I am suggesting that in a world dominated by planetary chaos the Jet Stream was actually seen. To the ancient Egyptians looking up it appeared as a great serpent perennially hindering the passage of the sun god Re.
posted
Excellent work. I'm not completely convinced but it does seem plausible with what little I know of the jet stream. I think to make it convincing it would be nice to find some sort of evidence that the jet stream was often visible from this area at that time and this is a tall order.
I'm probably a little easier to convince of this particular theory because it closely fits my understanding of what were the real ancient beliefs. Specifically if you take the PT literally then all serpents are streams of water, CO2, water vapor, or other fluid. This especially applied to the invisible "leaks" of CO2 which would prove fatal if walking through a low lying area in the "land of Rainbows" unless one walked on his tip toes through the efflux of Osiris.
722c. Thy foot shall not pass over, thy step shall not stride through, 722d. thou shalt not tread upon the (corpse)-secretion of Osiris. 723a. Thou shalt tiptoe heaven like Śȝḥ (the toe-star); thy soul shall be pointed like Sothis (the pointed-star).
Even the wadjet eye represented such a leak of water as it was associated with the uraeus which was the hole in the natural accretion around the geyser's vent called the ben ben. Nehebkau's multitudinos coils were the clouds in the sky which came when Osiris or Horus were dried by the wind of Isis.
The Apep serpent was one thing I hadn't been able to solve yet since it gets so little mention in the Pyramid Texts but it seems quite likely you nailed it.
Thanks.
Posts: 393 | From: NW Indiana, US of A | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
^ Huh? Apepi was just the primordial deity of chaos whose totem was a large serpent. Where in the texts do you get the idea that they correlate this with climatic jet streams??
Posts: 26280 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Although the Egyptians may have developed the belief (as they did with many gods) Apep existed since the beginning of time the evidence doesn't support this.
"There is no evidence of this god prior to the Middle Kingdom. He seems to have come into existence in the Egyptian mind during the troubled times just after the pyramid age. Most of the god's mythology seems to have been developed mostly during the New Kingdom in funerary texts." http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/apep.htm
>>>Where in the texts do you get the idea that they correlate this with climatic jet streams??
If the Egyptians believed a great cosmic snake physically hindered the sun on a daily basis and for millennia I'm inclined to believe they were not making this up. I mean, how do you perpetuate such a absurd belief unless having a basis in reality? I then further researched Apep's epithets, textual references and images and came to the conclusion the Egyptians were describing a coloured-in jet stream, which at 30 degrees crosses Egyptian skies and follows the sun up and down the horizon (ecliptic) throughout the year.
This is all explained on my page, may I politely suggest just a cursory glance over the material presented.
Gg
Posts: 20 | From: London | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
There's no direct mention of Apep in the PT but there are a couple things that might refer to him obliquely or be a precursor. I don't see this as a particular problem for the theory to be correct. If I'm correct they would have considered such a phenomenon a serpent had they been aware of it.
I will be paying attention for this and add anything that might be relevent.
-------------------- Men fear the pyramid, time fears man. Posts: 393 | From: NW Indiana, US of A | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Ironically the Sun is part of the cause of the Jets and there are myth-mentions about Ra's self mutilation and Ra coming against himself.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Whatbox: Ironically the Sun is part of the cause of the Jets and there are myth-mentions about Ra's self mutilation and Ra coming against himself.
The Egyptians seem to have thought this all out pretty well. All the evidence says these people were in reality observational scientists who used logic to tie their observations together. Even the hydraulic cycle is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts so these people knew that water evaporated to form clouds which rained down where the rivers gathered it up to put in the oceans.
1140c. (he is dried) by the wind of the great Isis, together with (which) the great Isis dried (him) like Horus...
...1146a. N. is the pouring down of rain; he came forth as the coming into being of water; 1146b. for he is the Nhb-k3.w-serpent with the many coils;
The "Nhb-k3.w-serpent" is Nehebkau, the go between God, the gatherer of kas. His coils are the clouds and he rains on the earth.
I can't imagine why these people are believed to be so stupid. They just had a different way of expressing themselves.
Posts: 393 | From: NW Indiana, US of A | Registered: Aug 2006
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quote:Originally posted by sam p: I can't imagine why these people are believed to be so stupid. They just had a different way of expressing themselves.
An optical illusion to us, to ancient minds a very real encounter which occurred numerous times due dust and debris in the atmosphere and the solar system.
I also have images where, again due to much dust and debris, Re appears to 'self mutilate' as he sets in the west. I'll try and dig them out.
Gary Gilligan
Posts: 20 | From: London | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Hmm Interesting, Aten, it seems plausable enough. The Egyptians could have very well noticed the Jet Stream Cloud, if they were watching for Sirius to bring in the inundation then they could have very well noticed the Jet Sream Cloud. As Sam P says it might take more direct evidence but it is plausible.
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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In trying to find some good images of the jet stream I found an excellent one from space of the clouds over Egypt in one of your threads on another forum.
Do you mind if I link it?
Posts: 393 | From: NW Indiana, US of A | Registered: Aug 2006
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quote:In trying to find some good images of the jet stream I found an excellent one from space of the clouds over Egypt in one of your threads on another forum.
Do you mind if I link it?
Be my guest
Posts: 20 | From: London | Registered: Oct 2008
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quote:In trying to find some good images of the jet stream I found an excellent one from space of the clouds over Egypt in one of your threads on another forum.
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