Garstang, John: Maḥâsna and Bêt Khallâf (London, 1903)

20

REMARKS ON THE INSCRIPTIONS.

of the king," and dua neter ra neb (dwl ntr r< nb),
"he who praises the god [i.e. the king] every day,"
or, "he who daily thanks the king."

K i. 3A. This is the private seal of an official

whose name seems to be
ntrw). f c

(i) He is called o ft. This group however

fl li

occurs in K 2, 11, 12, but reversed, 6 q , consequently

feminine of which is

'W J \N Nez-neteru (Nil-

f

nefer (nfr) " good " must be connected with ankh (<»&)
"life," and neter (ntr) "god" with uz (wd) "com-
mand." (This view is supported by ft. T., II.,
Pl. XXIV., 212, where the signs nefer ankh (nfr lnl})
occur together by themselves in the same relative

position q ). The meaning of the two epithets is

T

perhaps "good in life, a god [or, godlike] in
commanding."

(2) _L Q^ ren nezem (rn ndm). The first

word, written with the phonetic signs ren (rn) and

the sign I , is found, with the masculine termination

« (w>) -- v renu (mw) in seal K 1. 13, and

R. T., II., Pl. XXIV., 213 (reign of King Kha-
sekhemui), where also it occurs as a title or epithet.
The same group of signs, in a different sequence

A. , is to be found on the Palermo stone, in

I AA/WV\

a passage which has been much discussed and,
hitherto, always misunderstood, v\

■rj renent (rnnt) " heifer "
(lb. Suppl. 729), a^aaaa J\ renent (rnnt) " girl"

/www *0 111

(translated irap9evo=; in the Decree of Canopus).

The sign _L in the seals of Bet Khallaf and Abydos

follows, and in the Palermo stone precedes, the
phonetic signs rn. It cannot be used therefore in
these instances in its later phonetic value of ny (nj)
or n, but must be a word-sign for rn. And as the

sign X. m itself represents apparently an unblown

southern plant JU, the original meaning of the word

ren ("child," "young") must have been "a young
plant," " shoot," or " sprout." The title or epithet
ren (rn), renu (rnw), on the sealings is certainly not
this word itself, but rather a derivative of it. From
ren (rn) " child," etc., was derived in the first place

the verb /www g$> renen (rnn) " to suckle," " to bring

/www cil

up." It was written <=> i_i_ in the Old Kingdom,

> g$ rer (rr) in later times (cf. the Greek Traihevu*

from 7rat?). From this verb comes the feminine noun

renent (rnnt) "nurse" (see L., D., III.,

/VWW\

196, 10, rnnt-f "his nurse"), which is written later
reret (rri) or ^ W (the female hippo-

potamus, as nurse of the gods). Apparently it is
this feminine form to which the title ren (rn) renu
{rnw) belongs, and is a synonym for the later word

~"WW '^'^^%%%.%-^%'

Here the word introduces the

\

name of the king's mother Fulfil, and must

mean something like " child " : " King Horus

Neter-en (Ntr-n) the child of Nub...... (Nb......)"

(see the corresponding inscription in the preceding
line of the same monument, where only the end of

the mother's name jjjjj ^ || ......rt remains).

It is obviously identical with the word ^^ ren (rn)
"the young of animals," written in later times

<=> \\ *fej VerU ^rrw) (Brugsch> Dict- geog-y 714),
and ^^ rer (rr) "boy" (demot. Iwl, Copt.
M.voy or aaot, Brugsch, Worterb. 867), the

menay (mnf) "teacher," which is derived
in an exactly similar manner from - meruit

/www ^ V^7

(mn't) "nurse." The whole expression ren nezem
(rn ndm) should therefore mean "pleasant teacher."
(For the archaic form of the sign ^ nezem (ndm) cf.
seals K 1. 15, K 5. 7).

/www V f\

(3) n-=^ T \\ neza (ndj), a form of the verb nez (nd)

"to ask advice," "to make enquiries," "to consult";
perhaps the 3rd pers. sing. masc. of the pseudo-
participle, as a circumstantial clause to the preceding
phrase, "a pleasant teacher, when asked for advice."

(4) ffi ses/t (ss) " scribe." For the writing with

*i------

—•*♦— as sole phonetic complement instead of the

usual ^^ JR sesh (ss) "to write," see —«-

L., D., II., 7 b (Illrd Dyn.).

Thus the whole inscription should be translated

»f ad'

::»!,



>/