. The dawn of civilization: Egypt and Chaldaea . hough the serpent has nowturned Mussulman, he still haunts the mountain and preserves his faculty of coming to life againevery time that he is killed. 4 Drawn by Faucher-Gudin from a scene in the tomb of Khopirkerîsonbû (cf. Scheii.,, Mémoiresde la Mission française, vol. v. pl. iv., wall C, top row). The sacred sycamore here stands at the endof a field of corn, and would seem to extend its protection to the harvest. 5 Maspero, Études de Mythologie et dArchéologie Égyptiennes, vol. ii. pp. 224-227. They wererepresented as animated by spirits con
. The dawn of civilization: Egypt and Chaldaea . hough the serpent has nowturned Mussulman, he still haunts the mountain and preserves his faculty of coming to life againevery time that he is killed. 4 Drawn by Faucher-Gudin from a scene in the tomb of Khopirkerîsonbû (cf. Scheii.,, Mémoiresde la Mission française, vol. v. pl. iv., wall C, top row). The sacred sycamore here stands at the endof a field of corn, and would seem to extend its protection to the harvest. 5 Maspero, Études de Mythologie et dArchéologie Égyptiennes, vol. ii. pp. 224-227. They wererepresented as animated by spirits concealed within them, but which could manifest themselves onoccasion. At such times the head or whole body of the spirit of a tree would emerge from itstrunk, and when it returned to its hiding-place the trunk reabsorbed it, or ate it again, accordingto the Egyptian expression (Maspero, Études de Mythologie et dArchéologie Égyptiennes, vol. 104, 105, 108, etc.), which I have already had occasion to quote above; see p. 83, note THE PEASANTS OFFERING TO TIIE 122 TUE GODS OF EGYPT. charitable people. Passers-by drank of the water, and requited the unexpectedbenefit with a short prayer. There were several such trees in the Meraphitenome, and in the Letopolite nome from Dashûr to Gîzeh, inhabited, as everyone knew, by detached doubles of Nûît and Hâthor. These combined districtswere known as the Land of the Sycamore, a name afterwards extended tothe city of Memphis ; and their sacred trees are worshipped at the presentday both by Mussulman and Christian fellahî The most famous amongthem all, the Sycamore of the South—nûhît rîsit—was regarded as theliving body of Hâthor on Side by side with its human gods andprophetic statues, each nome proudly advanced one or more sacred animals,one or more magic trees. Each family, and almost every individual, alsopossessed gods and fetishes, which had been pointed out for their worshipby some
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