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The Egyptian Heaven and Hell · 19 of 96 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 5 (part 2)

From another place in the same papyrus, 1 and from other papyri, we learn that the "Secret Gates of the House of Osiris in Sekhet-Aaru" were twenty-one in number; the Chapter (CXLVI.) gives the name of each Gate, and also that of each Gatekeeper up to No. X., thus:-- I. Gate . NEBT-SETAU-QAT-SEBT-HERT-NEBT-KHEBKHEBT-SERT-METU-KHESEFET-NESHENIU-NEHEMET-UAI-EN-I-UAU. p. 32 Gatekeeper . NERI. II. Gate . NEBT-PET-HENT-TAUI-NESBIT-NEBT-TEMEMU-TENT-BU-NEBU. Gatekeeper . MES-PEH. (or, MES-PTAH). Click to view Gate I . Click to view Gate II . III. Gate . NEBT-KHAUT-AAT-AABET-SENETCHEMET-NETER-NEB-AM-S-HRU-KHENT-ER-ABTU. Gatekeeper . ERTAT-SEBANQA. IV. Gate . SEKHEMET-TESU-HENT-TAUI-HETCHET-KHEFTI-NU-URT-AB-ARIT-SARU-SHUT-EM-AU. Gatekeeper . NEKAU. p. 33 Click to view Gate III . Click to view Gate IV . V. Gate . NEBT-REKHU-RESHT-TEBHET-TATU-AN-AQ-ERES-UN-TEP-F. Gatekeeper . HENTI-REQU. Click to view Gate V . Click to view Gate VI . p. 34 VI. Gate . NEBT-SENKET-AAT-HEMHEMET-AN-REKH-TU-QA-S-ER-USEKH-S-AN-QEMTU-QET-S-EM-SHAA-AU-HEFU-HER-S-AN-REKH-TENNU-MES-EN-THU-KHER-HAT-URTU-AB. Gatekeeper . SMAMTI. Click to view Gate VII . Click to view Gate VIII . VII. Gate . AKKIT-HEBSET-BAK-AAKEBIT-MERT-SEHAP-KHAT. Gatekeeper . AKENTI. VIII. Gate . REKHET-BESU-AKHMET-TCHAFU-SEPT-PAU-KHAT-TET-SMAM-AN-NETCHNETCH-ATET-SESH-HER-S-EN-SENT-NAH-S. Gatekeeper . KHU-TCHET-F. p. 35 IX. Gate . AMT-HAT-NEBT-USER-HERT-AB-MESTET-NEB-S-KHEMT-SHAA-. . . .-EM-SHEN-S-SATU-EM-UATCHET-QEMA-THESET-BES-HEBSET-BAK-FEQAT-NEB-S-RA-NEB. Gatekeeper . TCHESEF. Click to view Gate IX . Click to view Gate X . X. Gate . QAT-KHERU-NEHESET-TENATU-SEBHET-ER-QA-EN-KHERU-S-NERT-NEBT-SHEFSHEFT-AN-TER-S-NETET-EM-KHENNU-S. Gatekeeper . SEKHEN-UR. XI. Gate . NEMT-TESU-UBTET-SEBAU-HENT-ENT-SEBKHET-NEBT-ARU-NES-AHEHI-HRU-EN-ANKHEKH. 1 p. 36 XII. Gate .
Themes
◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The designation of the gates as 'Secret' points to the concealed nature of the divine pathways.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Possession of the specific names and knowledge of the gates is required for successful passage, functioning as salvific knowledge.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The gates are explicitly described as 'Secret,' implying esoteric knowledge reserved for those who can access the afterlife.

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◆Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The passage emphasizes the specific number of gates (twenty-one) and their sequential ordering from I to XII.

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◆Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

It describes the guided passage of the soul through specific afterlife realms guarded by named entities.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

The progression through the gates represents a staged journey toward the divine realm of Osiris.

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◇Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage is an excerpt from a papyrus detailing the specific gates and gatekeepers required to navigate the afterlife journey to Sekhet-Aaru.

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◇Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] The text primarily consists of the cryptic, powerful names of gates and gatekeepers, which are essential for access in Egyptian magical-religious practice.

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