Book of the Heavenly Cow
Also known as: Destruction of Mankind, The Heavenly Cow, Book of the Celestial Cow, Myth of the Heavenly Cow
A New Kingdom myth in which Ra withdraws from a rebellious humanity, unleashes his Eye as Hathor–Sekhmet to punish them, and then halts the slaughter with red beer as the sky becomes a cow bearing the sun.
Description
This compact Egyptian narrative recounts a crisis in the reign of Ra. When humankind plots against the sun god, Ra sends his Eye—manifest as Hathor and then Sekhmet—to devastate the rebels. To preserve creation, Ra orders beer dyed red to resemble blood; the raging goddess drinks, becomes pacified, and the killing ceases. In the aftermath, cosmic order is reset: Nut becomes the Heavenly Cow upraised by Shu, separating sky and earth and bearing the solar bark. The text explains divine withdrawal, the distancing of heaven from earth, and festivals commemorating the appeasement of the Eye, embedding myth with cosmic and cultic rationale.
Historiography
Known from hieroglyphic versions painted and carved on the walls and shrines of royal tombs (KV17 Seti I; KV7 Ramesses II; KV11 Ramesses III), the text likely reflects a courtly theological milieu of late 18th to 19th Dynasty. Erik Hornung’s edition and studies systematized its scenes and themes; later translations (e.g., Lichtheim) placed it within Egyptian mythic narratives rather than funerary spells. The transmission is monumental rather than on papyrus, suggesting canonical status within royal ideology and afterlife theology, with variations in arrangement and accompanying vignettes across copies.
Date Notes
New Kingdom composition; text preserved on royal tomb walls (Seti I, Ramesses II, Ramesses III). Likely composed late 18th–early 19th Dynasty.
Archetypes
Major Characters
- Ra
- Sekhmet
- Hathor
- Nut
- Shu
- Thoth
Myths
- Destruction of Mankind by Sekhmet
- Pacification with the Beer Flood
- Separation of Sky and Earth
Facts
- Attested prominently in the tombs of Seti I (KV17), Ramesses II (KV7), and Ramesses III (KV11).
- Explains why the sky is distant from the earth via Nut as a celestial cow elevated by Shu.
- Identifies the Eye of Ra with Hathor and Sekhmet as agents of divine wrath and mercy.
- Red beer dyed to resemble blood pacifies Sekhmet, halting the slaughter of humans.
- Narrative frames Ra’s semi-retirement to the sky and the institution of solar kingship at a distance.
- Often accompanied by vignettes showing the star-studded cow supporting the heavens.
- Links mythic events to cult practice, including the Festival of Drunkenness in Hathor’s worship.
- Monumental transmission suggests royal-ideological canon rather than a funerary ‘spell’ proper.
- Textual sequence varies slightly among tomb copies, though core episodes remain consistent.
- The composition reflects late 18th–19th Dynasty theological synthesis of Heliopolitan and Hathoric motifs.