the Book of the Dead ( PDF )

Plates XI. and XII.
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PLATES XI. AND XII.
Vignette I.: Ani and his wife Thuthu approaching the first Arit,[3] the cornice of which is ornamented
with ### i.e., emblems of power, life, and stability. At the entrance sit three gods, the first having the
head of a hare, the second the head of a serpent, and the third the head of a crocodile. The first holds an
ear of corn (?), and each of the others a knife.
Text [CHAPTER CXLVII.]: (I) THE FIRST ARIT. The name of the doorkeeper is
Sekhet-hra-asht-aru[3]; the name of the (2) watcher is Meti-heh (?)[4]; the name of the herald is
Ha-kheru.[5]
[WORDS TO BE SPOKEN WHEN OSIRIS COMETH TO THE FIRST ARIT IN AMENTA.[6]] Saith
(3) Ani, triumphant, when he cometh to the first Arit: "I am the mighty one who createth his own light.
(4) I have come unto thee, O Osiris, and, purified from that which defileth thee, I adore thee. Lead on; (5)
name not the name
[1. Lepsius (Todtenbuch, Bl. XI.) adds, after this: "Now those who rise up against me and among whom is evil [see above,
l. 141] are the powers of darkness of the god Sut, when there is strife among them, for strife is flame."
2. "May it be granted to [the dead] by the decree of [the gods] who are in Tattu to destroy the souls of his foes!"
2 House or mansion. in the upper line of Plates XI. and XII. there is a series of seven Arits, or mansions, through which the
deceased is supposed to pass. In the lower line are the ten Sebkhets, or pylon-shaped gateways.
3 "Reversed of face: of many forms." Var. ###.
4 Var. ###.
5 "The voice that travelleth." Var. ###. "The high-voiced."
6 Supplied from Naville, Todtenbuch, 1. 165.]
{p. 292}
of Re-stau unto me. Homage to thee, O Osiris, in thy might and in thy strength (6) in Re-stau. Rise up
and conquer, O Osiris, in Abtu. Thou goest round about heaven, thou sailest in the presence of Ra, (7)
thou seest all the beings who have knowledge.[1] Hail Ra, who circlest in [the sky]. Verily I say [unto
thee], O Osiris, I am a (8) godlike ruler. (9) Let me not be driven hence[2] (10) nor from the wall of
burning coals. [I have] opened the way in Re-stau; (11) I have eased the pain of Osiris; [I have] embraced
that which the balance I hath weighed; [I have] made a path for him in the great valley, it and [he]
maketh a path. Osiris shineth(?)."
Vignette II.: The second Arit, guarded by three gods; the first of whom has the head of a lion, the second
the head of a man, and the third the head of a dog. Each one holds a knife.
Text: (1) THE SECOND ARIT. The name of (2) the doorkeeper is Un-hat[4]; (3) the name of the
watcher is (4) Seqet-hra; the name of the herald is Uset.[5]
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