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
lifted up its head against thee? Verily my words of power shall
overthrow it; I will make it depart in the sight of thy light." Rā then
repeated to Isis the story of the incident, adding, "I am colder than
water, I am hotter than fire. All my members sweat. My body quaketh.
Mine eye is unsteady. I cannot look on the sky, and my face is bedewed
with water as in the time of the Inundation."[1] Then Isis said,
"Father, tell me thy name, for he who can utter his own name liveth."
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ in the period of summer. The season Shemmu began in
April and ended about July 15.]
Rā replied, "I am the maker of heaven and earth. I knit together the
mountains and whatsoever liveth on them. I made the waters. I made
Mehturit[1] to come into being. I made Kamutef.[2] I made heaven, and
the two hidden gods of the horizon, and put souls into the gods. I open
my eyes, and there is light; I shut my eyes, and there is darkness. I
speak the word[s], and the waters of the Nile appear. I am he whom the
gods know not. I make the hours. I create the days. I open the year. I
make the river [Nile]. I create the living fire whereby works in the
foundries and workshops are carried out. I am Khepera in the morning, Rā
at noon, and Temu in the evening." Meanwhile the poison of the serpent
was coursing through the veins of Rā, and the enumeration of his works
afforded the god no relief from it. Then Isis said to Rā, "Among all the
things which thou hast named to me thou hast not named thy name. Tell me
thy name, and the poison shall come forth from thee." Rā still
hesitated, but the poison was burning in his blood, and the heat thereof
was stronger than that of a fierce fire. At length he said, "Isis shall
search me through, and my name shall come forth from my body and pass
into hers." Then Rā hid himself from the gods, and for a season his
throne in the Boat of Millions of Years was empty. When the time came
for the heart of the god to pass into Isis, the goddess said to Horus,
her son, "The great god shall bind himself by an oath to give us his two
eyes (_i.e._ the sun and the moon)." When the great god had yielded up
his name Isis pronounced the following spell: "Flow poison, come out of
Rā. Eye of Horus, come out of the god, and sparkle as thou comest
through his mouth. I am the worker. I make the poison to fall on the
ground. The poison is conquered. Truly the name of the great god hath
been taken from him. Rā liveth! The poison dieth! If the poison live Rā
shall die." These were the words which Isis spoke, Isis the great lady,
the Queen of the gods, who knew Rā by his own name.
[Footnote 1: An ancient Cow-goddess of heaven.]
[Footnote 2: A form of Amen-Rā.]
In late times magicians used to write the above Legend on papyrus above
figures of Temu and Heru-Hekenu, who gave Rā his secret name, and over
figures of Isis and Horus, and sell the rolls as charms against snake
bites.
THE LEGEND OF HORUS OF BEHUTET AND THE WINGED DISK
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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