Chapter 19 How Phonology Changed Religious Beliefs: The Case of the Goddess Nzrt and the Pr-Nzr Shrine
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Abstract
This study examines two proper nouns from the Old Kingdom derived from the same root: the goddess Nzrt and the pr-nzr shrine. Both have been connected to nsr ‘fire’ resulting in translations such as Nzrt “Fiery Serpent” and pr-nzr “Flame-House.” This derivation is supported by both names being written in later periods with the [fire] classifier (Q7). However, there are problems with deriving these proper nouns from nsr “fire.” First, the use of the flame classifier with these names does not occur until the Middle Kingdom. Furthermore, evidence indicates that ⟨z⟩ and ⟨s⟩ still represented two distinct phonemes until the late 5th/early 6th Dynasty. Throughout the Old Kingdom, Nzrt and pr-nzr are consistently written with ⟨z⟩ while nsr ‘fire’ is always written with ⟨s⟩. Etymologically then, these two words cannot be related to nsr “fire.” Instead, Nzrt and the pr-nzr are likely connected with Nzr, a rare deity of the Old Kingdom. Those later writings with the [fire] classifier then indicate a change in religious beliefs had taken place, creating an association of Nzrt and the pr-nzr with fire as result of a folk-etymology. This change in beliefs was directly induced by a change in phonology and was only made possible after the phonological collapse of ⟨z⟩ and ⟨s⟩.