THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Chapter 19 How the endless regeneration of the great serpent Apep and the waters of the inclined well were glorified through a peeing baboon

In summary: we have already seen that if the ancient Egyptians made such extensive use of representations of baboons in a seated position, it was to metaphorically illustrate the use of running water at a low but constant flow; they used this metaphorical 'subterfuge' to illustrate, in particular, the ability of a stylus to deliver its ink, precisely with a very low, but controlled and regular flow, and it is for this reason that the god Thoth, who was ultimately only the glorification of this same stylus, could precisely be represented in the form of a baboon in a seated position. In this chapter of The Pyramids of the Cold, we will see how the Egyptians represented the water supply of the Great Pyramid's inclined well, which must have been done precisely with a low, but very regular flow, since it came directly from the Pyramid's biosand filter.

The metaphor of the ‘peeing baboon’ is one of the metaphors used by the ancient Egyptians that perhaps best illustrates the facetious character with which the whole process of glorification as a whole was carried out, but it is also an equally instructive illustration of the great renunciation that characterizes the work carried out until now by egyptologists, who have never wished to tackle this problem of the metaphors left to us by the ancient Egyptians. The 'peeing baboon' is a real textbook case, and we will see in this chapter the reason why the baboon was directly linked to the great serpent Apep, to the point where their two bodies can be represented as fused with each other.

Peeing Hamadryas Baboon. The Prospect Park Zoo. Photograph by Mamoritai: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mamoritai/3336935638

Operating diagram of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza for flash-evaporative cold production. The whole operation was centered on the production of a fog of microdroplets of water which created cold by the basic and natural process of evaporation. The pressurized water necessary for the process came from the inclined well, which is known today as the 'ascending passage', and that was flooded during operating time of the Pyramid. The Great Serpent Apep is nothing other than the glorification that the ancient Egyptians have made of these pressurized waters generated inside the well.

The Great Serpent Apep (Apophis), bound in Tomb KV9 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, originally constructed for Pharaoh Ramesses V, 20th Dynasty. [Overthrowing of Apep, Theban Tomb KV9, West Thebes] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KV9

19.01  If Apep never really dies after being endlessly 'defeated', it is because he is permanently regenerated, and that is precisely what the baboon is doing here

We just saw in the previous chapter that the great serpent Apep was nothing other than the ancient Egyptians' glorification of the pressurized waters of the Great Pyramid's inclined well, and that the famous myth in which Apep found himself permanently constrained and cut into a multitude of small pieces was merely a metaphorical representation of the fact that, with each cycle, the impactor led to the expulsion of a small portion of these waters towards the evaporation conduct to create cold.

When Apep is depicted immobilized by chains, it is only to illustrate the fact that these pressurized waters of the inclined well were contained by the very structure of the shaft and the central wooden Djed caisson.

So of course, if we have here the representation of Apep whose tail merges with the tail of a baboon, it is only to reuse the metaphor of the peeing baboon, and to indicate that Apep was in reality permanently regenerated by the baboon itself. Remember that Apep never really dies, and that after being 'defeated' he is tirelessly reborn.

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

19.02  Everything about the Ancient Egyptian religion is purely metaphoric: gods are scientific glorifications and the peeing baboon no one wants to talk about is all about the ability to produce a very low-flow rate of running water

What is unsettling about the ancient Egyptians is the fact that they went to great lengths to hide absolutely everything about their true scientific and technological knowledge, and in particular everything concerning their mastery of water: the Egyptians almost never depicted anything that could be compared to hydraulic engineering, and even the so-called 'water clocks' that can be found in some major museums today are merely 'decoys' that in no way demonstrate the complexity of the real water clocks that were probably used very early in the history of ancient Egypt (see the corresponding chapter).

If there is one thing to understand about the ancient Egyptian civilization, it is that almost everything we have found to date (with a few exceptions, such as the famous Sabu disk or the so-called stone basins of Abu Ghurab), are only very pretty metaphors, intended to flatter the leaders of that time as well as to legitimize their actions.

Egyptian water clocks are a perfect illustration of the process used by the ancient Egyptians to glorify their scientific knowledge and technological mastery. What is presented as a water clock is therefore not one, so do not try to understand how the Egyptians really read the time from this artifact in the Metropolitan Museum, that is not what it was designed for. Its real role is to glorify the use of a very small, but very regular flow of water, essential for the proper functioning of the real water clocks of the time; and it is obviously through the seated baboon that the Egyptians were able to illustrate this perfect mastery of water.

Most of the time, the ancient Egyptians turned to nature and especially animals to illustrate all the metaphors that they used by the tens of thousands throughout their so-called Egyptian religion. To put it another way, animals became for the Egyptians simple tools that they used to glorify their actions, a bit like a painter when he uses his full palette of colors.

Water Clock Decorated with a Baboon. Object Number: 17.194.2341. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period, 664–30 B.C.E.: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/572126

"Using Baboon to find Water: Temptation trap". By Help To Achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuG0lCa2Q0c

19.03  The temptation trap (how to foul a baboon into revealing the hidden water source): the metaphor of the thirsty Baboon who is dying for water, because the skate blades of the impactor required water all the time 

There are plenty of examples you can find on the internet about how to catch a monkey, using the technique of the temptation trap: the monkey can get his hand in a hole where you would have placed a treat for him (like salt), but he cannot get his hand back if he wants to get the treat as well. This is a very easy and very intelligent trick.

“It is said you can trap a monkey by putting a nut through a small hole in a gourd. The monkey reaches in and grabs the nut, but then his fist won’t fit back through the hole. Greedy monkeys will literally let themselves be caught rather than let go of the nut.” Inside the Monkey Trap: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2018/03/inside_the_monk.html

19.04  How to use a baboon to find water: trap a baboon, make him thirsty like hell by giving him as much salt as he wants and then follow him while he "Great Runner" starts to run like crazy to his secret water source

I’ve just used the term “finally” about the fact I may have found the link between water and the baboon, but to be honest, if you simply google “water and baboon”, you’ll find out by yourself that there are actually many natural search results pointing to the “temptation trap” used by bushmen to find water.

Once again, this is a perfect illustration of the hidden sophistication of what ancient Egyptians have left for us and their beautiful observation skills they’ve mastered in every single field possible.

This is a transcript from the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuG0lCa2Q0c

“A bushman in drought region finds it very difficult to search water and water is very scarce. There were so many monkeys in his area. He understands that monkeys knows where the water his available. He also knows that monkeys like salt. He makes a plan to use monkey to help him find water. He makes a hole in the ground. He puts big piece of salt in the hole when he sees monkeys nearby. He also drops a small piece of salt near the hole and he leaves the place.

The monkey comes to near the hole to see what man was doing. He finds small salt near the hole, it takes it and eats it. He also puts its hand in the hole. The monkey feels a big piece of salt, it holds onto the salt, but couldn't get his hand out with the salt. Since the hand with big piece of salt gets stuck in the smaller hole.

The man was hiding at some far place and was observing what monkey was doing. As soon as he sees that monkey got struck in the hole he comes and catches the monkey. He puts the monkey inside the cage. Then the man gives monkey more salt. The monkey happily eats the salt. But eating salt makes man thirsty. Man knew that eating more salt will make monkey thirsty. After few hours he observes the monkey needs water. The man unlocks the cage and sets the monkey free. The man also chases the monkey and follows the monkey. The monkey being very thirsty it runs to the nearby hidden pond where it knows water is available. The man who was chasing the monkey now finds the pond and finds much needed water.” 

19.05  Once released, thirsty baboons become the “Great Runner” and run for water as fast as they can

One of the reason you want to use temptation traps on monkeys is to force them to reveal the secret location of a water source in some arid areas; and that is most certainly the reason of the association of the baboon with water in ancient Egypt. Probably the most critical part of the process is when you release the monkey, because he will then start to run as fast as possible toward his secret water source.

And of course, this event is echoing another characteristic behavior of baboons: the way they like to literally run on shallow waters to get from one side of a river to the other side.

In short, it most certainly is because of these two combined behaviors that the baboon had been used to represent the way the skate blades were running over water as well. And that is the origin of the famous epithet “the Great Runner” about the baboon headed Son of Horus Hapi.

“Hapi (xapi) the baboon headed son of Horus protected the lungs of the deceased and was in turn protected by the goddess Nephthys. The spelling of his name includes a hieroglyph which is thought to be connected with steering a boat, although its exact nature is not known. For this reason he was sometimes connected with navigation, although early references call him the great runner: “You are the great runner; come, that you may join up my father N and not be far in this your name of Hapi, for you are the greatest of my children – so says Horus”. In Spell 151 of the Book of the Dead Hapi is given the following words to say: “I have come to be your protection. I have bound your head and your limbs for you. I have smitten your enemies beneath you for you, and given you your head, eternally.” Spell 148 in the Book of the Dead directly associates all four of Horus’s sons, described as the four pillars of Shu and one of the four rudders of heaven, with the four cardinal points of the compass. Hapi was associated with the north”. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/31119

Illustration: “Baboons Hilariously Brave River Crossing: This family of baboons really wanted to cross the river without getting wet, so they ran and jumped in the funniest of ways to try and stay dry.” Text and image by Roger Müller at https://latestsightings.com/single-post/baboons-hilariously-brave-river-crossing

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Operating diagrams of the Great Pyramid

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