Hedvig Győry: Mélanges offerts a Edith Varga „Le lotus qui sort de terre” (Bulletin du Musée Hongrois des Beaux-Arts Supplément 1. Budapest, 2001)

MARGARET M. BAKOS: The divine power of Wine

The Divine Power of Wine A

lthough widely consumed in today's society, wine is traditionally a beverage for special occasions. Even in Ancient Egypt, wine was not merely used to quench thirst. The ancient Egyptians used elegant goblets, beakers and small bowls, and they bestowed upon wine attributes exceeding those of a simple drink. A set of formalities evolved in the consumption of wine, and these formalities, while originally a means to an end, eventually became an end unto themselves.

1 It is necessary to consider the important role of the gods in the Egyptian society, their belief in the power of the gods to maintain their existence in this world and in the afterlife. Wine was associated with three of their divinities: Osiris, Shezmu and Hathor. Osiris, the principal god in the Myth of Creation from Heliopolis, Lord of the Dead, was also a central figure in the commemorative festival for the ressurrection and for the flood of the Nile that brought abundant crops. The vines represented the symbolic ressurrection of Osiris, as well as the beginning of a new life cycle.

2 Osiris was the god that regulated life in Egypt. The association of wine with Maat appears clearly in the "Book of the Dreams", from Chester Beatty III Papyrus: "... If one sees himself in a dream while drinking wine: good, it means he would live in justice.™ Wine was largely consumed in the various festivities in Ancient Egypt. During the crowning ceremony of each Pharaoh, it was customary for the new king to offer wine to the god Amun. On the occasion of the Heb-Sed Festival, the king would also offer wine to celebrate the gods. 1 M. Bakos, The significance of wine drinking in love and in the daily life in Ancient Egypt. In: Atti Sesto Congresso Intemazionale di Egittologia VII. Torino 1991, p. 319. J Mu-Chou Poo, The offering of wine in ancient Egypt, Thesis, Baltimore 1984, p. 206. 1 E. Bresciani, Letteratura e poesia delTAntico Egitto, Torino 1990, p. 486.