“semitisches pantheon”. eine “männliche tyche” - MOSAIKjournal.com

282| ALEXANDRA MIRONOVA
the sanctuary and moved westwards. 8 This path apparently symbolized
the move of the sun to the place of its setting. Thus, the route
of the Opet Festival from Karnak to Luxor symbolized the night
subterranean journey of the sun, which is depicted in the Book of
Amduat (Book of what is in the Underworld). 9 Here are some arguments
in favour of this suggestion.
First of all, the iconography of Amun-Re’s portable bark has
several features similar to the night boat of Re pictured in the Book
of Amduat. In the center of the Sun Boat is the old sun, coming to
the west; among his companions, as well as on a portable bark of
Amun-Re, are the “Mistress of the Bark” and the “Pilot of the
Bark” 10, standing on the stern, whose role on the ceremonial bark
was performed by the pharaoh. Attention should be paid to the
shape of a fan over Amun-Re’s bark: In the scenes of the journey
from Karnak to Luxor it consists of densely gathered ostrich feathers
which resemble the sun setting over the horizon 11, and in the
scenes of the return journey the fan feathers are straightened, imitating
the sun rays (fig. 6). This corresponds to the symbolic meaning
of the return journey associated with the appearance of the sun
in the east, when the god, after the night voyage, gained strength
and power, and lightened the world.
Probably in this context we should consider the six waystations
built by Hatshepsut between the temples of Karnak and
Luxor which served as a resting place of Amun-Re’s bark on its
way to Luxor (fig. 5). 12 The stations possibly symbolized the spatial
and temporal stages of the sun’s night journey in the Underworld
and corresponded to its first six hours, i. e. to the first half of the
night. This association is proved by the fact that some Egyptian
buildings resembled the hours of the sun’s day and night travel. For
example, the rooms of the Karnak temple corresponded to the day
hours of the sun’s journey in the sky – this is confirmed by the
8 BELL (1997) 158.
9 Cf. HORNUNG (1963–1967).
10 HORNUNG (1963) 10 (45. 51).
11 For the symbolic meaning of the fans see KEES (1912) 126–
127. 235–236.
12 There have been discovered the remains of only one of these
chapels, cf. PORTER – MOSS (1972) 276–277, plan XXVII (H);
RICKE (1954).