Sechet-tjau
| Sechet-tjau in hieroglyphics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New kingdom |
Hotep-em-neb-Sechet-tjau-em-fendjef Htp-m-nb-sḫt-Ṯ3w-m-fnḏ = f Hotep to be the master of the field (with) breath on his nose |
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| Late period |
Sechet-tjau Sḫt-Ṯ3w realms of breathing |
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Sechet-tjau (short form: Tjau ) is in Egyptian mythology part of the Sechet-iaru region in the land of Ta-djeser , which lies in the Duat .
background
The identification of the Sechet-tjau region arose in the late period and goes back to a misunderstood reading from the Book of the Dead of the New Kingdom . In the 18th dynasty there was an inscription relating to Sechet-iaru: "To be Hotep, the lord of the realm (with) breath on his nose".
In addition, the verses of the Book of the Dead contained other text passages such as "Wind to his nose", which is why the assumption was made that Sechet-tjau must be an area of the north wind or breathing.
Meaning of the term
The term Sechet-tjau consists of two separate word meanings. Against this background, no clear allocation can be made due to various design options.
Sixth
The term Sechet stands for field or field, which includes a large region and can therefore also be translated as landscape . An interpretation in the sense of land in terms of field or arable land is not appropriate, since such an area would be suggested . The term Sechet referred to several scenic areas:
- Nile flood : Agricultural fields directly on the Nile that were flooded by the annual Nile flood.
- Nile islands : in the Nile above the water table lying land masses that can be used for agricultural purposes as enclosed areas.
- Reed areas : Sections of land with reed zones that occur in stagnant and slowly flowing waters up to a depth of one meter.
- Desert fringes : ponds , oases and arable land that can only be used temporarily , which slowly dries up again after the end of the rainy season .
Tjau
Tjau means breath or wind and is understood as a sub-area in relation to the Sechet-iaru region. A literal translation must remain open, as the term Tjau could be used in a number of ways.
Location in Sechet-iaru
A topographical description of Sechet-tjau is not available. In the later period, the explanations in the inscription could obviously not be correctly interpreted, which is why it was assumed that it must be an independent region. These conclusions probably relate to the real life of the Egyptians , who understood the wind to be the breath of the gods.
The mythological interpretation of breathing was certainly the reason to suspect a region of breathing in the Duat. Since a certain understanding of the inscription was lacking in the late period, the Egyptians saw from the beginning of the late period Sechet-tjau as a necessary component of Sechet-iaru, which was indispensable as wind for the existence of the deceased and their supply with the necessary breath.
See also
literature
- Elmar Edel : On the inscriptions on the seasonal reliefs of the "World Chamber" from the sun sanctuary of Niuserre. In: News from the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, No. 8 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1961, p. 216.
- Rolf Krauss : Astronomical Concepts and Concepts of the Beyond in the Pyramid Texts . Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1997, ISBN 3-447-03979-5 .
- Bertha Porter , Rosalind LB Moss : Topographical bibliography of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, reliefs, and paintings; Vol. 1: The Theban Necropolis; Private tombs . Griffith Institute, Oxfort 1994.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erik Hornung : The Egyptian Book of the Dead . Artemis and Winkler, Düsseldorf 2000, ISBN 3-7608-1201-5 , p. 217.