DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4689#0028
THE OSIREION.
The Gate it is of entrance before the souls who are
in Amentet after entering this gate of Amentet. He
rises behind this great god.
The long line of inscription at the extreme right
of the page begins the next scene : " This great god
arrives at this pylon. The gods, who are in it,
worship him."
Then comes the picture of a structure which has
given the name of " Book of Gates" to this portion
of the religious literature of Egypt. The Duat was
divided into twelve parts, corresponding with the
twelve hours of the night; at the end of each hour
was a gate through which the sun passed in his nightly
journey through the Duat. The gate itself was a
narrow passage between high walls, on the tops of
which was the /t/zc/iW-ornament forming a sort of
chevaux-de-frise. The name of this gate, which is
partly obliterated, can be restored as Zesert-bait,
" Sacred of souls," from the sarcophagus of Sety I.
A human guardian stands at the entrance and the
exit, the one at the top holds a knife and is called
Bay ; the rest of the hieroglyphs read, " He stretches
out his two hands unto Ra, kindling a spark for Ra."
At the angles are two serpents, from whose mouths
flow a continuous stream, of poison. Beside the gate
are two tall poles surmounted by human heads ; these
are respectively Rhepera and Atum, the morning sun
and evening sun; their names being inscribed above
their heads. The line of hieroglyphs between them
reads: "They stand upon their heads. They are
upon their long poles, standing upon them at the
gate in the earth.'''
20. Pl. XIV. This scene shows the eleventh
division of the Duat or Other World. It occurs in
other places, but perhaps one of the best representa-
tions is on the sarcophagus of Sety I. The scene is
divided, as is usual, into three registers; the middle
one (B) representing the way of the solar boat, which
is preceded by various divinities, the upper (A) and
lower (C) registers represent the banks of the river
on which the boat floats.
A. A crocodile-headed god leads the way ; he"
holds an 7/w.r-sceptre in his right hand, and in his
left, which is behind his back, is a serpent with its
head erect. His name is Sebek-er, or, according to
M. Lefebure {Rec. of Past, xii, n), Sebek-Ra. Eight
women seated on coiled serpents, one hand resting
on the serpent's head, the other holding a star.
These are the stars of dawn, and are called " All the
stars which are in Nut."
*Three hawk-headed figures standing. Their
names are Sopd, an almost obliterated word, which
reads Shenebt on the sarcophagus of Sety, and He
who is in the Double Boat. Four ram-headed
figures standing, called respectively, Rhnum, Pe-
neter, Dend, and Ba.* The inscription is the same
as that on the sarcophagus of Sety, which has been
translated by M. Lefebure {Rec. of Past, xii, 12).
"......not arrives Ra. Those who are in
this scene, their sceptres are in their hands, it is they
who make firm the shrine, their two arms being at
the side of the body which is in the Double Boat of
the god, after issuing from the gate of the land of
Sma. They place the oars in heaven [when] the
hour which is in front [i.e. the future] comes into
being........Those who are in this scene,
their serpents being under them, their hands holding
stars, they issue from the double sanctuary of this
great god, two to the east and two to the west. It
is they who worship their souls of the east. They
offer praises to this god, they worship him after his
going forth, and Sedeti [when] he issues in his shapes.
It is they who lead this god, they adore this god,
they..........to them, their serpents rising
upwards behind him in this scene. He advances at
their advance, they take their station before this god.
They turn round the gods at this gate......of
Amentet." The meaning of the concluding sentence
is not clear; I have therefore not translated it.
B. A god standing, holding an uas-sceptre in one
hand and an ankh in the other. His name is Scbeklui,
" He of the Pylon." Two women standing, wearing
the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Their
names are not at all clear in meaning, and the
sarcophagus of Sety gives no help.
Four monkeys, each holding a gigantic hand, Mesu
uaut, " The children of the roads." Then comes a
snake chained to the earth with four chains fastened
with hooks shaped like the hieroglyph for S. This
is Apep, the serpent of evil, the enemy of Osiris and
the gods. *Advancing towards him are eight figures,
four jackal-headed and four human-headed, each
carrying a knife and a hook of the shape like the
hooks which fasten Apep.* The inscription reads :
" . . . . the children when they strike him, they
rest in Nut. Those who are in this scene, they spread
out his chains. It is that his teeth are in heaven,
* All figures which occur between asterisks * are put in from
notes, the inscriptions on this plate are also from a hand copy
and are not in fac-simile.
• n is wi
^iniuslef
1 0» *e sar<
;1 nt Then:
Fcrnienbow.
*******
^tk crown of Ui
ihdQScription reads:
feareia their pla
,5,i»ri?Ra'Sre:
. Their sou
bodies rema
sMithis scene raise
isiiko! Ra when
-; wd behind 1
Si place. Those '
ikj who fix t
i tie years to (
ins of the deso
is; Ones in he
ifA Those who
3 ik uncovered ai
- M. The
' ring not ii
they wok
--to adore him
the Du;
^ Places. The\
■ i thee
•"• the
:°Vthp;
w'^tha
2S*
1 wa3
Po
' as 0
The Gate it is of entrance before the souls who are
in Amentet after entering this gate of Amentet. He
rises behind this great god.
The long line of inscription at the extreme right
of the page begins the next scene : " This great god
arrives at this pylon. The gods, who are in it,
worship him."
Then comes the picture of a structure which has
given the name of " Book of Gates" to this portion
of the religious literature of Egypt. The Duat was
divided into twelve parts, corresponding with the
twelve hours of the night; at the end of each hour
was a gate through which the sun passed in his nightly
journey through the Duat. The gate itself was a
narrow passage between high walls, on the tops of
which was the /t/zc/iW-ornament forming a sort of
chevaux-de-frise. The name of this gate, which is
partly obliterated, can be restored as Zesert-bait,
" Sacred of souls," from the sarcophagus of Sety I.
A human guardian stands at the entrance and the
exit, the one at the top holds a knife and is called
Bay ; the rest of the hieroglyphs read, " He stretches
out his two hands unto Ra, kindling a spark for Ra."
At the angles are two serpents, from whose mouths
flow a continuous stream, of poison. Beside the gate
are two tall poles surmounted by human heads ; these
are respectively Rhepera and Atum, the morning sun
and evening sun; their names being inscribed above
their heads. The line of hieroglyphs between them
reads: "They stand upon their heads. They are
upon their long poles, standing upon them at the
gate in the earth.'''
20. Pl. XIV. This scene shows the eleventh
division of the Duat or Other World. It occurs in
other places, but perhaps one of the best representa-
tions is on the sarcophagus of Sety I. The scene is
divided, as is usual, into three registers; the middle
one (B) representing the way of the solar boat, which
is preceded by various divinities, the upper (A) and
lower (C) registers represent the banks of the river
on which the boat floats.
A. A crocodile-headed god leads the way ; he"
holds an 7/w.r-sceptre in his right hand, and in his
left, which is behind his back, is a serpent with its
head erect. His name is Sebek-er, or, according to
M. Lefebure {Rec. of Past, xii, n), Sebek-Ra. Eight
women seated on coiled serpents, one hand resting
on the serpent's head, the other holding a star.
These are the stars of dawn, and are called " All the
stars which are in Nut."
*Three hawk-headed figures standing. Their
names are Sopd, an almost obliterated word, which
reads Shenebt on the sarcophagus of Sety, and He
who is in the Double Boat. Four ram-headed
figures standing, called respectively, Rhnum, Pe-
neter, Dend, and Ba.* The inscription is the same
as that on the sarcophagus of Sety, which has been
translated by M. Lefebure {Rec. of Past, xii, 12).
"......not arrives Ra. Those who are in
this scene, their sceptres are in their hands, it is they
who make firm the shrine, their two arms being at
the side of the body which is in the Double Boat of
the god, after issuing from the gate of the land of
Sma. They place the oars in heaven [when] the
hour which is in front [i.e. the future] comes into
being........Those who are in this scene,
their serpents being under them, their hands holding
stars, they issue from the double sanctuary of this
great god, two to the east and two to the west. It
is they who worship their souls of the east. They
offer praises to this god, they worship him after his
going forth, and Sedeti [when] he issues in his shapes.
It is they who lead this god, they adore this god,
they..........to them, their serpents rising
upwards behind him in this scene. He advances at
their advance, they take their station before this god.
They turn round the gods at this gate......of
Amentet." The meaning of the concluding sentence
is not clear; I have therefore not translated it.
B. A god standing, holding an uas-sceptre in one
hand and an ankh in the other. His name is Scbeklui,
" He of the Pylon." Two women standing, wearing
the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Their
names are not at all clear in meaning, and the
sarcophagus of Sety gives no help.
Four monkeys, each holding a gigantic hand, Mesu
uaut, " The children of the roads." Then comes a
snake chained to the earth with four chains fastened
with hooks shaped like the hieroglyph for S. This
is Apep, the serpent of evil, the enemy of Osiris and
the gods. *Advancing towards him are eight figures,
four jackal-headed and four human-headed, each
carrying a knife and a hook of the shape like the
hooks which fasten Apep.* The inscription reads :
" . . . . the children when they strike him, they
rest in Nut. Those who are in this scene, they spread
out his chains. It is that his teeth are in heaven,
* All figures which occur between asterisks * are put in from
notes, the inscriptions on this plate are also from a hand copy
and are not in fac-simile.
• n is wi
^iniuslef
1 0» *e sar<
;1 nt Then:
Fcrnienbow.
*******
^tk crown of Ui
ihdQScription reads:
feareia their pla
,5,i»ri?Ra'Sre:
. Their sou
bodies rema
sMithis scene raise
isiiko! Ra when
-; wd behind 1
Si place. Those '
ikj who fix t
i tie years to (
ins of the deso
is; Ones in he
ifA Those who
3 ik uncovered ai
- M. The
' ring not ii
they wok
--to adore him
the Du;
^ Places. The\
■ i thee
•"• the
:°Vthp;
w'^tha
2S*
1 wa3
Po
' as 0