Sexual Life in Ancient Egypt

Lise Manniche

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780710308047
• eBook ISBN: 9781136189135
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

This is the book that introduced readers to the erotic life that flourished along the banks of the Nile at all levels of society. While much was known about the sexual life of the Greeks and Romans, this was the first to describe the rich and varied sexual life of the ancient Egyptians, which they described in words and pictures, many of which are reproduced here as photographs and facsimile drawings, drawn from sources such as sculptures, reliefs, paintings, sketches of erotic scenes and objects such as pottery and jewellery, as well as texts which vividly describe the passions of gods and men. Lise Manniche discusses all aspects of the intimate life of Egyptians including prostitution, concubines, adultery, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, necrophilia, incest and polygamy, from the Old Kingdom to the start of the Graeco-Roman period. First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Erotic Texts

43. Papyrus British Museum 10,008. 21st dyn.

Mythological Tales

The creation of the world was instigated by the sun-god creating himself in the beginning. When this first step had been completed he produced two other gods, Shu, the air, and Tefenet, humidity, by masturbation. These two in turn united to create Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky. Nut arched her back over Geb and, in the most obvious fashion, they became the parents of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. With the later addition of Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, nine gods had now been created in the world: the Ennead. Other gods arrived and the scene was set for the play of which the very human characteristics of the gods were the origin.

A main theme was the contest of Horus and Seth as to which one of them was to take office after the death of Osiris: Horus, his son, or Seth, his brother – a most intricate legal problem. Both attempt to get the upper hand by more or less legitimate means, but in between the fights Seth finds time for adventure. Isis, in particular, was the object of his pursuits, but she rejects him. The following excerpt is to be found in various papyri (P. Chester Beatty I (c. 1600 BC)¹⁷; P. Kahun VI (c. 1900 BC)¹⁸; P. Jumilhac III (Ist cent. BC)¹⁹.)

Episodes from life in the Ennead

The sun-god spent a great deal of his life taking sides and judging between the contestants. Once in a while, however, he did have the time to relax.

The great god passed a day lying on his back in his arbour, and his heart was very sad, and he was alone.

After a long time Hathor, lady of the southern sycamore, came and stood before her father, the master of the universe. She uncovered her vulva for his face, and the great god smiled at her…. (P. Chester Beatty I, 3, 13–4, 3)²⁰

In the meantime Seth was trying for a spare moment with Isis.

Seth looked and he saw her as she approached in the distance. Thereupon she uttered a magic spell, and she changed herself into a maiden fair of limbs, and there was not the like of her in the entire land, and he loved her very much. Thereupon he rose, and he went over to sit down and ate bread with the great Ennead. He went to overtake her, and no one had seen her except him.

44. Limestone(?) figurine, British Museum.

Thereupon she stood behind a tree, and he shouted to her saying, ‘I am here with you, fair maiden!’ And she said to him, ‘My great lord! As for me, I was the wife of a herdsman of cattle, and I bore him a male child. My husband died, and the boy came to watch the cattle of his father. But one day a stranger came and sat down in the stables and said to my son, ‘I’ll beat you up and take your cattle and kick you out!” So he said. My greatest wish is for you to conquer him.’

Seth replied, ‘Is the cattle to be given to a stranger when the son of the father is yet alive?’

At that moment Isis transformed herself into a kite and fled to the top of a tree. From there she shouted to Seth, ‘Weep yourself. Your own mouth has said it, your own cleverness has given judgment. What more do you want?’ (P. Chester Beatty I, 6, 3–7, 1)²¹

Isis refers to the situation concerning the legitimacy of inheriting the throne of Osiris, and she has obviously planned the entire set-up with this in mind, using her sex to trap Seth.

On another occasion it was Seth who exerted his power of transformation.

When Seth saw Isis there he transformed himself into a bull to be able to pursue her, but she made herself irrecognizable taking the appearance of a bitch with a knife on her tail. Then she began to run away from him, and Seth was unable to catch up with her. Then he ejaculated on the ground, and she said, It is disgusting to have ejaculated, you bull!’ But his sperm grew in the desert and became the plants called bedded-kau (water melons?) (P. Jumilhac III, 1–6)²²

Anat was a foreign goddess, a kind of Amazon who was adopted by the Ennead and who called the sun-god ‘father’, yet was also his wife. Seth soon succumbed to her vigorous beauty:

The goddess Anat was disporting herself in the stream of Khap and bathing in the stream of Hemket. Now the sun-god had gone out for a walk, and [he saw Seth as he mounted?] on her back, leaping her as a ram leaps…. [Then some of the seed flew] to his forehead near his brows and eyes. He lay down on his bed in his house [being ill. Then] came the divine Anat, the victorious, a woman acting as a warrior, clad as men and girt as women to Re, her father. And he said to her, ‘What is the matter with you, Anat the divine, you the victorious, woman acting as a warrior, clad as men and girt as women? I came home in the evening, and I know that you have come to free Seth from the seed. Is it not a childish punishment for someone who was the wife of the sun-god that Seth should copulate with her in fire and open her with a chisel?’ (P. Chester Beatty VII, verso, I, 5–II, 3)²³

45. Isis. Drawing on linen, Musée historique de Tissus, Lyon 55276 LA.

46. Graffito in a tomb at Deir el-Bahari. New Kingdom.

47. and 48. Ostraka in a private collection.

49. Ostrakon from Deir el-Medina, Cairo IFAO 3962. New Kingdom.

At some point the sun-god has enough of the contests of Horus and Seth, and he simply asks them to go away. Seth is in no doubt as to how they are to spend their time together.

Seth said to Horus, ‘Come, let us spend a happy hour at my place!’ Horus answered, ‘Yes, with pleasure, with pleasure.’ When it was evening the bed was spread for them and they lay down. During the night Seth made his member stiff, and he made it go between the loins of Horus. Horus put his hands between his loins, and he caught the seed of Seth.

Then Horus went to speak to his mother Isis, ‘Come here, O Isis, my mother! Come and see what Seth has done to me!’ And he opened his hand, and he showed her the seed of Seth. She cried out, seized her knife and cut off his hand, and she threw it into the water. But she took out another similar hand for him. Then she took a dab of sweet ointment and applied it to the member of Horus. She let it go stiff, having placed it in a jar, and she made his seed run into it.

50. Graffito in a tomb at Deir el-Bahari. New Kingdom.

In the morning she took the seed of Horus to Seth’s garden. She said to his gardener, ‘Which herb is it that Seth usually eats here with you?’ The gardener replied, ‘He does not eat any herb here except lettuce.’ So Isis laid the seed of Horus on the lettuces.

Seth came as he used to do every day, and he ate the lettuces as usual. He became pregnant with the seed of Horus. He went and said to Horus, ‘Come let us go that I can contend with you in the tribunal.’ Horus said, ‘I will do so, indeed, I will do so.’

Then they both went to the tribunal and stood before the great Ennead. They were told, ‘Speak concerning yourselves!’ Seth said, ‘Let me be given the office of ruler, for as to Horus, the same that stands here, I have performed an aggressive act against him.’

The Ennead cried out aloud, and they belched and spat in the face of Horus. But Horus laughed at them, swore and said, ‘All that Seth has said is false. Let the seed of Seth be summoned that we may see from where it will answer.’

Then Thoth, lord of divine words, the scribe of truth of the Ennead, placed his hand on the arm of Horus, and he said, ‘Come out, you seed of Seth!’ And it answered him from the water in the fen. Then Thoth placed his hand on the arm of Seth, and he sa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Erotic Texts
• Epilogue
• List of Illustrations
• Bibliography and Notes
• Chronology
• Index