Hi Sam,

"When I saw this what came to mind was the "Mskhtw" associated with the thigh constellation in the north. Mshktw and Msqt are so similar that some researchers (like myself) might get them confused. Just a point of clarification, if possible."



'Striker' - msxtiw: the 'Plough' / 'Big Dipper', a distinctive 7 - star asterism in Ursa Major.

Example from the PTs: "The sky has been bled and Sopdet (spdt: Sirius) lives, for Unis is the living one, Sopdet's son, for whom the Dual Ennead have cleaned the imperishable striker." (Sethe Vol 1: 235; §458)

hieroglyphs for msxtiw: G17 (m) F31 (ms) Aa1 (x) G4 (tiw) + U19 'adze' det. + N14 'star' det.


'Beaten Path of Stars' -msqt sHdw: perhaps the Milky Way or the ecliptic.

Example from the PTs: "...there is no one who bars him from the White Palace of the great ones at the Beaten Path of Stars (msqt sHdw) - for look, Unis has reached the sky's height." (Sethe Vol 1: 180; §334c)

hieroglyphs for msqt: F31 (ms) N29 (q) X1 (t) + N25 'sandy hill country' det. + N31 'road' det.


Except for F31, the hieroglyphs are different, so not much in common between msqt and msxtiw


From the Book of Nut (Seti I and Ramesses IV): It is from the Duat that the majesty of this god goes forth and in msqt that these stars go forth with him. He is reared in msqt. He was glorious in the arms of his father, Osiris, in Large Land (tA-wr) at the first time of his antiquity.

'Large Land' (tA-wr), was the VIII province of Upper Egypt (nome of Abydos) where the Early Dynastic royal necropolis of Abydos and the cenotaph of Seti I was located. The Sun was reared in the msqt, in the arms of the Sun's father, Osiris - in Large Land (tA-wr) - the nome of Abydos - clearly msqt had a cosmic and a temporal aspect.

CT