The Egyptian Book of the dead
Him who goes round and piloteth the double earth, the good rudder of
the Western sky,
The shining one, who dwelleth in the house of the devouring monster,
the good rudder of the Eastern sky,
The inner one in the house of the red ones, the good rudder of the
Southern sky,
Emsta,
Hapi,
Tuamautef,
Kebehsenuf,
The Southern part of heaven,
The Northern part of heaven,
The Sektit boat,
The Atit boat,
Thoth,
The gods of the South,
The gods of the North,
The gods of the West,
The gods of the East,
The sejant gods,(4.)
The resting gods,
The great house,
The house of flame,
The gods of the abodes,
The gods of the horizon,
The gods of the field,
The gods of the houses,(5.)
The gods of the thrones,
The ways of the South,
The ways of the North,
The ways of the West,
The ways of the East,
The halls of the Tuat,
The holds of the Tuat,
The mysterious doors,
The doorkeepers of the halls of the Tuat,
Those with hidden faces, the guards of the roads,
The guardians of those who are lamenting,
The guardians of those whose faces are joyous,(6.)
The burning ones who put the flame on the altar,
The door openers who extinguish the flames in the Amenta,
Osiris Unneferu,(7.)
Osiris the living,
Osiris the lord of life,
Osiris the inviolate god,
Osiris in Kau,
Osiris Orion,
Osiris Sep,
Osiris in Tanenit,
Osiris in the South,
Osiris in the North,
Osiris creator of millions of men,
Osiris the spirit in the crouching figure (?),
Osiris Ptah lord of life,
Osiris in Restau,
Osiris inside the mountain,
Osiris in the water of Heliopolis,
Osiris in Hesert,
Osiris in Siut,
Osiris in Net’eft,
Osiris in the South,
Osiris in Pu,
Osiris in Neteru,
Osiris in Lower Saïs,
Osiris in Bak,
Osiris in Sun (Syene),
Osiris in Rohenen,
Osiris in Aper,
Osiris in Keftennu,
Osiris Sokaris in Petshe,
Osiris in his city,
Osiris in Pesekro,
Osiris in his abodes in the land of the North,
Osiris in heaven,
Osiris in his abodes in Restau,
Osiris in Nest,
Osiris in Atefur,
Osiris Sokaris,
Osiris the lord of eternity,
Osiris the begetter,
Osiris the lord of Heliopolis,
Osiris in the monstrance,
Osiris the lord of eternity,
Osiris the prince,
Osiris of the gate of judgment,
Osiris in Restau,
Osiris on his sand,
Osiris in the hall of the cows,
Osiris in Tanenit,
Osiris in Netit,
Osiris in Sati,
Osiris in Beteshu,
Osiris in Upper Saïs,
Osiris in Tepu,
Osiris in Shennu,
Osiris in Henket,
Osiris in the land of Sokaris,
Osiris in Shau,
Osiris in Faur,
Osiris in Maāti,
Osiris in Hena,
Osiris the great god the everlasting.
NOTES.
The old texts which we follow here, join in one chapter, 141, what in
the Turin _Todtenbuch_ is divided into two, 141, 142; 143 being merely
the vignettes which accompany them. This chapter is the first of a
series in which the deceased has to show his knowledge. His being
well-informed as to the names of the gods and of their sanctuaries, and
also of the doors through which he passes, the halls which he enters,
confers upon him certain privileges. Here the deceased has to recite the
names of the gods while offerings are made to them; the second part of
the chapter refers only to Osiris in all his forms, and in his numerous
sanctuaries, which have not all been identified. The old versions differ
only slightly in length, from one or two of the gods being omitted. The
translation follows mainly the Cairo papyrus, _Cc_, with a few variants
taken from other papyri, one of the best of which is the papyrus _Nu_ of
the British Museum (ed. Budge).
1. The title of the later texts is much longer: _the book wherewith the
Chuu acquire might, knowing the names of the gods of the Southern sky,
and of the Northern sky, of the gods of the Bounds, of the gods who are
the guides in the Tuat. If it is said by a man, to his father or to his
mother, in the festival of the Amenta, he acquires might with Rā, and
with the gods when he is with them. Spoken on the day of the new moon by
Osiris N when offerings are made to him of ... etc., and offerings are
made to Osiris under all his names by Osiris N._
2. See note 1 to ch. 133. I cannot quite agree with Renouf as to the
meaning of the word ⁂⁂⁂⁂. It seems to me that its sense is
not so much that of “making someone mighty,” as of “distinguishing him,
making him eminent” in the opinion of his god or his master, so that he
may become his lord’s favourite. I consider the meaning of
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ as similar to that of ⁂⁂.
3. The following names are those of the seven celestial cows which are
represented with the bull in chapter 148, together with the rudders of
the four cardinal points.
4. See ch. 130, note 5.
5. ⁂⁂⁂ _pertiu_, adjective form of the noun ⁂, “a house,”
the gods of the houses, contrasted with those of the fields. This word
shows that in the complete spelling of the word ⁂ the ⁂ has not
fallen off, as it probably was the case in the pronunciation, and in
composite names such as: ⁂⁂, פִּתֹם ⁂⁂⁂, פִּי־בֶּסֶת.
6. I read here according to _Ld._
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. Instead of
⁂⁂⁂ _Lc._ writes ⁂⁂, and _Nu_ ⁂⁂, which does
not give any sense. ⁂⁂ might here be translated _companions_.
7. In the Turin _Todtenbuch_, ch. 142 begins here with this title:
_Chapter whereby the deceased acquireth might, whereby is given him to
go and to widen his steps, coming forth by day in all the forms he
likes, knowing the names of Osiris in all the places he likes to be._
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CHAPTER CXLIV.
_The Chapter of the Arrival_(1.)
The first gate. He whose face is overturned, who has many attributes, is
the name of the occupant of the first gate. The adjuster, is the name of
the warden thereof, and he with the loud voice the name of the herald.
The second gate. He who raises his face, is the name of the occupant of
the second gate; he with the revolving face(2.) is the name of the
warden thereof; the consuming one is the name of the herald.
The third gate. He who eats his own filth, is the name of the occupant.
The watchful, is the name of the warden thereof, the curser is the name
of the herald.
The fourth gate. He who opposes garrulity, is the name of the occupant
of the fourth gate; the attentive one is the name of the warden thereof,
the great one who drives back the crocodile is the name of the herald.
The fifth gate. He who lives on worms, is the name of its occupant, the
consuming flame, is the name of the warden thereof, the horn which
strikes the furious, is the name of the herald.
The sixth gate. He who makes the loaves, with a thundering voice, is the
name of its occupant; he who shows his face, is the name of the warden
thereof, the stoneknife which belongs to the sky, is the name of the
herald.
The seventh gate. He who takes possession(3.) of their knives, is the
name of the occupant of the seventh gate; the high voice is the name of
the warden thereof, he who drives back the enemies is the name of the
herald.
O ye, these gates, who are the gates to Osiris, ye who guard their
gates, ye who herald the things of the world to Osiris every day. Osiris
_N._ knows you—he knows your names; for he is born in Restau, where all
the glory of the horizon was given him. _N._ receives the investiture in
Pu, like the purification of Osiris. _N._ receives the saying(4.) in
Restau, when he leads the gods on the horizon with the ministrant, the
protectors of Osiris. I am one of them in their leading. _N._ is the
glorious one, the lord of the glorious, a glorious one who performs the
rites. _N._ celebrates the festival of the first day of the month; he is
the herald in the fifteenth day of the month. O thou who revolvest. _N._
carries the sacred flame to the hand of Thoth in the night when he sails
through the sky as victor. _N._ passes on in peace, he navigates in the
boat of Rā. The attributes(5.) of _N._ are the attributes of the boat of
Rā. _N._ has a name greater than yours, mightier than you who are on the
roads of Maāt. _N._ hates what is corrupt. The attributes of _N._ are
the attributes of Horus, the firstborn of Rā, who accomplishes his will.
_N._ is not fettered, he is not driven away from the gates of Osiris.
_N._ is perfect, the lion god, the pure one who follows Osiris Khent
Amenta every day. His domains are in Sechet hotepu among those who know
the sacred rites, among those who perform the sacred rites to Osiris.
_N._ is on the side of Thoth, among those who bring offerings. Anubis
ordered to the bearers of offerings, that there should be offerings to
_N._ of his own, and that they should not be taken from him by those who
are in captivity. _N._ has come like Horus, when he adorns the horizon
of heaven _N._ directs the march of Rā towards the gates of the horizon;
therefore the gods rejoice in the presence of _N._ The divine scent(6.)
is upon Osiris, the god with the lock(7.) will not reach him; the
keepers of the gates will not be hostile to him. _N._ is the one whose
face is hidden inside the palace, in the sanctuary of the god, the lord
of Tuat. _N._ has reached it after Hathor. _N._ gathers his hosts; he
brings Maāt to Rā, he drives away the Mighty One, Apepi. _N._ pierces
the steel firmament(8.), and repels the raging storm; he gives life to
the seamen of Rā. _N._ carries offerings to the place where it (the
boat) is. _N._ causes that the boat gives him a successful voyage. _N._
marches, and when he reaches it, the face of _N._ is like the Great One,
and his back like the lofty one. _N._ is the lord of the mighty. _N._ is
well pleased on the horizon. _N._ is valiant; he strikes you down; you
wakers; he makes his way to your lord, Osiris.
This is on the copy which is in the books(9.). It is written in yellow
ink, on the sacred circle of gods in the boat of Rā(10.), where
offerings are made of victuals, geese, incense, in their presence, in
order to revive the deceased, to make him powerful among the gods, and
that he may not be repulsed nor driven back from the pylons of the Tuat.
If thou readest it to the statue of this deceased in their presence, it
causes him to have access to every hall of those which are in the books.
This is said at the entrance of every gate, of those which are in the
books, and to each of them an offering is made of the haunch, the head,
the heart, and the hoof of a red bull, and four vases of blood which
does not come from the heart, and scent vases, and sixteen pointed white
loaves, and eight round loaves, and eight _chenfu_ loaves, and eight
_hebennu_ loaves, eight casks of beer, eight vases of dry corn, four
tanks of earthenware filled with the milk of a white cow, fresh herbs,
fresh olive oil, green eye paint, antimony, odoriferous oils, and
burning incense. Said while putting on a clay seal twice.
After this copy has been read, if the fourth hour is going round in the
day, beware of what is threatening in the sky; but if thou hast read
this book without any human being seeing it, it will widen the steps of
the deceased in heaven or earth, and in the Tuat; because this book
exalts the deceased more than any ceremony performed to him, henceforth,
from this day undeviatingly for times infinite.
NOTES.
This chapter is the first of a series of four (144-147), in which the
old versions differ considerably from the Turin text. 144 and 147 refer
to the ⁂⁂⁂, 145 and 146 to the ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂.
The word ⁂⁂⁂ has been translated in various ways. Brugsch
calls them “watch-towers, pylons,” Pierret “stations.” Maspero considers