Schicksalsvorstellungen im Späten Ägypten

Abstract

There are two quite different approaches possible concerning the unchangeability of destiny. One is to see it as ineluctable, so that any prediction can do no more good than to prepare the man for what is coming. The other one is that prayers or rituals can induce the gods to change it, especially to repeal bad outcomes. In this article, divinatory, literary and religious texts from Late Egypt are studied in order to how the Egyptians at this time vied destiny. The sources demonstrate clearly that the gods were considered to stand above destiny, and that it was thought possible to avert bad predictions.

Keywords

• Egypt (Late Period)
• Divination
• Literature
• Religious texts
• Destiny