Book of the Heavenly Cow

E605189

The Book of the Heavenly Cow is an ancient Egyptian religious text that recounts a divine myth of rebellion, destruction, and cosmic restoration involving the sun god and the sky cow goddess.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (59)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian religious text ⓘ
cosmogonic text ⓘ
mythological narrative ⓘ
associatedWithConcept divine kingship ⓘ
eschatology ⓘ
maat ⓘ
centralDeity Geb ⓘ
Hathor ⓘ
Nut ⓘ
Ra ⓘ
Re ⓘ
Sekhmet ⓘ
Shu ⓘ
Thoth ⓘ
cosmologicalMotif gods supporting the belly of the sky cow ⓘ
sky represented as a cow arched over the earth ⓘ
culture ancient Egyptian religion ⓘ
dateApproximate 14th century BCE ⓘ
firstAttestedInReignOf Ay ⓘ
Horemheb ⓘ
Tutankhamun ⓘ
foundIn tomb of Ramesses II (KV7) ⓘ
linked to: tomb of Ramesses II

tomb of Ramesses III (KV11) ⓘ
tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9) ⓘ
tomb of Seti I (KV17) ⓘ
linked to: tomb of Seti I

tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) ⓘ
function explanation of why the sun god is distant from humanity ⓘ
legitimization of the king as mediator between gods and humans ⓘ
theological justification for the mortality of humans ⓘ
genre apocalyptic myth ⓘ
myth of rebellion ⓘ
hasAlternativeName Book of the Celestial Cow ⓘ
Heavenly Cow ⓘ
Myth of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
language Ancient Egyptian ⓘ
medium coffin inscriptions ⓘ
tomb wall inscriptions ⓘ
narrativeEvent Hathor-Sekhmet drinks the beer and is pacified ⓘ
Ra learns of human rebellion ⓘ
Ra orders the brewing of red-dyed beer ⓘ
Ra sends Hathor-Sekhmet to destroy rebellious humans ⓘ
Ra withdraws from earth to the sky ⓘ
creation of the sky as a cow supported by gods ⓘ
institution of the Field of Reeds and the Duat ⓘ
massacre of humanity by Hathor-Sekhmet ⓘ
period New Kingdom of Egypt ⓘ
relatedToText Amduat ⓘ
Book of the Dead ⓘ
Coffin Texts ⓘ
scholarlyInterpretation interpreted as a myth explaining the origin of death and suffering ⓘ
seen as a political myth supporting pharaonic authority ⓘ
script hieroglyphic ⓘ
theme cosmic separation of sky and earth ⓘ
destruction and near annihilation of humanity ⓘ
divine rebellion of humanity against the sun god ⓘ
justification of royal power ⓘ
punishment of humankind ⓘ
restoration of cosmic order (maat) ⓘ
usage inscribed in royal tombs for protection and cosmic order ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Destruction of Mankind myth → hasAlternativeName → Book of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
Destruction of Mankind myth → associatedText → Book of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
KV17 → containsDecorationFrom → Book of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
Book of the Heavenly Cow → hasAlternativeName → Myth of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
linked to: Book of the Heavenly Cow
Book of the Heavenly Cow → hasAlternativeName → Book of the Celestial Cow ⓘ
linked to: Book of the Heavenly Cow
Tomb of Seti I → containsText → Book of the Heavenly Cow ⓘ
subject linked to: tomb of Seti I