Star of Horus
‘Horus is the star at the head of the sky’
According to Quirke (after Helck), Netjerikhet’s mortuary complex was named ‘Horus is the star at the head of the sky’ (Hrw-sbA-xnti-pt) (Quirke 2001: 116) According to Miroslav Barta (ARCE website 2019), its name was 'The Refreshment of the Gods' (qbH nTrw).
qbH nTrw is mentioned on the 'Palermo Stone' recto; row 5; register 10; year 4 of a king, probably Netjerikhet or Nebka: "....stretching the cord for, the Enclosure, 'Refreshment of the Gods'" (qbH nTrw). This may refer to Netjerikhet's mortuary complex built inside a ~545m x ~278m stone enclosure, but ~800m to the south-west is a much larger ~650m x ~400m stone enclosure, and between them the so-called Ptahhotep enclosure - both of these enclosures
Hrw-sbA-xnti-pt - the name of a vineyard in the Delta established by Netjerikhet, possibly named after his mortuary complex. Early Dynastic agricultural estates were set up to support the royal mortuary cult with names that often expressed a stellar aspect of Horus, for example: ‘Horus, star of the corporation’, ‘Horus risen as a star’, ‘Horus the star of souls (bAw)’. A tomb in the necropolis of Khafra belonged to a manager of ‘Horus, is the star at the head of the Sky’ vineyard in the Delta - the same agricultural estate established by Netjerikhet and apparently operational for ~1400 years.
Hrw-sbA-xnti-pt has been variously translated as ‘‘Horus, the foremost star of the sky’, ‘Horus is the star at the head of the sky’ and ‘Star of Horus, foremost of heaven’.
An early Pyramid Text:
“….Horus at the sky’s starry ceiling, who brings the sun to life every day, shall build Unis and bring Unis to life every day.” W 206 (PT 301) Sethe Vol. 1: 232; §449b
What is Hrw-sbA-xnti-pt referring to?
It could refer to Horus as the sun, a planet or a star. If a star, then Capella, the 6th brightest star in their sky, is worth investigating.
Horus as ‘Sharp Horus’ (Hrw spd), associated with Sopdet (spdt) the personification of Sirius (Sothis), the brightest star in their sky is mentioned in the earliest Pyramid Texts. Sopdet (spdt) is written with a steep-sided triangle M44 (spd) as is ‘Sharp Horus’ (Hrw spd):
“Do not be ignorant of Unis, Sharp Horus (Hrw spd), since you know him and he knows you.” W 172 (PT 262) Sethe Vol. 1: 177; §330b:
‘Horus in Sopdet’ (Hrw jaj spdt) is also mentioned:
“Your sister Isis has come to you, aroused [for] love of you. You have put her on your phallus so that your seed might emerge into her, sharp as Sothis, and sharp Horus (Hrw spd) has emerged from you as Horus in Sothis (Hrw jmj spdt).” T 198 (PT 366) Sethe Vol. 1: 341-2; §632
Horus in Sopdet could refer to the sun when it appeared over the same area of the horizon where Sirius appeared ~115°...116° azimuth (25°...26° south of east). Netjerikhet's golden name was 'Sun of Gold' or 'Golden Sun'
Capella is easily identified among the stars, as it is accompanied by a distinctive 3-star asterism in the form of a steep-sided triangle similar to the hieroglyph M44 (spd), used to write 'Sharp Horus' and 'Horus in Sopdet':
Sopdet (spdt) with the 'steep-sided triangle' M44 (spd) on her head. (Coffin 4, Asyut (sarcophagus of Idy), Middle Kingdom)
Accompanying text reads: "Sopdet (spdt, Sirius), your face is toward Sah (sAH, Orion)"
When Capella crossed the north/south meridian at its highest point in the sky, it was virtually directly overhead above all other stars - the ideal vantage point in the sky for the sky god Horus ‘at the head of the sky’ to observe his land below. Simultaneously, Thuban, the then Pole Star, was also on the north/south meridian and Sirius 45° south of east (azimuths of stars accurate to within 2 arc mins). This simultaneous celestial event may have been the auspicious moment that triggered a sighting to Thuban that determined north.
Capella has an interesting connection to Netjerikhet's mortuary complex, and with Sirius, a significant star for the ancient Egyptians. The heliacal rising of Sirius over the southeastern horizon was known as 'the emergence of Sopdet' (prt spdt) that marked the beginning of their year.
A Middle Kingdom Coffin Text associates Sopdet / Sirius with the start of the year:
Sah (sAH, ‘Orion’) speaks: 'He is my son, older than I (sic) - so says Sah (sAH, ‘Orion’). '......N, who is pure and young, and Sopdet (spdt, ‘Sirius’) bore him, (even) she the young, she of the year, a goddess from her birth who is at the start of the year....... CT 689 VI, 319
Year (rnpt) as a name of Sopdet / Sirius, the personified year, is found in the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts:
This Pepi has come to you, lord of the sky. This Pepi has come to you, Osiris. This Pepi will wipe your face and clothe you with a god’s clothing, having become clean for you in Djedit. Sothis, your daughter whom you have desired, [who makes] your [fresh vegetables in] her identity of the year, is the one who led this Pepi when this Pepi came to you. P 327 (PT 477) Sethe Vol. 2: 39; §965b
The king announced the beginning of the year:
Pepi is the year’s announcer, Osiris. Look, he has come with a message of your father Geb: “In peace is the year’s state.” P 466 (PT 518) Sethe Vol. 2: 167; §1195abc
Sirius rising above the southeastern horizon in vertical alignment with Betelgeuse forming one side of the large, distinctive 'Winter Triangle' asterism. Simultaneously, the 'twin' stars Castor and Pollux are over the northeastern horizon below Capella:
Snefru's dual pyramid configuration relative to Netjerikhet's mortuary complex ~9km northeast, is similar to the celestial configuration of the 'twin' stars Castor and Pollux relative to Capella as Sirius rose above the southeastern horizon:
Snefru's dual pyramids: DN = Dashur North; DS Dashur South
The terrestrial configuration of three pyramids, mirrored in the sky when Sirius became visible over the southeastern horizon may have influenced the location and layout of Snefru's dual pyramids. If it did, then Capella identified as 'Sharp Horus' and 'Horus, the star at the head of the sky' corresponds to Netjerikhet's mortuary complex and the 'twin' stars Castor and Pollux to Snefru's dual pyramids. Netjerikhet's 'step' pyramid is skewed ~4.5° east of north. The north/south centre axis extended ~9km southwards aligns with Snefru's southern pyramid. It seems the architect of Snefru's dual pyramids first aligned the southern pyramid with Netjerikhet's pyramid and positioned the northern pyramid relative to the southern so that the overall layout corresponded to the particular configuration of the bright stars Capella, Pollux and Castor seen in the eastern sky when Sirius first appeared over the south-eastern horizon.
Netjerikhet's mortuary complex is located at the apex of a triangular alignment with the east/west base of the triangle connecting Khem and Iunu - Khem is due north of the Giza pyramid field and Iunu is 45° east of north. The Netjerikhet, Khem, Iunu alignments form a steep-sided triangle similar to the hieroglyph M44 (spd), used in the writing of Sopdet (spdt, Sirius) and 'Sharp Horus' (Hrw spd):
Netjerikhet is associated with both Khem and Iunu. On the middle panel under Netjerikhet's south tomb, the king is standing below Horus the Behedite in the Lower Egyptian shrine of Horus of Khem (Hr xm). Netjerikhet's name was found at Iunu amongst limestone fragments, probably from a small shrine.
Khem and Iunu are mentioned together in a Pyramid Text:
Live!, Live - you have not really died - like Horus, foremost of Khem, lives: he to whom the great cavern of Iunu has been opened..... P 32 (PT 438) Sethe Vol. 1: 447; §810bc
The triangular alignment appears to be based on two 7:24:25 back to back right-angle triangles. If this was the intention, Iunu is ~16.3° northeast and Khem ~16.3° northwest of Netjerikhet's mortuary complex. The northern sky is where the northern Imperishable Stars circled without rising or setting, and where the imperishable Meskhetiu (Big Dipper / Plough), a large distinctive asterism in Ursa Major circled around the North Celestial Pole (NCP) without rising or setting.' Meskhetiu (msxtjw) together with Sopdet (spdt, Sirius) is attested in the archaeological record at the end of the 5th Dynasty on the north wall of the antechamber in the pyramid of Unis who had his mortuary complex built near the south-west corner of Netjerikhet's enclosure wall:
"The sky has been bled, and Sopdet (spd(t)) lives, for Unis is the Living one, Sopdet's (spdt) son, for whom the Dual Ennead have cleaned the imperishable Striker (msxtjw). Unis's house for the sky will not perish, Unis's seat for the earth will not end. People have hidden, the gods have flown away, for Sopdet (spdt) has flown Unis to the sky amidst his brothers the gods...." W 207 (PT 302) Sethe Vol. 1: 235; §458c
Sirius (Sopdet) is the mother of the king, and Meskhetiu has star and adze determinatives. The bright star Dubhe represents the metal (biA) blade at the tip of the adze that touched the mouth of the statue of the deceased.
“In statue rites, the infinitive phrase wpt-r, ‘spliting open the mouth’, occurs parallel to and following the verb mst, which is normally translated ‘fashioning’ but literally means ’giving birth’. (Roth 1993: 74)
This idea of ‘giving birth’ is connected to the ‘splitting open the mouth’ ceremony, and in the pyramid text, both Sopdet, the mother of the king and Meskhetiu (the Big Dipper) the celestial adze that split open the mouth, are mentioned together.
Meskhetiu without the 'star' determinative is the name of an adze used in the 'opening the mouth' ceremony mentioned in the 6th Dynasty pyramid of Pepi Neferkare (sarcophagus chamber, east side of the north wall):
"How sweet is your mouth, for your mouth has been parted with Anubis's (or Paths Parter's) adze, the metal Striker (msxtjw) that parted the mouth of the gods..." N 100 (PT 21) Sethe Vol. 1: 7; §13c
Khem is associated with the 'opening the mouth' ceremony. Metjen who lived at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th Dynasties was Ruler of the House / Palace of 'Great Sah' (wr sAH + 3x 'town' or 'place' determinative O49). 'Great Sah' was probably named after Sah (sAH, Orion), referred to as 'Great' in the Papyrus of Ani, Pl. 15, Chap. 23: "I am Orion (sAH) the Great who dwells with the Souls (bAw) of Iunu.”
Metjen was also 'opener of the mouth' (wn-r) in Khem. An adze was used to open the mouth - the corresponding celestial adze was the large distinctive 7-star asterism Meskhetiu (msxtjw).
The northeastern sky viewed from Netjerikhet's mortuary complex along the alignment to Iunu had Meskhetiu 'suspended' over Iunu when Sirius appeared over the southeastern horizon
The possible significance of the western entrances
Snefru's southern pyramid is accessed through northern and western entrances. The western entrance is unique to the southern pyramid as pyramid entrances are usually located in the north face, but a north and west entrance layout is similar to how Netjerikhet's northern and southern tombs are accessed. Netjerikhet's north tomb under the 'step' pyramid is accessed from the north side, his south 'tomb' from the west side.
These western entrances were facing an area of the sky where the Pleiades set due west vertically aligned with the 'twin' stars Castor and Pollux.
The Pleiades, together with the 'twin' stars Castor and Pollux configuration resembles a celestial wAs-staff, a symbol of authority and “its primary function in funerary contexts was to ensure the continued welfare of the deceased." ('The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt' 1995: 304):
Capella, Pollux, Castor:
Snefru's dual pyramids relative to Netjerikhet's mortuary complex:
