Egyptian body magic

[Apech]

 

 

Ok.  I'm going to talk through this and the next two stages (from the papyrus of Khonshu-mes).  Sorry about the title I couldn't think of anything better.

 

It's from a papyrus written in the 21st Dyn. in Thebes for the priest Khonshu-mes.  It is one of the so-called mythological papyri which were produced in this late period which consist of almost entirely illustrations with little or no text. 

 

We are starting in the West which means the body.  With death and mummification.  Sorry the pic is a bit blurred but I probs with the image capture and getting it big enough.  I'll go through what it shows and try to explain what it means in subsequent posts.  Questions welcome (but please try to stay on topic if at all possible). 

[Nungali]

The 'object' 2nd from the right  ( to the left of the far  right figure  ... a skin and ...  ?  )  looks interesting  .   Looks like a nome 'totem'  ?  

[Apech]

4 hours ago, Nungali said:

The 'object' 2nd from the right  ( to the left of the far  right figure  ... a skin and ...  ?  )  looks interesting  .   Looks like a nome 'totem'  ?  

 

Yes it is called Imy-wt which can be translated as 'he who is in his wrappings' or 'one who is in his skin' - although the literal translation which I prefer is just 'in the skin' (imy means 'in, between' and wt means skin or wrappings.) It is also a title of Anubis and a symbol for mummification.  It is a pole from which hangs an animal skin which has been stuffed.  In my view it is the most important thing in the whole scene as it depicts how we are to view the body.

 

 

[Nungali]

I have seen them occasionally and wondered what they were  ?   I assumed a totem or ' standard ' of a Nome  or God . 

 

 

 

[Apech]

33 minutes ago, Nungali said:

I have seen them occasionally and wondered what they were  ?   I assumed a totem or ' standard ' of a Nome  or God . 

 

 

 

I think it was more than to remind us of mummification.  I think it was a meditative symbol for a certain state of being.  

[Nungali]

Would you say the term 'fetish ' ( in anthropological sense ) would describe this ? 

 

A fetish is described as ;  something to house a spirit or ancestor ,  something power like a charm or sacred object , something a special function ; protection, healing , etc . 

 

The Imy-wt is said to predate the 1st dynasty ?    I wondering if it is one of those early 'throwbacks ' to some of the African traditions that entered the Nile Valley  ( as the ank symbol might be ?  ) 

 

( the name fetish was given to the magical objects  encountered in west Africa  - Portugese  >  ' fetico  '  > 'charm / magic '  . . . originally ' made for  / as art ' . )

 

 

[Apech]

1 hour ago, Nungali said:

Would you say the term 'fetish ' ( in anthropological sense ) would describe this ? 

 

A fetish is described as ;  something to house a spirit or ancestor ,  something power like a charm or sacred object , something a special function ; protection, healing , etc . 

 

The Imy-wt is said to predate the 1st dynasty ?    I wondering if it is one of those early 'throwbacks ' to some of the African traditions that entered the Nile Valley  ( as the ank symbol might be ?  ) 

 

( the name fetish was given to the magical objects  encountered in west Africa  - Portugese  >  ' fetico  '  > 'charm / magic '  . . . originally ' made for  / as art ' . )

 

 

 

 

Yes a fetish as in a cult object of Anubis.  In the funerary cult they used deities and symbols in a special way - all relating to the immortality project (you might call it) (as we mentioned in the Stele thread.). So here I believe it has a specific meaning - while elsewhere it might be used as a general cult object relating to Anubis and so on.

 

When we get to the goddesses Isis and Nephthys you might see this clearly - that while say Isis has a whole form of worship of her own and all sorts of attributes etc. here she is used specifically for a 'technical' reason as part of the funerary process of transformation into an akh and/or 'living after death'.

 

 

[Apech]

To the left of the Imy-wt symbol is the mummy on a bier or lion bed being attended to by Anubis.  At the head of the bed is Nephthys and at the foot Isis.  They are both touching a 'shen' symbol.  Below the bed are four canopic jars and then to the left of this are the four sons of Horus which protect those jars.

 

Isis and Nephthys are here representing something specific which can be shown by a quote from the Pyramid Texts:

 

“Isis ascends with the day / is in the light,

Nephthys descends with the night / is in the darkness.”

 

So they represent two phases of a circulation.  Up into the light (Isis) and down into the dark (Nephthys).

 

The shen symbol confirms this as its meaning is 'to encircle' and has the extended meaning of 'all that is encircled by the sun' i.e. everything and forever i.e. eternity.  It was this symbol which was slightly amended to form the cartouche which framed the king's names - and indicated the king was an eternal (non ordinary) being.

[Nungali]

The beir or 'lion bed '  .  What is the significance of the lion here ? 

 

 [ I have one on my small back verandah / landing ;   I had a statue of Anubis  with hands extended over a mummy lying on a bier with a big lions head on one end . It  got moved around  ( after sitting on the table on my GFs side of the bed - she was working as a mortician then    ) the mummy was a separate piece and ended up ??? The rest    ended up outside near the bench I sit on to have my morning coffee fix .  Out in the garden I saw a bush turkey come in and start digging up a new plant ,  I hoiked a stick at it , hit a tree, bounced off , got Anubis, knocked off an arm and one ear . So now this lion bier just sits there like a little table on the bench ] 

[Apech]

8 minutes ago, Nungali said:

The beir or 'lion bed '  .  What is the significance of the lion here ? 

 

 [ I have one on my small back verandah / landing ;   I had a statue of Anubis  with hands extended over a mummy lying on a bier with a big lions head on one end . It  got moved around  ( after sitting on the table on my GFs side of the bed - she was working as a mortician then    ) the mummy was a separate piece and ended up ??? The rest    ended up outside near the bench I sit on to have my morning coffee fix .  Out in the garden I saw a bush turkey come in and start digging up a new plant ,  I hoiked a stick at it , hit a tree, bounced off , got Anubis, knocked off an arm and one ear . So now this lion bier just sits there like a little table on the bench ] 

 

I believe the lion is a reference to the two Rekhty - Shu and Tefnut who form the horizon (sometimes).

[Nungali]

Its almost as if the Egyptians believed nothing existed by itself but in relation to everything else  . 

 

  

[Apech]

So now the beginning of the complicated part:

 

The organs placed in the Canopic Jars were the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines.  It is not that the Egyptians didn't know about other organs but these were chosen deliberately.  

 

Their relative positions in the body are shown as follows:

 

 

The organs were paired as follows:

 

lungs and liver

 

stomach and intestines

 

Collectively the first two were under the protection of Hapi and Imsety (two of the sons of Horus); and the second two under  Duamutef and Quebhsenuef.  As pairs these were sometimes known as the Souls of Pe and the Souls of Nekhen.  Where Pe and Nekhen are the ancient capitals of Lower and Upper Egypt.  Pe (as part of the double town Pe and Dep had the tutelary deity Wadjet ( the cobra goddess ) and in Nekhen - Nekhabet the vulture goddess.  They are also related to the two crowns, Red of the North and White for the South.

 

Symbolically the upper part of the body is North and the lower part is South.  So liver and lungs related to red and stomach and intestines to white.  The task is to unite the two kingdoms north and south into one.  So the task in terms of the body is to unite the upper and lower parts into one.  NB. there is also the head which we will leave till later.

 

 

[Nungali]

Hmmmm .... but that which does unite them is at the top of your image  ......     no ?    ( ' Sema '    ) 

 

Also it seems the body , or at least the Pharaoh's body * ,  is a 'microcosm' of the Nile , or the 'two lands '  ?  

 

* or the 'canopic elements ' of his body 

 

 

.

Edited Thursday at 09:58 PM by Nungali

[Apech]

25 minutes ago, Nungali said:

Hmmmm .... but that which does unite them is at the top of your image  ......     no ?    ( ' Sema '    ) 

 

Also it seems the body , or at least the Pharaoh's body * ,  is a 'microcosm' of the Nile , or the 'two lands '  ?  

 

* or the 'canopic elements ' of his body 

 

 

.

 good observation 

[Apech]

The Egyptian knowledge of physiology was good - although not developed in the way modern science has.  They held that the lungs draw in the 'breath of life' (ankh) into the body and feed it to the heart.  This is more or less true - as the lungs oxygenate the blood which feeds to the heart to be pumped round the body.  The heart was thought of as the central organ which was connected to all other parts of the body by channels called 'metu' which were not arteries, nerves and so on - and have been compared to the nadis of yoga.  These channels stimulate activity in the body, such as circulation.  They are sometimes given as 22 channels tho' sometimes 46.  If the channels were blocked or contained pollutants this was said to cause disease.

 

The liver was said to generate blood.  This is not quite true as red blood cells come from the bone marrow - however the liver does produce the nutrients, sugars, amino acids and so on for the blood and regulates the content of the blood, so in a sense it is close to the truth.

 

The stomach was called the 'r-ib' which may be translated as mouth-heart.  They recognised its function in taking in food.  The intestines were known to absorb food and produce chyle (a white milky lymph fluid) which feeds the heart.  This may be part of the reason that the organs stomach and intestines are associated with the white crown.  While the liver and lungs with the red (blood).

 

 

[Nungali]

Where did 'metu' concept come from ?   Both origins , that is , first ; if they knew of arteries and nerves ( I assume, from dissections ) and observed them  why would they , of from what observation would they conclude other unseen 'channels'  connecting the heart to everything else ?  Or would that have been 'non observational' but assumptive  ( meaning they thought the heart was central and connected , therefore there must be connections ) ? 

 

And second , what texts or sources did you get or conclude this 'metu' information from ? 

[Nungali]

I think I found it  ?  

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebers_Papyrus

[Apech]

7 minutes ago, Nungali said:

I think I found it  ?  

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebers_Papyrus

and the Edwin Smith papyrus

[Nungali]

... I do have sore eyes , but where do I get antelope dung ? 

[Apech]

35 minutes ago, Nungali said:

... I do have sore eyes , but where do I get antelope dung ? 

from the arse of an antelope?

[Cobie]

 try if you dare

you might get worse than “sore eyes”

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Cobie

[Apech]

@Nungali

 

this is a good book if you are interested

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancient-Egyptian-Medicine-John-Nunn/dp/0714109819/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1E5BHA3H3LEQ1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1333SjDvXAaHClUXW_pXm62QazpMjL0hkW6DnEYuHwgJoc861OrjpH4JOhvdzhHRcwjUCn-VdFFnLPIhymKmGVIjiHzniJ8U638l2p9ujr544gDfknO_icFxG54A1Mpyf7JGR-TjtNqq45TsUikrCRl78-bSx-zhaniveWJh4WJNzs5BUMrbwZGpGoUErcpOHJVP9ZPZoMmvOYAcaZ2i55O-xc4n8DfwxPjp1FXpL4s.fLDuHHpHrBNyE9grC8fDpclPqlr3P0itWdAEneR9-LY&dib_tag=se&keywords=egyptian+medicine&qid=1763762872&sprefix=egyptian+medecine%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-2

[Apech]

So ... these important organs ... essential for organic function (life) are protected by four gods - the Sons of Horus.  Then each of the sons of Horus are protected by a goddess.  We have met two of these goddesses already - Isis and Nephthys.  We know that Isis represents an 'up' phase of a cycle ... up into the light .. and that Nephthys represents a down phase ... into the dark.  So we have organs and rhythmic up/down movement ... which supports the organs.  In the case of the lungs its obvious that the breath is involved, Isis the in-breath and Nephthys the out.

 

The gods of the stomach and intestines are protected by Neith (the huntress goddess of the East) and by Serqet the scorpion goddess (the West).  What is the rhythm of the digestive system? Peristalsis.  A process of contraction and expansion which moves food through the gut and also clears the intestines even when not eating.  It is a slow but permanent rhythm operating even when we haven't eaten and in sleep.  Neith is contraction and Serqet expansion.

 

So we have two systems of rhythmic activity, one in the thorax and one in the abdomen.  Both of which feed the heart (which has its own rhythm - the pulse).

 

We should also mention that the cerebro-spinal fluid has its own rhythm - which the Egyptians had observed when performing cranial surgery.

 

Grok on peristalsis:

 

 

What is Peristalsis?Peristalsis is the coordinated, wave-like muscle contraction that moves food, liquids, and waste through the hollow organs of the digestive tract (and some other tubular structures in the body). It’s essentially the automatic “conveyor belt” of your gut.How It WorksThe walls of organs like the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine have two main layers of smooth muscle:

• Circular muscle (wraps around the tube)
• Longitudinal muscle (runs along the length of the tube)

Peristalsis happens in this sequence:

1. A bolus (ball) of food or liquid triggers stretch receptors in the wall.
2. Circular muscles contract behind the bolus → squeezes it forward.
3. Longitudinal muscles contract ahead of the bolus → shortens and widens that segment, creating space.
4. Then the circular muscles relax behind and contract ahead, pushing the bolus further.
5. This wave of contraction/relaxation travels down the organ, propelling contents along.

It’s completely involuntary and controlled by the enteric nervous system (the “second brain” in your gut) with help from the autonomic nervous system.Where It Happens in the Body

• Esophagus: Moves swallowed food from throat to stomach in ~8–10 seconds (even if you’re upside down!).
• Stomach: Mixes food with acid and slowly pushes chyme into the small intestine.
• Small intestine: Primary site—slow peristalsis (about 1 cm/sec) mixes and propels digested food over 3–5 hours.
• Large intestine (colon): Much slower waves (a few times per day) called mass movements push feces toward the rectum.
• Other places: Ureters (urine from kidneys to bladder), bile ducts, and even blood vessels use similar peristaltic-like movements.

Fun/Interesting Facts

• Gravity-independent: That’s why astronauts can still swallow in space.
• Swallowing trigger: Once you swallow, peristalsis takes over—even if you stand on your head, the food will reach your stomach.
• Disorders: Achalasia (esophagus doesn’t relax), Hirschsprung’s disease (missing nerves in colon), or intestinal pseudo-obstruction can severely impair peristalsis.
• You can sometimes hear it: Those stomach “growling” noises (borborygmi) are often peristaltic waves moving gas and fluid.

In short, peristalsis is one of the body’s most elegant automatic processes—quietly keeping everything moving 24/7 without you ever having to think about it.

[Apech]

 

Here is Tutankhamun's canopic jar chest.  Each human headed jar held one of the four main organs.  On the corners of the chest are the goddesses (the nearest is Neith) ... together they form a kind of mandala.  Often the jars would have animal heads instead of human heads.

 

 

[Lairg]

1 hour ago, Apech said:

.  Each human headed jar held one of the four main organs. 

 

Occasionally I see humans imitating alien technology.  Royalty wearing crowns is an example - a non-functional imitation of the technology that provided telepathic communication.  Wearing the functional object the ruler spoke with the authority of the local lord god.

 

The Egyptian post-mortem processes seem similar.  For example Xi and Putin were recorded discussing 150 year life spans apparently based on organ transplant.  

 

Were human Egyptians showing a limited knowledge of alien transplant technology?

 

Recently Enki was asked about extending his lifespan.  He replied that when his body is worn out, he generates a clone and moves into it

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Lairg