The Destruction of Mankind (English) in: Near East – Egypt
Once it came to pass [under] the Majesty of Re, the self-generated god, that when he had been in the kingship over mankind and the gods combined, mankind proceeded to contrive a plot against the person of Re now that His Majesty, l.p.h., had grown old, his bones being of silver, his flesh of gold and his hair of genuine lapis lazuli. His Majesty became aware of the plot being contrived against him by mankind, and so His Majesty, l.p.h., said to those who were his retinue, “Please summon to me my Eye, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut as well as the fathers and mothers who were in my company when I was in Nun, and also the god Nun, bringing his courtiers / along with him. It is stealthily that you must bring them lest mankind see and they lose heart as you come back with them to the palace so that they may offer their sound advice. It is within Nun, at the place where I originated, that I shall return.”
So these gods were brought [right away], and these gods were (positioned) on either side of him, touching the ground with their foreheads in His Majesty’s presence, so that he might state his problem in the presence of the father of the eldest ones, the maker of mankind and king of humanity. They then said unto His Majesty, “Speak to us so that we may learn about it.” Then said Re to Nun, “O eldest god in whom I originated and you ancestral gods, see, mankind, who originated from my Eye, has contrived a plot against me. Tell me what you would do about this, since I am seeking (a solution). I cannot slay them until I have heard / what you might have to say about this.”
The Majesty of Nun replied, “O my son Re, the god mightier than the one who produced you and greater than those who created you, stay put on your throne! The fear of you is great; your Eye shall proceed against those who conspire against you.” The Majesty of Re said, “See, they have fled into the desert, their hearts fearful over what I might say to them.” Then they said unto His Majesty, “Send out your Eye that it may smite them for you, those who have conspired so wickedly. No eye is as capable as it to smite them for you. May it descend in the form of Hathor.”
Then this goddess returned after she had slain mankind in the desert. The Majesty of this god said, “Welcome, Hathor! Have you accomplished that for which you set out?” This goddess replied, “As you live for me, I have overpowered mankind, and it was agreeable to my heart.” The Majesty of Re said, “I shall gain power over them ˹as king˺. / Hold off decimating them!” And so Sakhmet came into being.
The nightly beer-mash for wading in their blood starting from Heracleopolis. Re said, “Please summon to me speedy emissaries whose pace is as swift as a body’s shadow.” So these emissaries were brought immediately. Then said the Majesty of this god, “Run up to Elephantine and fetch me red ocher in quantity.” So this red ocher was brought to him. The Majesty of this great god assigned the Side-locked One who is in Heliopolis to pulverize this red ocher, while maidservants were engaged in grinding barley for beer. This red ocher was then added to that beer-mash so that (it) was just like human blood. Seven thousand hebenet-jars of beer were thus produced.
Then the Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Re came with these gods to inspect this beer—it was the eve / of the day when the goddess was to slay mankind during her days of journeying south. The words spoken by the Majesty of Re, “How good it is! I shall preserve mankind from her.” Then said Re, “Transport it please to the place where she said she would slay mankind.”
The Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Re got up early in the deep of night in order to have this intoxicating draught poured out. Then the fields became filled (to a height of) three palms with the liquid through the power of the Majesty of this god. This goddess set out in the morning, and she found these (fields) inundated. Her face became delighted thereat. So she proceeded to drink, and it was just fine in her estimation. She returned so drunk that she had been unable to recognize mankind.
The Majesty of Re then said to this goddess, “Welcome, darling!” <And so> beautiful women came to be in Imau. The Majesty of Re then told / this goddess that intoxicating draughts shall be prepared for her on the seasonal feasts of the year; maidservants shall be held responsible for this. And so the preparation of intoxicating draughts became the assignment of maidservants on the Feast of Hathor on the part of all people since the first day. The Majesty of Re said to this goddess, “Has the heat of sickness become painful?” And so respect is bound to originate through pain. Then said the Majesty of Re, “As I live for myself, my heart is too weary to remain with them, that I should slay them to the very last one. The reach of my arm shall in no way diminish.”
(b.i) Egyptian — (b.ii) Simpson (2003) — (b.iii) Müller (1918) — (b.iv) Budge (1912) — (b.v) Secondary sources
– Simpson, William Kelly, The Literature of Ancient Egypt, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), pp. 290-292.
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