The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 144 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 18 (part 3)
, "the opening of the mouth and eyes," is performed by the Sem priest, who addresses the deceased: "I have come to embrace thee, I am thy son Horus, I have pressed thy mouth; I am thy son, I love thee.
His mother beats her breast and weeps for him, and those who are in chains with him ( i.e.
, Isis and Nephthys) beat their breasts.
Thy mouth was closed, but I have set in order for [1.
The slaughter of the antelope and duck typified the destruction of the enemies of the deceased; for, when Horus destroyed the enemies of his father Osiris, "he cut off their heads [which took] the form of ducks in the sky, making them to fall headlong to the ground in the form of antelopes, and into the water in the form of fishes," For the text, see Schiaparelli,.
Il Libro dei Funerali degli Antichi Egiziani (in Atti della R.
Accademia dei Lincei ; Rome, 1883 and 1890), p.
94; Naville, Todtenbuch , chap.
134.] "thee thy mouth and thy teeth." The Kher-heb next calls on the Sem priest four times: "O Sem , take the Seb-ur (Fig.
5) and open the mouth and the eyes"; and while the Sem priest is performing the ceremony the Kher-heb continues: "Thy mouth was closed, but I have set in order for thee thy mouth and thy teeth.
I open for thee thy mouth, I open for thee thy two eyes.
I have opened for thee thy mouth with the instrument of Anubis.
I have opened thy mouth with the instrument of Anubis, with the iron tool with which the mouths of the gods were opened.
Horus, open the mouth, Horus, open the mouth.
Horus hath opened the mouth of the dead, as he whilom opened the mouth of Osiris, with the iron which came forth from Set, with the iron tool (Fig.
6) with which he opened the mouths of the gods.
He hath opened thy mouth with it.
The dead shall walk and shall speak, and his body shall [be] with the great company of the gods in the Great House of the Aged one in Annu, and he shall receive there the ureret crown from Horus, the lord of mankind." The Kher-heb next says: "Let the Ami-Khent priest (Fig.
7) stand behind him ( i.e.
, the deceased), and say, 'My father, my father,' four times." The eldest son of the deceased then stands behind the deceased, and in his name the Kher-heb says: "His mother beateth her breast and weepeth for him, and those who are in chains with him also beat their breasts." Another priest, called Am-Khent-Heru , takes up the same position and says: "Isis goeth unto Horus, who embraceth his father." A priestly official belonging to the mesenti class then goes behind the deceased, and the Sem , Smer and Kher-heb priests stand in front, and the Sem priest and the Kher-heb , personifying Horus and Sut, respectively cry: "I am Horus, I am Sut; I will not let thee illumine the head of my father." The Sem priest then leaves the Ka -chapel and returns, leading in the Se-mer-f , i.e.
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] Divine figures like Horus, Isis, and Nephthys are depicted with human emotions (weeping, love) and physical actions (embracing, beating breasts).
[auto] The passage explicitly details the 'opening of the mouth and eyes' ceremony, a core ritual designed to guide and equip the deceased for the afterlife.
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.
The deceased is restored to join the company of gods and receives a crown from Horus, implying a transformation into a divine state.
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] Priests use consecrated material symbols like the iron tool and specific invocations to engage divine power and effect change in the deceased.