THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Chapter 01 Why Thoth and Seshat were not only the gods of all knowledge and writing, but truly the glorification of the reed pen and ink

In summary: over the past four and a half years spent working on this study since January 2021, I have already had the opportunity to say on several occasions that this or that Egyptian deity was my favorite, but my understanding of Seshat may well be the one closest to my heart, as it echoes all those years at university when I spent most of my time in the library. I am not an engineer, I am not a technician, I am simply a scientist who likes to synthesize what I read; and as such, my understanding of Thoth and Seshat has a very special flavor: if these two deities are associated with writing, and if Seshat was as well known as the ‘patroness of libraries’ as she was the ‘patroness of builders,’ it is because Seshat is the glorification of ink, whether it be the ink used to write on papyrus or the ink used to mark lines on the ground with a rope dipped in ink.

This marking of lines on the ground with ink is the true meaning of the ‘stretching the cord’ ceremony performed in the name of Seshat. We will see that Thoth, Seshat's male counterpart, is nothing more than the glorification of the reed pen that must be tirelessly dipped in ink, over and over in order to write. Thoth and Seshat, the two ancient Egyptian deities of writing, are nothing other than the glorification of the two tools necessary for writing: the reed pen and ink.

To understand the god Thoth, one must analyze "The Pyramids of Cold" through the prism of "technological mythology": the ancient Egyptian pantheon serves as a coded repository for the mechanical and scientific tools that defined their civilization. From this perspective, Thoth is not merely a mythological deity, but a symbolic representation of the scribe's primary instrument: the reed pen. There is a direct physical parallel between the ibis and this tool; the bird's long, curved, forked beak mimics the shape and function of the split-pointed reed pen used to apply ink to papyrus. In this light, the ibis dipping its beak in water is a metaphor for the scribe dipping his quill in the inkwell. Moreover, Seshat, Thoth's consort, represents ink itself, creating a functional duality essential to the preservation of knowledge.

This interpretation extends to Thoth's role as the god of measurement and time; his "divine" attributes then refer to the mechanical precision of early scientific instruments, such as water clocks and lunar clocks, where the instrument's stylus or "hand" was personified by the god of wisdom and calculation. Consequently, the understanding of Thoth shifts from a supernatural entity to a personification of the technological advancements that enabled Egyptian society to function, organize itself, and record its history.

Reed pen. Three views of a narrow tip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_pen#/media/File:Qalam2.jpg

While understood as gods of writing, wisdom and scribal arts, a deeper interpretation explains how, once combined, Thoth and Seshat embodied the very instruments and processes of recording and preserving information: if Seshat represented the glorification of ink, while Thoth embodied the reed pen, it is because ancient Egyptians encoded their scientific and technological knowledge within their religious narratives, using deities as metaphors for tools and processes. Their combined roles underscore the ancient Egyptian belief that knowledge, meticulously recorded and preserved, was fundamental to both earthly governance and the eternal journey.

Scribes at work. The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoqavHDlKZ0

01.01  If Seshat was the goddess of writing and if she was known as 'She, who is foremost in the library' it only is because she truly is the glorification that Egyptians have made of ink

Throughout this study, you will gradually discover the true function of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and how it actually worked, sometimes in great detail. Nothing in this study is invented; you simply need to understand the metaphors used by the ancient Egyptians to piece everything together. This is why most Egyptian deities did not appear until after the construction of the Great Pyramid, and why all so-called ‘religious’ texts date from after its construction.

However, Thoth and Seshat are among the gods and goddesses who predate the Great Pyramid, simply because they represent the glorification of the tools that the Egyptians used from the very beginning of their scientific and technological adventure: there are traces of these two deities from the first Dynasty, and if they are the ones who enabled this civilization to develop writing and build libraries to store all their knowledge, it is because Thoth is simply the glorification of the reed pen, and Seshat the glorification of ink.

“Seshat ‘She who is foremost in the library’ is represented as a woman clad in a long panther skin dress with a headdress consisting of a band topped with a seven-pointed star and then a bow or a pair of stylized horns. Her name can be translated as ‘female scribe’ and so she is seen as the goddess of all forms of writing including record keeping, censuses, astronomy and mathematics. Alongside this, she is considered the patroness of temple libraries, other collections of texts, scribes and builders of texts.” https://thecuriousegyptologist.com/2022/05/24/seshat-she-who-is-foremost-in-the-library/

[illustration] “The art of writing with a feather takes some getting used to. Learning which way the nib works best took some practice, but soon Minnie was writing & drawing confidently with her new quill pen.” Photograph by Sun Hats and Wellie Boots: https://www.sunhatsandwellieboots.com/2014/07/how-to-turn-feather-into-quill-pen.html

Making Ink From Leaves... DIY Leaf Ink! Video by Cory Morrison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRtVvK4Qp2I

01.02  The leopard-skin of Seshat: here is the ink... a very sophisticated ink, similar to the ink developed during the Renaissance and probably used by Leonardo da Vinci

“By applying 21st century, state-of-the-art technology to reveal the hidden secrets of ancient ink technology, we are contributing to the unveiling the origin of writing practices.”, explains Marine Cotte, scientist at the ESRF and co-corresponding author of the paper. “Something very striking was that we found that lead was added to the ink mixture, not as a dye, but as a dryer of the ink, so that the ink would stay on the papyrus”, says Cotte. The researchers came to this conclusion because they did not find any other type of lead, like lead white or minium, which should be present if lead was used as a pigment. “The fact that the lead was not added as a pigment but as a dryer infers that the ink had quite a complex recipe and could not be made by just anyone. We hypothesise that there were workshops specialised in preparing inks”, adds Thomas Christiansen, Egyptologist from the University of Copenhagen and co-corresponding author of the paper. 

A surprising fact is that the ink recipe can be related to paint practices developed many centuries later during the Renaissance. “In the XV Century, when artists rediscovered the oil painting in Europe, the challenge was to dry the oil in a reasonable amount of time”, says Marine Cotte. “Painters realised that some lead compounds could be used as efficient dryers”, she explains.” Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny: https://www.esrf.fr/home/news/general/content-news/general/red-and-black-ink-from-egyptian-papyri-unveil-ancient-writing-practices.html

Reference: “New insights into the composition of ancient Egyptian red and black inks on papyri achieved by synchrotron-based micro-analyses,” T. Christiansen et al., PNAS (2020); https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004534117

[Draw of Seshat] by Jeff Dahl. Please note the curious vertical 'decorative' line that is probably a reference to the central slot of the reed pen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat#/media/File:Seshat_edit2.svg

“Ptolemy III and Seshat, with Horus alongside, depicted conducting the "stretching of the cord". Bas-relief in the Temple of Edfu (c. 237–57 BC), Ptolemaic dynasty. Edited from a photograph by Ad Meskens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat#/media/File:Temple_of_Edfu_15.jpg

01.03  The use of an ink line to show the limits of the future building in construction is the true reason why Egyptians, after having 'stretched the cord', also "loosened the cord so that it slipped down the stakes and lay on the ground showing the limits of the building"

I have already had the opportunity to show, with the Step pyramid of Djoser, which the ancient Egyptians themselves referred to as ‘the pyramid of the refreshment of the gods’, according to egyptologists, that the latter often had the solution right before their eyes, but either refused to consider it or were unaware of its importance. In this case, the pyramid of Djoser was probably called ‘the pyramid of the cooling by the gods’, simply because Djeser was obviously already working on creating cold for his own experiments. Here, with the ‘Stretching the Cord ceremony’ we have the same thing: the method of operation of the chalk or ink marking cord is perfectly described: first the cord is pulled, then released to obtain the outline of the future building to be constructed. It's all there, written in black and white.

“Seshat appears early in ancient Egyptian history and myth. From the 2nd Dynasty onwards, she is shown taking part in a ritual of ‘stretching the cord’. Specifically, she is first shown aiding King Khasekhemnwy the last king of the 2nd dynasty. In this guise, she is manifesting her role as ‘the mistress of builders’ and involved in the ritual referred to as Stretching the cord. The ritual of stretching the cord was one of the most important elements of the foundation ritual which by the Ptolemaic period had 11 different steps. The cord this ritual refers to is the mason’s line which was used to mark out the dimensions of the building and allowed the building to be aligned with the stars or point of a compass. The stretching of the cord ritual had three different phases. First, the four corners of the building were marked out. Second, the actual stretching of the cord involved the burying of stakes and the tying of the cord to link them. Then, the final stage, involved the loosening of the cord so that it slipped down the stakes and lay on the ground showing the limits of the building. Alongside the cord and staked a tool known as a ‘merket’ which consisted of a notched stick through which the Great Bear constellation could be seen thus enabling the builders to calculate true north.” https://thecuriousegyptologist.com/2022/05/24/seshat-she-who-is-foremost-in-the-library/

[Inscription at Edfu Temple about Seshat, 'Mistress of the House of Architects']: “I hold the peg. I grasp the handle of the club and grip the measuring cord with Seshat. I turn my eyes to the movements of the stars. I send forth my gaze to the Bull’s thigh (the Great Bear). I count off time, I watch the clock, I establish the four corners of your temple”. https://thecuriousegyptologist.com/2022/05/24/seshat-she-who-is-foremost-in-the-library/

How to use a chalk line by stretching the cord. Video by Zacharyrose, architect: https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyrose/video/7510019667235261726

The rope of a Sumi tsubo ink line, being pinched and pulled upward, just before its release. By this action of being thrown downwards and towards the ground, the rope of the Sumi tsubo can therefore be associated with Nephthys and of course the same goes for the ink (Seshat) which soaks this rope. Screen shot from the video "How to use a Japanese Ink Line. By Woodwork Tutorials": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZzh2xZiwk

"Nephthys has been treated here in some detail, foe Seshat proves to have been one of her forms. The Pyramid Texts, par.616, speak of Nephthys 'in this her name of Seshat, Mistress of Builders', and the late inscriptions again record Seshat as a form of Nephthys". Source Sage journals at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/030751334002600105?journalCode=egaa

The sumitsubo, literally ink-pot, is a traditional Japanese layout tool. It works much like a standard chalk line except that it uses ink in place of the chalk and in Japan, the line is made of silk. How to set up and use a Sumitsubo | Japanese Carpentry Tools. By Cow Dog Craft Works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUVZQyRBrh4

[Sumi tsubo ready to use] Setting up a Sumi Tsubo - Traditional Japanese Carpentry Tool. Video by Dylan Iwakuni. “Setting up a traditional tool used for marking. The Sumitsubo stores the ink used by the Sumisashi (brush made from bamboo) and has a line for flicking straight lines. The ink used is similar to calligraphy ink but does not dry as quick. Marking with ink allows for more permanent markings.”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTWGZeBHJDQ

01.04  Why ancient Egyptians could really have used marking tools equivalent to the traditional Japanese Sumi tsubo 

The greatest difficulty in studying ancient Egypt stems from the fact that almost everything that has come down to us today from this ancient civilization is linked not to the reality of that era, but to its reinterpretation by the ancient Egyptians themselves. In other words, everything we can study today about ancient Egypt is merely metaphorical. Take the emblematic example of the age-old question, “Did the ancient Egyptians invent the wheel?” And the usual answer, “No, because it is not depicted anywhere.”

Well, this approach is completely irrelevant, precisely because the Egyptians did not care, or rather were careful not to represent things as they really were. If that had been the case, they would have described in detail all the steps that enabled them to build the great pyramids; they simply did not do so because it was out of the question. And when you think about it, isn't that what all human organizations have always done: showing the world their amazing technological achievements, while doing everything they can to hide the secrets of their accomplishments from the world? In many ways, this is similar to magic tricks, whose secrets magicians will always refuse to reveal.

The ancient Egyptians were no different from today's great leaders, and they kept their technological secrets to themselves; simply to glorify themselves despite everything in those distant times, they turned them into gods, goddesses, and myths, which were then able to spread not only throughout ancient Egypt, but also beyond its borders. We will see later that this so-called Egyptian religion was entirely copied and reinterpreted by all the other civilizations in the region, particularly by the Greeks and their famous 'interpretatio graeca', but also by those who were responsible for writing the Jewish religion (see chapters about Ezekiel and David and Goliath).

The idea that the ancient Egyptians had, from the beginning of the Pharaonic era, the tool known today in Japan as Sumi tsubo is therefore not invalidated by the fact that no examples of it have ever been found in Egypt; but it was indeed used and still exists in the form of metaphors surrounding the goddess Seshat.

While Seshat, the goddess who enabled the ancient Egyptians to glorify the ink used for writing, is best known for being invoked during the Stretching of the rope ceremony, her emblem also relates to this ceremony and the tool used to apply the ink on the ground. This tool still exists today in Japan: it is called the Sumi tsubo. Seshat's emblem represents the wheel of the tool supported by its axis, as well as the cord being pinched and pulled upward. [illustration] from NUG Magazin with article by Carl Hedberg on “Solving the mystery of what the ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom was all about…”: https://jahbillah.com/2013/09/11/secret-crown-of-seshat-in-plain-sight/

01.05  The emblem of Seshat is about the Egyptian equivalent to the Japanese sumitsubo: the spinning wheel supported on its axle, the rope which is pinched between your fingers and pulled upward

The emblem of Seshat is certainly one of the most enigmatic symbols of ancient Egypt, and its interpretation could not really be done without the main piece, the Sumi tsubo, because in reality the emblem is entirely about this marking tool. What must be understood is the state of mind of the ancient Egyptians when they had to ‘create’ such symbols; because just as they used only metaphors in their ‘sacred’ texts, they also constantly played with words and images to create these magnificent symbols.

The easiest part of Seshat’s emblem to decipher is its upper part, as it represents the Sumi tsubo rope, and obviously, this is all linked to the ‘stretching of the rope’ ceremony that is associated with Seshat, but its decipherment itself is in two parts:

1 • in the center, there is the representation of the rope being plucked and pulled upwards at the moment when the marking tool has to be used and the rope has to be ‘stretched’

2 • but there is also the representation of the rope wrapping around the steering wheel: look how the cord seems to want to perfectly fit the shape of the suggested 'rosette' of the emblem

Underneath the rope, is the flower-like part of the emblem, and it is about the steering wheel of the instrument:

3 • this flower-like part below the string is impossible to understand if you are not familiar with the Sumi tsubo marking tool, because it is precisely the wheel of the tool that is depicted, with its magnificent spokes. Most of the time, only the upper spokes are visible, the others being hidden by the body of the tool. But more importantly, the Egyptians also wanted to play with words and ideas by representing in their own way the idea that the wheel was supported by its axle: they described this idea as it is, showing the wheel carried by an axle.

Look closely to the above close-up showing the emblem Seshat, and you will see that the wheel is indeed connected to a (white) rope. Also, clearly the artist has also taken some liberties with the usual rules for depicting the emblem of Seshat: all the spokes of the wheel are shown, even those at the bottom, and it is obvious that this is definitely not a flower or the leaves of any kind of plant.

Hatshepsut (c. 1479–1458 BC) and Seshat, depicted performing the 'stretching the cord' ritual for the temple's founding. Photograph by Lothar Derstroff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat#/media/File:Hatshepsut_and_Seshat.jpg

Seshat represented on a mummy Mask of a Woman, with Hathor in front of her, then Tefnut and Anubis but who has been cropped out of the image. Roman Period A.D. 60–70. Edited image from Object Number: 19.2.6 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New-York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547257

Close-up view of the wheel on the Sumi tsubo. Setting up a Japanese inking pot (Sumi tsubo 墨壺).／墨壺のセットアップ. Video by 倉重電動工具株式会社 / Kurashigetools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5n5pjb2z-0

01.06  The star sometimes represented on the emblem of Seshat is because the steering wheel of the Sumi tsubo marking tool was in constant rotation, much like the stars in the sky

Although the Sumi tsubo photographed above shows a metallic star in the center of the spinning wheel to accomodate the crank that turns the wheel, this is surely just a happy coincidence. What is not a coincidence, however, is the fact that some representations of Seshat do indeed have a star in the center of the wheel, not all representations, but some; and here we must ask ourselves what a star is doing in the already heavily laden emblem of Seshat.

The answer is simple and very ingenious at the same time: to show the endless rotation of the Sumi tsubo wheel around its axis, the ancient Egyptians used a star, which also seems to have an endless rotation around an axis.

Star trail image, by Michael Rector: https://www.flickr.com/photos/49638323@N03/6711575327/in/photostream/

The little star in the emblem of Seshat, here on a relief from the back of the throne of a seated statue of Ramesses II depicting the Egyptian goddess of writing Seshat. 13th century BCE, Luxor Temple, Egypt. Photograph by Jon Bodsworth: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luxor_temple_16.jpg

01.07  The similarity of the wheel of the Sumi tsubo with the drive shaft of the Grand Gallery

More on Isis and Nephthys in their dedicated Section: 

"As early as the Pyramid Texts (the oldest ones date from 2400-2300 BCE), Nephthys is said to have “collected all your members for you in this Her name of Seshat, Lady of Builders.” (Pyramid Texts, Utterance 364)": https://isiopolis.com/2014/07/13/oh-yes-more-nephthys/

"In utterance 364, Nephthys, identified with Seshat, “Lady of Builders,” has collected the limbs of Osiris/the deceased": https://henadology.wordpress.com/theology/netjeru/nephthys/

Other emblems of Seshat: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/c5/8a/1bc58af944eb0e603ca4dc3f1b3a7ce1.jpg

As illustrated in the two representations of Seshat above, it is incorrect to say that Seshat's emblem is "a seven-pointed star, flower, or leaf": there could also have been five, or nine. [left image], [right image, Karnak]

01.08  Seshat was also called Sefhet, the word for the number seven, because she was the glorification of ink and there are seven true magical colors

So, the emblem of Seshat is the Egyptian equivalent of the Japanese Sumi tsubo marking tool used by builders and carpenters, but we have to remember that Seshat herself is the glorification of the ink; most of the time Egyptians used black and red ink for writing, but they also used ink to paint and for the ancient Egyptians, there probably were seven magical colors: the seven colors of the rainbow; and because Seshat was the glorification of ink, she was also associated with these seven colors, and called Sefhet which means 'seven'.

“Seshat, also called Sefhet, which means seven, is the female counterpart of Thoth, therefore mistress of measure, and always attends the foundation ceremonies of the temples. Her emblem is the seven-petaled flower. Seshat is found on the earliest inscriptions.” John Anthony West in “Spirit in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt”. https://www.starmythworld.com/mathisencorollary/2016/10/26/the-goddess-seshat

The seven colors of the rainbow, by AH Learning Binders: https://ahlearningbinders.com/product/rainbow-colors/

Egyptians used metaphors everywhere they could, and most of all: everything is connected !

Operating diagram of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, showing how ancient Egyptians have glorified the two central ropes that were operated inside the central wooden Djed caisson into the ascending Isis and descending Nephthys. “When in a dyad with Isis, Nephthys is decidedly the “darker” one. The Pyramid Texts advise the king to “descend with Nephthys” in the Barque of the Night, but arise with Isis in the Barque of the Day". https://isiopolis.com/2014/07/13/oh-yes-more-nephthys/

01.09  The identification of Seshat with Nephthys (and her tresses) is because the Sumi tsubo marking tool needs a 'descending' rope

Throughout this study, I hope to convince you that the Egyptians continually illustrated these notions of cycle, balance, action, and reaction through numerous examples used by the Egyptians in their process of glorifying their technological achievements, and one of these examples is undoubtedly the couple formed by Isis and Nephthys. As the excerpts below show, Isis was associated with the idea of 'ascending', while Nephthys was associated with the idea of 'descending'. Of course, one must already have understood that both goddesses are simply the glorification of ropes (suggested by the association of Nephthys with braids, and that of Isis with the notion of mooring), but once this is done, one then understands why Seshat, who was perceived as a kind of new vision of Nephthys, was therefore associated with the notion of a rope descending since this is the basic principle of both the rope-stretching ceremony, and of course how to use a Sumi tsubo when one snaps the rope on the ground or the element that has to be marked.

Rather than truly seeking balance in each of their actions, let's say that the ancient Egyptians were actually obsessed with the idea of action and reaction, and then the idea of balance becomes only the logical and inevitable consequence. What the Egyptians venerated, and perhaps even more true, is the idea of the completion of a cycle, where the notions of balance and action/reaction are essential. What we have just seen is that the goddess Seshat was the glorification of the ink used in writing by the ancient Egyptians, but for its use as marking ink by a tool equivalent to the Japanese Sumi tsubo, this ink must be associated with a rope, a rope that is stretched and then suddenly released towards the ground, or against the wall; and it is for this reason that Seshat was associated with the goddess Nephthys who is precisely the glorification of the rope 'which descends'.

“When in a dyad with Isis, Nephthys is decidedly the “darker” one. The Pyramid Texts advise the king to “descend with Nephthys” in the Barque of the Night, but arise with Isis in the Barque of the Day". https://isiopolis.com/2014/07/13/oh-yes-more-nephthys/

"The one being reborn is to “throw off the tresses of Nephthys” like he throws off his mummy wrappings at his rebirth": https://isiopolis.com/2014/07/13/oh-yes-more-nephthys/

How to Rope Braid: https://www.everydayhairinspiration.com/2019/07/05/rope-braid/kopi-af-how-to-rope-braid/

Seshat was not the only Egyptian deity of writing, there were two of them: Thoth was the other one, and Seshat was being described as Thoth's female counterpart. We will see now that if Seshat was nothing other than the glorification of the ink used for writing, Thoth was its natural counterpart: the reed pen.

“Goddess of writing, mathematics and measuring, in many ways the female counterpart of the god Thoth. […] From the Old Kingdom on she also carried out the ritual of stretching the cord with the pharaoh, one of the parts of the foundation ceremony that preceded the building of a temple. […] Seshat is usually depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed star on her head, above which are depicted two horns pointing downwards, a symbol that has not yet been satisfactorily explained.” https://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/glossary.aspx?id=342

[How to make a reed pen for ink] Video by QAGOMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5QjkgwBKV4

If Thoth's name would mean "He who is like the ibis", it was because of the way the bird plunges its long, pointed black split beak into the water, in the same way that the split tip of a reed pen plunges into black ink. [Sacred Ibis] Screenshot from a video by Greg Baker, Chobe National Park (Savuti region), Botswana: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/270943641

01.10  Thoth and the long, pointed black split beak of the ibis is the male counterpart of the Seshat ink because he is the reed pen itself

“Thoth's roles in Egyptian mythology were many. He served as scribe of the gods, credited with the invention of writing and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Egyptians credited him as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy, and magic. The Greeks further declared him the inventor of astronomy, astrology, the science of numbers, mathematics, geometry, surveying, medicine, botany, theology, civilized government, the alphabet, reading, writing, and oratory. They further claimed he is the true author of every work of every branch of knowledge, human and divine. […] His feminine counterpart is Seshat, and his wife is Maat.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth

Reed pen. Three views of a narrow tip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_pen#/media/File:Qalam2.jpg

"Statuette of an ibis" at the Musei Vaticani, Roma. "The statuette depicts a crouching ibis, a manifestation of the god Thoth, one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon, whose main shrine was situated in the city of Hermopolis Magna in Middle Egypt. The animal’s head, tail and feet are in bronze, whereas the body is made of plastered and gilded wood. It is notable for the particularly refined anatomical rendering of the head, with inlaid vitreous paste for the eyes, as well as the tail and the plumage. The feet are modeled realistically and with particular care."  https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/museo-gregoriano-egizio/sala-vi--la-collezione-carlo-grassi/statuetta-di-ibis.html#&gid=1&pid=1

“How to Turn a Feather into a Quill Pen - Nature crafts for Kids.” Posted by Sun Hats & Wellie Boots: https://www.sunhatsandwellieboots.com/2014/07/how-to-turn-feather-into-quill-pen.html

01.11  The feather of god of writing Thoth is nothing more than the illustration and the glorification of the reed pen through the quill pen

With this artifact, ancient Egyptians show us another facet of how they played with the combination of different elements within the same ensemble to actually describe the same thing but in several different ways: here, the ibis and the feather are both illustrations of Thoth. The ibis shows us what the long, curved, with split tip reed pen looked like, while the feather shows us precisely that this is all about a feather. The fact that it is the feather used for writing is simply suggested by the large drop where the feather begins, and by the two small drops on the right of the object; these two small drops probably illustrate the idea of ink flowing down the bottle in which the reed pen has been dipped.

"Inlay depicting [the god of writing] Thoth as the ibis with a maat feather." Late Period–Ptolemaic Period, 4th century B.C. “This exquisite piece of inlay from a shrine shows Thoth, god of writing and all things intellectual, as an ibis walking atop a standard. Its beak is supported by a feather, the symbol of Maat, goddess of justice and closely associated with Thoth.” Object Number: 26.7.992 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New-York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544093

Extraordinary representation of the Weighing of the Heart, showing Thoth holding a stylus, because he really is that stylus. The Weighing of the Heart in the sarcophagus chamber of the tomb of Baennentiu, Qarat Qasr Salim, el-Bahriya depression, Libyan desert, Egypt. Photograph courtesy of Roland Unger and posted on Wikipedia: "Justice scene: tomb owner Baennentiu conducted by Maat, Anubis and Horus with scales, Thoth, right wall in the sarcophagus chamber of the tomb of Baennentiu: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BawitiSelimBanentiuSanctRight.jpg

01.12  While Thoth could be depicted as an ibis because of the shape of his long, pointed black beak, he could also be depicted as a baboon because the reed pen delivered a very small amount of ink but with extreme regularity, much like a water clock

One of the fundamental elements that helps us understand the hidden meaning that the ancient Egyptians wanted to give to what we now call the ‘ancient Egyptian religion’ is based on the principle of associating all scientific knowledge and technological and engineering expertise with as many correspondences as possible offered by their environment; and of course, it was essentially to the animal world that the Egyptians turned and from which they drew all the metaphors they needed.

We have already seen the metaphor of the long, pointed, black beak of the ibis, which is a wonderful illustration of the tip of the stylus dipped in black ink, and now we will look at the metaphor of the peeing baboon.

• Please read 37.06 to 37.10 for more about Thoth and the real design of the complete Egyptian water clock (the clepsydra).

[Water Clock Decorated with a Baboon] at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New-York. “This piece is considered to be a model of a water clock. Water within could drain from a hole between the baboons legs over a measured time. This object was likely a temple offering to the god Thoth in his role as overseer of knowledge and measurement.” Object Number: 17.194.2341: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/572126

01.13  Thoth was a Moon god and he was associated with the measurement of time and the different phases of the Moon because of the very basic but efficient Lunar phase clock: a clock hand is ultimately just a very specific kind of stylus, and Thoth was nothing other than the glorification of that same stylus

I find this section concerning the measurement of time, and in particular the use of the different phases of the moon, particularly interesting. One can easily imagine that simple hand clocks were used in each household to track the phases of the moon, and that one person in that household was responsible for advancing the hand (glorified as Thoth, or rather, as one of Thoth's aspects, the glorification of the stylus), once a day, every day of the year. There is definitely something very moving about picturing this particular moment in the daily life of the ancient Egyptians.

In summary, what tells the time is not the clock but the clock hand, and that is why probably within each family, each household, there was a clock (probably manual) based on the phases of the moon, and it was indeed Thoth, the god created by the ancient Egyptians to glorify the technological tool that is the stylus, who was the master of time. It was Thoth who was the master of the clock, because he was nothing other than the deification of the stylus of that clock.

“In addition, Thoth was also known by specific aspects of himself, for instance the Moon god Iah-Djehuty representing the Moon for the entire month. The Greeks related Thoth to their god Hermes due to his similar attributes and functions. One of Thoth's titles, "Thrice great", was translated to the Greek τρισμέγιστος (trismégistos), making Hermes Trismegistus.[…] Thoth is a Moon god. The Moon not only provides light at night, allowing time to still be measured without the Sun, but its phases and prominence gave it a significant importance in early astrology/astronomy. The perceived cycles of the Moon also organized much of Egyptian society's rituals and events, both civil and religious. Consequently, Thoth gradually became seen as a god of wisdom, magic, and the measurement and regulation of events and of time. He was thus said to be the secretary and counselor of the Sun god Ra, and with Ma'at (truth/order) stood next to Ra on the nightly voyage across the sky.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth

A lunar clock follows the synodic cycle of the moon, which is approximately 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. [illustration] Lunar Phase Clock: https://timefliesclocks.com/products/lunar-phase-clock

Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. (1841). Atmoo, Thoth, & the goddess of letters [Seshat], writing the name of Remeses on the fruit of the persea. Memnonium, Thebes. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/84e0db90-c6cf-012f-c22d-58d385a7bc34

01.14  Seshat 'mistress of the Books' and 'foremost in the Library' because she is the glorification of ink while her male counterpart Thoth is the glorification of the reed pen: the tree is here a representation of that library, explaining why Seshat goes inside that tree. In short, if the leaves are the books of the library, then the tree is the tree of knowledge

What is extraordinary about the ancient Egyptians is their fierce desire to say almost everything, but to show nothing; this is unfortunately what lies at the root of the very image we still have of their civilization today: because they did not want to show anything of what they actually accomplished, the Western world has constructed an extremely simplistic, even rudimentary, representation of it.

With Seshat, we have a perfect example of this choice the Egyptians made to show nothing clearly, since even though numerous texts clearly indicate that Seshat was the goddess of libraries, books, and therefore papyri, there is no representation, in painting, engraving, or sculpture, of Seshat holding a papyrus in her hands or proudly strolling among the shelves of a library. But of course, just as hieroglyphs are depicted as image-based cryptographic signs, whose very meaning is linked to the desire to conceal meaning rather than using simple words, the ancient Egyptians did indeed depict Seshat with her books and library, but they did it in their own twisted and secret way.

A perfect example of this complete representation of what Seshat truly is is the above image, where the goddess stands among thousands and thousands of books within the library of which she is the goddess, since she is the glorification of ink. The tree in which Seshat stands here is the tree of knowledge, that is, the library itself.

“Seshat in particular is also associated with the holy Tree of Life of ancient Egypt, the Ishedtree, sometimes identified with the persea tree although not all scholars agree on this identification. She is often depicted or described inscribing upon the leaves of this sacred tree, particularly in her role as the determiner of the lifespan of the kings of Egypt, but to record other divine records upon the holy tree as well.” https://www.starmythworld.com/mathisencorollary/2016/10/26/the-goddess-seshat

Tree of knowledge, by Matthias Hauser: https://matthias-hauser.pixels.com/featured/books-the-tree-of-knowledge-matthias-hauser.html

01.14  Conclusion: the multidisciplinary approach required to decipher all the metaphors hidden in the ancient Egyptian religion allows us to dream of rebuilding the whole true history of the entire Egyptian civilization, and as we will discover now the detailed operating cycle of the Great Pyramid

As I mentioned in the introduction, Thoth and Seshat are particularly important to me because together they represent the glorification of knowledge, of all knowledge; and one thing you will have to accept if you truly want to know what the ancient Egyptians actually accomplished more than 4,500 years ago is that you must draw on all knowledge, that is, all fields of knowledge: physics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, medicine, mathematics, etc.

It is only through this multidisciplinary approach that you will be able to understand all the metaphors used by the Egyptians through more than 2,000 gods and goddesses, and I don't know how many myths. You now know the greatest secret that the ancient Egyptians hid within their religion, and I now invite you to discover the true function of their greatest architectural achievement: the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

The Bookworm, 1850, by Carl Spitzweg. The Yorck Project (2002): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookworm#/media/File:Carl_Spitzweg_-_%22The_Bookworm%22.jpg

Preface

Next chapter

Table of contents

Operating diagrams of the Great Pyramid

Timelines

Index