Tour Egypt

by Jimmy Dunn writing as Taylor Ray Ellison

 

>> Pyramid Index Religion

 

In the Pyramid Text we find the oldest collection of religious spells known to us from ancient Egypt. This collection forms the basis of much of the later religious theology and literature of ancient Egypt. The passages were eventually separated and categorized, as well as illustrated and eventually evolved into the Book of the Dead, or more properly, "The Book of the Coming forth by Day". The oldest of these text come from that Pyramid of Wenis, or more popularly these days, Unas at Saqqara. However, the first Pyramid Text that were actually discovered were from the Pyramid of Pepy I. From Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty, varying selections of spells were carved in all the royal pyramids of the Old Kingdom, particularly the sarcophagus chamber and antechamber. There were some 227 spells in the Pyramid of Unas, and each subsequent pyramid provided fresh new additions, though no single pyramid contained the whole collection of spells. The maximum number was 675 utterances from the pyramid of Pepy II. With Teti's pyramid, the text also appeared on the sarcophagus itself, and in the pyramid of Pepy I the inscriptions extend beyond the antechamber. During the rule of Pepy II we begin to find the text in the tombs of queens, and after the Old Kingdom, they even appear on the walls and coffins of officials. Specifically, in the Old Kingdom the text appears in the pyramids of Unas, Tei, Pepy I, Merenre I, Pepy II and Ibi, along with those of queens Wedjebten, Neith and Iput. Recently (March 2000), the discovery of a tenth pyramid containing texts was announced at the 8th International Congress of Egyptology in Cairo by the Head of Egyptian Antiquities Dr. Gaballah and the Director of Excavations, Prof. Jean Leclant.

 

 

 

 

 

We have difficulty really dating the text. The Pyramid Texts have aroused much speculation regarding their origin because they emerge, as a fully-fledged collection of mortuary texts, without any precedent in the archaeological record. The fact that the texts are made up of distinct utterances which do not have a strict narrative sequence linking them together has led scholars to believe that many of them were not composed specifically for the purpose of being inscribed in the pyramids but may have had earlier uses. In fact, spells such as Utterances 273-4, called the Cannibal Hymn, and which only appears in the Pyramids of Unas and Teti, refer to aspects of the funerary cult that seem to no longer been in practice at the time the pyramids were built. Early analysts attempted to date the text as early as possible; even from the predynastic period. A very early dating of these texts remains a strong possibility, though today, scholars place the text's origins with the date of the monuments where they reside. In reality, we have very little idea of the date of their initial invention, perhaps other than the antiquated language employed.

 

 

What might also be called Pyramid Spells, were discovered when Gaston Maspero was working on the pyramid of Teti. He began publishing translations of the text as early as 1882, starting with those of Unas. Kurt Sethe also published pyramid texts in his "Dictionary of the Egyptian Language" in 1899. In 1924, a further translation was rendered by Louis Spleleers in French. Gustave Jequier advanced our knowledge of pyramid text considerably during his investigations in southern Saqqara between 1924 and 1936. He added many spells from the pyramid of Pepy II, and also discovered the versions in the pyramids of Wedjebten, Neith, Iput and Ibi. A systematic investigation of the 6th Dynasty pyramids was initiated by Jean-Philippe Lauer and Jean Sainte-Fare Garnot in 1951. Later, Lauer teamed with Jean Leclant to unearth an additional 700 spell fragments from the tomb of Teti and over 2,000 more from that of Pepy I. In 1952, Samuel A. B. Mercer delivered a full English translation of the text then known, but that has since been superseded by a translation of Raymond O. Faulkner. In addition, the extensive commentaries and translations of Sethe were published after his death, appearing between 1935 and 1962.

 

 

 

 

The Pyramid Text differ considerably in length, and were not illustrated. Individual spells are not titled, with the sole exception of spell 355, the "Opening the Double Door of the Sky". The individual signs are outlined in green, hopeful for the regeneration of the deceased. Each column begins with a notation "words to be spoken", though in the tomb of Unas this only appears at the beginning of the composition. The spells are separated by a hieroglyph for house, in all the pyramids with the exception Unas, where they are marked by a horizontal line. All together, Sethe found 714 spells, while Faulkner increased the number to 759, though with some duplicates. We call these spells, "utterances", because we believe they were meant to be spoken by priests in the course of the royal mortuary rituals. They are usually numbered by their position within the pyramid, progressing from the burial chamber outward.

 

 

We are not really sure in which order the spells are to be read. Sethe started with the north wall of the sarcophagus chamber, but other scholars such as Siegfried Schott and Alexandre Piankoff thought they began at the entrance to the antechamber. There seems no correlation with the text and the four coordinal points. In fact, considerable debate exists as to their actual use and the associated rituals, though there seems to be no question of their ritualistic content. It has been assumed that they were selected from a larger collection of spells for very specific reasons and arranged according to a distinctive point of view.

 

 

The language, while Old Egyptian, does seem antiquated, displaying differences from other text of the period, including highly redundant language. It is the earliest use of what is referred to as retrograde writing, where the normal sequence of columns is reversed. There is an avoidance of complete figures of animals and people, believed due to the fear that such signs might come to life and pose a danger.

 

 

The main theme in the Pyramid Texts is the king's resurrection and ascension to the Afterworld and this is described in many different ways. In some of the texts, the king boards the sun-boat of Re and passes through different regions in the sky, encountering many gods. In other texts, the king reaches the sky by flying up as a bird, such as a falcon or a goose. At other times the king climbs up the ladder of the sky. What all these texts have in common is an emphasis on the eternal existence of the king and the location of the sky as the realm of the Afterlife, which is dominated by the sun-god Re. The night sky is also described, particularly the imperishable stars.

 

 

 

 

Generally, the text is supposed to provide services to the deceased king in his ascent into the sky and with his reception in the world of the divine. Every possible means is given for this assistance, including a ladder or ramp leading to the sky, clouds, storms hail, incense and sunlight. The god, Shu, who holds up the sky is there for his assistance, while the text communicates knowledge to the pharaoh of the customs and places in the hereafter. It also warns him of dangers. There are dialogues with gatekeepers and ferryman where the king is given the specific knowledge that he will need in order to name the correct names and answer all the questions needed to prove his legitimacy and make his way though the afterlife.

 

 

Many of the locations remain unclear to us, but the Field of Reeds, the Field of Offerings, the Lake of the Jackal and the Winding Waterway are clearly important. The waterways of the heavens are navigated by boat, so the king is dependent on the efforts of his ferryman. Though the afterworld is celestial in nature, it does not seem to be all that desirable of a place to stay. Not even Re is happy here, only seemingly able to bear out the time before sunrise when he could be freed. The king arrives in this realm violently, and then is repeatedly identified with the creator god Atum.

 

There are many references to various problems such as repelling the attacks of various supernatural beings and we find, for example in spell 244, the "smashing of the red pots" specifically intended to annihilate one's enemies. But more mundane topics are also approached. On earth, the king had needed a boat to travel throughout Egypt along the Nile; in the next world, he would need a boat as well. Some of the prayers call for food and provisions; some assert that the king will not lose the power of his limbs, that he will still move, breathe, eat, and copulate in the next world.

 

We find an expressed plea for the king to overcome death by entering the eternal course of the cosmos together with the sun god in his solar barque, but we also find the king with a strong, general association with Osiris. Here, we find the earliest known reference to Osiris as the ruler of the underworld. In spell number 239 this relationship is especially evident, and we find considerable reference to the Osiris legend. Almost all of the myth's elements may be found within this text. Osiris' son, Horus, along with Osiris' two sisters, Isis and Nephthys, search for the murdered god (Osiris). Horus finds his father and revives him. It also provides a version of the contention of Horus and Seth.

 

A number of specifically ritualistic text stand out, such as the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which to the best of our knowledge is here presented for the first time. There are also offering and statue rituals. A few selected utterances include:

 

(See also selections from the Pyramid of Pepi I)

 

 

Utt. 173-4

]The Dead King Hunts and Eats the Gods

 

The sky is overcast,
The stars are darkened,
The celestial expanses quiver,
The bones of the earth-gods tremble,
The planets are stilled,
For they have seen the King appearing in power
As a god who lives on his fathers
And feeds on his mothers;
The King is a master of wisdom
Whose mother knows not his name.
The glory of the King is in the sky,
His power is in the horizon
Like his father Atum who begot him.
He begot the King,
And the King is mightier than he.
The King's powers are about him,
His qualities are under his feet,
His gods are upon him,
His uraei are on the crown of his head,
The King's guiding serpent is on his brow,
Even that which sees the soul,
Efficient for burning;
The King' neck is on his trunk.
The King is the Bull of the sky,
Who conquers at will,
Who lives on the being of very god,
Who eats their entrails,
Even of those who come with their bodies full of magic
From the Island of Fire.
The King is one equipped,
Who assembles his spirits;
The King has appeared as the Great One,
A possessor of helpers;
He sits with his back to Geb,
For it is the King who will give judgement
In company with Him whose name is hidden
On that day of slaying the Oldest Ones.
The King is a possessor of offerings who knots the cord
And who himself prepares his meal;
The King is one who eats men and lives on the gods,
A possessor of porters who dispatches messages;
It is Grasper-of-topknots who is Kehau
Who lassos them for the King;
It is the Serpent with raised head
Who guards them for him
And restrains them for him;
It is He who is over the blood-offering
Who binds them for him;
It is Khons who slew the lords
Who strangles them for the King
And extracts for him what is in their bodies,
For he is the messenger whom the King sends to restrain.
It is Shezmu who cuts them up for the King
And who cooks for him a portion of them
On his evening hearthstones.
It is the King who eats their magic
And gulps down their spirits;
Their big ones are for his morning meal,
Their middle-sized ones are for his evening meal,
Their little ones are for his night meal,
Their old men and their old women are for his incense-burning.
It is the Great Ones in the north of the sky
Who set the fire for him
To the cauldrons containing them
With the thighs of their oldest ones,
Those who are in the sky serve the King,
And the hearthstones are wiped over for him
With the feet of their women.
He has traveled around the whole of the two skies,
He has circumambulated the Two Banks,
For the King is a great Power
Who has power over the Powers;
The King is a sacred image,
The most sacred of the sacred images of the Great One,
And whomsoever he finds in his way,
Him he devours piecemeal.
The King's place is at the head
Of all the august ones who are in the horizon,
For the King is a god, older than the oldest.
Thousands serve him,
Hundreds offer to him,
There is given to him a warrant as Great Power
By Orion, father of the gods.
The King has appeared again in the sky,
He is crowned as Lord of the horizon;
He has broken the backbones
And has taken the hearts of the gods;
He has eaten the Red Crown,
He has swallowed the Green One.
The King fees on the lungs of the Wise Ones,
And is satisfied with living on hearts and their magic;
The King revolts against licking the...
Which are in the Red Crown.
He enjoys himself when their magic is in his belly;
The King's dignities shall not be taken away from him,
For he has swallowed the intelligence of every god.
The King's lifetime is eternity,
His limit is everlastingness
In this his dignity of:
"If he wishes, he does;
If he dislikes, he does not,"
Even he who is at the limits of the horizon forever and ever.
See, their souls are in the King's belly,
Their spirits are in the King's possession
As the surplus of his meal out of the gods
Which is cooked for the King out of their bones.
See, their souls are in the King's possession,
Their shades are removed from their owners,
While the King is this one who ever appears and endures,
And the doers of (ill) deeds have no power to destroy
The favorite place of the King among those who live in this land
Forever and ever.

 

 

 

Utt. 221

The king's prayer:

"Ho crown of Lower Egypt! Ho red-crown! Ho Great Crown! Ho Crown great of magic! Ho Fiery Serpent! Grant that the dread of me be like the dread of you; grant that the fear of me be like the fear of you; grant that the acclaim of me be like the acclaim of you; grant that the love of me be like the love of you! Set by aba-scepter at the head of the living, set my sm-scepter at the head of the spirits, and grant that my sword prevail over my foes. Ho red-crown! If you have gone forth from me, so have I gone forth from you."

Reply by the crown: "If Ikhet the Great has borne you, Ikhet the Serpent has adorned you; if Ikhet the Serpent has borne you, Ikhet the Great has adorned you, because you are Horus encircled with the protection of his Eye."

Utt. 222
205

 

Provide yourself with the Great of Magic, (even) Set dwelling in Nubet, Lord of Upper Egypt; nothing is lost to you, nothing has ceased for you; behold, you are more renowned and more powerful than the gods of Upper Egypt and their spirits. O you whom the Pregnant One ejected, you have terminated the night, being equipped as Set who broke forth violently, (even) you whom Aset has favoured.

Utt. 262

The King, newly dead, appeals to the Gods not to forget Him

Be not unaware of me, O God;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O God;
Of me it is said: "He who has perished."
Be not unaware of me, O Re;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O Re;
Of me it is said: "Greatest of all who have been completely destroyed."
Be not unaware of me, O Thoth;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O Thoth;
Of me it is said: "He who rests alone."
Be not unaware of me, O Har-Sopd;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O Har-Sopd;
Of me it is said: "Miserable One."
Be not unaware of me, O Dweller in the Netherworld;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O Dweller in the Netherworld;
Of me it is said: "He who wakes healthy."
Be not unaware of me, O Bull of the sky;
If you know me, I will know you.
Be not unaware of me, O Bull of the sky;
Of me it is said: "This star of the Lower Sky."

 

Utt. 264
The Dead King Ferries across the Sky to Join the Sun God

The reed-floats of the sky are set down for Horus,
That he may cross on them to the horizon, to Harakhti.
The reed-floats of the sky are set down for me,
That I may cross on them to the horizon, to Harakhti.
The reed-floats of the sky are set down for Shezemti,
That he may cross on them to the horizon, to Harakhti.
The reed-floats of the sky are set down for me,
That I may cross on them to the horizon, to Harakhti.
The Nurse-canal is opened,
The Winding Waterway is flooded,
The Field of Rushes are filled with water,
And I am ferried over
To yonder eastern side of the sky,
To the place where the gods fashioned me,
Wherein I was born, new and young.

Utt. 269
A Censing Prayer

The fire is laid, the fire shines;
The incense is laid on the fire, the incense shines.
Your perfume comes to me, O Incense;
May my perfume come to you, O Incense.
Your perfume comes to me, you gods;
May my perfume come to you, you gods.
May I be with you, you gods;
May you be with me, you gods.
May I live with you, you gods;
May you live with me, you gods.
I love you, you gods;
May you love me, you gods

 

Utt 273

The sky rains down.
The stars darken.
The celestial vaults stagger.
The bones of Aker (1) tremble.
Those beneath them flee in terror.
At seeing Pharaoh Unis rise as a Ba (2).
A god who lives on his fathers and feeds on his mothers.

Pharaoh is Lord of wisdom whose mother knows not his name.
Pharaoh's glory is in the sky, his might is in the horizon.
Like his father, Atum, his begetter.
Though his son, Pharaoh is mightier than he.

Pharaoh's Ka's are behind him.
His Hemuset(u) (3) are under his feet.
His gods are over him.
His uraeus-serpents are on his brow.
Pharaoh's guiding-serpent is on his forehead :
she who sees the Ba (of the enemy as) good for burning.
Pharaoh's neck is on his trunk.

Pharaoh is the Bull of the sky,
who shatters at will,
who lives on the being of every god,
who eats their entrails,
even of those who come with their bodies
full of magic from the Island of Flame (4).

Pharaoh is one equipped,
who assembles his Khu's.
Pharaoh appears as this great one,
Lord of those with (helping) hands.
He sits with his back to Geb,
for it is Pharaoh who weighs what he says,
together with Him-whose-name-is-hidden (5),
on this day of slaying the oldest ones.

Pharaoh is Lord of offerings, who knots the cord,
and who himself prepares his meal.
Pharaoh is he who eats men and lives on gods,
Lord of porters, who dispatches written messages.

It is 'Grasper-of-the-top-knot', who is Kehau, who lassoes them for Pharaoh.
It is 'Serpent Raised-head' who guards them for him and restrains them for him.
It is 'He-upon-the-willows' who binds them for him.
It is Khonsu, slayer of Lords, who will cut their troats for Pharaoh,
and will extract for him what is in their bodies,
for he is the messenger whom Pharaoh sends to restrain.
It is Shezmu (6) who will cut them up for Pharaoh,
and cooks meals of them in his dinner-pots.

 

Utt 274

It is Pharaoh who eats their magic and gulps down their Khu's.
Their big ones are for his morning meal,
their middle-sized ones are for his evening meal,
their little ones are for his night meal,
their old men and their old women are for his incense-burning.
It is the Great Ones in the North of the sky (7) who light the fire for him
to the cauldrons containing them,
with the thighs of their eldest (as fuel).

Those who are in the sky serve Pharaoh,
And the butcher's blocks are wiped over for him,
with the feet of their women.

He has revolved around the whole of the two skies.
He has circled the two banks (8).
For Pharaoh is the great power, that overpowers the powers.
Pharaoh is a sacred image, the most sacred image
of the sacred images of the great one.
Whom he finds in his way, him he devours bit by bit (9).

Pharaoh's place is at the head of all the noble ones (10) who are in the horizon.
For Pharaoh is a god, older than the oldest.
Thousands revolve around him, hundreds offer to him.
There is given to him a warrant as a great power by Orion (11), the father of the gods.

Pharaoh has risen again in the sky.
He is crowned as Lord of the horizon.
He has smashed the back-bones,
and has seized the hearts of the gods.
He has eaten the Red Crown (12).
He has swallowed the Green One (13).
Pharaoh feeds on the lungs of the wise.
And likes to live on hearts and their magic.

Pharaoh abhors against licking the coils of the Red Crown.
But delights to have their magic is in his belly.
Pharaoh's dignities will not be taken away from him.
For he has swallowed the knowledge of every god.
Pharaoh's lifetime is eternity.
His limit is everlastingness.
In this his dignity of :
'If-he-likes-he does. If-he-dislikes-he-does-not.'
He who is at the limits of the horizon,
for ever and ever.

Lo, their Ba is in Pharaoh's belly.
Their Khu's are in Pharaoh's possession,
as the surplus of his meal out of the gods.
Which is cooked for Pharaoh from their bones.

Lo, their Ba is in Pharaoh's possession.
Their shadows are removed from their owners,
while Pharaoh is this one who ever rises and lasting lasts.

The doers of ill deeds have no power to destroy,
the chosen seat of Pharaoh,
among the living in this land.
For ever and ever.

 

Utt. 308
489
For I have looked on you as Heru looked on Aset,
I have looked on you as the Snake looked on the Scorpion,
I have looked on you as Sobk looked on Nit,
I have looked on you as Set looked on the Two who are reconciled.

 

 

Utt. 310
The Gods are warned not to curse or hinder the Dead King on His way to Heaven

If I be cursed, then will Atum be cursed;
If I be reviled, then will Atum be reviled;
If I be smitten, then will Atum be smitten;
If I be hindered on this road, then will Atum be hindered,
For I am Horus,
I have come following my father,
I have come following Osiris.

 

Utt. 432
The king prays to the sky-goddess
O Great One who became Sky, You are strong, you are mighty, You fill every place with your beauty, The whole earth is beneath you, you possess it! As you enfold earth and all things in your arms, So have you taken this Pepi to you, An indestructible star within you!

 

 

Utt. 440
The king asks for admittance to the sky
If you love life, O Horus, upon his life staff of truth, Do not lock the gates of heaven, Do not bolt its bars, After you have taken Pepi's ka into heaven, To the god's nobles, the god's friends, Who lean on their staffs, Guardians of Upper Egypt, Clad in red linen, Living on figs, Drinking wine, Anointed with unguent, That he may speak for Pepi to the great god And let Pepi ascend to the great god!

 

 

Utt. 442
The king becomes a star
Truly, this Great One has fallen on his side, He who is in Nedyt was cast down. Your hand is grasped by Re, Your head is raised by the Two Enneads. Lo, he has come as Orion, Lo, Osiris has come as Orion, Lord of wine at the wag-feast. "Good one," said his mother, "Heir," said his father, Conceived of sky, born of dusk. Sky conceived you and Orion, Dusk gave birth to you and Orion. Who lives lives by the gods' command, You shall live! You shall rise with Orion in the eastern sky, You shall set with Orion in the western sky, Your third is Sothis, pure of thrones, She is your guide on sky's good paths, In the Field of Rushes.

 

 

 

Utt. 446
The sky-goddess protcets the king
O Osiris Pepi, Nut, your mother, spreads herself above you, She conceals you from all evil, Nut protects you from all evil, You, the greatest of her children!

 

Utt. 454
The king's power embraces sky and earth
O Osiris Pepi, You enfold every god in your arms, Their lands and all their possessions! O Osiris Pepi, You are great and round Like the ring that circles the islands!

 

Utt. 486
The king is a primordial god
Hail, O waters brought by Shu, Which the twin springs raised, In which Geb has bathed his limbs, So that hearts lost fear, hearts lost dread. Pepi was born in Nun Before there was sky, Before there was earth, Before there were mountains, Before there was strife, Before fear came about through the Horus Eye. Pepi is one of that great group born aforetime in On, Who are not carried off for a king, Who are not brought before magistrates, Who are not made to suffer, Who are not found guilty. Such is Pepi: he will not suffer, He will not be carried off for a king, He will not be brought before magistrates, The foes of Pepi will not triumph. Pepi will not hunger, His nails will not grow long, No bone in him will be broken. If Pepi goes down into water, Osiris will lift him up, The Enneads will support him, Re will take Pepi by the hand, To where a god may be. If he goes down [to earth] Geb will lift him up, The Enneads will support this Pepi, He will be led by the hand to where a god may be.

 

Utt. 505
1089
(An 'ascension' text)
I have gone up in Pe to the Souls of Pe, I am girt with the girdle of Heru, I am clad with the garment of Djehuty, Aset is before me and Nebt-Het is behind me, Wepwawet opens a way for me, Shu lifts me up, the Souls of On set up a stariway for me in order to reach the Above, and Nut puts her hand on me just as she did for Wesir on the day when he died.

 

Utt. 508
Someone ascends, I ascend; the Mistress of Dep rejoices and she who dwells in Nekheb is glad on that day on which I ascend to my place, O Re. I have laid down for myself this sunshine of yorus as a stairway under my feet on which I will ascend to that mother of mine, the living uraeus which should be upon me, O Re. She will have compassion on me and will give me her breast that I may suck it; "My son," she says, "take this breast of mine and suck it," she says; "Turn about, O you who have not yet come to the number of your days."

The sky thunders, the earth quakes, the gods of Heliopolis tremble at the sound of the offering in my presence. My mother Bastet has nursed me, she who dwells in Nekheb has brought me up; she who dwells in Dep has put her hands on me, and behold, I have come; behold, I have come; behold, I have gone up on high, I will make for myself my meal of figs and wine which are in the vineyard of the god; the butcher of what is under his finger(s) makes a meal for me from it....

My sweat is the sweat of Horus, my odor is the odor of Horus. To the sky! To the sky among the gods who shall ascend! I am bound for the sky among the gods who shall ascend! "My brother is here at my side here," says Geb; he grasps me by my hand and guides me into the gateways of the sky. The god is in my seat, the god is happy in my seat, and Satis has cleansed me with her four jars from Elephantine.

"Ho, whence have you come, my son?"
"My father, I have come to the Ennead which is in the sky that I may propitiate it with its bread."
"Ho, whence have you come, my son?"
"My father, I have come to the Ennead which is on earth that I may propitiate it with its bread."
"Ho, whence have you come, my son?"
"My father, I have come to the Dnddndr-bark..."
"Ho, whence have you come, my son?"

"My father, I have come to these two mothers of mine, the two vultures long of hair and pendent of breasts who are on the Mountain of Shsh, that they may extend their breasts to my mouth and never wean me."

 

Utt. 517
The king addresses the ferryman
O Boatman of the boatless just, Ferryman of the Field of Rushes! Pepi is just before heaven and earth, Pepi is just before this isle of earth, To which he has swum, to which he has come, Which is between the thighs of Nut! He is that pygmy of the dances of god, Bringer of joy before his great throne! This is what you heard in the houses, What you overheard in the streets On the day Pepi was called to life, To hear what had been ordained. Lo, the two on the great god's throne Who summon Pepi to life, eternal, They are Well-being and Health! Ferry this Pepi to the Field, The great god's beautiful throne, That he may do what is done with the revered: He commends them to the ka's, He assigns them to the bird-catch; Pepi is such a one: He will assign Pepi to the ka's, He will assign Pepi to the bird-catch.

 

Utt. 535
1280-1
Thus said Aset and Nebt-Het: The 'screecher' comes, the kite comes, namely Aset and Nebt-Het; they have
come seeking their brother Wesir, seeking ther brother the King.... Weep for your brother O Aset; weep for your
brother, O Nebt-Het; weep for your brother! Aset sits down with her hands on her head, Nebt-Het has grasped
the tips of her breasts because of her brother the King...


Utt. 570
1464 (The king is one with the sun-god)
I am the redness which came fort from Aset, I am the blood which issued from Nebt-Het; I am firmly bound up(?)
at the waist(?), and there is nothing which the gods ca do for me, for I am the representative of Re, and I do not
die.

 

Utt. 572
1472
'How lovely to see, how pleasing to behold!' says Aset, when you ascend to the sky, your power upon you, your
terror about you, your magic at your feet;....

 

 

Utt. 573
The king prays for admittance to the sky
Awake in peace, O Pure One, in peace! Awake in peace, Horus of-the-East, in peace! Awake in peace, Soul-of-the-East, in peace! Awake in peace, Horus-of-Lightland, in peace! You lie down in the Night-bark, You awake in the Day-bark, For you are he who gazes on the gods, There is no god who gazes on you! O father of Pepi, take Pepi with you Living, to you mother Nut! Gates of sky, open for Pepi, Gates of heaven, open for Pepi, Pepi comes to you, make him live! Command that this Pepi sit beside you, Beside him who rises in lightland! O father of Pepi, command to the goddess beside you To make wide Pepi's seat at the stairway of heaven! Command the Living One, the son of Sothis, To speak for this Pepi, To establish for Pepi a seat in the sky! Commend this Pepi to the Great Noble, The beloved of Ptah, the son of Ptah, To speak for this Pepi, To make flourish his jar-stands on earth, For Pepi is one with these four gods: Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebhsenuf, Who live by maat, Who lean on their staffs, Who watch over Upper Egypt. He flies, he flies from you men as do ducks, He wrests his arms from you as a falcon, He tears himself from you as a kite, Pepi frees himself from the fetters of earth, Pepi is released from bondage!

 

References:

 

Title	Author	Date	Publisher	Reference Number
Atlas of Ancient Egypt	Baines, John; Malek, Jaromir	1980	Les Livres De France	None Stated
Egyptian Religion	Morenz, Siegfried	1973	Cornell University Press	ISBN 0-8014-8029-9
Gods and Myths of Ancient Egypt	Armour, Robert A.	1986	American University in Cairo Press, The	ISBN 977 424 669 1
Gods of the Egyptians, The (Studies in Egyptian Mythology)	Budge, E. A. Wallis	1969	Dover Publications, Inc.	ISBN 486-22056-7