The Egyptian myth of Isis and the seven scorpions - Alex Gendler

2,537,199 views ・ 2020-03-02

TED-Ed


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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A woman in rags emerged from the swamp flanked by seven giant scorpions.
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Carrying a baby, she headed for the nearest village to beg for food.
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She approached a magnificent mansion,
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but the mistress of the house took one look at her grimy clothes
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and unusual companions and slammed the door in her face.
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So she continued down the road until she came to a cottage.
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The woman there took pity on the stranger and offered her what she could:
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a simple meal and a bed of straw.
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Her guest was no ordinary beggar.
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She was Isis, the most powerful goddess in Egypt.
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Isis was in hiding from her brother Set,
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who murdered her husband and wanted to murder her infant son, Horus.
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Set was also a powerful god, and he was looking for them.
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So to keep her cover, Isis had to be very discreet—
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she couldn’t risk using her powers.
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But she was not without aid.
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Serket, goddess of venomous creatures,
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had sent seven of her fiercest servants to guard Isis and her son.
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As Isis and Horus settled into their humble accommodation,
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the scorpions fumed at how the wealthy woman had offended their divine mistress.
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They all combined their venom and gave it to one of the seven, Tefen.
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In the dead of night, Tefen crept over to the mansion.
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As he crawled under the door,
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he saw the owner’s young son sleeping peacefully
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and gave him a mighty sting.
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Isis and her hostess were soon awakened by loud wailing.
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As they peered out of the doorway of the cottage,
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they saw a mother running through the street,
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weeping as she cradled her son.
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When Isis recognized the woman who had turned her away,
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she understood what her scorpions had done.
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Isis took the boy in her arms and began to recite a powerful spell:
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"O poison of Tefen, come out of him and fall upon the ground!
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Poison of Befen, advance not, penetrate no farther, come out of him,
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and fall upon the ground!
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For I am Isis, the great Enchantress, the Speaker of spells.
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Fall down, O poison of Mestet! Hasten not, poison of Mestetef!
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Rise not, poison of Petet and Thetet! Approach not, poison of Matet!"
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With each name she invoked, that scorpion’s poison was neutralized.
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The child stirred, and his mother wept with gratitude
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and lamented her earlier callousness,
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offering all her wealth to Isis in repentance.
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The woman who had taken Isis in watched in awe—
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she had had no idea who she’d brought under her roof.
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And from that day on,
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the people learned to make a poultice to treat scorpion bites,
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speaking magical incantations just as the goddess had.
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