Book of the Heavenly Cow

The sky goddess Nut depicted as a cow and supported by the eight Heh gods

The Book of the Heavenly Cow (Arabic: كتاب البقرة السماوية Kitab al-Baqarat al-Samawia), or the Book of the Cow of Heaven, is an Ancient Egyptian text thought to have originated during the Amarna Period and, in part, describes the reasons for the imperfect state of the world in terms of humankind's rebellion against the supreme sun god, Ra. Divine punishment was inflicted through the goddess Hathor, with the survivors suffering through separation from Ra, who now resided in the sky on the back of Nut, the heavenly cow.

With this "fall", suffering and death came into the world, along with a fracture in the original unity of creation.^[1] The creator god now changes into many heavenly bodies, creates the "Fields of Paradise" for the blessed dead, perhaps appoints Geb as his heir, hands over the rule of humankind to Osiris (Thoth ruling the night sky as his deputy), with Shu and the Heh gods now supporting the sky goddess Nut.^[2]^: 75, 77

Though the text is recorded in the New Kingdom period, it is written in Middle Egyptian and may have been written during the Middle Kingdom period.^[3]

^ Hornung, Erik (2001). The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West. Translated by Lorton, David. Cornell University Press. p. 17. ISBN 0-8014-3847-0.
^ Pinch, Geraldine (2004). A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. pp. 75, 77. ISBN 0-19-517024-5.
^ Lichtheim, Miriam (1976). Ancient Egyptian Literature. University of California Press. pp. 197–198. ISBN 0-520-03615-8.

[1] Hornung, Erik (2001). The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West. Translated by Lorton, David. Cornell University Press. p. 17. ISBN 0-8014-3847-0.

[Pinch_2004-2] Pinch, Geraldine (2004). A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. pp. 75, 77. ISBN 0-19-517024-5.

[miriam-3] Lichtheim, Miriam (1976). Ancient Egyptian Literature. University of California Press. pp. 197–198. ISBN 0-520-03615-8.

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