Toss Another One on the Pile

[sdi]

Well, shit.

While Agamemnon is away, Aegisthus usurps the throne of Mycenae. When Agamemnon returns, Aegisthus invites him to a feast, whereupon he murders Agamemnon. Years later, Agamemnon's son Orestes returns and kills Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, but the Furies prevent him from taking the throne. Athena holds a trial in which the role of each parent in procreation is central and rules in favor of Orestes, who becomes king of Mycenae.

Compare to:

While Osiris is away, Set makes plans to usurp the throne of Egypt. When Osiris returns, Set invites him to a feast, whereupon he murders Osiris and usurps the throne. Years later, Osiris's son Horus defeats Set and kills Isis, but Set prevents him from taking the throne. The gods hold a trial in which the role of each parent in procreation is central and, on the advice of Thoth, rule in favor of Horus, who becomes king of Egypt.

Comments

[randomactsofkarmasc]

When I was studying Herakles, similar stories appeared in many other cultures.

Have you considered seeing how many cultures you can find the same myth incorporated?

[sdi]

I've looked a little, just for fun, but I'm mostly interested in just letting my angel lead me by the hand where they will, and so far that's been Egypt and it's Greek descendants. We'll see where it goes, though!

In case you're curious, though, when I've dug into Syria, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, etc., I've found a lot of Horus-adjacent myths (of the Attis/Cybele, Ishtar/Dumuzid, or Gilgamesh/Enkidu types), but so far my Horus collection is all Greek (except, you know, Horus himself).

[randomactsofkarmasc]

Yes, best to let your angel lead you. :-) I didn't realize that Gilgamesh was Horus-adjacent. There are aspects that are Herakles-adjacent, too.

I enjoy reading what you find connecting Egypt and Greece.

In reading Lubicz, he thinks (if I understand correctly) that the Egyptian culture didn't 'develop', but rather was taught to them by Atlantians. Have you found other authors that concur with that? (I find it fascinating to think that the Atlantians taught the Egyptians and then the Egyptians taught the Greeks, but I don't have the history background to know if that is really plausible.)

[sdi]

Well, think of it like this: Gilgamesh and Enkidu are a god-man and a beast-man who become inseparable, but after they defeat a monster (Humbaba), the gods hold a counsel and decree that the beast-man must die. In the same way, Horus is half-god (from Osiris) and half-beast (from Isis), but after he defeats a monster (Set), the gods hold a counsel and decree that the beast half must die. (I don't think the rest of the Gilgamesh myth quite matches up, though, which is why I consider it Horus-adjacent, though Herakles and Gilgamesh are quite similar!)

As for Atlantis, Plato says that, too (though I can't remember if it was in the Critias or the Timaeus); I suspect Homer hints at the same thing with the Phaiakians (since Poseidon covers them up with a mountain), and I've seen the same in a number of (modern, let's say "new age") Gnostic and channeled texts. I don't have any first-hand knowledge, but I think it's plausible, though I think it more likely that Egyptian culture was a reaction to, rather than a continuity of, Atlantean culture. Look at the West today: most of our problems are related to centralization and subordination of all aspects of life to a particular ideology, and this is failing miserably; I suspect we're repeating the same mistakes of that older civilization. By contrast, the Mysteries were set up to be as decentralized and anti-dogmatic as possible: everyone with their own personal theology connected only by a general cultural framework. So it wouldn't surprise me if the original seeds of Egypt in the deep, deep past were from an Atlantean colony, but after Atlantis destroyed itself, the colony said, "You know what? Let's not do that." and then they spent generations figuring out how to try and keep the good without the bad, which resulted in the Mysteries and a shockingly long-lived civilization. Of course, like anything else, that maybe worked for a while but degenerated over time. It's ironic that what we know of Egypt came from its late decadent and centralization phases!

...I do really wish we knew what was sealed in the hollow chamber beneath the Sphinx!

[randomactsofkarmasc]

Thank you for all this. Your idea seems quite plausible and I shall keep it in mind as I continue my studies.

Yes, it would be nice to know what was sealed below the Sphinx!