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

SPACE AND SCENERY | 307
der to prove this, we need to find out the possible time and venue
of the ritual zSS wAD, which was probably incorporated in the Xnt
@wt-@r Festival.
It is significant that the Karnak scenes of zSS wAD are outside
the Akhmenu temple, where we can find the scenes of Hathor’s
navigation. This evidence lead us to suggest that the ritual of the
plucking of the papyrus preceded the journey to the south during
the Xnt @wt-@r Festival. To clarify this issue, we will turn to the
reliefs from the Saqqara tomb of Fetekti (fifth dynasty), where the
scenes and events pertaining to the rite zSS wAD are represented
(fig. 14). 142 These compositions are placed on the west wall of the
tomb and consist of two parts: One shows the deceased sailing to
the north – “departure to the north, in order to conduct zSS wAD
for Hathor, the Beauty, the Mistress of sycamore” ([s]DAT m xd(t) r
zSS wAD [n] @wt-@r nfrt nbt nht), and the other pictures the boating
“journey to the south, after zSS wAD for Hathor, the Beauty, the
Mistress of sycamore” (xsft m-xt zSS wAD n @wt-@r nfrt nbt nht.) 143
It seems that the first scene was related to the beginning of zSS
wAD, and the second one – to its end. From these inscriptions H.
Altenmüller has suggested that the rite zSS wAD belonged to the
interval between the day and night journeys of the deceased in the
afterworld (probably closer to the night) – these travels corresponded
to the south and north voyages respectively. 144 Thus, the
south navigation was conducted late at night, after the ceremony
zSS wAD.
With these observations in mind, we should recall that the
Festival Hall of Akhmenu, housing the scene of the Hathoric south
navigation, symbolized apparently the afterworld and the nighttime.
This will bring us to the conclusion that the scenes of the Festival
Hall show the second part of the Xnt @wt-@r Festival, which alluded
to the night voyage towards the south. Perhaps this travel took
place after the ritual of the plucking of the papyrus intended to
deliver the deceased safely in the afterworld (= the Rooms of Sokar).
142 LD II, Tf. 96; LD Ergänzungsband, Tf. 40 d.
143 ALTENMÜLLER (2002) 26–27.
144 ALTENMÜLLER (2002) 26–27.