Sphinx - Egypt
The Egyptian Sphinx is: (Def. Gilbert de Jong)
A tribute to ancient astronomical wisdom on the known periodicity of Halley's Comet in general and a special tribute to the extraordinary position of the planets Saturn and Jupiter near the bright star Regulus in Leo forming an astronomical triad on the memorable day of the perihelion passage of great comet Halley's Comet on sunset of April 18 2647 BC. The Egyptian Sphinx consists of a lion's body with a human - royal- head.
This exceptional astronomical triad has been transposed to the earth near the river Nile in the arrangement of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau. The Sphinx has been set in front of the pyramid of Khafre, which is related to the position on Jupiter in the celestial triad.
Besides these three pyramids a fourth pyramid (Djedefre), also dated to the 4th dynasty of Kings, might be related to a fixed star (Arcturus) probably to fix the position of the wandering planets in relation to the star Regulus.
This tribute probably expresses the principle of Ptah or the 'Physical projection of the Soul' (Het-Ka-Ptah). The three pyramids as a whole represent the projection of the two planets (Jupiter and Saturn) and star Regulus on this memorable day when the magnificent tails of Halley's Comet must have been visible at brightest just above the setting sun on the western horizon. The comet's tails ('the metaphorical King's Soul' or Ka) illuminated by the sun and therefore directly related to sunrise and sunset, seem to have been associated with the (metaphorical) dead of Kings.
There seems to be a misunderstanding of the nature of the god Amon which can be, in my opinion, identified with Halley's Comet. Amon is related with the sungod Ra because it is the sun that shows the 'being' Amon by its sunrays. Without the rays of the sun we would not notice Amon for a comet can't be seen without the rays of the sun.
Even Herodote might not have fully understood the tense relation between the God Amon, the sun Ra, and planet Jupiter. He writes:
"Therefore the Egyptians give their statues of Jupiter the face of a ram: and from them the practice has passed to the Ammonians, who are a joint colony of Egyptians and Ethiopians, speaking a language between the two; hence also, in my opinion, the latter people took their name of Ammonians, since the Egyptian name for Jupiter is Amun.
The Greek transliteration of Het-Ka-Ptah is Hi-Gi-Ptos which has (probably) been contracted to Aegyptos or Egypt. The term Het-Ka-Ptah has been found on a stele near Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital city. So the Aegyptos is in origin close related to the Memphite region, including Giza, than to todays Egypt.
It is a small step to consider the Greek word Kometes as being a transliteration form Kemet or KM.T. The word 'Kemet' can be translated as 'from the black'. It is 'the black' (universe) where the comets come from: Our Universe. Egyptian religion, as all ancient religions, is based on the sacred secret that immortality of the soul is based on the known periodicity of Halley's Comet.
Therefore the ancient Egyptians, and their even more ancient predessors, basicallly honoured Mother Nature as their only unique god and ruler. They gave the comets' seperate apparitions the names of their kings while the priests in charge carried out their sacred wishes. When the comet showed its magnificent tails (sometimes called 'fleece') all countries of the world where under its command.
When Christianity rose the relation between the apparition comet and religion was seperated and finally lost. The image of the horned powerful fertile Apis-bull, a strong and very ancient, metaphor of Halley's Comet, was replaced by the face of Jesus Christ. We can watch the first step of this event in the introduction of Serapis.
Well, what can I say, do you know that the only remains in the King's sarcophagus found by Belzoni in the pyramid of Khafre happened to be the remains of a bull?
Explanation of the definition
At least since 2647 BC, but probably much, much earlier, it has been discovered by ancient skywatchers that there seems to be tight relation between planet Jupiter and the apparition of comets. Pliny mentions this legend in his Natural History:
"Most men are not acquainted with a truth known to the founders a of the science from their arduous study of the heavens, that what when they fall to earth are termed thunderbolts are the fires of the three upper planets, particularly those of Jupiter, which is in the middle position - possibly because it voids in this way the charge of excessive moisture from the upper circle (of Saturn) and of excessive heat from the circle below (of Mars); and that this is the origin of the myth that thunderbolts are the javelins hurled by Jupiter. Consequently heavenly fire is spit forth by the planet as crackling charcoal flies from a burning log, bringing prophecies with it, as even the part of himself that he discards does not cease to function in its divine tasks"
The exact dates of perihelion passages of Halley's Comet have been calculated and published by astronomer Joseph L. Brady in 1982 back in time until its return in 2647 BC. I simply watched the position of planet Jupiter against its stellar background on every time Halley's Comet returned and the the relation between Jupiter, Halley's Comet and Leo popped up. Planet Jupiter could be seen near Regulus in the constellation of Leo on every third return of Halley's Comet.
On the day of perihelion passage Halley's Comet, for the orbit of Halley's Comet is tilted, reached its highest position in the sky and this day seemed to have been of major importance to ancient skywatchers in relation to 'comet-based' religion. Because on this particular day the distance between the frozen clump of stones and ice and the sun is at shortest and the tails of Halley's Comet must have been, because of the melting down, must have been ver well visible with the naked eye.
Regulus in the brightest star in the constellation of Leo (Lion) and is also the star that is closest to the ecliptic plane. Regulus lies very close to the ecliptic, plane of our solar system, and so from time to time we will see the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn pass close by.
The intermediate returns of Halley's Comet show the same pattern for the position of Jupiter although less consequent, for the zodiac-constellations Sagittarius (sometimes Ophiuchus) and Aries (sometimes Piscis, Taurus or Gemini).
The Egyptian Sphinx holds the sacred and secret knowledge of priest-astronomers-architects who where, appearantly, able to predict the (exact year of the) next return of our most famous periodic comet by counting the orbits of Jupiter. The comet could be seen, by naked eye, for several weeks up to several months, at sunrise and/or sunset. The famous perfect human face of the Sphinx represents, in my opinion, the false-bearded(1) face of the 'avatar' King from Heaven who resides in his palace (2) and metaphorically ascended the throne on the day of perihelion passage when the comet, associated with the eternal translucent soul or spirit of the King, reached its highest point in the sky on this particular day.
Astronomical facts
Egyptologists noticed the head of the Sphinx resembles the head of the pharaoh/king Khafra known from statues. This pharaoh is associated with the pyramid in the middle (Jupiter) in the celestial triad). I believe they are right but the King's head probably represented not only the head of King Khafra in particular but also the head of the 'Universal King' for the returning comet has been associated with the concept of Kingdom, leadership and rulership since mankind became aware of its returning, never dying, nature. The translucent shining tail of the mighty comet that became visible at sunrise or sunset was seen as the everlasting soul (Ka) of the metaphorical mighty King.
1- On April 18 2647 BC, the day of perihelion passage when the comet obviously could be seen closest to the sun, the conjunction of Regulus-Jupiter-Saturn could be seen almost in the zenith of the sky in the constellation of Leo. The two King's planets (Saturn and Jupiter) and the King's Star (Regulus) resemble the masterplan 'the foundation stones' of the famous Giza-pyramids.
This astronomical fact can easily be checked by astronomical software such as Starry Night (Pro). The date of the perihelion passage of Halley's Comet on April 18 2647 BC has been published by astronomer Joseph L. Brady in 1982 by the British Astronomical Association. The software does not show the position of the comet right away but it is possible to adjust the orbital elements of Halley's Comet provided by Brady and see the famous comet on the screen.
2- Jupiter can be found in the constellation of Leo every third apparition of Halley's Comet. This fact can easily be checked by inserting the dates of perihelion passages of Halley's Comet provided by Joseph L. Brady and look for the position of Jupiter on each perihelion passage of our most famous comet. It will show: Jupiter is related to the constellation of Leo. At least from the oldest perihelion passage date of the comet (2647 BC) until 393 BC. In 393 BC the sequence of the Jupiter in Leo in the year Halley's Comet could be seen closest to the sun ended and the year of the return of Halley's Comet could not be predicted any longer by priest-astronomers.
3- There is another remarkable fact. Almost every year a close parallel heliacal rise or set of Jupiter and Venus can be seen. Both planets rise at sunrise in the east or at sunset in the west, like two bright shining eyes, above the horizon. Sometimes they can't be seen (metaphorical 'Blind' King like Djoser), sometimes they appear to be ONE (metaphorical: cyclope). One bright eye. Sometimes one eye is a little higher than the other. The position of the eyes can be used to distinguish one apparition of the comet, or the King's Soul, from another.
The planets Jupiter and Venus approach each other in the period of a couple of days and then the orbits seem to cross. The planets switch places before leaving in opposite direction. In my opinion this celestial cross is the real cross in heaven. This celestial cross, in relation with the apparition of Halley's Comet, might be the greatest secret of religion and the azimuth of this cross, always in the vicinity of the sun, might have caused the orientation of ancient megalithical sites like dolmens. In other occasions the position of Venus and Jupiter might have been transposed on the earth like giant rings, hills and so on.
I discovered this astronomical relation between 'the eyes' and the return of Halley's Comet for the first time on El Fuerte de Samaipata, an UNESCO-site in Bolivia, that seems to be related to the return of Halley's Comet in 1066 AD. The two parallel tracks that can be seen on this marvellous sculptured hill seem to point to an august date in the same year when Venus and Jupiter rose parallel, close to each other, just before sunrise, exactly above the two tracks. The tracks mark the more or less parallel heliacal rising (azimuth) of Jupiter and Venus in the year 1066 AD and also seem to mark the offspring of the famous Ince-empire.
These are astronomical facts and can be checked by anyone interested in the roots of ancient wisdom and religion. The next step we have to take is on the logic but slippery pad of interpretations and metaphors.
The Age of the Sphinx
Because the Sphinx was set like a kind of guardian in the time of the construction of the pyramids, the sacred knowledge (the Jupiter/Leo/Comet relation) itself was probably, at least, hundreds of years, if not thousands of years, older. We have to consider the following:
1- The metaphor of a Lion was probably chosen as metaphor for the 'hairy star' because of the lions' long manes. This idea seems to be confirmed by early seals. You can find more information on the website of R. Cedric Leonard "A pre-dynastic Sphinx'. The relation between a comet and the metaphor of 'long hair' can be found here.
2- another possible reason of choosing the lion as metaphor for Halley's Comet is because of the bright 'warning' and shining eyes related to the apparition of the famous comet. The imaginary eyes visible above the horizon (see point three above) at sunrise, resembled the eyeshine of a feline.
On a pyramidion, the top stone of pyramids, we can often find the two 'warning' eyes related to Halley's Comet return.
About Khafra
The Giza pyramids seem to have been arranged in honor of the apparition of Halley's Comet in 2647 BC. But is this date controversial with the fourth dynasty of Kings, and the age of Khafra, that are related to the three
"There is no agreement on the date of his reign (Khafra); some authors say it was between 2558 BC and 2532 BC; this dynasty is commonly dated ca. 2650 BC–2480 BC." Source: Wikipedia.
If the pyramids are built based on the apparition of Halley's Comet, As I think they are, than the pyramids are constructed after 2647 BC. After some years of designing and planning it becomes reasonable to assume the bases of the pyramids have been built between 2647 BC and 2572 BC (the next apparition of the Comet).
On June 25 2572 BC the next perihelion passage of Halley's Comet occured in Midsummer. On this special day planet Jupiter can not be found in the constellation of Leo but in the constellation of Archer (Sagittarius).
Because the Sphinx is (almost) facing due east it can not be related to the apparition of April 18 2647 BC. But it might very well related to the apparition of June 25 2572 BC, midsummer, 75 years later.
The ancient Egyptians created a masterpiece: the general layout of the three pyramids and the position of the Sphinx mark the significant days of April 18 2647 and June 25 2572 BC.
The next apparition of Halley's Comet is almost certainly related to the construction of the Great Pyramid when Halley's Comet came closest to the sun on November 1 2497 BC. The third pyramid seems to be related to September 17 2423 BC. This date is near the autumnal equinox (september 22/23). On this apparition Jupiter could be found again in the constellation of Leo and a remarkable period, incorparating 4 returns of our brightest comet, came to an end. The whole period between 2647 BC and 2423 BC is known as the 4th dynasty of Kings.
The origin of the astronomical knowledge
Many temples in Egypt are dedicated to the god/planet Jupiter '(See: Herodote (search for 'Jupiter' in the document)). Memphis is from origin a Phoenician settlement/colony and there obviously has been a connection between priests from Memphis and Byblos. Byblos, on the Lebanese coast, is a Phoenician settlement too. It is known that Sneferu, the first King of the 4th dynasties imported 40 loads of timber from an unknown land (See: Palermo stone), which is almost certainly Lebanon.
I have noticed that, what has been considered the First Temple at Gobekli Tepe is already signifying a possible relation between religion, a threatning attacking lion, and a comets' (moving) tail. If this is indeed the case than Gobekli Tepe might be considered to be a temple which shows a very early experience of the fearfull apparition of Halley's Comet and its relation to fertility and threads. It also shows that at this very early stage of human culture many metaphors of Halleys Comet have been used. The following images, of which I believe are metaphors of the Halley's Comet, have been found in Gobekli Tepe (Klaus Schmidt):
- A lizzard. This reptile can loose its tail sometimes and its tail can regenerate. The metaphoric parallel with the growing tail of Halley's Comet can easily be ascertainted.
- A (young/yellow) bird 'orbiting' the rising sun. If the flying bird (yellow, without feathers) can be considered to be a metaphor for Halley's Comet because it shows rightly the orbit of the comet and its highest position above the sun on one particular day at sunrise. The fire-bird, related to sunrise or sunset, is Halley's Comet which 'hoovers' above the sun (the metaphorical 'egg') every abut 75 years.
- A boar. They were very hairy and can be, because of this raison, be related to the Hairstar.
- A scorpio. The use of the sting of a Scorpio as a metaphor of Halley's Comet is known from Babylon (A. H. Sayce, Babylonian Inscriptions)
- A fox/foxes. Depicted with a long (hairy) tail/tails.
There is definitely a relation between Byblos and Gobekli Tepe too for stone arrowpoints have been found in the Tells of Byblos that point to the origin of Gobekli Tepe (3). The relation between other pre-Turkish sites and the first dynasties of Kings can also be noticed in the use of Bullshorns in both countries in relation to religious practises. But is the ancient knowledge on Halley's Comet return coming solely from the Asian Minor area?
I don't think so. There seems to be a path of civilization that connects Anatolia, Northern Syria towards England along the large European rivers (4) and seems to 'end' in Ireland. It is in Ireland that we might notice a tradition of ancient astronomy related to apparitions of Halley's Comet. I noticed the images of fishbones in Newgrange that might be metaphors of Halley's Comet. In fact the Throne of Saint Patrick is related to April 18 when the sun seems to roll off one of the mountaintops. It is April 18 2647 that can be related to the Giza Plateau also.
So in my opinion the Irish Druids and the ancient eastern people basically shared the same religion and knowledge based on Halley's Comet return. The Phoenicians originally from the land of the proto-Hittites on the Lebanese coast, might be considered responsible for the concept of the masterplan, the fund-raising and the construction of the pyramids on the famous Giza Plateau. We might notice an early 'joint venture' project that took many years to accomplish and which shows the combined skills of several nations on stoneworking, ancient astronomy, religious roots and sacred and secret knowledge on apparitions of Halley's Comet.
The word 'Giza' is known in ancient Celtic as 'Gesa' and means: "Persons where put under vows to do or not to do a thing. They where said to be under Gesa . This was often imposed with certain spells or charms". (5)
Ofcourse there are many other indications that the Irish Druids where involved in Egyptian religious practises. The Irish people are famous because of their red hair. This might be the reason why the Greeks called them 'Phoinikes' or 'red people'. (see: National Geographic) In Egypt many natural red-haired mummies have been found as on other places in the world indicating a pre-celtic origin.
There seems to be another reason why, especially in Egypt, these pyramids must have been constructed. Ancient priest-astronomers seem to have sought a Genius Loci, where they could construct a monument that would reflect the final victory over the Bull of Heaven by incorporating all the ancient knowledge on planning, construction, religion and astronomy, incorporating the ancient knowledge on the comet's return, and that would last for ever. They left us a legacy but we where not able to recognize its concept and although these marvellous constructions where built by the hard labour of ancient Egyptians, we can and may not credit them entirely with the development of the Masterplan.
The Bull
The Sphinx is related to 'Bullworship'. The Bull of Heaven, as we have seen, can be considered a metaphor for Halley's Comet. The horns of, what I think are the horns of the Apis bull, might once have decorated the breast of the famous Sphinx. There is an image of the Sphinx on the famous 'dreamstele' of Thutmosis IV. On the chest of one of the Sphinxes I believe I found an image of a Memphis Bull depicted with a black tear falling from its eye. There is definitely a kind of bulb on the breast of the Great Sphinx but its image is to faint to draw any conclusions: nobody knows for sure.
The Nose of the Sphinx
The nose of the famous Sphinx was blown of by Sa'im al Dahr in the year 1378 AD:
(Source: Wikipedia) "The Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi, writing in the fifteenth century, attributes the vandalism to Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, a Sufi fanatic from the khanqah of Sa'id al-Su'ada. In 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose, and was hanged for vandalism. Al-Maqrizi describes the Sphinx as the “Nile talisman” on which the locals believed the cycle of inundation depended."
What could have been the reason of Muhammad Sa´im Al-Dahr violence? Well, I think we should consider the return of Halley's Comet in the year 1378 AD. It is the same year in which the nose of the Sphinx was blown off.
The Arabian name of the Sphinx is 'Abu Hôl' (Father of Terror). In 1066 AD, only 4 returns earlier, a great drought commenced in Egypt which lasted seven years and killed thousands of people. 1066 AD is also the year of Halley's Comet return and - ofcourse- the comet was blamed for Cairo's famine which forced people to eat rats and human flesh.
It makes sence to assume that when Sa'im al Dahr witnessed the return of the famous comet in 1378 AD he decided to attack the statue of the Sphinx which was so intensily related to the apparitons of Halley's Comet ('Abu Hôl') and the history of Egypt. The memories of plagues, droughts and other disasters, related to the apparition of Halley's Comet, might be the real reason for the destruction of the nose of the Sphinx.
Zodiac signs and Halley's Comet
This might indicate that the origin of western Zodiac constellations relations with metaphors of Halley's Comet:
Scorpio (Scorpion) - 'King Scorpio' is a pre-dynastic ruler in Egypt. The metaphor of the tail of a Scorpio in relation with the apparition of Halley's Comet is known from an account from Sumer.
Taurus (Bull), Aries (Ram) and Capricorn (horned Goat). Horns in different shapes can be related to apparitions of Halley's Comet.
Leo (Lion) - Manes ('King' Menes?) and long hair have been used as metaphors for the apparation of Halley's Comet.
Sagittarius (Archer) - An arrow, a sword, a spear and a dagger are metaphors have been used to describe the shape of the tail of Halley's Comet.
Pisces (Fish) - Images of fishbones can be considered metaphors of Halley's Comet tail. See for instance my article on Newgrange.
Kemet
The apparition of the comet in ancient
Remarks
(1) Fragment of the plaited ceremonial false beard (kmt_sesh) of the Sphinx can be found in the British Museum. The false beard seems to be one of the attributes of power, based on the many forms related to the change-shifting Halley's Comet, that seem to have made up the avatar of a King. The bulls' tail and the bulls horns are other parts of the Bull-metaphor that can be related to the universal King.
(2) The metaphor of a King for an apparition of Halley's Comet is at least as old as the cave-paintings of Lascaux cave that has been dated about 14.000 - 15.000 BC. There is a similiarity in the symbol of the 'Kings Palace' that can be found just above a painting of a horse and the first 'serekhs' of the Egyptian so-called Dynasty 0. See the work of W. Kaiser on these serekhs on the excellent website of Francesco Raffaele.
(3) Schmidt, Klaus. Sie bauten die ersten Tempel. Das rätselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjäger. München. Erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage, 2007. P. 87, 88. ISBN 978-3-406-53500-0.
(4) Lehmann Johannes. Die Hethiter. München. Definitely worth reading. In English: The Hittites : people of a thousand gods. ISBN 0670374156. In this book Lehmann seems to be the first who argues that the Snake from Heaven (Labbu) and the Bull from Heaven (Stormgod) can be related to the apparition of comets!
(5) Bonwick, James. Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions. Dorset Press. 1986. P. 82. ISBN 0-88029-070-6.
