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
Another prayer of special interest is that which forms Chapter XXXB.
This is put into the mouth of the deceased when he is standing in the
Hall of Judgment watching the weighing of his heart in the Great Scales
by Anubis and Thoth, in the presence of the Great Company of the gods
and Osiris. He says: "My heart, my mother. My heart, my mother. My heart
whereby I came into being. Let none stand up to oppose me at my
judgment. May there be no opposition to me in the presence of the
Tchatchau.[1] Mayest thou not be separated from me in the presence of
the Keeper of the Balance. Thou art my Ka (_i.e._ Double, or vital
power), that dwelleth in my body; the god Khnemu who knitteth together
and strengthened my limbs. Mayest thou come forth into the place of
happiness whither we go. May the Shenit officers who decide the
destinies of the lives of men not cause my name to stink [before
Osiris]. Let it (_i.e._ the weighing) be satisfactory unto us, and let
there be joy of heart to us at the weighing of words (_i.e._ the Great
Judgment). Let not that which is false be uttered against me before the
Great God, the Lord of Amentet (_i.e._ Osiris). Verily thou shalt be
great when thou risest up [having been declared] a speaker of the
truth."
[Footnote 1: The chief officers of Osiris, the divine Taskmasters.]
In many papyri this prayer is followed by a Rubric, which orders that it
is to be said over a green stone scarab set in a band of _tchamu_ metal
(_i.e._ silver-gold), which is to be hung by a ring from the neck of the
deceased. Some Rubrics order it to be placed in the breast of a mummy,
where it is to take the place of the heart, and say that it will "open
the mouth" of the deceased. A tradition which is as old as the twelfth
dynasty says that the Chapter was discovered in the town of Khemenu
(Hermopolis Magna) by Herutataf, the son of Khufu, in the reign of
Menkaurā, a king of the fourth dynasty. It was cut in hieroglyphs,
inlaid with lapis-lazuli on a block of alabaster, which was set under
the feet of Thoth, and was therefore believed to be a most powerful
prayer. We know that this prayer was recited by the Egyptians in the
Ptolemaic Period, and thus it is clear that it was in common use for a
period of nearly four thousand years. It may well be the oldest prayer
in the world. Under the Middle and New Empires this prayer was cut upon
hard green stone scarabs, but the versions of it found on scarabs are
often incomplete and full of mistakes. It is quite clear that the prayer
was turned into a spell, and that it was used merely as a "word of
power," and that the hard stone scarabs were regarded merely as amulets.
On many of them spaces are found that have been left blank to receive
the names of those with whom they were to be buried; this proves that
such scarabs once formed part of some undertaker's stock-in-trade, and
that they were kept ready for those who were obliged to buy "heart
scarabs" in a hurry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account