from, a "leg," CHỔI, or сERIпр&тq (tibia, or tibia cruris). It is to this place that Diodorus* alludes when he says that the Goddess Eilethyia, one of the ancient Deities of Egypt, founded a city called after her; as did Jove, the Sun, Hermes, Apollo, Pan, and many others; and this assertion of the historian accords well with the antiquity of that city, which contains some of the oldest remains existing in Egypt. The same credit cannot be attached to a statement of Plutarch, that men were formerly sacrificed in this city, as I shall have occasion to observe in speaking of the rites of the Egyptians. + Soven may also be the Genius of the Upper Country, or the South, opposed to the Genius of the Lower Country, given in the following Plate §; though I do not trace that connection of the former with Neith, and the latter with Saté, which Horapollo might lead us to expect. However inconsistent may be the assumption of two characters by the same Goddess, we find that the Greek Eilethyia was in like manner confounded with other Deities, as Juno and Diana, though said to be daughter of Jupiter and of Juno, or, according to some, of Latona. She is usually represented as a Goddess with the cap and two ostrich feathers of Osiris, or with the cap of the Upper Country, and occa *Diodor. i. 12. Vide infrà, chap. 15. + Now destroyed by the Turks. Horapollo, i. 11., says Minerva rules the Upper, and Juno the Lower Hemisphere; and the vulture is the emblem of Urania, the God sionally with the globe and horns of Athor; and she frequently appears under the form of a vulture, which, with outspread wings, hovers over the King as if to protect him. This confirms the statement of Eusebius*, who observes that the image of the Deity worshipped at the Egyptian city of "Eilethyas had the form of a flying vulture, whose wings were inlaid with precious stones." She has also the form of an asp, which, like the vulture, wears the head-dress of Osiris, the crown of the Upper Country with two ostrich feathers. This asp is frequently winged. It wears the Pshent, or crown of the two regions; or the crown of Upper Egypt only, when opposed to the Genius of the Lower Country, who, under the same form of an asp, has that of Lower Egypt. The water-plants chosen as the initials of the respective names of these two Goddesses agree with the crowns they wear; one signifying "Upper," the other "Lower Egypt," which are thus written in hieroglyphics I. , or ; the last two having in addition the bowl or basket, signifying "Lord." Indeed, it is not altogether improbable that the Goddess Eilethyia may have had the name Sarest, "the South," which her hieroglyphic, sometimes *Euseb. Prepar. Evangel. iii. 12. + Upper Egypt was called Marés, whence the Arabic name Marées or Maréesee applied to the south wind. to justify; but I have found no instance of the Goddess to whom she is opposed having the hieroglyphic signifying “the North,” ► Or Soven also appears occasionally with a vulture's head, and I have found instances of this Goddess as an Ophigyps, with the body of a vulture and the head of a snake, on the coffins of THE GENIUS OF THE LOWER COUNTRY. This Goddess has also the character of guardian and protectress of the Monarchs, and is placed in opposition to Eilethyia, as the Genius of the o. 459. n 3 2 Fig. 1. The Genius of the Lower Country, opposed to figs. 2. and 3., or the Goddess Lower Country. She is represented under the form of an asp, frequently with wings, having the crown of Lower Egypt, which is also worn by her when figured as a Goddess. She is treated as one of the contemplar Divinities at Thebes and other towns of the Upper Provinces, with the same * Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 412.; and Plate 79. honours as the last-mentioned Deity. She also occurs under the form of a vulture, alternately with the vulture of Eilethyia, on the ceilings of No. 460. 2 1 phic legend which her accompanies emblem. She even Fig. 1. opposed to figs. 2, and 3., or the Goddess Eilethyia. attends Isis while nursing Horus, together with the Goddess Eilethyia. Χημι, Egypt, as might be reasonably expected, was among the Deities worshipped in the country. She is represented with the emblem of purity on her head, and another apparently signifying "cultivated land," which also enters into the names of the Goddess Kahi, and the Deity of Tentyris. In one hand she holds a spear with a bow and arrows, and in the other a battleaxe and the sign of life, illustrative of the military power of the country. In this she resembles one of the forms of Neith or Minerva. I had imagined this Goddess to be the Genius of the "Eastern Bank," opposed to another of similar character, whom I have called the "Western Bank of the Nile; but the hieroglyphic legends appear to authorize the conclusion of her representing Egypt itself. A strong argument in support of this is also derived from her being put in opposition to the foreign nations with whom the Egyptians were at war. Though the force of the character forming her name has not yet been ascertained, the signification given it by the learned Champollion seems to be confirmed by the fact of our finding it applied to gold when in a pure state. It is therefore considered to be the emblem of purity, rather than power, as formerly supposed; and the Goddess has the title of "the pure Land," which doubtless applied to Egypt.* It is the sceptre usually seen in the hands of the Gods, erroneously said to be surmounted by the head of the Upupa; a misconception into which Horapollo has also been led, as is evident from his considering that "bird a fit ornament for the sceptres of the Godst," because it is the type of "gratitude." But the head is that of a quadruped, not of a bird; though easily mistaken for the Upupa when carelessly sculptured, or of a small size. Its being emblematic of purity makes it an appropriate characteristic of the divine nature, and it is very properly associated with the feather of Truth. The name of Egypt was Khêmi, which, as I have already stated, bore a strong analogy to the word Khame‡, "black ;" and both are sometimes written in the same manner by the hieroglyphic of a croco * Vide Plate 53. Part 3. Horapollo, Hierog. i. 56. Or Chame. I write these words indifferently with Kh, and Ch. Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 263. |