The great god Ra-Horakhte loved his daughter Hathor very much and, as a sign of favor, made her his Eye. But one day Hathrr was offended by her father, quarreled with him and, taking the form of a wild cat, fled to Nubia. Ra-Horakhte became sad and sad; His anger at his daughter subsided, and God wanted to return Hathor back to Egypt at any cost. He called the god Thoth to him and ordered him to go to Nubia, find Hathor-Tefnut there and persuade her to return, to forget the insult.
Having listened to the order of the ruler of the world, He took the form of a small baboon and went to the Nubian desert. Soon he managed to find the fugitive: Hathor-Tefnut, in the guise of a wild cat, was hunting antelope. He greeted the goddess, bowed respectfully before her and said:
- Nubian Cat! Your father Ra-Horakhte is in great sorrow. Heed my advice: do not harbor anger in your heart, forget your resentment and return to Egypt.
- Little insignificant baboon! Get out! - the goddess answered arrogantly. - I don't want to listen to you. Go away, because if you don't leave me alone, I will tear you to pieces! After all, I am the most powerful of goddesses; my claws are sharp, and my teeth know no pity.
Realizing that any reasonable arguments would be useless against Tefnut’s anger, He decided to resort to flattery. However, the wise god was careful: he remembered Tefnut’s threat and was afraid to bother her with empty talk.
- Don't touch me, Nubian Cat! - he said insinuatingly and as if guiltily - I know that you are the most beautiful and most powerful of the goddesses. You can tear me apart. But any crime is inevitably punished by retribution coming from the great Ra. Do you want me to tell you how the Lord of All That Is punished the kite for breaking his oath and committing murder?
Tefnut really wanted to hear this story, and she answered the baboon:
- Tell me.
“So,” began the wise god, “there lived a kite at the top of a tree.” In the lush deciduous crown he built his nest and hatched the chicks. But he was afraid to fly away from the nest to get food for his children, because not far from the tree, at the foot of the mountain, there lived a cat with kittens - she could climb the trunk and strangle the kites. However, the cat did not dare to leave her lair: after all, her kittens could be carried away by a kite. And one day the kite said to the cat:
- Let's be good neighbors! Let us swear before the great Ra that if one of us goes to get food for our children, the other will not touch them.
The cat happily accepted the kite's offer, and, calling the Sun God as a witness, they took an oath.
But one day the kite took a piece of meat from the kitten and gave it to one of its chicks. Having learned about this, the cat became angry and decided to take revenge at all costs. She waited for the moment when the kite flew away from the nest, climbed a tree and dug her claws into the kite.
-Where did you get this meat from? - she hissed. “I brought it and I didn’t bring it to you!”
“I’m not guilty of anything,” exclaimed the unfortunate little kite. - I didn’t fly to your kittens! If you take revenge on me or my brothers and sisters, Ra will see that your oath was false and will punish you severely: your son and your son’s son will perish!
Remembering the oath, the cat felt ashamed and unclenched her claws. But the little kite, feeling that no one was holding him anymore, jumped out of the nest in fear, flapped his wings - and fell to the ground like a stone: he was still too small to fly; His wings haven’t even had time to grow feathers yet. And the chick remained lying by the tree, on the ground.
Returning and seeing his son at the foot of the tree, the kite became furious.
- I will take revenge! - he exclaimed. “Her kittens will become food for me!”
For a long time he watched every step of the cat and kept thinking about revenge. Days passed. And then one day, when the cat left her den for a while, a kite flew from the tree and stole her kittens. The villain brought them to the nest, killed them and fed them to his chicks.
Beside herself with grief, the cat cried out to the sun god:
- Oh, Ra, We gave you a sacred oath, and you saw how the kite broke it. Judge us!
And the Lord of All That Is heard her prayer. He called for Retribution and ordered the most monstrous of punishments to be brought down on the head of the oathbreaker. And Retribution made it so that the kite saw one Syrian roasting mountain game on the coals. A hungry kite flew up to the fire, grabbed a piece of meat and took it to its nest, not noticing that hot coals were stuck to the meat.
And then the kite's nest burst into flames. The chicks begged in vain for help - the nest, and after it the tree burned to the ground. The cat saw this, came up to the ashes and said:
“I swear in the name of Ra, you hunted my children for a long time, treacherously attacked them and killed them. And even now I don’t touch your chicks, although they are fried just right! He fell silent and humbly bowed to the goddess. “I swear in the name of Ra, I will not harm you, little baboon!” - exclaimed the touched Tefnut.
Pleased with the first success, He hid his smile and, giving his face an expression of hopeless sadness, said:
- Great and beautiful goddess! Your husband Shu is very sad without you. Don't hurt me. Nubian Cat! And Tefnut made a second oath not to touch Thoth. - Thank you, magnanimous goddess! — Thoth said fervently. “I want to treat you to a wonderful fragrant dish, after tasting which you will no longer want to look at any other food.” The secret of its preparation is known only in Egypt - in the country you left.
With these words, Thoth placed a dish in front of the goddess and praised her:
“For the sake of your beautiful-eyed face,” the flattering baboon exclaimed solemnly, “for the sake of the beauty of your body, for the sake of your look that glows with joy, take the food I spoke about <...> There is no better food in the whole world!”
Hathor-Tefnut approached the food and experienced what one experiences when eating it. Her face brightened, her gaze became joyful. She turned to him (Thoth), beaming.
"I will curb you, wayward goddess!" - He hid his triumphant grin and said out loud:
“You have conquered your own heart, daughter of Ra, for he who has managed to overcome anger with reason is great and wise.” Listen to me now: of everything that exists in the world, nothing is loved more than your native land, that is, the place where you were born. Even a crocodile, when it grows old, leaves a foreign land and comes to die in its native reservoir. And in general: it is better to be a poor man in your homeland than a rich man in a foreign country!
Seeing that Hathor was listening to him attentively. He became even more inspired.
- What darkness reigns after your flight! he exclaimed, raising his hands to the sky and rolling his eyes. “Your musicians touch the strings, but they do not ring under their fingers, your singers are sad, your lovers are in mourning <...> Young and old are waiting for your advice, the rulers and nobles of the whole world are in mourning for you; Chaos has reigned since you fled from Egypt, your holidays are no longer celebrated, and in the House of Libation of Atum there is sorrow <...> Celebrations are not held in your temples <... >, men and women are sad, beautiful women do not laugh.
Tefnut’s heart sank with compassion, her face darkened, and tears welled up in her eyes. This did not go unnoticed by Thoth's keen eye. However, the little baboon showed no sign of his joy; on the contrary, giving his face an even more mournful expression, he heatedly exclaimed:
“But if you turn your face to them, the Nile will become full and the fields will turn green, for it will cover them with water.” Your saliva is like honey. Your lips are more beautiful than a green field.
Anointed by the flattery of the little baboon, Hathor finally became pitiful and decided to immediately return to Egypt. She was about to open her mouth to announce her intention to Thoth, when she suddenly froze. Great anger gripped the goddess. How! After all, she swore to return to her homeland, she took an oath! - and here some insignificant baboon not only almost forced her to break this oath, but in addition moved her to pity with his skillful speeches and forced her to cry! Her, Tefnut, the formidable, invincible lioness!
The goddess became furious at this thought. She wanted to tear Thoth the baboon to bloody shreds! She had already released her claws and was preparing for a swift jump. Only at the last moment, remembering the promise given to Thoth, did Tefnut subdue her anger.
“I will not touch him,” she thought, “but let this little baboon not imagine that he has defeated me. It is not he who will lead me to Egypt - no! I will return there myself! And so that he knows who he is dealing with and does not forget, I will show him my greatness and power!”
And Tefnut let out a roar that shook the desert. She took on the formidable appearance of an angry lioness <... > and raised her mane. Her fur shone. The back was filled with blood, the face shone in the sun, the eyes sparkled with fire, the gaze lit up, scorching with flames like the sun. She was all glowing. The little baboon trembled with fear, shrank and became like a frog.
“How wisely I acted that I took an oath from her not to harm me,” he managed to think.
The goddess was amused by Thoth's behavior. Her anger finally subsided. Little by little, having recovered from his fright, Thoth told Hathor another tale about the struggle between good and evil. The strong will overcome the weak, but not a single injustice can hide from the all-seeing Ra. Anyone who commits lawlessness will face inevitable retribution coming from the solar god.
The Nubian Cat laughed, her heart rejoiced at the words of the little baboon. And she turned her face to Egypt thanks to his beautiful words.
- I promise you my friendship, daughter of Ra! - Thoth exclaimed. - I will never leave you in trouble. If misfortune happens to you or you are in danger, I will come to your aid and save you.
- How! - the lioness roared. - You?! You, a small, weak baboon, say that you can protect me, a powerful, invincible goddess?!
“You are strong,” Thoth objected, “but even the strongest can be defeated by the weak if the weak is resourceful and smart.” Listen here. There once lived on a mountain a lion who kept the entire area in fear and was the ruler among the animals. And then one day, while hunting, he met a panther. The panther's skin was torn, its fur was hanging in tatters.
- What happened to you? - asked the surprised lion. “Who tore your skin and stripped off your magnificent fur?”
“A man did it,” answered the panther. - There is no one more cunning than man. Never fall into his hands!
- So know this: I will find him and take revenge on him! - the lion roared, baring his fangs and flashing his eyes menacingly.
And he went to look for the man. Soon he met a horse and a donkey. The animals' muzzles were tied with a bridle, and there were bits in their teeth.
- Who tied you up and deprived you of your freedom? - The lion asked, not believing his eyes.
“This is our master, man,” the donkey and horse answered in one voice.
- Is the person really stronger than you?
“He is our master,” said the donkey. - There is no one smarter than man. Never fall into his hands!
The lion became even more angry with the man, growled, raised his mane and set off on his way. Soon he met a cow and a bull. Their horns were sawed off, their nostrils were pierced, and each had a yoke around his neck. Having asked them who did this to them, the lion heard in response that this was the work of the same hated person whom he was looking for.
The ruler of the forests and mountains was completely furious and rushed to search with triple zeal. After some time he met a bear. The bear's claws were cut and its teeth were pulled out.
“Is a man really stronger than even you?” — the lion was taken aback. “Yes, stronger, because he is more cunning,” answered the bear. “He was once my servant and brought me food.” But one day this man said: “Truly, your claws are too long - they prevent you from taking the dishes that I bring. And your teeth are too weak and do not allow you to eat what you want. Let me pull them out, and I will bring you twice as many delicacies as usual!” I believed him, and he took my teeth and claws, threw sand in my eyes and ran away. And I had nothing left to hold him back.
- I will take revenge on him! - the lion exclaimed beside himself with rage. “I’ll tear him to pieces and eat him!” Then we will see who is stronger - him or me. And the lion again rushed to look for the man. But soon he saw another lion, whose paw was pinched by a split mountain tree trunk.
- How did you get into such trouble? - the lion who came asked him.
“A man did this,” another lion groaned in pain and impotent anger. - Beware of him and don’t trust him: the man is cunning! I met him and asked: “What craft do you do?” “My craft is to prevent old age,” he answered me. “I can make you such a talisman that you will never die. I will cut down a tree, cast spells over it and let you touch this miraculous talisman. After that you will become immortal!” I believed and followed him. And so the man led me to this mountain tree, cut it down, split the trunk with a wedge and said: “Put your paw here!” I put my paw into the crack. At that very moment he knocked out the wedge, threw sand in my eyes and ran away. The lion who came laughed and exclaimed: “Oh, man!” If I ever catch you, I will repay you for all the harm you caused to the animals!
And the lion moved on. And then one day he accidentally stepped on a small mouse. The lion was about to crush it and eat it, but the mouse begged:
- Don't kill me, sir! If you eat me, you still won’t get enough of me. If you let me go, your hunger will not become stronger. But if you give me life, someday I will thank you for it and help you out of trouble.
- What? - the lion laughed. “Are you going to save me, the mightiest of animals?” Ha ha ha! So know that in the whole world no one can compare with me in strength and cause me harm!
“And yet,” the mouse objected, “a rainy day will come for you.”
The lion did not believe the mouse, but her words amused him so much that he took pity on her and let her go. And he went further in search of the man. And it so happened that one hunter, who was catching animals in a trap, dug a hole right in the path of the lion. And the lord of the mountains fell into this pit.
The next morning a hunter came, entangled the lion in a net and tied him tightly with straps.
The bound lion lay on the ground, unable to do anything to save itself. He was sure that his last hour had come. But Fate wished that the mouse's joke would become true. Fate wanted to laugh at the arrogant words of the lion and brought the mouse to him.
- Don't you recognize me? - the mouse squeaked) looking at the tied up lord of beasts. “You gave me life, and so I came to repay you with kindness for kindness.” You have fallen into the hands of a man, but I will save you.
In an instant, the mouse gnawed through all the rawhide straps and freed the lion from his bonds. Then she hid in the lion's mane, and together they went to the mountains... Think about the little mouse! - He exclaimed, finishing his story. “Think, goddess, about the weakest of all the inhabitants of the mountains, and about the lion, the strongest of all the animals living in the mountains!”
The Nubian Cat was very happy with the words of the little baboon and headed to Egypt, and the little baboon walked ahead, entertaining her with songs and dances.
Returning to her homeland, Hathor-Tefnut made a triumphal procession through the cities. Residents rejoiced:
Her Majesty was returning from the land of Bugem,
To see the Nile of Egypt with all the wonders of the beloved Land <... >
Sacrifices are made to her from all sorts of beautiful things, bulls and geese.
The gods play the sistrums for her and the goddesses dance for her. <... >
They poured her wine and brought her oil,
And a golden wreath was wrapped around her head.
Oh, how beautiful is your face when you return and you are joyful!
Your father Ra rejoices at your appearance.
And that God is before you <...>
The Great Nine of Gods in jubilation and praise,
Monkeys are in front of you and dance in front of your majesty,
The Bass gods strike the tambourines for you,
O mistress of sistrum playing!
Finally, Hathor-Tefnut met her father, the god Ra. Ra, having learned about the return of his daughter, began to dance, and his heart rejoiced extraordinarily. He felt as if he had been reborn. <...> Ra greeted the goddess and feasted with her in the House of the Lady Sycamore in Memphis - the Memphis sanctuary of Hathor.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru