Mythos #2: Thoth, Bearer of Wisdom
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Cache is a cammo tableware container. Located in the North Woods on Santa Fe Collage campus. Bushwacking is mininal and there are plenty of trails that take you behind the woods to where the cache is located so getting muggled is not an issue. Original contents are a log, pencil, and lots of swag.
In Egyptian mythology Thoth was known as the god of wisdom and knowledge. He was also scribe to the king of the Egyptian gods, Ra. Thoth is always depicted as holding a wisemans staff or a quill and scroll, as well as having the head of an Ibis. Below is one of my favorite myths involving Thoth...
The myth dictates that Setna Khaemwese, son of Ramesses II went in search of the Book of Thoth. His search led him to the tomb of Prince Neferkaptah. When Setna reached the inner burial chamber he was confronted by the Ka's of Prince Neferkaptah wife and son who glowed in the darkness of the tomb. The ghostly woman sat upon the gilded golden throne in the burial chamber. before the mummy, on an ebony table lay the gleaming Book of Thoth. The translucent woman raised a hand to greet Setna and her words broke the silence, "Setna Khaemwese, why do you disturb the rest of the dead?"
"If you give me the Book of Thoth," Setna said trying not to sound as scred as he felt, "I will leave this place."
The lovely ka shook her head. "Setna, if you steal the Book of Thoth, it will bring you only disaster. I see from your face that you do not believe me. I will tell you our story, and then you will understand the danger. 'My name is Ahwere. I was the only daughter of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,' said the ka proudly. She looked down at the silent figure on the couch. "I loved my brother Neferkaptah more than anything in the world and he loved me. I begged our father the king to let us marry and he agreed. A splendid feast was held to mark our marriage and we lived together very happily. It was not long before a son was born to us and we called him Mrib.' Ahwere reached down to touch the little boy who lay at her feet, and he smiled up at her as if just waking from a dream. 'My husband was like you, Setna. He loved to wander in the City of the Dead to study the tombs or to visit temple libraries and try to read the ancient scrolls. He was a skilled magician, but he was always seeking more powerful spells. One day my husband attended a festival in the temple of Ptah. As he walked behind the procession, he read spells written on the shrines of the gods. Suddenly Neferkapth heard someone laughing at him. In the shadow of a column stood an old priest, amusement doubling the wrinkles on his face.
"Why are you laughing at me?" my husband demanded indignantly.
"I laugh at you reading such paltry spells," answered the priest, "when I could tell you where to find a magic book written by Thoth himself. There are two spells in it. If you read the first spell aloud, you will enchant the sky above and the sky below and the earth itself from mountains to seas. You will be able to understand every beast and bird and summon fishes from the deep, just like a god. If you read the second spell aloud, even if you are in the Land of the Dead, you will take your own form again and see the sun shine and the moon rise and the gods themselves."
'Then my husband flattered the priest. "Oh great one, may you live forever! Name one wish that I can grant you, but tell me how to find the Book of Thoth." The old man's eyes glittered with greed.
"Give me a hundred silver pieces to pay for my funeral, and when the time comes, two priests to serve my ka." Neferkaptah sent for the silver and when the old priest had counted it he whispered to my husband, "The book of Thoth is hidden in an iron box, near river Captos. Inside the iron box is a box of sycamore. Inside the sycamore is a box of ebony, and inside that is a box of silver, and inside the silver box is a box of gold and in that box, the Book of Thoth, and there are snakes and scorpions guarding all the boxes."
'Then Neferkaptah was dizzy with excitment. He rushed back to the palace to tell me everything that had happened. I admit i cursed the old priest for telling him such a secret. I begged Neferkaptah not to sail to Coptos, but he thought of nothing but the Book of Thoth. The king gave us a splendis ship, and Mrib and I went with my husband to Coptos.
On the fifth day my husband took pure wax and modeled a ship with a crew, he then muttered spells and breathed life into the crew. He commanded them to sail to the Book of Thoth. The Royal ship followed them for three days and nights. The wax boat stopped. My husband threw sand on either side of our ship and conjured spells to part the waters. On the dry land lay the iron box. My husband left our ship and approached the iron box reciting spells, for the box crawled with snakes and scorpions. The snakes hissed and the scorpions raised their tails but my husbands spells held strong and they all froze in place. Wrapped around the iron box was a mighty serpent too vast for any spell to bind. My husband was not afraid; he stunned it with a blow from his bronze axe and chopped it in half. To his horror the two halves joined up again and within seconds the massive serpent was coiled around him.
'Neferkaptah flinched from its poisnous breath. The coils tightened as the serpent tried to crush him. The battle with the serpent raged on, but finally my husband threw sand inbetween the halves of the serpent he again hacked apart, and they could not rejoin from his powerful magic. The creature shrieked and soon died. My husband tore through the boxes until he held the golden box in his hands. When he opened it the glittering scroll was revealed, he opened the scroll and dared to recite the first spell. He enchanted the sky above, the sky below, and the earth from seas to mountains. He understood all speech of all beasts and creatures of the deep. This not being enough he recited the second spell. He saw the sun and moon and the true forms of the gods in all their glory.
When we returned home he sent for fresh papyrus, he copied the words of the Book of Thoth onto it and soaked it in beer, the dissolved it in water and drank in the power of the two spells. The Wise One, Thoth himself knew what my husband had done and demanded justice from Ra, king of the gods. Ra ruled in favor of Thoth and so my husband, Mrib and I were not to return safely home to Memphis. Mrib, by Ra's curse fell off our ship and drowned. Soon the curse of Ra struck me too and i too drowned in the river. Overcome with grief for our deaths, my husband strapped the Book of Thoth to his body with a strip of linen and threw himself into the Nile. Our bodies were embalmed and buried in this tomb."
Setna, after hearing this tale from the dead, abandoned his aspirations to obtain the Book of Thoth.
*Story shortened from a book of mine entitled "Gods & Pharoahs from Egyptian Mythology" author Geraldine Harris.*
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g yrg lbhe qnl or Ehvarq vs lbh qba'g frr vg evtug njnl, abe nyybj lbhe uhag'f sha gb Pbyyncfr.