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Book of the Dead

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The heart of Osiris hath in very truth been weighed, and his Heart-soul hath borne testimony on his behalf; his heart hath been found right by the trial in the Great Balance.

The Book of the Dead is the name given to an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC. "Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1,000 years. In 1842, the Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius introduced for these texts the German name Todtenbuch (modern spelling Totenbuch), translated to English as 'Book of the Dead'. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw, is translated as Spells of Coming Forth by Day.

Quotes

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  • Hail to you, gods!
    I know you, I know your names.
    I shall not fall in fear of you,
    You shall not accuse me of crime to this god whom you follow!
    No misfortune shall befall me on your account!
    You shall speak rightly about me before the All-Lord,
    For I have acted rightly in Egypt.
    I have not cursed a god, I have not been faulted.
    [...]
    Behold me, I have come to you,
    Without sin, without guilt, without evil,
    Without a witness against me,
    Without one whom I have wronged.
    I live on maat, I feed on maat,
    I have done what people speak of,
    What the gods are pleased with,
    I have contented a god with what he wishes.
    I have given bread to the hungry,
    Water to the thirsty,
    Clothes to the naked,
    A ferryboat to the boatless.
    I have given divine offerings to the gods,
    Invocation-offerings to the dead.
    Rescue me, protect me,
    Do not accuse me before the great god!
    I am one pure of mouth, pure of hands,
    One to whom "welcome" is said by those who see him.
    • "The Address to the Gods", translated by Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, vol. 2: The New Kingdom (U of California P, 1976) p. 128

Papyrus of Ani

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Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, The Papyrus of Ani: A Reproduction in Facsimile, vol. 2 (1913)
Let there be prepared for me a seat in the boat of the Sun on the day whereon the god saileth.
  • Homage to thee, O thou who hast come as Khepera, Khepera the creator of the gods, Thou art seated on thy throne, thou risest up in the sky, illumining thy mother [Nut], thou art seated on thy throne as the king of the gods.
    • "A Hymn to Ra When He Rises in Heaven"
  • Let there be prepared for me a seat in the Boat of the Sun on the day whereon the god saileth.
    • "A Hymn to Ra When He Rises in Heaven"
  • Homage to thee, O Bull of Amentet, Thoth the king of eternity is with me. I am the great god by the side of the divine boat, I have fought for thee, I am one of those gods, those divine chiefs, who proved the truth-speaking of Osiris before his enemies on the day of the weighing of words. I am thy kinsman Osiris.
    • "The Coming Forth by Day"
  • The heart of Osiris hath in very truth been weighed, and his Heart-soul hath borne testimony on his behalf; his heart hath been found right by the trial in the Great Balance. There hath not been found any wickedness in him; he hath not wasted the offerings which have been made in the temples; he hath not committed any evil act; and he hath not set his mouth in motion with words of evil whilst he was upon earth.
    • "The Weighing of the Heart of Ani", "The Speech of Thoth"
  • I have not spoken that which is not true knowingly, nor have I done anything with a false heart. Grant thou that I may be like unto those favoured ones who are in thy following, and that I may be an Osiris greatly favoured of the beautiful god, and beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands, I who am a veritable royal scribe who loveth thee, Ani, whose word is true before the god Osiris.
    • "The Weighing of the Heart of Ani", "The Speech of Ani"
  • I am Ra, who stablisheth those who praise him. I am the Knot of the god in the Aser tree, the twice beautiful one, who is more splendid to-day than yesterday. I am Ra, who stablisheth those who praise him. I am the Knot of the god within the Aser tree, and my appearance is the appearance [of Ra] on this day.
    My hair is the hair of Nu. My face is the face of the Disk. My eyes are the eyes of Hathor. My ears are the ears of Up-uat.
    • "Repulsing Slaughter in Hensu"
  • I am he who protecteth you for millions of years. Whether ye be denizens of heaven, or of the earth, or of the South, or of the North, or of the East, or of the West, the fear of me is in your bodies. I am he whose being hath been wrought in his eye. I shall not die again. My moment is in your bodies, but my forms are in my place of habitation. I am "He who cannot be known." The Red Fiends have their faces directed against me. I am the unveiled one. The period when the heavens were created for me and were enlarged the bounds of earth, and multiplied the progeny thereof, cannot be found out. They shall fail and not be united again. By reason of the speech which I address to you, my name setteth itself apart from all things evil which are in the mouths of men. I am he who riseth and shineth, a wall which cometh out of a wall, an only One who proceedeth from an only One. There is never a day that passeth without the things which appertain unto him being therein; passing, passing, passing, passing. Verily I say unto thee, I am the Plant which cometh forth from Nu, and my mother is Nut. Hail, my creator, I am he who hath no power to walk, the Great Knot who dwelleth in Yesterday. The might of my strength is within my hand, I am not known [by thee], but I am he who knoweth thee. I cannot be held in the hand, but I am he who can hold thee in his hand. Hail, O Egg! Hail, O Egg! I am Horus who liveth for millions of years, whose flame shineth upon you, and bringeth your hearts unto me. I am master of my throne. I advance at this season. I have opened a path. I have delivered myself from all evil things.
    • "Repulsing Slaughter in Hensu"
  • Hail, my Lord, who dost hasten through eternity, whose existence is for ever, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Sovereign, King of the gods, who live in their shrine.
    • "Hymn to Osiris Khenti-Amenti Un-Nefer"
  • The Eye of Horus protecteth thee, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti, and it keepeth thee in safety; it casteth down headlong all thine enemies for thee, and all thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee.
    • "The Four Holy Torches"

See also

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