On the walls of royal tombs and upon the golden shrine that protected the mummy of Tutankhamun was inscribed The Book of the Divine Cow, a text that told how the anger of the Sun God nearly destroyed mankind.

Ra had grown old. His bones were like silver, his flesh like burnished gold, and his hair like lapis lazuli. When the people of Egypt saw how old and frail their king had become, they began to murmur against him. Soon those murmurs grew into secret plots to seize the throne of Ra.

The conspirators met on the edge of the desert, believing themselves safe from discovery. Yet the Sun God watched over all Egypt, and he saw the traitors and listened to their plotting.

Ra was filled with sorrow. At times he longed to sink back into the watery abyss from which he had first arisen. Yet he was also angrier than he had ever been before.

He spoke to the followers who stood around his throne.

“Summon my daughter, the Eye of Ra. Send for mighty Shu and Tefnut. Bring their children, Geb and Nut. Fetch the dark Ogdoad, the Eight who were with me in the watery abyss. Raise Nun himself. But let them all come here secretly. If the traitors learn that I have called a council of the gods, they will realize that their plot has been discovered and will try to escape punishment.”

The servants of Ra hurried to obey. Messages were carried to the great gods and goddesses, and one by one they entered the palace in secrecy.

Gathered before the throne of Ra, they begged to know why they had been summoned with such urgency.

Then the King of the Gods addressed Nun, Lord of the watery abyss, and the assembled deities.

“O eldest of living things and all you primeval gods, I wept and mankind sprang from my tears. I gave them life, yet now they have grown weary of my rule and plot against me. What should I do to them? I will not destroy the children of my tears until I have heard your wise counsel.”

Watery Nun spoke first.

“My son, you are older than your father and greater than the god who created you. May you rule forever. Both gods and men fear the terrible power of the Eye of the Sun. Send it against the rebels.”

Ra looked out across Egypt.

“The conspirators have already fled deep into the desert. They fear that I have discovered their plans. How shall I pursue them?”

Then all the gods cried out with one voice:

“Send forth the Eye of Ra! Send the Eye of the Sun to destroy them! Let the Eye descend as Hathor and slaughter the children of your tears. Let none remain alive.”

Hathor, the Eye of the Sun, most beautiful and terrible of goddesses, bowed before her father’s throne, and Ra gave his consent.

Hathor descended into the desert, raging like a lioness. The rebels scattered in terror, but none escaped her. She hunted them down, slaughtered them, and drank their blood.

Then merciless Hathor left the desert and swept through villages and towns, killing every man, woman, and child she could find.

Ra heard the prayers and screams of the dying and began to pity the children of his tears, yet he remained silent.

When darkness fell, Hathor returned triumphantly to her father.

“Welcome in peace,” said Ra.

He tried to calm his daughter, but Hathor had tasted the blood of mankind and found it sweet. She longed for dawn, when she could return to Egypt and complete the destruction of humanity.

Soon the power of Ra would be unquestioned, but he would have no subjects left to rule.

The Sun God wondered how he might save the remainder of mankind without breaking his royal word. At last he conceived a plan.

Ra ordered his servants to run, swifter than shadows, to the city of Abu and bring back all the red ochre they could find. When they returned carrying baskets filled with red earth, he sent them out again to summon the High Priest of Ra from Heliopolis, together with all the slave girls who worked in his temple.

Ra ordered the High Priest to grind the ochre into a fine red dye while the slave girls brewed beer throughout the night.

The High Priest labored until his arms ached, and the women worked desperately to brew seven thousand jars of beer. Just before dawn, the red dye was mixed into the beer until it resembled fresh blood.

The King of the Gods smiled.

“With this sleeping potion, I shall save mankind from my daughter. The people have suffered enough.”

Then Ra ordered that the jars be carried to the place where Hathor intended to begin her slaughter. The beer was poured out until the fields were flooded with crimson.

As soon as dawn broke, Hathor descended once more into Egypt to seek out the survivors.

The first thing she saw was what appeared to be a vast lake of blood.

Delighted, the goddess waded into it and admired her reflection upon the crimson surface. She stooped to drink and found the taste pleasing. So delighted was she that she drank the entire pool dry.

The beer was strong, and before long Hathor became intoxicated. Her head spun, and she could no longer remember why she had come to Egypt.

Pleasantly drowsy, she staggered back to the palace of Ra and collapsed at her father’s feet, where she slept for many days.

“Welcome, gentle Hathor,” said Ra gravely.

“Mankind shall forever remember its escape from your fury by drinking strong beer at all your festivals.”

The people did indeed remember. Thereafter Hathor became known as the Lady of Drunkenness. During her festivals, the people of Egypt drank as much beer as they pleased in honor of the goddess, and no one blamed them.

Yet Ra remained sorrowful because of mankind’s rebellion. Nothing could ever again be as it had been during the golden age before their treachery.

When Hathor finally awoke, she felt unlike herself.

Ra asked, “Does your head ache? Do your cheeks burn? Do you feel unwell?”

And as he spoke, illness first came into existence in Egypt.

Then Ra summoned a second council of the gods.

“My heart is too weary and sorrowful for me to remain King of Egypt,” he said. “I am old and weak. Let me return to the watery abyss until the time comes for me to be born anew.”

Nun answered quickly.

“Shu, protect your father.”

Then he turned to Nut.

“Carry Ra upon your back.”

“How can I carry the mighty King of the Gods?” asked gentle Nut.

Nun instructed her to transform herself into a cow.

At once Nut became a gigantic cow with golden flanks and long curved horns.

Ra mounted the Divine Cow and rode away from Egypt.