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DOI Artikel:Blackman, Aylward M.: On the reading of njswt as "Ny-S̓W·T"
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12741#0079
ON THE READING OF 1 ^ AS "NY-SW T "
69
ON THE READING OF T AS "NY-SW T"
T aa/wvn
by
Aylward M. Blackman
Professor Sethe's reading of 1 as ny-êw-t (Â. Z., 49, pp. 15-34) is strangely
T aaaaaa
considérée! doubtful by Dr. Eduard Meyer, Geschichte des Altertums (dritte Auf-
lage), p. 112, who prefers still to read the group as "suteni" followed, however, by a
saving (?). _But as Spiegelberg, A. Z., 50, p. 124/5, lias shewn, the reading ny-êw-t
alone can explain why occurs several times in Catal. Turin, I, p. 232,
No. 1854, as a variant writing of ^fjçj (ny-éw • t-by • t) used as a personal name.
Further support of Sethe's conclusions is to be found in the following passage
in the Pyramid Texts' :— q^^™ è§| J^lll Q-o™ ^/ | D
U~ U 2<=>2^-%- /1?D1 " (Pyr., § 724 a, b) "The dread of him is in
the hearts of the gods like the Northern Crown (n-t) which is upon the king of Lower
Egypt (by-t[y]), like the Southern Crown (mysw-t) which is upon the king of Upper
Egypt {ny-êw-t)Here Sethe's reading ny-êw-t produces the required assonance
between mysw-t and ny-êw-t, corresponding to that between n-t and by-t[y], whereas
by reading I as êtn or êtny this assonance2, and therefore much of the force of
I aaaaaa
the passage, is lost.
Ny-êw-t, as Sethe points out (op. cit., p. 18/9), means "belonging to the êw-t-
plant", the êw-t being the badge of Upper Egypt. One would suppose, despite the
fact that it is written not with 1 but with —h—, that my-sw-t, which again occurs in
Pyr., § 753 b, is likewise a derivative of êw-t, my being a prefix (similar to m in
k. ( tnfkl-t, etc.; see Erman, Gramm.3, §§ 183-185)3. If that is the case
I_I o o o
then we have yet another instance in the Pyramid Texts of —«— being substituted
for 1 (see À. Z., 49, p. 22), thus affording further support to Sethe's contention that
ma/w\ ^\ c\ aaaaaa c\ *~t ^
J^- (var. jj^^/p nsw ^s on^y an°ther way of writing ^ (id., pp. 21-23).
1. This passage has apparently escaped Sethe's notice, for he does not refer to it in his above mentioned
article on !
T awwv n XY7 —n -f\
2. The fact that in § 724 c the assonance between Q <=> hnsk-t and /ww\a v\ ooo mntœ lies
a awwi v_^6 & g > _zr
in the Jîrst syllable of the two words is very significant.
3. Gardiner is inclined to think that ^ —«—^> q ^/j^ is not a derivative of siv-t, as ^ and i » only
appear to be used in /n£/n-formations when either a) the first radical of the stem is i, or fi) when the flrst ra-
dical becomes i by assimilation (see his note on Sinuhe, B 134, in Rec. de Trac, 33, p. 75).
69
ON THE READING OF T AS "NY-SW T"
T aa/wvn
by
Aylward M. Blackman
Professor Sethe's reading of 1 as ny-êw-t (Â. Z., 49, pp. 15-34) is strangely
T aaaaaa
considérée! doubtful by Dr. Eduard Meyer, Geschichte des Altertums (dritte Auf-
lage), p. 112, who prefers still to read the group as "suteni" followed, however, by a
saving (?). _But as Spiegelberg, A. Z., 50, p. 124/5, lias shewn, the reading ny-êw-t
alone can explain why occurs several times in Catal. Turin, I, p. 232,
No. 1854, as a variant writing of ^fjçj (ny-éw • t-by • t) used as a personal name.
Further support of Sethe's conclusions is to be found in the following passage
in the Pyramid Texts' :— q^^™ è§| J^lll Q-o™ ^/ | D
U~ U 2<=>2^-%- /1?D1 " (Pyr., § 724 a, b) "The dread of him is in
the hearts of the gods like the Northern Crown (n-t) which is upon the king of Lower
Egypt (by-t[y]), like the Southern Crown (mysw-t) which is upon the king of Upper
Egypt {ny-êw-t)Here Sethe's reading ny-êw-t produces the required assonance
between mysw-t and ny-êw-t, corresponding to that between n-t and by-t[y], whereas
by reading I as êtn or êtny this assonance2, and therefore much of the force of
I aaaaaa
the passage, is lost.
Ny-êw-t, as Sethe points out (op. cit., p. 18/9), means "belonging to the êw-t-
plant", the êw-t being the badge of Upper Egypt. One would suppose, despite the
fact that it is written not with 1 but with —h—, that my-sw-t, which again occurs in
Pyr., § 753 b, is likewise a derivative of êw-t, my being a prefix (similar to m in
k. ( tnfkl-t, etc.; see Erman, Gramm.3, §§ 183-185)3. If that is the case
I_I o o o
then we have yet another instance in the Pyramid Texts of —«— being substituted
for 1 (see À. Z., 49, p. 22), thus affording further support to Sethe's contention that
ma/w\ ^\ c\ aaaaaa c\ *~t ^
J^- (var. jj^^/p nsw ^s on^y an°ther way of writing ^ (id., pp. 21-23).
1. This passage has apparently escaped Sethe's notice, for he does not refer to it in his above mentioned
article on !
T awwv n XY7 —n -f\
2. The fact that in § 724 c the assonance between Q <=> hnsk-t and /ww\a v\ ooo mntœ lies
a awwi v_^6 & g > _zr
in the Jîrst syllable of the two words is very significant.
3. Gardiner is inclined to think that ^ —«—^> q ^/j^ is not a derivative of siv-t, as ^ and i » only
appear to be used in /n£/n-formations when either a) the first radical of the stem is i, or fi) when the flrst ra-
dical becomes i by assimilation (see his note on Sinuhe, B 134, in Rec. de Trac, 33, p. 75).