Vanessa remembered walking through the Egyptian galleries with Mr. Khoury. Dr. Lyle had introduced them after saying he had prior engagements and Mr. Anthony Khoury could answer her questions.
He was a very charming young man, very English in speech and manner. He even looked almost English, with brown hair and green eyes. The difference was his skin tone. His skin was a warm golden shade rather than the cool shade of olive skin. He looked very tanned, but Vanessa knew it was a tan that would never fade.
"I wanted to ask about Egyptian goddesses. Well, one in particular, Sekhmet."
Vanessa and he stopped in front of a statue of a lion-headed woman. Mr. Khoury said, "This is Sekhmet, sometimes know as the 'Lady of Terror' but also known as the 'Lady of Life.' She was an Egyptian goddess of war, which may have accounted for her other titles, 'Lady of Pestilence' and the 'Red Lady.' It was also thought that she could send plagues against those who angered her. That noted, the Lady Sekhmet could cure disease and avert plagues. She was also the patron of physicians and healers. Her priests enjoyed the reputation of being skilled doctors."
"It seems that she had quite the dual nature. Although, as war goddess it might be useful to have priests skilled in healing to see to your wounded." Vanessa continued, "Is the 'Eye of Ra' one of her aspects?"
"Yes, it is. How do you come to know of it, Miss Ives?"
"I must've read it in a book. Or perhaps, overhead it in conversation between Dr. Lyle and Sir Malcolm. I really no nothing other than the title."
"The 'Eye of Ra' to the Egyptians functioned as a feminine counterpart to Ra. She was perceived as violent force that subdues the enemies of Ra. The 'Eye' behaves as her own entity even though she works as extension of Ra's power. She is a daughter of Ra, personified by several Egyptian goddesses."
"There were others besides Sekhmet?"
"Yes, most notably Sekhmet and Hathor, but Wadjet, Baast, and Mut, as well. In the mytha, Ra became angry at the 'Cattle of Ra', which is how the Egyptians referred to mankind. He was angry because they weren't following his laws and preserving Ma'at . . ."
"Mr. Khoury, what is Ma'at?
He smiled, "Ma'at is justice. No, it's more than that, it is the balance of things. Mankind was out of balance and needed a correction to bring them to justice. He decided to send an aspect of his daughter, the 'Eye of Ra'. He plucked the 'Eye of Ra' from According to myth, Ra became angry because mankind was not following his laws and preserving Ma'at (justice or balance). He decided to punish mankind by sending an aspect of his daughter, the 'Eye of Ra'. He plucked the 'Eye' from his brow and sent her, in the form of a lion, to earth.
She was Sekhmet and proceeded to rampage across the land, which ran red with human blood.
There was mass carnage and Ra ordered her to stop — but she could not. She was deep in a blood lust that couldn't be slaked. Ra wasn't cruel and it hurt him to see his 'Cattle' suffer so. He poured 7,000 jugs of beer stained with pomegranate juice in her sight. Sekhmet became so drunk drinking the 'blood' that she slept for three days. Humanity was saved. When Sekhmet finally awoke, free of her blood lust, the first thing she saw was the god, Ptah, sacred to craftsmen and architects, with whom she instantly fell in love. It was a union of creation and destruction and thus re-established Ma'at."
"And thus humanity was saved," Vanessa commented. "Did the divine union of Sekhmet and Ptah produce offspring?"
"Yes, Nerfertem, he protective deity of the perfumers. The three of them, Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertem formed the Triad of Memphis. When in the form of a leonine god . . .
"His mother was a lioness," noted Vanessa.
"At least, lion-headed, Miss Ives. In leonine form Nefetem was named as a protector of the two lands. He was also depicted as a beautiful young man wearing a lotus blossom on his head. Rise like Nefertem from the blue water lily, to the nostrils of Ra, and come forth upon the horizon each day. He represented the scent of the blue lotus and the earliest sunlight.
In an earlier inaction of the god, Nefertem was the was born from a blue lotus bud which emerged from the dark primordial waters the beginning of creation. He represented the sunrise. He cried because he was alone and his tears created humanity. It was thought that he was born with every sunrise, then at the end of the day he passed into the world of the dead every sunset, to be reborn again."
"Would I be right in assessing that that is one of several Egyptian creation stories?"
"You would be, Miss Ives, regional gods and their myths were combined. There was also a political component to their religion, as well. The rise of powerful priesthoods and cult centers combined with any particular dynasty resulted in the dominant positions of certain gods. There were also changes such as the combining of Amun and Ra into Amun-Ra. There were others, the lion goddess of Lower Egypt, Baast, became the cat goddess. She could still be quite fierce. It was said that a pharaoh was said to have slaughtered the enemy as Baast slaughtered her victims."
"So, the Egyptians seemed to be admirers of all things feline, including the capricious feline nature."
Mr. Khoury smiled, "Lions were identified with the sun. Ra was a sun god. The Egyptians believed he died in the west everyday, then descend through the underworld, to be born again the next morning in the east. Through the night Ra was in great danger as his enemies, lead by Apophis, the great serpent, were eager to attack him. Lions, and cats, have eyes that reflect in darkness. They would look into the setting sun and keep its rays in their eyes. The lions would go out and kill the serpents in the night. Thus, the universe was saved."
"Noble cats, indeed," Vanessa replied dryly. "May I ask a question about yourself, Mr. Khoury?"
"I have no objection, Miss Ives."
"Your name, Anthony Khoury, indicates that you are, most likely, a Christian. Are you a Copt?"
"I was. I left Egypt when I was seven to attend school in Britain. Since then I have always attended the Church of England. I am, most assuredly, quite English in my habits and outlook."
"Don't you miss your family in Egypt."
"I have no family, only a benefactor."
"That sounds almost romantic, like something from a novel."
"Not quite, dear lady. It is much less romantic when it's actually one's life."
