Week 5 Story: Ra's Secret Desire

Ra's Secret Desire

Ra stood in the shadows, watching the people on the street. He was growing tired of living down here with the commoners. He was a god himself, yet he was to live his life here on Earth as a man. He desired power and importance. He wanted be as equally powerful as the great goddess Isis. Isis had the power of creation. Whatever she desires, she can create it. She created the Earth, the sky, and the underworld. He wanted to have the power that she has.

There was one problem though.

Isis gets her divine power from her secret name. The secret name that has never been revealed to any one, not man nor any god. Ra knew if he wanted the power, he would need to know that secret name.

Each day Isis would walk with her fellow gods following her. She would take walks around her kingdom to see how her kingdom is doing. She would sit on her throne and utter decrees. Isis was growing old, and therefore growing more weak. Sometimes saliva would drip out of her mouth when she would talk.

Ra followed Isis one day and used her saliva to make a spear. The spear in turn he made into a venomous serpent. The serpent was invisible to god and men therefore they wouldn't even notice it on the ground. He laid it on the path that Isis usually walked and waited for the opportunity to quite literally strike.

The serpent that struck Ra. Source: Pixabay.

One day Ra and the other gods were called for by Isis. When he went to see her, he saw her lying in her bed, panting and sweating. He knew that his plan had worked. Ra watched as her whole body shook and trembled from the venom pulsing through her. Even when she tried to speak her voice shook.

"Gather around me everyone. I need to tell you that I have been hurt. Something has stricken me and I don't know what has done it. But I am in great agony. I have never felt this kind of pain before," said Isis.

"You were bitten by a serpent, Isis" said Ra. "Can I help heal you? I can use my powers, but they are not strong enough. I would need more power to get rid of the pain you are feeling. For that, I need to know your name, the secret name that gives you power."

Isis told Ra how she is the goddess of creation. She has created everything on this Earth. "I simply cannot reveal my secret name to anyone."

Ra was growing impatient. He needed to know the name because no matter how badly he wanted the power, he also didn't want to let Isis die. "Please, Isis. Reveal your name. I have to save you."

Isis growing weary of the pain, said in her heart "I ask that my secret name be revealed to Ra in his heart and that he too shall have the power that I possess."

As soon as the name was revealed to Ra, he knew he had the power in him. He demanded that the venom depart from Isis's body. Isis then felt the the pain vanishing and she felt her strength coming back.

Ra watched as the other gods tended to Isis. He once again stood in the shadows. But this time, he had finally gotten the powers he desired.


Author's Note: For this week's story, I did a role reversal of the two main characters in The Secret Name of Ra chapter of the Ancient Egypt unit.  In the original story, Ra is the almighty powerful one whereas Isis is the one that desires to have the kind of power that Ra has. Isis was an enchantress and goddess herself but she lived with the people on earth and desired to live among the gods so she came up with this plan to poison Ra using his own power against him. She knew the only way that he could be saved was to have the kind of power only he had and she would need to get it from Ra to help him.

Bibliography:

The Secret Name of Ra
Donald Mackenzie.