{"id":11887,"date":"2020-11-21T21:16:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-22T04:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11887"},"modified":"2020-11-21T21:16:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-22T04:16:28","slug":"why-is-the-hippo-goddess-holding-a-bull-by-a-chain-in-the-northern-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11887","title":{"rendered":"Why Is the Hippo Goddess Holding a Bull by a Chain in the Northern Sky?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_11894\" style=\"width: 980px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11894\" class=\"wp-image-11894 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?resize=625%2C352&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?w=970&amp;ssl=1 970w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bulls-leg.jpg?resize=500%2C281&amp;ssl=1 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11894\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here is the ancient Egyptian depiction of the Big Dipper, seen here in the shape of a bull&#8217;s leg. It includes seven stars and is tied to a stake by a goddess in hippo form (right). The Big Dipper is considered the manifestation of the evil god Seth, who murdered his brother Osiris. The goddess prevents Seth from reaching Osiris in the underworld \u2014 a myth made possible because the constellation never dips below the horizon. (Image: \u00a9 Ahmed Amin)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/ancient-egyptian-star-constellations.html\">This carving comes from a Greco-Roman-era Egyptian temple in Esna,where decorated walls are being carefully cleaned and original colors seen again.<\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"hawk-placeholder\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\"><\/aside>\n<blockquote><p>As workers in Egypt remove soot and dirt from the temple, sometimes with a mixture of alcohol and distilled water, the original painted carvings and hieroglyphics beneath are so vibrant, &#8220;it looks like it was painted yesterday,&#8221; project leader <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christian_Leitz\">Christian Leitz<\/a>, a professor of Egyptology at the University of T\u00fcbingen in Germany, told Live Science. &#8220;But we are not repainting anything, we are just removing the soot.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So what <a href=\"https:\/\/archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu\/the-collection\/object-stories\/ancient-egyptian-amulets\/taweret\/\">is Taweret, the Hippo Goddess<\/a>, doing? She is holding onto a chain attached the Bull&#8217;s Leg, one Egyptian name for the north polar constellation called <em>Ursa Major <\/em>or the Big Dipper\u2014and as explained in the caption above, she is keeping evil at bay.<\/p>\n<p>This constellation has also been called The Plough or Charles&#8217; Wain (Wagon), and that Charles would be Charlemagne (748\u2013814) the Frankish emperor sometimes called the &#8220;Father of Europe&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/journal.equinoxpub.com\/POM\/article\/view\/2838\">but who also ordered the killing of thousands of Pagans (mostly Saxons) who resisted his missionaries.<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/charles%27s%20wain\">It is called &#8220;the Wagon&#8221; in a Mesopotamian text from 1700 B.C.E., and it is mentioned in the Biblical Book of Job. The seven bright stars in the modern constellation Ursa Major have borne a dual identity in Western history at least since Homer&#8217;s time, being seen as both a wagon and a bear: as in Latin <span class=\"foreign notranslate\">plaustrum<\/span> &#8220;freight-wagon, ox cart&#8221; and <span class=\"foreign notranslate\">arctos<\/span> &#8220;bear,<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At the time the carving was created, the Dipper\/Plough\/Wagon\/Bull&#8217;s Leg\/Seven Oxen never dipped below the horizon, as seen by Mediterranean viewers, so it never entered the Underworld. &#8220;The seven stars never were below the horizon in the latitude of the Mediterranean in Homeric and classical times (though not today, due to precession of the equinoxes).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ihOpqOZWsLk?start=5\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencetimes.com\/articles\/28347\/20201120\/german-egyptian-research-team-restore-ancient-temples-original-carvings-paintings.htm\">For more photos of the temple, see this article:<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It is made out of sandstone with 24 columns supporting the roof and 18 free-standing columns with colorful plant decorations. The experts believe that the temple was decorated for up to 200 years. Its ceiling is especially exceptional for its astronomical and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The inscriptions are also evidence of religious beliefs and cult movements at the time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Very nice, but I prefer to think back to when <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thuban\">Thuban<\/a> was the pole star. Now those were shining times! It has all been downhill since.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This carving comes from a Greco-Roman-era Egyptian temple in Esna,where decorated walls are being carefully cleaned and original colors seen again. As workers in Egypt remove soot and dirt from the temple, sometimes with a mixture of alcohol and distilled water, the original painted carvings and hieroglyphics beneath are so vibrant, &#8220;it looks like it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,80,116],"class_list":["post-11887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-archaeology","tag-astrology","tag-egypt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6xQTg-35J","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3636,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=3636","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":0},"title":"World Religions versus the Blue Bra Revolution","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"December 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Washington Post writer Sally Quinn looks at photos of Egyptian soldiers beating an abaya-shrouded Muslim woman, and a light bulb goes on for her about major religions: Why would men, particularly under the guise of religious belief, want to keep women down? Because they understand that women\u2019s sexuality is something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Christianity\"","block_context":{"text":"Christianity","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=christianity"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":482,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=482","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":1},"title":"The sacred prostituteIn recent decades,\u2026","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"August 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The sacred prostituteIn recent decades, two groups have attempted to rehabilitate the so-called \"sacred prostitutes\" of the ancient Mediterranean world. Part of what we think we know of these alleged customs of temple prostitutes--either women dedicated their virginity to a deity and\/or possibly slaves--comes from the Greek geographer and historian\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6714,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=6714","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":2},"title":"Missing Sekmet Statute Mystery Solved","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"September 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When the statue from the Temple of Goddess Spirituality in southern Nevada disappeared last April, many Pagans wondered if it was a hate crime or what. \"It was foolish kids doing foolish things,\" said Candace Ross, temple priestess. Kids who freaked out and smashed the statue. But a new one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"American religion\"","block_context":{"text":"American religion","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=american-religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3509,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=3509","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":3},"title":"\u00c6gypt in Northern California: Isis Oasis","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"November 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"In 1957, a young artist named Lora Vign\u00e9 and her husband moved from Southern California to San Francisco. \"It was 1957, the beginning of the Beatnik era, and we fitted the description,\" she writes in her memoir, The Goddess Bade Me Do It! No poser bohemian, she was already producing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"American religion\"","block_context":{"text":"American religion","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=american-religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Loreon2_sm-246x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6866,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=6866","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":4},"title":"Jesus [Heart] Mary Magdalene (Again)","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"November 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Let's get this out of the way first \u2014 yes, the source is the Daily Mail, which, I strongly suspect, occasionally makes up \"news\" articles from scratch. And I cannot speak to the quality of research in this new book, The Lost Gospel: Decoding the Ancient Text that Reveals Jesus'\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Christianity\"","block_context":{"text":"Christianity","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=christianity"},"img":{"alt_text":"lostgospel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/lostgospel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5100,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=5100","url_meta":{"origin":11887,"position":5},"title":"Peaceful Minoan Crete . . . Was Not","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"January 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Bronze Age (Minoan) Crete is often portrayed as this peaceful place where people gathered flowers, danced, sang, and worshiped the Great Mother Goddess. Um, no, says an archaeologist from the University of Sheffield: \u201cTheir world was uncovered just over a century ago, and was deemed to be a largely peaceful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"archaeology\"","block_context":{"text":"archaeology","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=archaeology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/e\/e2\/NAMA_Akrotiri_2.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11887"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11897,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11887\/revisions\/11897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}