“

God is a master craftsman;
yet none can draw the lines of His Person.
Fair features first came into being
in the hushed dark where He mused alone;
He forged His own figure there,
hammered His likeness out of Himself —
All-powerful one (yet kindly,
whose heart would lie open to men).

He mingled His heavenly god-seed
with the inmost parts of His being,
Planting His image there
in the unknown depths of His mystery.
He cared, and the sacred form
took shape and contour, resplendent at birth!
God, skilled in the intricate ways of the craftsman
first fashioned Himself to perfection.

”

— from “The Leiden Hymns”, ancient Egypt, circa 1227 BCE. Translated by John L. Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology

Note that when ancient Egyptians used the word “God” alone like this it’s meant to refer to whichever particular god may be under discussion. In this case it’s Amun.

I went back to the Leiden hymns because of a statement in one of my other books on ancient Egyptian culture. The author had said that ancient Egypt had no mystics. I already knew it to be highly improbable at best (and how could someone claim to know such a thing about a civilization that was around for millennia and that we only have comparatively scant literature from and no direct contact??), but many parts of the Leiden hymns seem to show otherwise in a very direct way. It’s little things scattered here and there throughout the hymns. This hymn is one of the more obvious ones. I strongly recommend getting hold of a good translation of these. Some of them can be found on the Internet, and several are in the book I’m currently quoting from. (via youneedacat)