As
Horus was the ultimate victor he became
known as Haroersis (Heru-ur, and Har-Wer,
in Egyptian), meaning Horus the Great,
but more usually translated as Horus the
Elder. Meanwhile, in the struggle, Set
had lost a testicle, explaining why the
desert, which Set represented is infertile.
Horus' right eye had also been gouged
out, which explained why the moon, which
it represented, was so weak compared to
the sun. It was also said that during
a new-moon, Horus had become blinded and
was titled Mekhenty-er-irty (he who has
no eyes), while when the moon became visible
again, he was re-titled Khenty-irty (he
who has eyes). While blind, it was considered
that Horus was quite dangerous, sometimes
attacking his friends after mistaking
them for enemies. Ultimately, as another
sun god, Horus became identified with
Ra as Ra-Herakhty, literally Ra, who is
Horus of the two horizons. However, this
identification proved to be awkward, for
it made Ra the son of Hathor, and therefore
a created being rather than the creator.
And,
even worse, it made Ra into Horus, who
was the son of Ra, i.e. it made Ra his
own son and father, in a standard sexually-reproductive
manner, an idea that would not be considered
comprehensible until the hellenic era.
Consequently Ra and Horus never completely
merged into a single falcon-headed sun
god. Nevertheless the idea of making the
identification persisted, and Ra continued
to be depicted as falcon-headed. Likewise,
as Ra-Herakhty, in an allusion to the
Ogdoad creation myth, Horus was occasionally
shown in art as a naked boy, with a finger
in his mouth, sitting on a lotus with
his mother. In the form of a youth, Horus
was referred to as Neferhor (also spelt
Nefer Hor, Nephoros, and Nopheros), which,
in the Egyptian language, means beautiful
Horus (i.e. youthful Horus).
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