Ra-Tet
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 An illustration of Mesektet, the last of the five totems of the Ra-Tet. |
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The Ra-Tet is a fictional order of five individuals from the television series Angel.
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[edit] Origins
Ra the Egyptian God of the Sun, long ago split himself into two embodiments to protect the sun, for it was vulnerable to magicks:
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- An incorporeal embodiment banished only to the sky.
- A corporal Ra-Tet.
[edit] The Ra-tet
The Ra-tet is a mystical order of five enormously powerful (except for the neutral totem), immortal beings who are "totems", or symbolic manifestations of the Egyptian god, Ra. Two are light, one is neutral, and two are dark. Each individual represents a stage in Ra's journey across the sky. Each of the totems in the Ra-tet also represents a point along the spectrum of good and evil, with the morning totem being the most benevolent and the evening totem the most malevolent. Each of them contain special talismans to protect the sun. Together, the five totems create an embodiment of the god Ra and dat, or daylight.
[edit] The five totems and their fates
[edit] Ma'at
Ma’at, the first totem, represents sunrise. She is one of the two daylight totems. She appears as a 'white magic' shaman in Los Angeles until the Beast comes and rips out her heart, one of the talismans needed for the ritual.
[edit] Ashet
The second totem is Ashet, who is the second daylight totem in the Ra-Tet. Ashet is a being composed entirely of light encased in a male shell; he represents mid-morning. Ashet seeks the help of superthief Gwen Raiden to steal protective amulets to guard himself against the Beast. When she doesn't get them, the Beast ends up punching through Ashet's torso to get a glowing wing within his body.
[edit] Manjet
The third totem, or the neutral totem, is Manjet or "Manny." Manny represents noon and the potential of every human soul. He is the only totem with no special powers or abilities. He appears as a horny, middle-aged man. The only functions of Manny are to keep an orb for Ma'at and to guard the "Shen." When Manjet gets killed, it isn't the Beast who comes after him but Cordelia. She opens his skull to retrieve the orb inside Manny's head.
[edit] Semkhet
The fourth totem is Semkhet. He appears as a skinless sabertooth and his body has been known to show the starry night. Sehmket is one of the two dark beings of the Ra-Tet, symbolizing afternoon. When the Beast comes after Semkhet, he shreds the totem's body to take the second metal wing. Sehmket is the more or less evil being and he has been known to associate with Mesektet.
[edit] Mesektet
The fifth and last totem is Mesektet. Mesektet is infamously known for presenting itself in the form of a little girl in a red dress. She represents sunset and is the most evil of the Ra-Tet. When Mesektet isn't being a totem, she is the "conduit" for Wolfram and Hart, linking the Earthly parts of W&H, the people and leaders, with the Senior Partners. Since she is the second of the dark totems, she is comprised entirely of darkness. This darkness is the last ingredient that the Beast needs for the ritual.
[edit] Blotting out the Sun
The five "talisman" of the five totems are needed to perform spells affecting the sun. The Beast ultimately kills all five totems and retrieves the talisman that each totem carries within their body. With the talismans, the Beast can perform a ritual that blots out the sun that casts darkness first in Los Angeles, and which could eventually spread to the entire world.
[edit] Trivia
- The term "ra-tet" is very similar to "ka-tet," a term from the Stephen King Dark Tower series. However, it is likely that this is coincidence, as the word "ra-tet" accurately reflects what it describes - ra(sun) tet(five), or "five suns".
