Egyptian Literature
by unknown · English · Gutenberg #28282 · 884,099 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Egyptian Literature
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Egyptian Literature
Editor: Epiphanius Wilson
Release date: March 8, 2009 [eBook #28282]
Most recently updated: June 20, 2020
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28282
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EGYPTIAN LITERATURE ***
Egyptian Literature
Comprising
Egyptian Tales,
Hymns, Litanies, Invocations,
The Book Of The Dead,
And
Cuneiform Writings
Edited And With A Special Introduction By
Epiphanius Wilson, A.M.
New York And London
The Co-Operative Publication Society
Copyright, 1901
The Colonial Press
CONTENTS
Special Introduction.
The Book Of The Dead
A Hymn To The Setting Sun
Hymn And Litany To Osiris
Litany
Hymn To Rā
Hymn To The Setting Sun
Hymn To The Setting Sun
The Chapter Of The Chaplet Of Victory
The Chapter Of The Victory Over Enemies.
The Chapter Of Giving A Mouth To The Overseer
The Chapter Of Giving A Mouth To Osiris Ani
Opening The Mouth Of Osiris
The Chapter Of Bringing Charms To Osiris
The Chapter Of Memory
The Chapter Of Giving A Heart To Osiris
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
The Heart Of Carnelian
Preserving The Heart
Preserving The Heart
Preserving The Heart
Rubric
Beating Back The Crocodile
Beating Back The Crocodile
Repulsing Serpents
Against Snakes
Against Serpents
Driving Away Apshait
Driving Back The Merti
Living By Air
Living By Air
Driving Back Rerek
Repulsing The Eater Of The Ass
Abolishing The Slaughterings
Abolishing The Slaughterings
Air And Water
Dominion Over Elements
Dominion Over Elements
Dominion Over Elements
Preservation Of The Soul
Of Drinking Water
Of Drinking Water
Preservation From Scalding
On Coming Forth By Day
Chapter Of Knowledge
Of Gaining Mastery Over Enemies
Victory Over Enemies
Coming Forth By Day
Opening The Underworld
Coming Forth By Day
Coming Forth By Day
Coming Forth By Day
Coming Forth By Day
Coming Forth By Day
Of Lifting Up The Feet
Of Journeying To Annu
Of Transformation
Of Performing Transformations
Of Transformation Into A Hawk
Of Transformation Into A Governor
Of Transformation Into A God
Transformation Into A Lotus
Transformation Into A Lotus
Transformation Into Ptah
Transformation Into A Bennu Bird
Transformation Into A Heron
Of The Living Soul
Of The Swallow
The Serpent Sata
Of The Crocodile
Soul And Body
Of Evil Recollections
Of Rescue
Of Opening The Tomb
Of Not Sailing To The East
Of The Ink-Pot And Palette
Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth
Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth
Of Bringing A Boat Along In Heaven
Of Bringing The Makhent Boat
Of Entering The Boat Of Ra
Of Protecting The Boat Of Ra
Of Going Into The Boat Of Ra
Of Knowing The Souls Of The East
Of Sekhet-Hetepet
Of Knowing The Souls Of Pe
Of Knowing The Souls Of Nekhen
Of Knowing The Souls Of Khemennu
Of Coming Forth From Heaven
Of Knowing The Souls Of Khemennu
Of Receiving Paths
Of Coming Forth From Re-Stau
Of Coming Forth From Re-Stau
Of Going About In The Underworld
Of Entering Into The Great House
Of Entering The Presence
The Introduction To Maati
The Introduction To Maati
The Negative Confession
Address To The Gods Of The Underworld
Of The Hour Apes
Of The Praise Of The Gods
Adoration Of The Gods Of The Qerti
Hymn Of Praise To Osiris
Of Making Perfect The Khu
Of Living Nigh Unto Ra
Of Bringing Men Back To Earth
Of Making Perfect The Khu
Of Making Perfect The Khu
For The New Moon
Of Travelling In The Boat Of Ra
Of Making Perfect The Khu
Sailing In The Great Boat
Of The Four Flames
Egyptian Tales
The Taking Of Joppa
The Doomed Prince
Anpu And Bata
Setna And The Magic Book
Tales Of The Magicians
The Peasant And The Workman
The Shipwrecked Sailor
The Adventures Of Sanehat
The Tell Amarna Tablets
The Hittite Invasion Of Damascus
The Amorite Treachery
The War In Phœnicia
Northern Palestine
Southern Palestine
Royal Letters
Cuneiform Inscriptions And Hieratic Papyri
The Great Tablet Of Rameses II At Abu-Simbel
Hymn To Osiris
Travels Of An Egyptian In The Fourteenth Century B.C.
Dirge Of Menephtah
Hymn To The Nile
The Solemn Festal Dirge Of The Egyptians
Hymns To Amen
Hymn To Pharaoh
The Song Of The Harper
Hymn To Amen-Ra
Hymn To Ra-Harmachis
The Lamentations Of Isis And Nephthys
The Litany Of Ra
The Book Of Respirations
The Epic Of Penta-Our
Footnotes
SPECIAL INTRODUCTION.
The wonders of Egyptian archæology are the latest and most precious
harvest of scholars and explorers. From Belzoni to Flinders Petrie there
has been a succession of discoveries in the valley of the Nile with which
it is hard for ordinary students to keep pace. Our knowledge of Egyptian
life to-day is far clearer and more complete than Bentley’s or Porson’s
acquaintance with the antiquities of Greece and Rome, and we have far more
complete access to the treasures of Egyptian literature than Dante or
Thomas Aquinas had to the remains of Attic poets and mystics. We know
exactly how an Egyptian of the twelfth dynasty dressed; what was the
position of women in Egypt; and what uniform was worn by the Egyptian
soldiers who took part in the campaign against Khitasis. We can see
Rameses II riding in his war-chariot; we know the very names of the horses
by whose side his tame lion is running and thirsting for the blood of his
master’s foes. We know all about the domestic animals, the funeral
customs, the trades, the gods, the agriculture of the Nile valley thirty
centuries ago. We see the whole many-sided civilization portrayed in the
brightest colors in the poetry, the books of ritual, the hieratic
inscriptions, the tablets, papyri, and hieroglyphics which day by day come
to light in exhaustless abundance from the mounds and ruins of that
fertile plain that stretches from Thebes to the Mareotic lake.
For instance, we can learn exact particulars about the mode in which
Rameses II made war, from the poem of Penta-Our, a Theban writer of the
fourteenth century B.C. It is only by a figure of speech that this poem
can be called an epic; it is rather a historical narrative couched in
terms of poetic exaggeration with the object of flattering the royal
vanity of Pharaoh.
The campaign in which Rameses then engaged was directed against Kadesh, a
city built on an island in the Orontes. It is, according to Penta-Our,
inhabited by a people known as Khita, whose spies are brought into the
tent of Rameses and questioned as to the whereabouts of the King of
Kadesh. The spies are forced by blows to answer, and they tell the
Egyptian monarch that the King of the Khita “is powerful with many
soldiers, and with chariot soldiers, and with their harness, as many as
the sand of the seashore, and they are ready to fight behind Kadesh.”
The King is very angry; for he had been deceived by false news to the
effect that his enemy had fled in terror to Khilibu. “The fault is great,”
he cries, “that the governors of the land and the vassal princes of
Pharaoh have committed, in neglecting to watch the movements of the
Khita.” He sends to bring back the legions he had sent away, and meanwhile
the approach of the enemy is announced. The camp of Rameses is surprised
by the Asiatics; many foot-soldiers are killed before they can seize their
weapons, but a faithful band rallies in front of the royal quarters.
Suddenly a cry is heard; Rameses has quickly put on his armor, seized his
lance, ordered his war lion to be loosed, and dashed into the fight.
Pharaoh with his master of the horse, Menni, is soon hemmed in by foes.
“My Lord, O generous King!” cries Menni, “Egypt’s great protector in the
day of battle! behold we stand alone in the midst of the enemy, for the
archers and the chariots have left us. Let us return, that our lives may
be saved. Save us, O my Lord, Rameses Miamun!” Then Rameses called upon
Amen, his god, and under his protection charged the enemy, and “his hand
devoured them in the space of an instant.” Five times he rushed upon them,
and five times they repulsed him. The sixth time he breaks their ranks and
regains his own lines. Then the legions of Ptah, which had returned to the
camp, join the battle, and the Asiatics are routed. The first care of
Rameses is to refresh his brave horses, Victory-in-Thebes and
Maut-is-Satisfied. Neither they nor Rameses and his lion are wounded,
though all stained with blood and dust, while the head-plumes of the team
are torn and tattered and their caparison broken.
This is a brief account of the main incident in this Egyptian epic, which
is written with life-like detail and animation. The war concludes with a
treaty, and the marriage of Rameses with the daughter of the King of
Kadesh, so that henceforth “the people of Egypt were of one mind with the
princes of Khita, which had not been the case since the god Rā.”
The Egyptians have always been deeply impressed by the fact of human
mortality, and much of their religious belief and religious ritual is
taken up with the rites of burial, and detailed doctrines as to the
experience of the soul after parting from the body. Their elaborate
embalming of the dead springs from the desire to keep the mortal tenement
prepared for the soul’s return to it. In their Book of the Dead is a full
series of prayers, songs, and incantations to be employed at funerals, and
by the individual in his journey beyond the tomb. The funeral procession
was a very noisy company; lamentations were heard through its whole
length, but the burden of the hymns was always, “To the West.” This was
enlarged upon, “To the West, the dwelling of Osiris; O Chief, as thou
goest to the West, the Gods themselves lament, as thou goest to the West.”
Osiris is the judge who weighs the souls, and allots them happiness or
misery, according to their deserts. “The Book of the Dead” is interesting
because it teaches how clearly and dogmatically the solemn and precise
Egyptian stated his views and held his convictions concerning the unknown
country. Four parts of man, it was said, survive after death, namely, the
soul, the spirit, the shadow, and the double. The double remains in the
tomb, and only leaves it in search of food. Sometimes it feels its
loneliness and avenges itself upon near relations who have forsaken it.
But the soul hurries to the bar of Osiris, where Thoth weighs the heart in
the scales, and the innocent are admitted into the Field of Beans, a realm
of fertility, where wheat grows seven cubits high. Immortality is spent in
feasting, singing, conversation, and games. But the whole of this
wonderful book is well worth studying. It shows how what Addison calls
“this longing after immortality” led an ancient and deeply religious
people to attempt in their burial rites to rob even the grave of its
terrors, and conjured up out of the shadows of the tomb a clear and
distinct vision of future life, wherein man in his complete individuality
survived to all eternity.
Among the most important results of recent Egyptian exploration must be
reckoned the discovery of the tablets of Tell Amarna. Tell Amarna is a
village in Upper Egypt, and in a pit at the foot of the mountain, at the
base of which it stands, were discovered hundreds of these relics, which
have since been distributed among the museums of London, Berlin, and
Gizeh. The writing on these tablets is cuneiform, and the matter is of
profound historic importance, illustrating, as it does, the relations
between Egypt and western Asia in the fifteenth century B.C. While the
existence of these tablets proves that cuneiform writing was common to
Palestine and Syria as well as the Euphrates Valley, yet curiously enough
the manuscripts of Tell Amarna are different from any of the same kind
that have been found elsewhere, and the language resembles somewhat the
Hebrew of the Old Testament.
While most of these tablets are letters and despatches from friendly
powers in Syria, and from vassal princes in Palestine, others contain
interesting legends. The letters are addressed to the Pharaohs known as
Amenophis III and Amenophis IV, who reigned in the sixteenth and fifteenth
centuries B.C.
The Egyptians employed what practically were three alphabets—the
hieroglyphic, the hieratic, and the demotic. The hieroglyph is a symbol,
denoting something without letters or syllables; as, pictures of a bee
stand for king. The hieratic handwriting was a transition from symbols to
primitive letters; the papyrus reed, cut in slices and gummed together,
was used as paper for this writing, much of which is very beautifully
executed in black and red inks. These papyri are constantly being
discovered, but perhaps the earliest “find” of importance was that at
Thebes in 1846, when a number of literary compositions were brought to
light which must have been executed during the twelfth dynasty, about
twenty-five centuries B.C.
The Egyptian Tales are works written in a lighter vein than the literature
we have already described. They will be read with delight, and none the
less so because they show that the Egyptians, who are the Chinese of the
Mediterranean, possess that saving quality in literary and political life,
namely, a sense of humor.
(signed) Epiphanius Wilson
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
According to the Theban Recension
Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, Litt.D., D.Lit., F.S.A.
A Hymn To The Setting Sun
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH UPON THE HORIZON, AND WHEN HE
SETTETH IN THE LAND OF LIFE. Osiris, the scribe Ani, saith:
“Homage to thee, O Rā, when thou risest [as] Tem-Heru-khuti
(Tem-Harmachis). Thou art adored [by me when] thy beauties are before mine
eyes, and [when thy] radiance [falleth] upon [my] body. Thou goest forth
to thy setting in the _Sektet_ boat with [fair] winds, and thy heart is
glad; the heart of the _Mātet_ boat rejoiceth. Thou stridest over the
heavens in peace, and all thy foes are cast down; the never-resting stars
sing hymns of praise unto thee, and the stars which rest, and the stars
which never fail glorify thee as thou sinkest to rest in the horizon of
Manu,(1) O thou who art beautiful at morn and at eve, O thou lord who
livest and art established, O my lord!
“Homage to thee, O thou who art Rā when thou risest, and Tem when thou
settest [in] beauty. Thou risest and shinest on the back of thy mother
[Nut], O thou who art crowned king of the gods! Nut doeth homage unto
thee, and everlasting and never-changing order(2) embraceth thee at morn
and at eve. Thou stridest over the heaven, being glad of heart, and the
Lake of Testes is content [thereat]. The Sebau Fiend hath fallen to the
ground; his arms and his hands have been hacked off, and the knife hath
severed the joints of his body. Rā hath a fair wind; the _Sektet_ boat
goeth forth and sailing along it cometh into port. The gods of the south
and of the north, of the west and of the east, praise thee, O thou divine
substance, from whom all forms of life come into being. Thou sendest forth
the word, and the earth is flooded with silence, O thou only One, who
didst dwell in heaven before ever the earth and the mountains came into
existence. O Runner, O Lord, O only One, thou maker of things which are,
thou hast fashioned the tongue of the company of the gods, thou hast
produced whatsoever cometh forth from the waters, and thou springest up
from them over the flooded land of the Lake of Horus. Let me snuff the air
which cometh forth from thy nostrils, and the north wind which cometh
forth from thy mother [Nut]. Oh, make thou to be glorious my shining form
(_khu_), O Osiris, make thou to be divine my soul (_ba_)! Thou art
worshipped [in] peace (or [in] setting), O lord of the gods, thou art
exalted by reason of thy wondrous works. Shine thou with thy rays of light
upon my body day by day, [upon me], Osiris the scribe, the teller of the
divine offerings of all the gods, the overseer of the granary of the lords
of Abtu (Abydos), the royal scribe in truth who loveth thee; Ani,
victorious in peace.”
Hymn And Litany To Osiris
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 19).]
“Praise be unto thee, O Osiris, lord of eternity, Unnefer, Heru-khuti
(Harmachis), whose forms are manifold, and whose attributes are majestic,
Ptah-Seker-Tem in Annu (Heliopolis), the lord of the hidden place, and the
creator of Het-ka-Ptah (Memphis) and of the gods [therein], the guide of
the underworld, whom [the gods] glorify when thou settest in Nut. Isis
embraceth thee in peace, and she driveth away the fiends from the mouth of
thy paths. Thou turnest thy face upon Amentet, and thou makest the earth
to shine as with refined copper. Those who have lain down (_i.e._, the
dead) rise up to see thee, they breathe the air and they look upon thy
face when the Disk riseth on its horizon; their hearts are at peace
inasmuch as they behold thee, O thou who art Eternity and
Everlastingness!”
Litany
“Homage to thee, [O lord of] starry deities in Annu, and of heavenly
beings in Kher-āba; thou god Unti, who art more glorious than the gods who
are hidden in Annu; oh grant(3) thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in
peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have
I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O An in Antes, (?) Heru-khuti (Harmachis), with long
strides thou stridest over heaven, O Heru-khuti. Oh, grant thou unto me a
path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not
spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O Soul of everlastingness, thou Soul who dwellest in
Tattu, Unnefer, son of Nut; thou art lord of Akert. Oh, grant thou unto me
a path wherein I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not
spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee in thy dominion over Tattu; the _Ureret_ crown is
established upon thy head; thou art the One who maketh the strength which
protecteth himself, and thou dwellest in peace in Tattu. Oh, grant thou
unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have
not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O lord of the Acacia tree, the _Seker_ boat is set upon
its sledge; thou turnest back the Fiend, the worker of evil, and thou
causest the _Utchat_ to rest upon its seat. Oh, grant thou unto me a path
whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken
lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O thou who art mighty in thine hour, thou great and
mighty Prince, dweller in An-rut-f,(4) lord of eternity and creator of
everlastingness, thou art the lord of Suten-henen (Heracleopolis Magna).
Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just
and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with
deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O thou who restest upon Right and Truth, thou art the
lord of Abtu (Abydos), and thy limbs are joined unto Ta-tchesertet; thou
art he to whom fraud and guile are hateful. Oh, grant thou unto me a path
whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken
lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O thou who art within thy boat, thou bringest Hāpi
(_i.e._, the Nile) forth from his source; the light shineth upon thy body
and thou art the dweller in Nekhen.(5) Oh, grant thou unto me a path
whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken
lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
“Homage to thee, O creator of the gods, thou King of the North and of the
South, O Osiris, victorious one, ruler of the world in thy gracious
seasons; thou art the lord of the celestial world.(6) Oh, grant thou unto
me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not
spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”
Hymn To Rā
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 20).]
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RĀ WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF HEAVEN. Those
who are in his train rejoice, and lo! Osiris Ani, victorious, saith:
“Hail, thou Disk, thou lord of rays, who risest on the horizon day by day!
Shine thou with thy beams of light upon the face of Osiris Ani, who is
victorious; for he singeth hymns of praise unto thee at dawn, and he
maketh thee to set at eventide with words of adoration. May the soul of
Osiris Ani, the triumphant one, come forth with thee into heaven, may he
go forth in the _Mātet_ boat. May he come into port in the _Sektet_ boat,
and may he cleave his path among the never-resting stars in the heavens.”
Osiris Ani, being in peace and in triumph, adoreth his lord, the lord of
eternity, saying: “Homage to thee, O Heru-khuti (Harmachis), who art the
god Khepera, the self-created; when thou risest on the horizon and
sheddest thy beams of light upon the lands of the North and of the South,
thou art beautiful, yea beautiful, and all the gods rejoice when they
behold thee, the King of heaven. The goddess Nebt-Unnut is stablished upon
thy head; and her uræi of the South and of the North are upon thy brow;
she taketh up her place before thee. The god Thoth is stablished in the
bows of thy boat to destroy utterly all thy foes. Those who are in the
Tuat (underworld) come forth to meet thee, and they bow in homage as they
come toward thee, to behold [thy] beautiful Image. And I have come before
thee that I may be with thee to behold thy Disk every day. May I not be
shut up in [the tomb], may I not be turned back, may the limbs of my body
be made new again when I view thy beauties, even as [are those of] all thy
favored ones, because I am one of those who worshipped thee [whilst I
lived] upon earth. May I come in unto the land of eternity, may I come
even unto the everlasting land, for behold, O my lord, this hast thou
ordained for me.”
And lo, Osiris Ani triumphant in peace, the triumphant one, saith: “Homage
to thee, O thou who risest in thy horizon as Rā, thou reposest upon law
[which changeth not nor can it be altered]. Thou passest over the sky, and
every face watcheth thee and thy course, for thou hast been hidden from
their gaze. Thou dost shew thyself at dawn and at eventide day by day. The
_Sektet_ boat, wherein is thy Majesty, goeth forth with might; thy beams
[shine] upon [all] faces; [the number] of thy red and yellow rays cannot
be known, nor can thy bright beams be told. The lands of the gods, and the
eastern lands of Punt(7) must be seen, ere that which is hidden [in thee]
may be measured. Alone and by thyself thou dost manifest thyself [when]
thou comest into being above Nu (_i.e._, the sky). May Ani advance, even
as thou dost advance; may he never cease [to go forward], even as thy
Majesty ceaseth not [to go forward], even though it be for a moment; for
with strides dost thou in one little moment pass over the spaces which
would need hundreds of thousands and millions of years [for man to pass
over; this] thou doest, and then dost thou sink to rest. Thou puttest an
end to the hours of the night, and thou dost count them, even thou; thou
endest them in thine own appointed season, and the earth becometh light.
Thou settest thyself before thy handiwork in the likeness of Rā; thou
risest in the horizon.”
Osiris, the scribe Ani, triumphant, declareth his praise of thee when thou
shinest, and when thou risest at dawn he crieth in his joy at thy birth:
“Thou art crowned with the majesty of thy beauties; thou mouldest thy
limbs as thou dost advance, and thou bringest them forth without
birth-pangs in the form of Rā, as thou dost rise up into the upper air.
Grant thou that I may come unto the heaven which is everlasting, and unto
the mountain where dwell thy favored ones. May I be joined unto those
shining beings, holy and perfect, who are in the underworld; and may I
come forth with them to behold thy beauties when thou shinest at eventide
and goest to thy mother Nu. Thou dost place thyself in the west, and my
two hands are [raised] in adoration [of thee] when thou settest as a
living being. Behold, thou art the maker of eternity, and thou art adored
[when] thou settest in the heavens. I have given my heart unto thee
without wavering, O thou who art mightier than the gods.”
Osiris Ani, triumphant, saith: “A hymn of praise to thee, O thou who
risest like unto gold, and who dost flood the world with light on the day
of thy birth. Thy mother giveth thee birth upon [her] hand, and thou dost
give light unto the course of the Disk. O thou great Light, who shinest in
the heavens, thou dost strengthen the generations of men with the
Nile-flood, and thou dost cause gladness in all lands, and in all cities,
and in all the temples. Thou art glorious by reason of thy splendors, and
thou makest strong thy _ka_ (_i.e._, Double) with _hu_ and _tchefau_
foods. O thou who art the mighty one of victories, thou who art the Power
of [all] powers, who dost make strong thy throne against evil fiends; who
art glorious in majesty in the _Sektet_ boat, and who art exceeding mighty
in the _Atet_ boat, make thou glorious Osiris Ani with victory in the
underworld; grant thou that in the netherworld he may be without evil. I
pray thee to put away [his] faults behind thee: grant thou that he may be
one of thy venerable servants who are with the shining ones; may he be
joined unto the souls which are in Ta-tchesertet; and may he journey into
the Sekhet-Aaru by a prosperous and happy decree, he the Osiris, the
scribe, Ani, triumphant.”
And the god saith:
“Thou shalt come forth into heaven, thou shalt pass over the sky, thou
shalt be joined into the starry deities. Praises shall be offered unto
thee in thy boat, thou shalt be hymned in the _Atet_ boat, thou shalt
behold Rā within his shrine, thou shalt set together with his Disk day by
day, thou shalt see the _Ant_ fish when it springeth into being in the
waters of turquoise, and thou shalt see the _Abtu_ fish in his hour. It
shall come to pass that the Evil One shall fall when he layeth a snare to
destroy thee, and the joints of his neck and of his back shall be hacked
asunder. Rā [saileth] with a fair wind, and the _Sektet_ boat draweth on
and cometh into port. The mariners of Rā rejoice, and the heart of
Nebt-ānkh(8) is glad, for the enemy of her lord hath fallen to the ground.
Thou shalt behold Horus on the standing-place of the pilot of the boat,
and Thoth and Maāt shall stand one upon each side of him. All the gods
shall rejoice when they behold Rā coming in peace to make the hearts of
the shining ones to live, and Osiris Ani, victorious, the scribe of the
divine offerings of the lords of Thebes, shall be along with them!”
Hymn To The Setting Sun
[From the Papyrus of Mut-hetep (British Museum No, 10,010, sheet 5).]
[ANOTHER CHAPTER OF] THE MYSTERY OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD) AND OF PASSING
THROUGH THE UNSEEN NETHERWORLD, and of seeing the Disk when he setteth in
Amentet, [when] he is adored by the gods and by the _Khu_s in the
underworld, and [when] the Soul which dwelleth in Rā is made perfect. He
is made mighty before Tem; he is made great before Osiris; he setteth his
terror before the company of the gods who are the guides of the
netherworld; he maketh long (?) his steps and he maketh his face to enter
(?) [with that of] the great god. Now every _Khu_, for whom these words
shall have been said, shall come forth by day in any form which he is
pleased to take; he shall gain power among the gods of the Tuat
(underworld), and they shall recognize him as one of themselves; and he
shall enter in at the hidden gate with power.
The lady Mut-hetep, victorious, singeth hymns of praise to thee [saying]:
“O Rā-Tem, in thy splendid progress thou risest, and thou settest as a
living being in the glories of the western horizon; thou settest in thy
territory which is in Manu.(9) Thy uræus is behind thee, thy uræus is
behind thee. Homage to thee, O thou who art in peace, homage to thee, O
thou who art in peace. Thou art joined unto the Eye of Tem, and it
chooseth its powers of protection [to place] behind thy members. Thou
goest forth through heaven, thou travellest over the earth, and thou
journeyest onward. O Luminary, the northern and southern halves of heaven
come to thee and they bow low in adoration, and they pay homage unto thee,
day by day. The gods of Amentet rejoice in thy beauties and the unseen
places sing hymns of praise unto thee. Those who dwell in the _Sektet_
boat go round about thee, and the Souls of the East pay homage to thee,
and when they meet thy Majesty they cry: ‘Come, come in peace!’ There is a
shout of welcome to thee, O lord of heaven and governor of Amentet! Thou
art acknowledged by Isis who seeth her son in thee, the lord of fear, the
mighty one of terror. Thou settest as a living being in the hidden place.
Thy father [Ta-]tunen raiseth thee up and he placeth both his hands behind
thee; thou becomest endowed with divine attributes in [thy] members of
earth; thou wakest in peace and thou settest in Manu.(10) Grant thou that
I may become a being honored before Osiris, and that I may come to thee, O
Rā-Tem! I have adored thee, therefore do thou for me that which I wish.
Grant thou that I may be victorious in the presence of the company of the
gods. Thou are beautiful, O Rā, in thy western horizon of Amentet, thou
lord of Maāt, thou mighty one of fear, thou whose attributes are majestic,
O thou who art greatly beloved by those who dwell in the Tuat
(underworld); thou shinest with thy beams upon the beings that are therein
perpetually, and thou sendest forth thy light upon the path of Re-stau.
Thou openest up the path of the double Lion-god, thou settest the gods
upon [their] thrones, and the _Khu_s in their abiding places. The heart of
Naarerf(11) is glad [when] Rā setteth, the heart of Naarerf is glad when
Rā setteth.”
“Hail, O ye gods of the land of Amentet who make offerings and oblations
unto Rā-Tem, ascribe ye glory [unto him when] ye meet him. Grasp ye your
weapons and overthrow ye the fiend Seba on behalf of Rā, and repulse the
fiend Nebt on behalf of Osiris. The gods of the land of Amentet rejoice
and lay hold upon the cords of the _Sektet_ boat, and they come in peace;
the gods of the hidden place who dwell in Amentet triumph.”
“Hail, Thoth, who didst make Osiris to triumph over his enemies, make thou
Mut-hetep, victorious, to triumph over her enemies in the presence of the
great divine sovereign chiefs who live with Osiris, the lord of life. The
great god who dwelleth in his Disk cometh forth, that is, Horus the
avenger of his father Unnefer-Rā. Osiris setteth, and the _Khu_s who are
in the Tuat (underworld) say: Homage to thee, O thou who comest as Tem,
and who comest into being as the creator of the gods. Homage to thee, O
thou who comest as the holy Soul of souls, who dwellest in the horizon.
Homage to thee who art more glorious than [all] the gods and who
illuminest the Tuat with thine Eye. Homage to thee who sailest in thy
glory and who goest round about it in thy Disk.”
The following variant of the above hymn is translated from the text in the
Papyrus of Nekhtu-Amen (Naville, “Todtenbuch,” Bd. II. p. 23).
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE MYSTERY OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD) AND OF TRAVERSING
THE UNSEEN PLACES OF THE UNDERWORLD, of seeing the Disk when he setteth in
Amentet, [when] he is adored by the gods and by the _Khu_s of the Tuat
(underworld), and [when] the divine _Khu_ which dwelleth within Rā is made
perfect. He setteth his might before Rā, he setteth his power before Tem,
[he setteth his strength] before Khenti-Amentet, and he setteth his terror
before the company of the gods. The Osiris of the gods goeth as leader
through the Tuat (underworld), he crasheth through mountains, he bursteth
through rocks, he maketh glad (?) the heart of every _Khu_. This
composition shall be recited by the deceased when he cometh forth and when
he goeth in with the gods, among whom he findeth no opposition; then shall
he come forth by day in all the manifold and exceedingly numerous forms
which he may be pleased to take. [The Osiris ... saith:]
“A hymn of praise to Rā at eventide [when] he setteth as a living being in
Baakha.(12) The great god who dwelleth in his Disk riseth in his two
eyes(13) and all the _Khu_s of the underworld receive him in his horizon
of Amentet; they shout praises unto Heru-khuti (Harmachis) in his form of
Tem, and they sing hymns of joy to Rā when they have received him at the
head of his beautiful path of Amentet.”
He (_i.e._, the deceased) saith: “Praise be unto thee, O Rā, praise be
unto thee, O Tem, in thy splendid progress. Thou hast risen and thou hast
put on strength, and thou settest like a living being amid thy glories in
the horizon of Amentet, in thy domain which is in Manu. Thy uræus-goddess
is behind thee; thy uræus-goddess is behind thee. Hail to thee, in peace;
hail to thee, in peace. Thou joinest thyself unto the Eye of Horus, and
thou hidest thyself within its secret place; it destroyeth for thee all
the convulsions of thy face, it maketh thee strong with life, and thou
livest. It bindeth its protecting amulets behind thy members. Thou sailest
forth over heaven, and thou makest the earth to be stablished; thou
joinest thyself unto the upper heaven, O Luminary. The two regions of the
East and West make adoration unto thee, bowing low and paying homage unto
thee, and they praise thee day by day; the gods of Amentet rejoice in thy
splendid beauties. The hidden places adore thee, the aged ones make
offerings unto thee, and they create for thee protecting powers. The
divine beings who dwell in the eastern and western horizons transport
thee, and those who are in the _Sektet_ boat convey thee round and about.
The Souls of Amentet cry out unto thee and say unto thee when they meet
thy majesty (Life, Health, Strength!), ‘All hail, all hail!’ When thou
comest forth in peace there arise shouts of delight to thee, O thou lord
of heaven, thou Prince of Amentet. Thy mother Isis embraceth thee, and in
thee she recognizeth her son, the lord of fear, the mighty one of terror.
Thou settest as a living being within the dark portal. Thy father Tatunen
lifteth thee up and he stretcheth out his two hands behind thee; thou
becomest a divine being in the earth. Thou wakest as thou settest, and thy
habitation is in Manu. Grant thou that I may be venerated before Osiris,
and come thou [to me], O Rā-Tem. Since thou hast been adored [by me] that
which I wish thou shalt do for me day by day. Grant thou victory [unto me]
before the great company of the gods, O Rā who art doubly beautiful in thy
horizon of Amentet, thou lord of Maāt who dwellest in the horizon. The
fear of thee is great, thy forms are majestic, and the love of thee is
great among those who dwell in the underworld.”
Hymn To The Setting Sun
[From a Papyrus of the nineteenth dynasty preserved at Dublin (see
Naville, “Todtenbuch,” Bd. I. Bl. 19).]
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA-HERU-KHUTI (RA-HARMACHIS) WHEN HE SETTETH IN THE
WESTERN PART OF HEAVEN. He (_i.e._, the deceased) saith:
“Homage to thee, O Rā [who] in thy sitting art Tem-Heru-khuti
(Tem-Harmachis), thou divine god, thou self-created being, thou primeval
matter [from which all things were made]. When [thou] appearest in the
bows of [thy] bark men shout for joy at thee, O maker of the gods! Thou
didst stretch out the heavens wherein thy two eyes(14) might travel, thou
didst make the earth to be a vast chamber for thy Khus, so that every man
might know his fellow. The _Sektet_ boat is glad, and the _Mātet_ boat
rejoiceth; and they greet thee with exaltation as thou journeyest along.
The god Nu is content, and thy mariners are satisfied; the uræus-goddess
hath overthrown thine enemies, and thou hast carried off the legs of Apep.
Thou art beautiful, O Rā, each day, and thy mother Nut embraceth thee;
thou settest in beauty, and thy heart is glad in the horizon of Manu, and
the holy beings therein rejoice. Thou shinest there with thy beams, O thou
great god, Osiris, the everlasting Prince. The lords of the zones of the
Tuat in their caverns stretch out their hands in adoration before thy _Ka_
(double), and they cry out to thee, and they all come forth in the train
of thy form shining brilliantly. The hearts of the lords of the Tuat
(underworld) are glad when thou sendest forth thy glorious light in
Amentet; their two eyes are directed toward thee, and they press forward
to see thee, and their hearts rejoice when they do see thee. Thou
hearkenest unto the acclamations of those that are in the funeral
chest,(15) thou doest away with their helplessness and drivest away the
evils which are about them. Thou givest breath to their nostrils and they
take hold of the bows of thy bark in the horizon of Manu. Thou art
beautiful each day, O Rā, and may thy mother Nut embrace Osiris ...,(16)
victorious.”
The Chapter Of The Chaplet Of Victory
[From Lepsius “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 13.]
THE CHAPTER OF THE CHAPLET OF VICTORY. Osiris Auf-ānkh, victorious, born
of Sheret-Amsu, victorious, saith:
“Thy father Tem hath woven for thee a beautiful chaplet of victory [to be
placed] on [thy] living brow, O thou who lovest the gods, and thou shalt
live forever. Osiris-khent-Amentet(17) hath made thee to triumph over
thine enemies, and thy father Seb hath decreed for thee all his
inheritance. Come, therefore, O Horus, son of Isis, for thou, O son of
Osiris, sittest upon the throne of thy father Rā to overthrow thine
enemies, for he hath ordained for thee the two lands to their utmost
limits. Atem hath [also] ordained this, and the company of the gods hath
confirmed the splendid power of the victory of Horus the son of Isis and
the son of Osiris forever and forever. And Osiris Auf-ānkh shall be
victorious forever and ever. O Osiris-khent-Amentet, the whole of the
northern and southern parts of the heavens, and every god and every
goddess, who are in heaven and who are upon earth [will] the victory of
Horus, the son of Isis and the son of Osiris, over his enemies in the
presence of Osiris-khent-Amentet who will make Osiris Auf-ānkh,
victorious, to triumph over his enemies in the presence of
Osiris-khent-Amentet, Un-nefer, the son of Nut, on the day of making him
to triumph over Set and his fiends in the presence of the great sovereign
chiefs who are in Annu (Heliopolis); on the night of the battle and
overthrow of the Seba-fiend in the presence of the great sovereign princes
who are in Abtu; on the night of making Osiris to triumph over his enemies
make thou Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, to triumph over his enemies in the
presence of the great sovereign princes, who are in the horizon of
Amentet; on the day of the festival of Haker in the presence of the great
sovereign princes who are in Tattu; on the night of the setting up of the
Tet in Tattu in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in the
ways of the damned; on the night of the judgment of those who shall be
annihilated in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in
Sekhem (Letopolis); on the night of the ‘things of the altars in Sekhem’
in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in Pe and Tepu; on
the night of the stablishing of the inheriting by Horus of the things of
his father Osiris in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are
at the great festival of the ploughing and turning up of the earth in
Tattu, or (as others say), [in] Abtu; on the night of the weighing of
words,” or (as others say), “weighing of locks in the presence of the
great sovereign princes who are in An-rut-f on its place; on the night
when Horus receiveth the birth-chamber of the gods in the presence of the
great sovereign princes who are in the lands of Rekhti(?); on the night
when Isis lieth down to watch [and] to make lamentation for her brother in
the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in Re-stau; on the
night of making Osiris to triumph over all his enemies.”
“Horus repeated [these] words four times, and all his enemies fell
headlong and were overthrown and were cut to pieces; and Osiris Auf-ānkh,
triumphant, repeated [these] words four times, therefore let all his
enemies fall headlong, and be overthrown and cut to pieces. Horus the son
of Isis and son of Osiris celebrated in turn millions of festivals, and
all his enemies fell headlong, and were overthrown and cut to pieces.
Their habitation hath gone forth to the block of the East, their heads
have been cut off; their necks have been destroyed; their thighs have been
cut off; they have been given over to the Great Destroyer who dwelleth in
the valley of the grave; and they shall never come forth from under the
restraint of the god Seb.”
THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE RECITED OVER THE DIVINE CHAPLET WHICH IS LAID UPON
THE FACE OF THE DECEASED, AND THOU SHALT CAST INCENSE INTO THE FIRE ON
BEHALF OF OSIRIS AUF-ANKH, TRIUMPHANT, BORN OF SHERET-AMSU, TRIUMPHANT;
THUS SHALT THOU CAUSE HIM TO TRIUMPH OVER HIS ENEMIES, DEAD OR ALIVE, AND
HE SHALL BE AMONG THE FOLLOWERS OF OSIRIS; AND A HAND SHALL BE STRETCHED
OUT TO HIM WITH MEAT AND DRINK IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GOD. [THIS CHAPTER]
SHALL BE SAID BY THEE TWICE AT DAWN—NOW IT IS A NEVER-FAILING
CHARM—REGULARLY AND CONTINUALLY.
The Chapter Of The Victory Over Enemies.
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 12).]
“Hail, Thoth, who didst make Osiris to triumph over his enemies, snare
thou the enemies of Osiris, the scribe Nebseni, the lord of piety, in the
presence of the great sovereign princes of every god and of every goddess;
in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in Annu
(Heliopolis) on the night of the battle and of the overthrow of the
Sebau-fiend in Tattu; on the night of making to stand up the double Tet in
Sekhem (Letopolis); on the night of the things of the night in Sekhem, in
Pe, and in Tepu;(18) on the night of the stablishing of Horus in the
heritage of the things of his father in the double land of Rekhti(?); on
the night when Isis maketh lamentation at the side of her brother Osiris
in Abtu (Abydos); on the night of the Haker festival of the distinguishing
[between] the dead (_i.e._, the damned) and the _Khu_s on the path of the
dead (_i.e._, the damned); on the night of the judgment of those who are
to be annihilated at the great [festival of] the ploughing and the turning
up of the earth in Naare-rut-f(19) in Re-stau; and on the night of making
Horus to triumph over his enemies. Horus is mighty, the northern and
southern halves of heaven rejoice, Osiris is content thereat and his heart
is glad. Hail, Thoth, make thou to triumph Osiris, the scribe Nebseni,
over his enemies in the presence of the sovereign princes of every god and
every goddess, and in the presence of you, ye sovereign princes who passed
judgment on Osiris behind the shrine.”
In the Saïte Recension this chapter has no vignette, but it has the title
“Another Chapter of the Chaplet of Victory,” and is arranged in tabular
form. The words, “Hail, Thoth, make Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, to
triumph over his enemies even as thou didst make Osiris to triumph over
his enemies,” which are written in two horizontal lines, are to be
repeated before each column of text. The “great sovereign princes” invoked
are those of: (1) Annu (Heliopolis), (2) Tattu, (3) Sekhem (Letopolis),
(4) Pe and Tep, (5) An-arut-f, (6) the double land of Rekhti, (7) Re-stau,
(8) Abtu, (9) the paths of the dead, (10) the ploughing festival in Tattu,
(11) Kher-āba, (12) Osiris, (13) heaven and earth, (14) every god and
every goddess. The rubric reads:
IF THIS CHAPTER BE RECITED REGULARLY AND ALWAYS BY A MAN WHO HATH PURIFIED
HIMSELF IN WATER OF NATRON, HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY AFTER HE HATH COME
INTO PORT (I.E., IS DEAD), AND HE SHALL PERFORM ALL THE TRANSFORMATIONS
WHICH HIS HEART SHALL DICTATE, AND HE SHALL COME FORTH FROM EVERY FIRE.
The Chapter Of Giving A Mouth To The Overseer
THE CHAPTER OF GIVING A MOUTH TO THE OVERSEER OF THE HOUSE, NU,
TRIUMPHANT, IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“Homage to thee, O thou lord of brightness, thou who art at the head of
the Great House, prince of the night and of thick darkness. I have come
unto thee being a pure _khu_. Thy two hands are behind thee, and thou hast
thy lot with [thy] ancestors. Oh, grant thou unto me my mouth that I may
speak therewith; and guide thou to me my heart at the season when there is
cloud and darkness.”
The Chapter Of Giving A Mouth To Osiris Ani
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF GIVING A MOUTH TO OSIRIS ANI, THE SCRIBE AND TELLER OF THE
HOLY OFFERINGS OF ALL THE GODS, TRIUMPHANT, IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“I rise out of the egg in the hidden land. May my mouth be given unto me
that I may speak therewith in the presence of the great god, the lord of
the Tuat (underworld). May my hand and my arm not be forced back in the
presence of the sovereign princes of any god. I am Osiris, the lord of
Re-stau; may I, Osiris the scribe Ani, triumphant, have a portion with him
who is on the top of the steps (_i.e._, Osiris). According to the desire
of my heart, I have come from the Pool of Fire, and I have quenched the
fire.”
Opening The Mouth Of Osiris
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF OPENING THE MOUTH OF OSIRIS. The scribe Ani, triumphant,
saith:
“May the good Ptah open my mouth, and may the god of my city loose the
swathings, even the swathings which are over my mouth. Moreover, may
Thoth, being filled and furnished with charms, come and loose the
bandages, even the bandages of Set which fetter my mouth; and may the god
Tem hurl them at those who would fetter [me] with them, and drive them
back. May my mouth be opened, may my mouth be unclosed by Shu with his
iron knife wherewith he opened the mouths of the gods. I am the goddess
Sekhet, and I sit upon [my] place in the great wind(?) of heaven. I am the
great goddess Sah who dwelleth among the Souls of Annu (Heliopolis). Now
as concerning every charm and all the words which may be spoken against
me, may the gods resist them, and may each and every one of the company of
the gods withstand them.”
The Chapter Of Bringing Charms To Osiris
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF BRINGING CHARMS UNTO OSIRIS ANI [IN THE UNDERWORLD]. He
saith:
“I am Tem-Khepera, who brought himself into being upon the thigh of his
divine mother. Those who are in Nu (_i.e._, the sky) are made wolves, and
those who are among the sovereign princes are become hyenas. Behold, I
gather together the charm [from every place where] it is, and from every
man with whom it is, swifter than greyhounds and quicker than light. Hail,
thou who towest along the _Mākhent_ boat of Rā, the stays of thy sails and
of thy rudder are taut in the wind as thou sailest up the Pool of Fire in
the underworld. Behold, thou gatherest together the charm from every place
where it is, and from every man with whom it is, swifter than greyhounds
and quicker than light, [the charm] which created the forms of being from
the ... mother, and which either createth the gods or maketh them silent,
and which giveth the heat of fire unto the gods. Behold, the charm is
given unto me, from wherever it is [and from him with whom it is], swifter
than greyhounds and quicker than light,” or (as others say) “quicker than
a shadow.”
The Chapter Of Memory
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No, 10,477, sheet 5).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING A MAN TO POSSESS MEMORY IN THE UNDERWORLD. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, the overseer of the palace, the son
of the chief chancellor Amen-hetep, saith:
“May my name be given to me in the Great House, and may I remember my name
in the House of Fire on the night of counting the years and of telling the
number of the months. I am with the Divine One, and I sit on the eastern
side of heaven. If any god whatsoever should advance unto me, let me be
able to proclaim his name forthwith.”
The Chapter Of Giving A Heart To Osiris
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF GIVING A HEART TO OSIRIS ANI IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“May my heart (_ab_)(20) be with me in the House of Hearts! May my heart
(_hat_) be with me in the House of Hearts! May my heart be with me, and
may it rest there, [or] I shall not eat of the cakes of Osiris on the
eastern side of the Lake of Flowers, neither shall I have a boat wherein
to go down the Nile, nor another wherein to go up, nor shall I be able to
sail down the Nile with thee. May my mouth [be given] to me that I may
speak therewith, and my two legs to walk therewith, and my two hands and
arms to overthrow my foe. May the doors of heaven be opened unto me; may
Seb, the Prince(21) of the gods, open wide his two jaws unto me; may he
open my two eyes which are blindfolded; may he cause me to stretch apart
my two legs which are bound together; and may Anpu (Anubis) make my thighs
firm so that I may stand upon them. May the goddess Sekhet make me to rise
so that I may ascend unto heaven, and may that be done which I command in
the House of the _foreign_ (double) of Ptah (_i.e._, Memphis). I
understand with my heart. I have gained the mastery over my heart, I have
gained the mastery over my two hands, I have gained the mastery over my
legs, I have gained the power to do whatsoever my _ka_ (double) pleaseth.
My soul shall not be fettered to my body at the gates of the underworld;
but I shall enter in peace and I shall come forth in peace.”
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheets 15 and 16).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART (HATI) OF A MAN BE TAKEN FROM HIM IN
THE UNDERWORLD.(22) Saith Osiris Ani:
“Hail, ye who carry away hearts! [Hail,] ye who steal [hearts, and who
make the heart of a man to go through its transformations according to his
deeds, let not what he hath done harm him before you].(23) Homage to you,
O ye lords of eternity, ye possessors of everlastingness, take ye not this
heart of Osiris Ani into your grasp, this heart of Osiris, and cause ye
not words of evil to spring up against it; because this is the heart of
Osiris Ani, triumphant, and it belongeth unto him of many names (_i.e._,
Thoth), the mighty one whose words are his limbs, and who sendeth forth
his heart to dwell in his body. The heart of Osiris Ani is triumphant, it
is made new before the gods, he hath gained power over it, he hath not
been spoken to [according to] what he hath done. He hath gotten power over
his own members. His heart obeyeth him, he is the lord thereof, it is in
his body, and it shall never fall away therefrom. I, Osiris, the scribe
Ani, victorious in peace, and triumphant in the beautiful Amenta and on
the mountain of eternity, bid thee to be obedient unto me in the
underworld.”
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 5).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF THE OVERSEER OF THE PALACE, THE
CHANCELLOR-IN-CHIEF, NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE CARRIED AWAY FROM HIM IN THE
UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“Hail, thou Lion-god! I am the Flower Bush (_Unb_). That which is an
abomination unto me is the divine block. Let not this my heart (_hāti_) be
carried away from me by the fighting gods in Annu. Hail, thou who dost
wind bandages round Osiris and who hast seen Set! Hail, thou who returnest
after smiting and destroying him before the mighty ones! This my heart
(_ab_) [sitteth] and weepeth for itself before Osiris; it hath made
supplication for me. I have given unto him and I have decreed unto him the
thoughts of the heart in the House of the god Usekh-hra,(24) and I have
brought to him sand (_sic_) at the entry to Khemennu (Hermopolis Magna).
Let not this my heart (_hāti_) be carried away from me! I make thee to
dwell(?) upon this throne, O thou who joinest together hearts (_hātu_) [in
Sekhet-hetep (with) years] of strength against all things that are an
abomination unto thee, and to carry off food from among the things which
belong unto thee, and are in thy grasp by reason of thy twofold strength.
And this my heart (_hāti_) is devoted to the decrees of the god Tem who
leadeth me into the dens of Suti, but let not this my heart which hath
done its desire before the sovereign princes who are in the underworld be
given unto him. When they find the leg and the swathings they bury them.”
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF A MAN BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM IN
THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Ani, triumphant, saith:
“Turn thou back, O messenger of every god! Is it that thou art come [to
carry away] this my heart which liveth? But my heart which liveth shall
not be given unto thee. [As I] advance, the gods hearken unto my
offerings, and they all fall down upon their faces in their own places.”
The Chapter Of Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Amen-hetep (Naville, “Todtenbuch,” Bd. I. Bl. 40).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT ALLOWING THE HEART OF AMEN-HETEP, TRIUMPHANT, TO BE
CARRIED AWAY DEAD IN THE UNDERWORLD. The deceased saith:
“My heart is with me, and it shall never come to pass that it shall be
carried away. I am the lord of hearts, the slayer of the heart. I live in
right and truth (_Maāt_) and I have my being therein. I am Horus, the
dweller in hearts, who is within the dweller in the body. I live in my
word, and my heart hath being. Let not my heart be taken away from me, let
it not be wounded, and may neither wounds nor gashes be dealt upon me
because it hath been taken away from me. Let me have my being in the body
of [my] father Seb, [and in the body of my] mother Nut. I have not done
that which is held in abomination by the gods; let me not suffer defeat
there, [but let me be] triumphant.”
The Heart Of Carnelian
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 33).]
THE CHAPTER OF A HEART OF CARNELIAN. Osiris Ani, triumphant, saith:
“I am the _Bennu_, the soul of Rā, and the guide of the gods in the Tuat
(underworld). Their divine souls come forth upon earth to do the will of
their _kas_; let, therefore, the soul of Osiris Ani come forth to do the
will of his _ka_.”
Preserving The Heart
[From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 16.]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF A MAN BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM HIM IN
THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, born of Sheret-Amsu,
triumphant, saith:
“My heart, my mother; my heart, my mother! My heart of my existence upon
earth. May naught stand up to oppose me in judgment; may there be no
opposition to me in the presence of the sovereign princes; may [no evil]
be wrought against me in the presence of the gods; may there be no parting
[of thee] from me in the presence of the great god, the lord of Amentet.
Homage to thee, O thou heart of Osiris-khent-Amentet! Homage to you, O my
reins! Homage to you, O ye gods who dwell in the divine clouds, and who
are exalted (or holy) by reason of your sceptres! Speak ye fair words for
the Osiris Auf-ānkh, and make ye him to prosper before Nehebka. And
behold, though I be joined unto the earth, and am in the mighty innermost
part of heaven, let me remain on the earth and not die in Amentet, and let
me be a _khu_ therein forever and ever.”
THIS [CHAPTER] SHALL BE RECITED OVER A BASALT SCARAB, WHICH SHALL BE SET
IN A GOLD SETTING, AND IT SHALL BE PLACED INSIDE THE HEART OF THE MAN(25)
FOR WHOM THE CEREMONIES OF “OPENING THE MOUTH” AND OF ANOINTING WITH
UNGUENT HAVE BEEN PERFORMED. AND THERE SHALL BE RECITED BY WAY OF A
MAGICAL CHARM THE WORDS: “MY HEART, MY MOTHER; MY HEART, MY MOTHER! MY
HEART OF TRANSFORMATIONS.”
Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 5).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF THE OVERSEER OF THE PALACE, THE
CHANCELLOR-IN-CHIEF, NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM HIM IN THE
UNDERWORLD. He Saith:
“O my heart, my mother; O my heart, my mother! O my heart of my existence
upon earth. May naught stand up to oppose me in judgment in the presence
of the lords of the trial; let it not be said of me and of that which I
have done, ‘He hath done deeds against that which is right and true’; may
naught be against me in the presence of the great god, the lord of
Amentet. Homage to thee, O my heart! Homage to thee, O my heart! Homage to
you, O my reins! Homage to you, O ye gods who dwell in the divine clouds,
and who are exalted (or holy) by reason of your sceptres! Speak ye [for
me] fair things to Rā, and make ye me to prosper before Nehebka. And
behold me, even though I be joined to the earth in the mighty innermost
parts thereof, let me remain upon the earth and let me not die in Amentet,
but become a _Khu_ therein.”
Preserving The Heart
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF OSIRIS, THE SCRIBE OF THE HOLY
OFFERINGS OF ALL THE GODS, ANI, TRIUMPHANT, BE DRIVEN FROM HIM IN THE
UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“My heart, my mother; my heart, my mother! My heart whereby I came into
being! May naught stand up to oppose me at [my] judgment; may there be no
opposition to me in the presence of the sovereign princes (_Tchatcha_);
may there be no parting of thee from me in the presence of him that
keepeth the Balance! Thou art my _ka_, the dweller in my body; the god
Khnemu who knitteth and strengtheneth my limbs. Mayest thou come forth
into the place of happiness whither we go. May the _Shenit_ (_i.e._, the
divine officers of the court of Osiris), who form the conditions of the
lives of men, not cause my name to stink. [Let it be satisfactory unto us,
and let the listening be satisfactory unto us, and let there be joy of
heart unto us at the weighing of words. Let not that which is false be
uttered against me before the great god, the lord of Amentet. Verily how
great shalt thou be when thou risest in triumph!]”(26)
Rubric
[From the Papyrus of Amen-hetep (see Naville, “Todtenbuch,” Bd. II. p.
99).]
THESE WORDS ARE TO BE SAID OVER A SCARAB OF GREEN STONE ENCIRCLED WITH A
BAND OF REFINED COPPER AND [HAVING] A RING OF SILVER, WHICH SHALL BE
PLACED ON THE NECK OF THE _KHU_.
THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHEMENNU (HERMOPOLIS MAGNA) UNDER
THE FEET OF [THE STATUE OF] THIS GOD. [IT WAS INSCRIBED] UPON A SLAB OF
IRON OF THE SOUTH, IN THE WRITING OF THE GOD HIMSELF, IN THE TIME OF THE
MAJESTY OF THE KING OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, MEN-KAU-RA,(27)
TRIUMPHANT, BY THE ROYAL SON HERU-TA-TA-F, WHO DISCOVERED IT WHILE HE WAS
ON HIS JOURNEY TO MAKE AN INSPECTION OF THE TEMPLES AND OF THEIR ESTATES.
Beating Back The Crocodile
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 5).]
THE CHAPTER OF BEATING BACK THE CROCODILE THAT COMETH TO CARRY AWAY THE
CHARM FROM NU, THE OVERSEER OF THE PALACE, THE CHANCELLOR-IN-CHIEF,
TRIUMPHANT, THE SON OF THE OVERSEER OF THE PALACE, AMEN-HETEP, TRIUMPHANT,
IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“Get thee back, return, get thee back, thou crocodile-fiend Sui; thou
shalt not advance to me, for I live by reason of the magical words which I
have by me. I do not utter that name of thine to the great god who will
cause thee to come to the two divine envoys; the name of the one is
Betti,(28) and the name of the other is ‘Hra-k-en-Maāt.’(29) Heaven hath
power over its seasons, and the magical word hath power over that which is
in its possession, let therefore my mouth have power over the magical word
which is therein. My front teeth are like unto flint knives, and my
jaw-teeth are like unto the Nome of Tutef.(30) Hail thou that sittest with
thine eyeball upon these my magical words! Thou shalt not carry them away,
O thou crocodile that livest by means of magical words!”
[In the Turin Papyrus (Lepsius, op. cit., Bl. 16) the following lines are
added to this chapter:]
“I am the Prince in the field. I, even I, am Osiris, who hath shut in his
father Seb together with his mother Nut on the day of the great slaughter.
My father is Seb and my mother is Nut. I am Horus, the first-born of Rā,
who is crowned. I am Anpu (Anubis) on the day of reckoning. I, even I, am
Osiris the prince who goeth in and declareth the offerings which are
written down. I am the guardian of the door of Osiris, even I. I have
come, I have become glorious (or a _Khu_), I have been reckoned up, I am
strong, I have come and I avenge mine own self. I have sat in the
birth-chamber of Osiris, and I was born with him, and I renew my youth
along with him. I have laid hold upon the Thigh which was by Osiris, and I
have opened the mouth of the gods therewith, I sit upon the place where he
sitteth, and I write down the number [of the things] which make strong(?)
the heart, thousands of loaves of bread, thousands of vases of beer, which
are upon the altars of his father Osiris, [numbers of] jackals, wolves,
oxen, red fowl, geese and ducks. Horus hath done away with the sacrifices
of Thoth. I fill the office of priest in the regions above, and I write
down there [the things] which make strong the heart. I make offerings (or
offerings are made to me) at the altars of the Prince of Tattu, and I have
my being through the oblations [made to] him. I snuff the wind of the East
by his head, and I lay hold upon the breezes of the West thereby.... I go
round about heaven in the four quarters thereof, I stretch out my hand and
grasp the breezes of the south [which] are upon its hair. Grant unto me
air among the venerable beings and among those who eat bread.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN BY [THE DECEASED] HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY, HE
SHALL RISE UP TO WALK UPON THE EARTH AMONG THE LIVING, AND HE SHALL NEVER
FAIL AND COME TO AN END, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER.
Beating Back The Crocodile
[From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bll. 16 and 17.]
THE CHAPTER OF BEATING BACK THE CROCODILE THAT COMETH TO CARRY AWAY THE
MAGICAL WORDS FROM THE KHU IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant,
saith:
“The Mighty One fell down upon the place where he is, or (as others say),
upon his belly, but the company of the gods caught him and set him up
again. [My] soul cometh and it speaketh with its father, and the Mighty
One delivereth it from these eight(31) crocodiles. I know them by their
names and [what] they live upon, and I am he who hath delivered his father
from them.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the West, thou that livest
upon the stars which never rest, for that which is an abomination unto
thee is in my belly, O thou that hast eaten the forehead of Osiris. I am
Set.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the West, for the
serpent-fiend Nāau is in my belly, and I will give him unto thee; let not
thy flame be against me.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the East, who feedest upon
those who eat their own filth, for that which is an abomination unto thee
is in my belly; I advance, I am Osiris.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the East, the serpent-fiend
Nāau is in my belly, and I will give [him] unto thee; let not thy flame be
against me.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the South, who feedest upon
filth, and waste, and dirt, for that which is an abomination unto thee is
in my belly; shall not the flame be on thy hand? I am Sept.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the South, for I am safe by
reason of my charm; my fist is among the flowers and I will not give it
unto thee.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the North, who feedest upon
what is offered(?) within the hours, for that which thou abominatest is in
my belly; let [not] thy venom be upon my head, for I am Tem.”
“Get thee back, O Crocodile that dwellest in the North, for the goddess
Serqet is in my belly and I have not yet brought her forth. I am
Uatch-Maati (or Merti).”
“The things which are created are in the hollow of my hand, and those
which have not yet come into being are in my body. I am clothed and wholly
provided with thy magical words, O Rā, the which are in heaven above me
and in the earth beneath me. I have gained power, and exaltation, and a
full-breathing throat in the abode of my father Ur (_i.e._, the Mighty
One), and he hath delivered unto me the beautiful Amentet which destroyeth
living men and women; but strong is its divine lord, who suffereth from
weakness,” or (as others say) “exhaustion twofold, therein day by day. My
face is open, my heart is upon its seat, and the crown with the serpent is
upon me day by day. I am Rā, who is his own protector, and nothing shall
ever cast me to the ground.”
Repulsing Serpents
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF REPULSING SERPENTS (OR WORMS). Nu, the overseer of the
palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, thou serpent Rerek, advance not hither. Behold Seb and Shu. Stand
still now, and thou shalt eat the rat which is an abominable thing unto
Rā, and thou shalt crunch the bones of the filthy cat.”
Against Snakes
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT [LETTING] OSIRIS NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE BITTEN BY SNAKES
(OR WORMS) IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“O Serpent! I am the flame which shineth upon the Opener(?) of hundreds of
thousands of years, and the standard of the god Tenpu,” or (as others say)
“the standard of young plants and flowers. Depart ye from me, for I am the
divine Māftet.”(32)
Against Serpents
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT [LETTING] NU, THE CHANCELLOR-IN-CHIEF, TRIUMPHANT, BE
DEVOURED BY SERPENTS IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“Hail, thou god Shu! Behold Tattu! Behold Shu! Hail Tattu! [Shu] hath the
head-dress of the goddess Hathor. They nurse Osiris. Behold the twofold
being who is about to eat me! Alighting from the boat I depart(?), and the
serpent-fiend Seksek passeth me by. Behold _sām_ and _aaqet_ flowers are
kept under guard(?). This being is Osiris, and he maketh entreaty for his
tomb. The eyes of the divine prince are dropped, and he performeth the
reparation which is to be done for thee; [he] giveth [unto thee thy]
portion of right and truth according to the decision concerning the states
and conditions [of men].”
Driving Away Apshait
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING AWAY APSHAIT. Osiris Nu, the chancellor-in-chief,
triumphant, saith:
“Depart from me, O thou that hast lips which gnaw, for I am Khnemu, the
lord of Peshennu,(33) and [I] bring the words of the gods to Rā, and I
report [my] message to the lord thereof.”(34)
Driving Back The Merti
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE TWO MERTI GODDESSES. Nu, the
chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“Homage to you, ye two _Rekht_ goddesses,(35) ye two Sisters, ye two
_Mert_ goddesses, I bring a message to you concerning my magical words. I
shine from the _Sektet_ boat, I am Horus the son of Osiris, and I have
come to see my father Osiris.”
Living By Air
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF LIVING BY AIR IN THE UNDERWORLD. The scribe Nebseni, the
lord to whom veneration is paid, saith:
“[I am the god Tem], who cometh forth out of Nu into the watery abyss. I
have received [my habitation of Amentet, and have given commands] with my
words to the [_Khu_s] whose abiding-places are hidden, to the _Khu_s and
to the double Lion-god. I have made journeys round about and I have sung
hymns of joy in the boat of Khepera. I have eaten therein, I have gained
power therein, and I live therein through the breezes [which are there]. I
am the guide in the boat of Rā, and he openeth out for me a path; he
maketh a passage for me through the gates of the god Seb. I have seized
and carried away those who live in the embrace of the god Ur (_i.e._,
Mighty One); I am the guide of those who live in their shrines, the two
brother-gods Horus and Set; and I bring the noble ones with me. I enter in
and I come forth, and my throat is not slit; I go into the boat of Maāt,
and I pass in among those who live in the _Atet_ boat, and who are in the
following of Rā, and are nigh unto him in his horizon. I live after my
death day by day, and I am strong even as is the double Lion-god. I live,
and I am delivered after my death, I, the scribe Nebseni, the lord of
piety, who fill the earth and come forth like the lily of
mother-of-emerald, of the god Hetep of the two lands.”
Living By Air
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF LIVING BY AIR IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nu, the overseer of the
palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, the son of the overseer of
the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Amen-hetep, triumphant, saith:
“I am the double Lion-god, the first-born of Rā and Tem of Ha-khebti(?),
[the gods] who dwell in their divine chambers. Those who dwell in their
divine abodes have become my guides, and they make paths for me as they
revolve in the watery abyss of the sky by the side of the path of the boat
of Tem. I stand upon the timbers(?) of the boat of Rā, and I recite his
ordinances to the beings who have knowledge, and I am the herald of his
words to him whose throat stinketh. I set free my divine fathers at
eventide. I close the lips of my mouth, and I eat like unto a living
being. I have life in Tattu, and I live again after death like Rā day by
day.”
Driving Back Rerek
[From the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 53).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE SERPENT REREK IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris
Mes-em-neter saith:
“Get thee back, depart, retreat(?) from [me], O Aāapef, withdraw, or thou
shalt be drowned at the Pool of Nu, at the place where thy father hath
ordered that thy slaughter shall be performed. Depart thou from the divine
place of birth of Rā wherein is thy terror. I am Rā who dwelleth in his
terror. Get thee back, Fiend, before the darts of his beams. Rā hath
overthrown thy words, the gods have turned thy face backward, the Lynx
hath torn open thy breast, the Scorpion hath cast fetters upon thee; and
Maāt hath sent forth thy destruction. Those who are in the ways have
overthrown thee; fall down and depart, O Apep, thou Enemy of Rā! O thou
that passest over the region in the eastern part of heaven with the sound
of the roaring thunder-cloud, O Rā who openest the gates of the horizon
straightway on thy appearance, [Apep] hath sunk helpless under [thy]
gashings. I have performed thy will, O Rā, I have performed thy will; I
have done that which is fair, I have done that which is fair, I have
labored for the peace of Rā. [I] have made to advance thy fetters, O Rā,
and Apep hath fallen through thy drawing them tight. The gods of the south
and of the north, of the west and of the east have fastened chains upon
him, and they have fettered him with fetters; the god Rekes hath
overthrown him and the god Hertit hath put him in chains. Rā setteth, Rā
setteth; Rā is strong at [his] setting. Apep hath fallen, Apep, the enemy
of Rā, departeth. Greater is the punishment [which hath been inflicted on]
thee than the sting(?) which is in the Scorpion goddess, and mightily hath
she, whose course is everlasting, worked it upon thee and with deadly
effect. Thou shalt never enjoy the delights of love, thou shalt never
fulfil thy desire, O Apep, thou Enemy of Rā! He maketh thee to go back, O
thou who art hateful to Rā; he looketh upon thee, get thee back! [He]
pierceth [thy] head, [he] cutteth through thy face, [he] divideth [thy]
head at the two sides of the ways, and it is crushed in his land; thy
bones are smashed in pieces, thy members are hacked off thee, and the god
[A]ker hath condemned thee, O Apep, thou enemy of Rā! Thy mariners are
those who keep the reckoning for thee, [O Rā, as thou] advancest, and thou
restest there wherein are the offerings made to thee [As thou] advancest,
[as thou] advancest toward the House the advance which thou hast made
toward the House is a prosperous advance; let not any baleful obstacle
proceed from thy mouth against me when thou workest on my behalf. I am Set
who let loose the storm-clouds and the thunder in the horizon of heaven
even as [doth] the god Netcheb-ab-f.”
“ ‘Hail,’ saith the god Tem, ‘make strong your faces, O soldiers of Rā,
for I have driven back the god Nentchā in the presence of the divine
sovereign princes.’ ‘Hail,’ saith the god Seb, ‘make ye firm those who are
upon their seats which are in the boat of Khepera, take ye your ways,
[grasping] your weapons of war in your hands.’ ‘Hail,’ saith Hathor, ‘take
ye your armor.’ ‘Hail,’ saith Nut, ‘come and repulse the god Tchā who
pursueth him that dwelleth in his shrine and who setteth out on his way
alone, namely, Neb-er-tcher, who cannot be repulsed.’ ‘Hail,’ say those
gods who dwell in their companies and who go round about the Turquoise
Pool, ‘come, O mighty One, we praise and we will deliver the Mighty One
[who dwelleth in] the divine Shrine, from whom proceeds the company of the
gods, let commemorations be made for him, let praise be given to him, let
words [of praise] be recited before him by you and by me.’ ‘Hail,’ saith
Nut to thy Sweet One. ‘Hail,’ say those who dwell among the gods, ‘he
cometh forth, he findeth [his] way, he maketh captives among the gods, he
hath taken possession of the goddess Nut, and Seb standeth up.’ Hail, thou
terrible one, the company of the gods is on the march. Hathor quaketh with
terror, and Rā hath triumphed over Apep.”
Repulsing The Eater Of The Ass
[From the Papyrus of Rā (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 54) and from
the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE EATER OF THE ASS. Osiris Rā, triumphant,
saith:
I. “Get thee back, Hai, thou impure one, thou abomination of Osiris! Thoth
hath cut off thy head, and I have performed upon thee all the things which
the company of the gods ordered concerning thee in the matter of the work
of thy slaughter. Get thee back, thou abomination of Osiris, from the
_Neshmet_ boat ... which advanceth with a fair wind. Ye are holy, O all ye
gods, and [ye] have cast down headlong the enemies of Osiris; the gods of
Ta-ur shout for joy. Get thee back, O thou Eater of the Ass, thou
abomination of the god Haas who dwelleth in the underworld. I know thee, I
know thee, I know thee, I know thee. Who art thou? I am...”
II. “On thy face [O fiend], and devour me not, for I am pure, and I am
with the time which cometh of itself. Thou shalt not come to me, O thou
that comest(36) without being invoked, and whose [time of coming] is
unknown. I am the lord of thy mouth, get thee back, thou and thy
desires(?). Hail, Haas, with his stone [knife] Horus hath cut asunder thy
members, and thou art destroyed within thy company, and thy bend (or
dwelling-place) is destroyed for thee by the company of thy gods who dwell
in the cities of Pe and Tep. He that slayeth [thee] there is in the form
of the Eye of Horus, and I have driven thee away as thou wast advancing,
and I have vanquished thee by the winds of my mouth. O thou Eater of those
who commit sins, who dost plunder and spoil, I have [committed] no sin;
therefore, let my palette and the writings with hostile charges [against
me upon them] be given unto me. I have done no wrong in the presence of
the sovereign princes, therefore shoot not thy [venom] at me. I give, do
thou take according to what I order; snatch me not away, and eat me not,
for I am the lord of life, the Prince (Life, Health, Strength!) of the
horizon.”
Abolishing The Slaughterings
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni, sheet 25.]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING AWAY THE SLAUGHTERINGS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN THE
UNDERWORLD. Nebseni, the scribe and designer in the Temples of Upper and
Lower Egypt, he to whom fair veneration is paid, the son of the scribe and
artist Thena, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, Tem, I have become glorious (or a _Khu_) in the presence of the
double Lion-god, the great god, therefore open thou unto me the gate of
the god Seb. I smell the earth (_i.e._, I bow down so that my nose
toucheth the ground) of the great god who dwelleth in the underworld, and
I advance into the presence of the company of the gods who dwell with the
beings who are in the underworld. Hail, thou guardian of the divine door
of the city of Beta, thou [god] Neti(?) who dwellest in Amentet, I eat
food, and I have life through the air, and the god Atch-ur leadeth me with
[him] to the mighty boat of Khepera. I hold converse with the divine
mariners at eventide, I enter in, I go forth, and I see the being who is
there; I lift him up, and I say that which I have to say unto him, whose
throat stinketh [for lack of air]. I have life, and I am delivered, having
lain down in death. Hail, thou that bringest offerings and oblations,
bring forward thy mouth and make to draw nigh the writings (or lists) of
offerings and oblations. Set thou Right and Truth firmly upon their
throne, make thou the writings to draw nigh, and set thou up the goddesses
in the presence of Osiris, the mighty god, the Prince of everlastingness,
who counteth his years, who hearkeneth unto those who are in the islands
(or pools), who raiseth his right shoulder, who judgeth the divine
princes, and who sendeth [Osiris] into the presence of the great sovereign
princes who live in the underworld.”
Abolishing The Slaughterings
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE SLAUGHTERINGS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN
SUTEN-HENEN. Osiris Nu, triumphant, saith:
“O thou land of the sceptre! (literally, wood) O thou white crown of the
divine form! O thou resting-place of the boat! I am the Child, I am the
Child, I am the Child, I am the Child. Hail, Abu-ur, thou sayest day by
day: ‘The slaughter-block is made ready as thou knowest, and thou hast
come to decay.’ I am Rā, the stablisher of those who praise [him]. I am
the knot of the god within the _Aser_ tree, the doubly beautiful one, who
is more splendid than yesterday (say four times). I am Rā, the stablisher
of those who praise [him]. I am the knot of the god within the _Aser_
tree, and my going forth is the going forth [of Rā] on this day.”
“My hair is the hair of Nu. My face is the face of the Disk. My eyes are
the eyes of Hathor. My ears are the ears of Ap-uat. My nose is the nose of
Khenti-khas. My lips are the lips of Anpu. My teeth are the teeth of
Serqet. My neck is the neck of the divine goddess Isis. My hands are the
hands of Ba-neb-Tattu. My forearms are the forearms of Neith, the Lady of
Sais. My backbone is the backbone of Suti. My phallus is the phallus of
Osiris. My reins are the reins of the Lords of Kher-āba. My chest is the
chest of the Mighty one of Terror. My belly and back are the belly and
back of Sekhet. My buttocks are the buttocks of the Eye of Horus. My hips
and legs are the hips and legs of Nut. My feet are the feet of Ptah. [My
fingers] and my leg-bones are the [fingers and] leg-bones of the Living
Gods. There is no member of my body which is not the member of some god.
The god Thoth shieldeth my body altogether, and I am Rā day by day. I
shall not be dragged back by my arms, and none shall lay violent hold upon
my hands. And shall do me hurt neither men, nor gods, nor the sainted
dead, nor those who have perished, nor any one of those of ancient times,
nor any mortal, nor any human being. I am he who cometh forth, advancing,
whose name is unknown. I am Yesterday, and Seer of millions of years is my
name. I pass along, I pass along the paths of the divine celestial judges.
I am the lord of eternity, and I decree and I judge like the god Khepera.
I am the lord of the _Ureret_ crown. I am he who dwelleth in the _Utchat_
[and in the Egg, in the _Utchat_ and in the Egg, and it is given unto me
to live [with] them. I am he that dwelleth in the _Utchat_ when it
closeth, and I exist by the strength thereof. I come forth and I shine; I
enter in and I come to life. I am in the _Utchat_],(37) my seat is upon my
throne, and I sit in the abode of splendor(?) before it. I am Horus and
(I) traverse millions of years. I have given the decree [for the
stablishing of] my throne and I am the ruler thereof; and in very truth,
my mouth keepeth an even balance both in speech and in silence. In very
truth, my forms are inverted. I am Un-nefer, from one season even unto
another, and what I have is within me; [I am] the only One, who proceedeth
from an only One who goeth round about in his course. I am he who dwelleth
in the _Utchat_, no evil thing of any form or kind shall spring up against
me, and no baleful object, and no harmful thing, and no disastrous thing
shall happen unto me. I open the door in heaven, I govern my throne, and I
open up [the way] for the births [which take place] on this day. I am (?)
the child who marcheth along the road of Yesterday. [I am] To-day for
untold nations and peoples. I am he who protecteth you for millions of
years, and whether ye be denizens of the heavens, or of the earth, or of
the south, or of the north, or of the east, or of the west, the fear of me
is in your bodies. I am he whose being has been moulded in his eye, and I
shall not die again. My moment is in your bodies, but my forms are in my
place of habitation. I am he who cannot be known, but the Red Ones have
their faces directed toward me. I am the unveiled one. The season wherein
[the god] created the heavens for me and enlarged the bounds of the earth
and made great the progeny thereof cannot be found out; but they fail and
are not united [again]. My name setteth itself apart from all things [and
from] the great evil [which is in] the mouths [of men] by reason of the
speech which I address unto you. I am he who riseth and shineth, the wall
which cometh out of a wall, an only One who proceedeth from an only One.
There is never a day that passeth without the things which appertain unto
him being therein; passing, passing, passing, passing. Verily I say unto
thee, I am the Sprout which cometh forth from Nu, and my Mother is Nut.
Hail, O my Creator, I am he who hath no power to walk, the great Knot who
is within yesterday. The might of my strength is within my hand. I myself
am not known, but I am he who knoweth thee. I cannot be held with the
hand, but I am he who can hold thee in his hand. Hail, O Egg! Hail, O Egg!
I am Horus who lives for millions of years, whose flame shineth upon you
and bringeth your hearts to me. I have the command of my throne and I
advance at this season, I have opened a path, and I have delivered myself
from all evil things. I am the dog-headed ape of gold three palms and two
fingers [high], which hath neither arms nor legs and dwelleth in
Het-ka-Ptah (Memphis), and I go forth as goeth forth the dog-headed ape
that dwelleth in Het-ka-Ptah.”
Air And Water
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF SNUFFING THE AIR AND OF HAVING THE MASTERY OVER THE WATER
IN THE UNDERWORLD. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief,
Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, Hāp-ur, god of heaven, in thy name of ‘Divider of heaven,’ grant
thou unto me that I may have dominion over the water, even as the goddess
Sekhet had power over Osiris on the night of the storms and floods. Grant
thou that I may have power over the divine princes who have their
habitations in the place of the god of the inundation, even as they have
power over their own holy god of whose name they are ignorant; and may
they let me have power even as [he hath let them have power].”
“My nostrils are opened in Tattu,” or (as others say), “My mouth and my
nostrils are opened in Tātāu, and I have my place of peace in Annu, which
is my house; it was built for me by the goddess Sesheta, and the god
Khnemu set it up for me upon its walls. If to this heaven it cometh by the
north, I sit at the south; if to this heaven it cometh by the south, I sit
at the north; if to this heaven it cometh by the west, I sit at the east;
and if to this heaven it cometh by the east, I sit at the west. I draw the
hair of my nostrils, and I make my way into every place in which I wish to
sit.”
In the Papyrus of Nefer-uben-f (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 70) this
chapter ends quite differently, and reads:
“I am strong in my mouth and in my nostrils, for behold Tem has stablished
them; behold, O ye gods and _Khu_s. Rest thou, then, O Tem. Behold the
staff which blossometh, and which cometh forth when a man crieth out in
your names. Behold, I am Tem, the tree (?) of the gods in [their] visible
forms. Let me not be turned back.... I am the _Am-khent_, Nefer-uben-f,
triumphant. Let neither my flesh nor my members be gashed with knives, let
me not be wounded by knives by you. I have come, I have been judged, I
have come forth therein, [I] have power with my father, the Old man, Nu.
He hath granted that I may live, he hath given strength unto me, and he
hath provided me with the inheritance of my father therein.”
Dominion Over Elements
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 16).]
THE CHAPTER OF BREATHING THE AIR AND OF HAVING DOMINION OVER THE WATER IN
THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Ani saith:
“Open to me.” Who art thou? Whither goest thou? What is thy name? “I am
one of you.” Who are those with thee? “The two serpent goddesses _Merti_.
Separate thou from him, head from head, when [thou] goest into the divine
_Mesqen_ chamber. He letteth me set out for the temple of the gods who
have found their faces. ‘Assembler of Souls’ is the name of my boat;
‘Making the hair to stand on end’ is the name of the oars; ‘Goad’ is the
name of the hold; ‘Making straight for the middle’ is the name of the
rudder; likewise [the boat] is a type of my being borne onward in the
pool. Let there be given unto me vessels of milk, together with cakes, and
loaves of bread, and cups of drink, and flesh in the Temple of Anpu.”
IF HE (I.E., THE DECEASED) KNOWETH THIS CHAPTER, HE SHALL GO INTO, AFTER
COMING FORTH FROM, THE UNDERWORLD OF THE [BEAUTIFUL AMENTET].
Dominion Over Elements
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 16).]
THE CHAPTER OF SNUFFING THE AIR, AND OF HAVING DOMINION OVER THE WATERS IN
THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Ani saith:
“Hail, thou sycamore tree of the goddess Nut! Grant thou to me of [the
water and of] the air which dwell in thee. I embrace the throne which is
in Unnu (Hermopolis), and I watch and guard the egg of Nekek-ur (_i.e._,
the Great Cackler). It groweth, I grow; it liveth, I live; it snuffeth the
air, I snuff the air, I the Osiris Ani, in triumph.”
Dominion Over Elements
[From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 23.]
ANOTHER CHAPTER. Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, saith:
“Let the gates of heaven be opened for me by the god [Thoth] and by Hāpi,
and let me pass through the doors of Ta-qebh(38) into the great heaven,”
or (as others say), “at the time,” [or (as others say)], “with the
strength(?) of Rā. Grant ye, [O Thoth and Hāpi,] that I may have power
over the water, even as Set had power over his enemies on the day when
there were storms and rain upon the earth. Let me have power over the
divine beings who have mighty arms in their shoulders, even as the god who
is apparelled in splendor and whose name is unknown had power over them;
and may I have power over the beings whose arms are mighty.”
Preservation Of The Soul
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE SOUL OF A MAN BE TAKEN FROM HIM IN THE
UNDERWORLD. Osiris, the Scribe Ani, saith:
“I, even I, am he who came forth from the water-flood which I make to
overflow, and which becometh mighty as the river [Nile].”
Of Drinking Water
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 4).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRINKING WATER IN THE UNDERWORLD. The scribe Nebseni ...
saith:
“May be opened [to me] the mighty flood by Osiris, and may the abyss of
water be opened [to me] by Tehuti-Hāpi, the lord of the horizon, in my
name of ‘Opener.’ May there be granted [to me] mastery over the
water-courses as over the members of Set. I go forth into heaven. I am the
Lion-god Rā. I am the Bull. [I] have eaten the Thigh, and I have divided
the carcass. I have gone round about among the islands (or lakes) of
Sekhet-Aaru. Indefinite time, without beginning and without end, hath been
given to me; I inherit eternity, and everlastingness hath been bestowed
upon me.”
The last three chapters, with a single vignette, are grouped in one in the
Papyrus of Nefer-uben-f (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 72); but the
order of them as there given is 61, 60, 62. In the Turin Papyrus (Lepsius,
op. cit., Bl. 23) the vignette of each is the same, _i.e._, the deceased
holding a sail in his left hand.
Of Drinking Water
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 7).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRINKING WATER AND OF NOT BEING BURNT BY FIRE [IN THE
UNDERWORLD]. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, saith:
“Hail, Bull of Amentet! I am brought unto thee, I am the oar of Rā
wherewith he ferried over the divine aged ones; let me neither be burnt up
nor destroyed by fire. I am Bet, the first-born son of Osiris, who doth
meet every god within his Eye in Annu. I am the divine Heir, the exalted
one(?), the Mighty One, the Resting One. I have made my name to germinate,
I have delivered [it], and thou shalt live through me day by day.”
Preservation From Scalding
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT BEING SCALDED WITH WATER. The overseer of the palace,
the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the oar made ready for rowing, wherewith Rā transported the boat
containing the divine ancestors, and lifted up the moist emanations of
Osiris from the Lake of Fire, and he was not burned. I lie down like a
divine _Khu_, [and like] Khnemu who dwelleth among lions. Come, break away
the restraints from him that passeth by the side of this path, and let me
come forth by it.”
On Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheets 23 and
24).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nebseni, the lord of
reverence, saith:
“I am Yesterday, To-day, and To-morrow, [and I have] the power to be born
a second time; [I am] the divine hidden Soul who createth the gods, and
who giveth sepulchral meals unto the denizens of the Tuat (underworld),
Amentet, and heaven. [I am] the rudder of the east, the possessor of two
divine faces wherein his beams are seen. I am the lord of the men who are
raised up; [the lord] who cometh forth from out of the darkness, and whose
forms of existence are of the house wherein are the dead. Hail, ye two
hawks who are perched upon your resting-places, who hearken unto the
things which are said by him, who guide the bier to the hidden place, who
lead along Rā, and who follow [him] into the uppermost place of the shrine
which is in the celestial heights! [Hail,] lord of the shrine which
standeth in the middle of the earth. He is I, and I am he, and Ptah hath
covered his sky with crystal. [Hail] Rā, thou who art content, thy heart
is glad by reason of thy beautiful law of the day; thou enterest in by
Khemennu(?) and comest forth at the east, and the divine first-born beings
who are in [thy] presence cry out with gladness [unto thee]. Make thou thy
roads glad for me, and make broad for me thy paths when I shall set out
from earth for the life in the celestial regions. Send forth thy light
upon me, O Soul unknown, for I am [one] of those who are about to enter
in, and the divine speech is in [my] ears in the Tuat (underworld), and
let no defects of my mother be [imputed] unto me; let me be delivered and
let me be safe from him whose divine eyes sleep at eventide, when [he]
gathereth together and finisheth [the day] in night. I flood [the land]
with water, and ‘Qem-ur’ is my name, and the garment wherewith I am
clothed is complete. Hail, thou divine prince Ati-she-f, cry out unto
those divine beings who dwell in their hair at the season when the god is
[lifted upon] the shoulder, saying: ‘Come thou who [dwellest] above thy
divine abyss of water, for verily the thigh [of the sacrifice] is tied to
the neck, and the buttocks are [laid] upon the head of Amentet.’ May the
Ur-urti goddesses (_i.e._, Isis and Nephthys) grant [such] gifts unto me
when my tears start from me as I see myself journeying with the divine
Tena in Abydos, and the wooden fastenings which fasten the four doors
above thee are in thy power within thy garment. Thy face is like that of a
greyhound which scenteth with his nose the place whither I go on my feet.
The god Akau transported me to the chamber(?), and [my] nurse is the
divine double Lion-god himself. I am made strong and I come forth like him
that forceth a way through the gate, and the radiance which my heart hath
made is enduring; ‘I know the abysses’ is thy name. I work for you, O ye
_Khu_s—4,000,000, 600,000, 1,000, and 200 are they—concerning the things
which are there. [I am] over their affairs working for hours and days in
setting straight the shoulders of the twelve Sah gods, and joining the
hands of their company, each to each; the sixth who is at the head of the
abyss is the hour of the defeat of the Fiends. [I] have come there in
triumph, and [I am] he who is in the halls (or courtyards) of the
underworld, and I am he who is laid under tribute to Shu. I rise as the
Lord of Life through the beautiful law of this day, and it is their blood
and the cool water of [their] slaughter which make the union of the earth
to blossom. I make a way among the horns of all those who make themselves
strong against me, and [among] those who in secret make themselves
adversaries unto me, and who are upon their bellies. I have come as the
envoy of my Lord of lords to give counsel [concerning] Osiris; the eye
shall not absorb(39) its tears. I am the divine envoy(?) of the house of
him that dwelleth in his possessions, and I have come from Sekhem to Annu
to make known to the _Bennu_ bird therein concerning the events of the
Tuat (underworld). Hail, thou Aukert (_i.e._, underworld) which hidest thy
companion who is in thee, thou creator of forms of existence like the god
Khepera, grant thou that Nebseni, the scribe and designer to the temples
of the South and of the North, may come forth to see the Disk, and that
his journeyings forth(?) may be in the presence of the great god, that is
to say, Shu, who dwelleth in everlastingness. Let me journey on in peace;
let me pass over the sky; let me adore the radiance of the splendor [which
is in] my sight; let me soar like a bird to see the companies(?) of the
_Khu_s in the presence of Rā day by day, who vivifieth every human being
that walketh upon the regions which are upon the earth. Hail, Hemti
(_i.e._, Runner); Hail, Hemti; who carriest away the shades of the dead
and the _Khu_s from earth, grant thou unto me a prosperous way to the Tuat
(underworld), such as is made for the favored ones [of the god], because
[I am] helpless to gather together the emanations which come from me. Who
art thou, then, who consumest in its hidden place? I am the Chief in
Re-stau, and ‘He that goeth in in his own name and cometh forth in that of
Hehi(?), the lord of millions of years, and of the earth,’ is my name. The
pregnant goddess hath deposited [upon the earth] her load, and hath given
birth to Hit straightway; the closed door which is by the wall is
overthrown, it is turned upside down and I rejoice thereat. To the Mighty
One hath his eye been given, and it sendeth forth light from his face when
the earth becometh light (or at daybreak). I shall not become corrupt, but
I shall come into being in the form of the Lion-god and like the blossoms
of Shu; I am the being who is never overwhelmed in the waters. Happy, yea
happy is he that looked upon the funeral couch which hath come to its
place of rest, upon the happy day of the god whose heart resteth, who
maketh his place of alighting [thereon]. I am he who cometh forth by day;
the lord of the bier which giveth life in the presence of Osiris. In very
truth the things which are thine are stable each day, O scribe, artist,
child of the _Seshet_ chamber, Nebseni, lord of veneration. I clasp the
sycamore tree, I myself am joined unto the sycamore tree, and its arm[s]
are opened unto me graciously. I have come and I have clasped the
_Utchat_, and I have caused it to be seated in peace upon its throne. I
have come to see Rā when he setteth, and I absorb into myself the winds
[which arise] when he cometh forth, and both my hands are clean to adore
him. I have gathered together [all my members], I have gathered together
[all my members]. I soar like a bird and I descend upon the earth, and
mine eye maketh me to walk thereon in my footsteps. I am the child of
yesterday, and the Akeru gods of the earth have made me to come into
being, and they have made me strong for my moment [of coming forth]. I
hide with the god Aba-āāiu who will walk behind me, and my members shall
germinate, and my _khu_ shall be as an amulet for my body and as one who
watcheth [to protect] my soul and to defend it and to converse therewith;
and the company of the gods shall hearken unto my words.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS BOTH
UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD. HE SHALL DO WHATSOEVER A MAN DOETH WHO
IS UPON THE EARTH, AND HE SHALL PERFORM ALL THE DEEDS WHICH THOSE DO WHO
ARE [ALIVE]. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION [GIVEN] BY THE GOD. THIS CHAPTER
WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHE-MENNU INSCRIBED UPON THE BLOCK OF IRON IN
LETTERS OF LAPIS-LAZULI WHICH WAS UNDER THE FEET OF THIS GOD.
In the rubric to this chapter as found in the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter, the
chapter is said to have been “discovered in the foundations of the shrine
of the divine Hennu boat by the chief mason in the time of the King of the
North and of the South, Hesepti,(40) triumphant,” and it is there directed
that it shall be recited by one who is ceremonially pure and clean, and
who hath not touched women, and who hath not eaten flesh of animals or
fish.
Chapter Of Knowledge
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 13).]
THE CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE “CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY” IN A SINGLE
CHAPTER. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Osiris Nu,
triumphant, begotten of the overseer of the palace, Amen-hetep,
triumphant, saith:
“I am Yesterday and To-morrow; and I have the power to be born a second
time. [I am] the divine hidden Soul, who createth the gods, and who giveth
sepulchral meals to the divine hidden beings [in the Tuat (underworld)],
in Amenti, and in heaven. [I am] the rudder of the east, the possessor of
two divine faces wherein his beams are seen. I am the lord of those who
are raised up, [the lord] who cometh forth from out of the darkness.
[Hail,] ye two divine Hawks who are perched upon your resting-places, and
who hearken unto the things which are said by him, the thigh [of the
sacrifice] is tied to the neck, and the buttocks [are laid] upon the head
of Amentet. May the Ur-urti goddesses (_i.e._, Isis and Nephthys) grant
such gifts unto me when my tears start from me as I look on. ‘I know the
abysses’ is thy name. [I] work for [you], O ye _Khu_s, who are in number
[four] millions, [six] hundred, and 1,000, and 200, and they are [in
height] twelve cubits. [Ye] travel on joining the hands, each to each, but
the sixth [hour], which belongeth at the head of the Tuat (underworld), is
the hour of the overthrow of the Fiend. [I] have come there in triumph,
and [I am] he who is in the hall (or courtyard) of the Tuat; and the
seven(?) come in his manifestations. The strength which protecteth me is
that which hath my _Khu_ under its protection, [that is] the blood, and
the cool water, and the slaughterings which abound(?). I open [a way
among] the horns of all those who would do harm unto me, who keep
themselves hidden, who make themselves adversaries unto me, and those who
are upon their bellies. The Eye shall not eat (or absorb) the tears of the
goddess Aukert. Hail, goddess Aukert, open thou unto me the enclosed
place, and grant thou unto me pleasant roads whereupon I may travel. Who
art thou, then, who consumest in the hidden places? I am the Chief in
Re-stau, and [I] go in and come forth in my name of ‘Hehi, the lord of
millions of years [and of] the earth’; [I am] the maker of my name. The
pregnant one hath deposited [upon the earth] her load. The door by the
wall is shut fast, and the things of terror are overturned and thrown down
upon the backbone(?) of the _Bennu_ bird by the two _Samait_ goddesses. To
the Mighty One hath his Eye been given, and his face emitteth light when
[he] illumineth the earth, [my name is his name].(41) I shall not become
corrupt, but I shall come into being in the form of the Lion-god; the
blossoms of Shu shall be in me. I am he who is never overwhelmed in the
waters. Happy, yea happy, is the funeral couch of the Still-heart; he
maketh himself to alight upon the pool(?), and verily he cometh forth
[therefrom]. I am the lord of my life. I have come to this [place], and I
have come forth from Re-āa-urt the city of Osiris. Verily the things which
are thine are with the _Sariu_ deities. I have clasped the sycamore tree
and I have divided(?) it; I have opened a way for myself [among] the
_Sekhiu_ gods of the Tuat. I have come to see him that dwelleth in his
divine uræus, face to face and eye to eye, and [I] draw to myself the
winds [which rise] when he cometh forth. My two eyes(?) are weak in my
face, O Lion[-god], Babe, who dwellest in Utent. Thou art in me and I am
in thee; and thy attributes are my attributes. I am the god of the
Inundation (_Bāh_), and ‘Qem-ur-she’ is my name. My forms are the forms of
the god Khepera, the hair of the earth of Tem, the hair of the earth of
Tem. I have entered in as a man of no understanding, and I shall come
forth in the form of a strong _Khu_, and I shall look upon my form which
shall be that of men and women forever and forever.”
I.(42) [IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN] BY A MAN HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY, AND
HE SHALL NOT BE REPULSED AT ANY GATE OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD), EITHER IN
GOING IN OR IN COMING OUT. HE SHALL PERFORM [ALL] THE TRANSFORMATIONS
WHICH HIS HEART SHALL DESIRE FOR HIM AND HE SHALL NOT DIE; BEHOLD, THE
SOUL OF [THIS] MAN SHALL FLOURISH. AND MOREOVER, IF [HE] KNOW THIS CHAPTER
HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL
PERFORM EVERY ACT OF A LIVING HUMAN BEING. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION
WHICH [HATH BEEN GIVEN] BY THE GOD. THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE
FOUNDATIONS OF THE SHRINE OF HENNU BY THE CHIEF MASON DURING THE REIGN OF
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, HESEPTI, TRIUMPHANT,
WHO CARRIED [IT] AWAY AS A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT WHICH HAD NEVER [BEFORE] BEEN
SEEN OR LOOKED UPON. THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE RECITED BY A MAN WHO IS
CEREMONIALLY CLEAN AND PURE, WHO HATH NOT EATEN THE FLESH OF ANIMALS OR
FISH, AND WHO HATH NOT HAD INTERCOURSE WITH WOMEN.
II.(43) IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS
BOTH UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL PERFORM EVERY ACT OF A
LIVING HUMAN BEING. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION WHICH [HATH BEEN GIVEN]
BY THE GOD.
THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHEMENNU, UPON A BLOCK OF IRON OF
THE SOUTH, WHICH HAD BEEN INLAID [WITH LETTERS] OF REAL LAPIS-LAZULI,
UNDER THE FEET OF THE GOD DURING THE REIGN OF HIS MAJESTY, THE KING OF THE
NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, MEN-KAU-RA (MYCERINUS) TRIUMPHANT, BY THE ROYAL
SON HERU-TA-TA-F,(44) TRIUMPHANT; HE FOUND IT WHEN HE WAS JOURNEYING ABOUT
TO MAKE AN INSPECTION OF THE TEMPLES. ONE NEKHT(?) WAS WITH HIM WHO WAS
DILIGENT IN MAKING HIM TO UNDERSTAND(?) IT, AND HE BROUGHT IT TO THE KING
AS A WONDERFUL OBJECT WHEN HE SAW THAT IT WAS A THING OF GREAT MYSTERY,
WHICH HAD NEVER [BEFORE] BEEN SEEN OR LOOKED UPON.
THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE RECITED BY A MAN WHO IS CEREMONIALLY CLEAN AND PURE,
WHO HATH NOT EATEN THE FLESH OF ANIMALS OR FISH, AND WHO HATH NOT HAD
INTERCOURSE WITH WOMEN. AND BEHOLD, THOU SHALT MAKE A SCARAB OF GREEN
STONE, WITH A RIM PLATED(?) WITH GOLD, WHICH SHALL BE PLACED IN THE HEART
OF A MAN, AND IT SHALL PERFORM FOR HIM THE “OPENING OF THE MOUTH.” AND
THOU SHALT ANOINT IT WITH _ANTI_ UNGUENT, AND THOU SHALT RECITE OVER IT
[THESE] ENCHANTMENTS:(45)
Of Gaining Mastery Over Enemies
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY AND OF GAINING THE MASTERY OVER
ENEMIES. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, saith:
“Rā sitteth in his habitation of millions of years, and he hath gathered
together the company of the gods, with those divine beings, whose faces
are hidden, who dwell in the Temple of Khepera, who eat the god Bāh, and
who drink the drink-offerings which are brought into the celestial regions
of light; and conversely. Grant that I may take possession of the captives
of Osiris, and never let me have my being among the fiends of Suti! Hail,
let me sit upon his folds in the habitation of the god User-ba (_i.e._, he
of the strong Soul)! Grant thou that I may sit upon the throne of Rā, and
let me have possession of my body before the god Seb. Grant thou that
Osiris may come forth triumphant over Suti [and over] the night-watchers
of Suti, and over the night-watchers of the Crocodile, yea the
night-watchers of the Crocodile, whose faces are hidden and who dwell in
the divine Temple of the King of the North in the apparel of the gods on
the sixth day of the festival, whose snares are like unto everlastingness
and whose cords are like unto eternity. I have seen the god Abet-ka
placing the cord; the child is laid in fetters, and the rope of the god
Ab-ka is drawn tight(?) ... Behold me. I am born, and I come forth in the
form of a living _Khu_, and the human beings who are upon the earth
ascribe praise [unto me]. Hail, Mer, who doest these things for me, and
who art put an end to by the vigor of Rā, grant thou that I may see Rā;
grant thou that I may come forth against my enemies; and grant thou that I
may be victorious over them in the presence of the sovereign princes of
the great god who are in the presence of the great god. If, repulsing
[me], thou dost not allow me to come forth against my Enemy and to be
victorious over him before the sovereign princes, then may Hāpi—who liveth
upon law and order—not come forth into heaven—now he liveth by Maāt—and
may Rā—who feedeth upon fish—not descend into the waters! And then, verily
shall Rā—who feedeth upon right and order—come forth into heaven, and
then, verily, shall Hāpi—who feedeth upon fish—descend into the waters;
and then, verily, the great day upon the earth shall not be in its season.
I have come against my Enemy, he hath been given unto me, he hath come to
an end, and I have gotten possession [of him] before the sovereign
princes.”
Victory Over Enemies
[From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 25.]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY AND OF GAINING THE MASTERY OVER
ENEMIES.
“Hail, [thou] who shinest from the Moon and who sendest forth light
therefrom, thou comest forth among thy multitudes, and thou goest round
about, let me rise,” or (as others say), “let me be brought in among the
_Khu_s, and let the underworld be opened [unto me]. Behold, I have come
forth on this day, and I have become a _Khu_ (or a shining being);
therefore shall the _Khu_s let me live, and they shall cause my enemies to
be brought to me in a state of misery in the presence of the divine
sovereign princes. The divine _ka_ (double) of my mother shall rest in
peace because of this, and I shall stand upon my feet and have a staff of
gold,” or (as others say), “a rod of gold in my hand, wherewith I shall
inflict cuts on the limbs [of mine enemy] and shall live. The legs of
Sothis are stablished, and I am born in their state of rest.”
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Amen-em-heb (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 78).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY. The scribe Māhu saith:
“I have knowledge. I was conceived by the goddess Sekhet, and the goddess
Neith gave birth to me; I am Horus, and [I have] come forth from the Eye
of Horus. I am Uatchit who came forth from Horus. I am Horus and I fly up
and perch myself upon the forehead of Rā in the bows of his boat which is
in heaven.”
Opening The Underworld
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 15).]
THE CHAPTER OF OPENING THE UNDERWORLD. The overseer of the palace, the
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“The chamber of those who dwell in Nu is opened, and the footsteps of
those who dwell with the god of Light are set free. The chamber of Shu is
opened, and he cometh forth; and I shall come forth outside, and I shall
advance from my territory(?), I shall receive ... and I shall lay firm
hold upon the tribute in the House of the Chief of his dead. I shall
advance to my throne which is in the boat of Rā. I shall not be molested,
and I shall not suffer shipwreck from my throne which is in the boat of
Rā, the mighty one. Hail thou that shinest and givest light from
Hent-she!”
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 7).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY. The overseer of the palace, the
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“The doors of heaven are opened for me, the doors of earth are opened for
me, the bars and bolts of Seb are opened for me, and the first temple hath
been unfastened for me by the god Petra. Behold, I was guarded and
watched, [but now] I am released; behold, his hand had tied cords round me
and his hand had darted upon me in the earth. Re-hent hath been opened for
me and Re-hent hath been unfastened before me, Re-hent hath been given
unto me, and I shall come forth by day into whatsoever place I please. I
have gained the mastery over my heart; I have gained the mastery over my
breast(?); I have gained the mastery over my two hands; I have gained the
mastery over my two feet; I have gained the mastery over my mouth; I have
gained the mastery over my whole body; I have gained the mastery over
sepulchral offerings; I have gained the mastery over the waters; I have
gained the mastery over the air; I have gained the mastery over the canal;
I have gained the mastery over the river and over the land; I have gained
the mastery over the furrows; I have gained the mastery over the male
workers for me; I have gained the mastery over the female workers for me
in the underworld; I have gained the mastery over [all] the things which
were ordered to be done for me upon the earth, according to the entreaty
which ye spake for me [saying], ‘Behold, let him live upon the bread of
Seb.’ That which is an abomination unto me, I shall not eat; [nay] I shall
live upon cakes [made] of white grain, and my ale shall be [made] of the
red grain of Hāpi (_i.e._, the Nile). In a clean place shall I sit on the
ground beneath the foliage of the date-palm of the goddess Hathor, who
dwelleth in the spacious Disk as it advanceth to Annu (Heliopolis), having
the books of the divine words of the writings of the god Thoth. I have
gained the mastery over my heart; I have gained the mastery over my
heart’s place (or breast); I have gained the mastery over my mouth; I have
gained the mastery over my two hands; I have gained the mastery over the
waters; I have gained the mastery over the canal; I have gained the
mastery over the river; I have gained the mastery over the furrows; I have
gained the mastery over the men who work for me; I have gained the mastery
over the women who work for me in the underworld; I have gained the
mastery over [all] the things which were ordered to be done for me upon
earth and in the underworld. I shall lift myself up on my left side, and I
shall place myself on my right side; I shall lift myself up on my right
side, and I shall place myself [on my left side]. I shall sit down, I
shall stand up, and I shall place myself in [the path of] the wind like a
guide who is well prepared.”
IF THIS COMPOSITION BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY,
AND HE SHALL BE IN A POSITION TO JOURNEY ABOUT OVER THE EARTH AMONG THE
LIVING. AND HE SHALL NEVER SUFFER DIMINUTION, NEVER, NEVER.
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 81).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER.
“I am the Fire-god, the divine brother of the Fire-god, and [I am] Osiris
the brother of Isis. My divine son, together with his mother Isis, hath
avenged me on mine enemies. My enemies have wrought every [kind of] evil,
therefore their arms, and hands, and feet, have been fettered by reason of
their wickedness which they have wrought upon me. I am Osiris, the
first-born of the divine womb, the first-born of the gods, and the heir of
my father Osiris-Seb(?). I am Osiris, the lord of the heads that live,
mighty of breast and powerful of back, with a phallus which goeth to the
remotest limits [where] men and women [live]. I am Sah (Orion) who
travelleth over his domain and who journeyeth along before the stars of
heaven, [which is] the belly of my mother Nut; she conceived me through
her love, and she gave birth to me because it was her will so to do. I am
Anpu (Anubis) on the day of the god Sepa. I am the Bull at the head of the
meadow. I, even I, am Osiris who imprisoned his father together with his
mother on the day of making the great slaughter; now, [his] father is Seb,
and [his] mother is Nut. I am Horus, the first-born of Rā of the risings.
I am Anpu (Anubis) [on the day of] the god Sepa. I, even I, am the lord
Tem. I am Osiris. Hail, thou divine first-born, who dost enter and dost
speak before the divine Scribe and Doorkeeper of Osiris, grant that I may
come. I have become a _khu_, I have been judged, I have become a divine
being, I have come, and I have avenged mine own body. I have taken up my
seat by the divine birth-chamber of Osiris, and I have destroyed the
sickness and suffering which were there. I have become mighty, and I have
become a divine being by the side of the birth-chamber of Osiris, I am
brought forth with him, I renew my youth, I renew my youth, I take
possession of my two thighs which are in the place where is Osiris, and I
open the mouth of the gods therewith, I take my seat by his side, and
Thoth cometh forth, and [I am] strengthened in heart with thousands of
cakes upon the altars of my divine father, and with my beasts, and with my
cattle, and with my red feathered fowl, and with my oxen, and with my
geese, and with my ducks, for Horus my Chieftain, and with the offerings
which I make to Thoth, and with the sacrifices which I offer up to
An-heri-ertaitsa.”
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 82).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER.
“I have sacrificed unto An-heri-ertaitsa, and I am decreed to be
strengthened in heart, for I have made offerings at the altars of my
divine father Osiris; I rule in Tattu and I lift myself up over his land.
I sniff the wind of the east by its hair; I lay hold upon the north wind
by its hair, I seize and hold fast to the west wind by its body, and I go
round about heaven on its four sides; I lay hold upon the south wind by
its eye, and I bestow air upon the venerable beings [who are in the
underworld] along with the eating of cakes.”
IF THIS COMPOSITION BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] UPON EARTH HE SHALL COME
FORTH BY DAY, AND HE SHALL HAVE THE FACULTY OF TRAVELLING ABOUT AMONG THE
LIVING, AND HIS NAME SHALL NEVER PERISH.
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 16).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY. The libationer, the lord of reverence,
Nebseni, saith:
“Hail, thou hawk who risest in heaven, thou lord of the goddess Meh-urt!
Strengthen thou me according as thou hast strengthened thyself, and show
thyself upon the earth, O thou that returnest and withdrawest thyself, and
let thy will be done.”
“Behold the god of One Face is with me. [I am] the hawk which is within
the shrine; and I open that which is upon the hangings thereof. Behold
Horus, the son of Isis.”
“[Behold] Horus the son of Isis! Strengthen thou me, according as thou
hast strengthened thyself, and show thyself upon earth, O thou that
returnest and withdrawest thyself, and let thy will be done.”
“Behold, the god of One Face is with me. [I am] the hawk in the southern
heaven, and [I am] Thoth in the northern heaven; I make peace with the
raging fire and I bring Maāt to him that loveth her.”
“Behold Thoth, even Thoth! Strengthen thou me according as thou hast
strengthened thyself, and show thyself upon earth, O thou that returnest
and withdrawest thyself, and let thy will be done.”
“Behold the god of One Face is with me. I am the Plant of the region where
nothing sprouteth, and the Blossom of the hidden horizon.”
“Behold Osiris, yea Osiris! Strengthen thou me according as thou hast
strengthened thyself, and show thyself upon earth, O thou that returnest
and withdrawest thyself, and let thy will be done.”
“Behold, the god of One Face is with me. Hail, thou who [standest] upon
thy legs, in thine hour,” or (as others say), “Hail, thou who art
victorious upon thy legs in thine hour, thou lord of the two divine
_Tchafi_,(46) who livest [in] the two divine _Tchafi_, strengthen thou me
according as thou hast strengthened thyself, and show thyself upon earth,
O thou that returnest and withdrawest thyself, and let thy will be done.”
“Behold, the god of One Face is with me. Hail, thou Nekhen who art in
thine egg, thou lord of the goddess Meh-urt, strengthen thou me according
as thou hast strengthened thyself, and show thyself upon earth, O thou
that returnest and withdrawest thyself, and let thy will be done.”
“Behold, the god of One Face is with me. The god Sebek hath stood up
within his ground, and the goddess Neith hath stood up within her
plantation, O thou that returnest and withdrawest thyself, show thyself
upon earth and let thy will be done.”
“Behold, the god of One Face is with me. Hail, ye seven beings who make
decrees, who support the Scales on the night of the judgment of the
_Utchat_, who cut off heads, who hack necks in pieces, who take possession
of hearts by violence and rend the places where hearts are fixed, who make
slaughterings in the Lake of Fire, I know you and I know your names,
therefore know ye me even as I know your names. I come forth to you,
therefore come ye forth to me, for ye live in me and I would live in you.
Make ye me to be vigorous by means of that which is in your hands, that is
to say, by the rod of power which is in your hands. Decree ye for me life
by [your] speech year by year; give me multitudes of years over and above
my years of life, and multitudes of months over and above my months of
life, and multitudes of days over and above my days of life, and
multitudes of nights over and above my nights of life; and grant that I
may come forth and shine upon my statue; and [grant me] air for my nose,
and let my eyes have the power to see among those divine beings who dwell
in the horizon on the day when evil-doing and wrong are justly assessed.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE RECITED FOR THE DECEASED HE SHALL BE STRONG UPON EARTH
BEFORE RA, AND HE SHALL HAVE A COMFORTABLE BURIAL (OR TOMB) WITH OSIRIS,
AND IT SHALL BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO A MAN IN THE UNDERWORLD. SEPULCHRAL
BREAD SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO HIM, AND HE SHALL COME FORTH INTO THE PRESENCE
[OF RA] DAY BY DAY, AND EVERY DAY, REGULARLY, AND CONTINUALLY.(47)
Coming Forth By Day
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 3).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY AND OF OPENING UP A WAY THROUGH THE
AMMEHET. Behold the scribe Nebseni, triumphant, who saith:
“Homage to you, O ye lords of _Kas_, ye who are without sin and who live
for the limitless and infinite æons of time which make up eternity, I have
opened up a way for myself to you! I have become a _khu_ in my forms, I
have gained the mastery over my enchantments, and I am decreed to be a
_khu_; therefore deliver ye me from the crocodile [which liveth in] this
country of right and truth. Grant ye to me my mouth that I may speak
therewith, and cause that my sepulchral meals be placed in my hands in
your presence, for I know you, and I know your names, and I know also the
name of the mighty god, before whose nose ye set your _tchefau_ food; and
his name is ‘Tekem.’ [When] he openeth up his path in the eastern horizon
of heaven, and [when] he fluttereth down in the western horizon of heaven,
may he carry me along with him and may I be safe and sound! Let not the
_Mesqet_ make an end of me, let not the Fiend gain the mastery over me,
let me not be turned back at your portals, and let not your doors be shut
in my face, because my cakes are in the city of Pe and my ale is in the
city of Tep. And there, in the celestial mansions of heaven which my
divine father Tem hath stablished, let my hands lay hold upon the wheat
and the barley which shall be given unto me therein in abundant measure,
and may the son of mine own body make [ready] for me my food therein. And
grant ye unto me therein sepulchral meals, and incense, and wax, and all
the beautiful and pure things whereon the god liveth, in very deed forever
in all the transformations which it pleaseth me [to perform]; and grant me
the power to float down and to sail up the stream in Sekhet-Aarru [and may
I reach Sekhet-hetep!]. I am the double Lion-god.”
IF THIS CHAPTER(48) BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] UPON EARTH, [OR IF IT BE
DONE] IN WRITING UPON [HIS] COFFIN, HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY IN ALL THE
FORMS WHICH HE IS PLEASED [TO TAKE], AND HE SHALL ENTER IN TO [HIS] PLACE
AND SHALL NOT BE DRIVEN BACK. AND CAKES, AND ALE, AND JOINTS OF MEAT UPON
THE ALTAR OF OSIRIS SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO HIM; AND HE SHALL ENTER IN PEACE
INTO SEKHET-AARRU TO KNOW THE DECREE OF HIM WHO DWELLETH IN TATTU; THERE
SHALL WHEAT AND BARLEY BE GIVEN UNTO HIM; THERE SHALL HE FLOURISH AS HE
DID UPON EARTH; AND HE SHALL DO WHATSOEVER IT PLEASETH HIM TO DO, EVEN AS
THE COMPANY OF THE GODS WHICH IS IN THE UNDERWORLD, CONTINUALLY, AND
REGULARLY, FOR MILLIONS OF TIMES.
Of Lifting Up The Feet
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF LIFTING UP THE FEET AND OF COMING FORTH UPON THE EARTH. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Perform thy work, O Seker, perform thy work, O Seker, O thou [who
dwellest in thy house], and who [standest] on [thy] feet in the
underworld! I am the god who sendeth forth rays of light over the Thigh of
heaven, and I come forth to heaven and I sit myself down by the God of
Light (_Khu_). Hail, I have become helpless! Hail, I have become helpless!
but I go forward. I have become helpless, I have become helpless in the
regions of those who plunder in the underworld.”
Of Journeying To Annu
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 13).]
THE CHAPTER OF JOURNEYING TO ANNU (HELIOPOLIS) AND OF RECEIVING A THRONE
THEREIN. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I have come forth from the uttermost parts of the earth, and [I have]
received my apparel(?) at the will(?) of the Ape. I penetrate into the
holy habitations of those who are in [their] shrines (or coffins), I force
my way through the habitations of the god Remren, and I arrive in the
habitations of the god Akhsesef, I travel on through the holy chambers,
and I pass into the Temple of the god Kemken. The Buckle hath been given
unto me, it [hath placed] its hands upon me, it hath decreed [to my
service] its sister Khebent, and its mother Kehkehet. It placeth me in
[the eastern part of heaven wherein Rā riseth and is exalted every day;
and I rise therein and travel onward, and I become a spiritual body
(_sāh_) like the god, and they set me](49) on that holy way on which Thoth
journeyeth when he goeth to make peace between the two Fighting-gods
(_i.e._, Horus and Set). He journeyeth, he journeyeth to the city of Pe,
and he cometh to the city of Tepu.”
Of Transformation
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 9).]
THE CHAPTER OF A MAN TRANSFORMING HIMSELF INTO WHATEVER FORM HE PLEASETH.
The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I have come into the House of the King by means of the mantis (_abit_)
which led me hither. Homage to thee, O thou who fliest into heaven, and
dost shine upon the son of the white crown, and dost protect the white
crown, let me have my existence with thee! I have gathered together the
great god[s], I am mighty, I have made my way and I have travelled along
thereon.”
Of Performing Transformations
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 10).]
THE CHAPTER OF PERFORMING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A HAWK OF GOLD. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I have risen, I have risen like the mighty hawk [of gold] that cometh
forth from his egg; I fly and I alight like the hawk which hath a back
four cubits wide, and the wings of which are like unto the
mother-of-emerald of the south. I have come forth from the interior of the
_Sektet_ boat, and my heart hath been brought unto me from the mountain of
the east. I have alighted upon the _Atet_ boat, and those who were
dwelling in their companies have been brought unto me, and they bowed low
in paying homage unto me and in saluting me with cries of joy. I have
risen, and I have gathered myself together like the beautiful hawk of
gold, which hath the head of a _Bennu_ bird, and Rā entereth in day by day
to hearken unto my words; I have taken my seat among those first-born gods
of Nut. I am stablished, and the divine Sekhet-hetep is before me, I have
eaten therein, I have become a _khu_ therein, I have an abundance
therein—as much as I desire—the god Nepra hath given to me my throat, and
I have gained the mastery over that which guardeth (or belongeth to) my
head.”
Of Transformation Into A Hawk
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 13 and 14).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A DIVINE HAWK. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, Great God, come now to Tattu! Make thou smooth for me the ways and
let me go round about [to visit] my thrones; I have renewed(?) myself, and
I have raised myself up. O grant thou that I may be feared, and make thou
me to be a terror. Let the gods of the underworld be afraid of me, and may
they fight for me in their habitations which are therein. Let not him that
would do me harm draw nigh unto me, or injure(?) me, in the House of
Darkness, that is, he that clotheth and covereth the feeble one, and whose
[name] is hidden; and let not the gods act likewise toward me. [Hail], ye
gods, who hearken unto [my] speech! Hail, ye rulers, who are among the
followers of Osiris! Be ye therefore silent, O ye gods, when one god
speaketh unto another, for he hearkeneth unto right and truth; and what I
speak unto [him] do thou also speak for me then, O Osiris. Grant thou that
I may journey round about [according to] that which cometh forth from thy
mouth concerning me, and grant that I may see thine own Form (or forms),
and the dispositions of thy Souls. Grant thou that I may come forth, and
that I may have power over my legs, and that I may have my existence there
like unto that of Neb-er-tcher who is over [all]. May the gods of the
underworld fear me, and may they fight for me in their habitations. Grant
thou that I may move along therein together with the divine beings who
journey onward, and may I be stablished upon my resting-place like the
Lord of Life. May I be joined unto Isis the divine lady, and may she
protect me from him that would do an injury unto me; and let not anyone
come to see the divine one naked and helpless. May I journey on, may I
come into the uttermost parts of heaven. I exchange speech with the god
Seb, I make supplication for divine food from Neb-er-tcher; the gods of
the underworld have fear of me, and they fight for me in their habitations
when they see that thou hast provided me with food, both of the fowl of
the air and of the fish of the sea. I am one of those _Khu_s who dwell
with the divine _Khu_, and I have made my form like unto his divine Form,
when he cometh forth and maketh himself manifest in Tattu. [I am] a
spiritual body (_sāh_) and possess my soul, and will speak unto thee the
things which concern me. O grant thou that I may be feared, and make thou
me to be a terror; let the gods of the underworld be afraid of me, and may
they fight for me in their habitations. I, even I, am the _Khu_ who
dwelleth with the divine _Khu_, whom the god Tem himself hath created, and
who hath come into being from the blossom (_i.e._, the eyelashes) of his
eye; he hath made to have existence, and he hath made to be glorious
(_i.e._, to be _Khu_s), and he hath made mighty thereby those who have
their existence along with him. Behold, he is the only One in Nu, and they
sing praises (or do homage) unto him [when] he cometh forth from the
horizon, and the gods and the _Khu_s who have come into being along with
him ascribe [the lordship of] terror unto him.”
“I am one of those worms(?) which the eye of the Lord, the only One, hath
created. And behold, when as yet Isis had not given birth to Horus, I had
germinated, and had flourished, and I had become aged, and I had become
greater than those who dwelt with the divine _Khu_, and who had come into
being along with him. And I had risen up like the divine hawk, and Horus
made for me a spiritual body containing his own soul, so that I might take
possession of all that belonged unto Osiris in the underworld. The double
Lion-god, the governor of the things which belong to the Temple of the
_nemmes_ crown, who dwelleth in his secret abode, saith [unto me]: ‘Get
thee back to the uttermost parts of heaven, for behold, inasmuch as
through thy form of Horus thou hast become a spiritual body, (_sāh_) the
_nemmes_ crown is not for thee; but behold, thou hast the power of speech
even to the uttermost parts of heaven.’ And I, the guardian, took
possession of the things of Horus [which belonged] unto Osiris in the
underworld, and Horus told aloud unto me the things which his divine
father Osiris spake unto him in years [gone by] on the day of his own
burial. I have given unto thee(50) the _nemmes_ crown through the double
Lion-god that thou mayest pass onward and mayest come to the heavenly
path, and that those who dwell in the uttermost parts of the horizon may
see thee, and that the gods of the underworld may see thee and may fight
for thee in their habitations. And of them is the Auhet.(51) The gods,
each and all of them, who are the warders of the shrine of the Lord, the
only One, have fallen before my words. Hail! He that is exalted upon his
tomb is on my side, and he hath bound [upon my head] the _nemmes_ crown,
by the decree of the double Lion-god on my behalf, and the god Auhet hath
prepared a way for me. I, even I, am exalted in my tomb, and the double
Lion-god hath bound the _nemmes_ crown upon my [head], and he hath also
given unto me the double hairy covering of my head. He hath stablished my
heart through his own backbone, he hath stablished my heart through his
own great and exceeding strength, and I shall not fall through Shu. I make
my peace with the beautiful divine Brother, the lord of the two uræi,
adored be he! I, even I, am he who knoweth the roads through the sky, and
the wind thereof is in my body. The bull which striketh terror [into men]
shall not drive me back, and I shall pass on to the place where lieth the
shipwrecked mariner on the border of the Sekhet-neheh (_i.e._, Field of
illimitable time), and I shall journey on to the night and sorrow of the
regions of Amenti. O Osiris, I shall come each day into the House of the
double Lion-god, and I shall come forth therefrom into the House of Isis,
the divine lady. I shall behold sacred things which are hidden, and I
shall be led on to the secret and holy things, even as they have granted
unto me to see the birth of the Great God. Horus hath made me to be a
spiritual body through his soul, [and I see what is therein. If I speak
near the mighty ones of Shu they repulse my opportunity. I am the guardian
and I] take possession of the things which Horus had from Osiris in the
underworld. I, even I, am Horus who dwelleth in the divine _Khu_. [I] have
gained power over his crown, I have gained power over his radiance, and I
have travelled over the remote, illimitable parts of heaven. Horus is upon
his throne, Horus is upon his royal seat. My face is like unto that of the
divine hawk, my strength is like unto that of the divine hawk, and I am
one who hath been fully equipped by his divine Lord. I shall come forth to
Tattu, I shall see Osiris, I shall pay homage to him on the right hand and
on the left, I shall pay homage unto Nut, and she shall look upon me, and
the gods shall look upon me, together with the Eye of Horus who is without
sight(?). They (_i.e._, the gods) shall make their arms to come forth unto
me. I rise up [as] a divine Power, and [I] repulse him that would subject
me to restraint. They open unto me the holy paths, they see my form, and
they hear that which I speak. [Down] upon your faces, ye gods of the Tuat
(underworld), who would resist me with your faces and oppose me with your
powers, who lead along the stars which never rest, and who make the holy
paths unto the Hemati abode [where is] the Lord of the exceedingly mighty
and terrible Soul. Horus hath commanded that ye lift up your faces so that
I may look upon you. I have risen up like the divine hawk, and Horus hath
made for me a spiritual body, through his own soul, to take possession of
that which belongeth to Osiris in the Tuat (underworld). I have bound up
the gods with divine tresses, and I have travelled on to those who ward
their Chambers, and who were on both sides of me. I have made my roads and
I have journeyed on and have reached those divine beings who inhabit their
secret dwellings, and who are warders of the Temple of Osiris. I have
spoken unto them with strength, and have made them to know the most mighty
power of him that is provided with two horns [to fight] against Suti; and
I make them to know concerning him that hath taken possession of the
divine food, and who is provided with the Might of Tem. May the gods of
the underworld [order] a prosperous journey for me! O ye gods who inhabit
your secret dwellings, and who are warders of the Temple of Osiris, and
whose numbers are great and multitudinous, grant ye that I may come unto
you. I have bound up and I have gathered together the powers of
Kesemu-enenet,” or (as others say), “Kesemiu-enenet; and I have made holy
the Powers of the paths of those who watch and ward the roads of the
horizon, and who are the guardians of the horizon of Hemati which is in
heaven. I have stablished habitations for Osiris, I have made the ways
holy for him, I have done that which hath been commanded, I have come
forth to Tattu, I have seen Osiris, I have spoken unto him concerning the
matters of his first-born son whom he loveth and concerning the wounding
of the heart of Suti, and I have seen the divine one who is without life.
Yea, I have made them to know concerning the counsels of the gods which
Horus carried out while his father Osiris was not [with him]. Hail, Lord,
thou most mighty and terrible Soul! Verily, I, even I, have come, look
thou upon me, and do thou make me to be exalted. I have made my way
through the Tuat (underworld), and I have opened up the paths which belong
to heaven and also those which belong to earth, and I have suffered no
opposition therein. Exalted [be thou] upon thy throne, O Osiris! Thou hast
heard fair things, O Osiris! Thy strength is vigorous, O Osiris. Thy head
is fastened unto thee, O Osiris. Thy brow is stablished, O Osiris. Thy
heart is glad, [O Osiris]. Thy speech(?) is stablished, [O Osiris], and
thy princes rejoice. Thou art stablished like the Bull of Amentet. Thy son
Horus hath risen like the sun upon thy throne, and all life is with him.
Millions of years minister unto him, and millions of years hold him in
fear; the company of the gods are his servants, and the company of the
gods hold him in fear. The god Tem, the Governor and only One of the gods,
hath spoken [these things], and his word passeth not away. Horus is both
the divine food and the sacrifice. [He] hath passed on(?) to gather
together [the members of] his divine father; Horus is [his] deliverer,
Horus is [his] deliverer. Horus hath sprung from the water of his divine
father and [from his] decay. He hath become the Governor of Egypt. The
gods labor for him, and they toil for him for millions of years; and he
hath made to live millions of years through his Eye, the only One of its
Lord (or Neb-s), Nebt-er-tcher.”
Of Transformation Into A Governor
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 8 and 9).]
THE CHAPTER OF BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE GOVERNOR OF THE SOVEREIGN
PRINCES. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the god Tem, the maker of heaven, the creator of things which are,
who cometh forth from the earth, who maketh to come into being the seed
which is sown, the lord of things which shall be, who gave birth to the
gods; [I am] the great god who made himself, the lord of life, who maketh
to flourish the company of the gods. Homage to you, O ye lords of divine
things (or of creation), ye pure beings whose abodes are hidden! Homage to
you, O ye everlasting lords, whose forms are hidden and whose shrines are
hidden in places which are unknown! Homage to you, O ye gods, who dwell in
the Tenait(?)! Homage to you, O ye gods of the circuit of the flooded
lands of Qebhu! Homage to you, O ye gods who live in Amentet! Homage to
you, O ye company of the gods who dwell in Nut! Grant ye that I may come
unto you, for I am pure, I am divine, I am a _khu_, I am strong, I am
endowed with a soul (or I am mighty), and I have brought unto you incense,
and sweet-smelling gums, and natron; I have made an end of the spittle
which floweth from your mouth upon me. I have come, and I have made an end
of the evil things which are in your hearts, and I have removed the faults
which ye kept [laid up against me]. I have brought to you the things which
are good, and I make to come into your presence Right and Truth. I, even
I, know you, and I know your names, and I know your forms, which are
unknown, and I come into being along with you. My coming is like unto that
of the god who eateth men and who liveth upon the gods. I am mighty with
you like the god who is exalted upon his resting-place; the gods come to
me in gladness, and goddesses make supplication unto me when they see me.
I have come unto you, and I have risen like your two divine daughters. I
have taken my seat in the horizon, and I receive my offerings upon my
tables, and I drink drink-offerings at eventide. My coming is [received]
with shouts of joy, and the divine beings who dwell in the horizon ascribe
praises unto me, the divine spiritual body (_Sāh_), the lord of divine
beings. I am exalted like the holy god who dwelleth in the Great Temple,
and the gods rejoice when they see me in my beautiful coming forth from
the body of Nut, when my mother Nut giveth birth unto me.”
Of Transformation Into A God
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 28).]
[THE CHAPTER OF] MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO THE GOD WHO GIVETH LIGHT
[IN] THE DARKNESS. Saith Osiris, the scribe Ani, triumphant:
“I am the girdle of the robe of the god Nu, which shineth and sheddeth
light upon that which belongeth to his breast, which sendeth forth light
into the darkness, which uniteth the two fighting deities who dwell in my
body through the mighty spell of the words of my mouth, which raiseth up
him that hath fallen—for he who was with him in the valley of Abtu
(Abydos) hath fallen—and I rest. I have remembered him. I have taken
possession of the god Hu in my city, for I found him therein, and I have
led away captive the darkness by my might. I have rescued the Eye [of the
Sun] when it waned at the coming of the festival of the fifteenth day, and
I have weighed Sut in the celestial houses against the Aged one who is
with him. I have endowed Thoth [with what is needful] in the Temple of the
Moon-god for the coming of the fifteenth day of the festival. I have taken
possession of the _Ureret_ crown; Maāt (_i.e._, right and truth) is in my
body; its mouths are of turquoise and rock-crystal. My homestead is among
the furrows which are [of the color of] lapis-lazuli. I am Hem-Nu(?) who
sheddeth light in the darkness. I have come to give light in the darkness,
which is made light and bright [by me]. I have given light in the
darkness, and I have overthrown the destroying crocodiles. I have sung
praises unto those who dwell in the darkness, I have raised up those who
wept, and who had hidden their faces and had sunk down in wretchedness;
and they did not look then upon me. [Hail, then,] ye beings, I am
Hem-Nu(?), and I will not let you hear concerning the matter. [I] have
opened [the way], I am Hem-Nu(?), [I] have made light the darkness, I have
come, having made an end of the darkness, which hath become light indeed.”
Transformation Into A Lotus
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 11).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A LOTUS. The overseer of the
palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, saith:
“I am the pure lotus which springeth up from the divine splendor that
belongeth to the nostrils of Rā. I have made [my way], and I follow on
seeking for him who is Horus. I am the pure one who cometh forth out of
the Field.”
Transformation Into A Lotus
[From the Papyrus of Paqrer (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 93).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A LOTUS. Saith Osiris
Paqrer:
“Hail, thou lotus, thou type of the god Nefer-Temu! I am the man that
knoweth you, and I know your names among [those of] the gods, the lords of
the underworld, and I am one of you. Grant ye that [I] may see the gods
who are the divine guide in the Tuat (underworld), and grant ye unto me a
place in the underworld near unto the lords of Amentet. Let me arrive at a
habitation in the land of Tchesert, and receive me, O all ye gods, in the
presence of the lords of eternity. Grant that my soul may come forth
whithersoever it pleaseth, and let it not be driven away from the presence
of the great company of the gods.”
Transformation Into Ptah
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 9 and 10).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO PTAH, OF EATING CAKES, AND
OF DRINKING ALE, AND OF UNFETTERING THE STEPS, AND OF BECOMING A LIVING
BEING IN ANNU (Heliopolis). The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant,
saith:
“I fly like a hawk, I cackle like the _smen_ goose, and I perch upon that
abode of the underworld (_aat_) on the festival of the great Being. That
which is an abomination unto me, that which is an abomination unto me, I
have not eaten; filth is an abomination unto me and I have not eaten
thereof, and that which is an abomination unto my _ka_ hath not entered
into my belly. Let me, then, live upon that which the gods and the _Khu_s
decree for me; let me live and let me have power over cakes; let me eat
them before the gods and the _Khu_s [who have a favor] unto me; let me
have power over [these cakes] and let me eat of them under the [shade of
the] leaves of the palm tree of the goddess Hathor, who is my divine Lady.
Let the offering of the sacrifice, and the offering of cakes, and vessels
of libations be made in Annu; let me clothe myself in the _taau_ garment
[which I shall receive] from the hand of the goddess Tait; let me stand up
and let me sit down wheresoever I please. My head is like unto that of Rā,
and [when my members are] gathered together [I am] like unto Tem; the four
[sides of the domain] of Rā, and the width of the earth four times. I come
forth. My tongue is like unto that of Ptah and my throne is like unto that
of the goddess Hathor, and I make mention of the words of Tem, my father,
with my mouth. He it is who constraineth the handmaid, the wife of Seb,
and before him are bowed [all] heads, and there is fear of him. Hymns of
praise are repeated for [me] by reason of [my] mighty acts, and I am
decreed to be the divine Heir of Seb, the lord of the earth and to be the
protector therein. The god Seb refresheth me, and he maketh his risings to
be mine. Those who dwell in Annu bow down their heads unto me, for I am
their lord and I am their bull. I am more powerful than the lord of time,
and I shall enjoy the pleasures of love, and shall gain the mastery over
millions of years.”
Transformation Into A Bennu Bird
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 10).]
[THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A BENNU BIRD.] The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I came(52) into being from unformed matter. I came into existence like
the god Khepera, I have germinated like the things which germinate
(_i.e._, plants), and I have dressed myself like the Tortoise.(53) I am
[of] the germs of every god. I am Yesterday of the four [quarters of the
world] and of those seven Uræi which came into existence in Amentet, that
is to say, [Horus, who emitteth light from his divine body. He is] the god
[who] fought against Suti, but the god Thoth cometh between them through
the judgment of him that dwelleth in Sekhem, and of the Souls who are in
Annu, and there is a stream between them. I have come by day, and I have
risen in the footsteps of the gods. I am the god Khensu, who driveth back
all that oppose him.”
[IF] THIS CHAPTER [BE KNOWN BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL COME FORTH PURE BY
DAY AFTER HIS DEATH, AND HE SHALL PERFORM WHATSOEVER TRANSFORMATIONS HIS
HEART DESIRETH. HE SHALL BE IN THE FOLLOWING OF UN-NEFER, AND HE SHALL BE
SATISFIED WITH THE FOOD OF OSIRIS AND WITH SEPULCHRAL MEALS. [HE] SHALL
SEE THE DISK, [HE] SHALL BE IN GOOD CASE UPON EARTH BEFORE RA, AND HE
SHALL BE TRIUMPHANT BEFORE OSIRIS, AND NO EVIL THING WHATSOEVER SHALL HAVE
DOMINION OVER HIM FOREVER AND EVER.
Transformation Into A Heron
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 10).]
[THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A HERON. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:]
“[I] have gotten dominion over the beasts that are brought for sacrifice,
with the knives which are [held] at their heads, and at their hair, and at
their ... [Hail], Aged ones [hail,] _Khu_s, who are provided with the
opportunity, the chancellor-in-chief, the overseer of the palace, Nu,
triumphant, is upon the earth, and what he hath slaughtered is in heaven;
and what he hath slaughtered is in heaven and he is upon the earth.
Behold, I am strong, and I work mighty deeds to the very heights of
heaven. I have made myself pure, and [I] make the breadth of heaven [a
place for] my footsteps [as I go] into the cities of Aukert; I advance,
and I go forward into the city of Unnu (Hermopolis). I have set the gods
upon their paths, and I have roused up the exalted ones who dwell in their
shrines. Do I not know Nu? Do I not know Tatunen? Do I not know the beings
of the color of fire who thrust forward their horns? Do I not know [every
being having] incantations unto whose words I listen? I am the _Smam_ bull
[for slaughter] which is written down in the books. The gods crying out
say: ‘Let your faces be gracious to him that cometh onward.’ The light is
beyond your knowledge, and ye cannot fetter it; and times and seasons are
in my body. I do not utter words to the god Hu, [I do not utter words of]
wickedness instead of [words of] right and truth, and each day right and
truth come upon my eyebrows. At night taketh place the festival of him
that is dead, the Aged One, who is in ward [in] the earth.”
Of The Living Soul
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 9).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A LIVING SOUL, AND OF NOT
ENTERING INTO THE CHAMBER OF TORTURE; whosoever knoweth [it] shall not see
corruption. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the divine Soul of Rā proceeding from the god Nu; that divine soul
which is God, [I am] the creator of the divine food, and that which is an
abomination unto me is sin whereon I look not. I proclaim right and truth,
and I live therein. I am the divine food, which is not corrupted in my
name of Soul: I gave birth unto myself together with Nu in my name of
Khepera in whom I come into being day by day. I am the lord of light, and
that which is an abomination unto me is death; let me not go into the
chamber of torture which is in the Tuat (underworld). I ascribe honor
[unto] Osiris, and I make to be at peace the heart[s] of those beings who
dwell among the divine things which [I] love. They cause the fear of me
[to abound], and they create awe of me in those beings who dwell in their
divine territories. Behold, I am exalted upon my standard, and upon my
seat, and upon the throne which is adjudged [to me]. I am the god Nu, and
the workers of iniquity shall not destroy me. I am the firstborn god of
primeval matter, that is to say, the divine Soul, even the Souls of the
gods of everlastingness, and my body is eternity. My Form is
everlastingness, and is the lord of years and the prince of eternity. [I
am] the creator of the darkness who maketh his habitation in the uttermost
parts of the sky, [which] I love, and I arrive at the confines thereof. I
advance upon my feet, I become master of my vine, I sail over the sky
which formeth the division [betwixt heaven and earth], [I] destroy the
hidden worms that travel nigh unto my footsteps which are toward the lord
of the two hands and arms. My soul is the Souls of the souls of
everlastingness, and my body is eternity. I am the divine exalted being
who is the lord of the land of Tebu. ‘I am the Boy in the city and the
Young man in the plain’ is my name; ‘he that never suffereth corruption’
is my name. I am the Soul, the creator of the god Nu who maketh his
habitation in the underworld: my place of incubation is unseen and my egg
is not cracked. I have done away with all my iniquity, and I shall see my
divine Father, the lord of eventide, whose body dwelleth in Annu. I
travel(?) to the god of night(?), who dwelleth with the god of light, by
the western region of the Ibis (_i.e._, Thoth).”
Of The Swallow
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 10).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A SWALLOW. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am a swallow, I am a swallow. I am the Scorpion, the daughter of Rā.
Hail, ye gods, whose scent is sweet; hail, ye gods, whose scent is sweet!
[Hail,] Flame, which cometh forth from the horizon! Hail, thou who art in
the city, I have brought the Warden of his Bight therein. Oh, stretch out
unto me thy hand so that I may be able to pass my days in the Pool of
Double Fire, and let me advance with my message, for I have come with
words to tell. Oh, open [thou] the doors to me and I will declare the
things which have been seen by me. Horus hath become the divine prince of
the Boat of the Sun, and unto him hath been given the throne of his divine
father Osiris, and Set, that son of Nut, [lieth] under the fetters which
he had made for me. I have made a computation of what is in the city of
Sekhem, I have stretched out both my hands and arms at the word(?) of
Osiris, I have passed on to judgment, and I have come that [I] may speak;
grant that I may pass on and declare my tidings. I enter in, [I am]
judged, and [I] come forth worthy at the gate of Neb-er-tcher. I am pure
at the great place of the passage of souls, I have done away with my sins,
I have put away mine offences, and I have destroyed the evil which
appertained unto my members upon earth. Hail, ye divine beings who guard
the doors, make ye for me a way, for, behold, I am like unto you. I have
come forth by day, I have journeyed on on my legs, I have gained the
mastery over my footsteps [before] the God of Light, I know the hidden
ways and the doors of the Sekhet-Aaru, verily I, even I, have come, I have
overthrown mine enemies upon earth, and yet my perishable body is in the
grave!”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED], HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY, HE
SHALL NOT BE TURNED BACK AT ANY GATE IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL MAKE
HIS TRANSFORMATION INTO A SWALLOW REGULARLY AND CONTINUALLY.
The Serpent Sata
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 11).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO THE SERPENT SATA. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the serpent Sata whose years are many.(54) I die and I am born again
each day. I am the serpent Sata which dwelleth in the uttermost parts of
the earth. I die, and I am born again, and I renew myself, and I grow
young each day.”
Of The Crocodile
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 11).]
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A CROCODILE. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the divine crocodile which dwelleth in his terror, I am the divine
crocodile, and I seize [my prey] like a ravening beast. I am the great and
Mighty Fish which is in the city of Qem-ur. I am the lord to whom bowing
and prostrations [are made] in the city of Sekhem.”
Soul And Body
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 17).]
THE CHAPTER OF CAUSING THE SOUL TO BE UNITED TO ITS BODY IN THE
UNDERWORLD. The Osiris Ani, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, thou god Anniu (_i.e._, Bringer)! Hail, thou god Pehrer (_i.e._,
Runner), who dwellest in thy hall! [Hail,] great God! Grant thou that my
soul may come unto me from wheresoever it may be. If [it] would tarry,
then let my soul be brought unto me from wheresoever it may be, for thou
shalt find the Eye of Horus standing by thee like unto those beings who
are like unto Osiris, and who never lie down in death. Let not the Osiris
Ani, triumphant, lie down in death among those who lie down in Annu, the
land wherein souls are joined unto their bodies even in thousands. Let me
have possession of my _ba_ (soul), and of my _khu_, and let me triumph
therewith in every place wheresoever it may be. [Observe these things
which [I] speak, for it hath staves with it];(55) observe then, O ye
divine guardians of heaven, my soul [wheresoever it may be].(56) If it
would tarry, do thou make my soul to look upon my body,(57) for thou shalt
find the Eye of Horus standing by thee like those [beings who are like
unto Osiris].”
“Hail, ye gods, who tow along the boat of the lord of millions of years,
who bring [it] above the underworld and who make it to travel over Nut,
who make souls to enter into [their] spiritual bodies, whose hands are
filled with your ropes and who clutch your weapons tight, destroy ye the
Enemy; thus shall the boat of the sun be glad and the great God shall set
out on his journey in peace. And behold, grant ye that the soul of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, may come forth before the gods and that it may be
triumphant along with you in the eastern part of the sky to follow unto
the place where it was yesterday; [and that it may have] peace, peace in
Amentet. May it look upon its material body, may it rest upon its
spiritual body; and may its body neither perish nor suffer corruption
forever.”
[THESE] WORDS ARE TO BE SAID OVER A SOUL OF GOLD INLAID WITH PRECIOUS
STONES AND PLACED ON THE BREAST OF OSIRIS.
Of Evil Recollections
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING EVIL RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE MOUTH. The overseer of
the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, the son of the
overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Amen-hetep, triumphant,
saith:
“Hail, thou that cuttest off heads, and slittest brows, thou being who
puttest away the memory of evil things from the mouth of the _Khu_s by
means of the incantations which they have within them, look not upon me
with the [same] eyes with which thou lookest upon them. Go thou round
about on thy legs, and let thy face be [turned] behind thee so that thou
mayest be able to see the divine slaughterers of the god Shu who are
coming up behind thee to cut off thy head, and to slit thy brow by reason
of the message of violence [sent] by thy lord, and to see(?) that which
thou sayest. Work thou for me so that the memory of evil things shall dart
from my mouth; let not my head be cut off; let not my brow be slit; and
let not my mouth be shut fast by reason of the incantations which thou
hast within thee, according to that which thou doest for the _Khu_s
through the incantations which they have within themselves. Get thee back
and depart at the [sound of] the two speeches which the goddess Isis
uttered when thou didst come to cast the recollection of evil things into
the mouth of Osiris by the will of Suti his enemy, saying, ‘Let thy face
be toward the privy parts, and look upon that face which cometh forth from
the flame of the Eye of Horus against thee from within the Eye of Tem,’
and the calamity of that night which shall consume thee. And Osiris went
back, for the abomination of thee was in him; and thou didst go back, for
the abomination of him is in thee. I have gone back, for the abomination
of thee is in me; and thou shalt go back, for the abomination of me is in
thee. Thou wouldst come unto me, but I say that thou shalt not advance to
me so that I come to an end, and [I] say then to the divine slaughterers
of the god Shu, ‘Depart.’ ”
Of Rescue
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE SOUL OF NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE CAPTIVE IN THE
UNDERWORLD. He saith:
“Hail, thou who art exalted! [Hail,] thou who art adored! O thou mighty
one of Souls, thou divine Soul, thou possessor of terrible power, who dost
put the fear of thyself into the gods, thou who art crowned upon thy
throne of majesty, I pray thee to make a way for the _ba_ (soul), and for
the _khu_, and for the _khaibit_ (shade) of the overseer of the palace,
the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant [and let him be] provided
therewith. I am a perfect _khu_, and I have made [my] way unto the place
wherein dwell Rā and Hathor.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE ABLE TO TRANSFORM
HIMSELF INTO A _KHU_ PROVIDED [WITH HIS SOUL AND WITH HIS SHADE] IN THE
UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL NEVER BE HELD CAPTIVE AT ANY DOOR IN AMENTET, IN
ENTERING IN OR IN COMING OUT.(58)
Of Opening The Tomb
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF OPENING THE TOMB TO THE SOUL [AND] TO THE SHADE OF OSIRIS
the scribe Nebseni, the lord of reverence, born of the lady of the house
Mut-restha, triumphant, SO THAT HE MAY COME FORTH BY DAY AND HAVE DOMINION
OVER HIS FLEET. [He saith:]
“That which was shut fast hath been opened, that is to say, he that lay
down in death [hath been opened]. That which was open hath been shut to my
soul through the command of the Eye of Horus, which hath strengthened me
and which maketh to stand fast the beauties which are upon the forehead of
Rā, whose strides are long as [he] lifteth up [his] legs [in journeying].
I have made for myself a way, my members are mighty and are strong. I am
Horus the avenger of his divine father. I am he who bringeth along his
divine father, and who bringeth along his mother by means of his
sceptre(?). And the way shall be opened unto him who hath gotten dominion
over his feet, and he shall see the Great God in the Boat of Rā, [when]
souls are counted therein at the bows, and when the years also are counted
up. Grant that the Eye of Horus, which maketh the adornments of light to
be firm upon the forehead of Rā, may deliver my soul for me, and let there
be darkness upon your faces, O ye who would hold fast Osiris. Oh, keep not
captive my soul, Oh, keep not ward over my shade, but let a way be opened
for my soul [and] for my shade, and let [them] see the Great God in the
shrine on the day of the judgment of souls, and let [them] recite the
utterances of Osiris, whose habitations are hidden, to those who guard the
members of Osiris, and who keep ward over the _Khu_s, and who hold captive
the shades of the dead who would work evil against me, so that they shall
[not] work evil against me. May a way for thy double (_ka_) along with
thee and along with [thy] soul be prepared by those who keep ward over the
members of Osiris, and who hold captive the shades of the dead. Heaven
shall [not] keep thee, the earth shall [not] hold thee captive, thou shalt
not have thy being with the divine beings who make slaughter, but thou
shalt have dominion over thy legs, and thou shalt advance to thy body
straightway in the earth [and to] those who belong to the shrine and guard
the members of Osiris.”
Of Not Sailing To The East
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]
THE CHAPTER OF NOT SAILING TO THE EAST IN THE UNDERWORLD. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, phallus of Rā, who departest from thy calamity [which ariseth]
through opposition(?), the cycles have been without movement for millions
of years. I am stronger than the strong, I am mightier than the mighty. If
I sail away or if I be snatched away to the east through the two horns,”
or (as others say), “if any evil and abominable thing be done unto me at
the feast of the devils, the phallus of Rā shall be swallowed up, [along
with] the head of Osiris. And behold me, for I journey along over the
fields wherein the gods mow down those who make reply unto [their words];
now verily the two horns of the god Khepera shall be thrust aside; and
verily pus shall spring into being in the eye of Tem along with corruption
if I be kept in restraint, or if I have gone toward the east, or if the
feast of devils be made in my presence, or if any malignant wound be
inflicted upon me.”(59)
Of The Ink-Pot And Palette
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF PRAYING FOR AN INK-POT AND FOR A PALETTE. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, aged god, who dost behold thy divine father and who art the
guardian of the book of Thoth, [behold I have come; I am endowed with
glory, I am endowed with strength, I am filled with might, and I am
supplied with the books of Thoth], and I have brought [them to enable me]
to pass through the god Aker who dwelleth in Set. I have brought the
ink-pot and the palette as being the objects which are in the hands of
Thoth; hidden is that which is in them. Behold me in the character of a
scribe! I have brought the offal of Osiris, and I have written thereon. I
have made (_i.e._, copied) the words of the great and beautiful god each
day fairly. O Heru-khuti, thou didst order me and I have made (_i.e._,
copied) what is right and true, and I do bring it unto thee each day.”
Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 7).]
THE CHAPTER OF BEING NIGH UNTO THOTH. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, saith:
“I am he who sendeth forth terror into the powers of rain and thunder, and
I ward off from the great divine lady the attacks of violence. [I have
smitten like the god Shāt (_i.e._, the god of slaughter), and I have
poured out libations of cool water like the god Ashu, and I have worked
for the great divine lady [to ward off] the attacks of violence], I have
made to flourish [my] knife along with the knife which is in the hand of
Thoth in the powers of rain and thunder.”
Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 19 and 20).]
THE CHAPTER OF BEING NIGH UNTO THOTH AND OF GIVING GLORY UNTO A MAN IN THE
UNDERWORLD. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am the god Her-ab-maat-f (_i.e._, ‘he that is within his eye’), and I
have come to give right and truth to Rā; I have made Suti to be at peace
with me by means of offerings made to the god Aker and to the Tesheru
deities, and by [making] reverence unto Seb.”
“[The following] words are to be recited in the _Sektet_ boat: [Hail,]
sceptre of Anubis, I have made the four _Khu_s who are in the train of the
lord of the universe to be at peace with me, and I am the lord of the
fields through their decree. I am the divine father Bāh (_i.e._, the god
of the water-flood), and I do away with the thirst of him that keepeth
ward over the Lakes. Behold ye me, then, O great gods of majesty who dwell
among the Souls of Annu, for I am lifted up over you. I am the god Menkh
(_i.e._, Gracious one) who dwelleth among you. Verily I have cleansed my
soul, O great god of majesty, set not before me the evil obstacles which
issue from thy mouth, and let not destruction come round about me, or upon
me. I have made myself clean in the Lake of making to be at peace, [and in
the Lake of] weighing in the balance, and I have bathed myself in
Netert-utchat, which is under the holy sycamore tree of heaven. Behold [I
am] bathed, [and I have] triumphed [over] all [mine enemies] straightway
who come forth and rise up against right and truth. I am right and true in
the earth. I, even I, have spoken(?) with my mouth [which is] the power of
the Lord, the Only one, Rā the mighty, who liveth upon right and truth.
Let not injury be inflicted upon me, [but let me be] clothed on the day of
those who go forward(?) to every [good] thing.”
Of Bringing A Boat Along In Heaven
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 9).]
THE CHAPTER OF BRINGING ALONG A BOAT IN HEAVEN. The chancellor-in-chief,
triumphant, saith:
“Hail to thee, O thou Thigh which dwellest in the northern heaven in the
Great Lake, which art seen and which diest not. I have stood up over thee
when thou didst rise like a god. I have seen thee, and I have not lain
down in death; I have stood over thee, and I have risen like a god. I have
cackled like a goose, and I have alighted like the hawk by the divine
clouds and by the great dew. I have journeyed from the earth to heaven.
The god Shu hath [made] me to stand up, the god of Light hath made me to
be vigorous by the two sides of the ladder, and the stars which never rest
set [me] on [my] way and bring [me] away from slaughter. I bring along
with me the things which drive back calamities as I advance over the
passage of the god Pen; thou comest, how great art thou, O god Pen! I have
come from the Pool of Flame which is in the Sekhet-Sasa (_i.e._, the Field
of Fire). Thou livest in the Pool of Flame in Sekhet-Sasa, and I live upon
the staff of the holy [god]. Hail, thou god Kaa, who dost bring those
things which are in the boats by the ... I stand up in the boat and I
guide myself [over] the water; I have stood up in the boat and the god
hath guided me. I have stood up. I have spoken. [I am master of the]
crops. I sail round about as I go forward, and the gates which are in
Sekhem (Letopolis) are opened unto me, and fields are awarded unto me in
the city of Unnu (Hermopolis), and laborers(?) are given unto me together
with those of my own flesh and bone.”
Of Bringing The Makhent Boat
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 21 and 22).]
THE CHAPTER OF BRINGING ALONG A BOAT IN THE UNDERWORLD. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Hail, ye who bring along the boat over the evil back [of Apepi], grant
that I may bring the boat along, and coil up [its] ropes in peace, in
peace. Come, come, hasten, hasten, for I have come to see my father
Osiris, the lord of the _ansi_ garment, who hath gained the mastery with
joy of heart. Hail, lord of the rain-storm, thou Male, thou Sailor! Hail,
thou who dost sail over the evil back of Apep! Hail, thou that dost bind
up heads and dost stablish the bones of the neck when thou comest forth
from the knives. Hail, thou who art in charge of the hidden boat, who dost
fetter Apep, grant that I may bring along the boat, and that I may coil up
the ropes and that I may sail forth therein. This land is baleful, and the
stars have overbalanced themselves and have fallen upon their faces
therein, and they have not found anything which will help them to ascend
again: their path is blocked by the tongue of Rā. Antebu [is] the guide of
the two lands. Seb is stablished [through] their rudders. The power which
openeth the Disk. The prince of the red beings, I am brought along like
him that hath suffered shipwreck; grant that my _Khu_, my brother, may
come to me, and that [I] may set out for the place whereof thou knowest.”
“Tell me my name,” saith the wood whereat I would anchor; “Lord of the two
lands who dwellest in the Shrine,” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Rudder; “Leg of Hāpiu” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Rope; “Hair with which Anpu (Anubis)
finisheth the work of my embalment” is thy name.
“Tell us our name,” say the Oar-rests; “Pillars of the underworld” is your
name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Hold; “Akar” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Mast; “He who bringeth back the great lady
after she hath gone away” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Lower deck; “Standard of Ap-uat” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Upper post; “Throat of Mestha” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Sail; “Nut” is thy name.
“Tell us our name,” say the Pieces of leather; “Ye who are made from the
hide of the Mnevis Bull, which was burned by Suti,” is your name.
“Tell us our name,” say the Paddles; “Fingers of Horus the first-born” is
your name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the _Mātchabet_; “The hand of Isis, which wipeth
away the blood from the Eye of Horus,” is thy name.
“Tell us our names,” say the Planks which are in its hulk; “Mesthi, Hāpi,
Tuamāutef, Qebh-sennuf, Haqau (_i.e._, he who leadeth away captive),
Thet-em-āua (_i.e._, he who seizeth by violence), Maa-an-tef (_i.e._, he
who seeth what the father bringeth), and Ari-nef-tchesef (_i.e._, he who
made himself),” are your names.
“Tell us our name,” say the Bows; “He who is at the head of his nomes” is
your name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Hull; “Mert” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Rudder; “Aqa” (_i.e._, true one) is thy name,
O thou who shinest from the water, hidden beam(?) is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Keel; “Thigh (or Leg) of Isis, which Rā cut
off with the knife to bring blood into the _Sektet_ boat,” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Sailor; “Traveller” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Wind by which thou art borne along; “The
North Wind which cometh from Tem to the nostrils of Khenti-Amenti”(60) is
thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the River, “if thou wouldst travel upon me;”
“Those which can be seen,” is thy name.
“Tell us our name,” say the River-Banks; “Destroyer of the god Au-ā
(_i.e._, he of the specious hand) in the water-house” is thy name.
“Tell me my name,” saith the Ground, “if thou wouldst walk upon me;” “The
Nose of heaven which proceedeth from the god Utu, who dwelleth in the
Sekhet-Aaru, and who cometh forth with rejoicing therefrom,” is thy name.
THEN SHALL BE RECITED BEFORE THEM THESE WORDS:
“Hail to you, O ye divine beings with splendid _Ka_s, ye divine lords of
things, who exist and who live forever, and [whose] double period of an
illimitable number of years is eternity, I have made a way unto you, grant
ye me food and sepulchral meals for my mouth, [and grant that] I may speak
therewith, and that the goddess Isis [may give me] loaves and cakes in the
presence of the great god. I know the great god before whose nostrils ye
place _tchefau_ food, and his name is Thekem; both when he maketh his way
from the eastern horizon of heaven and when he journeyeth into the western
horizon of heaven may his journey be my journey, and his going forth my
going forth. Let me not be destroyed at the _Mesqet_ chamber, and let not
the devils gain dominion over my members. I have my cakes in the city of
Pe, and I have my ale in the city of Tepu, and let the offerings [which
are given unto you] be given unto me this day. Let my offerings be wheat
and barley; let my offerings be _ānti_ unguent and linen garments; let my
offerings be for life, strength, and health: let my offerings be a coming
forth by day in any form whatsoever in which it may please me to appear in
Sekhet-Aarru.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL COME FORTH INTO
SEKHET-AARRU, AND BREAD, AND WINE, AND CAKES SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO HIM AT
THE ALTAR OF THE GREAT GOD, AND FIELDS, AND AN ESTATE [SOWN] WITH WHEAT
AND BARLEY, WHICH THE FOLLOWERS OF HORUS SHALL REAP FOR HIM. AND HE SHALL
EAT OF THAT WHEAT AND BARLEY, AND HIS LIMBS SHALL BE NOURISHED THEREWITH,
AND HIS BODY SHALL BE LIKE UNTO THE BODIES OF THE GODS, AND HE SHALL COME
FORTH INTO SEKHET-AARRU IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER HE PLEASETH, AND HE SHALL
APPEAR THEREIN REGULARLY AND CONTINUALLY.
Of Entering The Boat Of Ra
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 27 and 28).]
THE BOOK OF MAKING PERFECT THE _KHU_ AND OF CAUSING HIM TO GO FORTH INTO
THE BOAT OF RA ALONG WITH THOSE WHO ARE IN HIS FOLLOWING(?). The overseer
of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I have brought the divine _Bennu_ to the east, and Osiris to the city of
Tattu. I have opened the treasure-houses of the god Hāp, I have made clean
the roads of the Disk, and I have drawn the god Sekeri along upon his
sledge. The mighty and divine Lady hath made me strong at her hour. I have
praised and glorified the Disk, and I have united myself unto the divine
apes who sing at the dawn, and I am a divine Being among them. I have made
myself a counterpart of the goddess Isis, and her power (_Khu_) hath made
me strong. I have tied up the rope, I have driven back Apep, I have made
him to walk backward. Rā hath stretched out to me both his hands, and his
mariners have not repulsed me; my strength is the strength of the
_Utchat_, and the strength of the _Utchat_ is my strength. If the overseer
of the house, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, be separated [from
the boat of Rā], then shall he (_i.e._, Rā) be separated from the Egg and
from the _Abtu_ fish.”
[THIS CHAPTER] SHALL BE RECITED OVER THE DESIGN WHICH HATH BEEN DRAWN
ABOVE, AND IT SHALL BE WRITTEN UPON PAPYRUS WHICH HATH NOT BEEN WRITTEN
UPON, WITH [INK MADE OF] GRAINS OF GREEN _ABUT_ MIXED WITH _ANTI_ WATER,
AND THE PAPYRUS SHALL BE PLACED ON THE BREAST OF THE DECEASED; IT SHALL
NOT ENTER IN TO (_I.E._, TOUCH) HIS MEMBERS. IF THIS BE DONE FOR ANY
DECEASED PERSON HE SHALL GO FORTH INTO THE BOAT OF RA IN THE COURSE OF THE
DAY EVERY DAY, AND THE GOD THOTH SHALL TAKE ACCOUNT OF HIM AS HE COMETH
FORTH FROM AND GOETH IN THE COURSE OF THE DAY EVERY DAY, REGULARLY AND
CONTINUALLY, [INTO THE BOAT OF RA] AS A PERFECT _KHU_. AND HE SHALL SET UP
THE _TET_ AND SHALL STABLISH THE BUCKLE, AND SHALL SAIL ABOUT WITH RA INTO
ANY PLACE HE WISHETH.
Of Protecting The Boat Of Ra
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 27).]
[THE CHAPTER OF PROTECTING THE BOAT OF RA.](61)
“O thou that cleavest the water as thou comest forth from the stream and
dost sit upon thy place in thy boat, sit thou upon thy place in thy boat
as thou goest forth to thy station of yesterday, and do thou join the
Osiris, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, the perfect _Khu_, unto thy mariners, and let thy strength be
his strength. Hail, Rā, in thy name of Rā, if thou dost pass by the eye of
seven cubits, which hath a pupil of three cubits, then verily do thou
strengthen the Osiris, Nu, triumphant, the perfect _Khu_, [and let him be
among] thy mariners, and let thy strength be his strength. Hail, Rā, in
thy name of Rā, if thou dost pass by those who are overturned in death
then verily do thou make the Osiris, Nu, triumphant, the perfect soul, to
stand up upon his feet, and may thy strength be his strength. Hail, Rā, in
thy name of Rā, if the hidden things of the underworld are opened unto
thee and thou dost gratify(?) the heart of the cycle of thy gods, then
verily do thou grant joy of heart unto the chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, and let thy strength be his strength. Thy members, O Rā, are
established by (this) Chapter(?).”
[THIS CHAPTER] SHALL BE RECITED OVER A BANDLET OF THE FINE LINEN OF KINGS
[UPON WHICH] IT HATH BEEN WRITTEN WITH _ANTI_, WHICH SHALL BE LAID UPON
THE NECK OF THE PERFECT _KHU_ ON THE DAY OF THE BURIAL. IF THIS AMULET BE
LAID UPON HIS NECK HE SHALL DO EVERYTHING WHICH HE DESIRETH TO DO EVEN
LIKE THE GODS; AND HE SHALL JOIN HIMSELF UNTO THE FOLLOWERS OF HORUS; AND
HE SHALL BE STABLISHED AS A STAR FACE TO FACE WITH SEPTET (SOTHIS); AND
HIS CORRUPTIBLE BODY SHALL BE AS A GOD ALONG WITH HIS KINSFOLK FOREVER;
AND THE GODDESS MENQET SHALL MAKE PLANTS TO GERMINATE UPON HIS BODY; AND
THE MAJESTY OF THE GOD THOTH LOVINGLY SHALL MAKE THE LIGHT TO REST UPON
HIS CORRUPTIBLE BODY AT WILL, EVEN AS HE DID FOR THE MAJESTY OF THE KING
OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, THE GOD OSIRIS, TRIUMPHANT.
Of Going Into The Boat Of Ra
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 28).]
THE CHAPTER OF GOING INTO THE BOAT OF RA. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, saith:
“Hail, thou Great God who art in thy boat, bring thou me into thy boat. [I
have come forward to thy steps], let me be the director of thy journeyings
and let me be among those who belong to thee and who are among the stars
which never rest. The things which are an abomination unto thee and the
things which are an abomination unto me I will not eat, that which is an
abomination unto me, that which is an abomination unto me is filth and I
will not eat thereof; but sepulchral offerings and holy food [will I eat],
and I shall not be overthrown thereby. I will not draw nigh unto filth
with my hands, and I will not walk thereon with my sandals, because my
bread [is made] of white barley, and my ale [is made] of red barley; and
behold, the _Sektet_ boat and the _Atet_ boat have brought these things
and have laid the gifts(?) of the lands upon the altar of the Souls of
Annu. Hymns of praise be to thee, O Ur-arit-s, as thou travellest through
heaven! Let there be food [for thee], O dweller in the city of Teni
(This), and when the dogs gather together let me not suffer harm. I myself
have come, and I have delivered the god from the things which have been
inflicted upon him, and from the grievous sickness of the body of the arm,
and of the leg. I have come and I have spit upon the body, I have bound up
the arm, and I have made the leg to walk. [I have] entered [the boat] and
[I] sail round about by the command of Rā.”
Of Knowing The Souls Of The East
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF THE EAST. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu,
triumphant, saith:
“I, even I, know the eastern gate of heaven—know its southern part is at
the Lake of Kharu and its northern part is at the canal of the
geese—whereout Rā cometh with winds which make him to advance. I am he who
is concerned with the tackle(?) [which is] in the divine bark, I am the
sailor who ceaseth not in the boat of Rā. I, even I, know the two
sycamores of turquoise between which Rā showeth himself when he strideth
forward over the supports of Shu(62) toward the gate of the lord of the
East through which Rā cometh forth. I, even I, know the Sektet-Aarru of
Rā, the walls of which are of iron. The height of the wheat therein is
five cubits, of the ears thereof two cubits, and of the stalks thereof
three cubits. The barley therein is [in height] seven cubits, the ears
thereof are three cubits, and the stalks thereof are four cubits. And
behold, the _Khu_s, each one of whom therein is nine cubits in height,
reap it near the divine Souls of the East. I, even I, know the divine
Souls of the East, that is to say, Heru-khuti (Harmachis), and the Calf of
the goddess Khera, and the Morning Star(63) [daily. A divine city hath
been built for me, I know it, and I know the name thereof; ‘Sekhet-Aarru’
is its name].”(64)
Of Sekhet-Hetepet
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 17).]
HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF SEKHET-HETEPET, AND THE CHAPTERS OF COMING
FORTH BY DAY; OF GOING INTO AND OF COMING OUT FROM THE UNDERWORLD; OF
COMING TO SEKHET-AARU; OF BEING IN SEKHET-HETEPET, THE MIGHTY LAND, THE
LADY OF WINDS; OF HAVING POWER THERE; OF BECOMING A _KHU_ THERE; OF
PLOUGHING THERE; OF REAPING THERE; OF EATING THERE; OF DRINKING THERE; OF
MAKING LOVE THERE; AND OF DOING EVERYTHING EVEN AS A MAN DOETH UPON EARTH.
Behold the scribe and artist of the Temple of Ptah, Nebseni, who saith:
“Set hath taken possession of Horus, who looked with the two eyes upon the
building(?) round Sekhet-hetep, but I have unfettered Horus [and taken him
from] Set, and Set hath opened the ways of the two eyes [which are] in
heaven. Set hath cast(?) his moisture to the winds upon the soul [that
hath] his day (or his eye) and who dwelleth in the city of Mert, and he
hath delivered the interior of the body of Horus from the gods of Akert.
Behold me now, for I make this mighty boat to travel over the Lake of
Hetep, and I brought it away with might from the palace of Shu; the domain
of his stars groweth young and reneweth its former strength. I have
brought the boat into the lakes thereof so that I may come forth into the
cities thereof, and I have sailed into their divine city Hetep. And
behold, it is because I, even I, am at peace with his seasons, and with
his guidance, and with his territory, and with the company of the gods who
are his first-born. He maketh the two divine fighters (_i.e._, Horus and
Set) to be at peace with those who watch over the living ones whom he hath
created in fair form, and he bringeth peace [with him]; he maketh the two
divine fighters to be at peace with those who watch over them. He cutteth
off the hair from the divine fighters, he driveth away storm from the
helpless, and he keepeth away harm from the _Khu_s. Let me gain dominion
within that Field, for I know it, and I have sailed among its lakes so
that I might come into its cities. My mouth is strong; and I am equipped
[with weapons to use] against the _Khu_s; let them not have dominion over
me. Let me be rewarded with thy fields, O thou god Hetep; that which is
thy wish, shalt thou do, O lord of the winds. May I become a _khu_
therein, may I eat therein, may I drink therein, may I plough therein, may
I reap therein, may I fight therein, may I make love therein, may my words
be mighty therein, may I never be in a state of servitude therein, but may
I be in authority therein. Thou hast made strong(?) the mouth and the
throat(?) of the god Hetep; Qetetbu is its(?) name. He is stablished upon
the watery supports(?) of the god Shu, and is linked unto the pleasant
things of Rā. He is the divider of years, he is hidden of mouth, his mouth
is silent, that which he uttereth is secret, he fulfilleth eternity and
taketh possession of everlastingness of existence as Hetep, the lord
Hetep. The god Horus maketh himself to be strong like unto the Hawk which
is one thousand cubits in length and two thousand [cubits in width] in
life; he hath equipments with him, and he journeyeth on and cometh where
the seat of his heart wisheth in the Pools thereof and in the cities
thereof. He was begotten in the birth-chamber of the god of the city, he
hath offerings [made unto him] of the food of the god of the city, he
performeth that which it is meet to do therein, and the union thereof, in
the matter of everything of the birth-chamber of the divine city. When
[he] setteth in life like crystal he performeth everything therein, and
these things are like unto the things which are done in the Lake of double
Fire, wherein there is none that rejoiceth, and wherein are all manner of
evil things. The god Hetep goeth in, and cometh out, and goeth backward
[in] that Field which gathereth together all manner of things for the
birth-chamber of the god of the city. When he setteth in life like crystal
he performeth all manner of things therein which are like unto the things
which are done in the Lake of double Fire, wherein there is none that
rejoiceth, and wherein are no evil things whatsoever. [Let me] live with
the god Hetep, clothed and not despoiled by the lords of the north(?), and
may the lords of divine things bring food unto me; may he make me to go
forward and may I come forth, and may he bring my power to me there, and
may I receive it, and may my equipment be from the god Hetep. May I gain
the mastery over the great and mighty word which is in my body in this my
place, and by it I will remember and I will forget. Let me go forward on
my journey, and let me plough. I am at peace in the divine city,(65) and I
know the waters, cities, nomes, and lakes which are in Sekhet-hetep. I
exist therein, I am strong therein, I become a _khu_ therein, I eat
therein, I sow seed therein, I reap the harvest therein, I plough therein,
I make love therein, I am at peace with the god Hetep therein. Behold I
scatter seed therein, I sail about among its Lakes and I come forward to
the cities thereof, O divine Hetep. Behold, my mouth is equipped with my
horns [for teeth], grant me an overflowing supply of the food whereon the
_ka_s and _khu_s [live]. I have passed the judgment of Shu upon him that
knoweth him, so that I may go forth to the cities thereof, and may sail
about among its lakes and may walk about in Sekhet-hetep; and behold, Rā
is in heaven, and behold, the god Hetep is its double offering. I have
come onward to its land, I have put on my girdle(?), I have come forth so
that the gifts which are about to be given unto me may be given, I have
made gladness for myself. I have laid hold upon my strength which the god
Hetep hath greatly increased for me. O Unen-em-hetep,(66) I have entered
in to thee and my soul followeth after me, and my divine food is upon both
my hands, O Lady of the two lands,(67) who stablishest my word whereby I
remember and forget; I would live without injury, without any injury
[being done] unto me, oh, grant to me, oh, do thou grant to me, joy of
heart. Make thou me to be at peace, bind thou up my sinews and muscles,
and make me to receive the air. O Un[en]-em-hetep, thou Lady of the winds,
I have entered in to thee and I have opened (_i.e._, shown) my head. Rā
falleth asleep, but I am awake, and there is the goddess Hast at the gate
of heaven by night. Obstacles have been set before me, but I have gathered
together what he hath emitted. I am in my city. O Nut-urt,(68) I have
entered into thee and I have counted my harvest, and I go forward to
Uakh.(69) I am the Bull enveloped in turquoise, the lord of the Field of
the Bull, the lord of the divine speech of the goddess Septet (Sothis) at
her hours. O Uakh, I have entered into thee, I have eaten my bread, I have
gotten the mastery over choice pieces of the flesh of oxen and of
feathered fowl, and the birds of Shu have been given unto me; I follow
after the gods and [I come after] the divine _ka_s. O Tchefet,(70) I have
entered in to thee. I array myself in apparel, and I gird myself with the
_sa_ garment of Rā; now behold, [he is] in heaven, and those who dwell
therein follow Rā, and [I] follow Rā in heaven. O Unen-em-hetep, lord of
the two lands, I have entered in to thee, and I have plunged into the
lakes of Tchesert; behold me, for all filth hath departed from me. The
Great God groweth therein, and behold, I have found [food therein]; I have
snared feathered fowl and I feed upon the finest [of them]. O
Qenqentet,(71) I have entered into thee, and I have seen the Osiris [my
father], and I have gazed upon my mother, and I have made love. I have
caught the worms and serpents, and I am delivered. And I know the name of
the god who is opposite to the goddess Tchesert, and who hath straight
hair and is equipped with two horns; he reapeth, and I both plough and
reap. O Hast, I have entered in to thee, I have driven back those who
would come to the turquoise [sky], and I have followed the winds of the
company of the gods. The Great God hath given my head unto me, and he who
hath bound on me my head is the Mighty one who hath turquoise(?) eyes,
namely, Ari-en-ab-f (_i.e._, he doeth as he pleaseth). O Usert,(72) I have
come into thee at the head of the house wherein divine food is brought for
me. O Smam,(73) I have come into thee. My heart watcheth, my head is
equipped with the white crown, I am led into celestial regions, and I make
to flourish terrestrial objects, and there is joy of heart for the Bull,
and for celestial beings, and for the company of the gods. I am the god
who is the Bull, the lord of the gods, as he goeth forth from the
turquoise [sky]. O divine nome of wheat and barley, I have come unto thee,
I have come forward to thee and I have taken up that which followeth me,
namely, the best of the libations of the company of the gods. I have tied
up my boat in the celestial lakes, I have lifted up the post at which to
anchor, I have recited the prescribed words with my voice, and I have
ascribed praises unto the gods who dwell in Sekhet-hetep.”
Of Knowing The Souls Of Pe
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 18).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF PE. The overseer of the palace,
the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“[Hail,] Khat, who dwellest in Khat, in Anpet,(74) and in the nome of
Khat! [Hail,] ye goddesses of the chase who dwell in the city of Pe, ye
celestial lands(?), ye stars, and ye divine beings, who give cakes and
ale(?), do ye know for what reason the city of Pe hath been given unto
Horus? I, even I, know though ye know it not. Behold, Rā gave the city
unto him in return for the injury in his eye, for which cause Rā said to
Horus, ‘Let me see what is coming to pass in thine eye,’ and forthwith he
looked thereat. Then Rā said to Horus, ‘Look at that black pig,’ and he
looked, and straightway an injury was done unto his eye, [namely,] a
mighty storm [took place]. Then said Horus unto Rā, ‘Verily, my eye seems
as if it were an eye upon which Suti had inflicted a blow;’ [and thus
saying] he ate his heart.(75) Then said Rā to those gods, ‘Place ye him in
his chamber, and he shall do well.’ Now the black pig was Suti who had
transformed himself into a black pig, and he it was who had aimed the blow
of fire which was in the eye of Horus. Then said Rā unto those gods, ‘The
pig is an abominable thing unto Horus; oh, but he shall do well although
the pig is an abomination unto him.’ Then the company of the gods, who
were among the divine followers of Horus when he existed in the form of
his own child, said, ‘Let sacrifices be made [to the gods] of his bulls,
and of his goats, and of his pigs.’ Now the father of Mesthi, Hāpi,
Tuamāutef and Qebhsennuf is Horus, and their mother is Isis. Then said
Horus to Rā, ‘Give me two divine brethren in the city of Pe and two divine
brethren in the city of Nekhen, who [have sprung] from my body and who
shall be with me in the guise of everlasting judges, then shall the earth
blossom and thunder-clouds and rain be blotted out.’ And the name of Horus
became ‘Her-uatch-f’ (_i.e._, Prince of his emerald stone). I, even I,
know the Souls of Pe, namely, Horus, Mesthi, and Hāpi.”
Of Knowing The Souls Of Nekhen
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 18).]
THE CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF NEKHEN. The overseer of the palace,
the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I know the hidden things of the city of Nekhen, that is to say, the
things which the mother of Horus did for him, and how she [made her voice
to go forth] over the waters, saying, ‘Speak ye unto me concerning the
judgment which is upon me, [and shew me] the path behind you, and let me
discover [it];’ and how Rā said, ‘This son of Isis hath perished;’ and
what the mother of Horus did for him [when] she cried out, saying, ‘Sebek,
the lord of the papyrus swamp, shall be brought to us.’ [And Sebek] fished
for them and he found them, and the mother of Horus made them to grow in
the places to which they belonged. Then Sebek, the lord of his papyrus
swamp, said, ‘I went and I found the place where they had passed with my
fingers on the edge of the waters, and I enclosed them in [my] net: and
strong was that net.’ And Rā said, ‘So then, there are fish with the god
Sebek, and [he] hath found the hands and arms of Horus for him in the land
of fish;’ and [that] land became the land of the city of Remu (_i.e._,
Fish). And Rā said, ‘A land of the pool, a land of the pool to this net.’
Then were the hands of Horus brought to him at the uncovering of his face
at the festivals of the month and half month in the Land of Remu. And Rā
said, ‘I give the city of Nekhen to Horus for the habitation of his two
arms and hands, and his face shall be uncovered before his two hands and
arms in the city of Nekhen; and I give into his power the slaughtered
beings who are in them at the festivals of the month and half month.’ Then
Horus said, ‘Let me carry off Tuamāutef and Qebhsennuf, and let them watch
over my body; and if they are allowed to be there, then shall they be
subservient to the god of the city of Nekhen.’ And Rā said, ‘It shall be
granted unto thee there and in the city, of Senket (_i.e._, Sati), and
there shall be done for them what hath been done for those who dwell in
the city of Nekhen, and verily they shall be with thee.’ And Horus said,
‘They have been with thee and [now] they shall be with me, and shall
hearken unto the god Suti when he calleth upon the Souls of Nekhen.’ Grant
to me [that I, even I, may pass on to the Souls of Nekhen, and that I may
unloose the bonds of Horus]. I, even I, know the Souls of Nekhen, namely,
Horus, Tuamāutef, and Qebhsennuf.”
Of Knowing The Souls Of Khemennu
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 7).]
THE CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF KHEMENNU (Hermopolis).
“The goddess Maāt is carried by the arm at the shining of the goddess
Neith in the city of Mentchat, and at the shining of the Eye when it is
weighed. I am carried over by it and I know what it bringeth from the city
of Kesi,(76) and I will neither declare it unto men nor tell it unto the
gods. I have come, being the envoy of Rā, to stablish Maāt upon the arm at
the shining of Neith in the city of Mentchat and to adjudge the eye to him
that shall scrutinize it. I have come as a power through the knowledge of
the Souls of Khemennu (Hermopolis) who love to know what ye love. I know
Maāt, which hath germinated, and hath become strong, and hath been judged,
and I have joy in passing judgment upon the things which are to be judged.
Homage to you, O ye Souls of Khemennu, I, even I, know the things which
are unknown on the festivals of the month and half month. Rā knoweth the
hidden things of the night, and know ye that it is Thoth who hath made me
to have knowledge. Homage to you, O ye Souls of Khemennu, since I know you
each day.”
Of Coming Forth From Heaven
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 18).]
THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH FROM HEAVEN, AND OF MAKING A WAY THROUGH THE
AMMEHET, AND OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF ANNU (HELIOPOLIS). The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I have passed the day since yesterday among the great divine beings, and
I have come into being along with the god Khepera. [My] face is uncovered
before the Eye, the only One, and the orbit of the night hath been opened.
I am a divine being among you. I know the Souls of Annu. Shall not the god
Ur-ma pass over it as [he] journeyeth forward with vigor? Have I not
overcome(?), and have I not spoken to the gods? Behold, he that is the
heir of Annu hath been destroyed. I, even I, know for what reason was made
the lock of hair of the Man. Rā spake unto the god Ami-haf, and an injury
was done unto his mouth, that is to say, he was wounded in [that] mouth.
And Rā spake unto the god Ami-haf, saying, ‘O heir of men, receive [thy]
harpoon;’ and the harpoon-house came into being. Behold, O god Ami-haf,
two divine brethren have come into being, [that is to say], Senti-Rā came
into being, and Setem-ansi-f came into being. And his hand stayed not, and
he made his form into that of a woman with a lock of hair which became the
divine lock in Annu, and which became the strong and mighty one in this
temple; and it became the strong one of Annu, and it became the heir of
the heir of Ur-maat-f (_i.e._, the mighty one of the two eyes), and it
became before him the god Urma of Annu. I know the Souls of Annu, namely,
Rā, Shu, and Tefnut.”
Of Knowing The Souls Of Khemennu
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 18).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF KHEMENNU (HERMOPOLIS). The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“The goddess Neith shineth in Matchat, and the goddess Maāt is carried by
the arm of him who eateth the Eye, and who is its divine judge, and the
Sem priest carrieth me over upon it. I will not declare it unto men, and I
will not tell it unto the gods; I will not declare it unto men, and I will
not tell it unto the gods. I have entered in being an ignorant man, and I
have seen the hidden things. Homage to you, O ye gods who dwell in
Khemennu, ye know me even as I know the goddess Neith, and [ye give] to
the Eye the growth which endureth. There is joy [to me] at the judgment of
the things which are to be judged. I, even I, know the Souls of Annu; they
are great at the festival of the month, and are little at the festival of
the half month. They are Thoth the Hidden one, and Sa, and Tem.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] OFFAL SHALL BE AN ABOMINATION
UNTO HIM, AND HE SHALL NOT DRINK FILTHY WATER.
Of Receiving Paths
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 9).]
THE CHAPTER OF RECEIVING PATHS [WHEREON TO WALK] IN RE-STAU. The
chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“The paths which are above me [lead] to Re-stau. I am he who is girt about
with his girdle and who cometh forth f
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/28282