who are in the presence of the nobles of Atum
Behold, I have come to you, respect me in proportion to what you know.

I am he whom the Sole Lord made
Before there came into being the two meals on earth,
When he sent his Sole Eye when he was alone,
Being what came forth from his mouth;
When his myriads of spirits were the protection of his companions,
When he spoke with Khepri, with him,
That he might be more powerful than he;
When he took authoritative utterance upon his mouth.

I am indeed the son of Her who bore Atum,
I am the protection of what the Sole Lord commanded,
I am he who caused the Ennead to live,
I am 'If-he-wishes-he-does',
The father of the gods.

The standard is high,
The gods are endowed in accordance with what the eldest god commanded,
In accordance with the command of Her who bore Atum,
The august god who speaks and eats with his mouth.

I have kept silence, I have bowed down,
I have come shod into the presence of the Bulls of the Sky,
I have seated myself in the presence of the Bulls of the Sky,
In this my dignity of 'Greatest of the owners of doubles',
The heir of Atum.

I have come that I may take possession of my throne
And that I may receive my dignity,
For to me belonged all before you had come into being,
You gods; go down and come upon the hinder parts,
For [insert name] is a noble magician.

CT Spell 261. Middle Kingdom. After Faulkner.
 

Another mythological symbol associated with the Creation Myth is the
Phoenix. The Phoenix was said to travel from Arabia to Heliopolis
once every five hundred years. The cycles of time were said to be
set by the Phoenix, also known as the Benu bird, and the temple of
the Phoenix became the "centre of calendrical regulation (Clark,
1960)." During the Middle Kingdom, it became the soul of Osiris and
it was also at this time that it became associated with the planet
Venus, the morning star, which was said to be the sun's guide. All
of the above representations were minor associations, however. The
Phoenix's main role was as the one who created himself, thus
symbolizing Ra-Atum.


Atum, the bearded man wearing the double-crown, was the primeval
creator god of the universe and ancestor of the gods, who as "the aged
one" was seen as the dying sun at sunset.

Re, Rah or Ra, who became the preeminent solar deity, was seen as the
vigorous sun at the zenith of its strength at mid-day. He has a falcon
head, and sailed the heavens in his day-bark, his name literally
meaning 'rays' or the sun. 

As the composite God, Ra-Atum, it was thought he also traversed the
waterways of the Netherworld in the night-bark. Alongside hime were
Ma'at (truth), Sia, the look-out on the prow personifying
'perception', Heka, personification of magickal energy, Hu, god of
'authorative utterance', and the divine bodyguard, Mehen (patron God of
Senet, protector of Ra).
++

And as for the holy door, it is the door of the pillars of Shu
I have gone on the way; I knew the head of the Island of Truth. What
then is this? As for Rah-Stau, it is the southern door of the Land
where Nothing Grows, and the northern door of the tomb. 

And as for the the Island of Truth, it is Abydos; otherwise said, it
is the way, it is the going of his father Atum upon it when he
journeys to the Field of Reeds, where the food of the Gods is produced
behind the shrines. 

And as for the holy door, it is the door of the pillars of Shu; it is
the northern gate of the underworld; otherwise said, the two leaves of
the door though which Atum journeyed when he journeyed [to] the
eastern horizon of heaven.

You who are in the presence there, give me your arms; I am that God
who came into being among you. What then is this? It is the blood
which comes forth from the phallus of Rah after he went away to
perform the mutilation of himself. And it became as Gods in the
following of Rah, Hu and Sia who are in the following of Atum every
day. BD Chapter 17
++
 

The Pyramid texts predate New Kingdom Senet, but the Two Sisters theme is continued, albeit with Theban era sisters, Mut and Edjo. Square 29, House of the Two Gods, does not always (although usually) depict Rah and Atum.  Some New Kingdom sets mention the "Two Sisters" refering to this square, Isis and Nephthys. More than one set depicts these two. Pyramid Texts (after S. Mercer's translation) Ut. 619

Utterance 619.

1747a. To say: Raise thyself up, N.; raise thyself up, great nwȝ;

1747b. raise thyself up from (lit. on) thy left side, place thyself on thy right side.

1748a. Wash thy hands with this fresh water which I have given thee, my (lit. thy) father Osiris.

1748b. I have tilled the barley; I have reaped the spelt,

1748c. with which I made (an offering) for thy feasts, which the First of the Westerners offered for thee.

1749a. Thy face is like that of a jackal; thy heart is like that of, Ḳbḥ.t, thy seat is like that of a broad-hall.

1749b. A stairway to heaven is built (for thee), that thou mayest ascend.

1750a. Thou judgest between the two great gods,

1750b. who support the Two Enneads.

1750c. Isis weeps for thee; Nephthys calls thee;

1751a. as for ’Imt.t she sits at the feet of thy throne.

1751b. Thou seizest thy two oars

1751c. of which one is of pine, the other of id;

1752a. thou ferriest over the lake of thy house, the sea;

1752b. and thou avengest thyself against him who did this against thee.

1752c. O, Ho, may the great lake protect thee!

The Zenet player is exhorted to associate with and unite with the two.
The lamentations of Isis and Nephthys are specific to the ressurection
of Osiris, and House 29 is a prelude to House 30, the Eye of Horus,
with its inscription "May your joy be with Horus."