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30-686: The Metternich Stela is a magico-medical Horus on the Crocodiles stele that is part of the Egyptian collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City . It dates to the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt around 380–342 B.C. during the reign of Nectanebo II . The provenance of the stele is unknown. The stela belongs to a group of stelae known as the "Cippi of Horus " or 'Stelae of Horus on
60-522: A child ( Harpocrates ) standing on two crocodiles and holding other dangerous animals such as snakes and scorpions . In older specimens, the head of the protective god Bes is depicted above the child's figure, protruding from the body of the cippus , which later became part of the frame. The stelae contain Egyptian hieroglyphs with mythological and magical texts recited in the treatment of diseases and for protection against stings or bites. This portrayal
90-566: A large block of stone. There the stela was created and stood for many years until Alexander the Great conquered the Persians in Egypt and it was brought to Alexandria . For over two thousand years, the stela was missing until it was discovered in a wall that was excavated in a Franciscan monastery . The stela was then presented to Austrian statesman, Prince Metternich in 1828 by Muhammad Ali Pasha ,
120-429: A serpent, and on her left is the standard of the vulture goddess Nekhbet , patron of the south. On the far right is again the god Thoth standing on a serpent and on his right is the standard of the serpent goddess Wadjet , patron of the north. Above the gods are the eyes of Horus, the sun and the moon. The rest of the stela is covered with hieroglyphs from top to bottom and also on both sides. These hieroglyphs document
150-474: A snake 120 yards long." But Apep was commonly believed to have existed from the beginning of time in the waters of Nu of primeval chaos. Tales of Apep's battles against Re were elaborated during the New Kingdom . Storytellers said that every day Apep must lie below the horizon and not persist in the mortal kingdom. This appropriately made him a part of the underworld . In some stories, Apep waited for Re in
180-431: A solar deity, who is invisibly hunting in a big rowing vessel. The snake on the inside rim is believed to be Apep. The few descriptions of Apep's origin in myth usually demonstrate that it was born after Re, usually from his umbilical cord . Geraldine Pinch claims that a much later creation myth explained that, "Apophis sprang from the saliva of the goddess Neith when she was still in the primeval waters. Her spit became
210-514: A western mountain called Manu , where the sun set, and in others, Apep lurked just before dawn, in the Tenth region of the Night . The wide range of Apep's possible locations gained him the title World-Encircler . It was thought that his terrifying roar would cause the underworld to rumble. Myths sometimes say that Apep was trapped there, because he had been the previous chief god overthrown by Re, or because he
240-474: Is the ancient Egyptian deity who embodied darkness and disorder , and was thus the opponent of light and Maat (order/ truth ). Ra was the bringer of light and hence the biggest opposer of Apep. Because Ra was the solar deity , bringer of light, and thus the upholder of Maat, Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra , and also "the Lord of Chaos". "The Lord of Chaos"
270-434: Is the face of the god Bes , who is the guardian of the newborn and childbirth. Horus is holding in each hand a serpent and scorpion, along with a lion and oryx in either hand. On the near left of Horus is the god Ra-Horakhty, which is the combination of the two sky gods Horus and Ra, standing on a serpent, and surrounding both of them are two divine symbols. On the far left of the relief is Horus's mother Isis standing upon
300-483: Is the story of Isis and the Seven Scorpions. The story takes up the majority of the stela and is most referenced when it came to ailments dealing with poisons. Isis was the mother of Horus, along with his father Osiris who was the ruler of the living world. Osiris was killed by his brother Set who was incredibly jealous of his power. When Isis and Nephthys discovered this, they brought Osiris back to life with
330-831: Is thought to follow the myth of Horus triumphing over dangerous animals in the marshes of Khemmis ( Akhmim ). Well-known specimens in this genre include the so-called Metternich stela , the Banobal stele , the Egyptian Museum 's Djedhor healing statue, and the Louvre 's Priest of Bastet statue. Apep C D F G H I K M N P Q R S T U W Apep ( Ancient Egyptian : ꜥꜣpp ), also known as Aphoph ( / ə . ˈ f ɒ f / , Coptic : Ⲁⲫⲱⲫ , romanized: Aphōph ) or Apophis ( / ə . ˈ p ɒ . f ɪ s / ; Ancient Greek : Ἄποφις , romanized : Ápophis ),
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#1732858137088360-522: The Crocodiles is a motif found on ancient Egyptian healing amulets from the Third Intermediate Period until the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty , as well as on larger cippi and stelae . Both the portable amulets and the larger statues are sometimes referred to simply as Horus stelae . The Horus amulet or stele usually takes the form of a stone slab depicting the god Horus in the form of
390-407: The ancient Egyptian religion. On each side of Ra are four baboons. On the far left of the baboons is the messenger god Thoth . On the far right of the baboons is the reigning pharaoh Nectanebo II bowing towards Ra. The main portion of the relief is separated from the top portion with five lines of hieroglyphs . The center of the stela portrays Horus as a child standing on crocodiles. Above his head
420-461: The child Horus who had also suffered such tragedies. During the entire process religious rites from the Stela were recited by local priests. The first few spells on the stela are related to reptiles and other harmful creatures. The most prominent was the serpent demon Apophis who was the enemy of Ra. The spell forced the serpent to decapitate and burn into pieces. The second half of the spell would force
450-490: The child to life. From that point Ra would act as an advocate to Horus, just as his father Osiris would have done if alive. Horus lived but later fought Set to see who would become the pharaoh of the living. During the fight Set ripped out Horus's eye and won the battle. This is where the symbol 'the Eye of Horus' is from. Set then became the pharaoh of the living once again. Isis could not stand by and let this happen because her son
480-512: The crocodiles'. These types of stelae were used to protect the ancient Egyptian people from dangerous animals such as crocodiles and snakes. The Magical Stela is one of the largest and most complete of this kind. It is theorized that in the reign of Nectanebo II, a priest named Esatum traveled to the burial place of the Mnevis bulls at Heliopolis . There he noticed certain inscriptions that he thought were interesting and ordered them to be copied onto
510-472: The demonic solar god Harmeti. He is standing upon his enemies, which are evil animals enclosed in a circle to prevent their escape. The main function of the Metternich Stela was for the magical healing of poisons, mostly caused by animals. Water was poured over the Stela and collected. The water from the Stela was then drunk by the person suffering from the poisonous ailment. That person would identify with
540-462: The form of a cat . Re's victory each night was thought to be ensured by the prayers of the Egyptian priests and worshippers at temples . The Egyptians practiced a number of rituals and superstitions that were thought to ward off Apep, and aid Re in continuing his journey across the sky. In an annual rite called the Ritual of Overthrowing Apophis , priests would build an effigy of Apep that
570-532: The living because of his birthright. After Isis gave birth to Horus, it was thought that he would become the new pharaoh of the living, but once Set found out he became very angry. At this point the actual spell starts on the Magical Stela. Set had the child poisoned by a scorpion, which is often associated with the serpent demon, Apophis. Isis was outraged with grief at the death of her child. She called out to Ra and asked him for his aid. He sent Thoth who restored
600-589: The ruler of Egypt, and Metternich had stored it in his Kynžvart Castle (in Bohemia ) where the stela remained until 1950, being then purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where it was known for many years as the Metternich Stela). The stela is a large block below, (a plinth ) connected to a thinner block with a curved top. The dimensions are a height of 35 12/16 inch and a width of 13 ¼ inch. The piece
630-482: The serpent to vomit and while the priest recited this spell the person inflicted would also vomit freeing their body of the poison. The next spell was directed towards a cat. The cat contained a bit of a god or goddess and would be able to destroy any sort of poison. The spell asks for Ra to aid the cat in her time of need. Most of the Stela has inscriptions that describe stories such as the ones above in relation to being poisoned and spells to be cured. The most famous
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#1732858137088660-478: The serpent, which would be spat on, mutilated and burnt, whilst reciting spells that would aid Re in killing Apep. Fearing that even the image of Apep could give power to the demon, any rendering would always include another deity to subdue the monster. As Apep was thought to live in the underworld, he was sometimes thought of as an Eater of Souls . Thus the dead also needed protection, so they were sometimes buried with spells that could destroy Apep. The Book of
690-407: The stories of the gods and their experiences with poisonous animals. There are also many curses and spells for different types of sickness caused by these animals. Notable on left side of fourth row is a chariot pulled by a winged oryx called an Akhekh , a symbol of royal might. Another point of interest with the stela is on the upper portion of the reverse side. There is a winged man who represents
720-442: The use of magic. Set was enraged and so he killed Osiris once again, but this time he chopped up his body into many parts and scattered them throughout Egypt. Osiris then became the pharaoh of the dead and the underworld, while the land of the living was ruled by no one. Set was content thinking he would become the pharaoh of the living, but what he didn't know was that Isis was pregnant with Osiris's child. He would become pharaoh of
750-512: Was evil and had been imprisoned. The Coffin Texts imply that Apep used a magical gaze to overwhelm Re and his entourage. Re was assisted by a number of defenders who travelled with him, including Set and possibly the Eye of Re . Apep's movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with Set may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms. In one account, Re himself defeats Apep in
780-407: Was made from one huge block of fine grained, hard, gray-green stone made from greywacke . The stela is well preserved with only a few small visible chips. It seems to have been created with exact precision and care therefore making it a most intriguing and valuable addition to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The top portion of the stela portrays a disk of the sun that identifies Ra , the sun god of
810-470: Was poisoned and cured. The ancient Egyptians would also use this cure for their own people who suffered from poisons. The sick would have the spirit of Horus within them and they would be cured just as Horus was. (Egyptian Art) The stories inscribed on this stela, especially the one regarding Isis and Horus are the most comprehensive found on any monument. Horus on the Crocodiles Horus on
840-494: Was seen as a giant snake or serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile and Evil Dragon . Some elaborations said that he stretched 16 yards in length and had a head made of flint . Presented on a Naqada I (c. 4000–3550 BCE) C-ware bowl (now in Cairo) a snake was painted on the inside rim combined with other desert and aquatic animals as an enemy of a deity, seemingly
870-410: Was the rightful ruler. She went into the underworld disguised and sought out Set. She told him how an evil man took something from her son that was rightfully his. Set ordered to have this corrected, not knowing who she was referring to. Isis revealed herself to Set and he tried to recant, but Ra witnessed the event and made Horus the pharaoh of the living. The majority of the stela relates to how Horus
900-643: Was thought to contain all of the evil and darkness in Egypt , and burn it to protect everyone from Apep's evil for another year. The Egyptian priests had a detailed guide to fighting Apep, referred to as The Books of Overthrowing Apep (or the Book of Apophis , in Greek). The chapters described a gradual process of dishonoring, dismemberment, and disposal, which include: In addition to stories about Re's victories, this guide had instructions for making wax models, or small drawings, of
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