Fresh Batch #147: The Son, the Father, & the Croc
The Sun Killing the Circumpolar Stars
Lockyer wrote (Dawn. Astr. p. 139.), “Biot had no difficulty whatever in arriving at the conclusion that, precisely as in the case of the sphere of Eudoxus, a prior bone of contention, however true it might be that the circular zodiac had been sculptured in the time of the Roman emperors, still it certainly referred to a time far anterior; and he suggested that we have in it sculptures reproducing very old drawings, which had been made long before on parchment or on stone. He pointed out that in the condition of astronomy one would expect to be extant in ancient times, it was far easier to reproduce old drawings than to calculate back what the positions of the stars had been at some prior date, so that in his magnificent summing-up of the case in his last paper, he rested his scientific reputation on the statement that the sculptures of Denderah represent the celestial sphere on a plane round the north pole of the equator at a year not far removed from 700 BC. More than this, he stated that the time of the year was the time of the summer solstice, and the hour was midnight. He also showed that, calculating back what the position of the stars would have been at midnight on the 20th of June (Gregorian), 700 BC, the constellations, and even many of the separate stars shown in the medallion, would occupy exactly the places they did occupy in the projection employed.
“Let us then, for the moment, assume this to be true. What does it tell us? That 700 years BC in Egypt the solstice was recognised; a means of determining the instant of midnight with more or less precision was known; observations of the stars were regularly made; the risings of some of them were associated with the rising of the sun, and many of them had been collected into groups or constellations.”
I don’t have a position on this matter at the moment because they are ideas that beg the question. But these ideas suggest that the summer solstice was no longer the reckoning point, but of the spring equinox dating around 3285 BC. This is based on calculation, a continuous archive of records. The Egyptologists supposed that the table at the Ramesseum references the Bull, the Lion, and the Scorpion, and that it indicated that, at that time, the star Sirius rose heliacally at the beginning of the Nile-rise. I would not be as skeptical of this were it not for issues with translating any of these hieroglyphs, which are Greek-based, a language and alphabetical system that cannot be demonstrated to exist during these chronological periods. But I do appreciate the efforts made by these people, if they were sincere. I’m not claiming that these things are forgeries, but I suspect they’re not as old as they’ve been pretended to be. I could be wrong. I do my best to establish facts and form conclusions.
Lockyer wrote (Ib. p. 148.), “Naville rightly pointed out how vital the study of mythology becomes with regard to the advancement of any kind of knowledge of the thoughts and actions of the ancient Egyptians. Mythology, as Bunsen said, is one of the poles of the existence of every nation; hence it will be well not to neglect the opportunity thus afforded of studying the astronomical basis of one of the best-known myths.”
I agree with this. However, the lack of ancient inscriptions make deciphering this system in full an impossible task, especially because the ancient languages of Italy, where much of this originates, are untranslatable due to their alienness to the rest of the world’s languages. The researcher is usually seduced into applying their knowledge of modern astrology, which is advanced, to their findings in the ancient world, rather than allowing the findings to reveal what they are.
It is generally accepted that Horus and Set are archetypes of the sun near the horizon toward the beginning and end of the day respectively. The Greek equivalent to Set is Typhon, so be mindful of that detail when I refer to Typhon.
I wrote in A Godsacre for Winds of the Soul, “רעה (roh) is an active participle meaning he or she who feeds, pastures, grazes, or tends, and has a unique root (רע) that has opposite meanings depending on context. As a masculine noun, it means evil. But it also means friend (רע). So when combined with Phre, roh becomes Pharaoh, or friend of the Sun, or God, but also one who pastures or feeds on behalf of God, a mediator or custodian. Now, if Phre be no part of Pharaoh, and Egypt is a product of Rome (as I suspect), then far, as in faro, could make Pharaoh mean the He who feeds grain. רע is also Rj or Raj, which will be king, hence Rajahpout (Royal Buddha) being sun-king, so Pharaoh would also be sun-king.”
Also, given that ruach, or spirit, looks like ruh (רוח), and the interchangeability of U and O, ruh could be roh or raoh, which could also indicate that Pharaoh is the Spirit of the Sun. Lockyer thought the following artwork from a Theban tomb depicted the sun rising and blotting out the circumpolar constellations.
This is guesswork that should not be considered anything else, but I think it’s worthy of showing you how people interpret these things, so that you don’t accept anything as fact without the demonstration of facts. Regarding the above astronomical ceiling, Lockyer wrote (Ib. p. 151.), “The astronomical explanation of this myth is, I think, very clear. The inscriptions relating to one of the very earliest of the illustrations refers to Horus, ‘the great god, the light of the heavens, the lord of Edfû, the bright ray which appears on the horizon.’ The myth, therefore, I take it, simply means that the rising sun destroys the circumpolar stars. These stars are represented in the earliest forms of the myth either by the crocodile or the hippopotamus; of course they disappeared (or were killed) at sunrise. Horus, the bright ray on the horizon, is victorious by destroying the crocodile and the hippopotamus, which represent the powers of darkness.
“This is a general statement. I should not make it if I could not go a little further. There is an astronomical test of its validity, to which I must call attention. The effect of precession is extremely striking on the constellations near the pole, for the reason that the pole is constantly changing, and the changes in the apparent position of the stars there soon become very obvious. The stars in Draco were circumpolar, and could, therefore, have been destroyed (or rendered invisible), as the hippopotami were destroyed in the myth by the rising sun, about 5000 years BC; and be it noted that at that time there was only one star in the Great Bear (or the Thigh) which was circumpolar. But at 2000 years BC the stars in Ursa Major were the circumpolar ones, and the chief stars in the constellation Draco, which formed the ancient constellation of the Hippopotamus, rose and set; so that, if there is anything at all in the explanation of the myth which I have given, and if there is anything at all in the idea that the myth is very ancient and refers to the time when the constellation of the Hippopotamus was really circumpolar—a time 7000 years ago—we ought to find that as the myth existed in more recent times, we should no longer be dealing with Draco or the Hippopotamus, because Draco was no longer circumpolar.
“As a matter of fact, in later times we get Horus destroying no longer the Hippopotamus or the Crocodile, but the Thigh of Set; and as I have said, 2000 years BC the Thigh occupied exactly the same position in the heavens with regard to the pole as the Hippopotamus or the Crocodile did 3000 years before.
“Thus, I think, we may claim that this myth is astronomical from top to bottom; it is as old as, and probably rather older than, Naville thought, because it must certainly have originated in a period somewhere about 5000 years BC, otherwise the constellation of the Hippopotamus would not have figured in it.
“The various illustrations of Horus on the crocodiles are a reference to the myth we have just discussed.
“It is easy to understand that if the myth were astronomical in origin there was no reason why it should be limited to Horus representing the rising sun; we accordingly find it extended to the god Ptah.
“But although I hold that the astronomical meaning of the myth is that the rising sun kills the circumpolar stars, I do not think that is the last word. A conflict is suggested between a people who worship the rising sun and another who worship the circumpolar stars. I shall show in the sequel that there is an astronomical suggestion of the existence of two such distinct races, and that the companions of the sun-god of Edfû must probably be distinguished from the northern Hor-shesu.”
I wrote in July’s End with Black Swans, “The symbolism opposite of light brings us to the crocodile. This symbol was dedicated to Typhon. It represented wickedness and malice, as well as darkness according to some. Its tail represented the west where the sun dies in darkness, but its eyes represented the east. It was also a symbol of fertility or fecundity. This is connected to the other symbol of intellectual and spiritual darkness, the ass or donkey, which is also ascribed to Typhon. That’s why ignorant and foolish people are referred to as asses, dumbasses, or asshats. The first asshat or butthead was Typhon.”
Before we dive into the thigh of Set, or the thigh of Pythagoras, let me offer some speculation. Long ago, the year was divided into three seasons: spring, summer, and winter. This is present in somewhat recent mythology. Refer to the Spirit Whirled series for clarification. Autumn, or fall, was included in summer. I think most of my audience has seen the meme of the gammadion (swastika) being claimed to represent the Big Dipper, or the Thigh, at different parts of the year.
According to Lockyer’s claim, the Thigh (Big Dipper) occupied the pole 2000 years BC. The following artifact using gammadions predates what any other culture thus far can produce, should it be authentic. I have not come across evidence (in the Etruscan records) that indicates the gammadion (swastika) represents the Thigh, or Great Bear, circling around the pole star. The pattern is not quite the same, but it is a convenient and useful pattern, even if it wasn’t the original intent of the symbol.
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