The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 175 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 21 (part 1)
PLATE XIII.
Vignettes (Upper register): A pylon, or gateway, surmounted by the feathers of Maat and uræi wearing disks.
(Lower register): A pylon, surmounted by Anubis and an utchat .
Text [CHAPTER XVIII.]: [" (1) Hail Thoth, who madest Osiris (2) victorious over his enemies, make thou Osiris [the scribe Ani] to be victorious over his enemies, as thou didst make Osiris victorious over his enemies' in the presence of (3) the godlike rulers who are with Ra and Osiris in Annu, on the night of 'the things for the night,' and on the night of battle, and (4) on the shackling of the fiends, and on the day of the destruction of Neb-er-tcher."] §A.
Vignette: The gods Tmu, Shut Tefnut, Osiris, and Thoth.
Text: (1) The great godlike rulers in Annu are Tmu, Shu, Tefnut [Osiris, and Thoth], (2) and the shackling of the Sebau signifieth the destruction of the fiends of Set when he worketh evil (3) a second time.
"Hail, Thoth, who madest Osiris victorious over his enemies, make thou the Osiris (4) Ani to be victorious over his enemies in the presence of the great divine beings who are in Tattu, on the night of making the Tat to stand up in Tattu." [1.
I.e.
, the Fields of Peace.
2.
The words are explained to mean, "the daybreak on the sarcophagus of Osiris." 3.
This section, omitted in the Ani papyrus, is supplied from the papyrus of Nebseni.
4.
This god is omitted from the copy of this chapter given on Plate XXIII.] §B.
Vignette: The gods Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Horus.
Text: (1) The great godlike rulers in Tattu are Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Horus, the avenger of his father.
Now the "night of making the Tat to stand (2) Up in Tattu" signifieth [the lifting up of] the arm and shoulder of Osiris, lord of Sekhem; and these gods stand behind Osiris [to protect him] even as the swathings; which clothe him.
(3) "Hail, Thoth, who madest Osiris victorious over his enemies, make thou the Osiris Ani triumphant over his enemies (4) in the presence of the great godlike rulers who are in Sekhem, on the night of the things of the night [festival] in Sekhem." §C.
Vignette: The gods Osiris and Horus, two utchats upon pylons, and the god Thoth.
Text: (1) The great godlike rulers who are in Sekhem are Horus, who is without sight, and Thoth, who is with the godlike rulers in Naarerutf.
(2) Now the "night of the things of the night festival in Sekhem" signifieth the light of the rising sun on the coffin of Osiris.
"Hail, Thoth, who madest Osiris victorious (3) over his enemies, make thou the Osiris Ani triumphant over his enemies in the presence of the great godlike rulers in Pe and Tep, on the (4) night of setting up the columns of Horus, and of making him to be established the heir of the things which belonged to his father." §D.
The Egyptian principle of truth, balance, and right order underlying both the cosmos and human conduct; the parallel to Zoroastrian asha and Greek dike.
The vignettes explicitly feature the feathers of Maat surmounting the pylon, symbolizing the cosmic order required for the deceased's success.
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 text repeatedly petitions Thoth to 'make thou the Osiris Ani,' indicating a process where the deceased is transformed into or identified with the god.
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.
The passage describes ritual spells and vignettes intended to actively engage divine powers to secure victory over enemies in the afterlife.