The secret of Ra’s name (the power of naming reality)

According to the Egyptian myth of Ra’s birth, after naming all things and shaping the reality of human beings, he took on human form and became the first Pharaoh of Egypt. It is said that Ra ruled for thousands of years, bringing prosperity and wellbeing to his people thanks to the abundant harvests and his magnificent laws. The Egyptians expressed their gratitude by exalting his name above all others. Yet Ra had assumed human form, and therefore aged day by day. One day, the Egyptians stopped respecting him, began mocking his aged appearance and disobeying his commands. Ra could not avoid hearing their taunts and, seeing that humans no longer obeyed the laws, he became so enraged that he summoned the gods he had created to a secret place to ask for their counsel. All the gods listened to Ra’s complaint. Nun spoke and said: “What you must do is destroy them using the form of your daughter, the goddess Sekhmet.” Then Ra, with his terrifying eye, created the fierce and bloodthirsty goddess, like a lioness, who hunted her prey with delight in slaughter and blood. Following Ra’s orders, Sekhmet unleashed her fury upon all who had ridiculed her father, sowing terror and despair throughout Egypt. In the end, Ra took pity on humanity and continued to reign in his old age, although he knew the time had come to entrust the rule of Egypt to the younger gods.

It must not be forgotten that Ra’s power lay in his secret name. If anyone discovered it, he would cease to reign. Ra knew this, and so kept it hidden within his heart. Only by using magical powers could one come to know it. Some time later, Isis, the wisest daughter of the gods, who knew all the secrets of heaven and earth, sought to uncover it. What she did not know, however, was Ra’s secret name. So, she set out to discover it. Ra was by then a very old man. He drooled and walked with great difficulty. So Isis began following him in secret, collecting the drops of saliva he left along the path. Once she had gathered enough, Isis mixed the fluid with earth and fashioned a serpent, which she placed along Ra’s path. The snake bit the god and then slithered away. The venom spread quickly through Ra’s body, causing him a pain he had never before known. He cried out in agony, and all the gods came to his aid. None of them could explain what had happened, and they mourned deeply. Clever Isis approached Ra and asked: ISIS: What troubles you, almighty father? Could it be that one of the serpents you created has bitten you? RA: I have been bitten by a serpent I did not create. I cannot stop trembling. I feel a blazing fire burning within me and consuming me. ISIS: (gently approaching) If you tell me your secret name, I shall be able to use my magical powers to heal you. RA: I am the one who made the heavens and the earth, who created the waters, the winds, the light, and the darkness. I am the creator of the great river Nile. I am Khepri in the morning, Ra at midday, and Atum at sunset. ISIS: You know well, almighty father, that those names are known to all. What I need to cure you is your secret name. RA (taking her hand and whispering in her ear): Before my name passes from my heart to yours, swear that you shall tell no one, except the son you will bear, whom you shall name Horus. And he must swear that the name will remain within him forever. RA: You must not reveal it to any other gods or to men.
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Isis made the oath, and the knowledge of the secret name passed from Ra’s heart to the heart of Isis. Then, using her magical powers, Isis declared: ISIS: By the name I now know, I command the venom to leave Ra’s body forever. The poison vanished, and Ra felt well again, but he no longer reigned over Egypt. He found a place in the heavens to roam, following the path of the Sun, the wandering star Saturn, the terrifying Eye that sees all that is hidden.
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Nothing exists until it is named (and how the word creates realities)
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The Titans (The Civilisation Before the Olympian Gods)