PAGE 115
over his enemies, provided [ye him] with the offerings of the god of the underworld, make noble the divine being who dwelleth in the nemmes crown, the lord of the knowledge of Akert. Behold, stablish . . . this soul in right and truth, [and let it become] a perfect soul that hath gained the mastery with its two hands. The great and mighty gods cry out, ‘He hath gotten the victory,’ and they rejoice in him, and they ascribe praise unto him with their hands, and they turn unto him their faces. The living one is triumphant, and is even like a living soul dwelling in heaven, and he hath been ordered to perform [his] transformations. Osiris triumphed over his enemies, and Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, hath gained the victory over his enemies in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell in heaven, and in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell upon the earth.”
HYMN OF PRAISE TO OSIRIS
[From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 51.]
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO OSIRIS. The Osiris Auf-ankh, triumphant, saith:
“Homage to thee, O Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant, thou son of Nut, thou first-born son of Seb, thou mighty one who comest forth from Nut, thou King in the city of Nifu-ur, (1) thou Governor of Amentet, thou lord of Abtu (Abydos), thou lord of souls, thou mighty one of strength, thou lord of the atef crown in Suten-henen, thou lord of the divine form in the city of Nifu-ur, thou lord of the tomb, thou mighty one of souls in Tattu, thou lord of [sepulchral] offerings, thou whose festivals are many in Tattu. The god Horus exalteth his father in every place (or shrine), and he uniteth [himself] unto the goddess Isis and unto the goddess Nephtys; and the god Thoth reciteth for him the mighty glorifyings which are within him, [and which] come forth from his mouth, and the heart of Horus is stronger than that of all the gods. Rise up, then, O Horus, thou son of Isis, and avenge thy father Osiris. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee; I am Horus and I have avenged thee, and I feed this day upon the sepulchral meals of oxen, and feathered fowl, and upon all the beautiful things [offered] unto Osiris. Rise up, then, O Osiris, for I have struck down for thee all thine enemies, and I have taken vengeance upon them for thee. I am Horus upon this beautiful day of thy fair rising in thy Soul which exalteth thee along with itself on this day before thy divine sovereign princes. Hail, O Osiris, thy ka hath come unto thee and is with thee, and thou restest therein in thy name of Ka-Hetep. I maketh thee glorious in thy name of Khu, and it maketh thee like unto the Morning Star in thy name of Ap-uat. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee and I have set thine enemies under [thy feet] in every place, and thou art triumphant in the presence of the company of the gods and of the divine sovereign chiefs. Hail, O Osiris, thou hast received thy sceptre and the place whereon thou art to rest, and thy steps are under thee. Thou bringest food to the gods, and thou bringest sepulchral meals unto those who dwell in their tombs. Thou hast given thy might unto the gods and thou hast created the Great God; thou hast thy existence with them in their spiritual bodies, thou gatherest thyself unto all the gods, and thou hearest the word of right and truth on the day when offerings to this god are ordered on the festivals of Uka.”
1. A name of the city of Abydos.
OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 17).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU, WHICH IS [TO BE RECITED ON] THE BIRTHDAY OF OSIRIS, AND OF MAKING TO LIVE THE SOUL FOREVER. (1) The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“The heavens are open, the earth is opened, the West is opened, the East is opened, the southern half of heaven is opened, the northern half of heaven is opened, the doors are opened, and the gates are thrown wide open to Ra [as] he cometh forth from the horizon. The Sektet boat openeth for him the double doors and the Matet boat bursteth open [for him] the gates; he breatheth, and the god Shu (2) [cometh into being], and he createth the goddess Tefnut. Those who are in the following of Osiris follow in his train, and the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, followeth on in the train of Ra. He taketh his iron weapon and he forceth open the shrine even as doth Horus, and pressing onward he advanceth unto the hidden things of his habitation with the libations of his divine shrine; the messenger of the god that loveth him, The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, bringeth forth the right and truth, and he maketh to advance the going forward (3) of Osiris. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, taketh in [his] hand [s] the cordage and he bindeth fast the shrine. Storms are the things which he abominateth. Let no water-flood be nigh unto him, let not the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, be repulsed before Ra, and let him not be made to turn back; for, behold, the Eye is in his two hands. Let not the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, walk in the valley of darkness, let him not enter into the Lake of those who are evil, and let him have no existance among the damned, even for a moment. Let not the Osiris Nu fall headlong among those who would lead him captive, and let not [his] soul go in among them. Let his divine face take possession of the place behind the block, the block of the god Septu.”
“Hymns of praise be unto you, O ye divine beings of the Thigh, the knives of God [work] in secret, and the two arms and hands of God cause the light to shrine; it is doubly pleasant unto him to lead the old unto him along with the young at his season. Now, behold, the god Thoth dwelleth within his hidden places, and he performeth the ceremonies of libation unto the god who reckoneth millions of years, and he maketh a was through the firmament, and he doeth away with storms and whirlwinds from his stronghold, and the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, arriveth in the places of his habitations. [O ye divine beings of the Thigh], do ye away with his sorrow, and his suffering, and his pain, and may the sorrow of the Osiris Nu be altogether put away. Let the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, gratify Ra, let him make a way into the horizon of Ra, let his boat be made ready for him, let him sail on happily, and let Thoth put light into [his] heart; then shall the Osiris Nu, triumphant, praise and glorify Ra, and Ra shall hearken unto his words, and he shall beat down the obstacles which come from his enemies. I have not been shipwrecked, I have not been turned back in the horizon, for I am Ra-Osiris, and the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, shall not be shipwrecked in the Great Boat. Behold him whose face is in the god of the Thigh, because the name of Ra is in the body of the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, and his honor is in his mouth; he shall speak unto Ra, and Ra shall hearken unto his words.’
“Hymns of praise unto thee, O Ra, in the horizon, and homage unto thee, O thou that purifiest with light the denizens of heaven, O thou who hast sovereign power over heaven at that supreme moment when the paddles of thine enemies move with thee! The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, cometh with the ordering of right and truth, for there is an iron firmament in Amentet which the fiend Apep hath broken through with his storms before the double Lion-god, and this will the Osiris Nu set in order; O hearken ye, ye who dwell upon the top of the throne of majesty. The Osiris Nu shall come in among thy divine sovereign chiefs, and Ra shall deliver him from Apep each day so that he may not come nigh unto him, and he shall make himself vigilant. The Osiris Nu shall have power over the things which are written, he shall receive sepulchral meals, and the god Thoth shall provide him with the things which should be prepared for him. The Osiris Nu maketh right and truth to go round about the bows in the Great Boat, and hath triumph among the divine sovereign chiefs, and he establisheth [it] for millions of years. The divine chiefs guide him and give unto him a passage in the boat with joy and gladness; the first ones among the company of the sailors of Ra are behind him, and he is happy. Right and truth are exalted, and they have come unto their divine lord, and praises have been ascribed unto the god Neb-er-tcher. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, hath taken in his hands the weapon and he hath made his way through heaven therewith; the denizens thereof have ascribed praises unto him as [unto] a divine being who standeth up and never sinketh to rest. The god Ra exalteth him by reason of what he hath done, and he causeth him to make of none effect the whirlwind and the storm; he looketh upon his splendors, and he stablisheth his oars, and the boat saileth round about in heaven, rising like the sun in the darkness. Thoth, the mighty one, leadeth the Osiris Nu within his eye, and he sitteth [upon his] thigh[s] in the mighty boat of Khepera; he cometh into being, and the things which he saith come to pass. The Osiris Nu advanceth, and he journeyed round about heaven unto Amentet, the fiery deities stand up before him, and the god Shu rejoiceth exceedingly, and they take in their hands the bows [of the boat] of Ra along with his divine mariners. Ra goeth round about and he looketh upon Osiris. The Osiris Nu is at peace, the Osiris Nu is at peace. He hath not been driven back, the flame of thy moment hath not been taken away from him, [O Ra,] the whirlwind and storm of thy mouth have not come forth against him, he hath not journeyed upon the path of the crocodile–for he abominateth the crocodile–and it hath not drawn nigh unto him, The Osiris Nu embarked in thy boat, O Ra, he is furnished with thy throne, and he receiveth thy spiritual form, The Osiris Nu travelleth over the paths of Ra at daybreak to drive back the fiend Nebt; [he] cometh upon the flame of thy boat, [O Ra,] upon that mighty Thigh. The Osiris Nu knoweth it, and he attaineth unto thy boat, and behold he [sitteth] therein; and he maketh sepulchral offerings.”
[THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE] RECITED OVER A BOAT OF THE GOD RA WHICH HATH BEEN PAINTED IN COLORS IN A PURE PLACE. AND BEHOLD THOU SHALT PLACE A FIGURE OF THE DECEASED IN THE BOWS THEREOF, AND THOU SHALL PAINT A SEKTET BOAT UPON THE RIGHT SIDE THEREOF, AND A ATET BOAT UPON THE LEFT SIDE THEREOF, AND THERE SHALL BE MADE UNTO THEM OFFERINGS OF BREAD, AND CAKES, AND WINE, AND OIL, AND EVERY KIND OF FAIR OFFERING UPON THE BIRTHDAY OF OSIRIS. IF THESE CEREMONIES BE PERFORMED HIS SOUL SHALL HAVE EXISTENCE, AND SHALL LIVE FOREVER, AND SHALL NOT DIE A SECOND TIME.
1. Variant, “The Book of making the soul to live forever. [To be recited] on the day of embarking in the boat of Ra to pass over to the chiefs of flame.” See Naville, op. Cit., Bd. II. p. 338.
2. Read “Shu” instead of Maat.”
3. Or, “images.”
The following is from the rubric to this chapter in the Saite Recension (see Lepsius, op. Cit., Bl. 53):
“[He shall know] the hidden things of the underworld, he shall penetrate the hidden things in the Neter-khertet (the underworld).” “[This chapter] was found in the large hall (?) of the Temple under the reign of his Majesty Hesepti, triumphant, and it was found in the cavern of the mountain which Horus made for hos father Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant. Now since Ra looketh upon this deceased in his own flesh, he shall look upon him as the company of the gods. The fear of him shall be great, and the awe of him shall be mighty in the heart of men, and gods, and khus, and the damned. He shall be with his soul and shall live forever; he shall not die a second time in the underworld; and on the day of weighing of the words no evil hap shall befall him. He shall be triumphant over his enemies, and his sepulchral meals shall be upon the altar of Ra in the course of each day, day by day.”
OF LIVING NIGH UNTO RA
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 17 and 18).]
THE CHAPTER OF HAVING EXISTENCE HIGH UNTO RA. (1) The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:
“I am that god Ra who shineth in the night. Every being who followeth in his train shall have life in the following of the god Thoth, and he shall give unto him the risings of Horus in the darkness. The heart of Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, is glad because he is one of those beings, and his enemies have been destroyed by the divine princes. I am a follower of Ra, and [I have] received his iron weapon. I have come unto thee, O my father Ra, and I have advanced to the god Shu. I have cried unto the mighty goddess, I have equipped the god Hu, and I alone have removed the Nebt god from the path of Ra. I am a Khu, and I have come to the divine prince at the bounds of the horizon. I have met and I have received the mighty goddess. I have raised up thy soul in the following of thy strength, and my soul [liveth] through thy victory and thy mighty power; it is I who give commands in speech to Ra, in heaven. Homage to thee, O great god in the east of heaven, let me embark in thy boat, O Ra, let me open myself out in the form of a divine hawk, let me give my commands in words, let me do battle in my Sekhem (?), let me be master under my vine. Let me embark in thy boat, O Ra, in peace, and let me sail in peace to the beautiful Amentet. Let the god Tem speak unto me, [saying], ‘Wouldst [thou] enter therein?’ The lady, the goddess Mehen, is a million of years, yea, two million years in extent, and dwelleth in the House of Urt and Nif-urt [and in] the Lake of a million years; the whole company of the gods move about among those who are at the side of him who is the lord of divisions of places (?). And I say, ‘On every road and among these millions of years is Ra the lord, and his path is in the fire, and they go round about behind him, and they go round about behind him.’”
1. Or, “The chapter of making the way into heaven nigh unto Ra.”
OF BRINGING MEN BACK TO EARTH
[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 18).]
THE CHAPTER OF CAUSING A MAN TO COME BACK TO SEE HIS HOUSE UPON EARTH. (1)
“I am the Lion-god coming forth with extended strides. I have shot arrows and I have wounded the prey; I have shot arrows and I have wounded the prey. I am the Eye of Horus, and I pass through the Eye of Horus at this season. I have arrived at the furrows; let the Osiris Ani advance in peace.” (2)
1. In the Saite Recension (see Lepsius, op. Cit. Bl. 54) the house is said to be “in the underworld.”
2. Another papyrus adds the words, “I have advanced, and behold, I have not been found light, and the Balance is empty of my affair.
OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 16).]
THE BOOK OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU, WHICH IS TO BE RECITED ON THE DAY OF THE MONTH. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“Ra riseth in his horizon, and his company of the gods follow after him, The god cometh forth out of his hidden habitations, and food falleth out of the eastern horizon of heaven at the word of the goddess Nut who maketh plain the paths of Ra, whereupon straitway the Prince goeth round about. Lift up then thyself, O thou Ra, who dwellest in thy divine shrine, draw thou into thyself the winds, inhale the north wind, swallow thou the skin (?) of thy net on the day wherein thou breathest right and truth. Thou separatest the divine followers, and thou sailest in [thy] boat to Nut; the divine princes march onward at thy word. Thou takest count of thy bones, thou gatherest together thy members, thou settest thy fave toward the beautiful Amentet, and thou comest, being renewed each day. Behold, thou art that Image of gold, and thou dost possess the splendors of the disks of heaven and are terrible; thou comest, being renewed each day. Hail, the horizon rejoiceth, and there are shouts of joy in the rigging [of thy boat]; when the gods who dwell in the heavens see the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, they ascribe unto Ra. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, is a divine prince and he seeketh (?) the ureter crown of Ra, and hem the only one, is strong in good fortune (?) in that supreme body which is of those divine beings who are in the presence of Ra. The Osiris Nu in strong both upon earth and in the underworld; and the Osiris Nu shall not tarry, and he shall not lie without motion in this land forever. Being doubly beautiful [he] shall see with his two eyes, and he shall hear with his two ears; rightly and truly, rightly and truly. The Osiris Nu is like unto Ra, and he setteth in order the oars [of his boat] among those who are in the train of Nu. He doth not tell that which he hath seen, and he doth not repeat that which he hath heard in the secret places. Hail, let there be shouts of joy to the Osiris Nu, who is of the divine body of Ra, as he journeyed over Nu, and who propitiateth the Ka of the god with that which he loveth. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief. Is a hawk, the transformations of which are mighty (or manifold).”(1)
[THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE] RECITED OVER A BOAT FOUR (2) CUBITS IN ITS LENGTH AND MADE OF GREEN PORCELAIN [ON WHICH HAVE BEEN PAINTED] THE DIVINE SOVEREIGN CHIEFS OF THE CITIES; AND A HEAVEN WITH ITS STARS SHALL [ALSO] BE MADE, AND THOU SHALT HAVE MADE CEREMONIALLY PURE BY MEANS OF NATRON AND INCENSE. AND, BEHOLD, THOU SHALT MAKE AN IMAGE OF RA IN YELLOW (?) COLOR UPON A NEW PLAQUE AND SET IT AT THE BOWS OF THE BOAT. AND BEHOLD, THOU SHALT PLACE AN IMAGE OF THE KHU WHICH THOU DOST WISH TO MAKE PERFECT [AND PLACE IT] IN THIS BOAT, AND THOU SHALT MAKE IT TO TRAVEL ABOUT IN THE BOAT [WHICH SHALL BE MADE IN THE FORM OF THE BOAT] OF RA; AND HE SHALL SEE THE GOD RA HIMSELF THEREIN. LET NOT THE EYE OF ANY MAN WHATSOEVER LOOK UPON IT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THINE OWN SELF, OR THY FATHER, (3) OR THY SON, AND GUARD [THIS] WITH GREAT CARE. (4) [NOW THESE THINGS] SHALL MAKE THE KHU PERFECT IN THE HEART OF RA, AND IT SHALL GIVE UNTO HIM POWER WITH THE COMPANY OF THE GODS; AND THE GODS SHALL LOOK UPON HIM AS A DIVINE BEING LIKE UNTO THEMSELVES; AND MANKIND AND THE DEAD SHALL LOOK UPON HIM AND SHALL FALL DOWN UPON THEIR FACES, AND HE SHALL BE SEEN IN THE UNDERWORLD IN THE FORM OF THE RADIANCE OF RA.
1. The Papyrus of Nebseni has, “The Osiris Nebseni is the lord of transformations in the presence of the hawk of gold.”
2. The Papyrus of Ani has “seven cubits.”
3. The words “or thy father” are from the Papyrus of Ani.
4. These words are from the Brocklehurst Papyrus (see Naville, op. Cit., Bd. II. p. 334). There are three copies of this rubric extant, and no one of them is complete!
OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 17).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU.(1) The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith
“Homage to thee, O thou who art within the divine shrine, who shineth with rays of light and sendeth forth radiance from thyself, who decreest joy for millions of years unto those who love him, who givest their hearts’ desire unto mankind, thou god Khepera within thy boat who hast overthrown Apep. O ye children of the god Seb, overthrow ya the enemies of Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, and destroy ye them from the boat of Ra; and the god Horus shall cut off their heads in heaven [where they are] in the form of feathered fowl, and their hind parts shall be on the earth in the form of animals and in the Lake in the form of fishes. Every male fiend and every female fiend shall the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, destroy, whether he descendeth from the heaven, or whether he cometh forth from the earth, or whether they come upon the waters, or whether they advance toward the stars, the god Thoth, the son of Aner, coming forth from the Anerti, shall hack them in pieces. The Osiris Nu is silent and dumb(?); cause ye this god, the mighty one of slaughter, the being greatly to be feared, to make himself clean in your blood and to bathe himself in your gore, and ye shall certainly be destroyed by him from the boat of his father Ra. The Osiris Nu is the god Horus to whom his mother the goddess Isis hath given birth, and whom the goddess Nephthys hath nursed and dandled, even like Horus when [he] repulsed the fiends of the god Suti; and when they see the ureter crown stablished upon his head they fall down upon their faces and they glorify [him]. Behold, when men, and gods, and Khus, and the dead see the Osiris Nu in the form of Horus with the ureter crown stablished upon his head, they fall down upon their faces. And the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, is victorious over his enemies in the heights of heaven, and in the depths thereof, and before the divine sovereign chiefs of every god and of every goddess.
1. In the Papyrus of Nebseni the title of this chapter reads: “The Chapter of embarking in the boat of Ra and of being with those who are in his following.”
[THIS CHAPTER] SHALL BE RECITED OVER A HAWK STANDING AND HAVING THE WHITE CROWN UPON HIS HEAD, [AND OVER FIGURES OF] TEM, SHU, TEFNUT, SEB, NUT, OSIRIS, ISIS, SUTI, AND NEPHTHYS PAINTED IN YELLOW COLOR UPON A NEW PLAQUE, WHICH SHALL BE PLACED IN [A MODEL OF] THE BOAT [OF THE SUN], ALONG WITH A FIGURE OF THE DECEASED WHOM THOU WOULDST MAKE PERFECT. THESE SHALT THOU ANOINT WITH CEDAR OIL, AND INCENSE SHALL BE OFFERED UP TO THEM ON THE FIRE, AND FEATHERED FOWL SHALL BE ROASTED. IT IS AN ACT OF PRAISE TO RA AS HE JOURNEYETH, AND IT SHALL CAUSE A MAN TO HAVE HIS BEING ALONG WITH RA DAY BY DAY, WHITHERSOEVER THE GOD VOYAGETH; AND IT SHALL DESTROY THE ENEMIES OF RA IN VERY TRUTH REGULARLY AND CONTINUALLY.
FOR THE NEW MOON
[From Lepsius “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 55.]
ANOTHER CHAPTER TO BE RECITED WHEN THE MOON RENEWETH ITSELF ON THE DAY OF THE MONTH. The Osiris Auf-ankn, triumphant, saith:
“Osiris unfettereth,” or, as other say, “openeth the storm cloud [in] the body of heaven, and is unfettered himself; Horus is made strong happily each day. He whose transformations are great (or many) hath offerings made unto him at the moment, and he hath made an end of the storm which is in the face of the Osiris Auf-ankh, triumphant, cometh forth in his day, and he embarketh among the tackle of the boat.”
IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN BY THE DECEASED HE SHALL BECOME A PERFECT KHU IN THE UNDERWORLD, AD HE SHALL NOT DIE THEREIN A SECOND TIME, AND HE SHALL EAT HIS FOOD SIDE BY SIDE WITH OSIRIS. IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN BY HIM UPON EARTH HE SHALL BE LIKE UNTO THOTH, AND HE SHALL BE ADORED BY THE LIVING ONES; HE SHALL NOT FALL HEADLONG AT THE MOMENT OF ROYAL FLAME OF THE GODDESS BAST, AND THE MIGHTY PRINCESS SHALL MAKE HIM TO ADVANCE HAPPILY.
OF TRAVELLING IN THE BOAT OF RA
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 28).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF TRAVELLING IN THE GREAT BOAT OF RA. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“Behold now, O ye luminaries in Annu, ye people in Kheraba, the god Kha(?) hath been born; his cordage hath been completed, and the instrument wherewith he maketh his way hath [he] grasped firmly. I have protected the implements of the gods, and I have delivered the boat Kha(?) for him. I have come forth into heaven, and I have travelled therein with Ra in the form of an ape, and have turned back the paths of Nut at the staircase of the god Sebek.”
OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 16).]
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF MAKING PERFECT THE Khu; [it shall be recited] on the festival of Six. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“Behold now, O ye luminaries in Annu (Heliopolis), ye people in Kher-aba, the god hath been born, his cordage(?) hath been completed, and the instrument wherewith he maketh his way he hath grasped firmly; and the Osiris Nu is strong with them to direct the implement of the gods. The Osiris Nu hath delivered the boat of the sun therewith . . . and he cometh forth into heaven. The Osiris Nu sailed round about in heaven, he travelleth therein unto Nut, he journeyed along with Ra, and he voyageth therein the form of apes; [he] turneth back the water-flood which is over the Thigh of the goddess Nut at the staircase of the god Sebaku. The hearts of Seb and Nut are glad and repeat the name which is new. Un-neferu reneweth [his] youth, Ra is in his splendors of light, Unti hath his speech, and lo, the god of the Inundation is Prince among the gods. The taste of sweetness hath forced a way into the heart of the destitute one, and the lord of thy outcries hath been done away, and the oars (?) of the company of the gods are in vigorous motion. Adored be thou, O divine Soul, who art endowed more than the gods of the South and North [in] their splendors! Behold, grant thou that the Osiris Nu may be great in heaven even as thou that the Osiris Nu may be great in heaven even as thou art great among the gods; deliver thou him from every evil and murderous thing which may be wrought upon him by the Fiend, and fortify thou his heart. Grant thou, moreover, that the Osiris Nu may be stronger than all the gods, all the Khus, and all the dead. The Osiris Nu is strong and is the lord of powers. The Osiris Nu is the lord of right and truth which the goddess Uatchit worketh. The strength which protects the Osiris Nu is the strength which protects the god Ra in heaven. O god Ra, grant thou that the Osiris Nu may travel on in thy boat in peace, and do thou prepare a road whereon [thy] boat may journey onward; for the force which protecteth Osiris is the force which protecteth thee. The Osiris Nu driveth back the Crocodile from Ra day by day. The Osiris Nu cometh even as doth Horus in the splendors(?) of the horizon of heaven, and the directeth Ra through the mansions of the sky; the gods rejoice greatly when the Osiris Nu repulseth the Crocodile. The Osiris Nu hath the amulet(?) of the god, and the cloud of Nebt shall not come nigh unto him, and the divine guardians of the mansions of the sky shall not destroy him. The Osiris Nu is a divine being whose face is hidden, and he dwelleth within the Great House [as] the chief of the Shrine of the god. The Osiris Nu carrieth the words of the gods to Ra, and he cometh and maketh supplication unto the divine lord with the words of his offering at the moment among those who perform the ceremonies of sacrifice.”
[THIS CHAPTER] SHALL BE SAID OVER A FIGURE OF THE DECEASED WHICH SHALL BE PLACED IN [A MODEL OF] THE BOAT OF THE SUN, AND BEHOLD, [HE THAT RECITETH IT] SHALL BE WASHED, AND SHALL BE CEREMONIALLY PURE, AND HE SHALL HAVE BURNT INCENSE BEFORE RA, AND SHALL HAVE OFFERED WINE, AND CAKES, AND ROASTED FOWL FOR THE JOURNEY [OF THE DECEASED] IN THE BOAT OF RA. NOW, EVERY KHU FOR WHOM SUCH THINGS ARE DONE SHALL HAVE AN EXISTENCE AMONG THE LIVING ONES, AND HE SHALL NEVER PERISH, AND HE SHALL HAVE A BEING LIKE UNTO THAT OF THE HOLY GOD; NO EVIL THING WHATSOEVER SHALL ATTACK HIM. AND HE SHALL BE LIKE UNTO A HAPPY KHU IN AMENTET, AND HE SHALL NOT DIE A SECOND TIME. HE SHALL EAT AND HE SHALL DRINK IN THE PRESENCE OF OSIRIS EACH DAY; HE SHALL BE BORNE ALONG WITH THE KINGS OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH EACH AND EVERY DAY; HE SHALL QUAFF WATER AT THE FOUNTAIN-HEAD; HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY EVEN AS DOTH HORUS; HE SHALL LIVE AND SHALL BECOME LIKE UNTO GOD; AND HE SHALL BE HYMNED BY THE LIVING ONES, EVEN AS IS RA EACH AND EVERY DAY CONTINUALLY AND REGULARLY FOREVER.
SAILING IN THE GREAT BOAT
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 28).]
THE CHAPTER OF SAILING IN THE GREAT BOAT OF RA TO PASS OVER THE CIRCLE OF BRIGHT FLAME. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“[Hail], ye bright and shining flames that keep your place behind Ra, and which slay behind him, the boat of Ra is in fear of the whirlwind and the storm; shine ye forth, then and make [ye yourselves] visible. I have come [daily] along with the god Sek-hra from the bight of his holy lake, and I have seen the Maat [goddess] pass along, and the lion-gods who belong unto them. Hail, thou that dwellest in the coffer who hast multitudes of plants(?), I have seen [what is] there. We rejoice, and their princes rejoice greatly, and their lesser gods (?) are glad. I have made a way in front of the boat of Ra. I have lifted myself up into his divine Disk, I shine brightly through his splendors; he hath furnished himself with the things which are his, taking possession thereof as the lord of right and truth. And behold, O ye company of the gods, and thou ancestor of the goddess Isis, (1) grant ye that he may bear testimony to his father, the lord of those who are therein. I have weighted the . . . in him [as] chief, and I have brought to him the goddess Tefnut and he liveth. Behold, come, come, and declare before him the testimony of right and truth of the lord Tem. I cry out at eventide and at his hour, saying, Grant ye unto me that I may come. I have brought unto him the jaws of the passages of the tomb; I have brought unto him the bones which are in Annu (Heliopolis); I have gathered together for him his manifold parts; I have driven back for him the serpent fiend Apep; I have spit upon his gashes for him; I have made my road and I have passed in among you. I am he who dwelleth among the gods, come, let [me] pass onward in the boat, the boat of the lord Sa. Behold, O Heru-ur, there is a flame, but the fire hath been extinguished. I have made [my] road, O ye divine fathers and your divine apes! I have entered upon the horizon, and I have passed on to the side of the divine princes, and I have borne testimony unto him that dwelleth in his divine boat. I have gone forward over the circle of bright flame which is behind the lord of the lock of hair which moveth round about. Behold, ye who cry out over yourselves, ye worms in [your] hidden places, grant ye that I may pass onward, for I am the mighty one, the lord of divine strength, and I am the spiritual body (sah) of the lord of divine right and truth made by the goddess Uatchit. His strength which protecteth Ra. [Grant ye that I may be in the following of Ra], and grant ye that I may go round about with him in Sekhet-hetep [and in] the two lands. [I am] a great god, and [I have been] judged by the company of his gods; grant that divine, sepulchral meals may be given unto me.”
1. Read “god Osiris”?
OF THE FOUR FLAMES
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 26).]
THE CHAPTER OF THE FOUR BLAZING FLAMES WHICH ARE MADE FOR THE KHU. Behold, thou shalt make four square troughs of clay, whereon thou shalt scatter incense, and thou shalt fill them with the milk of a white cow, and by means of these thou shalt extinguish the flame. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:
“The fire cometh to thy Ka, O Osiris, governor of Amenti; the fire cometh to thy Ka, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant. He that ordereth the night cometh after the day. [The flame cometh to thy Ka, O Osiris, governor of those in Amenti] (1) and the two sisters (?) of Ra come likewise. Behold, [the flame] riseth in Abtu (Abydos) and it cometh; and I cause it to come [to] the Eye of Horus. It is set in order upon thy brow, O Osiris, governor of Amenti, (2) and it is fixed within thy shrine and riseth upon thy brow; it is set in order upon thy breast, O Osiris Nu, and it is fixed upon thy brow. The Eye of Horus is protecting thee, O Osiris, governor of Amenti, and it keepeth thee in safely; it casteth down headlong all thine enemies for thee and all thine enemies have fallen headlong before thee. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it casteth down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy Ka, O osiris, governor of Amenti, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it hath cast down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy Ka, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, it hath cast down headlong for thee all thine enemies, and thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. The Eye of Horus cometh, it is sound and well, and it sendeth forth rays like unto Ra in the horizon; it covereth over with darkness the powers of Suti, it taketh possession thereof and it bringeth its flame against him upon [its] feet(?). The Eye of Horus is sound and well, thou eatest the flesh(?) of thy body by means thereof, and thou givest praise(?) thereto. The four flames enter into thy ka, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, Hail, ye children of Horus, Mesthi, Hapi, Tuamautef and Qebhsennuf, ye have given your protection unto your divine Father Osiris, the governor of Amenti, grant ye your protection to the Osiris Nu, triumphant. Now, therefore, inasmuch as ye have destroyed the opponent[s] of Osiris, the governor of Amenti, he liveth with the gods, and he hath smitten Suti, with his hand and arm since light dawned upon the earth, and Horus hath gotten power, and he hath avenged his divine Father Osiris himself; and inasmuch as your divine father hath been made with the Ka of Osiris, the governor of Amenti–now the Eye of Horus hath avenged him, and it hath protected him, and it hath cast down headlong for him all his enemies, and all his enemies have fallen down before him–even so do ye destroy the opponent[s] of the Osoris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant. Let him live with the gods, let him smite down his enemy, let him destroy [him] when light dawneth upon the earth, let Horus gain power and avenge the Osiris Nu, let the Osiris Nu have vigor through the union which ye have effected for him with his ka. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus hath avenged thee, it hath cast down headlong all thine enemies for thee, and all thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. Hail. Osiris, governor of Amenti, grant thou light and fire to the happy soul which is in Suten-henen (Heracleopolis); and [O ye children of Horus] grant ye power unto the living soul of the Osiris Nu within his flame. Let him not be repulsed and let him not be driven back at the doors of Amentet; of let his offerings of bread and of linen garments be brought unto him among [those of] the lords of funeral oblations, oh, offer ye praises as unto a god, to the Osiris Nu, destroyer of his opponent[s] in his form of right and truth and in his attributes of a god of right and truth.”
1. Added from the Papyrus of Nebseni.
2. In the Papyrus of Nebseni the deceased is here addressed.
END