In The Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian Literature
A Reconstruction
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In The Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian Literature
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After his joyful return, Sinuhe thanked Khuni for his winning eloquence that convinced the king to allow him to return to Egypt.
Khuni, despite his eloquence on Sinuhe’s behalf, did not greet his brother’s return with the same enthusiasm, as had the ladies. Khuni, preoccupied with the approaching disaster, seemed almost disinterested in Sinuhe’s return. Sinuhe understood his mood. Khuni remained aloof gazing, almost enraptured, at the goddess in the heavens. “Did you learn anything brother?” He asked distractedly without interrupting his main focus on the comet. “Or did you merely reveal our secrets to the shepherds?” Khuni asked with a hint of hostility. “I have their charts here” Sinuhe replied. “They confirm our records. The shepherds have much more detailed calculations than I recall about ours. This will be the path of worst destruction,” Sinuhe pointed to his unrolled parchment skin map of the river land. “Chenutsenen will be totally destroyed. Some eastern parts of the delta may probably escape. The goddess will come from the south, pass over following the river and retreat passing the Great Green. The eclipse will last nine days. The middle days will be the worst. Strange swirling lightning will slice a path across the land.” “We must evacuate everybody to the east, starting tomorrow.” A short silence allowed the excited general to look at his brother. The long separation had not changed the brothers’ attitudes toward each other. “Who do you think you are? . . . King?” Khuni shouted, and turned to look at his surprised brother. “The people will not follow you! The king will not allow it! How do you know their knowledge to be superior to ours?” Khuni seethed with outrage and disbelief. “You come back after forty years covered with dirt, and presume to take over! How dare you!” Sinuhe, simply and humbly had stated the facts and seemed shocked at his brother’s reaction. “What plans have you made?” Sinuhe inquired in a hushed voice. As the cow of heaven, the comet cow goddess Hathor approached relentlessly, Khuni said, “The people demanded that the priests do something to deflect the goddess from her wrath against them. They asked for sacrifices as done in the ancient times. We allowed the construction of the golden statue in the square in front of the high altar. “Each family is giving up their oldest son, the bravest and best. The victims do not flinch, but proudly display their love for their families. They buy them salvation.” “Their blood flows knee-deep from between the horns of the high altars. The river turns red from the blood. We have ceremonies every seven days. During the six days before they die, the victims enjoy feasts and entertainment of the most extravagant sort. They are paraded through the grateful cheering crowds. The crowds continue their dancing frenzy before the goddess’ golden statue. “They all fear the approaching destruction of the world. They lavish their perfume, drag their silks, drink beer and wine in futile hope for distraction. Mothers wander dragging the corpses of their bloody small children victims. We give back the bodies to the families for their own burial services. “Those who seek sexual pleasures grab at those who do not care. Fears and trembling voices betray the terror for those who attempt to maintain normalcy.” Khuni disdainfully explained the current events to Sinuhe, who endured his second shocking realization. “Today is the seventh day of the series. We can watch the sacrifices from here,” Khuni walked over to his balcony. Sinuhe followed Khuni through the sheer billowing curtains to the view. He stood next to his brother watching the scene. His mouth fell open in disbelief. “What have you done?” Sinuhe shrieked at Khuni. “Why have you allowed these abominations?” Sinuhe backed off from his brother who stood leaning on the marble rail surveying the view downward. Above in the sky, the spectacular horned goddess appeared to be shining on the scene. “See how beautiful her face is. It reflects on the blood flowing to the river. She accepts our gifts,” the priest spoke dreamily. “See how the crowds love her! They sing and dance so beautifully.” Sinuhe could see that in the city square a high altar had been built. Horns had been fashioned at each of the corners matching the horns of the goddess. The next victim, a young man in white about 20 years old, covered in flowers sewn onto long ribbons, walked up on the clean stairs side. The red side drained toward the river. He turned his back to the altar and scooted up onto it. He sat between the large horns on the altar, is head between the points of the horns. The crowd cheered as he waved and looked toward his mother, who looked back with a strange mixed look on her face. Terror, love, pride, and horror combined in her face. She would soon faint. The young man laid down his head toward the river. Four priests held each of his limbs, in case he would bolt despite his apparent courage. A fifth priest stood at his head and lifted two golden knives straight up, his arms extended as the crowd cheered. Sinuhe could not see if the victim’s eyes were open. “NO! NO!” Sinuhe screamed, “DON’T!” But he was too far away. The crowd was too loud. The two golden knives plunged downward and the blood spurted at least three feet upward. Then it flowed past the priest down the incline toward the river as the mother swooned onto the pavement. Her relatives grabbed her by the arms and hoisted her upright. Sinuhe seething and reeling with anger turned to his brother and a thought of Sidiptu flashed into his mind. It came back to him, how he lifted her on a similar balcony where there were beasts below. How minor his anger then seemed compared to his anger now. He turned away from his brother and marched out of the apartment. He ordered his attendant henchmen-about twenty had accompanied him-to pull their swords and attack the altar crowd. “Kill them. Kill them all,” Sinuhe ordered. The henchmen walked briskly up to the altar and stabbed the surprised priests, and moved upon the thousands in an ironic attempt to stop the sacrifices. Many in the crowd did not resist. The swooning mother even smiled at her violent release from sadness, the sword to her heart hitting the same spot that the two golden knives had when they plunged into her son. The henchmen killed much more efficiently than had the dramatic priests. Wielding their swords they cut through the bodies with sweeping arcs front hand and backhand like a farmer with a scythe. The dazed worshipers allowed the bloody harvest as Sinuhe’s anger animated the reapers. The swordsmen scrambled methodically over the fallen and plowed through to the edges of scene. The river turned a deeper red, and the goddess had not yet struck. “Heretics, they must be excised before the entire populace is destroyed. Like a festering limb must be amputated to save the body!” Sinuhe ordered the statue destroyed. He ordered the people, who had escaped his slaughter, to clean up and gather all the food and water they could carry. In his loud voice, his soldiers in order, Sinuhe yelled, “Gather at the gates, we will break into groups of one thousand. Families stay together. Your leader will be your shephard. Bring blankets and tents. “We will begin to leave Egypt in the morning. Everyone must follow or die.” |
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