Legends of the Gods Part 4

The Chapter of the divine (or, mighty) G.o.d, who created himself, who made the heavens and the earth, and the breath of life, and fire, and the G.o.ds, and men, and beasts, and cattle, and reptiles, and the fowl of the air, and the fish, who is the king of men and G.o.ds, [who existeth] in one Form, [to whom] periods of one hundred and twenty years axe as single years, whose names by reason of their mult.i.tude are unknowable, for [even] the G.o.ds know them not. Behold, the G.o.ddess Isis lived in the form, of a woman, who had the knowledge of words [of power]. Her heart turned away in disgust from the millions of men, and she chose for herself the millions of the G.o.ds, but esteemed more highly the millions of the spirits. Was it not possible to become even as was Ra in heaven and upon earth, and to make [herself] mistress of the earth, and a [mighty] G.o.ddess-thus she meditated in her heart-by the knowledge of the Name of the holy G.o.d? Behold, Ra entered [heaven] each day at the head of his mariners, establis.h.i.+ng himself upon the double throne of the two horizons. Now the divine one had become old, he dribbled at the mouth, and he let his emissions go forth from him upon the earth, and his spittle fell upon the ground. This Isis kneaded in her hand,[FN#66] with [some] dust, and she fas.h.i.+oned it in the form of a sacred serpent, and made it to have the form of a dart, so that none might be able to escape alive from it, and she left it lying upon the road whereon the great G.o.d travelled, according to his desire, about the two lands. Then the holy G.o.d rose up in the tabernacle of the G.o.ds in the great double house (life, strength, health!) among those who were in his train, and [as] he journeyed on his way according to his daily wont, the holy serpent shot its fang into him, and the living fire was departing from the G.o.d's own body, and the reptile destroyed the dweller among the cedars. And the mighty G.o.d opened his mouth, and the cry of His Majesty (life, strength, health!) reached unto the heavens, and the company of the G.o.ds said, "What is it?" and his G.o.ds said, "What is the matter?" And the G.o.d found [no words] wherewith to answer concerning himself. His jaws shook, his lips trembled, and the poison took possession of all his flesh just as Hapi (i.e., the Nile) taketh possession of the land through which he floweth. Then the great G.o.d made firm his heart (i.e., took courage) and he cried out to those who were in his following:-"Come ye unto me, O ye who have come into being from my members,[FN#67] ye G.o.ds who have proceeded from me, for I would make you to know what hath happened. I have been smitten by some deadly thing, of which my heart hath no knowledge, and which I have neither seen with my eyes nor made with my hand; and I have no knowledge at all who hath done this to me. I have never before felt any pain like unto it, and no pain can be worse than this [is]. I am a Prince, the son of a Prince, and the divine emanation which was produced from a G.o.d. I am a Great One, the son of a Great One, and my father hath determined for me my name. I have mult.i.tudes of names, and I have mult.i.tudes of forms, and my being existeth in every G.o.d. I have been invoked (or, proclaimed?) by Temu and Heru-Hekennu. My father and my mother uttered my name, and [they] hid it in my body at my birth so that none of those who would use against me words of power might succeed in making their enchantments have dominion over me.[FN#68] I had come forth from my tabernacle to look upon that which I had made, and was making my way through the two lands which I had made, when a blow was aimed at me, but I know not of what kind. Behold, is it fire? Behold, is it water? My heart is full of burning fire, my limbs are s.h.i.+vering, and my members have darting pains in them. Let there be brought unto me my children the G.o.ds, who possess words of magic, whose mouths are cunning [in uttering them], and whose powers reach up to heaven." Then his children came unto him, and every G.o.d was there with his cry of lamentation; and Isis[FN#69] came with her words of magic, and the place of her mouth [was filled with] the breath of life, for the words which she putteth together destroy diseases, and her words make to live those whose throats are choked (i.e., the dead). And she said, "What is this, O divine father? What is it? Hath a serpent shot his venom into thee? Hath a thing which thou hast fas.h.i.+oned lifted up its head against thee? Verily it shall be overthrown by beneficent words of power, and I will make it to retreat in the sight of thy rays." The holy G.o.d opened his mouth, [saying], I was going along the road and pa.s.sing through the two lands of my country, for my heart wished to look upon what I had made, when I was bitten by a serpent which I did not see; behold, is it fire? Behold, is it water? I am colder than water, I am hotter than fire, all my members sweat, I myself quake, mine eye is unsteady. I cannot look at the heavens, and water forceth itself on my face as in the time of the Inundation."[FN#70] And Isis said unto Ra, "O my divine father, tell me thy name, for he who is able to p.r.o.nounce his name liveth." [And Ra said], "I am the maker of the heavens and the earth, I have knit together the mountains, and I have created everything which existeth upon them. I am the maker of the Waters, and I have made Meht-ur to come into being; I have made the Bull of his Mother, and I have made the joys of love to exist. I am the maker of heaven, and I have made to be hidden the two G.o.ds of the horizon, and I have placed the souls of the G.o.ds within them. I am the Being who openeth his eyes and the light cometh; I am the Being who shutteth his eyes and there is darkness. I am the Being who giveth the command, and the waters of Hapi (the Nile) burst forth, I am the Being whose name the G.o.ds know not. I am the maker of the hours and the creator of the days. I am the opener (i.e., inaugurator) of the festivals, and the maker of the floods of water. I am the creator of the fire of life whereby the works of the houses are caused to come into being. I am Khepera in the morning, and Ra (at the time of his culmination (i.e., noon), and Temu in the evening."[FN#71] Nevertheless the poison was not driven from its course, and the great G.o.d felt no better. Then Isis said unto Ra, "Among the things which thou hast said unto me thy name hath not been mentioned. O declare thou it unto me, and the poison shall come forth; for the person who hath declared his name shall live." Meanwhile the poison burned with blazing fire and the heat thereof was stronger than that of a blazing flame. Then the Majesty of Ra, said, "I will allow myself to be searched through by Isis, and my name shall come forth from my body and go into hers." Then the divine one hid himself from the G.o.ds, and the throne in the Boat of Millions of Years[FN#72] was empty. And it came to pa.s.s that when it was the time for the heart to come forth [from the G.o.d], she said unto her son Horus, "The great G.o.d shall bind himself by an oath to give his two eyes."[FN#73] Thus was the great G.o.d made to yield up his name, and Isis, the great lady of enchantments, said, "Flow on, poison, and come forth from Ra; let the Eye of Horus come forth from the G.o.d and s.h.i.+ne(?) outside his mouth. I have worked, and I make the poison to fall on the ground, for the venom hath been mastered. Verily the name hath been taken away from the great G.o.d. Let Ra live, and let the poison die; and if the poison live then Ra shall die. And similarly, a certain man, the son of a certain man, shall live and the poison shall die." These were the words which spake Isis, the great lady, the mistress of the G.o.ds, and she had knowledge of Ra in his own name. The above words shall be said over an image of Temu and an image of Heru-Hekennu,[FN#74] and over an image of Isis and an image of Horus.

[FN#66] Here we have another instance of the important part which the spittle played in magical ceremonies that were intended to produce evil effects. The act of spitting, however, was intended sometimes to carry a curse with it, and sometimes a blessing, for a man spat in the face of his enemy in order to lay the curse of impurity upon him, and at the present time, men spit upon money to keep the devils away from it.

[FN#67] The G.o.ds were, according to one belief, nothing more than the various names of Ra, who had taken the forms of the various members of his body.

[FN#68] Thus the G.o.d's own name became his most important talisman.

[FN#69] The position of Isis as the "great enchantress" is well defined, and several instances of her magical powers are recorded. By the utterance of her words of power she succeeded in raising her dead husband Osiris to life, and she enabled him by their means to beget Horus of her. Nothing could withstand them, because they were of divine origin, and she had learned them from Thoth, the intelligence of the greatest of the G.o.ds.

[FN#70] Or, "the period of the summer." The season Shemmu, began soon after the beginning of April and lasted until nearly the end of July.

[FN#71] Khepera, Rd, and Temu were the three princ.i.p.al forms of the Sun-G.o.d according to the theological system of the priests of Heliopolis.

[FN#72] The name by which the Boat of Ra is generally known in Egyptian texts. It was this boat which was stopped in its course when Thoth descended from the sky to impart to Isis the words of power that were to raise her dead child Horus to life.

[FN#73] i.e., the fluid of life of the sun, and the fluid of life of the moon. The sun and the moon were the visible, material symbols of the Sun G.o.d.

[FN#74] The attributes of this G.o.d are not well defined. He was a G.o.d of the Eastern Delta, and was a.s.sociated with the cities where Temu was wors.h.i.+pped.

THE LEGEND OF HORUS OF BEHUTET AND THE WINGED DISK.

XII. In the three hundred and sixty-third year of Ra-Heru-Khuti, who liveth for ever and forever, His Majesty was in Ta-Kens,[FN#75] and his soldiers were with him; [the enemy] did not conspire (auu) against their lord, and the land [is called] Uauatet unto this day. And Ra set out on an expedition in his boat, and his followers were with him, and he arrived at Uthes-Heru,[FN#76] [which lay to] the west of this nome, and to the east of the ca.n.a.l Pakhennu, which is called [ ... ... . to this day]. And Heru-Behutet was in the boat of Ra, and he said unto his father Ra-Heru-Khuti (i.e., Ra-Harmachis), "I see that the enemies are conspiring against their lord; let thy fiery serpent gain the mastery ..... over them."

[FN#75] i.e., in Nubia, probably the portion of it which lies round about the modern Kalabsha. In ancient days Ta-kens appears to have included a portion of the Nile Valley to the north of Aswan.

XIII. Then the Majesty of Ra Harmachis said unto thy divine KA, "O Heru-Behutet, O son of Ra, thou exalted one, who didst proceed from me, overthrow thou the enemies who are before thee straightway." And Heru- Behutet flew up into the horizon in the form of the great Winged Disk, for which reason he is called "Great G.o.d, lord of heaven," unto this day. And when he saw the enemies in the heights of heaven he set out to follow after them in the form of the great Winged Disk, and he attacked with such terrific force those who opposed him, that they could neither see with their eyes nor hear with their ears, and each of them slew his fellow. In a moment of time there was not a single creature left alive. Then Heru Behutet, s.h.i.+ning with very many colours, came in the form of the great Winged Disk to the Boat of Ra- Harmachis, and Thoth said unto Ra, "O Lord of the G.o.ds, Behutet hath returned in the form of the great Winged Disk, s.h.i.+ning [with many colours] ... ... children;" for this reason he is called Heru- Behutet unto this day. And Thoth said, "The city Teb shall be called the city of Heru-Behutet," and thus is it called unto this day. And Ra embraced the ..... of Ra, and said unto Heru-Behutet, "Thou didst put grapes[FN#77] into the water which cometh forth from it,[FN#78] and thy heart rejoiced thereat;" and for this reason the water (or, ca.n.a.l) of Heru-Behutet is called "[Grape-Water]" unto this day, and the ... ... ..... unto this day. And Heru-Behutet said, "Advance, O Ra, and look thou upon thine enemies who are lying under thee on this land;" thereupon the Majesty of Ra set out on the way, and the G.o.ddess Asthertet ('Ashtoreth?) was with him, and he saw the enemies overthrown on the ground, each one of them being fettered. Then said Ra to Heru- Behutet, "There is sweet life in this place," and for this reason the abode of the palace of Heru-Behutet is called "Sweet Life" unto this day. And Ra, said unto Thoth, "[Here was the slaughter] of mine enemies; "and the place is called Teb[FN#79] unto this day. And Thoth said unto Heru-Behutet, "Thou art a great protector (makaa);" and the Boat of Heru-Behutet is called Makaa[FN#80] unto this day. Then said Ra unto the G.o.ds who were in his following, "Behold now, let us sail in our boat upon the water, for our hearts are glad because our enemies have been overthrown on the earth;" and the water where the great G.o.d sailed is called P-Khen-Ur[FN#81] unto this day. And behold the enemies [of Ra] rushed into the water, and they took the forms of [crocodiles and] hippopotami, but nevertheless Ra-Heru-Khuti sailed over the waters in his boat, and when the crocodiles and the hippopotami had come nigh unto him, they opened wide their jaws in order to destroy Ra-Heru-Khuti. And when Heru-Behutet arrived and his followers who were behind him in the forms of workers in metal, each having in his hands an iron spear and a chain, according to his name, they smote the crocodiles and the hippopotami; and there were brought in there straightway six hundred and fifty-one crocodiles, which had been slain before the city of Edfu. Then spake Ra-Harmachis unto Heru- Behutet, "My Image shall be [here] in the land of the South, (which is a house of victory (or, strength); "and the House of Heru-Behutet is called Nekht-Het unto this day.

[FN#76] i.e., Apollinopolis, the modern Edfu.

[FN#77] i.e. drops of blood.

[FN#78] i.e., from the city.

[FN#79] i.e., Edfu.

[FN#80] i.e., Great Protector.

[FN#81] i.e., "Great Ca.n.a.l."

XIV. Then the G.o.d Thoth spake, after he had looked upon the enemies lying upon the ground, saying, "Let your hearts rejoice, O ye G.o.ds of heaven! Let your hearts rejoice, O ye G.o.ds who are in the earth! Horus, the Youthful One, cometh in peace, and he hath made manifest on his journey deeds of very great might, which he hath performed according to 'the Book of Slaying the Hippopotamus.'" And from that day figures of Heru-Behutet in metal have existed.

Then Heru-Behutet took upon himself the form of the Winged Disk, and he placed himself upon the front of the Boat of Ea. And he placed by his side the G.o.ddess Nekhebet[FN#82] and the G.o.ddess Uatchet,[FN#83] in the form of two serpents, that they might make the enemies to quake in [all] their limbs when they were in the forms of crocodiles and hippopotami in every place wherein be came in the Land of the South and in the Land of the North. Then those enemies rose up to make their escape from before him, and their face was towards the Land of the South. And their hearts were stricken down through fear of him. And Heru-Behutet was at the back (or, side) of them in the Boat of Ra, and there were in his hands a metal lance and a metal chain; and the metal workers who were with their lord were equipped for fighting with lances and chains. And Heru-Behutet saw them[FN#84] to the south-east of the city of Uast (Thebes) some distance away. Then Ra said to Thoth, "Those enemies shall be smitten with blows that kill;" and Thoth said to Ra, "[That place] is called the city Tchet-Met unto this day." And Heru-Behutet made a great overthrow among them, and Ra said, "Stand still, O Heru-Behutet," and [that place] is called "Het-Ra" to this day, and the G.o.d who dwelleth therein is Heru-Behutet-Ra-Amsu (or, Min). Then those enemies rose up to make their escape from before him, and the face of the G.o.d was towards the Land of the North, and their hearts were stricken through fear of him. And Heru-Behutet was at the back (or, side) of them in the Boat of Ra, and those who were following him had spears of metal and chains of metal in their hands; and the G.o.d himself was equipped for battle with the weapons of the metal workers which they had with them. And he pa.s.sed a whole day before he saw them to the north-east of the nome of Tentyra (Dendera). Then Ra said unto Thoth, "The enemies are resting ... ... . their lord." And the Majesty of Ra-Harmachis said to Heru-Behutet, "Thou art my exalted son who didst proceed from Nut. The courage of the (enemies hath failed in a moment." And Heru-Behutet made great slaughter among them. And Thoth said "The Winged Disk shall be called..... in the name of this Aat;" and is called Heru-Behutet ..... its mistress. His name is to the South in the name of this G.o.d, and the acacia and the sycamore shall be the trees of the sanctuary. Then the enemies turned aside to flee from before him, and their faces were [towards the North, and they went] to the swamps of Uatch-ur (i.e., the Mediterranean), and [their courage failed through fear of him]. And Heru-Behutet was at the back (or, side) of them in the Boat of Ra, and the metal spear was in his hands, and those who were in his following were equipped with the weapons for battle of the metal workers. And the G.o.d spent four days and four nights in the water in pursuit of them, but he did not see one of the enemies, who fled from before him in the water in the forms of crocodiles and hippopotami. At length he found them and saw them. And Ra said unto Horus of Heben, "O Winged Disk, thou great G.o.d and lord of heaven, seize thou them ... ...;" and he hurled his lance after them, and he slew them, and worked a great overthrow of them. And he brought one hundred and forty-two enemies to the forepart of the Boat [of Ra], and with them was a male hippopotamus which had been among those enemies. And he hacked them in pieces with his knife, and he gave their entrails to those who were in his following, and he gave their carcases to the G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses who were in the Boat of Ra on the river-bank of the city of Heben. Then Ra said unto Thoth, "See what mighty things Heru-Behutet hath performed in his deeds against the enemies: verily he hath smitten them! And of the male hippopotamus he hath opened the mouth, and he hath speared it, and he hath mounted upon its back." Then said Thoth to Ra, "Horus shall be called 'Winged Disk, Great G.o.d, Smiter of the enemies in the town of Heben' from this day forward, and he shall be called 'He who standeth on the back' and 'prophet of this G.o.d,' from this day forward." These are the things which happened in the lands of the city of Heben, in a region which measured three hundred and forty-two measures on the south, and on the north, on the west, and on the east.

[FN#82] The G.o.ddess Nekhebet was incarnate in a special kind of serpent, and the centre of her wors.h.i.+p was in the city of Nekheb, which the Greeks called Eileithyiaspolis, and the Arabs Al-Kab.

[FN#83] The centre of the wors.h.i.+p of Uatchet, or Uatchit, was at Per- Uatchet, a city in the Delta.

[FN#84] i.e., the enemies.

XV. Then the enemies rose up before him by the Lake of the North, and their faces were set towards Uatch-ur[FN#85] which they desired to reach by sailing; but the G.o.d smote their hearts and they turned and fled in the water, and they directed their course to the water of the nome of Mertet-Ament, and they gathered themselves together in the water of Mertet in order to join themselves with the enemies [who serve] Set and who are in this region. And Heru-Behutet followed them, being equipped with all his weapons of war to fight against them. And Heru-Behutet made a journey in the Boat of Ra, together with the great G.o.d who was in his boat with those who were his followers, and he pursued them on the Lake of the North twice, and pa.s.sed one day and one night sailing down the river in pursuit of them before he perceived and overtook them, for he knew not the place where they were. Then he arrived at the city of Per-Rehu. And the Majesty of Ra said unto Heru- Behutet, "What hath happened to the enemies? They have gathered together themselves in the water to the west (?) of the nome of Mertet in order to unite themselves with the enemies [who serve] Set, and who are in this region, at the place where are our staff and sceptre." And Thoth said unto Ra, "Uast in the nome of Mertet is called Uaseb because of this unto this day, and the Lake which is in it is called Tempt." Then Heru-Behutet spake in the presence of his father Ra, saying, "I beseech thee to set thy boat against them, so that I may be able to perform against them that which Ra willeth;" and this was done. Then he made an attack upon them on the Lake which was at the west of this district, and he perceived them on the bank of the city ... ... which belongeth to the Lake of Mertet. Then Heru-Behutet made an expedition against them, and his followers were with him, and they were provided with weapons of all kinds for battle, and he wrought a great overthrow among them, and he brought in three hundred and eighty-one enemies, and he slaughtered them in the forepart of the Boat of Ra, and he gave one of them to each of those who were in his train. Then Set rose up and came forth, and raged loudly with words of cursing and abuse because of the things which Heru-behutet had done in respect of the slaughter of the enemies. And Ra said unto Thoth, "This fiend Nehaha-hra uttereth words at the top of his voice because of the things which Heru-Behutet hath done unto him;" and Thoth said unto Ra, "Cries of this kind shall be called Nehaha-hra unto this day." And Heru- Behutet did battle with the Enemy for a period of time, and he hurled his iron lance at him, and he throw him down on the ground in this region, which is called Pa-Rerehtu unto this day. Then Heru-Behutet came and brought the Enemy with him, and his spear was in his neck, and his chain was round his hands and arms, and the weapon of Horus had fallen on his mouth and had closed it; and he went with him before his father Ra, who said, "O Horus, thou Winged Disk, twice great (Urui- Tenten) is the deed of valour which thou hast done, and thou hast cleansed the district." And Ra, said unto Thoth, "The palace of Heru- Behutet shall be called, 'Lord of the district which is cleansed' because of this;" and [thus is it called] unto this day. And the name of the priest thereof is called Ur-Tenten unto this day. And Ra said unto Thoth, "Let the enemies and Set be given over to Isis and her son Horus, and let them work all their heart's desire upon them." And she and her son Horus set themselves in position with their spears in him at the time when there was storm (or, disaster) in the district, and the Lake of the G.o.d was called She-En-Aha from that day to this. Then Horus the son of Isis cut off the head of the Enemy [Set], and the heads of his fiends in the presence of father Ra and of the great company of the G.o.ds, and he dragged him by his feet through his district with his spear driven through his head and back. And Ra said unto Thoth, "Let the son of Osiris drag the being of disaster through his territory;" and Thoth said, "It shall be called Ateh," and this hath been the name of the region from that day to this. And Isis, the divine lady, spake before Ra, saying, "Let the exalted Winged Disk become the amulet of my son Horus, who hath cut off the head of the Enemy and the heads of his fiends."

[FN#85] i.e., the Mediterranean.

XVI. Thus Heru-Behutet and Horus, the son of Isis, slaughtered that evil Enemy, and his fiends, and the inert foes, and came forth with them to the water on the west side of this district. And Heru-Behutet was in the form of a man of mighty strength, and he had the face of a hawk, and his head was crowned with the White Crown and the Red Crown, and with two plumes and two uraei, and he had the back of a hawk, and his spear and his chain were in his hands. And Horus, the son of Isis, transformed himself into a similar shape, even as Heru-Behutet had done before him. And they slew the enemies all together on the west of Per- Rehu, on the edge of the stream, and this G.o.d hath sailed over the water wherein the enemies had banded themselves to-ether against him from that day to this. Now these things took place on the 7th day of the first mouth of the season Pert. And Thoth said, "This region shall be called AAT-SHATET," and this hath been the name of the region from that day unto this; and the Lake which is close by it hath been called Temt from that day to this, and the 7th day of the first month of the season Pert hath been called the Festival of Sailing from that day to this.

Then Set took upon himself the form of a hissing serpent, and he entered into the earth in this district without being seen. And Ra said, "Set hath taken upon himself the form of a hissing serpent. Let Horus, the son of Isis, in the form of a hawk-headed staff, set himself over the place where he is, so that the serpent may never more appear." And Thoth said, "Let this district be called Hemhemet[FN#86] by name;" and thus hath it been called from that day to this. And Horus, the son of Isis, in the form of a hawk-headed staff, took up his abode there with his mother Isis; in this manner did these things happen.

[FN#86] This name means "the place of the Roarer," Hemhemti, being a well-known name of the Evil One. Some texts seem to indicate that peals of thunder were caused by the fiend Set.

Then the Boat of Ra arrived at the town of Het-Aha; its forepart was made of palm wood, and the hind part was made of acacia wood; thus the palm tree and the acacia tree have been sacred trees from that day to this. Then Heru-Behutet embarked in the Boat of Ra, after he had made an end of fighting, and sailed; and Ra said unto Thoth, "Let this Boat be called ... ... .;" and thus hath it been called from that day to this, and these things have been done in commemoration in this place from that day to this.

And Ra said unto Heru-Behutet, "Behold the fighting of the Smait fiend and his two-fold strength, and the Smai fiend Set, are upon the water of the North, and they will sail down stream upon ... ..." [And] Heru-Behutet said, "Whatsoever thou commandest shall take place, O Ra, Lord of the G.o.ds. Grant thou, however, that this thy Boat may pursue them into every place whithersoever they shall go, and I will do to them whatsoever pleaseth Ra." And everything was done according to what he had said. Then this Boat of Ra was brought by the winged Sun- disk upon the waters of the Lake of Meh,[FN#87] [and] Heru-Behutet took in his hands his weapons, his darts, and his harpoon, and all the chains [which he required] for the fight.

[FN#87] It is probable that the Lake of Meh, i.e., the Lake of the North, was situated in the north-east of the Delta, not far from Lake Manzalah.

And Heru-Behutet looked and saw one [only] of these Sebau[FN#88] fiends there on the spot, and he was by himself. And he threw one metal dart, and brought (or, dragged) them along straightway, and he slaughtered them in the presence of Ra. And he made an end [of them, and there were no more of the fiends] of Set in this place at [that] moment.

[FN#88] "Sebiu" is a common name for the a.s.sociates of Seti, and this fiend is himself called "Seba," a word which means something like "rebel."

XVII. And Thoth said, "This place shall be called Ast-Ab-Heru"[FN#89] because Heru-Behutet wrought his desire upon them (i.e., the enemy); and he pa.s.sed six days and six nights coming into port on the waters thereof and did not see one of them. And he saw them fall down in the watery depths, and he made ready the place of Ast-ab-Heru there. It was situated on the bank of the water, and the face (i.e., direction) thereof was full-front towards the South. And all the rites and ceremonies of Heru-Behutet were performed on the first day of the first month[FN#90] of the season Akhet, and on the first day of the first month[FN#91] of the season Pert, and on the twenty-first and twenty- fourth days of the second month[FN#92] of the season Pert. These are the festivals in the town of Ast-ab, by the side of the South, in An- rut-f.[FN#93] And he came into port and went against them, keeping watch as for a king over the Great G.o.d in An-rut-f, in this place, in order to drive away the Enemy and his Smaiu fiends at his coming by night from the region of Mertet, to the west of this place.

[FN#89] i.e., place of the desire of Horus.

[FN#90] The month Thoth.

[FN#91] The month Tybi.

[FN#92] The month Mekhir.

[FN#93] A mythological locality originally placed near Herakleopolis.

The name means "the place where nothing grows." Several forms of the name occur in the older literature, e.g. in the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead.

And Heru-Behutet was in the form of a man who possessed great strength, with the face of a hawk; and he was crowned with the White Crown,[FN#94] and the Red Crown,[FN#95] and the two plumes, and the Urerit Crown, and there were two uraei upon his head. His hand grasped firmly his harpoon to slay the hippopotamus, which was [as hard] as the khenem[FN#96] stone in its mountain bed.

[FN#94] The Crown of the South.

[FN#95] The Crown of the North.

[FN#96] A kind of jasper (?).

And Ra said unto Thoth, "Indeed [Heru-]Behutet is like a Master-fighter in the slaughter of his enemies ... ..."

And Thoth said unto Ra, "He shall be called 'Neb-Ahau'" (i.e., Master- fighter); and for this reason he hath been thus called by the priest of this G.o.d unto this day.

And Isis made incantations of every kind in order to drive away the fiend Ra from An-rut-f, and from the Great G.o.d in this place. And Thoth said [unto Ra], "The priestess of this G.o.d shall be called by the name of 'Nebt-Heka' for this reason."

And Thoth said unto Ra, "Beautiful, beautiful is this place wherein thou hast taken up thy seat, keeping watch, as for a king, over the Great G.o.d who is in An-rut-f[FN#97] in peace."

[FN#97] i.e., Osiris.

And Thoth said, "This Great House in this place shall therefore be called 'Ast-Nefert'[FN#98] from this day. It is situated to the south-west of the city of Nart, and [covereth] a s.p.a.ce of four schoinoi." And Ra Heru-Behutet said unto Thoth, "Hast thou not searched through this water for the enemy?" And Thoth said, "The water of the G.o.d-house in this place shall be called by the name of 'Heh' (i.e., sought out)." And Ra said, "Thy s.h.i.+p, O Heru-Behutet, is great (?) upon Ant-mer (?) ... ... And Thoth said, "The name of [thy s.h.i.+p] shall be called 'Ur', and this stream shall be called 'Ant-mer (?).'" As concerning (or, now) the place Ab-Bat (?) is situated on the sh.o.r.e of the water. "Ast-nefert" is the name of the Great house, "Neb- Aha" [is the name of] the priest ... ..... is the name of the priestess, "Heh" is the name of the lake ... ... . [is the name] of the water, "Am-her-net" is the name of the holy (?) acacia tree, "Neter het" is the name of the domain of the G.o.d, "Uru" is the name of the sacred boat, the G.o.ds therein are Heru-Behutet, the smiter of the lands, Horus, the son of Isis [and] Osiris ... ..... his blacksmiths[FN#99] are to him, and those who are in his following are to him in his territory, with his metal lance, with his [mace], with his dagger, and with all his chains (or, fetters) which are in the city of Heru-Behutet.

[FN#98] i.e., "Beautiful Place."