It was not only the demons who dared to oppose the great solar god. When Ra, having reigned safely, finally grew old, he became decrepit, and his power weakened; His body became silver, his limbs became gold, his hair became true lapis lazuli, and people took up arms against the Sun God. Having learned about the rebellion that the people of Egypt were planning, Ra called his retinue and ordered the gods:
“Let my Eye, the goddess Hathor, appear here.” Call also Shu, Tefnut, Geb and Nut, along with the fathers and mothers who were with me when I rested in Nun, as well as Nun himself. Just make sure you bring them secretly so that people don’t see it. Let them come and tell us how to fight the rebels.
The gods immediately carried out the will of their ruler. Soon Nun, Shu, Tefnut, Geb and Nut appeared at the call of Ra to the Great Hall - the earthly palace of the solar god. Seeing Ra sitting on the throne, they fell prostrate at the foot of the throne. Nun asked:
- Tell me, oh lord, what happened?
- God of the Elder, from whom I came! - Ra exclaimed. - Gods-ancestors! Look, the people created from (the tears of) my eye have plotted evil deeds against me. Tell me, what would you do if you were me? What would you do? The gods were deep in thought, and Ra added: “I waited, I didn’t kill them before I heard what you had to say about it.”
“My son Ra,” answered the wise old man Nun. - My son Ra, a god greater than those who created him and those who created him! Strong is your throne, and great is the fear from you - may your Eye be directed against those who insulted you!
- Truly! — the other gods agreed. - There is no other Eye that could be in front of him and prevent him. when it descends in the form of Hathor (i.e., there is no force in the world capable of resisting the power of your Eye in the form of Hathor).
“Your advice is good,” Ra said after thinking and looked at the people with his Sun-Eye, directing the scorching rays of the uraeus into their camp. But the people were ready for this and managed to hide behind a high mountain in the desert, so the rays did not cause them any harm. Then the Sun God ordered his Eye in the form of Hathor to go into the desert and severely punish the daring, rebellious people.
Hathor-Eye took the form of a female lioness and received the name Sokhmet. She went into the desert, looked for people and, as soon as she saw them, growled fiercely. The fur on her neck stood on end, and a bloodthirsty gleam sparkled in her eyes. Full of rage, Hathor-Sokhmet pounced on the people and began to mercilessly torment them, killing one after another, watering the desert with blood and scattering pieces of meat around her.
Deciding that people had already been punished enough and that from now on they would never again dare to grumble at the sun god, much less rebel against him, Ra said to his daughter:
“You have already done what I sent you for.” Stop killing them! Go in peace.
But the formidable goddess did not listen to her father. Baring her bloody fangs, she growled fiercely in response to the ruler of the world:
“I have mastered people, and there is sweetness in my heart!” I want to destroy them all, I want to drink my fill of the blood of these troublemakers who disobey the gods!
“I am strong over them as a king in their extermination (that is, I am a king, and only I have the right to decide whether they need to be exterminated or not," the wise solar god objected. - Leave people alone. They have already been punished enough.
But stubborn Hathor-Sokhmet did not want to heed her father’s words. She really enjoyed killing people and drinking their blood. The thirst for revenge and the excitement of the hunt drowned out the voice of reason in her. The ferocious lioness attacked the people again. People fled in horror up the Great River, and the goddess pursued them and killed them mercilessly.
Ra was also horrified when he saw the carnage Hathor had committed. His anger towards people finally passed. The Sun God called to his retinue:
- Call me fast-running messengers, until they rush like the shadow of a body! - he gave the order.
Immediately the messengers were brought before the face of Ra. The Sun God said:
- Go to the island of Elephaptipu and bring me as much of the red didi mineral as possible.
The messengers delivered didi. Immediately Ra, accompanied by his retinue, went to Helionol. There he found a miller and ordered him to crush the red stone into powder, and ordered his maids to grind barley and brew beer.
When the beer was ready, the servants of the Sun God filled seven thousand vessels with it and mixed crushed red didi powder into the beer. The result was a drink that was very similar in color to blood.
- Oh, how wonderful this is, [for] I will save people [with this]! - exclaimed the Lord of All That Is. - Gods! Take the vessels, take them to the place where she killed people. Spill this colored beer in the fields, in the valley of the River. Ra's command was immediately carried out. Morning has come. Hathor came in the form of Sokhmet, looked around the place of yesterday's massacre and, seeing a great many blood-red puddles, was delighted. Seized by a lust for murder, the fierce goddess rushed to drink imaginary blood. She liked the beer; she lapped and lapped at it until she became so drunk that her vision became cloudy, and she could no longer distinguish people. Then Ra approached his daughter and said:
- Go in peace, my love. From now on, the people of Egypt will bring you vessels of beer every year on the day of Hathor. And may you be called “Mistress of Intoxication.”
Since then, people have brought jugs of beer and wine to temples and placed them near the statues of the goddess Hathor.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru