The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 42 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 5 (part 6)
Many are the shouts of joy that rise to thee at the Uak[*] festival, and cries of delight ascend to thee from the (9) whole world with one voice.
Thou art the chief and prince of thy brethren, thou art the prince of the company of the gods, thou stablishest right and truth everywhere, thou placest thy son upon thy throne, thou art the object of praise of thy father Seb, and of the love of thy mother Nut.
Thou art exceeding mighty, thou overthrowest those who oppose thee, thou art mighty of hand, and thou slaughterest thine (10) enemy.
Thou settest thy fear in thy foe, thou removest his boundaries, thy heart is fixed, and thy feet are watchful.
Thou art the heir of Seb and the sovereign of all the earth; [* This festival took place on the 17th and 18th days of the month Thoth; see Brugsch, Kalendarische Inschriften, p.
235.] {footnote page liii} Seb hath seen thy glorious power, and hath commanded thee to direct the (11) universe for ever and ever by thy hand.
"Thou hast made this earth by thy hand, and the waters thereof, and the wind thereof, the herb thereof, all the cattle thereof, all the winged fowl thereof, all the fish thereof, all the creeping things thereof, and all the four-footed beasts thereof.
(12) O thou son of Nut, the whole world is gratified when thou ascendest thy father's throne like Ra.
Thou shinest in the horizon, thou sendest forth thy light into the darkness, thou makest the darkness light with thy double plume, and thou floodest the world with light like the (13) Disk at break of day.
Thy diadem pierceth heaven and becometh a brother unto the stars, O thou form of every god.
Thou art gracious in command and in speech, thou art the favoured one of the great company of the gods, and thou art the greatly beloved one of the lesser company of the gods.
"Thy sister put forth her protecting power for thee, she scattered abroad those who were her enemies, (14) she drove back evil hap, she pronounced mighty words of power, she made cunning her tongue, and her words failed not.
The glorious Isis was perfect in command and in speech, and she avenged her brother.
She sought him without ceasing, (15) she wandered round and round the earth uttering cries of pain, and she rested[*] not until she had found him.
She overshadowed him with her feathers, she made wind with her wings, and she uttered cries at the burial of her brother.
(16) She raised up the prostrate form of him whose heart was still, she took from.
him of his essence, she conceived and brought forth a child,[+] she suckled it in secret (?) and none knew the place thereof; and the arm of the child hath waxed strong in the great house of Seb.
(17) The company of the gods rejoiceth and is glad at the coming of Osiris's son Horus, and firm of heart and triumphant is the son of Isis, the heir of Osiris."[++] [*.
Literally, "she alighted not,"; the whole passage here justifies Plutarch's statement ( De Iside Osiride , 16) concerning Isis: {Greek Au?th`n de` genome'nhn xelido'na tu~j ki'oni peripi'tesðai kai` ðrhnei~n }.
+.
Compare Plutarch, op.
cit.
Themes
◇Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] The passage extensively attributes human body parts (hand, heart, feet) and familial relationships (son, father, mother) to the deity.
[auto] The text explicitly describes the deity establishing 'right and truth everywhere,' aligning with the concept of cosmic order as a fundamental structure.
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
[auto] The deity is depicted as actively ruling, fighting enemies, and receiving praise, indicating a dynamic personal presence rather than an abstract principle.