Queen of the Heavens (10 page)

A lion?
I asked myself as fright filled every corner of my being.
No. A demon of the desert for it walks upright like a man. Be gone demon. The spirit of Isis is within me and you can do me no harm.

No sooner had I thought these words than the demon lunged and was upon me. I thrashed beneath it and strove to rise, but its weight and strength were too great. I tried to cry out but sounds would not come forth from my throat.

Isis, drive away this demon. Save me,
I pleaded through my thoughts as I struggled in the darkness.

At first my injunction seemed not to work, but as I kept invoking Isis’ name, a white light grew within me, my thrashing ceased and peace gradually replaced my fear. As it did so, the demon relaxed its grip and dissolved into the night.

I tried to open my eyes, but the encounter had depleted me and I entered into a sleep where vivid images passed through my consciousness. I found myself walking through a narrow stone passageway covered with brightly painted frescoes of the gods and many rooms on both sides of it. In the distance, a withered and bent old man sat on a gilded throne. The darkness of grief surrounded him, but as I approached, the darkness lifted and joy filled his countenance as he gazed upon me.

I wanted to proceed, but my legs became heavy as granite and I could not move. To my amazement, the old man changed into a mummy, crook and flail crossed before him. The mummy vanished and on the throne sat a man shrouded in a mist, also holding a crook and flail. Though he was by no means young, I could see he hadn’t yet been ravaged by the afflictions of those who live to a great age.

Who are you?
I asked, but the man did not answer even though he saw me.
Who are you?
I asked again, but he also disappeared and all became black.

I opened my eyes as Mother pulled back the draperies and light rushed through the cabin windows.

“Good morning, Tuya,” she said. “Did you sleep well?”

“No,” I snapped as I got out of bed and rummaged through my trunk until I found the statue of Sekhmet, which I placed at my bedside. “I now know why the lions growl at the desert’s edge,” I said to Mother. “They’re trying to scare away the demons.”

“Demons?”

“Yes, Mother, demons. Sekhmet, protect us in the nights ahead.”

Hoping the chilled morning air would settle me, I rushed outside just as the oarsmen began the grueling work of propelling the boat upstream. The Captain saw me as I emerged from the cabin.

“Tuya. You don’t look well.”

“I’m not. A demon attacked me in my sleep. Then I had a dream that I don’t understand. I’m still quite frightened.”

“As we get closer to Thebes, our dreams often become more vivid,” Addaya said. “We’ll be nearing Dendera soon. I know of a woman there who perhaps can explain your dream.”

“Will you take me to her?”

“Of course.”

“Will we have time? Lord Harenhab’s celebration is but two days away.”

“We will make time. Near Dendera the river turns and we’ll be heading south again. The winds once more will push us and we’ll add the oarsmen’s muscle if we have to.”

“They won’t like that.”

“It’s not for them to like or dislike or to question the orders of their Captain. This boat belongs to the Pharaoh and you’re traveling under his protection, Tuya. I’m certain Lord Harenhab would want you to have an explanation of your dream.”

X

After a short while we pulled into a quay. I told my parents where I would be, then found the Captain and followed him off the boat. Addaya, with legs much longer than mine, set a quick pace and I had to run at times to keep up with him.

“We will visit a woman named Itet,” he told me as we weaved our way through the streets of Dendera. “There’s no one better at explaining the meaning of dreams. Even High Priests from Thebes have visited her.”

“How can I pay the woman?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about payment. She knows me well and trusts me. I’ll send her some wine from the boat’s provisions on my return trip to Memphis.”

We came to a small but well-built home on the edge of town surrounded by a mud-brick wall. The Captain rang a bell fastened to a wooden door, which a servant soon opened.

“Are you here to see Itet?” she asked.

“Yes. Tell her Addaya, the Captain of the palace boat, has come with a young friend who needs to talk to her about a dream.”

“Come in,” the servant said. She pointed to a corner of the courtyard where several people sat in the shade of an acacia tree. “You must wait with the others.”

The Captain and I sat down upon two large stones. Soon the servant brought each of us a cup of jasmine tea.

“I have visited Itet many times to tell me the meaning of my dreams and she has always been insightful,” the Captain said after taking a sip of his beverage.

“The Neters have bestowed upon her a wonderful gift,” I replied.

“She’s helped many people with it, even those who cannot pay,” the Captain noted.

“I’ve done this with my gift of healing,” I said.

“I didn’t know you possessed such a gift.”

“Yes. I’m quite good at healing. My parents wanted me to help only the wealthy, but I refused. Isis wanted me to heal the poor as well.”

“You’re wise as well as generous, Tuya. The merit you gain by helping the poor will serve you well as you pass from this life to the next and face Osiris’ Judgment.”

When our turn arrived to meet with Itet, the servant led us into the house. A tiny and frail old woman with a hunched back and gnarled hands sat in a chair next to a wooden statue of Horus.

“Addaya!” the woman said, looking up at the Captain. “What a surprise. You’ve been away too long.”

“It’s good to see you again, Itet,” the Captain responded, bending down to take the woman’s extended hand in both of his. “I’ve brought my young friend, Tuya. She needs your assistance in explaining her dream.”

The woman smiled at me, exposing a mouth with more spaces than teeth. Hair grew on her chin and from a mole under her left eye. I would have thought Itet the most hideous woman I had ever seen if it weren’t for the love in her eyes.

“Please sit down, Tuya,” Itet said, pointing to a stool across from her.

“I’ll wait in the courtyard,” the Captain declared, then took his leave.

“How do you know Addaya?” Itet asked.

“I’m traveling from Memphis to Thebes on his boat. I’m betrothed to Sety, the son of the Vizier Ramesses. I’m joining Sety in just two days.”

“Ramesses? He’s the Vizier who will someday become Pharaoh,” Itet noted.

“That’s what people say. If he does, then Sety will follow Ramesses to the throne and I will be the Great Royal Wife.”

Itet tried to sit up straight, but her hunched back prevented it. “I had no idea I would be seeing such an important person,” she said. “Your dream could have great consequences for all of Egypt, my dear. I will pray to Horus and ask for his help. Among his many powers is that of prophecy. I must make no mistake as I interpret for you.”

Itet closed her eyes and swayed gently from side to side, murmuring an indecipherable prayer under her breath. I closed my eyes, and through my thoughts asked Isis to assist her as well. After more than a few moments Itet said, “Tell me about your dream.”

“At first I was attacked by a hairy demon that walked on two feet and had eyes of fire. I struggled with the despicable creature until Isis’ love filled me and the demon vanished. After that, my dream began.”

“We should fear demons, but we shouldn’t despise them,” Itet commented. “Through struggles with demons we can come to know our souls. What happened next?”

“I found myself walking through a stone passageway decorated with pictures of the gods. It had many rooms on both sides of it.”

“A great tomb,” Itet said without hesitation.

“Yes,” I exclaimed, recognizing immediately the accuracy of her words. “A very old man holding a crook and flail sat on a throne at the end of the passageway. Grief surrounded him.”

“Why would it not?” Itet replied. “The very old outlive their children. The tomb’s many rooms were for their mummies. The crook and flail tell me the man was the Pharaoh.”

“When the old man saw me, he looked upon me with love,” I continued.

“The love of a son for his mother.”

“How could this be? He was old and I am still young.”

“You’re young now that you are awake, but in our dreams time is of no consequence. We can be of any age.”

“The old man turned into a mummy. Then he vanished and was replaced by a man much younger, but by no means youthful. This man also held a crook and flail, but was shrouded in mist. He vanished as well.”

“Your grandson, no doubt, who would inherit the throne, but there is a question of whether he will ever be born. That is why the mist surrounded him.”

“Why would he not be born?” I inquired.

“The dream does not speak to this,” Itet answered. “Is there more?”

“No. My dream ended there. Will my son be a great Pharaoh?”

“Your dream doesn’t speak to this, either. All I can tell you is that your son must have many sons, so at least one lives longer than he. Otherwise, the dynasty will die with him.”

“My son must be a great Pharaoh. I will insist upon it,” I told Itet.

“Then love him dearly, bring him up well, and find him wives who will bear him many children.” Itet replied. “This is your duty to the gods.”

With my story finished, I rose and bowed to the old woman. “Your interpretation of my dream makes great sense, and I thank you.”

“I’m pleased that I’ve been of service, Tuya. I will make offerings to the Neters for your success as a mother, and as a Queen.”

The Captain met me as I left the house. “Was Itet of help?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m grateful you took me to her.”

“It was my pleasure, but now we must hurry back to the boat. There’s enough daylight left for us to make good progress. We should be able to reach Thebes well before nightfall tomorrow if we do not linger. As soon as we arrive in Thebes, I’ll send word to Ramesses of your whereabouts.”

Our return pace was even quicker than before, and I was out of breath when we reached the boat. Addaya immediately gave the order to depart, and within moments the vessel was underway. We soon came to the bend in the river and the wind began pushing us again, to the great relief of the oarsmen.

That evening, as I was about to retire, I walked around my bed three times holding the statue of Sekhmet, invoking the protection of the lion goddess against the demons. I slept soundly through the night, rose early and went on deck at first light, just as the Captain gave the order to cast off from the palm tree to which we were tethered and to hoist the sail.

“The wind already is quite strong, Tuya,” Addaya shouted to me. “Don’t worry a bit. We’ll make good progress and get you to your destination on schedule.”

The sun disk was well past the midpoint of its daily journey through the heavens when the first great temple to Amun in Thebes came into view. From a distance I could see that it was far larger than the Temple of Ptah in Memphis. As we came closer, I could see, too, that it far surpassed the Temple of Ptah in the grandeur of its architecture and the magnificence of its decorations.

Huge pylons and great columns bore painted images of Pharaohs and the gods dressed in raiment of brilliant colors. Scarlet pennants flew from a hundred wooden poles topped with ornaments made from gold. Next to the pylons and columns stood great obelisks many times the height of a man. Their pyramid tips, covered with electrum, glistened in the sun. Maya had spoken to me of the obelisks, carved from single pieces of granite and brought by giant barges from Aswan.

“They carry the power of the phallus into the cosmic womb,” she taught me when I reached the age when I might understand such things. “The energies of the gods and the energies of the goddesses combine in bliss around the great obelisks. If you’re fortunate, Tuya, you’ll know this bliss someday in the arms of your husband.”

Had this day arrived? Would my marriage to Sety carry me to such heights? Through the pleasures of the body, would I enter with my husband into the bliss of the spirit? I thought of the handsome Sety as I looked out at the obelisks, and imagined us connected as one in the embrace of love.
Sety and I will know such bliss together. Isis would not allow it to be any other way,
I said to myself.

The boat passed the temple and sailed for quite some time opposite two lines of ram-headed sphinxes that guarded both sides of a grand promenade leading to the second great temple to Amun. This temple was not as large as the first, but it was no less colorful or impressive in the quality of its architecture and workmanship. Its massive columns and pylons dwarfed the people standing near them.

The boat pulled into a quay nearby. I sat on deck and marveled at the temple, then turned my attention to the west bank of the river as the sun disk descended on the desert bluffs that sheltered the valley where the royal mummies were entombed. Just as the sun god Ra completed his daily journey in the west, so, too, did the Pharaohs and their Queens complete their earthly journeys. I felt great joy knowing that someday my mummy would lie in splendor in a house of eternity across the Nile from the great temples of Thebes.

As the sun set, it bathed the temple to Amun in a reddish hue, which added to its mystery and majesty. I had thought nothing could compare to the sights of Memphis. Now I saw for myself the grandeur of Thebes and knew the Captain was correct. Thebes was unlike any other place, for here the heavens and Earth met in divine harmony.

The following morning, Father, Mother and I were up before dawn preparing ourselves for the momentous day ahead. Father wore his finest kilt and cloak while Mother and I wore the dresses that had been made especially for Lord Harenhab’s celebration. Wide shoulder straps covered our breasts and held up the floor length garments. The overdresses and frocks were pleated to perfection, just as the dressmaker promised they would be. We wore leather sandals that curved upward at the toes, and we were weighed down with jewelry.