Legends of the Gods The Egyptian Texts, edited with Translations by E. A. Wallis Budge [1912] Title Page Preface Contents List of Plates and Illustrations Introduction Summary: I. The Legend of the God Neb-er-tcher, and the History of Creation Summary: II. The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind Summary: III. The Legend Of Ra and Isis. Summary: IV: The Legend of Heru-Behutet and the Winged Disk Summary: V. Legend of the Birth of Horus, Son of Isis and Osiris. Summary: VI. A Legend of Khensu Nefer-hetep and the Princess of Bekhten Summary: VII. A Legend Of Khnemu And Of A Seven Years' Famine Summary: VIII. The Legend of the Death and Resurrection of Horus, and Other Magical Texts Summary: IX: The History of Isis and Osiris Legends of Egyptian Gods The History Of Creation--A. The History of Creation--B. The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind, Chapter I. The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind, Chapter II. The Legend Of The Destruction Of Mankind, Chapter III. The Legend Of The Destruction Of Mankind, Chapter IV. The Legend Of The Destruction Of Mankind, Chapter V. The Legend Of Ra And Isis. The Legend Of Horus Of Behutet And The Winged Disk. A Hymn To Osiris And A Legend Of The Origin Of Horus. A Legend of Ptah Nefer-Hetep and the Princess of Bekhten A Legend of the God Khnemu and of a Seven Years' Famine The Legend of the Death of Horus I.--Incantations Against Reptiles and Noxious Creatures In General The Chapter of Casting a Spell on the Cat Another Chapter II.--The Narrative of Isis The History of Isis and Osiris Section I Section II Section III Section IV Section V Section VI Section VII. Section VIII. Section IX Section X Section XI. Section XII. Section XIII. Section XIV. Section XV. Section XVI. Section XVII. Section XVIII. Section XIX. Section XX. Section XXI. Section XXII. First Explanation of the Story Section XXIII Section XXIV Section XXV: Second Explanation of the Story Section XXVI Section XXVII Section XXX Section XXXI Section XXXII: Third Explanation of the Story Sections XXXIII and XXXIV Section XXXVI Section XXXVIII Section XXXIX Section XL Section XLI and XLII: Fourth Explanation of the Story Section XLIII Section XLIV, etc.: Fifth Explanation of the Story Index Next Legends of the Gods The Egyptian Texts, edited with Translations by E. A. Wallis Budge London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Trübner & Co. Ltd. [1912] Scanned at sacred-texts.com 1999 and 2003. J.B. Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose provided this notice of attribution is left intact. Next: Preface Index Previous Next p. vi PREFACE THE welcome which has been accorded to the volumes of this Series, and the fact that some of them have passed into second and third editions, suggest that these little books have been found useful by beginners in Egyptology and others. Hitherto the object of them has been to supply information about the Religion, Magic, Language, and History of the ancient Egyptians, and to provide editions of the original texts from which such information was derived. There are, however, many branches of Egyptology which need treatment in a similar manner in this Series, and it has been suggested in many quarters that the time has now arrived when the publication of a series of groups of texts illustrating EGYPTIAN LITERATURE in general might well be begun. Seeing that nothing is known about the authors of Egyptian works, not even their names, it is impossible to write a History of Egyptian Literature in the ordinary sense of the word. The only thing to be done is to print the actual works in the best and most complete form possible, with translations, and then to put them in the hands of the reader and leave them to his judgment. p. vi With this object in view, it has been decided to publish in the Series several volumes which shall be devoted to the reproduction in hieroglyphic type of the best and most typical examples of the various kinds of EGYPTIAN LITERATURE, with English translations, on a much larger scale than was possible in my "First Steps in Egyptian" or in my "Egyptian Reading Book." These volumes are intended to serve a double purpose, i.e., to supply the beginner in Egyptian with new material and a series of reading books, and to provide the general reader with translations of Egyptian works in a handy form. The Egyptian texts, whether the originals be written in hieroglyphic or hieratic characters, are here printed in hieroglyphic type, and are arranged with English translations, page for page. They are printed as they are written in the original documents, i.e., the words are not divided. The beginner will find the practice of dividing the words for himself most useful in acquiring facility of reading and understanding the language. The translations are as literal as can reasonably be expected, and, as a whole, I believe that they mean what the original writers intended to say. In the case of passages where the text is corrupt, and readings are mixed, or where very rare words occur, or where words are omitted, the renderings given claim to be nothing more than suggestions as to their meanings. It must be remembered that the exact meanings of many Egyptian words have still to be p. vii ascertained, and that the ancient Egyptian scribes were as much puzzled as we are by some of the texts which they copied, and that owing to carelessness, ignorance, or weariness, or all three, they made blunders which the modern student is unable to correct. In the Introduction will be found brief descriptions of the contents of the Egyptian texts, in which their general bearing and importance are indicated, and references given to authoritative editions of texts and translations. E. A. WALLIS BUDGE. BRITISH MUSEUM, November 17,1911. Next: Contents Index Previous Next CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. THE LEGEND OF THE CREATION-- Summary xiii Text 2 II. THE LEGEND OF THE DESTRUCTION OF MANKIND-- Summary xxiii Text 14 III. THE LEGEND OF RA AND THE SNAKE-BITE-- Summary xxxiii Text 42 IV. THE LEGEND OF HORUS OF EDFU AND THE WINGED DISK-- Summary xxxviii Text 56 V. THE LEGEND OF THE ORIGIN OF HORUS-- Summary xlvii Text 96 VI. A LEGEND OF KHENSU NEFER-HETEP AND THE PRINCESS OF BEKHTEN-- Summary lii Text 106 p. x VII. THE LEGEND OF KHNEMU AND A SEVEN YEARS' FAMINE-- Summary lx Text 120 VIII. THE LEGEND OF THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF HORUS-- Summary lxviii Text 142 IX. THE LEGEND OF ISIS AND OSIRIS ACCORDING TO CLASSICAL WRITERS lxxix, 198 Next: List of Plates and Illustrations Index Previous Next p. xi LIST OF PLATES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ON OR FOLLOWING PAGE: The History of Creation xiii I. Horus holding the Hippopotamus-fiend with chain and spear xxxviii II. Horus spearing the Hippopotamus-fiend xxxviii III. Horus spearing the Hippopotamus-fiend xxxviii IV. Horus and Isis capturing the Hippopotamus fiend xl V. Horus on the back of the Hippopotamus-fiend xl VI. The slaughter of the Hippopotamus-fiend xliii VII. Horus of Behutet and Ra-Harmakhis in a shrine xliii VIII. Horus of Behutet and Ra-Harmakhis in a shrine xliii IX. Ashthertet in her chariot xliii X. Horus holding captive foes and spearing Typhonic animals xliii XI. Horus spearing human foes xliv XII. Horus spearing the crocodile xliv XIII. Horus in the form of a lion xlvi XIV. The Procreation of Horus, son of Isis. xlvii XV. The Resurrection of Osiris. l XVI. The Bekhten Stele l XVII. The Metternich Stele--Obverse lxviii XVIII. The Metternich Stele--Reverse lxviii Next: Summary: I. The Legend of the God Neb-er-tcher, and the History of Creation Index Previous Next p. xii Click to enlarge THE HISTORY OF CREATION. (Brit. Mus. Papyrus No 10,188). p. xiii INTRODUCTION I. THE LEGEND OF THE GOD NEB-ER-TCHER, AND THE HISTORY OF CREATION. THE text of the remarkable Legend of the Creation which forms the first section of this volume is preserved in a well-written papyrus in the British Museum, where it bears the number 10,188. This papyrus was acquired by the late Mr. A. H. Rhind in 1861 or 1862, when he was excavating some tombs on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes. He did not himself find it in a tomb, but he received it from the British Consul at Luxor, Mustafa Agha, during an interchange of gifts when Mr. Rhind was leaving the country. Mustafa Agha obtained the papyrus from the famous hiding-place of the Royal Mummies at Der-al-Bahari, with the situation of which he was well acquainted for many years before it became known to the Egyptian Service of Antiquities. When Mr. Rhind came to England, the results of his excavations were examined by Dr. Birch, who, recognising the great value of the papyrus, arranged to publish it in a companion volume to Facsimiles of Two Papyri, but the death of Mr. Rhind p. xiv in 1865 caused the project to fall through. Mr. Rhind's collection passed into the hands of Mr. David Bremner, and the papyrus, together with many other antiquities, was purchased by the Trustees of the British Museum. In 1880 Dr. Birch suggested the publication of the papyrus to Dr. Pleyte, the Director of the Egyptian Museum at Leyden. This savant transcribed and translated some passages from the Festival Songs of Isis and Nephthys, which is the first text in it, and these he published in Recueil de