The Egyptian Heaven and Hell · 63 of 96 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 15 (part 1)
p.
140 CHAPTER IX.
FOURTH DIVISION OF THE TUAT.
II.
THE KINGDOM OF KHENTI-AMENTI-OSIRIS ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF GATES.
THE pictures and texts of this DIVISION, or HOUR, in the BOOK OF GATES vary considerably from those in the BOOK-AM-TUAT.
The god AFU-RA.
appears in his Boat as before with SA and HEKAU, and four gods tow him on his way; he has passed through the Gate which is called NEBT-TCHEFAU, and its guardian serpent TCHETBI has in no way resisted his progress.
The region now entered by AFU-RA has no connexion with the Land of Seker, and it appears to be a continuation of the dominions Of KHENTI-AMENTI.
Immediately in front of the boat are nine sepulchres, each containing a god in mummied form; these are the "gods who are in the following of Osiris, who dwell in their caves" (vol.
ii., p.
123).
Next come the twelve Hour-goddesses who stand in two groups; between the groups is the monster serpent HERERET, which spawns twelve serpents to be consumed by the Twelve Hour-goddesses.
As AFU-RA goes on his way he adjures the Tuat gods to take p.
141 him to the eastern part of heaven, so that he may visit the habitations of the god ARES, (or SAR), and when he has come to them, he orders the doors to open, and raises up the beings therein whose "souls are broken," and allots to them meat and drink.
The Hour-goddesses are the daughters of RA, and their work is to guide their father through the night; six of them represent the first six hours of the night, and the other six the last six.
These are here (vol.
ii., p.
123) depicted together, whilst in the BOOK AM-TUAT each appears in the boat of AFU-RA in the Hour to which she belongs.
On the right of AFU-RA are the Twelve gods who "carry their doubles" (vol.
ii., p.
131) and who live upon the offerings which are made to them and upon what is given to them by TESERT-BAIU, i.e., the place of holy souls.
Their duty is to offer their kau or doubles to the god, whom they address as the "lord of years and of everlastingness which hath no diminution" (vol.
ii., p.
130).
Beyond these gods are two lakes, viz., the LAKE OF LIFE, and the LAKE OF THE LIVING URAEI.
Round the LAKE OF LIFE stand twelve jackal-headed gods who invite AFU-RA to bathe in it, even as the "lord of the gods" did, and who state that the souls of the dead do not come near it because it is holy.
When he passes out of this DIVISION they lift up their voices in lamentation (vol.
ii., p.
132).
The LIVING URAEI turn back the souls from their Lake, and the mere sound of p.
142 the words which they utter destroys the shadows of the dead who have succeeded in coming near it.
They preserve with great care the flames and fire which are in them, so that they may hurl them at the enemies of AFU-RA.
In the course of his journey through this HOUR AFU-RA passes the shrine of KHENTI-AMENTI, the ancient god of Abydos, which is seen on the left (vol.
ii., p.
137); he is in mummied form, wears the white crown, as befits a god of the South, and stands on a serpent.
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] The gods are described with human-like physical attributes and actions, such as emitting flames from their mouths, eating blood, cutting bodies on blocks, and singing hymns.
[auto] The passage explicitly describes the journey of AFU-RA through the Tuat (underworld), invoking gods for assistance in navigating corridors and regions associated with death.
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.
Knowledge of specific pictures and divisions is believed to secure divine offerings and protect the body.