Isis and the Secret Name of Ra
To heal his poison, the sun god had to whisper his one secret name — and so lost his power.
Also: Isis and the Name of Ra · secret name of Ra · true name of Ra · Isis and Ra · name magic · Ra's hidden name
Egyptians told a magical tale in which Isis, wanting greater power, made a serpent whose bite poisoned the aged sun god Ra. Suffering, Ra could be healed only when he finally surrendered his secret, true name to Isis — for to know a being's hidden name was to hold power over it. The story dramatizes a deep Egyptian belief: that names carry real power, and that magic and knowledge are forms of it.
In short
A magical myth in which the goddess Isis, seeking power, fashions a serpent that poisons the aging sun god Ra and cures him only when he reveals his hidden true name to her — encapsulating Egyptian ideas about names, knowledge, and magical power.
Where it’s found
Magical papyri (New Kingdom)
How the idea developed across Egypt
Preserved in magical papyri (the principal text is New Kingdom, e.g. Papyrus Turin and Chester Beatty material); the underlying name-power belief is far older and pervasive.
Isis and Ra are deities. A magical-text myth, not a cult 'doctrine' — keep distinct from liturgy.