Chapter 3
II. “On thy face [O fiend], and devour me not, for I am pure, and I am
with the time which cometh of itself. Thou shalt not come to me, O thou that comest(36) without being invoked, and whose [time of coming] is unknown. I am the lord of thy mouth, get thee back, thou and thy desires(?). Hail, Haas, with his stone [knife] Horus hath cut asunder thy members, and thou art destroyed within thy company, and thy bend (or dwelling-place) is destroyed for thee by the company of thy gods who dwell in the cities of Pe and Tep. He that slayeth [thee] there is in the form of the Eye of Horus, and I have driven thee away as thou wast advancing, and I have vanquished thee by the winds of my mouth. O thou Eater of those who commit sins, who dost plunder and spoil, I have [committed] no sin; therefore, let my palette and the writings with hostile charges [against me upon them] be given unto me. I have done no wrong in the presence of the sovereign princes, therefore shoot not thy [venom] at me. I give, do thou take according to what I order; snatch me not away, and eat me not, for I am the lord of life, the Prince (Life, Health, Strength!) of the horizon.” Abolishing The Slaughterings [From the Papyrus of Nebseni, sheet 25.] THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING AWAY THE SLAUGHTERINGS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nebseni, the scribe and designer in the Temples of Upper and Lower Egypt, he to whom fair veneration is paid, the son of the scribe and artist Thena, triumphant, saith: “Hail, Tem, I have become glorious (or a _Khu_) in the presence of the double Lion-god, the great god, therefore open thou unto me the gate of the god Seb. I smell the earth (_i.e._, I bow down so that my nose toucheth the ground) of the great god who dwelleth in the underworld, and I advance into the presence of the company of the gods who dwell with the beings who are in the underworld. Hail, thou guardian of the divine door of the city of Beta, thou [god] Neti(?) who dwellest in Amentet, I eat food, and I have life through the air, and the god Atch-ur leadeth me with [him] to the mighty boat of Khepera. I hold converse with the divine mariners at eventide, I enter in, I go forth, and I see the being who is there; I lift him up, and I say that which I have to say unto him, whose throat stinketh [for lack of air]. I have life, and I am delivered, having lain down in death. Hail, thou that bringest offerings and oblations, bring forward thy mouth and make to draw nigh the writings (or lists) of offerings and oblations. Set thou Right and Truth firmly upon their throne, make thou the writings to draw nigh, and set thou up the goddesses in the presence of Osiris, the mighty god, the Prince of everlastingness, who counteth his years, who hearkeneth unto those who are in the islands (or pools), who raiseth his right shoulder, who judgeth the divine princes, and who sendeth [Osiris] into the presence of the great sovereign princes who live in the underworld.” Abolishing The Slaughterings [From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).] THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE SLAUGHTERINGS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN SUTEN-HENEN. Osiris Nu, triumphant, saith: “O thou land of the sceptre! (literally, wood) O thou white crown of the divine form! O thou resting-place of the boat! I am the Child, I am the Child, I am the Child, I am the Child. Hail, Abu-ur, thou sayest day by day: ‘The slaughter-block is made ready as thou knowest, and thou hast come to decay.’ I am Rā, the stablisher of those who praise [him]. I am the knot of the god within the _Aser_ tree, the doubly beautiful one, who is more splendid than yesterday (say four times). I am Rā, the stablisher of those who praise [him]. I am the knot of the god within the _Aser_ tree, and my going forth is the going forth [of Rā] on this day.” “My hair is the hair of Nu. My face is the face of the Disk. My eyes are the eyes of Hathor. My ears are the ears of Ap-uat. My nose is the nose of Khenti-khas. My lips are the lips of Anpu. My teeth are the teeth of Serqet. My neck is the neck of the divine goddess Isis. My hands are the hands of Ba-neb-Tattu. My forearms are the forearms of Neith, the Lady of Sais. My backbone is the backbone of Suti. My phallus is the phallus of Osiris. My reins are the reins of the Lords of Kher-āba. My chest is the chest of the Mighty one of Terror. My belly and back are the belly and back of Sekhet. My buttocks are the buttocks of the Eye of Horus. My hips and legs are the hips and legs of Nut. My feet are the feet of Ptah. [My fingers] and my leg-bones are the [fingers and] leg-bones of the Living Gods. There is no member of my body which is not the member of some god. The god Thoth shieldeth my body altogether, and I am Rā day by day. I shall not be dragged back by my arms, and none shall lay violent hold upon my hands. And shall do me hurt neither men, nor gods, nor the sainted dead, nor those who have perished, nor any one of those of ancient times, nor any mortal, nor any human being. I am he who cometh forth, advancing, whose name is unknown. I am Yesterday, and Seer of millions of years is my name. I pass along, I pass along the paths of the divine celestial judges. I am the lord of eternity, and I decree and I judge like the god Khepera. I am the lord of the _Ureret_ crown. I am he who dwelleth in the _Utchat_ [and in the Egg, in the _Utchat_ and in the Egg, and it is given unto me to live [with] them. I am he that dwelleth in the _Utchat_ when it closeth, and I exist by the strength thereof. I come forth and I shine; I enter in and I come to life. I am in the _Utchat_],(37) my seat is upon my throne, and I sit in the abode of splendor(?) before it. I am Horus and (I) traverse millions of years. I have given the decree [for the stablishing of] my throne and I am the ruler thereof; and in very truth, my mouth keepeth an even balance both in speech and in silence. In very truth, my forms are inverted. I am Un-nefer, from one season even unto another, and what I have is within me; [I am] the only One, who proceedeth from an only One who goeth round about in his course. I am he who dwelleth in the _Utchat_, no evil thing of any form or kind shall spring up against me, and no baleful object, and no harmful thing, and no disastrous thing shall happen unto me. I open the door in heaven, I govern my throne, and I open up [the way] for the births [which take place] on this day. I am (?) the child who marcheth along the road of Yesterday. [I am] To-day for untold nations and peoples. I am he who protecteth you for millions of years, and whether ye be denizens of the heavens, or of the earth, or of the south, or of the north, or of the east, or of the west, the fear of me is in your bodies. I am he whose being has been moulded in his eye, and I shall not die again. My moment is in your bodies, but my forms are in my place of habitation. I am he who cannot be known, but the Red Ones have their faces directed toward me. I am the unveiled one. The season wherein [the god] created the heavens for me and enlarged the bounds of the earth and made great the progeny thereof cannot be found out; but they fail and are not united [again]. My name setteth itself apart from all things [and from] the great evil [which is in] the mouths [of men] by reason of the speech which I address unto you. I am he who riseth and shineth, the wall which cometh out of a wall, an only One who proceedeth from an only One. There is never a day that passeth without the things which appertain unto him being therein; passing, passing, passing, passing. Verily I say unto thee, I am the Sprout which cometh forth from Nu, and my Mother is Nut. Hail, O my Creator, I am he who hath no power to walk, the great Knot who is within yesterday. The might of my strength is within my hand. I myself am not known, but I am he who knoweth thee. I cannot be held with the hand, but I am he who can hold thee in his hand. Hail, O Egg! Hail, O Egg! I am Horus who lives for millions of years, whose flame shineth upon you and bringeth your hearts to me. I have the command of my throne and I advance at this season, I have opened a path, and I have delivered myself from all evil things. I am the dog-headed ape of gold three palms and two fingers [high], which hath neither arms nor legs and dwelleth in Het-ka-Ptah (Memphis), and I go forth as goeth forth the dog-headed ape that dwelleth in Het-ka-Ptah.” Air And Water [From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).] THE CHAPTER OF SNUFFING THE AIR AND OF HAVING THE MASTERY OVER THE WATER IN THE UNDERWORLD. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith: “Hail, Hāp-ur, god of heaven, in thy name of ‘Divider of heaven,’ grant thou unto me that I may have dominion over the water, even as the goddess Sekhet had power over Osiris on the night of the storms and floods. Grant thou that I may have power over the divine princes who have their habitations in the place of the god of the inundation, even as they have power over their own holy god of whose name they are ignorant; and may they let me have power even as [he hath let them have power].” “My nostrils are opened in Tattu,” or (as others say), “My mouth and my nostrils are opened in Tātāu, and I have my place of peace in Annu, which is my house; it was built for me by the goddess Sesheta, and the god Khnemu set it up for me upon its walls. If to this heaven it cometh by the north, I sit at the south; if to this heaven it cometh by the south, I sit at the north; if to this heaven it cometh by the west, I sit at the east; and if to this heaven it cometh by the east, I sit at the west. I draw the hair of my nostrils, and I make my way into every place in which I wish to sit.” In the Papyrus of Nefer-uben-f (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 70) this chapter ends quite differently, and reads: “I am strong in my mouth and in my nostrils, for behold Tem has stablished them; behold, O ye gods and _Khu_s. Rest thou, then, O Tem. Behold the staff which blossometh, and which cometh forth when a man crieth out in your names. Behold, I am Tem, the tree (?) of the gods in [their] visible forms. Let me not be turned back.... I am the _Am-khent_, Nefer-uben-f, triumphant. Let neither my flesh nor my members be gashed with knives, let me not be wounded by knives by you. I have come, I have been judged, I have come forth therein, [I] have power with my father, the Old man, Nu. He hath granted that I may live, he hath given strength unto me, and he hath provided me with the inheritance of my father therein.” Dominion Over Elements [From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 16).] THE CHAPTER OF BREATHING THE AIR AND OF HAVING DOMINION OVER THE WATER IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Ani saith: “Open to me.” Who art thou? Whither goest thou? What is thy name? “I am one of you.” Who are those with thee? “The two serpent goddesses _Merti_. Separate thou from him, head from head, when [thou] goest into the divine _Mesqen_ chamber. He letteth me set out for the temple of the gods who have found their faces. ‘Assembler of Souls’ is the name of my boat; ‘Making the hair to stand on end’ is the name of the oars; ‘Goad’ is the name of the hold; ‘Making straight for the middle’ is the name of the rudder; likewise [the boat] is a type of my being borne onward in the pool. Let there be given unto me vessels of milk, together with cakes, and loaves of bread, and cups of drink, and flesh in the Temple of Anpu.” IF HE (I.E., THE DECEASED) KNOWETH THIS CHAPTER, HE SHALL GO INTO, AFTER COMING FORTH FROM, THE UNDERWORLD OF THE [BEAUTIFUL AMENTET]. Dominion Over Elements [From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 16).] THE CHAPTER OF SNUFFING THE AIR, AND OF HAVING DOMINION OVER THE WATERS IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Ani saith: “Hail, thou sycamore tree of the goddess Nut! Grant thou to me of [the water and of] the air which dwell in thee. I embrace the throne which is in Unnu (Hermopolis), and I watch and guard the egg of Nekek-ur (_i.e._, the Great Cackler). It groweth, I grow; it liveth, I live; it snuffeth the air, I snuff the air, I the Osiris Ani, in triumph.” Dominion Over Elements [From Lepsius, “Todtenbuch,” Bl. 23.] ANOTHER CHAPTER. Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, saith: “Let the gates of heaven be opened for me by the god [Thoth] and by Hāpi, and let me pass through the doors of Ta-qebh(38) into the great heaven,” or (as others say), “at the time,” [or (as others say)], “with the strength(?) of Rā. Grant ye, [O Thoth and Hāpi,] that I may have power over the water, even as Set had power over his enemies on the day when there were storms and rain upon the earth. Let me have power over the divine beings who have mighty arms in their shoulders, even as the god who is apparelled in splendor and whose name is unknown had power over them; and may I have power over the beings whose arms are mighty.” Preservation Of The Soul [From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 15).] THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE SOUL OF A MAN BE TAKEN FROM HIM IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris, the Scribe Ani, saith: “I, even I, am he who came forth from the water-flood which I make to overflow, and which becometh mighty as the river [Nile].” Of Drinking Water [From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 4).] THE CHAPTER OF DRINKING WATER IN THE UNDERWORLD. The scribe Nebseni ... saith: “May be opened [to me] the mighty flood by Osiris, and may the abyss of water be opened [to me] by Tehuti-Hāpi, the lord of the horizon, in my name of ‘Opener.’ May there be granted [to me] mastery over the water-courses as over the members of Set. I go forth into heaven. I am the Lion-god Rā. I am the Bull. [I] have eaten the Thigh, and I have divided the carcass. I have gone round about among the islands (or lakes) of Sekhet-Aaru. Indefinite time, without beginning and without end, hath been given to me; I inherit eternity, and everlastingness hath been bestowed upon me.” The last three chapters, with a single vignette, are grouped in one in the Papyrus of Nefer-uben-f (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 72); but the order of them as there given is 61, 60, 62. In the Turin Papyrus (Lepsius, op. cit., Bl. 23) the vignette of each is the same, _i.e._, the deceased holding a sail in his left hand. Of Drinking Water [From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 7).] THE CHAPTER OF DRINKING WATER AND OF NOT BEING BURNT BY FIRE [IN THE UNDERWORLD]. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith: “Hail, Bull of Amentet! I am brought unto thee, I am the oar of Rā wherewith he ferried over the divine aged ones; let me neither be burnt up nor destroyed by fire. I am Bet, the first-born son of Osiris, who doth meet every god within his Eye in Annu. I am the divine Heir, the exalted one(?), the Mighty One, the Resting One. I have made my name to germinate, I have delivered [it], and thou shalt live through me day by day.” Preservation From Scalding [From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).] THE CHAPTER OF NOT BEING SCALDED WITH WATER. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith: “I am the oar made ready for rowing, wherewith Rā transported the boat containing the divine ancestors, and lifted up the moist emanations of Osiris from the Lake of Fire, and he was not burned. I lie down like a divine _Khu_, [and like] Khnemu who dwelleth among lions. Come, break away the restraints from him that passeth by the side of this path, and let me come forth by it.” On Coming Forth By Day [From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheets 23 and 24).] THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nebseni, the lord of reverence, saith: “I am Yesterday, To-day, and To-morrow, [and I have] the power to be born a second time; [I am] the divine hidden Soul who createth the gods, and who giveth sepulchral meals unto the denizens of the Tuat (underworld), Amentet, and heaven. [I am] the rudder of the east, the possessor of two divine faces wherein his beams are seen. I am the lord of the men who are raised up; [the lord] who cometh forth from out of the darkness, and whose forms of existence are of the house wherein are the dead. Hail, ye two hawks who are perched upon your resting-places, who hearken unto the things which are said by him, who guide the bier to the hidden place, who lead along Rā, and who follow [him] into the uppermost place of the shrine which is in the celestial heights! [Hail,] lord of the shrine which standeth in the middle of the earth. He is I, and I am he, and Ptah hath covered his sky with crystal. [Hail] Rā, thou who art content, thy heart is glad by reason of thy beautiful law of the day; thou enterest in by Khemennu(?) and comest forth at the east, and the divine first-born beings who are in [thy] presence cry out with gladness [unto thee]. Make thou thy roads glad for me, and make broad for me thy paths when I shall set out from earth for the life in the celestial regions. Send forth thy light upon me, O Soul unknown, for I am [one] of those who are about to enter in, and the divine speech is in [my] ears in the Tuat (underworld), and let no defects of my mother be [imputed] unto me; let me be delivered and let me be safe from him whose divine eyes sleep at eventide, when [he] gathereth together and finisheth [the day] in night. I flood [the land] with water, and ‘Qem-ur’ is my name, and the garment wherewith I am clothed is complete. Hail, thou divine prince Ati-she-f, cry out unto those divine beings who dwell in their hair at the season when the god is [lifted upon] the shoulder, saying: ‘Come thou who [dwellest] above thy divine abyss of water, for verily the thigh [of the sacrifice] is tied to the neck, and the buttocks are [laid] upon the head of Amentet.’ May the Ur-urti goddesses (_i.e._, Isis and Nephthys) grant [such] gifts unto me when my tears start from me as I see myself journeying with the divine Tena in Abydos, and the wooden fastenings which fasten the four doors above thee are in thy power within thy garment. Thy face is like that of a greyhound which scenteth with his nose the place whither I go on my feet. The god Akau transported me to the chamber(?), and [my] nurse is the divine double Lion-god himself. I am made strong and I come forth like him that forceth a way through the gate, and the radiance which my heart hath made is enduring; ‘I know the abysses’ is thy name. I work for you, O ye _Khu_s—4,000,000, 600,000, 1,000, and 200 are they—concerning the things which are there. [I am] over their affairs working for hours and days in setting straight the shoulders of the twelve Sah gods, and joining the hands of their company, each to each; the sixth who is at the head of the abyss is the hour of the defeat of the Fiends. [I] have come there in triumph, and [I am] he who is in the halls (or courtyards) of the underworld, and I am he who is laid under tribute to Shu. I rise as the Lord of Life through the beautiful law of this day, and it is their blood and the cool water of [their] slaughter which make the union of the earth to blossom. I make a way among the horns of all those who make themselves strong against me, and [among] those who in secret make themselves adversaries unto me, and who are upon their bellies. I have come as the envoy of my Lord of lords to give counsel [concerning] Osiris; the eye shall not absorb(39) its tears. I am the divine envoy(?) of the house of him that dwelleth in his possessions, and I have come from Sekhem to Annu to make known to the _Bennu_ bird therein concerning the events of the Tuat (underworld). Hail, thou Aukert (_i.e._, underworld) which hidest thy companion who is in thee, thou creator of forms of existence like the god Khepera, grant thou that Nebseni, the scribe and designer to the temples of the South and of the North, may come forth to see the Disk, and that his journeyings forth(?) may be in the presence of the great god, that is to say, Shu, who dwelleth in everlastingness. Let me journey on in peace; let me pass over the sky; let me adore the radiance of the splendor [which is in] my sight; let me soar like a bird to see the companies(?) of the _Khu_s in the presence of Rā day by day, who vivifieth every human being that walketh upon the regions which are upon the earth. Hail, Hemti (_i.e._, Runner); Hail, Hemti; who carriest away the shades of the dead and the _Khu_s from earth, grant thou unto me a prosperous way to the Tuat (underworld), such as is made for the favored ones [of the god], because [I am] helpless to gather together the emanations which come from me. Who art thou, then, who consumest in its hidden place? I am the Chief in Re-stau, and ‘He that goeth in in his own name and cometh forth in that of Hehi(?), the lord of millions of years, and of the earth,’ is my name. The pregnant goddess hath deposited [upon the earth] her load, and hath given birth to Hit straightway; the closed door which is by the wall is overthrown, it is turned upside down and I rejoice thereat. To the Mighty One hath his eye been given, and it sendeth forth light from his face when the earth becometh light (or at daybreak). I shall not become corrupt, but I shall come into being in the form of the Lion-god and like the blossoms of Shu; I am the being who is never overwhelmed in the waters. Happy, yea happy is he that looked upon the funeral couch which hath come to its place of rest, upon the happy day of the god whose heart resteth, who maketh his place of alighting [thereon]. I am he who cometh forth by day; the lord of the bier which giveth life in the presence of Osiris. In very truth the things which are thine are stable each day, O scribe, artist, child of the _Seshet_ chamber, Nebseni, lord of veneration. I clasp the sycamore tree, I myself am joined unto the sycamore tree, and its arm[s] are opened unto me graciously. I have come and I have clasped the _Utchat_, and I have caused it to be seated in peace upon its throne. I have come to see Rā when he setteth, and I absorb into myself the winds [which arise] when he cometh forth, and both my hands are clean to adore him. I have gathered together [all my members], I have gathered together [all my members]. I soar like a bird and I descend upon the earth, and mine eye maketh me to walk thereon in my footsteps. I am the child of yesterday, and the Akeru gods of the earth have made me to come into being, and they have made me strong for my moment [of coming forth]. I hide with the god Aba-āāiu who will walk behind me, and my members shall germinate, and my _khu_ shall be as an amulet for my body and as one who watcheth [to protect] my soul and to defend it and to converse therewith; and the company of the gods shall hearken unto my words.” IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS BOTH UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD. HE SHALL DO WHATSOEVER A MAN DOETH WHO IS UPON THE EARTH, AND HE SHALL PERFORM ALL THE DEEDS WHICH THOSE DO WHO ARE [ALIVE]. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION [GIVEN] BY THE GOD. THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHE-MENNU INSCRIBED UPON THE BLOCK OF IRON IN LETTERS OF LAPIS-LAZULI WHICH WAS UNDER THE FEET OF THIS GOD. In the rubric to this chapter as found in the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter, the
