Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/830

* RAYNOTJABD. 730 RE. tary (1817). After the fall of the Empire he tlistingiiishcd himself by linguistic researches, especially in Provencal. His theories, though often false, stimulated the progress of Romance philology. (See Romance Languages.) Note- worthy are his poem Hocrate dans le temple iVAilhiure (1803), the tragedy Les lempliers (1805), his anthology of Troubadour poetry (1816-21), and a Troubadour Lexicon (Lexique roman, 1838-44). His linguistic theories are em- bodied in the Ifccherches siir rancieiuiete de la latu/ue romane (1810), and the (iramnialre com- paree (1821). RAZIN", rii'zen. Stenko (?-1671). A Russian rebel, limn in Tcherkask. In 1067 he was elected leader of the rebellious Cossacks, and, after jihmdering the caravans and fisheries along the Volga and meeting defeat in Persia (1608), he attacked Russia. Pardoned once by Alexis, he rebelled again. .Joined by dissatisfied elements, Razin was at first successful, captured many cities, and ruled along the Volga as far as Nizhni Novgorod. Then he was several times de- feated, and in 1671 was executed at Moscow. He was a hero of the popular biUnt. and Kosto- maroft' made him the subject of an historical monograph (Saint Petersburg, 1859). KAZORBACK. A whale, the finback (q.v.). Also, a name in the United States for a semi- wild hog, common in the Southern States. RAZORBILL, or Razos-Billed Auk. An auk (Alca lorda), very common on the coasts of the North Atlantic, frequenting lofty precipices, from which its eggs are BILL OF HAZORBILL. taken, with those of guillemots, by per- sons who are let down by ropes. The eggs are esteemed a delicacy, and the flesh of the bird it- self is much used for food. The razorbill is about 17 inches long, and takes its name from its sharp-edged, pufiin-like beak. The anterior parts, back, wings, and tail, arc black, the breast and belly white. It is a very fierce bird, and, if seized, will lay hold of the hand in return. The egg is about three inches long, bluish-white or buffy, heavily spotted with brown. Great num- bers of razorbills, are annually killed for the sake of their feathers, particularly on the coast of Labrador, where they are extremely abundant. See Auk. RAZOR-CLAM. An edible bivalved mollusk of the family Solenidic, whose elongated shell, gaping at each end, suggests the handle of a razor. ( See Colored Plate of Clams. ) The spe- cies are numerous, and inhabit the sands of all shores except in the coldest parts of the world. The common species of the eastern coast of the United States is Ensatella Americana, which is an inhabitant of sand flats and bars where the water is pure. They live in holes which run down vertically, two or three feet, and into which they retreat when alarmed. It is useless to attempt to dig them out, as they burrow so rap- idly that the.v are soon beyond the reach of the spade. This species is five or six inches long, about an inch broad, and handsomely colored. RE, ra (less correctly Ra). The name by which the sun-sod was most generally known in ancient Egypt. According to the Egyptian myths, Re appeared upon the surface of the primeval ocean and. overcoming the powers of darkness, brought order out of cliaos, and assiuned the government of the world. He reigned for a long period, but finall.y grew old. the gods became unruly, and the great goddess Isis, who was ])rofoundly versed in magical lore, took advan- tage of his failing strength to wrest from him by a stratagem his secret name, the source of his l)ower. Even men rebelled against him, and in his anger he sent down the goddess Hathor to destroy them, but he relented at the sight of the terrible slaughter and turned the goddess from her purpose. Wearied at length with the strug- gle. Re gave up the government of the world and retired to rest in heaven upon the back of the celestial cow. With the spread of the solar religion throughout Egypt. Re was identified with a number of local deities who were re- garded as special manifestions or phases of the same god. Horus of Edfu, for example, was the morning sun rising upon the horizon or the sun of sjiring coming forth in renewed activity after gloom of winter. Tum or Atum of Heliopolis. the great centre of solar worship, was the sun setting in the west, and Osiris rep- resented the same phase. The identification was gradually extended to divinities like Amnion of Thebes and Min of Koptos, who originally pos- sessed no solar character whatever, and in course of time nearly every divinity in the Egyptian pantheon came to be identified with RO. Ameno- phis IV.. of the Eighteenth Dynasty, carrying tliis theological tendency to its logical conclu- sion, endeavored to establish a species of mono- theism based upon the worship of Re. under the new name of Aten or the solar disk, as the universal source of life, but the reformed re- ligion died with its founder. Re is usually represented as a hawk-headed man holding in one hand the symbol of life and in the other the royal sceptre. Upon his head is the solar disk in the coil of the urceus serpent. In the Book of the Dead (q.v.) the god is conceived as sailing through the heavens during the day in his bark, giving light to the world, and as con- tinuing his voyage at night through the lower orld, to rise again the following, daj-. As he advances, his brilliant rays overwhelm the fiends who would impede his progress. The Eg^-ptian Pharaohs were believed to be the direct descend- ants of the god. and from the time of the Fifth Dynasty the title 'Son of Re' formed an essential part of the royal titulary. Consult: Erman, Life in Ancient' Egypt (London, 1894): Wiede- mann, Ttelifiion of the Ancioit Egyptians (New York, 1897). See also Egypt, section on the re- ligion of ancient Egypt. RE, ra, Ile de. A small island on the coast of the French Department of Charente-Inf^rieure, opposite the city of La Rochelle, from which it is separated by the Pertuis Breton (Map: France, E 5). It is about 16 miles long and 3 miles broad, and consists mainly of sand dunes, with clift's on the southeast coast, where there are several forts. Saint-Martin, the capital of Re, is a well-fortified little town, with a good harbor and trade. The chief occupations of the inhabitants, who in 1901 numbered 14,232, are fishery, oyster-farming, viticulture, and the nianuifacture of salt. In 1627. while the Hugue- not stronghold of La Rochelle was besieged by