Ra’s Eye searches the darkness of Nun and finds Shu and Tefnut, who had become lost in the primeval waters. Returning with them, the goddess is placed on Ra’s brow as the fiery uraeus, protector of divine authority and enemy of disorder.
The Return of Ra’s Eye
Ra sent his divine Eye into the watery darkness of Nun to search for Shu and Tefnut. The creator had produced the two deities, but they had become lost in the primeval waters. The Eye gave light as it searched.
The Eye was a goddess, regarded as Ra’s daughter and protector. She could separate from him and act with a mind of her own. Her power was linked with fire and water. Her fiery glance could destroy the enemies of divine order. Her tears could create life.
The Eye found Shu and Tefnut and returned with them. Ra placed the goddess on his brow, where she became the uraeus. She protected him and signified his authority. The Eye could also be identified with the sun disk and other celestial bodies. Goddesses including Hathor, Bastet, Mut, Sekhmet, Tefnut, and Wadjyt could take this role.
The Eye was linked with the sun’s power and the defence of divine order. Its gaze could destroy, while its tears were connected with the creation of living beings. The uraeus later became a sign worn by pharaohs. It represented their majesty and descent from the sun god.
Ra Separates Earth and Sky
Ra ordered Shu to separate Geb and Nut. The earth and sky deities were joined in a close embrace. No space remained between their bodies. Nut had conceived children, but she could not give birth while she and Geb remained joined.
Shu placed himself between them. He set Geb beneath his feet and raised Nut above him. His arms supported her arched body, while Geb lay stretched beneath her. Shu became the air between earth and sky. Nut’s body formed the heavens. The separation established the divisions between earth, air, and sky.
Nut could give birth once she had been lifted away from Geb. Her children included Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. One version also names a fifth child, Horus the Elder. Deities called the supporters of Shu assisted him. They included the eight Heh gods, who were said to have been created from his bodily fluids.
Shu was later shown as a bearded man with a feather on his head. He stood over Geb with raised arms and supported Nut. In other representations, Nut appears as a giant cow with starry markings. The separation kept earth and sky apart and allowed the world to be populated by deities, spirits, and demons.
Isis and Ra’s Secret Name
Isis shaped a serpent from earth mixed with Ra’s saliva. She used magic to bring it to life, then hid it beside the path Ra followed on his daily journey. Ra had grown old. His limbs trembled, and he sometimes dribbled as he travelled through the land. Isis wanted authority over gods, spirits, and human beings. She believed she could gain this power by learning Ra’s secret name. The name was bound to his existence and gave power over him to anyone who knew it.
The hidden serpent bit Ra as he passed. The creature had not been made by Ra, so he could not cure the wound himself. Venom spread through his body. Ra cried out, and the gods travelling with him gathered around. He suffered heat and cold, trembling limbs, sweating, failing sight, and increasing pain. His children could do nothing for him and lamented his condition.
Isis approached Ra as if she did not know what had happened. She asked whether a snake had poisoned him and offered to overcome it with spells. Ra described the bite and his suffering. Isis said he would live if he spoke his own name.
Ra replied by recounting his deeds and creative acts. He named himself Khepera in the morning, Ra at noon, and Temu in the evening. Isis knew these were great names, but they were not the hidden name she sought. She told Ra this and asked him again to reveal it.
The venom continued to torment Ra. He finally disclosed his secret name. Isis used her knowledge of it in her magic and healed him. By learning the name, she gained power over Ra and the authority she had sought among the gods.
