The return of the goddess Tefnut to Egypt. Goddess Tefnut: history, description and interesting facts Tefnut god of what

In addition to yesterday's story about Hathor and today's about Sekhmet, I would like to elaborate on their connection and talk about the myth in which the ancient Egyptian goddess of love Hathor suddenly turns into a ruthless and warlike Sekhmet.

Hathor, like most of the gods of Egypt, has many faces. In ancient times, she was mainly the goddess of the sky, depicting a woman with the head of a cow, between whose horns a solar disk was placed. Such was the variant of the myth of the celestial cow giving birth to the Sun. But she was also called the daughter of Ra. And as her name testifies, she was the wife of Horus (Mountain). At the same time, she was sometimes revered as the Eye of Horus, or the Eye of Ra. As the Eye of Ra, she was identified with Tefnut, the goddess of moisture (the morning Eye of Ra, bringing dew?), with Sekhmet, the goddess of war and the scorching Sun (hot midday Eye of Ra?). In this case, it can be assumed that Hathor was the evening Eye of Ra (such a trinity of deities is quite common in Egyptian mythology).

Most often, Hathor (like her other two images) was revered in the form of a woman with a lion's head. Perhaps, it was in this form that she exterminated people ... However, it makes sense to talk about this in detail.

In one of the ancient myths about the aged, decrepit Ra, against whom people planned evil, the gods advised their master: “Let your Eye go and let it strike for you plotting evil ... and let it come down in the form of Hathor.”

And the goddess went, and she struck the people in the desert. The majesty of this god said: "Go in peace, Hathor, for you have done that [for which I sent you]."

This goddess said: “As long as you live, I have conquered people, and this is sweet for my heart.”

His Majesty Ra said: "I am powerful." And the name Sekhmet was born. Let's make a retreat. belief magical power words in this case is connected with a play on words: "sekmet" means "mighty". Thus, not only materializes, but the sound itself, an involuntary pun miraculously realized. And what Ra said about himself becomes the quality and name of the goddess: Hathor Sekhmet.

The word was said, and the goddess, feeling her extraordinary strength, began to kill people. However, Ra was already satisfied with revenge, and pity for people woke up in his soul. He ordered to bring him more red stone "didi" (ocher?), and also to prepare more beer. The crushed red stone was thrown into the beer, and it became like blood.

7,000 vessels of beer were prepared. His Majesty Ra looked at them and said: “Oh, how beautiful they are. I will save people with them."

Ra said: "Take them to the place where she wants to kill people there."

His Majesty the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra, rose early in the beauties of the night to let the liquid of these vessels pour out.

And the fields were full of moisture up to four measures (in height) ...

In the morning this goddess came and found everything flooded. And her face was joyful there. And she drank, and it was sweet to her heart. And she went drunk and did not recognize people.

And Ra said to this goddess:

"Go in peace, O mighty goddess."

Such is the myth. He is thought provoking. In everyday terms, we learn that the goddess not only loved beer, but also got drunk drunk, so much so that she stopped recognizing people. It is clear that such cases occurred not only with goddesses or gods, but also with people.

Moreover, drunkenness, apparently, was not considered something shameful. After all, drunken Egyptians and Egyptians, according to the testimony of this myth (its connection with reality can hardly be denied), became kinder and even forgot about their evil intentions. In any case, I would like to believe that this was the case.

The myth also has a natural science aspect. It speaks - in allegorical form - of a major flood in the Nile Valley. Flood myths are generally very characteristic of a variety of tribes and peoples living in Eurasia, America, and Australia. They are least common in Africa. In those regions where the floods were especially strong, for example, in Mesopotamia, there were legends about the global flood (one of them was included in the Bible).

The main area of ​​​​the Nile's water supply lies in the equatorial zone, where tropical forests, savannas and lakes are common. This provides the river with relative stability and relatively small, or rather non-catastrophic, floods during the rainy season. As we know, such regular floods are the key to the fertility of the fields. What kind of flood, then, especially strong, and even with red water, can we talk about?

This is not hard to guess. The fact is that the southern half of the White Nile - the main water flow - is located in a zone of wide distribution of red soils. Five and six thousand years ago, savannahs were located on the site of the current deserts and semi-deserts of this region, and forests on the site of the current savannahs. Hunters, and then pastoralists, nomads and the first farmers began to actively burn and cut down forests and cultivate the soil in primitive ways. As a result, land erosion began. During heavy rains, red soils were washed away and in large quantities came mainly into the White Nile from its left tributaries, most of which later turned into dry valleys.

This phenomenon was observed by the ancient Egyptians, who made up a story on this occasion with the color of beer red and a powerful flood. It is even possible that the legend did not arise immediately, but at first people transmitted information about severe floods with unusual reddish water. Gradually, such phenomena happened less and less and, finally, stopped altogether: deserts and semi-deserts took their toll, the tributaries of the Nile became shallow. The expansion of desert lands in the Sahara has led to the fact that the climate in this region has become much drier. Now the "red spills" of the Nile have remained only in legends.

By that time, the attitude towards the goddess Hathor had also changed. If once the catastrophic Nile "floods" brought disaster to the inhabitants of the valley, then normal periodic floods remained a boon. Hathor turned into the patroness of trees (she took the form of a date palm, sycamore) and the fertility-giving goddess of love, music and dancing, fun (as we see, fun was associated not only in Rus' with drinking).

Hathor also played an important role in the realm of the dead, meeting the souls of the dead and endowing them with life-giving moisture. Her attribute was musical instrument, whose images of carnelian, red stone or faience were worn as an amulet that brings good luck.

At the end of the New Kingdom, Hathor began to be identified with Isis, and the ancient Greeks with Aphrodite.

For the Egyptians, this was a fertile time. God Shu drove rain clouds, goddess Tefnut watered arable land, generous Hapi fertilized the fields, and the god Ra warmed the earth with golden rays. People thanked the gods for rich harvests, sang hymns in temples, decorated statues with flowers, poured palm wine and fragrant oils on altars. And no one could even think that soon the people would suffer a big misfortune.

The cause of the misfortune was Tefnut's resentment against the sun god Ra. The proud goddess of rain accepted sacrificial gifts from people as a matter of course and listened to laudatory chants in her honor. However, one day music began to sound on Ben Ben Hill. It was the farmers who praised the solar god Ra for the light and warmth that he gives to the Black Earth. And the mood of the goddess deteriorated. It seemed to her that the Egyptians paid too much honor to the sun god. After all, she was sure that if not for her life-giving moisture, not a single grain would have germinated. The wise Ra tried to object to the goddess that even without him sun rays a rich harvest is not possible. But the offended Tefnut could no longer be stopped:

“Well,” she exclaimed, “if no one needs my rains, I leave Ta-Kemet forever!”

And turning into a lioness, Tefnut overcame the silver fence and rushed to reap, announcing the mountains with a menacing growl. She flew, barely touching the ground, and soon disappeared far beyond the horizon.

Saddened by the escape of the goddess, Ra plunged into deep thought. "What to do now? he thought, looking anxiously at the banks of the Nile. - After all, with her departure, a drought will fall on the earth, which will destroy all people. No, by all means, it is necessary to restore peace and hope to people.”

Meanwhile, a terrible drought began on earth. The sun beat down mercilessly, and the heat became unbearable. By evening, the land on the coast dried up, became hard as a stone, the grass on the water meadows withered, irrigation canals became shallow. At night, a fire-breathing wind came from the desert and drove clouds of hot sand. It covered gardens, kitchen gardens, roofs, and fruit trees, until recently green and fresh, looked like mummies with dried branches.

Agitated residents began to gather in the main square of the city of Yiwu. A rumor spread that the main breadwinner of the country, the once blessed Nile, was drying up like a hot desert.

“O great goddess Tefnut! How did we piss you off? people cried out in despair.

Suffered in his golden chamber, the home of the gods, and the sun god Ra. After much deliberation, he decided to restore justice. Taking his place on the golden throne, he firmly clenched the symbols of power in his hands and ordered the servants:

Call the moon god Thoth, for he truly has a wise heart.

In less than half an hour, the sage god Thoth appeared before the throne of the solar god. He was considered the patron of knowledge, wisdom, medicine. All magic words and miraculous spells were known to God. Not a single Egyptian scribe set to work without praying to Thoth. Under normal human body the god possessed the bird's head of an ibis with a long curved beak. His shining eyes, like wet grapes, shone with great knowledge.

“Greetings, Thoth,” Ra said mournfully. "Do I need to tell you what happened?"

“I know everything, as well as your desire,” Thoth replied with a respectful bow. “You want me to persuade Tefnut to return from the Nubian desert.

- Exactly so, - Ra nodded his head, - but you also know that the goddess is powerful and wayward. She took the form of a lioness, which is not safe for both mortals and immortals. You can't bring her back by force. You can only overcome her anger with intelligence and cunning. That's why I turned to you for help.

“I will fulfill your order,” Thoth bowed, “and I will try to return the fugitive.

Having said this, Thoth took the form of a small baboon and set off on a long journey. He realized that mere persuasion would not help matters. “He who is very strong,” he thought, “is often stupid. And if he is stupid, he willingly believes in any flattering speeches. He said insinuatingly, “I know that you are the most beautiful and powerful goddess!” But explain: why are you, so strong, afraid of me, a weak little monkey? Think for yourself. If a scorpion crawls into a person's house, the person will immediately kill him. And all because a person, although he is stronger than a scorpion, is still afraid that he will be stung. And only the lord of beasts, the lion is really powerful! If a jackal approaches his lair, he will not even look at him, because he knows no fear. A lion does not need to kill to prove its power. Kills only those who are not sure of their strength.

These words suddenly outraged Tefnut.

I'm not afraid of you, little monkey! roared the lioness. - Yes, and I will not touch you, because there is no goddess more powerful than me!

“That’s not the point,” Thoth answered sadly, “your husband Shu misses you a lot. And the land of Ta-Kemet is in silence. There are no more celebrations in your temples, all the priests are dressed in mourning clothes, the altars are empty, the musicians touch the strings, but they do not emit divine magical sounds.

He was not in vain considered a master of eloquence: the stern Tefnut gradually became pitiful. The more Thoth described to her the disasters tormenting Ta-Ke-met, the sadder her face became and her heart contracted from compassion for the people with whom she, blinded by anger, acted unjustly. Tears welled up in the eyes of the goddess. She tried not to give it away, but the shrewd Thoth noticed right away.

With a mournful look, he exclaimed:

- If you forget your offense and return to Ta-Kemet, then the Nile will become full-flowing again, the fields will turn green, barley and rye will be sown! Tefnut, you are the most beautiful goddess. People and gods will never forget how terrible your anger is. Come back to Ta-Kemet! After all, if you do not return, people will die, - continued to persuade the baboon Thoth.

- And if there are no people left, who will delight your ears with music and singing, decorate your statues in temples with flowers? Who will praise you, calling you the greatest, the most beautiful, the most powerful? Who will exalt your incomparable wisdom? By the way, O delightful mistress of water, you have shown your power to people, but you have not yet proved your wisdom in any way. So prove it and you will be praised even more!

- How can I get back? - Confused by the speeches of Thoth, the lioness Tefnut asked.

“There is nothing easier,” the baboon replied. “The wisest is the one who knows how to subordinate his feelings to the dictates of reason ...

The wise, unlike the fool, the baboon concluded, is not the slave of his senses, but their master. If his donkey becomes stubborn, the wise man, although he feels anger, will not give vent to his feelings. He will not beat the donkey, but will give him rest. Even if he loses time, he will still get to the city earlier than a fool.

Great Tefnut! Thoth yelled. - Blinded by righteous anger, you left Ta-Kemet, people saw your power. But if you manage to conquer your anger, people will understand how wise you are. Remember: there is nothing more precious than the motherland. Even a crocodile, when he grows old, leaves a foreign land and swims to die in his native reservoir. The flattering arguments of the clever baboon had a beneficial effect on the capricious Tefnut. The rain god-nya decided to return to Ta-Kemet. She was about to announce her decision to Thoth, when she suddenly froze, a thought flashed through her.

How! she screamed, her eyes flashing. “I swore never to return!” I thought that there is no such force that would make me change my mind. - and suddenly some worthless baboon almost broke my will, moved me to pity and almost made me burst into tears! .. Me, a mighty, invincible lioness! With a snarl that shook the desert, she unleashed her sharp claws and prepared to spring. The little baboon was very frightened.

- Goddess! he shouted. Remember your oath! After all, you swore in the name of Ra not to harm me! Tefnut froze in indecision.

"All right, baboon," growled the lioness after some thought. - it's a pity. You have to keep your promise. However, don't you dare imagine that you've got the better of me! You didn't make me go back to the Nile Valley. This will be my decision!

- Certainly! Thoth confirmed. - I will go ahead of your majesty and will entertain with songs and dances. And they went to Ta-Kemet.

When Tefnut returned to her homeland, she made a solemn procession through all the cities and villages. The inhabitants of Ta-Kemet rejoiced: the blessed rain instantly revived the dry land.

Tefnut also met with Ra. Seeing the goddess, the solar god was indescribably delighted. A feast was arranged in her honor, which lasted for many days. At that feast was also the wise Thoth, who did a good deed not so much for the gods as for ordinary people.

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Pantheon ancient egypt very vast, many gods were worshiped in this country. Some of them, such as Ra, Osiris, Horus, were revered everywhere, others had only local significance. So, the bloody one was the patroness of Memphis and Heliopolis, and her cult was widespread in these cities. There are in the mythology of the Land of the Pyramids and the ancient gods who created all the rest. One of them is Tefnut, with interesting facts about which we propose to get acquainted.

Appearance

Often the ancient Egyptian goddess Tefnut was depicted in the form of a cat or a lioness; on the frescoes you can also see her representation as a woman with a lion's head. In this case, a fiery disk and a sacred snake were located on the head of Tefnut, in the hands - ankh and a rod - a papyrus shoot. The goddess was depicted in gold jewelry worn by noble Egyptians of that time. Primary colors are red, brown, green.

You can also find images in which Tefnut appears in the guise of a lioness, her back turned to the lion - her brother-wife Shu.

Meaning

The Nubian cat (this is how the goddess Tefnut was sometimes called) was considered the deity of moisture. It was by her will that life-giving water, so important for soil fertility, fell on the earth: rains, dew. Therefore, the role of Tefnut in the pantheon was very significant, because without liquid, all crops in the fields will dry up, and Egypt in those days was primarily an agricultural state.

Also, the functions of the Eye of Ra were often attributed to the deity. When the sun god made his daily round of the horizon, the Eye shone on his head, this was Tefnut. Often the goddess was identified with the guardian Ra Uto.

Family

According to the family of the goddess Tefnut included:

• Ra (Atum) - father.
• Shu is a husband and twin brother at the same time.
• Children - Nut and Geb.

Interestingly, following the example of the mythical gods, quite real pharaohs often entered into closely related marriages, which led to mutations and degeneration of the clan. In some myths, the progenitor god Ptah (Ptah) is called Tefnut's husband.

and attributes

The sacred animal of Tefnut was considered a lioness. Cats and snakes were also identified with this deity, which, however, were not dedicated exclusively to the Nubian cat. Interestingly, in ancient Egypt, lions were encountered quite often, but now you will not find these formidable predators in the country. The elements of Tefnut were fire and water.

Origin and place in the pantheon

The goddess Tefnut in Ancient Egypt was one of the nine ancient gods, the so-called Heliopolis Ennead. Therefore, the history of the goddess of moisture is directly connected with mythological ideas about the creation of the world. On the territory of the country there were no unified views on this issue, ideological ideas were dispersed among the three largest religious centers, one of which was Heliopolis. The priests of this solar city explained the appearance of the world and the birth of the goddess Tefnut in this way:

• From the original liquid, the god Atum (Ra) spontaneously originated.
• He created the Benben (sacred stone) by the power of his will.
• Standing on a stone, Atum created the first pair of gods - Shu and Tefnut. They were not only brother and sister, but also spouses.
• From the first divine couple were born heaven) and Geb (earth).
• Then Geb and Nut gave birth to two more pairs of deities who were also brother and sister and spouses at the same time: Osiris and Isis, Set and Nephthys. Osiris began to rule underworld, Isis was credited with the functions of the goddess of fertility. Set was the god of the desert, Nephthys the goddess of death and healing.
• A little later, a barren desert was created.

Thus, 9 deities appeared who entered the ennead of Heliopolis.

Tests for the Egyptians

The most famous is one of the myths in which Tefnut appears. Its plot is like this. The ancient Egyptians lived comfortably in the Nile Valley.

The solar god Ra generously endowed his beloved people with the warm rays of the heavenly body.

The goddess Tefnut provided regular rainfall, which is why the lands did not lose their fertility.

The god of the Nile (Hapi) was responsible for the floods of the great river, which made the arable land even richer thanks to the miraculous silt.

The Egyptians were grateful to their gods and sang songs of praise for them, erected temples and statues, and made donations. But one day Tefnut quarreled with her father - the goddess decided that people should only thank her alone. Turning into a lioness, she left Egypt, as it seemed to her, forever, even the great father could not stop the angry goddess.

A drought began in the Nile Valley, the rains completely stopped. The farmers were left without a crop: he died under the scorching rays of the sun. The soil became hard, the grass turned yellow and withered, the cattle had nothing to eat, their death, famine and pestilence began. Then sandstorms hit the Egyptians. This is how the myth of the wrath of the goddess Tefnut begins.

The lioness began to live in attacking people and tearing them to shreds. In anger, the goddess was terrible, not a single person who accidentally met her could avoid a terrible fate. The meat and blood of people served as food for the offended Tefnut, her breath became fiery, and her eyes spewed out flames.

Return of the Goddess

Ra, who loved the goddess of life-giving moisture more than all his children, missed her very much and wanted to return her. So he decided to send the gods to Nubia to help bring back Tefnut. The choice fell on two deities:

• the lioness' consort, Shu;
• the god of wisdom, Thoth, who was often depicted with the head of an ibis.

The immortals took the form of baboons (these monkeys were revered as sacred animals in Egypt) and set off on a difficult path. The formidable lioness unfriendly met the uninvited visitors, and only the wisdom of Thoth helped bring her back. God began to describe the beauties of Egypt, this amazing region, rich in green fertile meadows, amazingly beautiful temples and inhabited by grateful people. God said that Tefnut would not have to do anything to get food for herself, she would be respected and praised in songs. She succumbed to the persuasion and, together with Thoth and Shu, headed home. The God of Wisdom cast magic spells all the way so that the lioness would not change her mind.

Having bathed in the waters of the Sacred Lake, the goddess lost the appearance of a lioness and became like an ordinary woman of incredible beauty. It was in this form that she appeared before Ra, who was immensely happy to see his beloved daughter again.

According to another version of the myth about the return of the goddess Tefnut to Egypt, the sage Thoth acted alone. He did not skimp on compliments to the strength and power of the lioness, praised her in every possible way and did not forget to add how hard it is for the Egyptian people without their beloved patroness. The arable lands have dried up, people are dying of hunger, the temples of Tefnut are closed, and the priests put on mourning robes and mourn their goddess in despair. The heart of the Nubian cat melted, her anger subsided, she agreed to return.

goddess worship

The myth of the flight and return of the Egyptian goddess Tefnut caused the pyramids to appear in the country. Every year, shortly before the flood, the Egyptians played a scene about the departure and return of the goddess to appease her.

The main center of worship for the lioness goddess was Heliopolis. She was distinguished by a formidable disposition, so all the rites in the temples were carried out with the main goal - to pacify her. The following descriptions of religious actions have survived to this day:

• First, a dance was performed to appease the wayward Tefnut. They tried to pick up a calm and harmonious melody for the dance.
• Then there were offerings of wine, which the stern lioness loved very much. Also, game was used as a victim.
• Then the priests read prayers.

The goddess was very fond of offerings, so often gifts were sent to her even by other gods (or rather, their sculptural images). The priests placed in front of the statue of Tefnut small figurines of Heha, the symbol of eternity, and Maat, the goddess of justice. This symbolized the gift of Tefnut by other deities. Often, a water clock was used as an offering, since the Nubian cat was identified with the concept of time.

goddess temples

Several temples of Tefnut have survived to this day, which help to understand how significant she was in the Egyptian pantheon. In addition to the already mentioned Heliopolis, the place of veneration of the formidable lioness was Leontopol, otherwise the city of lions. It was here that the sanctuary was located not only of Tefnut herself, but also of other lion-headed deities: Sekhmet, Mahesa. Found here in abundance, statuettes of bronze lions testify that these animals inspired the ancient Egyptians not so much horror as reverence.

Sanctuaries of Tefnut were also in Nubia, they have survived to this day in the best condition, but they are not distinguished by such wealth as the Egyptian ones. Also, the places of worship of the goddess were in Upper Egypt: in Kom-Ombo, Esna, Edfu. And scientists find images of the goddess in many tombs of the pharaohs.

The ancient Egyptian goddess Tefnut is one of the most revered, since it was she who, as the inhabitants of the Nile Valley believed, was responsible for the rains and provided life-giving moisture, without which a rich harvest could not be expected.

“The Return of Tefnut-Hathor from Nubia” begins with the fact that Tefnut, offended and angry at his father, leaves for Nubia, where, as you understand, the upper Nile is located. She wanders the Nubian desert, taking the form of either a lioness, or (in later texts, already semi-fairytale) cats, she is angry with everyone. And since the “embodiment of vital forces” leaves Egypt, then a drought, pestilence naturally begins there. The Goddess urgently needs to be returned. Her brother Shu is sent to return (to marry his sister at the same time) and the god of wisdom Thoth. With regard to Thoth, you may come across a "school" version: Thoth is the god of wisdom, astronomy, writing, and so on. It's all true, but not quite. The fact is that Thoth is primarily associated with the idea of ​​boundaries. The manifest world, emerging from non-existence, becomes bounded in relation to non-existence. And writing in general, and in particular in Egypt, does not arise for sacred needs (sacred texts are written down in the very last turn), but for fixing boundary agreements and debt obligations. He is associated with writing, calculus land plots , with astronomy to calculate the floods of the Nile, and so on. But in fairy tales, especially, he appears as the god of wisdom, begins to make riddles for Tefnut-Hathor. In later texts, all attention is shifted precisely to riddles. In the end, having cheered up, she (the theme of Princess Nesmeyana: the state of Princess Nesmeyana is practically being in the world of death, and making her laugh means bringing her back to the world of life) agrees to marry her brother Shu, and they all return to Egypt together. But they don't return instantly. They come from the south (from Nubia) from the headwaters of the Nile. And it is quite obvious that the process of their return is nothing but the flooding of the Nile. Hence the celebrations of the return of Tefnut-Hathor, the annual processions and, by the way, at the festivities in honor of the divine wedding of Hathor and Shu, there is a very plentiful libation of alcoholic beverages. I draw your attention to this detail, which, it would seem, does not play any role in this myth. Well, they have fun, well, they drink. What's in it? Absolutely nothing. But you will see later that this detail, which is completely insignificant in this myth (it can be safely omitted in the presentation), turns out to be key in the version of another myth - "The extermination of people." This is a fairly large myth, I will not expound it in its entirety. It is easy to find in the book "Myths of Ancient Egypt". We are only interested in the episode directly related to the extermination of people. The supreme god Ra grew old, people stopped obeying him. He took offense at them. At first, he simply left, and then sends his daughter Tefnut-Sakhmet to them in the guise of a lioness (here without options), which begins to devour people. After some time, the destruction of people takes such proportions that Ra is horrified and tries to stop his furious daughter. But she is so carried away that it is not possible to stop her. Then Ra orders to bring a red mineral, mix it with beer (the Egyptians drank beer), pour it onto the fields. The goddess will see this, take it for blood and literally get drunk. What is happening. After getting drunk, she fell asleep. When she woke up, her rage subsided, and she obeyed her father's demand to stop the extermination of people. It would seem that these two myths are completely different. However, in both cases, we are talking about the fact that the goddess Tefnut in various guises is the eye of her father, the god Ra. Its removal in both cases, voluntarily or involuntarily, causes the death of a huge number of people. And there, and there - it is necessary to return it. In both cases, Thoth acts. Her return is directly or indirectly associated with the abundant use of alcoholic beverages. That's why I mentioned that "fun" when Sakhmet returned. At first glance, there is an insignificant detail, here it is a plot-forming element. And, of course, we have in the image of Tefnut-Hathor not yet the myth of the resurrecting and dying god. No gods here die and are not resurrected. We do not have a god, but a beast that physically ("legs") goes to the land of the dead and then returns from there. Before us is an archaic form of what would later turn into the most widespread myth in the Mediterranean about a dying and resurrecting god. Here it is a beast that goes to the land of the dead, and this leads to the death of people; then it returns from the dead kingdom - and this brings people back to life.

By ancient myth Shu came out like a breath from the nose of the great god Atum. Together with his sister and wife Tefnut (dampness), Shu (air) personifies the forces necessary for life. Beyond this, Shu is identified with the sun, and Tefnut with the moon.

Shu is the Egyptian deity of the air, son of Atum, brother and husband of Tefnut. After the identification of Atum with Ra, he was considered the son of Ra.
Shu - the god of the air space dividing the sky and the earth, illuminated by the sun; subsequently he received the character of the deity of the scorching midday sun. In the hymns (by the way, in the magic papyrus of Harris) Shu is called the overthrower of the enemies of the light, striking them with a spear and flame.
Later myths told about the reign of Shu on earth together with Tefnut after the departure of Ra: "His Majesty Shu was an excellent king of heaven, earth, hell, waters, winds, floods, mountains, seas." After many millennia, he also ascended to heaven. Shu was considered the second member of the great ennead and was compared with the god of war Ankhur (the latter's name means "heaven bearer"), revered in Thinis and Sebennit, with Thoth and Khons.
The veneration of Shu was especially expressive in Leontopol in the Delta, from whose temple the images of Shu in the form of a lion and a man with a lion's head, as well as his throne carried by lions, passed to the Berlin Museum. Even more often he was depicted as a seated man, with his arms outstretched upwards to support the sky; many figurines of this kind have come down to us - original prototypes of Atlantes. On the walls of the sarcophagi of the New Kingdom are usually images of him at the moment when he separates Nut and Geb.
He was most often depicted as a man standing on one knee with his hands raised, with which he supports the sky above the earth. Shu is one of the judges of the dead in the underworld. In the myth of the return of Tefnut, the solar Eye, from Nubia, Shu, together with Thoth, having taken the form of a baboon, returned the goddess to Egypt with singing and dancing, where, after her marriage with Shu, the spring flowering of nature began.

Tefnut, also Tefnet, a laudatory name Nubian cat - in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of moisture. Part of the Heliopolis Ennead. Her earthly incarnation is a lioness. The center of the Tefnut cult is Heliopolis.
According to the Heliopolitan myth, Tefnut and her husband Shu are the first pair of twin gods born of Atum (Ra-Atum). With their appearance, the original unity is replaced by duality, including the sexes. Their children are Geb and Nut. Sometimes Tefnut is called the wife of Ptah. Tefnut is also the daughter of Ra, his beloved Eye. These ideas are a consequence of the merger of Atum with Ra, in which Shu and Tefnut become the children of the sun god - the eyes of the master of the sky. Tefnut is identified with both the lunar and (through various mythical connections) the solar eye. When Ra rises above the horizon in the morning, Tefnut shines with a fiery eye in his forehead and burns the enemies of the great god. In this capacity, Tefnut was identified with the goddess Uto (Urey).
There is a myth according to which Tefnut - the Eye of Ra retired to Nubia (and a period of drought began in Egypt), and then, at the request of her father, who sent Thoth and Shu (in another version - Onuris) after her, returned back. The arrival of Tefnut from Nubia and her subsequent marriage to Shu portends the flowering of nature.
The hypostasis of Tefnut was the goddess of flame Upes, her other hypostasis was often the goddess of writing Seshat. There is a myth according to which Tefnut - the Eye of Ra retired to Nubia (and a period of drought began in Egypt), and then at the request of her father, who sent Thoth and Shu (in the ancient version - Onuris) after her. came back. The arrival of Tefnut from Nubia and the ensuing marriage to Shu portends the flowering of nature. Tefnut was identified with Mut, Bast, as well as with Hathor, Sekhmet and other lioness goddesses (Menhit. Ment), revered in Egypt.

Shu, Tefnut, Geb and Nut
Shu and Tefnut are the first divine couple on earth. They have one soul. According to the Heliopolis cosmogony, these gods were born by Atum at the beginning of creation: Shu arose as the god of the wind, and Tefnut-Maat as the goddess of the world order, and only thanks to her Atum was able to create the world. In the cosmogony of Memphis, Tefnut is sometimes identified with the "heart and tongue of Ptah", that is, his original Word and Thought, which were embodied in Atum and Tefnut-Maat. Traditionally, in the religion of Ancient Egypt, Tefnut was revered as the goddess of moisture.
After the world was created, Tefnut became the Eye of Ra - the Solar Eye, the keeper of justice and laws.
The Golden Age has come - the time when the gods lived on earth together with people. The gods reigned in turn, replacing each other on the earthly throne. The first and longest was the era of the reign of Ra - the god of the Sun, "Lord of All That Is."
At the beginning of the Golden Age, Tefnut quarreled with Ra. Having assumed the form of a lioness, she left Egypt and went south, to Nubia (Egypt. Kush), into the desert.
Tefnut was the goddess of moisture, so when she left, disaster struck the country - a terrible drought. The rains have stopped in the Nile Delta; the hot rays of the Sun dried up the soil along the banks - it cracked and became hard as a stone; stopped bearing fruit date palms; The Nile became shallow and sandstorms began. People were dying of thirst and hunger.

Then his majesty Ra called the god Shu to himself and commanded him:
- Go, find Tefnut in Nubia and bring this goddess back!
Shu turned into a lion and went in search of his sister. He soon managed to find her. Shu told her for a long time and eloquently what grief befell her homeland, and, finally, moved Tefnut to pity, convinced her to return. When they came together to Egypt, Great River it immediately overflowed and generously saturated meadows and arable land with water, and gushed onto the lands of the Delta (the life-giving "heavenly Nile" of the sky - the rain The drought ended and the famine stopped.

After Shu brought his sister from the Nubian desert, he married her. From this marriage, a second divine couple was born: Geb, the god of the earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. Geb and Nut loved each other very much even in the womb and were born tightly embraced. Therefore, at the beginning of creation, heaven and earth were merged into one.
Nut in the evenings gave birth to stars, and in the morning, before sunrise, she swallowed them. This went on day after day, year after year. And once Geb was angry with Nut because she eats the stars, and called her a pig that eats her piglets.
The Lord of All Existing Ra was very dissatisfied with the quarrel between Nut and Geb. He called the wind god Shu to himself and ordered him to break the arms of Geb and Nut, to separate heaven and earth: if they cannot live in harmony, let them live apart.
Shu fulfilled the order of Ra: he separated the sky from the earth and set the created world in motion. Therefore, it is believed that Shu is the embodiment of the creative energy of Ra-Atum. His name means "Emptiness" (i.e., air). The Egyptians put small wooden figurines of Shu into the sarcophagi of the dead - so that the deceased would not suffocate in the Underworld, where there is no air.
Shu wears an ostrich feather on his head: this is the hieroglyph determinative of his name.
When Shu broke the embrace of Nut and Geb, the goddess Nut in the guise of a Heavenly Cow ascended above the earth. The height made her dizzy. The Sun God ordered Shu to support Nut. Since then, Shu always holds his daughter during the day and lowers her back to the ground at night. Therefore, one of the emblems of Shu is four feathers: symbolic columns that support the sky.
Tefnut sometimes helps her husband to keep Nut above the ground, but gets tired very quickly and begins to cry from fatigue. Her tears - rain - turn into plants.
In the morning, Nut leaves Geb, takes the form of the Heavenly Cow Mekhet Urt and gives birth to a solar disk. Khepri, the god of the rising Sun, rolls the Sun in front of him like a scarab beetle rolls its ball, and, having reached the zenith, passes the solar disk to Ra. Ra takes the Sun and in his sacred Boat of Eternity carries him through the heavenly river - along the belly of Nut.
Sometimes the eternal enemy of the Sun attacks Rook - giant snake Apop. On such days, the sky is covered with clouds or a sandstorm comes from the desert. The goddess Nut hides in the mountains until Ra defeats Apep. If the snake manages to swallow Rook, a solar eclipse sets in - but even then, Ra in the end still defeats Apep and floats further along the celestial river. In the evening, having completed his great mission, the sun god gives the disk to Atum, and Atum lowers it beyond the horizon.