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

SPACE AND SCENERY | 287
Dead 31)… I have equipped Thoth (with all that is needful) in the
House of the Moon-god for the coming of the festival of the fifteenth
day... I have come to lighten the darkness, which (I) turn
into the light” (mH.n.i irt m iwty.s n iit smdt… apr.n.i +Hwty m
Hwt iaH n ii smdt… ii.n.i r sSp kkw (iw) swt r HD sp sn). 32
According to the Pyramid Texts, the 15 th day of the month, or
the full moon, was identical to the sixth and seventh lunar days 33
intended for making offerings to the dead king, in order to revive
him to a new life in the hereafter. Besides, the sixth and seventh
days were the days of the conclusion of the filling, i. e. the restoration
of the Eye of Horus associated with the sun and the kingship.
34
Thus, Thutmose III regarded himself as the guardian of the
sun’s path, as the destroyer of evil forces, which hindered the
movement of Re to the east. The pharaoh, as the chief priest, protected
the Eye of Re by preparing different offerings to the god,
and made its emergence from the dark into light, in the east horizon
possible. On the other hand, the offerings performed during
the moon festivals were intended for the deceased king, for his
resurrection in the afterworld, i. e. symbolically, in the Festival Hall
of Akhmenu. Thus, the Festival Hall symbolized the nighttime and
the afterworld – this assumption is proved by the decoration of the
hall’s ceiling (the golden stars on a blue background), imitating the
starry sky. 35 Then, the Opet Festival, partly represented in this hall,
was also related to the idea of the sun’s subterranean travel and to
31 NAVILLE (1886) chap. 80, line 7.
32 pAni, pl. 28; NAVILLE (1886) chap. 80, line 12; ALLEN
(1960) 155–156.
33 Pyr. §716a–b.
34 DERCHAIN (1962) 25.
35 BARGUET (1962) 169. In this case we are of the same opinion
as M. Murray, who believed, that the motif of yellow stars on a
blue background symbolizes the night sky: MURRAY (2002) 124;
such decoration could be seen, for example, on the ceiling of
Thutmose III’s burial chamber, where the scenes of the Book of
Amduat are represented: cf. ROMER (1975) 315–316. A. Ćwiek,
however, suggests that the motif of yellow stars on a blue background
imitates the day sky and the motif of white stars on a black
background the night sky: ĆWIEK (2003) 297–298, n. 1230.