Popielska-Grzybowska, Joanna [Hrsg.]; Central European Conference of Young Egyptologists <1, 1999, Warszawa> [Hrsg.]: Proceedings of the first Central European Conference of Young Egyptologists: Egypt 1999: perspectives of research, Warsaw 7 - 9 June 1999 (Warsaw, 2001)

Joanna Popielska-Grzybowska
Warsaw

Atum in the Pyramid Texts*

He is one of the most enigmatic and mysteri-
ous gods known from the Pyramid Texts. He is
a demiurge - creator of the world and the first
divine couple, the unparalleled and unique god
who presides over the Great Ennead and whose
name is enduring.

§ 1587a j.nd hr.ktm
§ 1587b j.nd hr.khprr hpr ds.f
§ 1587c kf.k m rn.kpw n kl
§ 1587d hpr.k m rn.kpw n hprr

“Hail to you, Atum!

Hail to you, This-who-is-coming-into-being -
the Self-created!

May you be high in this your name of kS.

May you come into being in this your name This-
who-is-coming-into-being.” (spell587 §1587)'

§ 1652a tm hprr kkn.k m kil
§ 1652b wbn.n.k m bnbn m hwt-bnw m jwnw

* I would like to express my deep indebtedness to Pro-
fessor Karol MYSLIWIEC for his remarks after
a paper delivered in June 1999, for commenting on
this article, for inestimable support and encourage-
ment. No less cordially, I acknowledge my debt to
Mr Dariusz NIEDZIÔLKA and Mr Andrzej CWIEK
for stimulating discussions.

1 Cf. G. MASPERO, La pyramide du roi Pepi II, RecTrav
12 (1892), p. 160; G. JÉQUIER, La Pyramide d’Aba,
Le Caire 1935, (hereinafter referred to as: Aba), pl.
XV, 1. A; L. SPELEERS, Traduction, Index et
Vocabulaire des Textes des Pyramides Egyptiennes,
Paris, Bruxelles 1934 (hereinafter referred to as: Tra-
duction), p. 186; K. SETHE, Die altdgyptischen
Pyramidentexte, vol. II/2, Leipzig 1908-22 (hereinaf-
ter referred to as: Pyramidentexte), p. 344; S.A.B.
MERCER, The Pyramid Texts in Translation and
Commentary, New York-London-Toronto 1952 (here-
inafter referred to as: Pyramid Texts), vol. I, p. 246,
vol. III, pp. 761-762; R.O. FAULKNER, TheAncient

§ 1652c jss. n.k m sw tfn.n.k m tfnt
§ 1653a d.n.k cwj.k hl.sn m cwj ki wn ki.k
jm.sn

§ 1653b tm d.{k) n.k cwj.k Iß NN
§ 1653c Jß Jßi tn fß mr pn m cwj Jß
§ 1653d wm ki n NNjm.f rwd n dt dt

“O Atum-who-is-coming-into-being. When you
became high as the mound, you rose up as the
bnbn in the Mansion of the bird bnw in On,
you sneezed Shu, you spat out Tefnut, and you
set your arms about them as the arms of kl,
that your essence might be in them. O Atum,
set your arms about the king, about this con-
struction, and about this pyramid as the arms
of ki, that the king’s essence may be in it, en-
during for ever and ever.” (spell 600 § 1652-
1653)2

Atum3 appears in the Pyramid Texts in many
different contexts, which would be discussed con-

Egyptian Pyramid Texts, Oxford 1969 (hereinafter re-
ferred to as: Egyptian PT), p. 238; J.P. ALLEN, The
Injlection of the Verb in the Pyramid Texts, BAe 2,
Malibu 1984 (hereinafter referred to as: biflection),
p. 248 § 375C (§ 1587), p. 180, § 290 (§ 1587 b).

2 Cf. G. MASPERO, La pyramide de Mirinrî Ier, RecTrav
10 (1888), p. 7; IDEM, RecTrav 12 (1892), p. 144;
L. SPELEERS, Traduction, pp. 191-192; K. SETHE,
Pyramidentexte, vol. 2.2, pp. 372-373; S.A.B. MER-
CER, Pyramid Texts, vol. I, p. 253, vol. III, pp. 779-
781 ; R.O. FAULKNER, Egyptian PT, p. 246. See also
E. OTTO, Zur Überlieferung eines Pyramidespruches,
Studi in memoria di Ippolito Rosellini nel primo
centenario della morte (4 Giugno 1843 - 4 Giugno
1943), vol. II, pp. 225-237; A.A.H. YOUSSEF, Ety-
mological and Philological Studies, ASAE14 (1999),
pp.83-85.

3 K. MYSLIWIEC, Studien zum Gott Atum, 2 vols.,
HÄB 5 and 8, Hildesheim 1979 (hereinafter referred
to as: Studien), pp. 210-211; IDEM, Iconographic,

115