The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians — John Shaqi
The Literature of the Ancient EgyptiansBudge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
History
The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians
Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Egyptian literature -- History and criticism; Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
air and water in the Tuat, and Chap. 63 protected him from drinking
boiling water there. Chaps. 64-74 gave him the power to leave the tomb,
to overthrow enemies, and to "come forth by day." Chaps. 76-89 enabled a
man to transform himself into the Light-god, the primeval soul of God,
the gods Ptah and Osiris, a golden hawk, a divine hawk, a lotus, a
_benu_ bird, a heron, a swallow, a serpent, a crocodile, and into any
being or thing he pleased. Chap. 89 enabled the soul of the deceased to
rejoin its body at pleasure, and Chaps. 91 and 92 secured the egress of
his soul and spirit from the tomb. Chaps. 94-97 made the deceased an
associate of Thoth, and Chaps. 98 and 99 secured for him the use of the
magical boat, and the services of the celestial ferryman, who would
ferry him across the river in the Tuat to the Island of Fire, in which
Osiris lived. Chaps. 101 and 102 provided access for him to the Boat of
Rā. Chaps. 108, 109, 112, and 116 enabled him to know the Souls (_i.e._
gods) of the East and West, and of the towns of Pe,[1] Nekhen,[2]
Khemenu,[3] and Anu.[4] Chaps. 117-119 enabled him to find his way
through Rastau, a part of the kingdom of Seker, the god of Death. Chap.
152 enabled him to build a house, and Chap. 132 gave him power to return
to the earth and see it. Chap. 153 provided for his escape from the
fiend who went about to take souls in a net. Chaps. 155-160, 166, and
167 formed the spells that were engraved on amulets, _i.e._ the Tet
(male), the Tet (female), the Vulture, the Collar, the Sceptre, the
Pillow, the Pectoral, &c., and gave to the deceased the power of Osiris
and Isis and other gods, and restored to him his heart, and lifted up
his head. Chap. 162 kept heat in the body until the day of the
resurrection. Chaps. 175 and 176 gave the deceased everlasting life and
enabled him to escape the second death. Chap. 177 raised up the dead
body, and Chap. 178 raised up the spirit-soul. The remaining Chapters
perfected the spirit-soul, and gave it celestial powers, and enabled it
to enjoy intercourse with the gods as an equal, and enabled it to
participate in all their occupations and pleasures. We may now give a
few extracts that will give an idea of the contents of some of the most
important passages.
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ Pe Tep, or Buto.]
[Footnote 2: Eileithyiaspolis.]
[Footnote 3: Hermopolis.]
[Footnote 4: Heliopolis.]
[Illustration: Her-Heru, the first Priest-King, and Queen Netchemet
reciting a Hymn to the Rising Sun. The Apes represent the Spirits of the
Dawn. _From a papyrus (about 1050 B.C.) in the British Museum._]
The following is the opening hymn to Osiris in the Papyrus of Ani:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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