The Egyptian myth of Isis and the seven scorpions Alex Gendler
A woman in rags emerged from the swamp
flanked by seven giant scorpions.
Carrying a baby, she headed
for the nearest village to beg for food.
She approached a magnificent mansion,
but the mistress of the house
took one look at her grimy clothes
and unusual companions
and slammed the door in her face.
So she continued down the road
until she came to a cottage.
The woman there took pity on the stranger
and offered her what she could:
a simple meal and a bed of straw.
Her guest was no ordinary beggar.
She was Isis,
the most powerful goddess in Egypt.
Isis was in hiding from her brother Set,
who murdered her husband and wanted
to murder her infant son, Horus.
Set was also a powerful god,
and he was looking for them.
So to keep her cover,
Isis had to be very discreet—
she couldn’t risk using her powers.
But she was not without aid.
Serket, goddess of venomous creatures,
had sent seven of her fiercest servants
to guard Isis and her son.
As Isis and Horus settled
into their humble accommodation,
the scorpions fumed at how the wealthy
woman had offended their divine mistress.
They all combined their venom
and gave it to one of the seven, Tefen.
In the dead of night,
Tefen crept over to the mansion.
As he crawled under the door,
he saw the owner’s young son
sleeping peacefully
and gave him a mighty sting.
Isis and her hostess were soon awakened
by loud wailing.
As they peered out of the doorway
of the cottage,
they saw a mother running
through the street,
weeping as she cradled her son.
When Isis recognized the woman
who had turned her away,
she understood what her
scorpions had done.
Isis took the boy in her arms
and began to recite a powerful spell:
“O poison of Tefen, come out of him
and fall upon the ground!
Poison of Befen, advance not,
penetrate no farther, come out of him,
and fall upon the ground!
For I am Isis, the great Enchantress,
the Speaker of spells.
Fall down, O poison of Mestet!
Hasten not, poison of Mestetef!
Rise not, poison of Petet and Thetet!
Approach not, poison of Matet!”
With each name she invoked,
that scorpion’s poison was neutralized.
The child stirred,
and his mother wept with gratitude
and lamented her earlier callousness,
offering all her wealth
to Isis in repentance.
The woman who had taken Isis in
watched in awe—
she had had no idea who she’d brought
under her roof.
And from that day on,
the people learned to make a poultice
to treat scorpion bites,
speaking magical incantations
just as the goddess had.