227: The One Where Iset Poisons Ra

The History of Egypt Podcast

Dominic Perry

History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What is the true name of god? Once upon a time, Ra ruled the earth directly. But the great goddess Iset/Isis desired to know his private name, the one hidden from all outsiders. A name that, if known, would grant the knower magical power over the sun god. To gain the knowledge she desired, Iset concocted a daring plan... The Story of Iset and the Secret Name of Ra University College London. Isis and the Name of Ra. ⁠https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//literature/isisandra.html⁠ Hieroglyph version: Museo Egizio Turin. Papyrus Turin 1993. https://collezionepapiri.museoegizio.it/en-GB/document/185/ (recto). Borghouts, J. F. (1978). Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts, pp. 51—55. Ritner, R. K. (2003). The Legend of Isis and the Name of Re (P. Turin 1993). In W. W. Hallo & K. L. Younger (Eds.), The Context of Scripture (pp. 33--34). Rowe, A. (1996). The Secret Name of Ra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Premier League is exciting.
0:04.0	It's exhilarating.
0:08.0	And sometimes it's...
0:11.0	So when you need something to help you ride the highest and loads of all that action,
0:17.0	grab a Coke to keep you in the game.
0:20.0	Time to refresh. Time for a Coke.
0:23.8	Coca-Cola, official partner of the Premier League.
0:35.9	Around 1268 BCE, the Queen of Egypt, Nefertari, beloved of Mout, died.
0:43.3	The cause of her passing is unknown.
0:45.5	It could have been a variety of factors.
0:47.6	Complications from pregnancy or childbirth?
0:50.4	A long-term illness?
0:51.5	Or maybe an infection caused by an animal. a snake bite, a scorpion sting,
0:57.8	malaria spread by a mosquito.
1:00.4	One of these, or something else entirely, may have hastened her journey to the west.
1:06.0	Just for a moment, let's imagine the queen passed from an infection, something caused by an external
1:13.2	force, say an animal bite.
1:15.9	In that hypothetical scenario, the royal physicians would have turned to a most interesting
1:21.4	treatment.
1:22.7	A magical story. The physicians of Ramesid Egypt employed many tools to treat their patients.
1:36.4	We explored some of these in episode 215, looking at external injuries like battle wounds.
1:43.8	On those issues, the doctors had a robust, practical understanding.
	...

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