9 World Chronicles

coffin text is a modern name for the diverse body of spells or recitations used on burial equipment during the middle Kingdom.

These texts were mainly painted on wooden coffins but also appeared on tomb walls and on funerary items such as a steel or canopic chest.

 The coffin texts were composed in middle Egyptian a form of Egyptian language that became the standard for literary works the text were usually written in simplified hieroglyphics.

Many spells in the coffin text are also known from versions in the pyramid texts. Both collections may derive from an archive of more to Sherry text written on a papyrus that does not survive.

Some of the coffin tech spells are given titles that define their functions such as a spell for navigating in the great baroque of Ra or include instructions for the ritual that should accompany them.

A few sections on the coffin techs have vignettes illustrations that form an integral part of the spell. the most elaborate of these are the two Maps that belong to a section of the coffin text known as the book of two ways. These Maps which are usually painted on the floor of coffins are the earliest known Maps from any culture.

The book of two ways was nothing less than an illustrated guide to the afterlife. It claimed to give 2 routes one by land and one by water through a sinister divine realm beyond the horizon. and to provide the deceased with the spells they would need to get past the monstrous guardians they would face on the way.

The deceased had to pass through the mysterious region Rosetau where the body of Osiris lay surrounded by walls of flames. If the deceased man or woman proved worthy, he or she might be granted a new life in a paradise call the field of offerings.

 Although they are not narrative's some spells in the coffin text describe major events in the Egyptian creation story and even provide evidence for the Egyptian views about the end of the world. The creator Atum Ra and his offspring Shu and Tefnut are particularly prominent.

Much of the texts deal with transformation of the sun God into various forms. A new element is a stress on the dangers faced by the sun God during his celestial voyage such as attacks by the chaos monster Apep Snake

Coffin texts have been found in sites all over Egypt but the majority come from the geographical region known as middle Egypt. The local deities of middle Egypt such as Toth and the group of primeval beings later known as the Ogdoad it of Hermopolis feature in many of these spells. Djehutey also appears in many of the spells that allude to the conflict between Horace and Set and the rescue of the body of Osiris.

Laufey – The Jotun Queen

Classification: Jotun, Giant

Culture: Norse Germanic

Symbol: The Flames, The Screeching Dragon.

Laufey is an important figure in Norse mythology. She is the wife of Farbauti who is the King of the Jotun.

She is the Mother of Loki, Byleist and Helblindi.

She gave birth to Loki after she was struck by a bolt of fire by Farbauti.

She is called Nal.

The pyramid texts. The pyramid texts are the oldest of the three principal collections of Egyptian literary text. They are among the earliest religious writings known from anywhere in the world. The texts are divided into sections each is preceded by an Egyptian phrase meaning words to be spoken which is very often translated to mean a spell or incantation.

 These incantations can be as short as a single sentence or contain many paragraphs. The illustrations. No illustrations accompany the pyramid texts although the ceilings or Royal burial chambers are usually decorated with stars. The text themselves seem to have adapted from a variety of genres such as hymns list a divine names and epitaphs spells from the type of magic used in daily life and resuscitation that accompany ritual actions.

The main purpose in assembling these texts and describing them inside pyramids was to help the body of the deceased King to escape the horror of petrifaction and his spirit to ascend to the celestial realm where he would take his place among the gods. Some of the tests were probably recited during the King's funeral or part of the Mortuary cult that continued after his death. Others may have been intended to be spoken by the deceased as he entered the afterlife.

Roughly 200 Deities are mentioned in the pyramid texts most are the major deities known from cult temples such as the fertility God men and the creator goddess Neith. Others are deities such as snake gods and celestial ferryman who inhabit a complex an intensely imagined realm of gods.

The most frequently mentioned duties are Anubis (Anpu),  Atum, Geb, Horace (Heru),  Isis (Auset)  Nephthys, Nut, Osiris (Ausar), RA,  Set, Shu and Thot (Djehuty) . These include most of the deities who make up the Ennead of Heliopolis.

Although the pyramid texts are not a collection of narrative, they do contain numerous allusions to myths. They take up important themes in Egyptian mythology such as the journey of the sun God and his solar bark. The murder of the good God of Ausar and the violent conflict between Heru and Seth.

The Lamb –

Associated: Christ, Innocence

Type: Meat Sacrifice

Sacrificial form: roasted.

The sacrificial lamb was a powerful symbol at the last super or pass over meal.

In Christianity is represents Christ, the lamb of God who died for the sins of man.

 the lamb represents Christ as both suffering and triumphant; it is typically a sacrificial animal, and may also symbolize gentleness, innocence, and purity.

In Judaism it represents the sacrifice made to spare the lives of the Jews.

The Blood of the lamb was spread on doorpost to protect them from the plague of Egypt.

The smiting of the first born son.

When depicted with the LION, the pair can mean a state of paradise. In addition, the lamb symbolizes sweetness, forgiveness and meekness.

Eat lamb for protection and to cleanse your soul.

Air is a symbol of spiritual life, freedom, and purity air is the primal element in most cosmology equated with the soul by many philosophers.

 Air shares much of the symbolism of breath and wind. In terms of a spirit air is considered one of the three great spirit forces in Inuit beliefs together with the sea spirit and the moon spirit. It is known as weather or the intelligence the air spirit lives far above the earth controlling rain, snow, weather, and sea. It is inherently benevolent but is perceived of as threatening because of its sensitivity to human misdeeds to which it responds by sending sickness, bad weather and failure in hunting.

Kemetic Myth:  Shu, god of the Air.

He was called “the emptiness" or "he who rises up" was one of the primordial Egyptian gods, spouse and brother to goddess Tefnut, and one of the nine deities of the Ennead of the Heliopolis cosmogony. He was the god of peace, lions, air, and wind.

Enlil, the Sumerian god of air, wind, breath, loft

is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hurrians.

Stribog is the name of the Slavic god of winds, sky and air.

The Norse God King Odin, was also considered a god of the air/breath.

Persian Zoroastarian Vata is the god of atmosphere/air.

Lucifer the Light Bringer

Classification: Fallen Angel, Divine Entity

Culture: Hebrew, Christian, Greek

Symbol: The Wheel

A name in Christianity for the devil the embodiment of evil and discord. It is first mentioned in the Book of Isiah where condemnation to hell of the King of Babylon of compared the fall of Lucifer, the morning star.

Lucifer is the name of various mythological and religious figures associated with the planet Venus.

Due to the unique movements and discontinuous appearances of Venus in the sky, mythology surrounding these figures often involved a fall from the heavens to earth or the underworld.

Christian tradition of apply the name Lucifer, and its associated stories of a fall from heaven, to Satan.

Generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage (Isaiah 14:12) as "morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper name, "Lucifer”.

In the Book of Luke the name is applied to Satan where it is said he was to have fallen like lightning from heaven.

A similar theme is present in the Babylonian myth of Ethana and Zu: Etana was led by his pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern mountain of the gods ... but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the Babylonian Olympus.

In Sumerian Mythology the goddess Inanna, known for her rebellious nature, is associated with Venus. She attempts and fails, to conquer both heaven and the underworld on separate occasions.

In Canaanite myth Attar who is the personification of the Morning Star attempted a coup against the throne of Baal. After his defeated he descended to the underworld to rule.

Certain Gnostics sects view him as a divine figure who is the first born son of god.

In classical Greek mythology, Lucifer ("light-bringer" in Latin) was the name of the planet Venus, though it was often personified as a male figure bearing a torch.

The Greek name for this planet was variously Phosphoros (also meaning "light-bringer") or Heosphoros (meaning "dawn-bringer").

Lucifer was said to be "the fabled son of Aurora and Cephalus, and father of Ceyx". He was often presented in poetry as heralding the dawn.

Hyperion, Sango, Bladr

The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds, that inhabit wetlands, forests, and plains.

The African sacred ibis was an object of religious veneration in ancient Egypt, particularly associated with the deity Djehuty or otherwise commonly referred to in Greek as Thoth. He is responsible for writing, mathematics, measurement and time as well as the moon and magic.

 In artworks of the Late Period of Ancient Egypt, Thoth is popularly depicted as an ibis-headed man in the act of writing.

The symbolism was perhaps based on the habits as an inquisitive wading bird with a curving beak somewhat like a Crescent moon. Hundreds of thousands of mummified Ibis have been discovered at Sakkara, near Memphis the ancient capital of Egypt.

Loki God of Mischief

Classification: Jotun

Culture: Norse Germanic

Symbol: The Wheel

Sacred Stone: Jade

Sacred No: 12

Loki is the embodiment of ill intent in the Norse Mythology. And the sire of several entities hostile to the Aesir empire.

His is the son of the defeated Jotan King giant Fárbauti. Taken by Odin and raised in Asgard along side Thor the Thunder God.

Among his misdeeds he causes the death of the beloved son Balder.

Steals the golden locks of Thor’s beloved Sif.

With the Goddess AngrBoda the Bringer of Grief he fathers the Fenrir wolf. Who is prophesized to devour the All Father Odin at the time of Ragnarok.

The pairing would also produce the Mid-Gard Serpent who would kill Thor.

And Hela who would lead the forces of chaos.

At the coming of Ragnarok he would align with enemies of Asgard.

Loki is a shape-shifter who could take any form male or female. He is said to have given birth to the stallion Sleipnir.

His German name Lohe means fierce flame.

Locana goddess of peace

Classification: Goddess

Culture: Buddhism

Region: Indus River Valley

Symbol: The Wheel

Sacred Stone: Jade

Sacred No: 12

A Buddhist goddess partnered with Vairocana.

She is depicted as an all white spirit expressing the attribute of peace and tranqulity.

Her attribute is the wheel.

It is said that Lochana, Mamaki, Pandara and Tara represent the four elements i.e. earth, water, fire and air.

The Leviathan

Classification: Monster

Association: Creation, The Sky

Culture: Phoenician, Greek, Jewish

A monster in Phoenician mythology. Known in Ugarit by the name Lotan.

Leviathan is the female water entity, paired with the male land entity Behemoth.

It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Amos; it is also mentioned in the apocryphal Book of Enoch.

In the Old Testament is it called the dragon of Chaos. And referred to as the crooked serpent.

In general it is a denizen of the sea, and hence is equated with the crocodile and the whale.

In apocalyptic literature and in Christianity, Leviathan figures as one of the forms in which the devil manifest himself.

The Leviathan of the Book of Job is a reflection of the older Canaanite Lotan, a primeval monster defeated by the god Baal Hadad.

Parallels to the role of Mesopotamian Tiamat defeated by Marduk have long been drawn in comparative mythology.

As have been wider comparisons to dragon and world serpent narratives such as Indra slaying Vrtra or Thor slaying Jörmungandr.

The Book of Enoch (60:7–9) describes Leviathan as a female monster dwelling in the watery abyss (as Tiamat), while Behemoth is a male monster living in the desert of Dunaydin ("east of Eden")

Blood a symbol of life force believed in many cultures to contain a share of divine energy or more commonly the spirit of an individual creature.

 Blood had rain bearing or fertilizing power according to some traditions as in near eastern marriage ceremonies were the bride stepped over the sprinkle blood of a sheep.

the oldest ancient deity who consumed blood was probably Lilith. She is also described as the first demon, or a female spirit which exemplified all of the darkest attributes of the world.

Persian folklore also speaks of some spirits who consumed blood. The most famous of these was Estries. She was a demon - specifically a shapeshifter.

 Usually she was believed to have appeared as a beautiful woman who looked for men to drink their blood. , She was also well-known in Jewish legends.

In order to strengthen the Tree God Pemba, the Bambara of West Africa  sacrificed blood to it, and in some myths it is called the Blood Tree.

 Bull's blood was used for it suppose that magical power in the Roman rites of Mithras and Cybele. With the same symbolism of the life force blood is sometimes still drunk at Mexican bull fights.

From Hindu Beliefs – Kali as depict  as a fearsome creature with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.''

At the height of the Aztec empire the blood of thousands of victims a year will spill to reinvigorate the sun.

They believed the gods sacrificed their own blood to create the universe, so in turn, the Aztecs offered blood to the Gods as a sort of reciprocal exchange and gift for their creations (Pendragon 2). Furthermore, the supply of ritual blood was believed to maintain plentiful fertile crops and aid in the continuation of the Aztec world.

If blood was not sacrificed to the gods, the humans believed they would be punished and endure excessive pain “more violent than any man could ever do”

In ancient Greece, the disciples of Hecate the Goddess of Magic, performed blood rituals to enhance the power of their goddess

The mingling of blood is a Symbol of union in many traditions and can mark a seal or a covenant. In Roman Catholic doctrine Christ blood is present in the trans substantial wine of the Euchrarist.

A common blood ritual is the blood brother ritual, which started in ancient Europe and Asia. Two or more people, typically male, intermingle their blood in some way.

Blood sacrifice is sometimes considered by the practitioners of prayer, ritual magic, and spell casting to intensify the power of such activities. The Native American Sun Dance is usually accompanied by blood sacrifice

Some blood rituals involve two or more parties cutting themselves or each other followed by the consumption of blood. The participants may regard the release or consumption of blood as producing energy useful as a sexual, healing, or mental stimulus.

The great potency of blood has been utilized through sacrifice for a number of purposes—e.g., earth fertility, purification, and expiation.

Buddhism forbids all blood sacrifices

The gods demanding blood sacrifice are most commonly described as “fierce, violent and ‘hot’” (Fuller The gods who fall under this category are dark forms such as Durga, Kali, and village goddesses, such as Sitala Mata, Mariyamman, Bhairava and Narasimha.

Name: Legba the Trickster

Pantheon/ Culture: Dahomey of West Africa, Haitian Vodou

Gender: Male

Category: God/Loa

Celebration day: November 1

Known Aliases: Papa Legba

Associated: speech, communication

Legba a celestial trickster in the Dahomey of West Africa to whom mankind owes the art of prognostication and the interpretation of oracles.

 His sacred animal is the dog which he uses as a Messenger.

He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the gods, and is believed to speak all human languages. ... Legba facilitates communication, speech, and understanding.

Legba is also the god of travel, opportunity, and luck.

The rat is Legba's sacred animal and his colors are black red and white. His honor day is November 1st, when bonfires are lit in his honor. Besides that he has feast days on March 18th, 19th or 20th and June 29th.