Hathor Rising: Chapt 11-end
The final section of this book discusses an alternative angle to viewing Akhenaten’s version of the state religion.
“A version of the Aten [...] had already appeared as early as the reign of Amenhotep II”
Akhenaten appeared to play a very personal role in direction of artwork during his reign. Retraining already-active artisans to create the style he was looking for. SHe believes his “strange” proportions are actually mimicking Hapy and other fecundity figures.
Believes amarna took heavy influence from early Memphis religious tradition:
including bringing everything out into the sun.
This is even mimicked in relief where naos sistra are all missing, replaced with hoop sistra.
This is also mirrored in relief depicting the royal family. It is far more intimate and human than past imagery.
Nothing was hidden, everything was brought out into the light.
Most hymns and reliefs discuss a unity between all living things, with the common denominator for everything being sun rays. The sun gives life, and ultimately everything else is reliant upon said sun.
In many ways, this new version of religion didn’t allow for darkness or sadness. The sun became an unrelenting force that bared down on all aspects of life. In many ways, this new version of the gods was relatively unfeeling and unconcerned with the daily goings on of the country/people.
In many ways, teh Aten is a mixture of Ra, Amun, and the serpent goddess (Hathor, other iryt ra) all together in one.
The eye in the sky gazes down on Egypt, changing seasons for our benefit
We have been given eyes to take in this splendor and beauty.
The sun incorporates that attraction that the serpent goddess is supposed to provide. And so humans are now attracted to the sun and all of its light-giving properties. In this era, the darkness is equated to death and decay.
“Now her serpentine energy is coiled back, fused with the Aten. And her solar attraction manifests in another dimension ruled by the celestial ‘eye of light’ a dimension in which the vast energy of the sun streams forth each day at dawn, replenishing the myriad creatures of the world, bestowing on them the gift of radiant light.”
“This is the sun in the time of eternity (neheh). There is no journey through the divisions of the night in the Underworld or monsters to keep at bay when the sun rises or sets.”
There were still rites to propitiate the Aten, which seemed to indicate that the merging of the entire pantheon into a single figure was tenuous at best, and needed attention/attending to make sure it could hold up.
In the last chapter, Roberts talks about el Bahari, and how the temple is three levels: image/kingship, life/living, primordial/mythic time. And she posits that Akhenaten took that model and turned it into Light, Life, Sustenance. The light being the Aten, who gives forth light to create life. And Akhenaten is the sustenance that keeps Egypt fruitful, hence his appearance being like Hapy.
“Together, the Aten and the king, the celestial manifestation of the divine father and the terrestrial incarnation of the Son, share in the co-rulership of heave and earth.”
Roberts compares the arms of Aten to Ka arms, which are used to transfigure a person/entity through embrace. In this way, the royal family is in a constant state of transfiguration, as the sun sends its ka energy down to embrace and transfigure Akhenaten.
In early relief, Akhenaten is equated with Shu and Nefertiti with Tefnut. In time, Akhenaten becomes the only one to be shown, perhaps merging down Nefertiti and himself into one King, or perhaps getting rid of her entirely.
Equating himself to Shu is a sort of pun, since shu could also mean “sunlight”
TL;DR: Its likely that Akhenaten tried to bring all of the entities that had been at the forefront of religion into one being that was physical and in the sky. But likely this merge down was not balanced enough to be sustainable. Which indicates, in my mind, that there are limits to how long the NTRW can be pushed into certain syncretizations, aspects, or general merges.
This is the end of this book. I will be making more notes of My Heart My Mother, which continues on the same general topic (Hathor) where this book ends, with the 19th dynasty.
