Legends of the Gods: The Egyptian Texts, edited with TranslationsBudge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
General
Legends of the Gods: The Egyptian Texts, edited with Translations
Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Egyptian literature -- Translations into English; Mythology, Egyptian
[FN#308] We meet with a similar statement in the Tale of the Two
Brothers, where we are told that the younger brother, having declared
his innocence to the elder brother, out off his phallus and threw it
into the river, where it was devoured by the naru fish.
XIX. After these things Osiris returned from the other world, and
appeared to his son Horus, and encouraged him to fight, and at the same
time instructed him in the exercise of arms. He then asked him what he
thought was the most glorious action a man could perform, to which
Horus replied, "To revenge the injuries offered to his father[FN#309]
and mother." Osiris then asked him what animal he thought most
serviceable to a soldier, and Horus replied, "A horse." On this Osiris
wondered, and he questioned him further, asking him why he preferred a
horse to a lion, and Horus replied, "Though the lion is the more
serviceable creature to one who stands in need of help, yet is the
horse more useful in overtaking and cutting off a flying
enemy."[FN#310] These replies caused Osiris to rejoice greatly, for
they showed him that his son was sufficiently prepared for his enemy.
We are, moreover, told that amongst the great numbers who were
continually deserting from Typhon's party was his concubine
Thoueris,[FN#311] and that a serpent which pursued her as she was
coming over to Horus was slain by his soldiers. The memory of this
action is, they say, still preserved in that cord which is thrown into
the midst of their assemblies, and then chopped in pieces. Afterwards
a battle took place between Horus and Typhon, which lasted many days,
but Horus was at length victorious, and Typhon was taken prisoner. He
was delivered over into the custody of Isis, who, instead of putting
him to death, loosed his fetters and set him free. This action of his
mother incensed Horus to such a degree that he seized her, and pulled
the royal crown off her head; but Hermes came forward, and set upon her
head the head of an ox instead of a helmet.[FN#312] After this Typhon
accused Horus of illegitimacy, but, by the assistance of Hermes, his
legitimacy was fully established by a decree of the gods
themselves.[FN#313] After this two other battles were fought between
Horus and Typhon, and in both Typhon was defeated. Moreover, Isis is
said to have had union with Osiris after his death,[FN#314] and she
brought forth Harpokrates,[FN#315] who came into the world before his
time, and was lame in his lower limbs.
[FN#309] The texts give as a very common title of Horus, "Horus, the
avenger of his father."
[FN#310] There is no evidence that the Egyptians employed the horse in
war before the XVIIIth Dynasty, a fact which proves that the dialogue
here given is an invention of a much later date than the original
legend of Osiris.
[FN#311] In Egyptian, TA-URT, the hippopotamus goddess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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