One of the most interesting myths about Ra in his declining years is the myth of Hathor as the daughter of Ra and his weapon that he used for punishing the sinful mortal people on earth. It is said that Ra gathered all the gods and goddesses in the Hidden Place where he holds his meetings and told Nun, the primeval, that he would punish the mortal people because of their negligence for him and disrespect for his instructions, but he would not do that until Nun determines the means for torturing them. Nun suggested that he can send his daughter Hathor in the form of a lioness to destroy mankind, as a kind of revenge from those who ridiculed the sun god and annoyed him. Ra agreed on this idea and ordered his daughter to take the form of Sekhmet, a savage lioness, and shed the blood of the mortal men who does not respect Ra any more because he grew old and weak.

She obeyed the command and covered the earth with the blood of her preys and spread terror among the inhabitants of the earth. After a while, Ra felt that he is satisfied with what happened and he does not want to destroy all the mankind. Thus he commanded his daughter to stop killing but she disobeyed him because she became blood thirst who finds her pleasure in torturing mortal beings. Ra was very angry because he is not able to force his daughter to follow his order and he tried to find any means for stopping her. Ra accompanied by the other gods tried to trick her by using a huge amount of the plant of mandrake, a red plant grows in Elephantine Island in Aswan, to use it in making a wine that has the appearance of blood and the impact of narcotics to help her to relax and sleep. When she woke up founding the surface of the earth covered with this blood-like drink, she was satisfied and drank till she went in a deep sleep.

This drink made her more relax and put an end for her desire for bloodshed and destruction and when Ra called her again to come back she obeyed him. This day was regarded as a celebration where the worshipers of Hathor celebrate and drink wine as it is indicated on the walls of the temples of the city of Amen. Some historians believe that this version of the myth of the destruction of mankind was made up to justify the excessive drinking in the annual celebrations in the ancient Egyptian civilization.