When the world came into being, there were two rivers, the river of
Egypt and the river of the sky. Great is the Nile, the river of
Egypt, rising in his two caverns in the South beyond the cataract,
flooding the land of Egypt and bringing joy and good harvests to
Ta-mery. Great and mighty is the river of the sky, flowing across
the heavens and through the Duat, the world of night and of thick
darkness, and on that river floats the Boat of Ra. Boat of Millions
of Years is its name, but men call it the Manzet Boat in the dawn,
when Ra rises in splendour on the eastern horizon of heaven; the
Mesektet Boat is it called in the evening, when Ra enters in glory
within the portals of the Duat, where the mountain of Manu lifts its
peaks to the western sky. On the western horizon is the mountain of
Manu. and on the eastern horizon the mountain of Bakhu; vast and
huge are they, raising their crests above the earth, and the sky
rests upon their summits. And on the topmost peak of the mountain of
Bakhu dwells a serpent; thirty cubits in length is he, and his scales
are of flint and of glittering metal. He guards the mountain and the
Great Green Waters, and none can pass by him save Ra in his Boat.
In the evening Ra descends in majesty to the Western horizon of
heaven, to the portals of the Duat at the Gap of Abydos. Splendid is
the Mesektet Boat, glorious its trappings, and its colours are of
amethyst and emerald, jasper and turquoise, lazuli and the lustre of
gold. At the Gap of Abydos waits a company of gods to prepare the
Boat for the journey through the Duat, the land of night and of thick
darkness. Stripped is the Boat of its splendour, bare and without
glory is it when it passes through the portals of the Duat, and in it
is the body of Ra, lifeless and dead.
Then the gods take the great towing-ropes: slowly the Boat moves
along the river. The portals of the Duat are flung wide, and the
twelve goddesses of the night take their place upon the Boat to guide
it through the gloom and perils of the Duat; pilots of the river are
they, and without them not Ra himself could pass through unscathed.
"Watercourse of Ra," is the name of the first country of the Duat.
Sombre is this land, yet not wholly dark; for on either side the
river are six serpents, coiled and with heads erect, and the breath
of their mouths is a flame of fire. In the cabin of the Boat is Ra,
dead and lifeless; in the prow are Up-uaut, the Opener of the Ways,
and Sa, and the goddess of the hour. Round about the cabin are a
company of gods; these are they who guard Ra from all perils and
dangers, and from the attack of the abominable Apep.
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, to regions of
thick darkness, of horror and dismay, where the dead have their
habitations, and Apep lies in wait for the coming of Ra. Thus passes
the first hour of the night, and the second hour is at hand.
At the entrance of every country of the Duat is a gate; tall are the
walls, and narrow is the passage; upon the walls are spearheads,
sharp and pointed, that no man may climb over. The door of the gate
is of wood, turning on a pivot, and a monstrous snake guards the
door. None may pass by him save those only to whom his name is
known. At the turn of the passage are two great hooded snakes, the
one above, the other below. The breath of their mouths is fire and
poison mingled; through the narrow portal on every side they send
forth streams of flame and venom. At either end of the passage
stands a warder, keeping watch.
Then the goddess of the first hour makes way for the goddess of the
second hour, and she calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the
gate. Flung wide are the portals, the fire and poison cease, and the
Boat of Ra passes through.
"Ur-nes" do we name this second country of the Duat, but the Hanebu
and those who inhabit the isles of the Great Green Waters call it
Ouranos. The river is wide and bears on its dark waters four
shallops; no oars have they, neither masts nor rudders, but float
upon the stream and are carried by the current. Mysterious and
strange are they, and the shadowy shapes which fill them have forms
like the forms of men. In this country Ra is Lord and King, and
those who live here are in peace, for none can pass the great hooded
snakes who guard the gates, whose breath is mingled flame and venom.
Happy are those who inhabit this land, for here dwell the spirits of
the corn, Besa and Nepra and Tepu-yn. These are they who make the
wheat and barley to flourish and cause the fruits of the earth to
increase.
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, through regions
of thick darkness, of horror and dismay, where the dead have their
habitation, and Apep lies in wait for the coming of Ra. Thus passes
the second hour of the night, and the third hour is at hand. Then
the goddess of the second hour makes way for the goddess of the third
hour, and she calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate.
Flung wide are the portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Watercourse of the only God" is the name of the third country of the
Duat, and here in the beautiful Amentet is the Kingdom of Osiris. On
either side the river are the great shapes of the gods surrounding
the form of Osiris himself. Enthroned is he, appearing in splendour
as king, with the White Crown of the South Land and the Red Crown of
the North Land upon his head.
Great is Osiris, god of the dead, for all who die come before him for
judgment, and their hearts are weighed in the balance against the
feather of Truth. His throne is set upon a running stream, clear and
deep, and from the waters rises a single lotus-blossom, the colour of
the sky at morning. Upon the blossom stand the four Children of
Horus, they who assist Osiris at the Judgment, who protect the bodies
of the dead. To them belong the South and the North, the West and
the East, and the four great goddesses are their protectors. They
stand upon the lotus-blossom and their faces are towards Osiris; the
first has the face of a man, the second the face of an ape, the third
the face of a jackal, and the fourth the face of a bird of prey.
This is the hour which evil-doers fear; by their own actions are they
judged, and naught can avail them. Heavy is the heart of the
evil-doer and drags down the scale; lower and lower it sinks till it
reaches the jaws of Amemt, the Devourer of Hearts. Then is the
evil-doer driven forth into the thick darkness of the Duat, to dwell
with the abominable Apep and to fall at last into the Pits of Fire.
But some there are who have wrought righteousness upon earth; who
have hurt no man by fraud or violence; who have succoured the widow,
the orphan, and the shipwrecked mariner; who have given food to the
hungry and clothes to the naked; who have not stirred up strife, nor
caused the shedding of tears. When these come to the Judgment of
Osiris, and their hearts are put in the balance, then is the feather
of Truth the heavier. The scale with the feather sinks down, and the
scale with the heart rises up. Then does Thoth, the twice-great,
take the heart and place it again in the breast of the man, and Horus
takes him by the hand and leads him to the foot of the throne of
Osiris that he may dwell in the kingdom of Osiris for ever and for
evermore. And now only can he see the most pure and truly holy
Osiris, for "the souls of men are not able to participate of the
divine nature whilst they are encompassed about with bodies and
passions.... When they are freed from these impediments and remove
into those purer and unseen regions ... 'tis then that this God
becomes their Leader and King; upon him they wholly depend, still
beholding without satiety, and still ardently longing after that
beauty, which 'tis not possible for man to express or think."*
* Plutarch, _De Iside et Oasride_ (Squire's translation).
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, to regions of
thick darkness, of horror and dismay, where the abominable Apep lies
in wait for the coming of Ra, and where the Pits of Fire are prepared
for the wicked. Thus passes the third hour of the night, and the
fourth hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the third hour makes way
for the goddess of the fourth hour, and she calls aloud the name of
the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the portals, and the Boat
of Ra passes through.
"Living one of forms" is the name of the fourth country of the Duat,
and Sokar has dominion in this land. Dreary is the waste of sand,
limitless the desert, gloomy and sombre the landscape. No blade of
grass is seen, no tree, no herbage; naught grows, naught lives, save
monstrous many-headed serpents, gliding along the ground or creeping
upon legs. Terrible are they of aspect as they writhe and turn and
hiss and roar; they raise their hideous crests on high and hold their
dusky wings outspread. But their anger is not towards Ra, and he
passes safely through their midst.
Engulfed is the great river and lost beneath the shifting sands, and
where it ran is now a deep ravine. The walls of rock rise high and
steep, and ever the way winds and turns between the rocks. Men call
this place Re-stau, the Mouth of the Tomb. Even in this gloomy
desert Osiris has dominion; Lord of Re-stau is he called, therefore
none need fear when traversing the narrow path. And now the Boat of
Ra can no longer float upon the water, but is changed into a great
and mighty serpent with glittering scales. At the prow is a
serpent's head with eyes watchful and fierce, at the stern is a
serpent's head with poison-fangs prepared. Over the sand it glides
as a boat glides over the water.
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, through regions
of thick darkness, of horror and dismay, to the place where Apep lies
in wait for the coming of Ra. Thus passes the fourth hour of the
night, and the fifth hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the fourth
hour makes way for the goddess of the fifth hour, and she calls aloud
the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the portals,
and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Hidden" is the name of the fifth country of the Duat, and in this
dark and gloomy region dwells Sokar, its Lord and King, god of those
who are buried. Beside a turn of the winding way is his dwelling
deep below the ground; above it rises a high mountain of sand.
Guarding it on either side are two sphinxes; lions are they in their
bodies, with the faces of men; and their claws are outstretched like
the talons of a beast of prey. In the midst lies a serpent with
three heads, and between his wings stands Sokar in the form of a man
with the head of a hawk. Savage and fierce as a hawk is Sokar, and
terrible is the punishment he metes out to those who rebel against
him. Hard by his dwelling is a lake where the water boils and
bubbles with heat as water boils in a pot. Into the boiling lake are
cast the rebels, and they cry to Ra for help, but Ra lies cold and
lifeless, waiting for the coming of Khepera, and their cries are
unheeded while the Boat passes on its way.
On the farther wall of the ravine is a high and vaulted building, the
home of Night and Darkness. Two birds cling on either side, and
round about it glides a two-headed serpent. He lifts his savage
heads, and his poison is ever ready to strike the rash intruder who
should dare to try to pass. Faithful is his watch, for in the home
of Night and Darkness lives Khepera, the great Soul of the universe,
he whose emblem is the beetle, the god of resurrection. In the form
of a scarab he watches the coming of Ra, and he flies upon the Boat
and awaits there the time when he shall bring Life back to the god.
And now through the thick darkness along the narrow passage falls a
gleam of light; the Morning Star stands by the gate to lead the Boat
onwards; for in the darkest of the night is a promise of the coming
day.
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, through regions
of thick darkness, of terror and dismay, to the place where the
abominable Apep lies in wait for the coming of Ra. Thus passes the
fifth hour of the night, and the sixth hour is at hand. Then the
goddess of the fifth hour makes way for the goddess of the sixth
hour, and she calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate.
Flung wide are the portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Abyss of waters" is the name of the sixth country of the Duat, and
Osiris has dominion over it, Osiris, the great god, Lord of the city
of Daddu, the living King, Creator of men, of cattle, and of the
green things which grow upon the earth, Osiris, to whom all men bow
in praise and adoration.
The river rises out of the sand again, and the Boat floats upon its
waters, and those who are in it rejoice, for the hours of the night
are passing away. On the banks of the river are the great shapes of
the gods, mysterious and wonderful; nine sceptres of sovereignty
stand there also, and a monstrous lion looms through the darkness,
faintly seen in the light which comes from the Boat of Ra. Three
shrines stand beside the river, and a serpent whose breath is flame
guards each one. Mystic and strange are the forms within the
shrines, and to man it is not given to know the meaning of them; in
one is a human head, in another the wing of a bird, in the third the
hind part of a lion. Here also lives the great coiled serpent with
five heads, and within his coils lies Khepera, god of resurrection.
On his head he places the scarab, beneath his feet is the sign of
flesh; thus does he send Life into the dead, and thus will he
re-vivify Ra. For this is the farthest point of the Duat, and beyond
the gate lies the way to the sunrise.
Slowly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, through regions
of thick darkness, of horror and dismay, where the abominable Apep
lies in wait for the coming of Ra. Thus passes the sixth hour of the
night, and the seventh hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the
sixth hour makes way for the goddess of the seventh hour, and she
calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the
portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Secret cavern" is the name of the seventh country of the Duat. Full
of danger and peril is it, for the abominable Apep dwells in this
land. As a great and monstrous serpent does he appear and with
wide-open mouth he swallows the waters of the river, that the Boat
may be wrecked and that Ra may perish. Then would the earth belong
to the powers of darkness, and evil and wickedness would overcome the
gods.
But in the prow of the Boat stands Isis, the great enchantress, whose
magic none can withstand; Isis, the greatest of the goddesses, she
who can raise the dead, and to whom all mankind pay love and
reverence. With arms outstretched, she recites the Words of Power;
calling aloud across the dark river. Over the body of Ra, the
serpent Mehen casts his protecting coils, for now is the time of
danger.
On a sandbank in the midst of the river lies the abominable Apep.
Four hundred and fifty cubits long is the sandbank; the coils of Apep
cover it so that naught can be seen but the river around him. Loud
does he hiss and roar, and the Duat is filled with the thunder of his
voice, yet Isis flinches not, nor does she cease her incantations and
the magical movements of her hands. Her spells prevail and the
abominable Apep lies helpless on the sand. Then Selk and Her-desuf
leap from the Boat of Ra and bind him with cords, and with sharp
knives they pierce his flesh, hoping to destroy him. But Apep is
immortal, and every night will he await and attack the Boat of Ra.
Yet Selk and Her-desuf hold him fast while the Boat continues on its
way, past the great sandbanks, where he writhes and twists and
struggles to get free, but the cords are strong and the knives are
sharp and his efforts are in vain.
Onward goes the Boat to the burial-places of the gods. These stand
beside the river; high mounds of sand are they, over each mound is a
building, and at each end the head of a man watches the passing of Ra.
Softly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, moving through
the darkness to the sunrise and the day. Thus passes the seventh
hour of the night, and the eighth hour is at hand. Then the goddess
of the seventh hour makes way for the goddess of the eighth hour, and
she calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are
the portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Sarcophagus of the gods" is the name of the eighth country of the
Duat, for here dwell the dead gods. Dead and buried are they,
embalmed and bandaged as men embalm and bandage the dead upon earth.
They cry aloud salutations to Ra as he passes, calling to him across
the vast expanse, but so far away are they that the sound of their
voices is as the roaring of savage bulls, as the cry of birds of
prey, as the wail of mourners, as the murmur of bees. Before the
Boat go nine Followers of the Gods; strange are their forms,
mysterious and wonderful, like naught that is upon the earth. In
front of them march the four souls of Tatanen in the likeness of
rams, great and fierce, with horns wide-spreading and sharp-pointed.
The first is crowned with high upstanding plumes, the second with the
Red crown of the North Land, the third with the White crown of the
South Land, the fourth with the glittering disk of the sun. Ancient
is Tatanen, dweller in Memphis, where the abode of Ptah is on the
south of the wall.
Softly goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, moving through
the darkness to the sunrise and the day. Thus passes the eighth hour
of the night, and the ninth hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the
eighth hour makes way for the goddess of the ninth hour, and she
calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the
portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Procession of images" is the name of the ninth country of the Duat.
Full and strong runs the river, and the Boat is borne forward upon
the rushing stream. Twelve star-gods guard the Boat, with paddles in
their hands, ready to help the Boat in case of need. Thick darkness
broods not upon this land, for twelve great hooded snakes lie coiled
upon the bank, and the breath of their mouths is a flame of fire,
gleaming upon the dark water and upon those who dwell in the Duat.
Three shallops float upon the sombre river; strange is the shape of
these shallops, not like the boats of men; and the shadowy forms
within them are in the likeness of a cow, of a ram, and of the soul
of a man. From them the dwellers in this land receive the offerings
which are made to them upon the earth. Then the star-gods break into
singing; and the twelve goddesses and the weaving gods and the
dwellers in this land chant the glory and honour of Ra, praising the
Lord of the Boat, the Maker of earth and of heaven. With joy and
singing they follow the appointed path.
Onward goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, travelling to
the sunrise and the light of open day. Thus passes the ninth hour of
the night, and the tenth hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the
ninth hour makes way for the goddess of the tenth hour, and she calls
aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the
portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Abyss of waters, lofty of banks" is the name of the tenth country of
the Duat, and the ruler is Ra. The dwellers in this land come to
meet their king as he passes by upon the swelling river. Deep and
full and strong runs the stream, and the Boat is borne forward upon
the rushing current. Divine warriors armed with glittering weapons
of war are a guard for their king; light is on their faces like the
light of the sun. By the side of the river are four goddesses; upon
the darkness they cast beams of light, making bright the way of Ra
upon the gloomy river. Before the Boat of Ra moves the Star of
Morning in the form of a double-headed serpent walking upon legs, and
upon his heads are the crowns of the South Land and the North Land;
between his coils is the great hawk of the sky; Leader of Heaven is
his name, for the stars of heaven follow him, but men call him Hesper
and Lucifer also. In a shallop on the stream is a snake, Life of the
Earth is he called, and he watches in the Duat against the enemies of
Ra.
The greatest of all the countries of the Duat is this, for in this
realm of wonder and mystery Khepera joins himself to Ra, and Ra
himself is created anew. Yet the dead body of Ra remains in the
Boat; but his soul is united to the soul of Khepera.
Onward goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, travelling to
the sunrise and the light of open day. Thus passes the tenth hour of
the night and the eleventh hour is at hand. Then the goddess of the
tenth hour makes way for the goddess of the eleventh hour, and she
calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate. Flung wide are the
portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Mouth of the cavern" is the name of the eleventh country of the
Duat, and Ra is its ruler. Low has the river fallen and sluggishly
it runs, and the Boat is drawn onwards by the gods; not with cords do
they tow it, but with the body of the great serpent Mehen, the
protector of Ra. On the prow of the Boat is a fiery star, but its
light is not redder than the strange and lurid glow which fills this
land; terrible and red is it and the sight of it is full of horror.
This is the region feared by evil-doers, for their punishment awaits
them here. Far and near are pits of fire; goddesses, whose breath is
flame, guard the pits, holding in their hands gleaming swords of
fire. With their knives do they torment the wicked and cast them
into the pits of flame till they perish utterly. Horus stands by and
beholds their torments, for these are the enemies of Osiris and of
Ra, doers of evil upon the earth and blasphemers of the gods. No
help can come to them, no escape is possible; doomed are they by
their own actions to the sword and fire. And the smoke and flame of
their torment rise up in the Duat.
On the far side of the river are the stars; Shedu is there in the
fashion of a snake; scarlet and crimson is he, and the stars which
form his body are ten in number. There also a shape is seen,
mysterious and wonderful; like a winged snake with legs does he
appear, and between the wings is the shadowy likeness of a man. Men
call him Atmu, dweller in Heliopolis; ancient is Atmu, more ancient
than Ra himself; and he sends the sweet breezes of the North Wind
upon the land of Egypt. On either side of him the Eyes of Horus show
dimly in the faint and lurid light. And now springs up the breeze of
morning; gentle is it and slight, but with it comes the promise of
the day.
Onward goes the Boat of Ra, passing through the Duat, travelling to
the sunrise and the light of open day. Thus passes the eleventh
hour, and the twelfth hour and the dawn are at hand. Then the
goddess of the eleventh hour makes way for the goddess of the twelfth
hour, and she calls aloud the name of the Guardian of the gate.
Flung wide are the portals, and the Boat of Ra passes through.
"Darkness has fallen, and births shine forth" is the name of the
twelfth country of the Duat. On the prow of the Boat is the great
scarab of Khepera, ready to make the transformations of Ra ere he
reaches the end of the Duat. Not like other lands is this twelfth
region of the Duat, for it is enclosed in the body of a vast and
monstrous serpent. "Life of the Gods" is his name, and through this
great and huge frame travels the Boat of Millions of Years. Twelve
of the worshippers of Ra seize the towing-ropes and drag the Boat
onward, and here in the body of the serpent is Ra transformed into
Khepera and is alive again, for now the journey through the Duat is
near the end. Standing by the mouth of the serpent are twelve
goddesses; to these the Worshippers of Ra yield the towing-ropes, and
they draw the Boat to the eastern horizon of heaven. And now the
dead corpse of Ra is cast out of the Boat, as the husk is cast away
when the grain is winnowed out, for the soul and the life of Ra are
in the scarab of Khepera, and the transformations of Ra are
completed. With shouting and singing, with joy and with gladness,
the Boat of Ra passes out of the Duat.
Glorious is the Manzet Boat, speeding to the sunrise! Wide, swing
wide the portals, and usher in the day. Between the sycomores of
turquoise comes the Boat of Ra, and the mountain of Bakhu is flushed
with light. The serpent, guardian of the Great Green Waters, beholds
Ra in glory in the eastern horizon of heaven, and the rays glitter on
his scales.
Glorious is the Manzet Boat, borne upon the river, flashing in the
splendour and the light of open day. In the foam at the prow of the
Boat sports the Abtu-fish, darting through the gleaming spray, and
the Ant-fish is seen in the whirlpool of turquoise. From the earth
rises up the sound of rejoicing, for all created things praise Ra at
his rising.
Hail to thee, Ra, at thy rising; the night and the darkness are past.
At the dawn of the day thou shinest, the heavens are filled with thy
light. King of the Gods art thou, all glory and triumph are thine.
The Gods come as dogs to thy feet, rejoicing to greet thee at dawn.
Hail to thee Ra, at thy rising; at thy coming all men are glad. In
joy dost thou come in the morning, with glory thou rulest the world.
The stars of the heavens adore thee, the Gods of the earth exalt
thee, Lord of the Heavens art thou. Hail to thee, Ra, at thy rising!
None can express thy glory, Lord of all Wisdom and Truth. The souls
of the East attend thee, the souls of the West are thy servants, the
North and the South adore thee. Worshipped art thou, our Ruler, by
those whom thou hast created, Thou risest in heaven's horizon, thou
causest mankind to rejoice. Hail to thee, Ra, at thy rising; at thy
rising in beauty, O Ra.