A Hymn to Osiris and a Legend of the Origin of Horus
Homage to thee, Osiris, Lord of eternity, King of the gods, whose names are manifold, whose transformations are sublime, whose form is hidden in the temples whose Ka is holy, the Governor of Tetut,119 the mighty one of possessions (?)in the shrine,120 the Lord of praises121 in the nome of Anetch,122 President of the tchefa food in Anu,123 Lord who art commemorated in [the town of] Maati,124 the mysterious (or, hidden) Soul, the Lord of Qerret,125 the sublime one in White Wall,126 the Soul of Ra [and] his very body, who hast thy dwelling in Henensu,127 the beneficent one, who art praised in Nart,128 who makest to rise up thy Soul, Lord of the Great House in the city129 of the Eight Gods,130 [who inspirest] great terror in Shas-hetep,131 Lord of eternity, Governor of Abtu (Abydos).
Thy seat (or, domain) reacheth far into Ta-tchesert,132 and thy name is firmly stablished in the mouth[s] of men. Thou art the two-fold substance of the Two Lands133 everywhere (?), and the divine food (tchef) of the Kau,134 the Governor of the Companies135 of the Gods, and the beneficent (or, perfect) Spirit-soul136 among Spirit-souls. The god Nu draweth his waters from thee,137 and thou bringest forth the north wind at eventide, and wind from thy nostrils to the satisfaction of thy heart. Thy heart flourisheth, and thou bringest forth the splendour of tchef food.
The height of heaven and the stars [thereof] are obedient unto thee, and thou makest to be opened the great gates [of the sky]. Thou art the lord to whom praises are sung in the southern heaven, thou art he to whom thanks are given in the northern heaven. The stars which never diminish are under the place of thy face,138 and thy seats are the stars which never rest.139 Offerings appear before thee by the command of Keb. The Companies of the Gods ascribe praise unto thee, the Star-gods of the Tuat smell the earth before thee,140 the domains [make] bowings [before thee], and the ends of the earth make supplication to thee [when] they see thee.
Those who are among the holy ones are in terror of him, and the Two Lands, all of them, make acclamations to him when they meet His Majesty. Thou art a shining Noble at the head of the nobles, permanent in [thy] high rank, stablished in [thy] sovereignty, the beneficent Power of the Company of the Gods. Well-pleasing [is thy] face, and thou art beloved by him that seeth thee. Thou settest the fear of thee in all lands, and because of their love for thee [men] hold thy name to be pre-eminent. Every man maketh offerings unto thee, and thou art the Lord who is commemorated in heaven and upon earth. Manifold are the cries of acclamation to thee in the Uak141 festival, and the Two Lands shout joyously to thee with one accord. Thou art the eldest, the first of thy brethren, the Prince of the Company of the Gods, and the stablisher of Truth throughout the Two Lands. Thou settest [thy] son upon the great throne of his father Keb. Thou art the beloved one of thy mother Nut, whose valour is most mighty [when] thou overthrowest the Seba Fiend. Thou hast slaughtered thy enemy, and hast put the fear of thee into thy Adversary.
Thou art the bringer in of the remotest boundaries, and art stable of heart, and thy two feet are lifted up (?); thou art the heir of Keb and of the sovereignty of the Two Lands, and he (i.e., Keb) hath seen thy splendid qualities, and hath commanded thee to guide the lands (i.e., the world) by thy hand so long as times [and seasons] endure.
Thou hast made this earth with thy hand, the waters thereof, the winds thereof, the trees and herbs thereof, the cattle thereof of every kind, the birds thereof of every kind, the fish thereof of every kind, the creeping things thereof, and the four-footed beasts thereof. The land of the desert142 belongeth by right to the son of Nut, and the Two Lands have contentment in making him to rise143 upon the throne of his father like Ra.
Thou rollest up into the horizon, thou settest the light above the darkness, thou illuminest [the Two Lands] with the light from thy two plumes, thou floodest the Two Lands like the Disk at the beginning of the dawn. Thy White Crown pierceth the height of heaven saluting the stars,144 thou art the guide of every god. Thou art perfect145 in command and word. Thou art the favoured one of the Great Company of the Gods, and thou art the beloved one of the Little Company of the Gods.
Thy sister [Isis] acted as a protectress to thee. She drove [thy] enemies away, she averted seasons [of calamity from thee], she recited the word (or, formula) with the magical power of her mouth, [being] skilled of tongue and never halting for a word, being perfect in command and word. Isis the magician avenged her brother. She went about seeking for him untiringly.
She flew round and round over this earth uttering wailing cries of grief, and she did not alight on the ground until she had found him. She made light [to come forth] from her feathers, she made air to come into being by means of her two wings, and she cried out the death cries for her brother. She made to rise up the helpless members of him whose heart was at rest, she drew from him his essence, and she made therefrom an heir. She suckled the child in solitariness and none knew where his place was, and he grew in strength. His hand is mighty (or, victorious) within the house of Keb, and the Company of the Gods rejoice greatly at the coming of Horus, the son of Osiris, whose heart is firmly stablished, the triumphant one, the son of Isis, the flesh and bone of Osiris. The Tchatcha146 of Truth, and the Company of the Gods, and Neb-er-tcher147 himself, and the Lords of Truth, gather together to him, and assemble therein.148 Verily those who defeat iniquity rejoice149 in the House of Keb to bestow the divine rank and dignity upon him to whom it belongeth, and the sovereignty upon him whose it is by right.
A Legend of Ptah Nefer-Hetep and the Princess of Bekhten
The Horus: “Mighty Bull, the form(?) of risings150, stablished in sovereignty like Tem.” The Golden Horus: “Mighty one of strength151, destroyer of the Nine Nations of the Bow.”152 King of the South and North: “The Lord of the Two Lands, User-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Ra Son of Ra: Of his body, Ra-meses-meri-Amen, of Amen-Ra;153 the Lord of the thrones of the Two Lands, and of the Company of the Gods, the Lords of Thebes, the beloved one. The beneficent god, the son of Amen, born of Mut, begotten of Heru-khuti, the glorious offspring of Neb-tchert,154 begetting [as] the Bull of his Mother, 155 king of Egypt, Governor of the deserts, the Sovereign who hath taken possession of the Nine Nations of the Bow; [who] on coming forth from the womb ordained mighty things, who gave commands whilst he was in the egg, the Bull, stable of heart, who hath sent forth his seed; the king who is a bull, [and] a god who cometh forth on the day of battle like Menthu,156 the mighty one of strength like the son of Nut.”157
Behold, His Majesty was in the country of Neheru158 according to his custom every year, and the chiefs of every land, even as far as the swamps, came [to pay] homage, bearing offerings to the Souls of His Majesty; and they brought their gifts, gold, lapis-lazuli, turquoise, bars of wood of every kind of the Land of the God,159 on their backs, and each one surpassed his neighbour.
And the Prince of Bekhten [also] caused his gifts to be brought, and he set his eldest daughter at the head of them all, and he addressed words of praise to His Majesty, and prayed to him for his life. And the maiden was beautiful, and His Majesty considered her to be the most lovely [woman] in the world, and he wrote down as her title, “Great Royal Wife, Ra-neferu”; and when His Majesty arrived in Egypt, he did for her whatsoever was done for the Royal Wife.
On the twenty-second day of the second month of the season of Shemu,160 in the fifteenth year [of his reign], behold, His Majesty was in Thebes, the Mighty [city], the Mistress of cities, performing the praises of Father Amen, the Lord of the thrones of the Two Lands, in his beautiful Festival of the Southern Apt,161 which was the seat of his heart (i.e., the chosen spot) from primaeval time, [when] one came to say to His Majesty, “An ambassador of the Prince of Bekhten hath arrived bearing many gifts for the Royal Wife.”
And having been brought into the presence of His Majesty with his gifts, he spake words of adoration to His Majesty, saying, “Praise be unto thee, O thou Sun (Ra) of the Nine Nations of the Bow, permit us to live before thee!” And when he had spoken, and had smelt the earth before His Majesty, he continued his speech before His Majesty, saying, “I have come unto thee, my King and Lord, on behalf of Bent-Resht, the younger sister of the Royal Wife Ra-neferu. [Some] disease hath penetrated into her members, and I beseech Thy Majesty to send a man of learning to see her.”
And His Majesty said, “Bring to me the magicians (or, scribes) of the House of Life, and the nobles of the palace.” And having been brought into his presence straightway, His Majesty said unto them, “Behold, I have caused you to be summoned [hither] in order that ye may hear this matter. Now bring to me [one] of your company whose heart is wise162, and whose fingers are deft.” And the royal scribe Tehuti-em-heb came into the presence of His Majesty, and His Majesty commanded him to depart to Bekhten with that ambassador.
And when the man of learning had arrived in Bekhten, he found Bent-Resht in the condition of a woman who is possessed by a spirit, and he found 12 this spirit to be an evil one, and to be hostile in his disposition towards him.
And the Prince of Bekhten sent a messenger a second time into the presence of His Majesty, saying, “O King, my Lord, I pray His (i.e., Thy) Majesty to command that a god be brought hither to contend against the spirit.”
Now when the messenger came to His Majesty in the first month163 of the season of Shemu, in the twenty-sixth year [of his reign], on the day which coincided with that of the Festival of Amen, His Majesty was in the palace (or, temple?) of Thebes. And His Majesty spake a second time164 in the presence of Khensu in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep,” saying, “O my fair Lord, I present myself before thee a second time on behalf of the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten.” Then Khensu, in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep”, was carried to Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher,” the great god who driveth away the spirits which attack. And His Majesty spake before Khensu in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep,” saying, “O my fair Lord, if thou wilt give (i.e., turn) thy face to Khensu, [called] ‘Pa-ari-sekher,’ the great god who driveth away the spirits which attack, permit thou that he may depart to Bekhten;” [and the god] inclined his head with a deep inclination twice. And His Majesty said, “Let, I pray, thy protective (or, magical) power [go] with him, so that I may make His Majesty to go to Bekhten to deliver the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten [from the spirit].”
And Khensu in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep,” inclined his head with a deep inclination twice. And he made [his] protective power to pass into Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” in a fourfold measure. Then His Majesty commanded that Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” should set out on his journey in a great boat, [accompanied by] five smaller boats, and chariots, and a large number of horses [which marched] on the right side and on the left.
And when this god arrived in Bekhten at the end of a period of one year and five months, the Prince of Bekhten came forth with his soldiers and his chief[s] before Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher,” and he cast himself down upon his belly, saying, “Thou hast come to us, and thou art welcomed by us, by the commands of the King of the South and North, User-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Ra!”
And when this god had passed over to the place where Bent-Resht was, he worked upon the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten with his magical power, and she became better (i.e., was healed) straightway. And this spirit which had been with her said, in the presence of Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” “Come in peace (i.e., Welcome!), O great god, who dost drive away the spirits which attack! Bekhten is thy city, the people thereof, both men and women, are thy (servants, and I myself am thy servant. I will [now] depart unto the place whence I came, so that I may cause thy heart to be content about the matter concerning which thou hast come. I pray that Thy Majesty will command that a happy day (i.e., a festival, or day of rejoicing) be made with me, and with the Prince of Bekhten.” And this god inclined his head [in approval] to his priest, saying, “Let the Prince of Bekhten make a great offering in the (presence of this spirit.”
Now whilst Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” was arranging these [things] with the spirit, the Prince of Bekhten and his soldiers were standing there, and they feared with an exceedingly great fear. And the Prince of Bekhten made a great offering in the presence of Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” and the spirit of the Prince of Bekhten, and he made a happy day (i.e., festival) on their behalf, and [then] the spirit departed in peace unto the place which he loved, by the command of Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast.” And the Prince of Bekhten, and every person who was in the country of Bekhten, rejoiced very greatly, and he took counsel with his heart, saying, “It hath happened that this god hath been given as a gift to Bekhten, and I will not permit him to depart to Egypt.”
And [when] this god had tarried for three years and nine months in Bekhten, the Prince of Bekhten, who was lying down asleep on his bed, saw this god come forth outside his shrine (now he was in the form of a golden hawk), and he flew up into the heavens and departed to Egypt; and when the Prince woke up he was trembling. And he said unto the prophet of Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” “This god who tarried with us hath departed to Egypt; let his chariot also depart to Egypt.”
And the Prince of Bekhten permitted [the image of] the god to set out for Egypt, and he gave him many great gifts of beautiful things of all kinds, and a large number of soldiers and horses [went with him]. And when they had arrived in peace in Thebes, Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” went into the Temple of Khensu in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep,” and he placed the offerings which the Prince of Bekhten had given unto him, beautiful things of all kinds, before Khensu in Thebes, [called] “Nefer-Hetep,” and he gave nothing thereof whatsoever to his [own] temple.
Thus Khensu, [called] “Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast,” arrived in his temple in peace, on the nineteenth day of the second month165 of the season Pert, in the thirty-third year of the [reign of the] King of the South and North, User-Maat-en-Ra-setep-en-Ra, the giver of life, like Ra, for ever.
Notes
119 More fully Pa-Asar-neb-Tetut, the Busiris of the Greeks;
Busiris = Pa-Asar, “House of Osiris,” par excellence. The variant
Tataut also occurs.
120 An allusion, perhaps, to the town Sekhem, the capital of the second nome (Letopolites) of Lower Egypt.
121 i.e., lord whose praises are sung.
122 Letopolites.
123 Heliopolis.
124 i.e., a famous sanctuary in the Letopolite nome where Ptah was worshipped.
125 The region of the First Cataract, where the Nile was believed to rise.
126 Memphis.
127 Herakleopolis, the {hbw XaNeS} of Isaiah.
128 A name of Herakleopolis.
129 Khemenu or Hermopolis, the city of Thoth.
130 These gods were: Nu and Nut; Hehu and Hehut; Kekui and Kekuit; Kerh and Kerhet.
131 The capital of Set, the eleventh nome of Upper Egypt; the chief local deity was Khnemu.
132 A name of the Other World.
133 i.e., the two Egypts, Upper and Lower.
134 The Doubles of the beatified who are fed by Osiris in the Other World.
135 Three Companies are distinguished: the gods of Heaven, the gods of Earth, and the gods of the Other World.
136 The indestructible, immortal Spirit-soul as opposed to the Ba-soul or animal-soul.
137 Here and in other places I have changed the pronoun of the third person into that of the second to avoid the abrupt changes of the original.
138 i.e., they are under thy inspection and care.
139 i.e., the stars which never set. The allusion is probably to certain circumpolar stars.
140 i.e., do homage.
141 One of the chief festivals of Osiris, during which the god made a periplus.
142 This may also represent the mountainous districts of Egypt, or even foreign countries in general.
143 To make him rise like the sun, or to enthrone him.
144 Or, “becoming a brother to the stars,” or the Star-gods.
145 Or, beneficent.
146 Literally, the “Heads,” I.e., the divine sovereign Chiefs at the court of Osiris, who acted as administrators of the god, and even as task-masters.
147 “He who is the lord to the end (or, limit) of the world,” a name of Osiris.
148 i.e., in the House of Keb.
149 Or perhaps “take their seats in the House of Keb.”
150 i.e., the image who rises like the sun day by day, or the image of [many] crowns.
151 Or, mighty one of the thigh, i.e., he of the mighty thigh.
152 The nations of Nubia who fought with bows and arrows.
153 In this version of the protocol of Rameses II. the second “strong name” of the king is omitted.
154 i.e., Neb-er-tcher.
155 Ka-mut-f, the {greek kamh^fic} of the Greeks.
156 The War-god of Thebes.
157 i.e., Osiris.
158 The “country of the rivers,” the {hbw AaRam NaHaRaYim} of Gen. xxiv. 10, the #### of Syrian writers.
159 A name including Western Asia and a portion of the East Coast of Africa.
160 The summer. The Copts called the second month of this season Paoni.
161 The modern Temple of Luxor.
162 Or, a skilled craftsman.
163 The month Pakhon of the Copts.
164 The text makes no mention of the first application to Khensu.
165 The month Mekhir of the Copts; the season Pert is the Egyptian spring.