“But then Horus was born.”
Amon nodded. “Horus was the delight of his mother, and he inherited a portion of her power. His mother channeled the moon in her magic, and Horus was granted a great gift from the moon. He was born with filmy eyes that could see in the darkness. It was said that his eyes could create light. Horus could see great distances and he could discern the tiniest detail. Prey could not hide from him and he could find the truth amidst lies.
“Isis nurtured her son and his gifts. He was raised in secret, and his mother took on a new identity to prevent Seth from finding them. When Horus was of age, Isis took her son and approached Amun-Ra himself, asking for his help in returning her son to his rightful place as a ruler. Amun-Ra was disinclined to help. Horus had no experience and Seth had become very powerful.
“Frustrated, Isis turned to magic. She called an asp from the desert and hand-fed him a rat that she had poisoned with magic. The vermin did not kill the snake, but the poison made the asp’s venom powerful enough to harm a god, even one as potent as Amun-Ra.
“Knowing where the god liked to walk every evening, Isis placed the snake in his path. He ignored it as he did most creatures since he could not be harmed, and when the snake bit, he chuckled and continued on his walk.
“At sundown, Amun-Ra rode the ceremonial barque through the underworld, and just as he emerged to begin a new day, he collapsed, a victim of Isis’s poison. Runners were sent out to find a cure, and Isis quickly made her way to Amun-Ra’s side. She whispered in his ear that if he told her his true name, she would give him the antidote. Desperate, he agreed.”
“What was his true name and why did she want it?” I asked.
“I do not know. As part of their arrangement Isis was never allowed to reveal it. Isis healed Amun-Ra and then used his true name to force him to help her son. When you know the true name of a being, be they god, human, or animal, you gain power over them.”
“But I have only one name.”
“That is because you have not yet discovered your true name.”
“I’m not sure I have one.”
“Every living thing does. Your true name represents your ideal self. The person you are at the center. The name that is engraved upon your heart.”
“Do you have a true name?”
“I do.”
“And it isn’t Amon?”
He shook his head. “I was given the name Amon when I was called to my purpose.”
“Then why wouldn’t Amon be your true name?”
Amon took my hand and pressed my palm against his chest. “In my heart, I know it is not.”
With his hand wrapped around mine, I could feel the familiar warmth from his fingers, but I could also feel a more intense heat coming from his chest.
I moved my hand away, though he seemed reluctant to let go of it. Clearing my throat, I picked up my notebook and skimmed through my scribblings. “The eye power you were talking about seems different from what you do.”
“It is both the same and different. Shall I continue the story?”
Nodding, I nibbled on the pencil eraser and crossed my legs, shifting the notebook to my lap.
“Isis invoked the true name of Amun-Ra in a spell that would release him only when three demands were met. Her first request was to instate Horus to his father’s position. Second, she asked to accompany Amun-Ra on his nightly journey to the underworld as often as she wished so that she might visit Osiris.”
“And third?”
“She asked for something no other had ever dared. Isis told Amun-Ra that she wanted her son not only to be the rightful heir of Osiris but also to be named the heir of Amun-Ra himself.”
“That’s how he became the son of Amun-Ra?”
“Yes. Amun-Ra had to grant the three wishes of Isis, and, as a result, adopted Horus as his own son.”
“I’ll bet Seth didn’t like that.”
“Not at all. Seth immediately challenged Horus and they began a series of tiresome battles.”