DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.30604#0061
TIIE LEGEND OF OSIRIS.
liii
Later in the XVIIIth, or early in the XlXth dynasty, we find Osiris called
“ the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, who traverseth millions of years
“ in the duration of his life, the firstborn son of the womb of Nut, begotten of Seb,
“ the prince of gods and men, the god of gods, the king of kings, the lord of lords,
“ the prince of princes, the governor of the world, from the womb of Nut, whose
“ existence is for everlasting,1 Unnefer of many forms and of many attributes, Tmu
“ in Annu, the lord of Akert,2 the only one, the lord of the land on each side of the
“ celestial Nile.”3
In the XXVIth dynasty and later there grew up a class of literature repre-
“ Seb hath seen thy glorious power, and hath commanded thee to direct the (n) universe for ever and
“ ever by thy hand.
“ Thou hast made this earth by thy hand, and the waters thereof, and the'wind thereof, the herb
“ thereof, all the cattle thereof, all the winged fowl thereof, all the fish thereof, all the creeping things
“ thereof, and all the four-footed beasts thereof. (12) O thou son of Nut, the whole world is gratified
“ when thou ascendest thy father’s throne like Ra. Thou shinest in the horizon, thou sendest forth
“ thy light into the darkness, thou makest the darkness light with thy double plume, and thou floodest
“ the world with light like the (13) Disk at break of day. Thy diadem pierceth heaven and becometh
“ a brother unto the stars, O thou form of every god. Thou art gracious in command and in speech,
“ thou art the favoured one of the great company of the gods, and thou art the greatly beloved one of
“ the lesser company of the gods.
“ Thy sister put forth her protecting power for thee, she scattered abroad those who were her
“ enemies, (14) she drove back evil hap, she pronounced mighty words of power, she made cunning
“ her tongue, and her words failed not. The glorious Isis was perfect in command ana in speech,
“ and she avenged her brother. She sought him without ceasing, (15) she wandered round and round
“ the earth uttering cries of pain, and she rested* not until she had found him. She overshadowed
“ him with her feathers, she made wind with her wings, and she uttered cries at the burial of her
“ brother. (16) She raised up the prostrate form of him whose heart was still, she took fiom him of
“ his essence, she conceived and brought forth a child,t she suckled it in secret (?) and none knew the
“ place thereof; and the arm of the child hath waxed strong in the great house of Seb. (17) The
“ company of the gods rejoiceth and is glad at the coming of Osiris’s son Horus, and firm of heart and
“ ttiumphant is the son of Isis, the heir of Osiris.”J
1 For the text see the papyrus of Ani, pl. ii., and pl. xxxvi., 1. 2.
~ I.e., the underworld.
3 !==4 neb aiebui; see Ani, pl. xix., 1. 9.
E—) xs
* Literally, “ she alighted not,”
J\ ; the whole passage here justifies Plutarch’s statemeni [De Iside
AAAAAA <T
de Osiride, 16) concerning Isis : Avrf/v Se yevojuevrjv %fAidova ry kiovi irEpnrereaQcu nai Qpijveiv.
+ Compare Plutarch, op. cit., § 19: Tf/v S' 'loiv p.era rfjv rtAevrfjv ’OoipiSog avyyevopevov, reKtXv fjXirofirjvov Kal
anQevrj rnlKarwOiv yvioig rov 'ApiroKparrjv.
+ The remainder of the hymn refers to Horus.
Osiris invested with
the attributes of Ra.
liii
Later in the XVIIIth, or early in the XlXth dynasty, we find Osiris called
“ the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, who traverseth millions of years
“ in the duration of his life, the firstborn son of the womb of Nut, begotten of Seb,
“ the prince of gods and men, the god of gods, the king of kings, the lord of lords,
“ the prince of princes, the governor of the world, from the womb of Nut, whose
“ existence is for everlasting,1 Unnefer of many forms and of many attributes, Tmu
“ in Annu, the lord of Akert,2 the only one, the lord of the land on each side of the
“ celestial Nile.”3
In the XXVIth dynasty and later there grew up a class of literature repre-
“ Seb hath seen thy glorious power, and hath commanded thee to direct the (n) universe for ever and
“ ever by thy hand.
“ Thou hast made this earth by thy hand, and the waters thereof, and the'wind thereof, the herb
“ thereof, all the cattle thereof, all the winged fowl thereof, all the fish thereof, all the creeping things
“ thereof, and all the four-footed beasts thereof. (12) O thou son of Nut, the whole world is gratified
“ when thou ascendest thy father’s throne like Ra. Thou shinest in the horizon, thou sendest forth
“ thy light into the darkness, thou makest the darkness light with thy double plume, and thou floodest
“ the world with light like the (13) Disk at break of day. Thy diadem pierceth heaven and becometh
“ a brother unto the stars, O thou form of every god. Thou art gracious in command and in speech,
“ thou art the favoured one of the great company of the gods, and thou art the greatly beloved one of
“ the lesser company of the gods.
“ Thy sister put forth her protecting power for thee, she scattered abroad those who were her
“ enemies, (14) she drove back evil hap, she pronounced mighty words of power, she made cunning
“ her tongue, and her words failed not. The glorious Isis was perfect in command ana in speech,
“ and she avenged her brother. She sought him without ceasing, (15) she wandered round and round
“ the earth uttering cries of pain, and she rested* not until she had found him. She overshadowed
“ him with her feathers, she made wind with her wings, and she uttered cries at the burial of her
“ brother. (16) She raised up the prostrate form of him whose heart was still, she took fiom him of
“ his essence, she conceived and brought forth a child,t she suckled it in secret (?) and none knew the
“ place thereof; and the arm of the child hath waxed strong in the great house of Seb. (17) The
“ company of the gods rejoiceth and is glad at the coming of Osiris’s son Horus, and firm of heart and
“ ttiumphant is the son of Isis, the heir of Osiris.”J
1 For the text see the papyrus of Ani, pl. ii., and pl. xxxvi., 1. 2.
~ I.e., the underworld.
3 !==4 neb aiebui; see Ani, pl. xix., 1. 9.
E—) xs
* Literally, “ she alighted not,”
J\ ; the whole passage here justifies Plutarch’s statemeni [De Iside
AAAAAA <T
de Osiride, 16) concerning Isis : Avrf/v Se yevojuevrjv %fAidova ry kiovi irEpnrereaQcu nai Qpijveiv.
+ Compare Plutarch, op. cit., § 19: Tf/v S' 'loiv p.era rfjv rtAevrfjv ’OoipiSog avyyevopevov, reKtXv fjXirofirjvov Kal
anQevrj rnlKarwOiv yvioig rov 'ApiroKparrjv.
+ The remainder of the hymn refers to Horus.
Osiris invested with
the attributes of Ra.