Hatshepsut

Thebes, royal palace, in the same week

Thebes, royal palace, in the same week

Ahmose was proud of Hatshepsut. When she was with Thutmose, they decided that it was time for their daughter to become the Divine Wife of Amun, and she realized that her wonderful gift from the gods was almost a mature woman: strong, intelligent, and almost ready to exercise power.

It seemed like yesterday that she had held her little daughter for the first time in her arms. She remembered that day perfectly.

As the birth approached, she went with her ladies and servants to the royal birth pavilion. It was located in the back of the palace, near the pool and the garden. It was shaped like a circle supported by five columns. Built of richly decorated wood, golden statues of Hathor, Isis, Nephthys, Serket, and Tefnut stood inside in front of each column.

At the head of the pavilion stood a birthing chair carved with the image of Taueret, a pregnant goddess with a hippopotamus head, who was considered extremely powerful. For many days before the birth, offerings were made under each statue and incense was burned to obtain the support of the goddesses. Thanks to them, the baby would reach the world in an uncomplicated manner.

In this quiet, peaceful, and flowery place, far from the daily turmoil of the palaces, where princes and princesses of blood came into the world. Hatshepsut was also born there.

“Come, come, come,” the priestesses of Taueret chanted, circling Ahmose.

At the same time, they made gestures encouraging the baby to come into the world. The queen laid on a comfortable, wide sofa. Servants anointed the skin of her belly with fragrant oil. The priestesses placed amulets of stone and wood on her body to facilitate childbirth. Ahmose felt the power of their actions. The warmth of the flat, round stones spread throughout her body, encouraging the baby to leave its safe home. When finally, the baby touched the door of the world for the first time, Ahmose felt a slight contraction. The midwives told her that the miracle of the birth had begun, and they gave her a drink to calm the pain. After a few hours of walking in the garden, massaging her belly and drinking the soft drink that eased the pains, the cramps intensified, and they brought the queen to the gold padded chair covered with finely woven linen.

“Come, come, come,” they sang, their bare feet dancing to the rhythm on the wooden floor while they played the sistrum, the instrument of the goddess.

In a moment, Ahmose felt that the doors of the world were opening for her daughter and soon the princess would be with her – that in a moment, she would hear her first cry.

Then they placed the baby against her chest. ‘She’ … a wonderful gift from the gods. ‘She’ … because from the beginning Ahmose knew that she would give a girl to the world. This was what the goddess Hathor told her in a dream shortly after the royal seed appeared in her cave. Ahmose dreamed three times about her, announcing that she would give birth to a daughter who would be the first of all women. Hathor assured Ahmose that a girl would come into the world. Also, Hathor had told Ahmose her name and also said that she would be the greatest woman to sit on the throne of Egypt. Ahmose was humble before these dreams.

Like almost everyone in Egypt, Ahmose believed in the power of dreams. She knew that when we dream, the gods open the doors of our world. They show us the past, the future, and the spaces that are parallel to ours. If they wished to, they warned us of the risks or gave solutions to the problems or answers to questions.

In addition to the clear message from the goddess that gave the queen the certainty that she would give birth to a girl who was to inherit a bright future, the priestesses of Hathor had also confirmed these divine words. When the goddess told her about the happiness that awaited her, stopping her red moon days, the priestesses put two containers on the terrace to water the wheat and oat seeds every morning with the Queen's urine. For a long time, the seeds did not germinate, and finally, the buds grew almost simultaneously. The priestess said that maybe they could be twins by the will of the gods, or that the s*x of the child was not yet decided. However, when the wheat finally grew, she was sure that in the world, according to the predictions of the dream, a girl was to be born.

“Come, come, come!” The priestesses of Taueret shouted louder and louder, and when the head of the baby appeared between the wide legs of the Queen, the intensity of the dance increased, and they sang even louder.

“Last effort, my Queen,” said one of two priestesses who accompanied her in childbirth.

Ahmose took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared her whole body. It seemed to her that she was going to break. Her sweat was cold. She gritted her teeth.

Will I go away with the gods? - she thought and felt as if her body was being split into small pieces. However, a moment later, she felt a distinct relief. Almost immediately, she heard the sharp cries of her daughter.

“She is beautiful, my Queen. As you are,” said the Priestess, handing the baby to her, naked but washed clean with water.

“The will of the gods has allowed a royal daughter who will live forever, to come into the world!” Announced the second Priestess as she recited the formal ritual, and leaned against Ahmose.

“Madam, for your sake the gods have given Egypt a beautiful and strong Princess. People across the whole country will be offering her a blessing!”

However, Ahmose did not hear what the women around her were saying. She stared with wonder at the beautiful baby girl in her arms, who, as soon as the Priestess put the baby on her chest, stopped crying.

“My miracle, my beautiful gift from the gods...” Said Ahmose embracing her baby tenderly. “You're the most wonderful girl in the world, my little one.”

It had now been many years since the day of her birth and Hatshepsut would have an honor that had not been granted to any daughters of a Pharaoh before. As was customary, the Divine Spouse of Amun, the Supreme Priestess of the most important of the gods, was always the Queen. This time, the Pharaoh decided it would be different. His daughter, despite being so young, would replace her mother in this honorable duty.

People assumed that it would happen because an unusual situation required a unique solution. The Pharaoh was sick and felt that he approached the gates of eternity. His eldest sons, Wadjimose and Amenmose, were dead. If Hatshepsut hadn’t been born a woman, she could take the throne. However, she was not born a male child. She could only be the Supreme Royal Spouse and only theoretically the Queen of Egypt.

Pharaoh knew perfectly that his daughter had been born to govern. He observed her behavior many times; he knew how strong Hatshepsut was and knew her way of thinking since he often spoke with her. She was extremely wise and disciplined. Besides, with the succession of each year of her life, it became more discernible that she was extremely similar to himself. He loved his daughter, and after the unexpected death of Wadjimose and Amenmose, he would give her the throne. However, Pharaoh knew that it would be contrary to tradition. It was true that the history of Egypt had known powerful Queens who ruled the country alone, but he was a traditionalist, preferring that his successor be a man. However, Hatshepsut was still quite young. No one knew how she would guide the gods. Also, he was an advocate of the idea that to exercise power, especially the higher power, one needed to be mature.

"A woman Pharaoh?" He wondered. "It is absurd. Anyway, why change the eternal order, why bother people? When I die, one of my male descendants should sit on the throne. Although Thutmose is sickly and weak, he is the eldest son. It would be better if Amun would indicate his successor. That real power would be in the hands of Ahmose and Hatshepsut was obvious, but the man should sit on the throne. Egypt does not like revolutionary changes.

By the will of the gods, pronounced by the lips of her father, Hatshepsut would become first as the Divine Spouse of Amun, while Pharaoh still enjoyed the Sun of the day. Immediately after that, she should become the spouse of a Prince, one of her half-brothers. Thus, Thutmose wanted to ensure his daughter inherited the throne, and therefore Egypt, who would inherit peace and permanence following the eternal order of the Maat.

The Pharaoh predicted that if, after the death of his son, whose position would be reinforced by his marriage with Hatshepsut – the only royal daughter of blood not sitting on the throne – a relentless power struggle could break out, joined by many of the most influential and wealthy aristocrats. After all, internal disputes were not in line with the Maat, were not good for the ruling dynasty, and thus were undesirable, even with the influence of the priests. Above all, the most important thing for him was that he would lose the country. It is better for everything to be resolved by timeless traditions so that they do not disturb anything.

Ahmose wholeheartedly agreed with the decision of her spouse. She was sure that solution, which would ensure the continuity of power, would bring peace to Egypt, would save the future of her daughter, and would guarantee that she, as Grand Spouse, would continue to have everything that she had had so far. Also, as well as everyone else in the Court, Ahmose knew that Hatshepsut was perfectly prepared to perform the roles that awaited her in the future.

Ahmose recalled not only the day of Hatshepsut’s birth but also the subsequent years of her life. From the beginning, she was sure that her wonderful gift from the gods was not a girl like the others. It was true that in her early childhood Hatshepsut, as other children in Egypt, wore a lock of youth, i.e., a single lock of hair on a carefully shaved head, ran about like other naked babies by the garden of the Palace, and looked like all the other girls of her age. However, since she was little,she showed a lot of interest in male activities. While other little princesses and daughters of ladies of the Court spoke of costumes, manufactured dolls, and jewelry with their nurses, and when they were older, they learned to weave, the art of face painting, combing their wigs of summer and winter hair, learned to recognize herbs and make medicinal potions, Hatshepsut preferred other activities.

Hatshepsut was interested in the world. As soon as she learned to talk, she asked her nurse, Sitre, to take her to the Palace. Hatshepsut liked to visit its remote corners; looking into the kitchen, the servant’s rooms, pantries, storerooms, and stables. She wanted to explore the neighboring Royal gardens. This meant that soon, the way to more distant sectors were easy for her. She had many questions and patiently expected comprehensive answers. She dragged the nurse to the rooms of the Pharaoh, where she had the opportunity to talk to him if he wasn't busy, or if he allowed it, listened to the conversations that were held.

One day, Hatshepsut discovered that life also existed outside the palace, and began to demand loudly to go beyond the palace walls. Her desire was fulfilled, and as a small child often with a nurse, she walked around Thebes and observed the daily life of her future kingdom. Hatshepsut was very interested in all she saw. She wanted to know what they ate, where they lived and worked, how many children they had, and why they dressed differently from people who stayed in the palace.

When allowed to do so, she was happy to join her mother on the barges as they traveled along the Nile, when Ahmose made a tour of the palaces scattered throughout Egypt. The Queen watched with admiration the reactions of her daughter to the world surrounding her. The girl looked at everything. Nothing escaped her attention. Hatshepsut was delighted with both the spectacle of the pyramids and the sacred beetle rolling in the sand. With interest, her mother listened to what she had to say about the stars and constellations, but that they also told the story of the miracle of life.

“What did the gods create first: a fruit or its seedi?” Hatshepsut asked, and Ahmose snickered at her curiosity.

Observing the interests of her daughter and her lively mind, the Queen asked her spouse for him to select a master who would be in charge of her education. Pharaoh fulfilled the wish of his spouse, and it was then that Master Senimen appeared in the life of Hatshepsut, alongside Sitre; her nurse and friend to be.

When Hatshepsut was a child and first visited the House of Life where she saw the papyri filled with the writings of the gods, she immediately wanted to know their secrets. She learned to write and do things for herself, putting her brands on papyrus with a reed brush. Hatshepsut also learned mathematics and geometry and learned about heaven and the earth. She heard stories about distant lands, vast seas, and mountains that reached the stars and abysses so deep that you could not see the bottom.

With bated breath, she listened to the voice of the teacher as he talked about people living in distant lands. She learned about the existence of a race of yellow-skinned people with slanted eyes, and those whose hair was white as snow, and their countries were so cold that they wore the skin of hunted animals, not to emphasize its strength, but to keep them warm, and she thought why not? They shaved their heads or plucked their bodies. Their countries became white with snow, and the rains were cold. The snow covered all of the ground and did not disappear for months.

However, she enjoyed stories about ancient Egypt and its ancestors the most. Stories of the gods who came to Heliopolis to give knowledge to the priests, of the first Pharaoh, Menes, who brought the sacred vehicle of electrum6 to the Earth, because he was a god. She was proud to know that a fragment of this vehicle was hidden from the eyes of mortals in Heliopolis and that only the Pharaoh and the priest could see them. She knew that the rulers of Egypt renewed their strength from it. She dreamed of seeing this place, wanted to touch the sacred Benben Stone - because that is what the remnants of the vehicle of the gods was called – and to feel its power.

What needs to happen for me to get this honor? She thought. She did not ask herself if it would be possible to, but only how she could achieve this.

The role the gods were going to give to her daughter was also unknown to Queen Ahmose. For a strong and wise girl who, at the age of five, was able to convince her father to take her with him to the war in Kush, nothing was impossible. She noted with admiration how the small creature employed the love of her father skillfully: a hard soldier who rarely showed feelings for anyone. She, the Queen, despite having spent many years next to him, and despite her considerable efforts, had never been as successful as his young daughter had. Hatshepsut was a girl who could easily soften the ruler’s masculine heart, and at the same time, was a girl who seemed to possess the sacred and eternal Ka of the last Pharaohs. She saw the world as if she had at least one hundred years of experience.

Ahmose studied the small Hatshepsut who sat on a chair next to her at the end of the war in Kush. Hatshepsut’s composure and discipline made a great impression on everyone. Every day, Hatshepsut watched the violence, cruelty, and massacres, saw the brutal treatment towards the vanquished, and observed carefully how the Egyptian soldiers pierced the hearts of their enemies. She never turned her head or even closed her eyes to avoid being witness to the horrors. Hatshepsut could hide her feelings that these images evoked in her. She was extremely mature for her age, and the control of her behavior and emotions were something that Pharaoh himself even felt.

Thutmose taught his daughter to love Egypt, showed her how to master the world on behalf of the conservation of the Maat, how to have a strong hand, and how to punish Egypt’s enemies. He explained that force and violence were necessary to keep order in the kingdom, and severe punishment of opponents was not only justified but also necessary.

“We’ve conquered Kush,” he told his daughter as if she were an adult. “I ordered the decimation of everyone who had the audacity of rising against us. I ordered their leader killed. Those who remain there will remember that the desire to fight against Egypt will end tragically for them. They will talk about this for the coming two generations, perhaps more. If we forgive them, my army would have to return there in a year or so, two years’ maximum, because it would be a fire that still smoldered and one that would burst into flame if even a single branch were thrown on it. In such cases, a ruler may show grace, but he must be fair at the same time.” He looked severely at his daughter, checking she understood.

“Their leader was killed by your hand. You personally cut off his hands, even though he couldn't do any more harm anyone,” she said rationally.

Thutmose smiled, and with fatherly tenderness held in check, overlaid her small hand that she had placed on his knee.

“The old Egyptian military tradition makes us cut the hands of the defeated, you know.”

“Tell me why we do this?” asked Hatshepsut.

“So that they can’t lift a weapon against us after death, that’s why.” Even the Pharaoh, who personally defeated his most important opponent in combat, cut off his hands himself. “Why do you think that is?” he asked.

“To set an example,” Hatshepsut replied.

“Yes, Princess.” He was happy with her answers. “The Pharaoh and the Royal family are a model to be followed, and we show them how to behave.”

“We are setting them a good example,” she said with pride.

“Soldiers will fight devotedly for Eternal Egypt only under the leadership of one whose strength is undeniable and can show the supreme example of divine perfection on Earth. They should feel the power of the Pharaoh! Without this, they will not fight with conviction!” Thutmose raised his voice perhaps a little more than he intended but became excited when he talked about the war.

“The Pharaoh is the basis of the cosmic order,” said Hatshepsut, without paying attention to her father.

“I am proud of you, my daughter.” Thutmose admired the wisdom of his daughter once again that day. “Someday, you’ll adorn the Egyptian throne.”

“I already do!” she screamed, and without asking permission, since there was no one other than her mother in the room, climbed up on to the knees of her father.

“Of course, you do!” Thutmose laughed loudly.

Ahmose looked at the scene.

Hatshepsut has the power of the ancient Pharaohs inside of her, she thought. She's five years old and can handle the feelings of others. She will be the perfect Queen. My own blood!

Even then, during the cruel but victorious war in Kush, Ahmose was almost sure that Hatshepsut, if permitted by the gods, would sit on the throne. However, now that the Nile had overflowed many times since then using the will of the gods to fertilize the fields, and the gods had taken Wadjimose and Amenmose; Ahmose asked herself the question of when life left Thutmose, who would be his successor then? This was a huge concern and the reason for the anxiety of the Queen, the Pharaoh, as well as all the dignitaries of the Court and the temple.

Amun, did you really want her to be born a girl? Ahmose thought, lying on her bed.

It was late at night, and still, she could not sleep. So much had happened lately in the Palace. So many unknowns had appeared in her life. She prayed for the health of the King, she asked the gods to allow Thutmose to live as long as possible, and when Amun decided to take him, to save the Pharaoh from suffering.

If Hatshepsut had been a man, she would be the legitimate successor to the throne. Lord, you know that she is the ideal ruler, she thought while praying to Amun, before succumbing to sleep. Please, tell me, what are your plans for the daughter you gave me? What path do you want to follow?