time. I came into being in the form of Khepera, and I am the creatorof what did come into being, that is to say, I formed myself out of theprimeval matter, and I made and formed myself out of the substancewhich existed in primeval time. My name is AUSARES (i.e., Osiris), whois the primeval matter of primeval matter. I have done my will ineverything in this earth. I have spread myself abroad therein, and Ihave made strong my hand. I was ONE by myself, for they (i.e., thegods) had not been brought forth, and I had emitted from myself neitherShu nor Tefnut. I brought my own name[FN#57] into my mouth as a wordof power, and I forthwith came into being under the form of thingswhich are and under the form of Khepera. I came into being from out ofprimeval matter, and from the beginning I appeared under the form ofthe multitudinous things which exist; nothing whatsoever existed atthat time in this earth, and it was I who made whatsoever was made. Iwas ONE: by myself, and there was no other being who worked with me inthat place. I made all the things under the forms of which I appearedthen by means of the Soul-God which I raised into firmness at that timefrom out of Nu, from a state of inactivity. I found no placewhatsoever there whereon I could stand, I worked by the power of aspell by means of my heart, I laid a foundation [for things] before me,and whatsoever was made, I made. I was ONE by myself, and I laid thefoundation of things [by means of] my heart, and I made the otherthings which came into being, and the things of Khepera which were madewere manifold, and their offspring came into existence from the thingsto which they gave birth. I it was who emitted Shu, and I it was whoemitted Tefnut, and from being the ONE, god (or, the only god) I becamethree gods; the two other gods who came into being on this earth sprangfrom me, and Shu and Tefnut rejoiced (or, were raised up) from out ofNu in which they were. Now behold, they brought my Eye to me after twohen periods since the time when they went forth from me. I gatheredtogether my members which had appeared in my own body, and afterwardsI had union with my hand, and my heart (or, will) came unto me from outof my hand, and the seed fell into my mouth, and I emitted from myselfthe gods Shu and Tefnut, and so from being the ONE god (or, the only,god) I became three gods; thus the two other gods who came into beingon this earth sprang from me, and Shu and Tefnut rejoiced (or, wereraised up) from out of Nu in which they were. My father Nu saith:--They covered up (or, concealed) my Eye with the plant-like clouds whichwere behind them (i.e., Shu and Tefnut) for very many hen periods.Plants and creeping things [sprang up] from the god REM, through thetears which I let fall. I cried out to my Eye, and men and women cameinto existence. Then I bestowed upon my Eye the uraeus of fire, and itwas wroth with me when another Eye (i.e., the Moon) came and grew up inits place; its vigorous power fell on the plants, on the plants which Ihad placed there, and it set order among them, and it took up its placein my face, and it doth rule the whole earth. Then Shu and Tefnutbrought forth Osiris, and Heru-khenti-an-maa, and Set, and Isis, andNephthys and behold, they have produced offspring, and have createdmultitudinous children in this earth, by means of the beings which cameinto existence from the creatures which they produced. They invoke myname, and they overthrow their enemies, and they make words of powerfor the overthrowing of Apep, over whose hands and arms AKER keepethward. His hands and arms shall not exist, his feet and leas shall notexist, and he is chained in one place whilst Ra inflicts upon him theblows which are decreed for him. He is thrown upon his accursed back,his face is slit open by reason of the evil which he hath done, and heshall remain upon his accursed back."
[FN#57] i.e., I uttered my own name from my own mouth as a word ofpower.<strong>THE</strong> LEGEND <strong>OF</strong> <strong>THE</strong> DESTRUCTION <strong>OF</strong> MANKIND.CHAPTER I.[Here is the story of Ra,] the god who was self-begotten and selfcreated,after he had assumed the sovereignty over men and women, andgods, and things, the ONE god. Now men and women were speaking wordsof complaint, saying:--"Behold, his Majesty (Life, Strength, and Healthto him!) hath grown old, and his bones have become like silver, andhis members have turned into gold and his hair is like unto real lapislazuli."His Majesty heard the words of complaint which men and womenwere uttering, and his Majesty (Life, Strength, and Health to him!)said unto those who were in his train:--"Cry out, and bring to me myEye, and Shu, and Tefnut, and Seb, and Nut, and the father-gods, andthe mother-gods who were with me, even when I was in Nu side by sidewith my god Nu. Let there be brought along with my Eye his ministers,and let them be led to me hither secretly, so that men and women maynot perceive them [coming] hither, and may not therefore take to flightwith their hearts. Come thou[FN#58] with them to the Great House, andlet them declare their plans (or, arrangements) fully, for I will gofrom Nu into the place wherein I brought about my own existence, andlet those gods be brought unto me there." Now the gods were drawn upon each side of Ra, and they bowed down before his Majesty until theirheads touched the ground, and the maker of men and women, the king ofthose who have knowledge, spake his words in the presence of the Fatherof the first-born gods. And the gods spake in the presence of hisMajesty, saying:--"Speak unto us, for we are listening to them" (i.e.,thy words). Then Ra spake unto Nu, saying:--"O thou first-born godfrom whom I came into being, O ye gods of ancient time, my ancestors,take ye heed to what men and women [are doing]; for behold, those whowere created by my Eye are uttering words of complaint against me.Tell me what ye would do in the matter, and consider this thing for me,and seek out [a plan] for me, for I will not slay them until I haveheard what ye shall say to me concerning it."[FN#58] The god here addressed appears to have been Nu.Then the Majesty of Nu, to son Ra, spake, saying:--"Thou art the godwho art greater than he who made thee, thou art the sovereign of those
- Page 5 and 6: may be assigned to a time between t
- Page 7 and 8: Nut, the Sky-goddess, and Keb, the
- Page 9 and 10: [FN#5] Monuments, tom. iii., p. 245
- Page 11 and 12: slay all those who had blasphemed a
- Page 13 and 14: hieratic character on a papyrus pre
- Page 15 and 16: and secret name, whereby he lived,
- Page 17 and 18: PLATE V.Horus standing on the back
- Page 19 and 20: against sin. In Coptic literature w
- Page 21 and 22: The greater part of the text consis
- Page 23 and 24: [FN#30] Pyramid Text, Teta, l. 276.
- Page 25 and 26: Bent-enth-resh was possessed by an
- Page 27 and 28: a great feast in honour of the supe
- Page 29 and 30: of King Tcheser, when Matar, the Er
- Page 31 and 32: The magical and religious texts of
- Page 33 and 34: acking in pieces. These things woul
- Page 35 and 36: a scorpion, and to lie here in the
- Page 37 and 38: of Isis and Osiris introduced by th
- Page 39: Then Shu and Tefnut rejoiced from o
- Page 43 and 44: have slain [some of] them, but ther
- Page 45 and 46: THE LEGEND OF THE DESTRUCTION OF MA
- Page 47 and 48: Darkness), it is the Soul of Nu and
- Page 49 and 50: which she putteth together destroy
- Page 51 and 52: to this day]. And Heru-Behutet was
- Page 53 and 54: Thoth, "The enemies are resting . .
- Page 55 and 56: [FN#85] i.e., the Mediterranean.XVI
- Page 57 and 58: [FN#90] The month Thoth.[FN#91] The
- Page 59 and 60: priests who shall minister by the m
- Page 61 and 62: [FN#107] Northern Nubia; the name m
- Page 63 and 64: holds between his forelegs the sola
- Page 65 and 66: Those who are among the holy ones a
- Page 67 and 68: strength[FN#151], destroyer of the
- Page 69 and 70: And the Prince of Bekhten sent a me
- Page 71 and 72: A LEGEND OF THE GOD KHNEMU AND OF A
- Page 73 and 74: "Here is the bed of Hapi (the Nile)
- Page 75 and 76: [FN#188] i.e., the stone was very f
- Page 77 and 78: "Whatsoever is caught in the nets b
- Page 79 and 80: Be vomited, O poison, I adjure thee
- Page 81 and 82: Say the [following] words:--"O Ra-[
- Page 83 and 84: 'son of a man' (i.e., anyone) who b
- Page 85 and 86: And the fire [which was in the hous
- Page 87 and 88: [FN#224] The land of the sunset, th
- Page 89 and 90: [FN#228] We ought, perhaps, to tran
- Page 91 and 92:
Then Isis placed her nose in his mo
- Page 93 and 94:
in front of his two Eyes; and he wh
- Page 95 and 96:
hour[FN#258] to hurl back the repor
- Page 97 and 98:
[FN#262] According to the Egyptian
- Page 99 and 100:
salt from their meals. This they do
- Page 101 and 102:
VIII. This much may be depended upo
- Page 103 and 104:
egard to their method of philosophi
- Page 105 and 106:
that in memory of this event the Pa
- Page 107 and 108:
sacred place, forming omens and pre
- Page 109 and 110:
wherever Isis found one of the scat
- Page 111 and 112:
Horus and the beheading of Isis, be
- Page 113 and 114:
which are proclaimed openly, and ot
- Page 115 and 116:
that the Daemons underwent punishme
- Page 117 and 118:
[FN#326] According to the texts the
- Page 119 and 120:
doleful rites, and they exhibit as
- Page 121:
hippopotamus stamped on them. Sec.
Change language