When Ra left people and ascended to heaven, the goddess Maat established a new world order. From now on and forever, the earthly world was surrounded on all sides by a chain of high mountains supporting the heavenly river - Nut, and along the heavenly river the gods, led by Ra, began to transport the Sun from east to west; and at night the Rook, along the underground Nile flowing through the Duat, returned from west to east, to the place of the sunrise and shining.
The solar god has two incarnations of the Rook at his disposal: the daytime one, Mapjet, and the nighttime one, Mes(e)ktet.
Some texts mention that both forms of the Rook belong to Ruti, two lion gods identified with Shu and Tefnut.
Ra sits on a golden throne in the middle of the sacred Rook. His royal crown is decorated with the Snake Eye - this is the goddess Wadget in the form of a uraeus. She vigilantly looks ahead, and woe to the evil demons if they meet on the Rook’s path! Uraeus will turn them into ashes with its red-hot rays.
At the bow of the Rook there are two goddesses - Maat and Hathor in the guise of the Solar Eye. Maat enforces the world order she established, and Hathor protects justice and law. Accompanying Ra are the wise god Thoth, the scribe and messenger of the ruler, and the invincible Horus of Bekhdet, and Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, and Shu, and Onuris.
Four gods in the guise of men with beards sit on oars: Hu, Sia, Sekhem and Hekh. These are the embodiments of those forces that maintain order and harmony in the world. Hu and Sia personify the divine Will and divine Intelligence. Sometimes they are called “Bearers of the Eye of Horus” (hypostasis of the Eye of Wadjet) or “Language and Heart of Ptah” (for, according to Memphis cosmogony, Ptah created the world with Thought and Word). Sekhem personifies the divine creative Energy, Hekh - Eternity. Heh wears a crown of climbing reeds on his head, a symbol of long life.
Ra's daytime journey is full of dangers. The enemy of the Sun, the serpent Apophis (ill. 40 on p. 64), lies in wait for the Rook, hiding in the celestial river, and rushes at her as soon as he sees her. With the help of Wadjet-uraeus, Horus of Bekhdet, Onuris and Hathor, the Sun God wins the mortal battle and throws Apophis into the abyss, into the abyss of water. But sometimes the evil snake still manages to temporarily gain the upper hand. On such days, bad weather sets in, clouds cover the sky, and a hot wind blows in from the desert. If Apep swallows Rook, a solar eclipse occurs.
Having completed the day's journey along the heavenly river - along the belly of Nut, Boat Mandzhet swims up to the western mountains, where the gates leading to the Underworld are located. As the Sun God approaches the gate, the sacred mountain baboons sing a welcoming hymn:
You created baboons
May they sing to you
Let them dance before you,
May they shout your praises!
The God of gods addresses the desert, saying: “I illuminate the desert, I illuminate those who dwell in it.” I hid you from those living on earth, I clothed those who died in swaddling clothes.
Under the solemn singing of the gods, Ra leaves the daytime Boat of Mandzhet and moves to the nighttime one - Mesktet. Navigation begins along that part of the Great River that flows through the Duat.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru