Spell 78

SPELL 78: THIS SPELL IS IN DRAMATIC FORM, WITH VARIOUS CHARACTERS SPEAKING IN TURN, AND IT APPEARS TO BE PART OF THE TEXT OF A RELIGIOUS DRAMA RECITED AS A TEMPLE RITUAL. WHETHER ANY ACTION TOOK PLACE IS DOUBTFUL; MORE PROBABLY IT WAS A RECITATIVE PRONOUNCED BY VARIOUS PRIESTS IN TURN, POSSIBLY WITH APPROPRIATE GESTURES. HERE IT IS USED SIMPLY AS A SPELL. Spell for being transformed into a divine falcon OSIRIS SPEAKS: O Horus, come to Busiris, clear my ways for me, and go all over my house, that you may see my form and extol my shape. May you inspire fear of me, may you create awe of me, that the gods of the Netherworld may fear me, that the gates may beware of me. Do not let him who has done me harm approach me, so that he sees me in the House of Darkness, and uncovers me weariness which is hidden from him. THE GODS: 'Do thus', say the gods, who hear the voices of those who go in the suite of Osiris. HORUS: Be silent, you gods; let a god speak with a god, let him hear the true message which I shall say to him. Speak to me, Osiris, and grant that what has come forth from your mouth concerning me be revoked. See your own form, form your shape, and cause him to go forth and to have power over his legs that he may stride and copulate among men, and you shall be there as the Lord of All. The gods of the Netherworld fear you, the gates beware of you. You move along with those who move along, while I remain on your mound like the Lord of Life. I ally myself with the divine Isis, I rejoice on account of him who has done you harm. May he not come so that he sees your weariness which is hidden from him. I shall go and come to the confines of the sky, that I may ask the word from Geb, that I may demand authority from the Lord of All. Then the gods shall fear you, even they who shall see that I send to you one of those who dwell in the sunshine. I have made his form as my form, his gait as my gait, that he may go and come to Busiris, being invested with my shape, that he may tell you my affairs. He shall inspire fear of you, he shall create awe of you in the gods of the Netherworld, and the gates shall beware of you. THE MESSENGER: Indeed I am one who dwells in the sunshine, I am a spirit who came into being and was created out of the body of the god, I am one of those gods or spirits who dwell in the sunshine, whom Atum created from his flesh, who came into being from the root of his eye, whom Atum created and with whome he made spirits, whose faces he created, om prder that they might be with him, while he was alone in the Abyss, who announced him when he came forth from the horizon, who inspired fear of him in the gods and spirits, the Powers and Shapes. I am one of those serpents which the Sole Lord made, before Isis came into being that she might give birth to Horus. I have been made strong, I have been made young and vigorous. I am distinguished above the other beings who dwell in the sunshine, the spirits who came into being along with me. I have made my appearance as a divine falcon, Horus has invested me with his shape in order that I might take his affairs to Osiris, to the Netherworld. THE DOUBLE LION RAISES AN OBJECTION: The Double Lion who is in his cavern, warden of the House of the Royal Wig-cover, said to me: How can you reach the confines of the sky? Indeed you are equipped with the form of Horus, but you do not possess the Wig-cover. Do you speak on the confines of the sky? THE MESSENGER: I am indeed he who takes the affairs of Horus to Osiris, to the Netherworld. Horus has repeated to me what his father Osiris said to him in the ... on the day of burial. THE DOUBLE LION: Repeat to me what Horus has said as the word of his father Osiris in the ... on the day of burial. Then I shall give you the Wig-cover - so said the Double Lion to me - that you may come and go on the roads of the sky. Then those who dwell in the horizon shall see you, and the gods of the Netherworld shall fear you. THE MESSENGER: You may jubilate concerning him, he has been initiated into the world of these gods, the Lords of All, who are at the side of the Sole Lord - so said he who is high on his dais, who dwells in holiness, concerning me. THE DOUBLE LION IS SATISFIED: Take out the Wig-cover for him - so said the Double Lion concerning me. THE MESSENGER, NOW POSSESSED OF HIS PASSPORT, THE ROYAL WIG-COVER, CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY: O Heret, clear my way for me. I am high in the form of Horus, and the Double Lion has taken out the Wig-cover for me, he has given me my wings, he has established my heart on his great standard. I do not fall on account of Shu, I am he who pacifies himself with his own beauty, the Lord of the two mighty royal serpents. I am he who knows the roads of Nut, the winds are my protection, and the raging bull shall not drive me back. I go to the place where dwells He who sleeps, being helpless, who is in the Field of Eternity, who was conducted to the painful western darkness, even Osiris. I come today from the House of the Double Lion, I have come forth from it to the House of Isis, to the secret mysteries, I have been conducted to her hidden secrets, for she caused me to see the birth of the Great God. Horus has invested me with his shape in order that I might say what is there, in order that I might say ... which shall drive back the fearful attack. I am the falcon who dwells in the sunshine, who has power through his light and his flashing. I go and come to the confines of the sky ... There is none who thwarts me ... Horus to the confines of the sky. Horus is upon his seats and his thrones, and I am he who is in his form. My arms are those of a divine falcon, I am one who has acquired (the position of) his lord, and Horus has invested me with his shape. I come forth to Busiris that I may see Osiris, I land at the Mansion of the Great Dead One; I inspire fear of him and create awe of him among the gods. I belong to the great shrine, even I the holy one of ... in front of whom one walks to and fro, and Nut shall walk to and fro when she sees me. The hostile gods have seen that she incites the Eyeless One against those who shall stretch forth their arms against me. The Powerful One stands up against the earth-gods, the holy roads are opened for me when they see my form and hear what I shall say. Down on your faces, you gods of the Netherworld, whose faces are ... whose necks are outstretched, and who hide the face of the Great Demolisher! Clear the road of ... towards the majestic shape. THE MESSENGER QUOTES THE COMMAND OF HORUS: Horus has commanded: Lift up your faces and look at him; he has made his appearance as a divine falcon, the Double Lion has taken out the Wig-cover for him, he has come with the word of Horus to Osiris. The Grey-haired Ones have ... he has united himself with the Powers. Get out of the way, you wardens of your gates, for him in front of me, clear the way for him. Let him pass by, O you who dwell in your caverns, wardens of the House of Osiris. THE MESSENGER RESUMES HIS OWN SPEECH: I say: How mighty is Horus! I cause them to know that the terror of him is great, and that his horn is sharp against Seth; that Horus has taken authority and that he has acquired the might of Atum. I have followed Horus, the Lord of All. THE GODS GIVE THE MESSENGER PERMISSION TO PASS: Pass by in peace - so say the gods of the Netherworld to me. The wardens of their caverns, the wardens of the Mansion of Osiris rise up. THE MESSENGER REPLIES: See, I come to you as an equipped spirit. The wardens of the gates walk for me, the Powers clear the roads for me, I have fetched the Grey-haired Ones whom Nenet has defied. The great ones who dwell in the horizon fear me, even the wardens of ... in the sky, who guard the roads. I make firm the gates for the Lord of All, I have cleared the roads towards him; I have done what was commanded, for Horus invested me with his shape. Let my wisdom be granted, for I desire triumph over my enemies. May the mysteries be uncovered for me, may the secret caverns be opened to me, may I enter into the Lord of the Soul, greatly majestic, may I come forth to Busiris and go all over his mansion, may I tell him the affairs of his son whom he loves, while the heart of Seth is cut out. May I see the Lord of Weariness, who is limitless, that he may know how Horus regulated the affairs of the gods without him. THE MESSENGER ATTAINS HIS AIM AND ADDRESSES OSIRIS: O Lord of the Soul, greatly majestic, see, I have come, the Netherworld has been opened for me, the roads in the sky and on earth have been opened for me, and there was none who thwarted me. Be high upon your seat, O Osiris: may your breast live and may your buttocks be vigorous. Let your heart jubilate, for you triumph over Seth, and your son Horus has been placed upon your throne. Myriads have been assigned to him, the gods have bought him oblations, and the heart of Geb, who is older than the great ones, rejoices. The sky is strong and Nut jubilates when she sees what Atum has done, whilst he say among the two Enneads and gave the authority which is on his mouth to Horus the son of Isis. He has become ruler over Egypt, the gods work for him, he has nurtured myriads and has brought up myriads by means of the Sole Eye, the Mistress of the Enneads, the Lady of All.