Well I think a little of the context is missing.

Specifically, what was Buto and Pe-Dep and what was its role withing the cosmology of Egypt, as well it's actual history in the politics of the country?

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Buto is the center of worship for the serpent goddess Uatchet, Uadjet or Wadjet. Buto is also the "Place of the Throne" the legendary birthplace of the demiurge who manifested himself upon the primeval hill in the form of a heron. The Uatchet is venerated in the Delta and the Pharhaos glory in declaring that they are sovereigns of the country by virture of the favor of the goddess.

[www.geocities.com]

Buto and Pe-Dep are the home of Uatchet, the patron goddess of Ra and his protector. The four sons of Pe are the deities that protect the internal organs of the deceased along with the other sons of horus and the souls of nekhen.

From the book of the dead:

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F KNOWING THE SOULS OF PE

(From the Papyrus of Nu, British Museum, No. 10,477, sheet 18)

Another chapter of knowing the souls of Pe. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"--Hail, --Khat, who dwellest in Khat, in Anpet, 1 and in the nome of Khat! --Hail,--ye goddesses of the class who dwell in the city of Pe, ye celestial lands (?), ye stars, and ye divine beings, who give cakes and ale (?), do ye know for what reason the city of Pe hath been given unto Horus? I, even I, know though ye knoweth it not. Behold

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[paragraph continues] Ra gave the city unto him in return for the injury in his eye, for which cause Ra said to Horus, 'Let me see what is coming to pass in thine eye,' and forthwith he looked thereat. Then Ra said to Horus, 'Look at that black pig,' and he looked, and straightway an injury was done unto his eye,--namely--, a mighty storm--took place--. Then said Horus unto Ra, 'Verily, my eye seems as if it were an eye upon which Suti had inflicted a blow';--and thus saying--he ate his heart. 1 Then said Ra to those gods, 'Place ye him in his chamber, and he shall do well.' Now the black pig was Suti who had transformed himself into a black pig, and it was he who had aimed the blow of fire which was in the eye of Horus. Then said Ra unto those gods, 'The pig is an abominable thing unto Horus; oh, but he shall do well although the pig is an abomination unto him.' Then the company of the gods, who were among the divine followers of Horus when he existed in the form of his own child, said, 'Let sacrifice be made--to the gods--of his bulls, and of his goats, and of his pigs.' Now the father of Mesthi, Hapi, Tuamautef and Qebhsennuf is Horus, and their mother is Isis. Then said Horus to Ra, 'Give me two divine brethren in the

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city of Pe and two divine brethren in the city of Nekhen, who--have sprung--from my body and who shall be with me in the guise of everlasting judges, then shall the earth blossom and thunderclouds and rain be blotted out.' And the name of Horus became 'Her-uatch-f'--i.e., Prince of his emerald stone.--I, even I, know the Souls of Pe, namely, Horus, Mesthi, and Hapi."

From: [www.sacred-texts.com]

This seems to reflect that at some point in Egypt's history, the gods of Buto and Pe-Dep were installed there as a reflection of the larger cosmological and political framework of the country that emerged after unification. How this took place and what existed prior are anyone's guess. For example, we know that Heru was originally a deity that originated around Nekhen and eventually became associated with Lower Egypt.

As for water and canals, obviously the delta has a lot of it, but of course, similar conditions appear all along the Nile, so watery symbolism is not necessarily unique to the Delta. Once again, going back to unification, some symbolism of water and canals probably were merged and incorporated into the new cosmological structure of the state. In fact the processions of boats and water travel and symbolism and ceremony associated with such is all over Egypt and Sudan in the wall paintings of the Eastern and Western deserts as well as the art of Nekhen and Abydos.

The dance of the Muu also seems to be associated with the journey of the deceased to the four symbolic shrines in Lower Egypt: Mendes, Buto, Sais and Heliopolis.

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Burial rituals for private individuals take as their model the kings funeral, where in the deceased ruler journeys to the four cardinal points; Buto in the North, Helioplis in the South, Sais in the West and Mendes in the East. At each halt the officiating priests disembark and unviel appropiate statuettes. Offerings are left on the river bank to the gods of each town by the priests.

From: [www.geocities.com]

or here:
[books.google.com]

But the question is when did such rituals involved with embalming first take place. An even better question is when did embalming first take place in Egypt. Mummies have been found all across Northern Africa, many in the Sahara which predate those of Egypt, so how did this factor into the rise of mummification in Egypt? Did the rulers of Nekhen and Abydos perform such rituals? Were their the beginnings of mummification in Abydos and Nekhen? When did the practice of building elaborate sarcophagi first start in Egypt? These things along with the development and history of the ceremonies of the mummification process and the mummification process itself, would be a good way of adding context to the story of the Muu dancers.

BTW, going back to the association between the Muu dancers, anubis and the guardians of the internal organs, seen in places like the tomb of Renni:
[www.osirisnet.net]

If you notice, there are funerary boxes from some tombs that have drawers containing the canopic jars of the deceased. On the drawers were painted the same arches found in the tombs of renni and others. This could be a legacy of such arched halls and chambers being where the actual organ removal took place.

T



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2007 07:45AM by Doug M.