Chapter 6: The Temple of Satis

Despite Asati's anxious desire to go straight to the temple of Satis, she returned home to do the necessary preparations to be seen in public. No woman of the Court of Pharaoh would dare go out in public until her wig, facial makeup, and clothing were in proper order. Even her impatience, now inflamed by finding the child, could not deny this necessity.

She rushed her servants through the preparations and then hurried her bearers, sending the leading soldier ahead to clear the way. This would enable her to arrive at the Temple of Satis while it was still early, since the sun was still only a short distance above the horizon.

The urgent excitement of the morning soon gave way to the rhythmic gate of her bearers as her underlying weariness overcame her. A short distance into the trip to the temple she fell asleep.

Since Satis, Asati's patron goddess, was the protectress of the first cataract of the Nile, she did not hold a major place in the Egyptian pantheon. In recent years, however, she had been growing in power and influence and was now seen as the goddess of the annual life-giving inundation of the Nile upon which all of Egypt depended for a good growing season.

Religion in Egypt was bound by ancient traditions, yet in many ways it was extremely flexible. As long as no god or goddess tried to claim exclusive rights, as the solar deity Aten had done under the attempts of the false Pharaoh Akhenaten forty years earlier, the priests and people could adjust to the continual ebb and flow of the Egyptian pantheon. While every divinity had adherents and temples, none claimed to be the sole deity. Indeed, Thebes, the City of a Hundred Gates, many now called the City of a Hundred Gods. Only the solitary Hebrew God, the invisible, nameless one, tried to stand alone.

Asati's father, Seti I, had exerted a considerable effort to unite the Upper and Lower Kingdoms, the two traditional regions of Egypt, under his rule. Her grandfather, Ramses I, began humbly, a scribe and the son of a soldier. Though later he became General of the Armies of the Two Lands and Vizier to the childless Pharaoh Horemheb, Ramses had little more than designation of Horemheb, himself the son of a soldier, to secure his throne. Already old at the beginning of his reign, Ramses ruled less than two years. His designated heir and son, Seti, was a soldier himself and named for the god Seth, the brother and enemy of the popular god Osiris. Asati's father had to quickly secure the allegiance of the priests of the other prominent gods, especially those of Amon-Ra to solidify his position as Pharaoh.

Asati was born shortly after her father had returned from a successful campaign against bandits based in the southern Kurkor Oasis. On the trip home down the Nile, Seti had stopped at the estate of Mut-Khendra, an old friend who had been given governorship of the First Nome of Egypt by the Pharaoh Horemheb as a reward to his former general. This was Seti's first chance to visit his friend since he had taken the post two years earlier.

Mut-Khendra had obtained the estate of a former official of the despised Pharaoh Akhenaten, located on an island 12 arura upstream from Nubt, the administrative center of the Nome. One of the chief features of the island was a small but beautiful temple to the goddess Satis, the protectress of the first cataract, another 50 arura upstream. Mut-Khendra had become a follower of the local goddess, and he took Seti to an early morning festival at the temple, a ceremony of blessing for the coming inundation.

Seti had found himself being drawn to Satis. Since Mut-Khendra was giving a small banquet in his honor that evening, Seti asked that an invitation be extended to Sostris, the First Priest of the temple. That night during the meal, there was a thunderstorm. It rained for almost a fourth of an hour, a rare and propitious event.

Sostris had declared it to be a good omen, coming as it did on the day of the festival. He said that it boded well for the future of Seti and then, to everyone's surprise, he uttered a prophecy. He predicted that Seti would become like the life-giving rains that bring forth the inundation. Greatness for Egypt would spring from his seed.

Seti, impressed by the exuberance of the young priest's words, told him that his wife was due of child any day now. If a girl were born he would dedicate her to Satis.

Nine days later, Seti's wife gave birth to a baby girl, and together they undertook the six days' journey back up the Nile, where the child was dedicated to the goddess at the Temple of Satis. Since that day, the fortunes of the young priest Sostris had risen with the fortunes of Seti.

Now Asati was turning to that same priest for help. Before leaving her estate, she had sent a runner to make sure he knew she was coming so that they would be ready to receive her. As the litter stopped and was placed on the ground in front of the temple, the sudden change in rhythm startled her from her short nap. She stretched and took a moment to compose herself before opening the curtain.

As she had hoped, Sostris, the First Priest of Satis, was waiting for her, together with a few of his priests, at the entrance to the temple.

Sostris bowed as she stepped from the litter. The priest said, “Come in peace in the name of Satis, my princess. Your servant said you have had a eventful morning.”

Asati paused a moment to send the bearers to rest in the shade. The heat would soon begin to conquer the morning air, and it was no use tiring them further. Then she turned to the First Priest. “Yes, noble one, the morning's events have followed a strange night. I don't know where to begin...the child or the dreams and omens.”

“It seems the gods are indeed active,” Sostris said. “We too have had signs. Just before dawn, while drawing water, my servant saw a large star fall from the eastern sky toward the Nile in the west. Then, as the gates of the temple were opened this morning, a falcon landed on each one and stayed there for over an hour. Momentous omens, momentous. I have sent discreet inquiries to the other temples to check the extent of these portents.”

Asati's concern began to grow as she heard the descriptions of the priest. She was about to say something when he interrupted her in mid-breath. “As for your immediate concerns, my princess, we will try to answer all your questions. Sacrifices have been prepared on your behalf to inquire of the goddess. Be patient.”

Sending the priests ahead, Sostris took Asati’s hand and led her into the forecourt, the Court of Appearance. As they passed through the gates he leaned close and whispered, “It would be best if you kept quiet for now about what has happened to you. We will talk after the offerings." The unexpected warning sent a chill down Asati's spine as she followed him to the waiting priests.

The statue of the goddess had been ritually cleansed, dressed, and drawn from the Noas, her inner sanctuary, on a boat shrine. Satis was now ready to receive her daily offerings. On opposite sides of the great hall, two priestly choirs began chanting the invocation hymn to the goddess. A company of Khenerit, clad in sheer linen, responded by dancing down the center isle, striking their sistra in rhythm to the chorus. As Asati watched the delicately timed movements of the women rhythmically shaking their sacred instruments, she felt the hypnotic pull of their dance drawing her to the goddess. Her concerns began to evaporate as the music, movement, and holy incense flooded her senses, making her feel light-headed. The last thing she remembered was Sostris trying to catch her as she collapsed to the floor.

Again the great sea was spread out before her, but this time the baby was cradled quietly in her arms. He was wrapped in the coarse blanket of the Hebrews. The violent storm still raged across the water. Though the wind blew strongly against her, the crashing waves held back from her feet. A momentary shaft of light pierced through the storm clouds, striking her in the face. She felt a warm sense of strength suddenly cascade through her body. A sense of purpose first enveloped her, and then settled itself deep in her heart. All at once, Asati knew that she could keep the sleeping child safe from the tempest in front of her. Behind her, someone was calling her name. No longer imprisoned in the sand, she turned to see Sostris beckoning to her in the distance, framed in brightness.

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