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UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology

Title
Myth of the Heavenly Cow

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UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1)

Author
Guilhou, Nadine

Publication Date
2010-08-12

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 MYTH OF THE HEAVENLY COW
‫أرة ا ة او‬
Nadine Guilhou

EDITORS

WILLEKE WENDRICH
Editor-in-Chief
University of California, Los Angeles

JACCO DIELEMAN
Editor
Area Editor Religion
University of California, Los Angeles

ELIZABETH FROOD
Editor
University of Oxford

JOHN BAINES
Senior Editorial Consultant
University of Oxford

Short Citation:
Guilhou 2010, Myth of the Heavenly Cow. UEE.

Full Citation:
Guilhou, Nadine, 2010, Myth of the Heavenly Cow. In Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (eds.),
UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles.
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002311pm

1004 Version 1, September 2010

http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002311pm
 MYTH OF THE HEAVENLY COW
‫أرة ا ة او‬
Nadine Guilhou

Der Mythos von der Himmelskuh

Le Mythe de la Vache Céleste

The “Myth of the Heavenly Cow” is the conventional title of an Egyptian mythological narrative
that relates how humanity once rebelled against the sun god and how thereupon the sun god
reorganized the cosmos. The narrative is embedded in the so-called Book of the Heavenly
Cow, which is preserved in several versions dating to the New Kingdom. It is an etiological myth
explaining the origins of certain natural phenomena and religious festivals as well as legitimizing
the institution of Egyptian kingship.

 ‫"ان ا ي رة    د ا‬#‫>>أرة ا ة او<< ه ا‬

0 ‫ءًا‬34 56 ‫ ارة‬7.‫ ه‬.‫ن‬%‫د إ* ا)( "'& ا‬,‫"* أن أ‬, -  ‫ي‬.‫إ* ا)( وا‬
‫@? > = ا<ن‬A0 B ‫ة‬, *"0 4 ‫ي‬.‫& >>آ ب ا ة او<< وا‬8 ‫ ف‬#
"‫ت د‬4 D0‫ و‬# E ‫ة ?اه‬, ‫ل‬G‫ وارة ) ح أ‬.6A‫د إ= او ا‬#
. I‫ ا‬%‫ ا‬J‫= ا‬, , )‫ ا‬K‫ إ‬L4 =‫إ‬
he “Myth of the Heavenly Cow,” Room L; PM: 506 [27]; Theban Mapping
T also known as “The Destruction
of Mankind,” is the name scholars
Project: Chamber Jf), Ramesses III (KV 11:
Room X; PM: 526 [58]; Theban Mapping
of today use in reference to a mythological Project: Chamber Jc), and Ramesses VI (KV
narrative that tells about the rebellion of 9: Corridor C: niche; PM: 512 [10]; Theban
mankind against the sun god and about the Mapping Project: Corridor D: Recess). In the
sun god’s subsequent decision to reorganize tombs of Sety I, Ramesses II, and Ramesses
the cosmos. The narrative is embedded in a III, the composition fills all four walls of a
larger ritual text, the so-called Book of the subsidiary room annexed to the sarcophagus
Heavenly Cow. This composition forms part of chamber, to the right of the latter’s entrance
the corpus of royal funerary compositions of (Maystre 1941: 54 - 55). In the tomb of
the New Kingdom, the so-called Books of the Ramesses VI, one episode only has been
Netherworld. It is first attested on the inside of retained, inscribed in a small recess built into
the outermost of the four gilded shrines of the left (south) wall of the third corridor
Tutankhamen (KV 62), where it appears in (Piankoff 1954: 225 - 226, fig. 157). A
excerpts on the left and back panels (Piankoff fragment of wall relief with text of the Book of
1951 - 1952: fig. 16, pls. I, XXI; 1955: 26 - 37, the Heavenly Cow is preserved at the Musée
fig. 47). It also occurs in variant versions in Lapidaire in Avignon, France (catalog no. 8;
four other royal tombs located in the Valley of fig. 1); it comes from a royal tomb, in all
the Kings, namely those of Sety I (KV 17: likelihood that of Sety I (Guilhou 1998). In
Room M; PM: 543 [43]; Theban Mapping addition, two papyri from the Egyptian
Project: Chamber Je), Ramesses II (KV 7: Museum of Turin also preserve parts of the

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 1

 Figure 2. Vignette of the Heavenly Cow, tomb of
Sety I.

intoxicated. Thereupon she returns appeased

to the palace, leaving the rest of humanity
undisturbed. As an alternative solution, the
Figure 1. Wall fragment with text of the Book of the sun god decides to leave the earth for the sky,
Heavenly Cow. Musée Lapidaire, Avignon no. 8. which is created for him in the form of the
Heavenly Cow, a manifestation of the sky
composition (catalog nos. 1982 and 1826; goddess Nut. Humanity is now left without
Roccati 1984: 23 and note 35); they date to the presence of the gods on earth.
the late New Kingdom and derive from the Subsequently the sun god reorders the
craftsmen’s village of Deir el-Medina. cosmos into three layers of existence—the
sky, the earth, and the beyond (duat)—and
The Narrative assigns specific tasks to the gods Geb, Osiris,
The Myth of the Heavenly Cow is one of the and Thoth in this new configuration.
few coherent narrative accounts of the deeds The version preserved in the tomb of Sety I
of the gods of ancient Egypt. The events in is the most complete. It includes the complete
the narrative take place in a mythical time at a sequence of events, the rubrics with ritual
moment when the sun god Ra has reached old instructions, and all three vignettes. The other
age and mankind stirs up rebellion against his versions are abbreviated—some even leave
rule. Upon the advice of the council of gods, out entire sections (for a convenient table and
Ra sends his daughter Hathor, the fiery, set of drawings comparing the monumental
protective “Sun Eye,” to kill the rebels. When versions, see Maystre 1941: 54 - 56). The
she returns in the evening from her vignette of the Heavenly Cow appears in all
slaughterous undertaking, Ra feels pity for monumental versions except for Ramesses
humankind and decides against continuing the VI’s, occupying the wall opposite the entrance
massacre. To appease the raging goddess he to the annexed chamber (fig. 2). It shows the
orders that beer be mixed with red ochre, so heavenly cow, looking to the left, with star-
as to make it look like blood, then spread spangled belly. The god Shu, standing
throughout Egypt during the night. The next between the cow’s legs, supports her belly
morning, the goddess discovers the red liquid with his raised arms. Each leg is itself
and, in her blood-thirst, drinks it until she is supported by two Heh-gods. Two solar barks

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 2

traverse her belly, one between her front legs subsequent separation of the spheres of
displaying the sun god as a passenger, the existence, it is, like all Egyptian myths,
other beneath her udder. The two additional performative, and thus inseparable from its
vignettes, much smaller in size, show the king function in ritual, which in this case is
holding the pillar of the sky and the gods Djet primarily funerary in nature, but also bears
and Neheh holding the supports of the sky. relevance to the living.
The composition is rendered into distinct
episodes by way of rubrics at the end of each The Application
episode. These rubrics are concerned with
The myth must be read in combination with
practical instructions on how to perform the
the rubrics, which provide an extension of the
accompanying ritual and also elaborate on the
narrative and instructions for its application in
ritual function of the myth. Tutankhamen’s
ritual. In fact, the rubrics determine the form
version contains only a limited selection of
of the narrative and the selection of
episodes, but preserves, together with the
embedded “mythemes.”
Avignon fragment (see fig. 1), the final rubric
in its most complete form. The application of the myth is twofold.
First, it serves as a model, setting forth a
Being an etiological myth, the narrative
mythological precedent, so to speak, in which
structure follows the scheme of the folktale.
the reigning king, earthly representative of the
Set at the end of the reign of the gods on
gods, will upon his death follow the example
earth, the story line explains the origin of
of the sun god in leaving the earth for the sky.
representative kingship and of the king’s
The sun god’s departure, and by extension
destiny after death. It also aims at explaining
that of the reigning king, is not presented as
the creation of the invisible night sky (duat),
his “death,” but rather as his departure for
through which the sun god travels each night.
another world—namely, the duat and the
Additionally, the myth provides an
Island of Baba. His absence necessitates a
explanation for the dangers present during the
reorganization of the earthly realm as well as
five final days of the year (epagomenal days)
the creation of a celestial space. As such, the
before the yearly return of the inundation.
narrative is self-sufficient. Inscribed in a royal
The myth is structured in two principal tomb, it is transformed from a literary text
parts. The first part (columns 1 - 27, following into a ritual text, its application guaranteed
the Sety I version), which deals with the aging and perpetuated through its written presence.
of the sun god and the ensuing rebellion of
Secondly, the rubrics point to the execution
mankind, gives the reasons for the
of rituals as part of the burial proceedings and
reorganization of the created world. The
funerary cult. Such metatextual markers are
reorganization is the topic of the second part
rare in the royal funerary corpora of the New
(columns 27 - 95), which is itself subdivided
Kingdom (the so-called “Litany of Ra” is one
into subsections. This reorganization is
of the few additional examples of a text
concerned with the distinct, interacting layers
containing such rubrics). In the Book of the
of visible and invisible reality. It organizes the
Heavenly Cow, the recurrent use of the
various forms of the divine by causing the ba’s
technical term “incantation” (rA) in the first
(the visible manifestations of the gods) to be
rubric (related to the ba-theology and
present in different beings and phenomena of
concerning the supports of the sky) is
the material world (the so-called ba-theology).
indicative of the myth’s ritual function.
It also regulates the relations between the
Moreover, the ritual execution of the vignette
worlds of gods and men by establishing
of the Heavenly Cow herself is described in
certain customs and rituals, which thus serve
this rubric. This reveals that the first rubric—
as codified memories of divine providence.
with its ritual instructions, and which closes
Although the myth is presented as a narrative
the first part of the narrative—is inextricably
about the destruction of mankind and
related to the myth.

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 3

 The concluding section of the text is no through his integration in the cosmos,
longer narrative in nature, but rather an rendered visually with the vignette of the king
incantation. Known as the ba-theology, it supporting the pillar of heaven. From the
explains how the sun god installed the ba’s, or onset of the narrative, the royal character of
manifestations of the gods, in nature. The the sun god’s office is emphasized: he is called
extant versions differ in the way the text is “majesty” (Hm) and “king of Upper and Lower
reproduced. The Ramesses VI and Papyrus Egypt” (nswt-bjtj), his name in the latter case
Turin 1982 versions entitle this part “an being written within a cartouche. In this way,
incantation” (rA), whereas the Sety I version is the assimilation of the king with the sun god,
without title. The Sety I version also includes a major theme in the so-called “Litany of the
ritual prescriptions for the preparation of a Sun,” is further reinforced.
female figurine and injunctions of ritual
Second, the myth can be interpreted in
purity, which are missing in the former. The
relation to the Egyptian calendar (cf. Derchain
incantation proper reproduces the speech of
1978). Hathor’s deadly assault on humanity
the sun god addressing “the gods who rise in
can be understood as a mythical explanation
the east of the sky” (i.e., the stars) in the first
of the uncompromising heat and contagion in
person singular: “It is I who made the sky,
summer, which falls at the end of the year
established to place the ba’s of the gods
according to the Egyptian calendar. The final
therein.” When reciting these words, the
five days of the year, the so-called epagomenal
ritualist identifies with the sun god, ritually
(“added on”) days, were particularly feared as
becoming one with him. In the Ramesses VI
a period of danger and misfortune. The
version, the text switches from first-person-
danger was believed to have passed at the
singular to third-person-singular discourse in
moment the Nile began to flood,
line 11 by substituting the “I am,” preserved
commencing a new year and a new
in the Sety I version, with “King Ramesses VI
agricultural cycle. The red color of the beer,
is.” This substitution activates the magical
produced by mixing it with Nubian hematite
power of the spell for the deceased king. The
(red ochre), can then be read as a reference to
ritualist, speaking on the king’s behalf, thus
the red silt of the first inundation waters. The
achieves for the ruler identification with the
appeased goddess returning to the palace
sun god: “King Ramesses VI is Ra, the radiant
evokes the episode of the “return of the
one.”
Distant Goddess,” which was yearly
celebrated in the Festivals of Drunkenness
Meanings (Tekhy), attested, for example, on the 20th day
The myth allows for three complementary of the first month of akhet, or the inundation
interpretations. First, it displays how the gods season, in texts in the Ptolemaic Temple of
share power and tasks after the departure of Hathor in Dendara (Arquier and Guilhou
the sun god. Shu becomes the support of the 2009: 12 - 14; Cauville 2002: 50 - 59). In
Heavenly Cow, separating the sky from the addition, the reorganization of the cosmos
earth; Geb is now responsible, together with resulted in a daily cycle of day and night: the
Osiris, for guarding the earth—in particular sun and moon travel in succession through
the mounds and the snakes that inhabit them. the visible sky, while the sun descends at night
This scenario can be understood as a “spatial into the invisible sky (duat).
distribution” of power. Moreover, the Third, the myth can be interpreted as raising
installation of the god Thoth as both vizier the issues of the existence of evil, mankind’s
and moon, substituting for the sun god in the free will, and divine providence. The existence
sky each night, can refer additionally to a of evil is attributed to humanity and not to the
“temporal distribution” of power. The creator god. The latter crushes mankind’s
pharaoh, physical representative of the gods rebellion brutally through the intervention of
on earth, partakes in the organizing: mortal, Hathor; to destroy evil he is compelled to
he nonetheless endures like the sun god

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 4

annihilate humanity, an action that conflicts the Heavenly Cow (for a list of parallels, see
with the idea of creation itself. The ultimate Hornung 1991: 88 - 101). The motif of evil
solution—a separation of the cosmic levels of introduced with the rebellion of mankind is
existence—limits the problem to the earthly already present in Spell 1130 of the Coffin
realm. In this sense, the composition is Texts. The motif of the repression of the
complementary to the other netherworld rebellion recurs as a mytheme in the Teaching
books, such as the Amduat, the Book of Gates, for King Merikara (E 133 - 134; Quack 1992:
and the Book of Caverns, which show how 95) and the Calendar of Good and Bad Days
manifestations of disorder are punished and (specifically, month 1, inundation season, day
overcome in the Beyond. 12: Leitz 1994: 23 - 25). The Heh-gods, who
hold and support the legs of the Heavenly
Language and Writing Cow, are already mentioned in connection
with the god Shu in the so-called Shu Book, a
The language in which the myth’s text is
cluster of Coffin Text spells (CT 75 - 83)
written appears to be that of a transitional
concerned with the nature of this particular
phase of Egyptian, with grammatical features
deity (Willems 1996: 273 - 286).
typical of the Second Intermediate Period.
The narrative verb forms are indicative of a In the context of funerary culture, the motif
date of redaction between the beginning of of the cow can be observed in Spell 186 of the
Dynasty 18 and the Amarna Period (Spalinger Book of the Dead. The vignette of this spell
2000: 258 – 261; cf. Lorton 1983). As regards shows Hathor as Mistress of the West,
orthography, the versions of Sety I and appearing from the western mountains in the
Ramesses II are so similar that we can form of a cow with the sun disk between her
probably assume the artisans used the same horns. She welcomes the deceased into the
source-text; in all likelihood, the two versions Beyond, where he or she will be regenerated.
were inscribed by the same workshop. The As regards texts of later date, the motif of
Tutankhamun and Ramesses III versions the creation of mankind and that of the cow
show obvious variation in this respect. In the goddess carrying the sun god recur in the
case of Tutankhamun, the variation may result cosmogony of the goddess Neith in the
from the use of a different source-text or Temple of Khnum at Esna (Sauneron 1968:
from the physical particularities and spatial Esna III: 206: 7ff.). In this text, the second
limitations of the gilded shrine. The stage of creation is executed and announced
significantly simplified hieroglyphic spellings by the creator god Neith; following the
in Ramesses III’s tomb signal the use of yet creation of space, time is established by means
another source-text, while reflecting a further of the creation of the sun god. In the so-called
development in tomb design and decoration Book of the Fayum, preserved in multiple
influenced, undoubtedly, by the reduced manuscripts of Roman date, the mytheme of
physical dimensions of the annexed room. rebellion and separation from the earth is
The hieratic version of Papyrus Turin 1982 is recounted; the Fayum is presented here as a
almost identical to the version in the tomb of privileged region in the cultic landscape of
Ramesses VI. Egypt, being the place where the Heavenly
Cow brought and protected the sun god
Relations to Other Texts (Beinlich 1991: 314 - 319). One of the
References to the Myth of the Heavenly Cow accompanying vignettes shows the cow
occur in several texts and depictions that are goddess, named Mehet-Weret in the caption,
both earlier and later in date than the Book of carrying on her back the sun god as a child.

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 5

Bibliographic Notes
The text was first translated into a modern language by Edouard Naville; his French translation is
based on the Sety I version (Naville 1875). For the first synoptic edition of all monumental
versions, see Maystre (1941). This edition has been replaced by Hornung (1982; re-edition 1991),
which also includes a German translation, philological commentary, and an analysis of the
religious significance of the text. The Avignon fragment is published in Guilhou (1998). The
hieratic version on the recto of Papyrus Turin 1982 can be consulted in Pleyte and Rossi (1869 -
1876: pl. 84). For a comprehensive study of the composition, see Guilhou (1989). For additional
translations, see Sternberg el-Hotabi’s work in German (1995) and Wente’s work in English
(2003).

References
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External Links
Theban Mapping Project
Theban Mapping Project. (Internet resource: www.thebanmappingproject.com/atlas/index_kv.asp.
Accession date: 6/2010.)

Image Credits
Figure 1. Wall fragment with text of the Book of the Heavenly Cow. Musée Lapidaire, Avignon no. 8.
Photograph  Musée Calvet, Avignon, Alban Rudelin.
Figure 2. Vignette of the Heavenly Cow, tomb of Sety I. Photograph  Farid Atiya.

Myth of the Heavenly Cow, Guilhou, UEE 2010 7