Egyptian mythology · 3 chapters

The Distant Goddess

The Eye of Ra abandons Egypt and must be coaxed home from the ends of the earth

Ra sends his Eye, his divine daughter, sometimes identified as Sekhmet, Tefnut, or Hathor, on a mission. But she goes rogue, retreating to Nubia and refusing to return, taking with her the warmth, fertility, and protection Egypt depends upon. Ra sends Thoth disguised as a baboon and Shu to coax her back. Through stories, songs, and flattery, they convince her to return. On her homeward journey she transforms from the wrathful lioness into the gentle cow-eyed Hathor. This story provides the mythological basis for the Distant Goddess festivals and explains why Sekhmet and Hathor are two aspects of the same cosmic feminine power.

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