The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 160 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 19 (part 7)
A variant has "who are in his following." See Naville, Todtenbuch , Bd.
II., Pl.
xlix.] What then is this?
It is the drops of blood (61) which fell from Ra when he went forth (62) to cut himself.
They sprang into being as the gods Hu and Sa, who are in the (63) following of Ra and who accompany Tmu (64) daily and every day.
"I, Osiris, Ani (65) the scribe, triumphant, have filled up for thee the utchat [1] after it was darkened (66)[2] on the day of the combat of the Two Fighters."[3] What then (67) is this?
It is the day on which Horus fought with (68) Set, who cast filth in the face of Horus, and when Horus destroyed the (69) powers of Set.
Thoth did this with his own hand.
(70) "I lift the hair[-cloud][4] when there are storms in the sky." What then is this?
(71) It is the right eye of Ra, which raged against [Set] when (72) he sent it forth.
Thoth raiseth up the hair[-cloud], and bringeth the eye (73) alive, and whole, and sound, and without defect to [its] lord; or (as others say), It is the eye of Ra when it is sick and when it (74) weepeth for its fellow eye; then Thoth standeth up to cleanse it.
(75) "I behold Ra who was born yesterday from the (76) buttocks[5] of the cow Meh-urt;[6] his strength is my strength, and my strength is his strength." What then (77) is this?
It is the water of heaven, or (as others say), (78) It is the image of the eye of Ra in the morning at his daily birth.
(79) Meh-urt is the eye of Ra.
Therefore Osiris, the (80) scribe Ani, triumphant, [is] a great one among the gods (81) who are in the train of Horus.
The words are] spoken for him that loveth his lord.[7] [1.
I.e.
, the eye of the Sun.
2.
Some variants give "pierced." 3.
Rehui was a name given in the first instance to Horus and Set, but subsequently it was applied to any two combatants (see the passages quoted by Brugsch, Wörterbuch , Suppl., p.
734).
British Museum papyrus No.
10,184 (Sallier IV.), states that the battle between Horus and Set took place on the 26th day of the month of Thoth, i.e.
, October (see Chabas, Le Calendrier , p.
28).
4.
The scribe has omitted the words em utchat , "from the eye of the sun." The word shen is a name for the clouds which cover the eye of the sun, and which are in appearance like hair.
Brugsch in his Wörterbuch (Suppl.), p.
1193, gives the word as meaning "tempest." 5.
The papyrus has ###.
6.
For figures of this goddess, see Lanzone, Dizionario , plate 131.
7.
The meaning of this passage is doubtful.
Birch renders, "one of the gods who belong to Horus, whose words exceed the wish of his Lord"; and Pierret, "un de ces dieux qui suivent Horus, et parlent selon la volonté de leur seigneur."] (82) What then is this?
[ i.e.
Themes
◆Sacred Namestheology
Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.
The invocation of names like Osiris, Ani, Ra, and Thoth is used to assert identity and effect ritual outcomes.
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] Divine beings are described with human physical attributes and actions, such as Ra cutting himself, weeping, having an eye, and possessing a hair-cloud.
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
[auto] The gods Hu and Sa are described as springing into being from the drops of blood that fell from Ra, indicating divine generation from a source.
[auto] The passage is from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, explicitly designed to guide the deceased (Ani) through the afterlife via ritual declarations.