HYMN TO OSIRIS
Homage to thee, Osiris, Lord of eternity, King of the Gods, whose names are manifold, whose forms are holy, thou being of
hidden form in the temples, whose Ka is holy. Thou art the governor of Tattu (Busiris), and also the mighty one in Sekhem
(Letopolis). Thou art the Lord to whom praises are ascribed in the nome of Ati, thou art the Prince of divine food in Anu. Thou
art the Lord who is commemorated in Maati, the Hidden Soul, the Lord of Qerrt (Elephantine), the Ruler supreme in White
Wall (Memphis). Thou art the Soul of Ra, his own body, and hast thy place of rest in Henensu (Herakleopolis). Thou art the
beneficent one, and art praised in Nart. Thou makest thy soul to be raised up. Thou art the Lord of the Great House in
Khemenu (Hermopolis). Thou art the mighty one of victories in Shas-hetep, the Lord of eternity, the Governor of Abydos. The
path of his throne is in Ta-tcheser (a part of Abydos). Thy name is established in the mouths of men. Thou art the substance of
Two Lands (Egypt). Thou art Tem, the feeder of Kau (Doubles), the Governor of the Companies of the gods. Thou art the
beneficent Spirit among the spirits. The god of the Celestial Ocean (Nu) draweth from thee his waters. Thou sendest forth the
north wind at eventide, and breath from thy nostrils to the satisfaction of thy heart. Thy heart reneweth its youth, thou producest
the.... The stars in the celestial heights are obedient unto thee, and the great doors of the sky open themselves before thee. Thou
art he to whom praises are ascribed in the southern heaven, and thanks are given for thee in the northern heaven. The
imperishable stars are under thy supervision, and the stars which never set are thy thrones. Offerings appear before thee at the
decree of Keb. The Companies of the Gods praise thee, and the gods of the Tuat (Other World) smell the earth in paying
homage to thee. The uttermost parts of the earth bow before thee, and the limits of the skies entreat thee with supplications
when they see thee. The holy ones are overcome before thee, and all Egypt offereth thanksgiving unto thee when it meeteth Thy
Majesty. Thou art a shining Spirit-Body, the governor of Spirit-Bodies; permanent is thy rank, established is thy rule. Thou art
the well-doing Sekhem (Power) of the Company of the Gods, gracious is thy face, and beloved by him that seeth it. Thy fear is
set in all the lands by reason of thy perfect love, and they cry out to thy name making it the first of names, and all people make
offerings to thee. Thou art the lord who art commemorated in heaven and upon earth. Many are the cries which are made to
thee at the Uak festival, and with one heart and voice Egypt raiseth cries of joy to thee. Thou art the Great Chief, the first among
thy brethren, the Prince of the Company of the Gods, the stablisher of Right and Truth throughout the World, the Son who was
set on the great throne of his father Keb. Thou art the beloved of thy mother Nut, the mighty one of valour, who overthrew the
Sebau-fiend. Thou didst stand up and smite thine enemy, and set thy fear in thine adversary. Thou dost bring the boundaries of
the mountains. Thy heart is fixed, thy legs are set firm. Thou art the heir of Keb and of the sovereignty of the Two Lands
(Egypt). He (Keb) hath seen his splendours, he hath decreed for him the guidance of the world by thy hand as long as times
endure. Thou hast made this earth with thy hand, and the waters, and the winds, and the vegetation, and all the cattle, and all the
feathered fowl, and all the fish, and all the creeping things, and all the wild animals therof. The desert is the lawful possession of
the son of Nut. The Two Lands (Egypt) are content to crown thee upon the throne of thy father, like Ra. Thou rollest up into the
horizon, thou hast set light over the darkness, thou sendest forth air from thy plumes, and thou floodest the Two Lands like the
Disk at daybreak. Thy crown penetrateth the height of heaven, thou art the companion of the stars, and the guide of every god.
Thou art beneficent in decree and speech, the favoured one of the Great Company of the Gods, and the beloved of the Little
Company of the Gods. His sister [Isis] hath protected him, and hath repulsed the fiends, and turned aside calamities (of evil).
She uttered the spell with the magical power of her mouth. Her tongue was perfect, and it never halted at a word. Beneficent in
command and word was Isis, the woman of magical spells, the advocate of her brother. She sought him untiringly, she
wandered round and round about this earth in sorrow, and she alighted not without finding him. She made light with her feathers,
she created air with her wings, and she uttered the death wail for her brother. She raised up the inactive members of whose
heart was still, she drew from him his essence, she made an heir, she reared the child in loneliness, and the place where he was
not known, and he grew in strength and stature, and his hand was mighty in the House of Keb. The Company of the Gods
rejoiced, rejoiced, at the coming of Horus, the son of Osiris, whose heart was firm, the triumphant, the son of Isis, the heir of
Osiris.
REFERENCES
Following is a list of frequently-mentioned geographical locations, and their commonly-known names:
Abtu= Abydos
Abu= Elephantine
Anu= Heliopolis
Bast= Bubastis
Hensu= Herakleopolis
Het-ka-Ptah= Memphis
Khemenu= Hermopolis
Per-Menu= Panopolis
Qerrt= Elephantine
Sau= Sais
Sekhem= Letopolis
Suat= Asyut
Tetu= Busiris
Two Lands= Upper and Lower Egypt
Unu= Hermopolis
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF HEAVEN:
Behold, the Osiris
Ani, the scribe of the holy offerings of all the gods, saith: Homage to thee, O thou who hast come as Khepera, Khepera the
creator of the gods, Thou art seated on thy throne, thou risest up in the sky, illumining thy mother [Nut], thou art seated on thy
throne as the king of the gods. [Thy] mother Nut stretcheth out her hands, and performeth an act of homage to thee. The
domain of Manu receiveth thee with satisfaction. The goddess Maat embraceth thee at the two seasons of the day. May Ra give
glory, and power, and thruth-speaking, and the appearance as a living soul so that he may gaze upon Heru-khuti, to the KA of
the Osiris the Scribe Ani, who speaketh truth before Osiris, and who saith: Hail, O all ye gods of the House of the Soul, who
weigh heaven and earth in a balance, and who give celestial food [to the dead]. Hail, Tatun, [who art] One, thou creator of
mortals [and] of the Companies of the Gods of the South and of the North, of the West and of the East, ascribe ye praise to
Ra, the lord of heaven, the KING, Life, Strength, and Health, the maker of the gods. Give ye thanks unto him in his beneficent
form which is enthroned in the Atett Boat; beings celestial praise thee, beings terrestial praise thee. Thoth and the goddess Maat
mark out thy course for thee day by day and every day. Thine enemy the Serpent hath been given over to the fire. The
Serpent-fiend Sebau hath fallen headlong, his forelegs are bound in chains, and his hind legs hath Ra carried away from him. The
Sons of Revolt shall never more rise up. The House of the Aged One keepeth festival, and the voices of those who make merry
are in the Great Place. The gods rejoice when they see Ra crowned upon his throne, and when his beams flood the world with
light. The majesty of this holy god setteth out on his journey, and he goeth onwards until he reacheth the land of Manu; the earth
becometh light at his birth each day; he proceedeth until he reacheth the place where he was yesterday. O be thou at peace with
me. Let me gaze upon thy beauties. Let me journey above the earth. Let me smite the Ass. Let me slit asunder the Serpent-fiend
Sebau. Let me destroy Aepep at the moment of his greatest power. Let me behold the Abtu Fish at his season, and the Ant
Fish with the Ant Boat as it piloteth it in its lake. Let me behold Horus when he is in charge of the rudder [of the Boat of Ra],
with Thoth and the goddess Maat on each side of him. Let me lay hold of the tow-rope of the Sektet Boat, and the rope at the
stern of the Matett Boat. Let Ra grant to me a view of the Disk (the Sun), and a sight of Ah (the Moon) unfailingly each day.
Let my Ba-soul come forth to walk about hither and thither and whithersoever it pleaseth. Let my name be called out, let it be
found inscribed on the tablet which recordeth the names of those who are to receive offerings. Let meals from the sepulchral
offerings be given to me in the presence [of Osiris], as to those who are in the following of Horus. Let there be prepared for me
a seat in the Boat of the Sun on the day wheron the god saileth. Let me be received in the presence of Osiris in the Land of
Truth-speaking- the Ka of Osiris Ani.
APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nekht, Brit. Mus. No. 10471, Sheet 21)
NEKHT, THE CAPTAIN OF SOLDIERS, THE ROYAL SCRIBE, SINGETH A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA, and
saith:- Homage to thee, O thou glorious Being, thou who art dowered [with all sovereignty]. O Tem-Heru-Khuti
(Tem-Harmakhis), when thou risest in the horizon of heaven a cry of joy goeth forth to thee from all people. O thou beautiful
Being, thou dost renew thyself in thy season in the form of the Disk, within thy mother Hathor. Therefore in every place every
heart swelleth with joy at thy rising for ever. The regions of the South and the North come to thee with homage, and send forth
acclamations at thy rising on the horizon of heaven, and thou illuminest the Two Lands with rays of turquoise-[coloured] light. O
Ra, who art Heru-Khuti, the divine man-child, the heir of eternity, self-begotten and self-born, king of the earth, prince of the
Tuat (the Other World), governor of Aukert, thou didst come from the Water-god, thou didst spring from the Sky-god Nu,
who doth cherish thee and order thy members. O thou god of life, thou lord of love, all men live when thou shinest; thou art
crowned king of the gods. The goddess Nut embraceth thee, and the goddess Mut enfoldeth thee at all seasons. Those who are
in thy following sing unto thee with joy, and they bow down their foreheads to the earth when they meet thee, the lord of
heaven, the lord of the earth, the King of Truth, the lord of eternity, the prince of everlastingness, thou sovereign of all the gods,
thou god of life, thou creator of eternity, thou maker of heaven wherin thou art firmly stablished. The Company of the Gods
rejoice at thy rising, the earth is glad when it beholdeth thy rays; the people who have been long dead come forth with cries of
joy to behold thy beauties every day. Thou goest forth each day over heaven and earth, and thou art made strong each day be
thy mother Nut. Thou passest over the heights of heaven, thy heart swelleth with joy; and the Lake of Testes (the Great Oasis)
is content thereat. The Serpent-fiend hath fallen, his arms are hewn off, the Knife hath severed his joints. Ra liveth by Maat
(Law), the beautiful! The Sektet Boat advanceth and cometh into port. The South and the North, and the West and East, turn
to praise thee. O thou First, Great God (PAUTA), who didst come into being of thine own accord, Isis and Nephthys salute
thee, they sing unto thee songs of joy at thy rising in the boat, they stretch out their hands unto thee. The Souls of the East follow
thee, and the Souls of the West praise thee. Thou art the Ruler of all the gods. Thou in thy shrine hast joy, for the Serpent-fiend
Nak hath been judged by the fire, and thy heart shall rejoice for ever. Thy mother Nut is esteemed by thy father Nu.
HYMN TO OSIRIS UN-NEFER
A Hymn of Praise to Osiris Un-Nefer, the great god who dwelleth in Abtu, the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, who
traverseth millions of years in his existence. Thou art the eldest son of the womb of Nut. Thou was begotten by Keb, the Erpat.
Thou art the lord of the Urrt Crown. Thou art he whose White Crown is lofty. Thou art the King (Ati) of gods [and] men. Thou
hast gained possession of the sceptre of rule, and the whip, and the rank and dignity of thy divine fathers. Thy heart is expanded
with joy, O thou who art in the kingdom of the dead. Thy son Horus is firmly placed on thy throne. Thou hast ascended thy
throne as the Lord of Tetu, and as the Heq who dwelleth in Abydos. Thou makest the Two Lands to flourish through
Truth-speaking, in the presence of him who is the Lord to the Uttermost Limit. Thou drawest on that which hath not yet come
into being in thy name of Ta-her-sta-nef. Thou governest the Two Lands by Maat in thy name of Seker. Thy power is
wide-spread, thou art he of whom the fear is great in thy name of Usar (or Asar). Thy existence endureth for an infinite number
of double henti periods in thy name of Un-Nefer. Homage to thee, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and Prince of Princes.
Thou hast ruled the Two Lands from the womb of the goddess Nut. Thou hast governed the Lands of Akert. Thy members are
of silver-gold, thy head is of lapis-lazuli, and the crown of thy head is of turquoise. Thou art An of millions of years. Thy body is
all pervading, O Beautiful Face in Ta-tchesert. Grant thou to me glory in heaven, and power upon earth, and truth-speaking in
the Divine Underworld, and [the power to] sail down the river to Tetu in the form of a living Ba-soul, and [the power to] sail up
the river to Abydos in the form of a Benu bird, and [the power to] pass in through and to pass out from, without obstruction, the
doors of the lords of the Tuat. Let there be given unto me bread-cakes in the House of Refreshing, and sepulchral offerings of
cakes and ale, and propitiatory offerings in Anu, and a permanent homestead in Sekhet-Aaru, with wheat and barley therein- to
the Double of the Osiris, the scribe Ani.
THE CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY
HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY, AND THE SONGS OF PRAISING AND
GLORIFYING WHICH ARE TO BE RECITED FOR COMING FORTH AND FOR ENTERING INTO
KHERT-NETER, AND THE SPELLS WHICH ARE TO BE SAID IN BEAUTIFUL AMENTET. THEY SHALL BE
RECITED ON THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL, ENTERING IN AFTER COMING FORTH.
The Osiris Ani, the Osiris the scribe Ani saith:- Homage to thee, O Bull of Amentet, Thoth the king of eternity is with me. I am
the great god by the side of the divine boat, I have fought for thee, I am one of those gods, those divine chiefs, who proved the
truth-speaking of Osiris before his enemies on the day of the weighing of words. I am thy kinsman Osiris. I am [one of] those
gods who were the children of the goddess Nut, who hacked in pieces the enemies of Osiris, and who bound in fetters the
legion of Sebau devils on his behalf. I am thy kinsman Horus, I have fought on thy behalf, I have come to thee for thy name's
sake. I am Thoth who proved the truth of the words of Osiris before his enemies on the day of the weighing of words in the
great House of the Prince, who dwelleth in Anu. I am Teti, the son of Teti. My mother conceived me in Tetu, and gave birth to
me in Tetu. I am with the mourners [and with] the women who tear out their hair and make lament for Osiris in Taui-Rekhti,
proving true the words of Osiris before his enemies. Ra commanded Thoth to prove true the words of Osiris before his
enemies; what was commanded [for Osiris], let that be done for me by Thoth. I am with Horus on the day of dressing Teshtesh.
I open the hidden water-springs for the ablutions of Urt-ab. I unbolt the door of the Shetait Shrine in Ra-stau. I am with Horus
as the protector of the left shoulder of Osiris, the dweller in Sekhem. I enter in among and I come forth from the Flame-gods on
the day of the destruction of the Sebau fiends in Sekhem. I am with Horus on the day[s] of the festivals of Osiris, at the making
of offerings and oblations, namely, on the festival which is celebrated on the sixth day of the month, and on the day of the Tenat
festival in Anu. I am the UAB priest (libationer) in Tetu, Rera, the dweller in Per-Asar. I exalt him that is upon the high place of
the country. I look upon the hidden things (the mysteries) in Ra-stau. I recite the words of the liturgy of the festival of the
Soul-god in Tetu. I am the SEM priest, and [perform] his duties. I am the UR-KHERP-HEM priest on the day of placing the
Henu Boat of Seker upon its divine sledge. I have taken in my hand the digging tool on the day of digging up the earth in Hensu.
Hail, O ye who make perfect souls to enter into the House of Osiris, make ye the well-instructed soul of the Osiris the scribe
Ani, whose word is true, to enter in and to be with you in the House of Osiris. Let him hear even as ye hear; let him have sight
even as ye have sight; let him stand up even as ye stand up; let him take his seat even as ye take your seats. Hail, O ye who give
cakes and ale to perfect souls in the House of Osiris, give ye cakes and ale twice each day (in the morning and in the evening) to
the soul of the Osiris Ani, whose word is true before the gods, the Lords of Abydos, and whose word is true with you. Hail, O
ye who open up the way, who act as guides to the roads [in the Other World] to perfect souls in the House of Osiris, open ye
up for him the way, and act ye as guides to the roads to the soul of the Osiris, the scribe, the registrary of all the offerings made
to the gods, Ani, [whose word is true] with you. May he enter the House of Osiris with boldness, and may he come forth
therefrom in peace. May there be no opposition made to him, and may he not be sent back [therefrom]. May he enter in under
favour [of Osiris], and may he come forth gratified [at the acceptance of] his true words. May his commands be performed in
the House of Osiris, may his words travel with you, may he be glorious as ye are. May he be not found to be light in the
Balance, may the Balance dispose of his case.
(In the Turin Papyrus, ed. Lepsius, this Chapter ends with the following.)
Permit thou not me to be judged according to the mouths of the multitude. May my soul lift itself up before [Osiris], having been
found to have been pure when on earth. May I come into thy presence, O Lord of the gods; may I arrive at the Nome of Maati
(Truth); may I rise up on my seat like a god endowed with life; may I give forth light like the Company of the Gods who dwell in
heaven; may I become like one of you; may I lift up my footsteps in the town of Kher-Aha; may I look upon the Sektet Boat of
the god, Saah, the holy one, as it passeth across the sky; may I not be repulsed; may I look upon the Lords of the Tuat, or,
according to another reading, the Company of the Gods; may I smell the savour of the divine food of the Company of the Gods;
may I sit down with them; may my name be proclaimed for offerings by the KHER-HEB priest at the sacrificial table; may I
hear the petitions which are made when offerings are presented; may I draw nigh unto the Neshem Boat; and may neither my
Heart-soul nor its lord be repulsed. Homage to thee, O Chief of Amentet, thou god Osiris, who dwellest in the town of Nifu-ur.
Grant thou that I may arrive in peace in Amentet. May the Lords of Ta-Tchesert receive me, and may they say unto me: Hail,
hail; welcome, welcome! May they make ready for me a seat by the side of the President of the Chiefs; may the
Nursing-goddesses receive me at the seasons, and may I come forth into the presence of Un-Nefer true of word. May I be a
Follower of Horus in Ra-stau, and of Osiris in Tetu; and may I perform all the transformations which my heart may desire to
make in every place wherein my Double (KA) wisheth to be.
RUBRIC: If this text be known [by the deceased] upon earth or if he causeth it to be done in writing upon [his] coffin, then will
he be able to come forth on any day he pleaseth, and to enter into his habitation unrepulsed. Cakes and ale and joints of meat
from those which are on the altar of Ra shall be given unto him, and his homestead shall be among the fields of the Field of
Reeds (Sekhet-Aaru), and wheat and barley shall be given unto him therein, and he shall flourish there even as he flourished
upon earth.
APPENDIX (From the Papyrus of Nekhtu-Amen, ed. Naville, I, 5)
THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE SAHU TO ENTER THE TUAT ON THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL, WHEN
THE FOLLOWING WORDS ARE TO BE SAID: Homage to thee, O thou who dwellest in the Holy Hill (Set-Tchesert) of
Amentet! the Osiris, the royal scribe, Nekhtu-Amen, whose word is true, knoweth thee, he knoweth thy name. Deliver thou him
from the worms which are in Ra-stau, which live upon the bodies of men and women, and feed upon their blood, for Osiris, the
favoured servant of the god of his city, the royal scribe Nekhtu-Amen, knoweth you, and he knoweth your names. Let the order
for his protection be the first command of Osiris, the Lord to the Uttermost Limit, who keepeth his body hidden. May he give
him release from the Terrible One who dwelleth at the bend of the River of Amentet, and may he decree the acts that will make
him to rise up. Let him pass on to him whose throne is placed within the darkness, who giveth light in Ra-stau. O thou Lord of
Light, come thou and swallow up the worms which are in Amentet. Let the Great God who dwelleth in Tetu, and who is himself
unseen, hear his prayers, and let those who cause afflictions hold him in fear as he cometh forth with the sentence of their doom
to the Divine Block. I the Osiris, the royal scribe, Nekhtu-Amen, come, bearing the decree of Neb-er-tcher, and I am the
Horus who taketh possession of his throne for him. His father, the lord of all those who are in the Boat of his Father Horus, hath
ascribed praise unto him. He cometh bearing tidings....... let him see the town of Anu. Their chief shall stand on the earth before
him, the scribes shall magnify him at the doors of their assemblies, and thy shall swathe im with swathings in Anu. He hath led
heaven captive, and he hath seized the earth in his grasp. Neither the heavens nor the earth can be taken away from him, for,
behold, he is Ra, the firstborn of the gods. His mother shall nurse him, and shall give him her breast on the horizon.
RUBRIC: The words of this Chapter shall be said after [the deceased] is laid to rest in Amentet; by means of them the region
Tenn-t shall be contented with her lord. And the Osiris, the royal scribe, Nekhtu-Amen, whose word is truth, shall come forth,
and he shall embark in the Boat of Ra, and [his] body upon its bier shall be counted up, and he shall be established in the Tuat.
