the Sacred Lake of the Sanctuary of the Goddess Nekhbet at Nekheb/Eileithyiaspolis (in the III nome of Upper Egypt) “Normally termed ’‘Divine Lake”, but also given specific names, the purpose of the Sacred Lake is both ritual and symbolic. Ritually, the Sacred Lake provides a reservoir for the water used in the rituals of purifications and in the offerings to the Gods, and it is here that the priests bath at dawn before entering the Temples to begin their ritual service in honor of the Gods. Symbolically, the Sacred Lake plays an important role in representing various aspects of the Egyptian Cosmogonic Myths of origin. Because creation have occurred when the Sun God Ra emerged from the Primeval Waters of Nun, the Sacred Lake represents in a tangible manner the same underlying forces of life and creation; and in this way creation is symbolically renewed each morning as the Sun God Ra rises above the sacred waters.“ (from Richard H. Wilkinson, “The Complete Temples Of Ancient Egypt”)
