Ancient Egyptian legends

								

adornments.  On his neck was the glittering collar of gold and
precious stones, on his arms were bracelets of pure gold and
electrum, and on his head were two plumes; by the plumes alone could
men know the King of the gods.  In one hand he carried the sceptre of
power, in the other the emblem of life.  Glorious was he as the sun
at midday, and the perfumes of the land of Punt were around him.
In the palace of the king of Egypt was queen Aahmes, and it was
night.  She lay upon her couch, and sleep was upon her eyelids.  Like
a jewel was she in her beauty, and the chamber in which she slept was
like the setting of the jewel; black bronze and electrum, acacia wood
and ebony, were the adornments of the palace, and her couch was in
the form of a fierce lion.
Through the two Great Doors of the palace went the gods; none saw
them, none beheld them.  And with them came Neith, goddess of Saïs,
and Selk the scorpion goddess.  On the head of Neith were the shield
and crossed arrows; on the head of Selk a scorpion bearing in each
claw the emblem of life.
The fragrance of the perfumes of Punt filled the chamber, and queen
Aahmes awoke and beheld Amon-Ra, King of the gods, Maker of men.  In
majesty and beauty he appeared before her, and her heart was filled
with joy.  He held towards her the sign of life, and in her hand he
laid the sign of life and the sceptre of power.  And Neith and Selk
lifted the couch on which the queen reposed and held it high in the
air, that she might be raised above the ground, on which mortal men
live, while she spoke with the immortal Gods.
Then Amon-Ra returned and was enthroned among the Gods.  And he
summoned to his presence Khnum the creator, he who fashions the
bodies of men, who dwells beside the rushing waters of the cataract.
To Khnum he gave command saying, "O Khnum, fashioner of the bodies of
men, fashion for me my daughter, she who shall be the great Queen of
Egypt.  For I will give to her all life and satisfaction, all
stability and all joy of heart for ever."
Khnum the creator, the fashioner of the bodies of men, the dweller by
the cataract, made answer to Amon-Ra, "I will form for thee thy
daughter, and her form shall be more glorious than the Gods, for the
greatness of her dignity as King of the South and North."
Then he brought his potter's wheel, and took clay, and with his hands
he fashioned the body of the daughter of queen Aahmes and the body of
her ka.  And the body of the child and the body of the ka were
alike in their limbs and their faces, and none but the Gods could
know them apart.  Beautiful were they with the beauty of Amon-Ra,
more glorious were they than the Gods.
Beside the potter's wheel knelt Hekt, lady of Herur, goddess of
birth.  In each hand she held the sign of life, and as the wheel
turned and the bodies were fashioned, she held it towards them that
life might enter into the lifeless clay.
Then Khnum, the fashioner of the bodies of men, and Hekt the goddess