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The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 111 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 12 (part 3)

This scent is that which distilleth from Horus, this scent is that which distilleth from Set, and it is that which stablisheth the hearts of the two Horus gods.[2] Thou purifiest thyself with the Heru-shesu;[*] thou art purified with natron, and Horus is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and Set is purified with natron;[3] thou art purified with natron, and Thoth is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and Sep is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and art established among them, and thy mouth is [as pure] as the mouth of a sucking calf on the day of its birth. Thou art purified with natron, and Horus is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and Set is purified with natron;[4] [thou art purified with natron] and Thoth is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and Sep is purified with natron; thy ka is purified with natron, and thou art pure, thou art pure, thou art pure, thou art pure. Thou art stablished among the gods thy brethren, thy head is purified for thee with natron, thy bones are washed clean with water, and thou thyself art made perfect with all that belongeth unto thee. O Osiris, I have given unto thee the Eye of Horus, thy face is filled therewith, and the perfume thereof spreadeth over thee. "Hail, Unas, thy two jaws are unlocked.[5] Hail, Unas, the two gods have opened thy mouth.[6] O Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, and Horus cometh thereunto; it is brought unto thee, and placed in thy mouth.[7] Hail, Unas, the nipples of the bosom of Horus have been given unto thee, and thou hast taken in thy mouth[8] the breast of thy sister Isis, and the milk which floweth from thy mother is poured into thy mouth.[9] "Thou hast gotten possession of the two eyes of Horus, the white and the black, thou hast taken them unto thyself and they illumine thy face.[10] The day hath made an offering unto thee in heaven, and the East and the West are at peace with thee; the night hath made an offering[11] unto thee, and the North and the South are at peace with thee. These are the offerings which are brought unto thee, the offerings which thou seest, the offerings which thou hearest, the offerings which are before thee, the offerings which are behind thee, the offerings which are with thee. O Osiris Unas, the white teeth of Horus are given unto thee that thou mayest fill thy mouth therewith.[12] A royal offering to the ka of Unas.[13]. O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, and thou livest, and a thou art.[14] O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus which strove with Set hath been [*. ###, the followers of Horus" [Addressing the statue of the decease the setem priest says] 1. Here [offer] perfume of the south, three grains. 2. Repeat four times. 3. Here [offer] natron of the north. 4 Here [burn] one grain of incense. 5. Here [bring] the Pesesh-kef . 6. Here [offer] two pieces of iron of the north and south. 7. Here [offer] unguent of the north, and unguent of the south. 8. Here [offer] milk. 9.
Themes
Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The deities are portrayed as active agents who purify and establish the deceased rather than abstract principles.

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Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

By purifying both Horus and Set together, the ritual suggests a reconciliation or neutralization of their traditional opposition.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage contains direct liturgical addresses such as 'Hail, Unas' and 'O Osiris' offered to the divine.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

The rituals and offerings described facilitate the guided passage of the soul through the realms of the dead.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The deceased is purified and established among the gods their brethren, signifying a return to the divine community.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The gods are described with human or animal attributes such as hearts, mouths, heads, and bones.

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Childlike Innocenceanthropology

The infant or child as symbol of the unfallen, undivided spiritual state; return to primordial simplicity.

[auto] The text explicitly compares the purity of the deceased's mouth to that of a sucking calf on the day of its birth.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] As a chapter from the Book of the Dead, this text functions to guide and prepare the soul for its status in the afterlife.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

[auto] The passage repeatedly emphasizes purification with natron and water as the central mechanism for establishing the deceased among the gods.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

[auto] The names of deities such as Horus, Set, Thoth, and Osiris are invoked repeatedly to effect purification and establishment.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] The goal of the ritual is to have the deceased established among the gods as brethren, implying an elevation in status.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

[auto] The deceased is explicitly addressed as 'O Osiris Unas' and established among the gods, indicating a transformation into a divine state.

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Theurgypraxis

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

[auto] The text employs consecrated material symbols like natron, incense, and specific utterances to engage the gods directly and effect purification.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter LXXXIV
CHAPTER LXXXIV. 1. And I lifted up my hands in righteousness and blessed the Holy and Great One, and spake with the breath of my mouth, and with the p. 113 tongue of flesh, which God has made for the children of the flesh of men, that they…”
Both passages involve a ritual or prayer for purification and blessings, addressing divine entities for protection and sustenance. They share themes of divine intervention, purification, and the seeking of favor from higher powers, though they come from different cultural and religious contexts.
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIIIh
Hence the ancient priests, by the mutual relation and sympathy of things to each other, collected their virtues into one, but expelled them by repugnancy and antipathy; purifying when it was requisite with sulphur and bitumen, and sprinklin…”
Both passages describe rituals and practices aimed at purification and communion with the divine. They emphasize the use of specific substances (like natron and marine water) and the invocation of divine powers through symbolic actions, reflecting a shared concern with spiritual transformation and connection to the divine.
renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XLIII — Of Perfumes or Suffumigations; Their Manner and Power|Chapter XLIII, Section 1a
CHAPTER XLIII. Of Perfumes or Suffumigations; Their Manner and Power . Some suffumigations, also, or perfumings, that are proper to the Stars, are of great force for the opportune receiving of celestial gifts under the rays of the Stars,…”
Both passages discuss the use of scents, perfumes, and fumigations in ritual contexts to invoke divine presence, purification, and spiritual experiences. They share a belief in the transformative power of these substances on the air, breath, and spiritual realm.
renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XLIV — The Composition of Some Fumes Appropriated to the Planets|Chapter XLIV, Section 1a
CHAPTER XLIV. The Composition of Some Fumes Appropriated to the Planets . We make a suffumigation for the Sun in this manner, viz., of saffron, ambergris, musk, lignum aloes, lignum balsam, the fruit of the laurel, cloves, myrrh, and fran…”
Both passages discuss the use of specific substances (such as natron, incense, and other aromatic materials) for purification and ritual purposes, indicating a shared conceptual focus on the spiritual and symbolic significance of these materials in their respective traditions.