The Pyramids of the Cold Section 24 • The Hauling Beetle and the Seven scorpions of Isis

Wall relief detail of the Theban Tomb TT60, located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. Image source: osiris.net, chapter 3 "Osirian terrestrial rites" (zone 19):   https://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/nobles/antefoqer/e_antefoqer_03.htm

The Pyramids of the Cold v2 (May 2023) • Part D: the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Section 24 • The hauling Beetle of the Gallery and the Seven Scorpions of Isis

In summary: inside the Grand Gallery, were 7 teammates who collectively operated all the equipment that allowed to haul back the impactor of the Great Pyramid, to its secured position, ready to be released into the steep slope of the Gallery. The equipment was constituted of:

• the Hauling beetle: a wooden gantry in two halves, operated by two teams of 3 men, and which had been glorified into the scarab beetle amulets. Additionally to these 6 crewmembers was the leader of the team, for a total of 7 teammates who have been glorified in the famous Isis and the Seven Scorpions myth

• the axle beam that was anchored into the platform at the top of the Gallery

• and of course, the ropes; with the most important being the central Hauling rope, which had been glorified into goddess Isis, known as the "Great Mooring Post" of Osiris

"Mummy Bead Net with Winged Scarab, Third Intermediate Period - Late Period, date 1076-332 BCE", at the Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta: https://collections.carlos.emory.edu/objects/38469/mummy-bead-net-with-winged-scarab

Image from the Walters Art Museum: https://art.thewalters.org/detail/28885/amuletic-figure-of-kebehsenuef-son-of-horus/#item-modal

"Faience pectoral scarab with spread wings and bead net", Royal Pump Room, Harrogate. This file was donated by Harrogate Museums and Arts service as part of the Yorkshire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarab_(artifact)#/media/File:Bead_net_with_scarab_HARGM3698.JPG

"Egyptian Faience" at the Australian Museum, Sydney: https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/international-collection/ancient-egyptian/egyptian-faience/

24.01  It is the 6 legs Sacred Beetle Scarab which is really caught in Sobek's net

I first thought that the famous "net of Sobek" was all about the Four Sons of Horus, and that is what tricked me in the deciphering of these Sons of Horus: they are not exactly about the crewmembers, as I've already explained at least one of them (Hapy) is about the water running inside the caisson.

But, if you look at the above images of ancient Egyptian representations of fishing nets, of course some of them are showing the Sons of Horus, but what is always here, caught in the nets is the sacred beetle scarab.

In other words, if the Beetle is the One caught inside the net, it is because it really is the net itself: it is the net in which the crewmembers of the Beetle were caught.

If the Sacred beetle scarab is represented caught in a fishing net, it is because its 6 legs are actually the 6 crewmembers of the Hauling beetle, and these crewmembers looked like caught in a fishing net when they were all together operating the Beetle.

24.02  The hauling Beetle was literally "fishing the impactor out of the inclined well waters"

Just like there is no such thing as the barque of Ra (because Ra is the barque, i.e. the wooden part of the impactor), there is no such thing either as the fishing net and the scarab beetle: both are the same thing. Both are metaphoric representations of the Hauling beetle, either because of the way the crewmembers would have looked like onboard, or because it moved and behaved like a beetle, going backwards, with 3 pairs of legs.

The second meaning of the fishing net, is of course because the Hauling beetle itself was literally "fishing" the impactor out of the inclined well waters.

What is fascinating in the first above image of the  "Mummy Bead Net with Winged Scarab" at the Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, is that the Beetle had been represented at the very top of what really looks like the shape of the Grand Gallery itself. In other words, in this fantastic artifact, we have both the "murder weapon" and the "crime scene" of  what it is really representing.

Soutpansberg Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus schulzeae), a Soutpansberg Endemic, thanks to Ryanvanhuyssteen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarabaeus#/media/File:Soutpansberg_Dung_Beetle_(Scarabaeus_schulzeae).jpg

Sacred scarab beetle © Encyclopædia Britannica, Access date 3 mars 2023: https://www.britannica.com/animal/scarab-beetle#/media/1/526654/139393

24.03  The Beetle scarab doesn't have 8 but 6 legs like every other insect

When I believed that the Beetle was made for 8 crewmembers, I didn't make just one big mistake: I actually made another one; because what I know for sure about what ancient Egyptians created, is that nothing was done approximately. Everything that was done in science, architecture or "religious" glorification was profoundly thoughtful, and they simply never would have glorified the Hauling beetle into the scarab amulets if the original Beetle had not 6 but 8 legs.

So, I'm glad that Hapy came into play and made me see through these big mistakes.

Anyhow, and unless I'm being a simple fool again, I think we can honestly count on a Hauling beetle operated by 3 pairs of crewmembers, just like the beetle scarab has 3 pairs of legs as well.

TT60 is the burial place of a woman called Senet. She was related to the ancient Egyptian Vizier Intefiqer (mother or wife). It is one of the earliest burials in the area. Intefiqer was Governor of the city (i.e. Thebes) and Vizier of Senusret I in the 12th Dynasty. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TT60

24.04  The 6 crewmembers of the Beetle, represented twice in their active and inactive phases

It really looks like ancient Egyptians were obsessed by the idea of the two phases which can be observed in nature (the cycle of water between its liquid and evaporated forms in the Geb, Nut and Shu representations), but also in the operating phases of their own.

What we have here, with the two sets of 6 crewmembers is probably exactly that: the first set of active crewmembers really in the act of hauling; and just next to them, the second set of inactive crewmembers, with their hands in the air so that even the dumbest of us clearly understand they are under no circumstance touching the rope.

It doesn't mean they will never touch it, because they will actually do it in the next part of the cycle; it is just that right now: "I am not touching that rope!".

24.05  The two sets of 6 crewmembers of the hauling Beetle: 6 active and 6 inactive crewmembers

• On the left, the 6 active crewmembers of the hauling Beetle: "Excuse me, but I'm working here! We'll talk tomorrow!"

• On the right, the same 6 crewmembers of the inactive Beetle: "I'm not touching that rope, I'm done for the day!"

What it means is that on this single image, the hauling Beetle is actually also represented twice:

• the right side of the image is about the active and inactive phases of the hauling process (the Beetle moving up and down the Gallery)

• the left side is representing the Beetle itself, but (most probably) in one single Position of the entire cycle; and I think it could be about P9.

24.06  The ancient Egyptian well known principle of "inactivity or repose"

I was pretty surprised to see with Nekhbet, another example of the "inactive and resting" deification of a rope, just like the inactive Nephthys is to the active Isis rope drive; but then really by accident, I happened to stumble upon this exact same principle of the duality between the active and inactive vision of one single same thing, and it is the principle of "inactivity or repose", mentioned in Wikipedia's page on goddess Amunet, the counterpart of Amun, the god who was the deification of the fog of microdroplets of liquid water which evaporated and created the cold.

The question is why did they feel like showing both active and inactive sides, and why did they decided to glorify this idea by pairing so many gods and goddesses. Maybe it is a metaphysical aspect of their civilization, but maybe it is another metaphor; if so, it could simply refer to the fact that each crewmember of the Hauling beetle had his perfect counterpart on the other side of the Beetle, or that the operating of the Pyramid was sequential, resulting in an endless cycle. But this is purely hypothetical.

About goddess Amunet: "Her name, jmnt, is a feminine noun that means "The Hidden One". She is a member of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, who represented aspects of the primeval existence before the creation: Amunet was paired with Amun—whose name also means "The Hidden One", with a masculine ending (jmn)—within this divine group, from the earliest known documentation. Such pairing of deities is characteristic of the religious concepts of the ancient Egyptians. In early concepts known as the Ogdoad, the primeval deity group to which they belonged as "Night" (or as the determinative D41 meaning "to halt, stop, deny", suggesting the principle of inactivity or repose), was composed of four balanced couples of deities or deified primeval concepts.

Speculation exists that Amunet may have been conceived by later theologians as a complement to Amun, rather than being an independent deity originally, however, the Pyramid Texts, the earliest known religious texts of Ancient Egypt, mention "the beneficent shadow of Amun and Amunet": O Amun and Amunet! You pair of the gods, who joined the gods with their shadow."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amunet

Wall relief detail of the Theban Tomb TT60, located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. Image source: osiris.net, chapter 3 "Osirian terrestrial rites" (zone 19): https://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/nobles/antefoqer/e_antefoqer_03.htm

TT60 is the burial place of a woman called Senet. She was related to the ancient Egyptian Vizier Intefiqer (mother or wife). It is one of the earliest burials in the area. Intefiqer was Governor of the city (i.e. Thebes) and Vizier of Senusret I in the 12th Dynasty. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TT60

24.07  Is the above representation of the hauling Beetle in the Theban Tomb TT60 of Senet about P9?

Not only this painting is absolutely beautiful, but more importantly it is also extremely valuable for it is showing to us the hauling Beetle in action.

The difficulty here, is to determine which part of the Beetle's operation cycle it is all about, but let's try: there is the sledge (which had been deified into Anubis), two hauling ropes attached to the sledge (that would be the active Beetle's hauling rope drives Wadjet), the water which took the form of a barque (that would be a part of Hapy, "the Great Runner" who reduced the friction between the sledge runners and the rails of the caisson), two crewmembers inside the Beetle and two other characters outside the Beetle.

In this configuration, this could really be a representation of the hauling Beetle in the P9 position, just after the Beetle has been hauled back to the top of the Grand Gallery: two teammates are still inside the gantry Beetle (that would be Mestet and Mestetef) and the Beetle is also maintained in a secured position by the two other characters who are still on the platform of the Grand Gallery (and that would be Petet and Thetet). It would explain why these two characters (Petet and Thetet) look like they are completely laying their arms onto the structure of the Beetle: they are not pushing it, they are simply securing the Beetle.

24.08  Operating diagram of the Grand Gallery with seven crewmembers and a six-compartments hauling Beetle, Position 9

24.09  The dumbest thing to do if you see yourself as a scientist

The thing is, I knew about the myth of Isis and the seven scorpions for quite a while now, but because of the false interpretation of the Sons of Horus I've made, I completely disregarded the myth because it wasn't compatible with the hypothesis of a Hauling beetle that would have been operated by 8 crewmembers; and it was certainly the dumbest thing to do.

Instead of questioning the 8 crewmembers hypothesis, I preferred to forget every piece of data contained in the scorpions' myth; but now that I know that the Sons of Horus are nothing less than the exact same kind of metaphors we've already seen with so many gods and goddesses, that they are not about "people", I can give to these scorpions all the attention they deserve.

24.10  The myth of Isis and the seven scorpions

Excerpt from a post written by Joshua J. Mark, a freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York. https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/

"One of the most popular stories concerning Isis is known as Isis and the Seven Scorpions. It relates how, when Horus was an infant and Isis was hiding him in the swamp lands, Serket had seven scorpions keep her company. When Isis went out to beg for food in the nearby towns, three of them - Petet, Tjetet, and Matet - would go before her to make sure the way was safe and Set was not waiting in ambush, two were on either side of her - Mesetet and Mesetetef - and two brought up the rear - Tefen and Befen, who were the most fierce - in case Set chose to attack from behind".

"Whenever she left the swamp, Isis would conceal her glory so she looked like a poor, older woman asking for alms. One night, as she and her bodyguard entered the town, a very rich noblewoman looked down on them from her window and quickly slammed her door and locked it. Serket, though watching over Horus in the swamp, could see all that her scorpions saw, and she was angered at this affront to Isis. She decided the woman would pay for the insult and sent a message to Tefen that he should take care of the situation. The other six scorpions all surrendered their poison to Tefen who drew it up into his stinger and waited for the right moment. In the meantime, a poor peasant woman had seen the noblewoman refuse hospitality and, even though she had little, offered Isis and her scorpions a place under her roof for the night and a simple meal".

" While Isis was eating with the young woman, Tefen snuck out of the house and crept beneath the door of the home of the noblewoman, where he stung her young son. The boy fell down in a stupor, and the noblewoman grabbed him up and tried to revive him but could not. She ran into the streets, crying for help, and Isis heard her. Even though the woman had refused her food and a place for the night, Isis forgave her. She did not want the boy to pay for his mother's insult. Isis took the child in her arms and called each of the scorpions by their secret name, thereby dominating them and neutralizing their power, and recited spells of great magic. The poison evaporated, leaving the child's body, and he revived. The noblewoman was so grateful and so ashamed of her earlier behavior, she offered all her wealth to Isis and the peasant woman. Serket, back in the swamp with Horus, regretted having sent the scorpion to attack the innocent boy and vowed to protect all children in the future". 

It is in the two huge holes on the upper platform of the Grand Gallery where were set the axle beam drive shaft holders. The "Two Sandals" of the House of Isis are these holders (see farther down the Section).

24.11  Operating diagram of the Grand Gallery with seven crewmembers and a six-compartments Hauling beetle, P4 Side view

24.12  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 1: the 6 crewmembers operated hauling Beetle

"It relates how, when Horus was an infant and Isis was hiding him in the swamp lands, Serket had seven scorpions keep her company." https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/

This myth is incredible, because it is so rich; there are so many clues and so many references to the operating of the Grand Gallery that it is hard to even decide where to start. Let's try step by step, piece by piece from the above excerpt:

Horus the infant is obviously Horus the child, and we've seen that Horus (the child or the elder) is the glorification of the impactor, from an "energetic" point of view: Horus the elder has all the power needed to accomplish its tasks and he is gaining speed and energy in the Grand Gallery, when Horus the child doesn't and he is either getting to the top of the Gallery or staying put at the top, under the Beetle Hathor). Horus the child is hauled by Isis, and it all happens inside the central caisson of the Gallery. So here, the swamp lands are the central caisson. We've just seen that this caisson was, every 15 minutes or so, travelled by the running waters of Hapy so that the impactor could move in the first place.

And of course, it is the Hauling beetle which was keeping company to Horus the child: it means that the seven scorpions are the work team of the Beetle.

Obviously, there is a distinction to make between Hathor and Serket; of course they both are representations of the Beetle at the top of the Gallery, with the impactor hidden underneath, and probably Hathor is the "protecting side" of the Beetle in this particular position, when Serket would be about the cycle of hauling and releasing in its entirety.

What we learn, is that there are seven scorpions. Is it "safe" to presume that this time, it really is about the team work of the Gallery? I would say yes; the hauling Beetle of the Great Pyramid was most probably designed to accommodate six crewmembers, and there would have been an additional teammate that would have stay on the platform at all times.

I guess, some of his most important role was to secure the impactor after the hauling, and to release it on demand.

Painting of Cleopatra by John William Waterhouse (1849–1917): https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Cleopatra_-_John_William_Waterhouse.jpg

One of the two Obelisks named after Cleopatra, the Cleopatra's Needles. Here is the one that is in New-York today, photographed in 1880 by Gorringe, Henry H. (Henry Honeychurch), 1841-1885: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra%27s_Needles#/media/File:Artotypes_of_the_removal_transport_and_erection_of_Cleopatras_Needle_from_Egypt_to_the_Metropolitan_Museum_in_New_York_in_Egyptian_obelisks_Plate_no_I.jpg

24.13  Cleopatra hidden inside a rolled carpet is only a metaphor of the rolled Isis rope

Now, listen carefully because it is getting completely crazy. Some of the most important things we know about Cleopatra are:

• The fact that she referred to herself as the daughter of Isis

• The two Obelisks named after her: Cleopatra's Needles

• The famous scene of Cleopatra emerging from an unrolled rug, popularized by playwright George Bernard Shaw

And the crazy thing is that they all are connected, because of Isis.

Of course, the Obelisks are the glorification of Ra, and as we've just seen, also the glorification of Osiris through the Benben stone and the Bennu bird Heron; but the Osiris stone isn't risen by pure magic, the stone and the impactor are hauled by the Hauling beetle and that is the central hauling rope deified into Isis which is transferring all the Beetle's power to the impactor.

In other words, this is Isis who is rising the Osiris stone, and the Benben stone by definition. The Obelisk is also the glorification of Isis, and this is why Cleopatra, daughter of Isis, built her Needle Obelisks.

And it doesn't stop here, because in Cleopatra's play and movie, she is supposed to be hidden inside a rolled carpet, and even if it is said that this is only a pure "tweaked account" for "dramatic effect", I strongly disagree: the whole "Cleopatra hidden in the rolled carpet" thing is way too close to be a perfect metaphor of the rolled Isis Hauling rope not to be true.

I said this part is crazy, but isn't it also beautiful? In my opinion, the way the true original nature of the Isis Hauling central rope still survives in Cleopatra's "rolled carpet" scene in our modern culture, is nearly as beautiful as the way the inclined well of the Great Pyramid still survives in our modern representation of the heart's shape.

Cleopatra's rug metaphor is absolutely perfect, because the same way Cleopatra is "revealed" by unrolling the rug, the Isis rope was also "revealed" by unrolling the Nephthys rope. Anyway, thank you Cleopatra, your highness!

More on Isis in Section 23: the impactor Ra and the squeaky Isis Hauling rope

"The famous scene of Cleopatra emerging from an unrolled rug, popularized by playwright George Bernard Shaw, is based on an ancient account but tweaked for dramatic effect. The anecdote is one example of many contrasts between this famous queen’s image and her life as we know it today. In truth, Cleopatra enlisted the services of a trusted servant to carry her, bundled in dirty laundry, past palace guards and into Julius Caesar’s presence."  Bob Bianchi, Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, Genève: https://www.arce.org/resource/cleopatra-great-last-power-ptolemaic-dynasty

Here is an excerpt about the plot of the play: " Cleopatra emerges from the palace, shows little interest in the carpets, and expresses a desire to visit Caesar at the lighthouse. The sentinel tells her she is a prisoner and orders her back inside the palace. Cleopatra is enraged, and Apollodorus, as her champion, engages in swordplay with the sentinel. A centurion intervenes and avers Cleopatra will not be allowed outside the palace until Caesar gives the order. She is sent back to the palace, where she may select a carpet for delivery to Caesar. Apollodorus, who is not a prisoner, will deliver it since he is free to travel in areas behind the Roman lines. He hires a small boat, with a single boatmen, for the purpose. The porters leave the palace bearing a rolled carpet. They complain about its weight, but only Ftatateeta [Cleopatra's nurse], suffering paroxysms of anxiety, knows that Cleopatra is hidden in the bundle."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_and_Cleopatra_(play)

Operating phase P1 of the Grand Gallery, showing the impactor more or less floating inside the inclined well waters. At that very moment, the impactor has been deified into crocodile god Sobek.

24.14  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 2: Tefen passing through the open Bastet hatch

"One night, as she and her bodyguard entered the town, a very rich noblewoman looked down on them from her window and quickly slammed her door and locked it. Serket, though watching over Horus in the swamp, could see all that her scorpions saw, and she was angered at this affront to Isis. She decided the woman would pay for the insult and sent a message to Tefen that he should take care of the situation. The other six scorpions all surrendered their poison to Tefen who drew it up into his stinger and waited for the right moment."  https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/

Here, the situation changed: Isis isn't begging anymore (fully coiled and drying out onto the platform), she is accompanying the serpents into town (the caisson); it means that at that exact moment Isis had become Hatmehit, the Hauling rope which is released into the caisson for its reattachment with the impactor.

This part is actually all about Position 2 of the Hauling cycle. When it is said that Serket (the Hauling beetle at the top of the Gallery) is "watching over Horus in the swamp", it should be added that it happens from a distance, because at some point Serket "send" a message to Tefen to take action and defend Isis. In other words, while Serket is at the top end of the Gallery, the impactor Horus is at the other end (and actually it had become Sobek, floating in mid waters just like a crocodile.

We've seen that the central wooden caisson wasn't optional because the moist air of the evaporative cooling passage absolutely needed to be replaced with new dry air for the cycle to continue again and again, and we've also seen that this caisson also had to have a hatch at its bottom end so that the impactor could be reattached with the Isis Hauling rope.

The closed and locked hatch that have to sustain the pressurized air caused by the fall of the impactor, and which needs to be opened up in Position 2, so that one teammate would have to get in and proceed to the reattachment of the impactor, all this operation of the Bastet hatch, is what the passages "a very rich noblewoman looked down on them from her window and quickly slammed her door and locked it" and "She decided the woman would pay for the insult and sent a message to Tefen that he should take care of the situation." is all about.

The teammate of the Grand Gallery who is getting inside the central wooden caisson through the Bastet hatch, that is Tefen (crewmember 6 in the diagrams).

The "wall mounted" Tibetan prayer wheels were of course supposed to be fixed on the floor, not on the wall: they are the perfect reproduction of the axle beam shaft of the Grand Gallery. The 3 ropes are even perfectly depicted.

"Copper wall mounted prayer wheel with Om mane peme hum mantra in Newari (Ranjana) lipi. The Buddhist stupa in the top of the prayer wheel makes this as nice religious home décor. This handmade prayer wheel can be placed on the wall in your prayer room, meditation room or in the living room. The prayer wheel is filled with a mantra roll printed with the compassion mantra of Chenrezig, Om Mani Padme Hum. This prayer wheel is handmade in Nepal. The prayer wheel has 2 lines Om Mani Mantra Tibetan Mantra and 1 line Auspicious Symbol in the center. Worshippers turn prayer wheels to accumulate merit, to help all beings in the world and to purify their karma (intentional actions). They are part of a meditation."  https://vajracrafts.com/products/buddhist-copper-prayer-wheel-with-wall-mount

Tibetan prayer wheel at the MAAS Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Powerhouse Collection : https://collection.maas.museum/object/185526

If you combine the two kind of designs of Tibetan prayer wheels, this is the exact design of the axle beam of the Grand Gallery that is appearing... Please read the Section about the Tibetan prayer wheels for more on the "wall mounted" design which is actually referring to the axle beam of the Grand Gallery.

24.15  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 3: the recovery of the impactor

"While Isis was eating with the young woman, Tefen snuck out of the house and crept beneath the door of the home of the noblewoman, where he stung her young son. The boy fell down in a stupor, and the noblewoman grabbed him up and tried to revive him but could not. She ran into the streets, crying for help, and Isis heard her. Even though the woman had refused her food and a place for the night, Isis forgave her. She did not want the boy to pay for his mother's insult. Isis took the child in her arms and called each of the scorpions by their secret name, thereby dominating them and neutralizing their power, and recited spells of great magic. The poison evaporated, leaving the child's body, and he revived."  https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/

This part may well be the climax of the myth. First there is again Tefen who "crept beneath the door" of the home of the noblewoman, and by doing so literally replicating crewmember 6, passing through the hatch of the caisson. Then Tefen is "stinging" the young boy, who becomes inert; and that is pretty close to what really happened inside the caisson; because to the question as to know whether the impactor was really floating at the surface of the inclined well waters, or whether it was more like in mid waters, we may have the answer now: we've already seen that this second "mid waters" hypothesis  was probable because of the deification of the impactor as a crocodile once in the well, an animal who loves to stay hidden in shallow waters, and if the impactor was indeed in this position in the well, most probably Tefen would have needed a tool to get him back; with that tool in his hand, Tefen would have looked like he was going to kill the crocodile impactor… or the young boy.

Then, we have the Isis "embrace" metaphor; an easy one as this part of the story here is all about the recovery of the impactor; about its reattachment with the Isis rope.

Finally, once the Isis rope is reconnected with the impactor, it is time to ask for the work team to start the Hauling process: "Isis took the child in her arms and called each of the scorpions by their secret name, thereby dominating them and neutralizing their power, and recited spells of great magic. The poison evaporated, leaving the child's body, and he revived."

Of course, I couldn't miss the mention of the "evaporated" poison: that is particularly amusing, considering the fact that the whole thing was precisely about the evaporative process.

On the above left image, the white arrow is pointing to the original position of the biosand filter sarcophagus.

24.16  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 4: the Two "anchoring" Sandals of Isis are the axle beam holders

This is another text, from "Ancient Egyptian Legends, by M. A. Murray (1920)": https://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ael/ael09.htm

"I am Isis, the great Goddess, the Mistress of Magic, the Speaker of Spells. I came out of my house which my brother Set had given to me, for Thoth called to me to come, Thoth the twice great, mighty of truth in earth and in heaven. He called, and I came forth when Ra descended in glory to the western horizon of heaven, and it was evening.

And with me came the seven scorpions, and their names were Tefen and Befen, Mestet and Mestetef, Petet, Thetet, and Matet. Behind me were Tefen and Befen; on either side were Mestet and Mestetef; in front were Petet, Thetet, and Matet, clearing the way that none should oppose or hinder me. I called aloud to the scorpions, and my words rang through the air and entered into their ears, "Beware of the Black One, call not the Red One, look neither at children nor at any small helpless creature."

Then I wandered through the Land of Egypt, Tefen and Befen behind me, Mestet and Mestetef on either side of me, Petet, Thetet, and Matet before me; and we came to Per-sui, where the crocodile is God, and to the Town of the Two Sandals, which is the city of the Twin Goddesses."

Again, there are so many informations here… I'm gonna start with the end because it really is extraordinary and it also literally set the place. And that place is the Grand Gallery; from the top end where are the platform and the axle beam (that is the "city of the Twin Goddesses [Isis and Nephthys]), to the mouth of the inclined well ("Per-sui", where the crocodile is God [that is Sobek floating in the waters of the well]).

We also learn that in between these two landmarks, is the entire "Land of Egypt", but most of all, we learn that the "city of the Twin Goddesses", i.e. the home of Isis and Nephthys, in other words the place they go to rest (the axle beam), is also called "the Town of the Two Sandals"; and that is the extraordinary part I'm talking about, because these Two Sandals, next to the axle beam, they are about the holders of the axle beam.

The metaphor here is about "anchoring": it is about having "both feet on the ground".

The same way sandals are anchoring your body to the ground, the two axle beam holders were anchoring Isis and Nephthys into the ground as well. The Sandals are about the axle beam holders. Sandals are what is anchoring your feet onto the ground; the holders are these anchors.

Line art drawing of a sandal, by Pearson Scott Foresman: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandale#/media/Fichier:Sandal_3_(PSF).svg

Mooring posts by Audriusaat: https://www.wikiwand.com/da/Fort%C3%B8jning#Media/Fil:Mooring2HPoleFixed.jpg

Mooring lines draw at: https://www.safe-skipper.com/competent-crew-skills-mooring-lines/

24.17  Isis is known as the "Great Mooring Post" and when she eventually located Osiris’s body after his death, she is also the one who "moored her brother" Osiris

The fact that Isis is really all about ropes and anchoring to the ground, and that she literally also used a rope to get Osiris back after his death, is actually very well known:

• Isis was called the "Great Mooring Post" in some ancient Egyptian texts: "Isis is not just about rebirth and sunrise. She is also the Great Mooring Post". https://isiopolis12.rssing.com/chan-10218340/all_p4.html

• "When Isis eventually located Osiris’s body after his murder by Seth, she “moored her brother” can be find in  a very detailed study, called "When Isis "Moored" Osiris", by L. D. Graham - JEOL. There is an excerpt: "The present paper, which is philological in nature, addresses a central event in the Osiris myth as it is narrated in the Great Hymn on the Stele of Amenmose. Specifically, the Great Hymn says (in line 15) that, when Isis eventually located Osiris’s body after his murder by Seth, she “moored her brother”. https://hcommons.org/deposits/objects/hc:47012/datastreams/CONTENT/content

In other words: Isis is known to be the Great Mooring Post of Osiris.

24.18  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 5: the "deified names" of the crewmembers

"I am Isis […] I came out of my house […] and with me came the seven scorpions, and their names were Tefen and Befen, Mestet and Mestetef, Petet, Thetet, and Matet. Behind me were Tefen and Befen; on either side were Mestet and Mestetef; in front were Petet, Thetet, and Matet, clearing the way that none should oppose or hinder me."  https://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ael/ael09.htm

The fact that we know all the names of the seven scorpions is evidently extremely valuable, but what would be even more valuable, is to know every crewmember by his name, individually.

We already know that crewmember 6 is Tefen, the one getting inside the caisson; hence we know that Befen is completing the third pair. The problem now is to interpret this part of the myth to decipher all the other ones.

I have no doubt that there are many ways to interpret the excerpt, and to try to determine if what is described is close or not to one particular position in the hauling cycle, but maybe it is even not really rightful to see it that way, as we've already seen that ancient Egyptians loved to both demonstrate and hide their accomplishments.

My assumption is that the scorpions are named in the exact order as they were in the Beetle:

• crewmembers 5 and 6 were Tefen and Befen

• crewmembers 3 and 4 were Mestet and Mestetef

• crewmembers 1 and 2 were Petet and Thetet

• the seventh teammate of the work team was Matet, the last to be named.

"Tendre la main au sens propre comme au sens figuré", by Honoré Daumier (France, Marseille, 1808-1879). LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art: https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/tendre_la_main_%C3%A0#/media/Fichier:'Le_Flot_qui_la_porta...'_LACMA_M.91.82.276.jpg  and https://collections.lacma.org/node/203097

Supply ratings handling a coil of 16 inches (410 mm) towing hawser (rope) at the Royal Navy's Naval Stores Department, Nore, Harwich. Royal Navy official photographer, Russell, J E (Lt) - This is photograph A 16341 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawser

24.19  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 6: the drying out and begging Isis Hauling rope

"When Isis went out to beg for food in the nearby towns, three of them - Petet, Tjetet, and Matet - would go before her to make sure the way was safe and Set was not waiting in ambush, two were on either side of her - Mesetet and Mesetetef - and two brought up the rear - Tefen and Befen, who were the most fierce - in case Set chose to attack from behind. Whenever she left the swamp, Isis would conceal her glory so she looked like a poor, older woman asking for alms."  https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/

This part is obviously the chore of the myth, and the first thing to talk about is Isis leaving the swamp, concealing her glory to resemble to a poor and old begging woman; that part is when the Hauling rope (Isis) is taken out of the central wet caisson (the swamp) and becomes Nephthys, the twin sister of Isis who was about the hauling rope completely coiled upon the axle beam, drying out and with its end hanging out from the rest of the rope. That is what the old begging woman metaphor is all about.

Coiled upon the axle beam, and all dried out, with its end hanging out, Isis would have looked exactly like that poor old begging woman, stretching her hand for food.

The second thing is that while Isis was begging and drying out onto the platform of the Grand Gallery, the scorpions left her in a very meticulous pattern or sequence: Tefen and Befen who "brought up the rear", Mesetet and Mesetetef on "either side" of her, Petet, Tjetet and Matet who made sure the way was safe. These are the names of the seven teammates of the Grand Gallery's work team.

Images of findings made during excavations in the necropolis of Beni Hassan during 1902 to 1904 from The Wellcome Collection: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/f6sa4nth/images?id=jnh382ya and https://wellcomecollection.org/works/f6sa4nth/images?id=rzr2b34e

24.20  The Sandals of Isis and the Headrests

These findings are a perfect illustration of the way ancient Egyptians used to both show and hide everything about their most profound beliefs in technology and science. Here are two examples:

1 • the "Two Sandals of Isis" are about how the Isis Hauling rope was anchored into the platform of the Grand Gallery: they are about the two axle beam holders.

2 • the "headrests" are about the end of the Isis Hauling rope when all its length would be resting on the axle beam: its head would have looked like pending and dangling, just like the tongue of a dog out of breath.

I'm just guessing that the headrest artifacts are only metaphoric representations, just like so many others; but maybe there really was a "tool" designed to support the pending head of the Isis Hauling rope at the end of the Hauling process, after all.

Anyway, I wouldn't use the "headrest" as it is supposed to be, that's for sure.

Soutpansberg Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus schulzeae), a Soutpansberg Endemic, thanks to Ryanvanhuyssteen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarabaeus#/media/File:Soutpansberg_Dung_Beetle_(Scarabaeus_schulzeae).jpg

The "wall mounted" Tibetan prayer wheels were of course supposed to be fixed on the floor, not on the wall: they are the perfect reproduction of the axle beam shaft of the Grand Gallery. The 3 ropes are even perfectly depicted. https://vajracrafts.com/products/buddhist-copper-prayer-wheel-with-wall-mount

24.21  The representations of the hauling Beetle and the axle beam powered by its movement

Please read the Section about the Tibetan prayer wheels.

24.22  Operating diagram of the Grand Gallery with seven crewmembers and a six-compartments hauling Beetle, Position 6

"When Isis went out to beg for food in the nearby towns, three of them - Petet, Tjetet, and Matet - would go before her to make sure the way was safe and Set was not waiting in ambush, two were on either side of her - Mesetet and Mesetetef - and two brought up the rear - Tefen and Befen, who were the most fierce - in case Set chose to attack from behind".

Petet, Tjetet and Matet are crewmembers 1, 2 and 7.

24.23  Isis and the seven scorpions • Deciphering part 7: the latch bolts disabling for the Beetle's ascent

Again, still from the previous excerpt from: https://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ael/ael09.htm

"I am Isis […] I came out of my house […] and with me came the seven scorpions, and their names were Tefen and Befen, Mestet and Mestetef, Petet, Thetet, and Matet. Behind me were Tefen and Befen; on either side were Mestet and Mestetef; in front were Petet, Thetet, and Matet, clearing the way that none should oppose or hinder me."

We've already seen that the whole process of the hauling, was only possible because of the latch bolts that were installed inside the niches of the walls: they were enabling a sequential process, little by little, the impactor was ascend the Gallery.

But once the hauling process is finished, these same latch bolts are becoming obstacles that are blocking the way back up of the Beetle; these latch bolts need to be forced back inside the walls: they need to be rendered inoperative.

And that is what "in front were Petet, Thetet, and Matet, clearing the way that none should oppose or hinder me" is all about.

This disabling of the latch bolts can be seen in Position P6 of the Hauling cycle, with crewmembers 1 and 2 (Petet and Matet), forcing the latch bolts in the walls on their way to the platform of the Gallery where they would deal with the lateral ropes progressively winding on the axle beam.

What is unclear is the role of crewmember 7 Matet, who visibly participate in the "clearing of the way" for the Beetle; maybe it is about what needs to be done to "embrace", lock and secure the Beetle when it finally reaches the top of the Gallery.

24.24  Operating diagram of the Grand Gallery with seven crewmembers and a six-compartments hauling Beetle, P10

One of the most popular stories concerning Isis is known as Isis and the Seven Scorpions. It relates how, when Horus was an infant and Isis was hiding him in the swamp lands, Serket had seven scorpions keep her company. When Isis went out to beg for food in the nearby towns, three of them - Petet, Tjetet, and Matet - would go before her to make sure the way was safe and Set was not waiting in ambush, two were on either side of her - Mesetet and Mesetetef - and two brought up the rear - Tefen and Befen, who were the most fierce - in case Set chose to attack from behind".

24.24  Why Tefen and Befen were the "most fierce" of the scorpions and ready to face Seth

If Tefen and Befen were "the most fierce" of the seven scorpions and prepared to face Seth (Set), it is because they were both at the bottom of the Grand Gallery when the impactor was released, next to the Bastet hatch. If the Hatch was to fail, there would have been facing pressurized air.

Again, ancient Egyptians glorified the same thing, here it is the air being pressurized in the caisson, in (at least) two major deifications:

• First in Seth, who is about the air facing (or fighting) the fall of the impactor: that is what the famous "Contendings" between Ra and Seth are all about (Section 24.09).

• Second into Sekhmet, who is that same pressurized air, but feared to get out of the central wooden caisson through the Bastet hatch, if this hatch happened to fail (Section 27).

"Horus and Set challenged each other to a boat race, where they each raced in a boat made of stone. Horus and Set agreed, and the race started. But Horus had an edge: his boat was made of wood painted to resemble stone, rather than true stone."

"According to one myth, Apep would hypnotise the sun god and all of his followers, except Set who would repel the serpent by piercing his side with a great spear. In some texts, Apep* would trap the boat of Ra in his massive coils (referred to as sandbanks) or cause the waters of the underworld to flood to overwhelm him." https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/apep/

* Apep is the glorification of the waters of the inclined well, being pressurized by the fall of the impactor.

Diagram of the operating Great Pyramid of Egypt for evaporative cold production (hypothetically for chemical manufacturing cooling of pure sodium carbonate "natron", the salt used for the mummification of pharaohs). When in operation, the elevation of the Great Pyramid was not finished, and it is only after the shutdown procedure and the draining of the inclined well, that the 3 granite plugs were finally close to one another.

© 2023 Copyright milleetunetasses.com. All rights reserved.

The Pyramids of the Cold version 2 (May 2023 - March 2024)

Summary of the study and Table of Contents

Part A: The evaporative cooling process

Section 1 • The horizontal evaporative cooling passage layout

Section 2 • The Dendera Light and the creation of the fog of microdroplets by the fog nozzle

Section 3 • The water cycle glorifying metaphors: Geb, Shu, Nut, Tefnut

Section 4 • The theorization of the evaporative cooling process by Akhenaten and Nefertiti

Section 5 • The theorization of the evaporative cooling process in the Weighing of the Heart

Part B • The inclined well of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Section 6 • The inclined well layout and the girdle stones

Section 7 • The Taweret "Lady of the Well" temporary sealing granite plug of the well

Section 8 • The Bes temporary wedging block immobilizing Taweret

Section 9 • The draining of the well

Section 10 • The Great Serpent Apep and the snake water metaphors

Section 11 • The Was scepter and the control over "snakes"

Section 12 • The beating Heart of the Great Pyramid

Part C • The composite impactor of the Great Pyramid (Horus, Ra, Osiris, Medjed, Sobek...)

Section 13 • The wooden and stone composite design of the impactor: Ra and Osiris

Section 14 • The endlessly immersed Osiris stone and the seed metaphor

Section 15 • The Anubis sledge and the bobsled mask

Section 16 • The sledge runners of the impactor: Thoth

Section 17 • Medjed: the smiter nobody can ever see

Section 18 • The Apis bull and the ramming impactor's metaphors

Section 19 • The crocodile god Sobek impactor (more or less) floating in the waters of the well

Section 20 • The Obelisk and the Benben stone rising from water

Part D • The Grand Gallery's of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Section 21 • The Sacred "sloping paths" of the "oval-shaped cavern of the act of Hauling"

Section 22 • The central wooden caisson of the Gallery: Sekhmet and the Triad of Memphis

Section 23 • The hauling ropes of the Grand Gallery: Isis, Nephthys, Hatmehit, Wadjet and Nekhbet

Section 24 • The hauling Beetle and the Seven Scorpions of Isis

Section 25 • The Great Cow goddess Hathor and the operating cycle of the hauling Beetle

Section 26 • The 10 operating phases of the Grand Gallery

Section 27 • The guide to the Afterlife for the smart traveler and the canopic jars

Section 28 • The scarab amulet glorifications of the hauling Beetle

Part E • The very large and roughly finished sarcophagus of the Great Pyramid

Section 29 • The biosand filter sarcophagus of the Great Pyramid

Section 30 • The Elephantine Triad deification of the biosand filter of the Great Pyramid

Section 31 • The Great Pyramid's operating flat roof and the water supply issue

Part F • Chemical manufacturing and industrial cooling before the Great Pyramid

Section 32 • The Serdab and the "Refreshment of the Gods" Step Pyramid of Djoser

Section 33 • Sneferu's Red Pyramid and the accumulated ammonia

Section 34 • The Disc of Sabu and the Solvay process for pure natron manufacturing

Part G • The tremendous impact of the Great Pyramid on the whole ancient world

Section 35 • The hidden secrets of the Hermetica Emerald Tablet (around 1600 C.E.)

Section 36 • Thor and the magical Hammer in the Great Hall of Bilskirnir

Section 37 • The Churning of the waters of the Ocean of Milk (Hindu mythology)

Section 38 • The Tibetan prayer wheels and the Grand Gallery's operation

Section 39 and Conclusion • The cooling water of spitting Kebechet

Part H • Epilogue

Section 40 • The smiting Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments

Section 41 • The 293 kilograms windlass Staff of Moses and Aaron... and the First Plague of Egypt: water turning into blood

Section 42 • Ezekiel's Four Egyptian pulley "Wheels within the Wheels" and the four angel ropes

Section 43 • David, Saul, two giant Goliaths, five little stones, an aeolian harp... and a weaver's beam

Section 44 • The holy water fonts and the biosand filter

Part I • The magicians of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Section 45 • The Legend of Khufu and the "magician" polymath Imhotep

Section 46 • The two magical eyes of Isis and the brilliant but painful flame of her twin sister's braids