THE BOOK OF THE DEAD

The Papyrus of Ani

by

E. A. WALLIS BUDGE

Late keeper of Assyrian and Egyptian Antiquities
in the British Museum

[1895]

FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

In illustration of the ceremonies which accompanied the burial of the dead
the reader will find extracts from different texts printed in the Appendix on
p. 264 ff. To these may be added an extract from the curious ritual which was
in vogue in the Vth and VIth dynasties, and which commemorated the ceremonies
which were performed for the god Osiris. It is to be noticed how closely the deceased
is identified with Osiris, the type of incorruptibility. Osiris takes upon himself
“all that is hateful” in the dead : that is, he adopts the burden of his sins;
and the dead is purified by the typical sprinkling of water. While the gods are
only accompanied by their ka’s, the deceased, in right of his identification with
a higher power, is accompanied by his Tet also, that is, by his Osiris.

Throughout the ceremony, the Eye of Horus, which is represented by various
substances, plays a prominent part, for it is that which gives vigour to the heart
of the dead and leads him to the god. That portion of the ceremony which was believed
to procure the unlocking of the jaws and the opening of the mouth of the deceased,
or of the statue which sometimes represented him, was performed after the purification
by water and incense had been effected; and hereby was he enabled to partake of
the meat and drink offerings, wherein the friends and relatives also participated,
in order that they might cement and seal their mystic unity with the dead and
with the god with whom he was identified.

Certain formulae were directed to be repeated four times: a direction which
takes us back to the time when the Egyptians first divided the world into four
parts, each corresponding to one of the four pillars which held up the sky, that
is to say, to one of the four cardinal points, East, South, West, and North, presided
over by a special god. The deceased sought to obtain the assistance of each of
the four gods of the cardinal points, and to have the right to roam about in his
district; hence the formula was repeated four times. Originally four animals or
four geese were sacrificed, one to each god, but subsequently East and North,
and West and South were paired, and two bulls (or birds) only were sacrificed,
one of which was called the Bull of the North,[*] and the other the Bull of the
South. The custom of four-fold repetition continued to the Ptolema times[+]
and even later.

The priest whose official title was kher heb, recited the prayers, and the
sem or setem priest presented the prescribed offerings. The rubrical directions
are given on the margin for the sake of clearness.

“O Osiris,[++] all that is hateful in Unas hath been brought unto thee, and
all the evil words which have been spoken in his name. Come, O Thoth, and take
them unto Osiris, bring all the evil words which have been spoken and place them
in the hollow of thy hand; thou shalt not escape therefrom, thou shalt not escape
therefrom. Whosoever marcheth, marcheth with his ka. Horus marcheth with his ka,
Set marcheth with his ka, Thoth marcheth with his ka, Sep marcheth with his ka,
Osiris marcheth with his ka, Khent-maati marcheth with his ka; and thy tet shall
march with thy ka. Hail, Unas, the hand of thy ka is before thee. Hail, Unas,
the hand of thy ka is behind thee. Hail, Unas, the leg of thy ka is before thee.
Hail, Unas, the leg of thy ka is behind thee. Osiris Unas, I have given unto thee
the Eye of Horus, and thy face is filled therewith, and the perfume thereof spreadeth
over thee. The libations which are poured out by thy son, which are poured out
by Horus, are for thee, O Osiris, and they are for thee O Unas. I have come, and
I have brought unto thee the Eye of Horus that thou mayest refresh thy heart therewith,
I have placed it beneath thy feet, and I give unto thee whatsoever hath come forth
from thy body that thy heart may not cease to beat through [the want] thereof.
Thy voice shall never depart from thee, thy voice shall never depart from thee.

“[Here is] unguent, [here is] unguent. Open thy mouth, O Unas, and taste the
taste of the scent which is in the holy habitations. This scent is that which
distilleth from Horus, this scent is that which distilleth from Set, and it is
that which stablisheth the hearts of the two Horus gods. Thou purifiest thyself
with the Heru-shesu;[*] thou art purified with natron, and Horus is purified with
natron; thou art purified with natron, and Set is purified with natron; thou art
purified with natron, and Thoth is purified with natron; thou art purified with
natron, and Sep is purified with natron; thou art purified with natron, and art
established among them, and thy mouth is [as pure] as the mouth of a sucking calf
on the day of its birth. Thou art purified with natron, and Horus is purified
with natron; thou art purified with natron, and Set is purified with natron; [thou
art purified with natron] and Thoth is purified with natron; thou art purified
with natron, and Sep is purified with natron; thy ka is purified with natron,
and thou art pure, thou art pure, thou art pure, thou art pure. Thou art stablished
among the gods thy brethren, thy head is purified for thee with natron, thy bones
are washed clean with water, and thou thyself art made perfect with all that belongeth
unto thee. O Osiris, I have given unto thee the Eye of Horus, thy face is filled
therewith, and the perfume thereof spreadeth over thee.

“Hail, Unas, thy two jaws are unlocked. Hail, Unas, the two gods have opened
thy mouth. O Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, and Horus cometh
thereunto; it is brought unto thee, and placed in thy mouth. Hail, Unas, the nipples
of the bosom of Horus have been given unto thee, and thou hast taken in thy mouth
the breast of thy sister Isis, and the milk which floweth from thy mother is poured
into thy mouth.

“Thou hast gotten possession of the two eyes of Horus, the white and the black,
thou hast taken them unto thyself and they illumine thy face. The day hath made
an offering unto thee in heaven, and the East and the West are at peace with thee;
the night hath made an offering unto thee, and the North and the South are at
peace with thee. These are the offerings which are brought unto thee, the offerings
which thou seest, the offerings which thou hearest, the offerings which are before
thee, the offerings which are behind thee, the offerings which are with thee.
O Osiris Unas, the white teeth of Horus are given unto thee that thou mayest fill
thy mouth therewith. A royal offering to the ka of Unas.. O Osiris Unas, the Eye
of Horus hath been given unto thee, and thou livest, and a thou art. O Osiris
Unas, the Eye of Horus which strove with Set hath been given unto thee,
and thou hast lifted it to thy lips, and thy mouth is opened thereby. O Osiris
Unas, thy mouth is opened by that with which thou art filled. O Osiris Unas, that
which hath distilled from thee hath been given unto thee. O Ra, may all the praise
which thou receivest in heaven be in praise of Unas, and may all that belongeth
unto thy body belong unto the ka of Unas, and may all that belongeth unto his
body belong unto thee. O Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, that
thou mayest be able to taste, and that thou mayest illumine the night. O Unas,
the Eye of Horus hath been given to thee that it may embrace thee. O Unas, the
Eye of Horus which strove with Set hath been, given unto thee, in order that the
opening of thy mouth may be caused thereby. O Unas, that which flowed from Osiris
hath been given unto thee. O Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee,
in order that without the help of iron thy mouth may be set free. O Unas, the
Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, in order that thy face may be adorned
therewith. O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus hath sprinkled oil upon thee. O Osiris
Unas, that which hath been pressed out of thy face hath been given unto thee.
O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, in order that it may
shave (?) thee. O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given unto thee, in
order that it may anoint thee. O Osiris Unas, the Eye of Horus hath been given
unto thee, in order that it may lead thee unto the gods. O all ye unguents, be
ye laid out before your Horus, and make ye him strong. Cause him to gain the mastery
over his body, and make his eyes to be opened. May all the shining beings see
him, may they hear his name, for the Eye of Horus hath been brought, in order
that it may be placed before Osiris Unas. O Osiris Unas, the two Eyes of Horus
have been laid like paint upon thy face.

“O clothe thyself in peace! Put thou on thy apparel in peace! May Tatet put
on apparel in peace! Hail, Eye of Horus, in Tep, in peace! Hail, Eye of Horus,
in the houses of Nit, in peace. Receive thou white apparel. O grant that the two
lands which rejoiced to do homage unto Horus may do homage unto Set; and grant
that the two lands which stood in awe of Set may stand in awe of Unas. Dwell thou
with Unas as his god, open thou a path for him among the, shining ones, and stablish
thou him among them.”