the myth of horus at edfu: i

Egypt Exploration Society

The Myth of Horus at Edfu: IAuthor(s): H. W. FairmanSource: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Sep., 1935), pp. 26-36Published by: Egypt Exploration SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3854487 .

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THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I

BY H. W. FAIRMAN

THE Myth of Horus is justly one of the most celebrated of Egyptian myths, yet hitherto no complete translation of the various texts which compose it has appeared in any language, though the actual texts and reliefs have been published long since by Naville, Textes relatifs au Mythe d'Horus recueillis dans le Temple d'Edfou, Geneva, 1870. Now that the magnificent new edition of Chassinat has appeared, it seems an opportune moment to attempt to remedy this deficiency by giving a complete translation of all these texts, accompanied, however, by the minimum of notes. This and the following articles aim solely at providing a connected translation, and do not offer or pretend to offer a detailed commentary.

The translations are based on the texts published by Chassinat, Le Temple d'Edfou, vi, 60-90, 108-36, 213-23, and have been controlled by reference to the photographs published by Chassinat, op. cit., xIII, Pls. ccccxciv-dxiv, dxviii-dxxxv; xiv, Pls. dlxxvi-dlxxxiv. I have also utilized the Berlin series of photographs which were placed at my disposal by Dr. A. H. Gardiner. Unfortunately, pressure of work while I was in Egypt during the past winter prevented me from checking one or two minor points on the walls of Edfu itself. It is, however, a pleasure to pay a tribute to the remarkable accuracy of Chassinat's edition, which is a vast improvement on previous copies, and which may be trusted absolutely. In quotations in this paper, reference is made to volumes, pages, or plates of Chassinat's edition. Thus vi, followed by a page number, refers to Chassinat, Le Temple d'Edfou, tome vi. Where a reference is given to individual lines, the reference is to the lines of Chassinat's text, and not to the lines of the original.

The Myth of Horus as preserved in the Temple of Edfu is inscribed on the inner faces of the east and west enclosure walls. Though it is habitual to refer to the "Myth of Horus", the myth is not a simple story, but comprises five texts (cf. the analysis in Roeder's article Set in Roscher's Lexikon). These five texts are:

A. The Legend of the Winged Disk. The chief actors are Horus of Behdet and Seth. R5e and Thoth provide a running commentary and numerous, somewhat tedious puns which detract from the flow and interest of the narrative. The language is stilted and formal, and somewhat restricted in vocabulary and forms of expression. (Naville, op. cit., Pls. xii-xix; Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 108-32; xIII, Pls. dxviii-dxxxiii.)

B. The story of a fight between Horus, son of Isis (who is assisted by Horus of Behdet), and Seth. This portion of the myth follows immediately after the Legend of the Winged Disk, and is entitled hnk .hrw-r. (Naville, op. cit., Pls. xx-xxi; Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 132-6; xIII, Pls. dxxxiv-dxxxv.)

C. This section is not worded in the form of a connected story, but is perhaps rather the text of a dramatized version of the exploits of Horus which was enacted at his festival. After texts referring to the ten harpoons with which Horus attacked his enemy, come songs by the Royal Children and by the princesses of Upper and Lower Egypt together with the women of Mendes, Pe, and Dep, and finally two versions of the dismemberment of Seth and the distribution of the parts of his body among various gods and cities. (Naville, op. cit., Pls. i-xi; Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 60-90; xIII, Pls. ccccxciv-dxiv.)




D. Seth, son of Nut, assumes the form of a red hippopotamus and goes to Elephantine. Horus, son of Isis, pursues him and overtakes him near Edfu, and after the ensuing fight Seth flees northwards and Horus assumes the office of his father. (Naville, op. cit., xxii-xxiii; Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 213-19; xiv, Pls. dlxxvi-dlxxxi; Brugsch, Thesaurus, 608-9.)

E. A very battered text. Horus is mentioned as lord of Lower Egypt, living at Memphis, and Seth as lord of Upper Egypt, living in Shas-hetep. Horus and Seth fight, the one in the form of a youth, the other as a red donkey. Horus finally triumphs and cuts off the leg of Seth. This story is written in a pronounced Late-Egyptian idiom. (Naville, op. cit., xxiv; Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 219-223; xiv, Pls. dlxxxii-dlxxxiv; Brugsch, Thes., 609-10.)

A. THE LEGEND OF THE WINGED DISK

The text of this portion of the myth is inscribed on the second register of the inner face of the west enclosure wall of the temple. This part of the wall is divided into sixteen scenes, of which those referring to the Myth of Horus (Nos. 5-13 in Chassinat's numbering) run from north to south, whereas the scenes which precede and which follow them run from south to north. Thus it would appear that some attempt has been made to keep the scenes of the

myth separate from the others. The same state of affairs obtains on the lower register of this wall, where the greater part of the remaining portion of the myth is inscribed (cf. Chassinat's remarks on the order of the scenes, vi, 54, 104).

The individual scenes of the legend bear no titles, but the first scene (Chassinat's No. 5) bears the title Lifting heaven. The texts read: Lifting heaven. Utterance. Thy heaven belongs to thee, 0 Bhdti, brightly coloured one. Thou fyest (emend = for ) therein as [the Winged Disk], thou alightest on the prow of the barque of Rer-Harakhte, thy two uraei ....... After the name of the king, and epithets of the Winged Disk: The King of Upper and Lower Egypt C) is on his seat, lifting up heaven, supporting the god of Behdet. ? is introduced to the barque of Rer-Harakhte as a divine winged disk of gold (ktm). He is like Shu who lifts up (emend > for ,7 in k3wt) heaven, who holds (?) the head of .......... For ̂ i, for which I can offer no certain transliteration, cf. ii, 8. Is it a word for " king" ?

Of the scenes which precede the myth, the title of the first is lost, the second is called hnk shmty, and the third and fourth f4i tht. The Legend of the Winged Disk occupies Nos. 5-12, and No. 13, which, as noted above, is included in the myth series, is concerned with the offering of hrw-r and grapes, and with a fight between Horus, son of Isis, and Seth

(Story B). The succession of Scenes 14-16 from south to north would seem to indicate that they are

to be treated apart from the other scenes concerning the myth. Nevertheless they are

closely connected with it in content. No. 14 is divided into two parts, ir(t) sntr and shr(t) Skr, and has been published by Naville, op. cit., xxv. No. 15 is entitled sm. Smn, and No. 16, which has no title, concerns the slaughter of the wild animals of the desert.

The text of the Legend of the Winged Disk is published by Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 108-32; line plates cxlvi-cxlviii (in the unpublished portion of vol. x), and photographic plates dxviii-dxxxiii in vol. xiIn. A complete copy of the texts and reliefs was originally made by Naville, op. cit., xii-xix. The hieroglyphic text and some of the reliefs were published, together with an English translation, by Budge, Legends of the Gods (London, 1912), 52 ff.; he gave a more recent translation in English in his From Fetish to God in Ancient Egypt (Oxford, 1934), 467-80. German translations have been published by Brugsch, Die Sage von der gefiigelten Sonnenscheibe (in Abh. kgl. Ges. Wiss. zu Gottingen, xiv, 173 ff., G6ttingen, 1869); by Wiedemann, Die Religion der Alten Agypter (Miinster, 1890), 38 ff., an English version

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of which is published in his Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (London, 1897), 69 ff.; and by Roeder, Urkunden zur Religion des Alten Agypten (Jena, 1915), 120 ff.

I had the advantage, during the early part of the past winter, of reading this portion of the Myth of Horus with Dr. A. H. Gardiner, Dr. J. Oerny, and Mr. R. 0. Faulkner, and to them I owe many fruitful suggestions.

Translation

[5, 5]1 Year 3632 of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, er-.Harakhte, may he live for ever and ever. Now his majesty was in Nubia (T3-stl), and his army was with him without number, [and there was no?]3 plotting against their lord (among them>.3 It is called Ta[seti]4 to this day. [5, 6] RBr sailed in his barque, and his followers were with him. He landed in the nome of Wts-Hr, to the east of this nome, and east of the canal which is called " The royal [canal]" to this day. And Horus of Behdet was (also) [5, 7] in the barque of Rer, and he said to his father Rer-Harakhte: " I see enemies who plot against their mighty lord. May the .... of thy uraeus prevail against them". [6, 2]5 The majesty of Rer-Harakhte said: " As thou desirest, 0 Horus of Behdet, thou son of Rer, exalted one who camest forth from me. Overthrow (my) enemy before thee in an instant." Horus of Behdet flew up (rpi) to heaven as the Great Winged Disk (rpl wr), and therefore he is called "great god, lord of heaven" to this day. When he saw the enemies in heaven he approached them as the great Winged Disk. He stormed against them before him, [6, 3]6 and they neither saw with their eyes nor heard with their ears, but (each) one slew his fellow in the twinkling of an eye, and not a soul lived. Then Horus of Behdet came as snbti, the many-coloured, as the great Winged Disk, to the barque of Rer-Harakhte. Thoth said to Rer, the lord of the gods: " The god of Behdet is come as snbti, the great Winged Disk, who destroys(?) the rebels andfoes". [6, 4] Therefore is he called Horus of Behdet to this day. Then Rer-Harakhte said: "I see [Horus?]. Edfu (Db) shall be called (the city of) Horus of Behdet from this day." Then Rer embraced him closely,7 and said to Horus of Behdet: " Thou hast put grapes into the water which comes from it that thy heart may be pleased thereby". Therefore do men offer

1 Inner face, west wall, 2nd register, scene 5: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 109-110; xm, Pls. dxviii, dxix; Naville, op. cit., xn.

2 Cf. Newberry, The Set Rebellion of the Ilnd Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, 7 (1922), 40-6. Newberry sees in this date and in this story an echo of the Seth rebellion and re-conquest of Egypt by Peribsen. Year 363 of ier-Harakhte according to him would be 363 years after the accession of Menes. Kees, however (Kult- legende und Urgeschichte in Nachr. Ges. Wiss. zu G6ttingen, Phil.-Hist. Klasse, 1930, 346 ff.), claims that these legends have no historical value. Newberry's theory, whether true or not, is certainly an attractive and plausible one, and it must be admitted that my own reading of these myths has convinced me that, while one must of necessity treat all statements with the utmost caution and reserve, there seems to be a certain substratum of historical fact on which they are based. But this is obviously a subject for a separate paper, and further discussion would be out of place here.

3 Reading [n]n Zw (=_ = iw) w;zw r nb-sn <im>. 4 1; the most likely emendation is Tt-stZ. There seems to be a corruption of the text here, for the

pun is on w;w;, and one would have expected the country to be called W;wwt: cf. for instance p. 35 = vi, 128. 8, where Horus of Behdet spies the enemy in ti w;wWt 4r wJw; r nb.sn. The error, if error it be, seems to be corrected in the epitome of the myth published in vi, 8-9 (= Diimichen, Altagyptische Tempelinschriften, I, cii; Brugsch, Thes., 1340; J. de Rouge, Inscr. et Not. rec. d Edfou, ir, lxxxv), where we read: "when Rer came to Ht-ms-nht-f when the enemies plotted (w;w?) against him in W;wtt". The text then proceeds to enumerate the various stages of the campaign. 5 Scene 6: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 111-13; xm, Pls. dxx, dxxi; Naville, op. cit., xiii.

6 A duplicate of this passage, from this point to the end of the sentence, in I, 357, without, however, any important variants. 7 Wn.in Rc hpt.f br nbt.f.

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hrw-r1 to Horus of Behdet to this day. The ......... is called snbti, many-coloured, to this

day. [6, 5] Then Horus of Behdet said: " Come, 0 Rer, that thou mayest see how thy foes are fallen before thee in this land". And his majesty went, Astarte being with him. He saw that the enemies were fallen to the ground with broken heads. Then Rer said to Horus of Behdet: [6, 6] " This is a place of pleasant life" (ndm rnh pw) and therefore men call the palace of Horus of Behdet Ndm-rnh to this day. And Rer said to Thoth: " This means that my enemies are punished" (db3), and therefore this nome is called Dbw to this day. Then Thoth said to Horus of Behdet: " Thy protection is great" (mkt.k r3) [6, 7] and the barque of Horus of Behdet is called "Great-

of-protection" (r3-mkt) to this day. Then RBr said to the gods who were in his train: "Now let us row in our barque on the

water, and let us rejoice over our foes who are fallen to the ground". The great god [sailed] (hn ?) in it (? the canal) [6, 8] and it is called P-hn (" The canal") to this day.

Now the foes descended into the water and became crocodiles and hippopotami. And Horus

of Behdet in his barque voyaged on the water. Then the crocodiles and hippopotami came and

opened their mouths in order to attack (?) the barque of RBr-Harakhte. [6, 9] Then Horus of Behdet came with his followers who were in his train as harpooners,2 with harpoons and ropes in their hands, each one at his name. They smote the crocodiles and hippopotami and brought away at once 651 enemies. [6, 10] They were slaughtered before this city. Then Rer-Harakhte said to Horus of Behdet: "This is my image in T3-smr;3 this is one whose palace is mighty (nht rh pw)", and the palace of Horus of Behdet is called Nht-rh to this day.

[7, 5]4 Thoth said after he had seen that the foes were fallen to the ground: "Rejoice, 0 ye gods of heaven! Rejoice, 0 ye gods of the earth! The divine youth is returned in peace. He has

performed wonders in his journey.5 He has acted according to the book of repulsing the

hippopotamus (i.e. Seth)." Thus the harpooners of Horus of Behdet came into existence to this day.

Then Horus of Behdet assumed the form of the Winged Disk on the prow of the barque of Rer [7, 6] and he took Nekhbet and Uto with him as two uraei who terrify the enemies in their limbs,6 both crocodiles and hippopotami, in every place visited in Upper and Lower

Egypt. Then those foes fled before him, their faces being turned to Upper Egypt,7 their hearts being

faint through fear of him. Horus of Behdet followed after them in this barque of Rrc, with harpoon 1 Hrw-r: a drink made of grapes and water (Wb. d. aeg. Spr., m, 134). = iOrrt, eXoohe. For the

offering of grapes cf. I, 460; vi, 133; vu, 122. For the offering of hrw-r see I, 462; I, 70. 183; iv, 256; v, 162;

vi, 132. 345; vii, 199. 283; Chassinat, Le Temple de Dendara, i, 14; ii, 198; m, 175. The most interesting instance is vi, 132, a translation of which will be given with Section B of the myth.

2 The precise nature of the msntyw has long been a matter of dispute. Maspero, Les forgerons d'Horus et la le'gende de l'Horus d'Edfou in Bibl. Egyptol., n, 313 ff., called them "les forgerons". The latest treatment is by Sethe, Die angeblichen Schmiede des Horus von Edfu in Z.A.S., 54, 50-4, whose view is adopted here.

3 For Horus of Behdet as the image of Rer-Harakhte in T.-smr, cf. the Beischrift to this scene (vi, 113. 5) and also I, 10. 358, and compare Junker's remarks on the same subject in his Die Onurislegende, 20.

4 Scene 7: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 114-17; xm, Pls. dxxii, dxxiii; Naville, op. cit., xiv. 5 di-f hw hr nmt.f: lit. "he has lengthened (or added to) his stride". Cf. also ni, 34, 17-35, 1. 6 This phrase again in i, 358. 7 It is interesting to note that though the preceding actions took place in or near Edfu, they were not

considered to have taken place in Egypt. When the enemy fled (northwards) from Horus they turned to

Upper Egypt, hence Edfu is outside T;-smc. There can be no question here of a pursuit to the south, for the next episode in the fight takes place near Thebes, and all the present portion of the myth tells of the

steady driving of Seth and his confederates from Nubia to the sea. Not until the sea has been reached does Horus retrace his steps to Nubia (p. 35) to deal with a rebellion which had apparently broken out in his absence.

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H. W. FAIRMAN

and rope in his hands and (in those of) hisfollowers, they being armed [7, 7] with arrows and ropes, and the harpooners were prepared for them. [Then] he saw them to the south-east of Thebes at a distance ofl(?) two schoenoi. Then said Rer to Thoth: "Those foes, may he destroy (ddb) them!". And Thoth said to Rer: "Therefore shall this town be called Ddm from this day". Then Horus of Behdet inflicted great slaughter upon them. And Rer said: "Stop, Horus of Behdet, that <I> may see thee". Therefore is this town called Ht-Rr to this day, and the god who is in it is Horus-of-Behdet-Rer-Min.

[7, 8] Then those foes fled before him, their faces being turned to Lower Egypt, their hearts being faint through fear of him. Horus of Behdet followed after them in this barque of Rer, with harpoon and rope in his hands and (in those of) his followers. [7, 9] He was equipped with arrows and ropes, and the harpooners were prepared for them. Then he spent a whole day prepared for them, and he saw them on the north-east of Dendera. Then said RBr to Thoth: " The foes are here, do thou [slaughter?] them". [7, 10] And the majesty of Rer-Harakhte said to Horus of Behdet: " Thou art my son, the exalted one who came forth from me. Do thou make the enemy weak in thy own (good) time". Then Horus of Behdet inflicted great slaughter (h3yt) upon them. And Thoth said: " The name of this town shall be called H3-di-ntr, [7, 11] and men shall say of Horus of Behdet: 'He ...... to (?) her majesty, with his face turned to the south' as the name of this god. Snd and nbs are the names of (his) sacred tree(s)."

Then those foes fled before him, their faces being turned to Lower Egypt, from Lahun [7, 12] to the edge of the sea,2 for their hearts were faint [through fear of him]. Horus of Behdet followed after them in the barque of Rer, with harpoon in his hands, and (in those of) his followers. He was equipped with arrows, and the harpooners were prepared for them. [7, 13] He spent four days and four nights sailing after them and they saw not one of those foes, whether crocodile or hippopotamus, in the water before him. And then (at last) he saw them.

Then RBr said .......s3 Hebenu, Winged Disk, great god, lord of heaven: [7, 14] "Repulse (hnb) them from the bank of Hebenu".4 And he hurled his lance at them and overthrew them. He inflicted great slaughter upon them and brought 142 of the enemy before the barque [of Re7] ....... male hippopotamus [7, 15] who was in the midst of those foes. He killed them with his knife, and gave their intestines to those who were in his train, and their flesh to every god and goddess who was in this barque of RBr by the bank of Hebenu. Rer said to Thoth: "0 see5 [7, 16] Horus of Behdet in his image on those foes. Lo! he has smitten them. He has opened his [mouth] against the male hippopotamus which is in their midst, and has smitten him6 while (standing) on his back." Thoth said to RJr: "Therefore shall Horus be called 'Winged Disk, great god, [7, 17] who slays the enemy, pre-eminent in Hebenu' from this day. And the name of

1 rs: I can offer no certain transliteration for this sign. In some other places, e.g., vi, 124. 1, the sign closely resembles =-=. The rendering given here, which seems to be demanded by the context, is a pure guess. For J as itrw, cf. such writings as q o n (Wb. d. aeg. Spr., I, 147).

2 Roeder (Rel. Urk., 125) substitutes "canal" for Lahin and takes phw w;d-wr to be some marshes called WMd-wr situated near Dendera (cf. Wb. d. aeg. Spr., I, 269). The same phrase, however, is repeated in almost identical terms in vi, 118. 1 (see p. 31 below) after the fighting at Hebenu, and since in this latter case there can be no possible question of Dendera it seems better to take the present instance in the same way. For Ant "canal" cf. vi, 123. 1 = p. 33.

3 In the lacuna one would expect some such phrase as [" to Horus of Behdet, lord of] Iebenu", but the very damaged traces do not agree with such a restoration. 4 Read br wdb n Hbnw.

5 For the particle i see Gardiner, Eg. Gramm., § 250; Erman, Neuagyptische Grammatik (2nd ed.), § 361; Junker, Grammatik der Denderatexte, § 245.

6 ir.n.f iht r.f. This usage of tr iht does not occur in the Worterbuch, but the general sense of the passage is quite clear. Ir r in the sense of "to do evil against some one" is, of course, well established. In vi, 127. 12 (see belowp. 34) ir iht followed byn has the general sense of " to makea meal forsome one ": cf. alsom, 125.14.

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THlE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I

the priest of this god shall be called Hri-s3l because of this from this day." Now all these events took place in the district of .Hebenu in (an area of) 342 rods to the south, north, west, and east.

[8, 10]2 Then those foes swam before him, with their faces turned towards Lahun in order to reach the sea by going northwards, for [Horus?] .... in their hearts. And they fled, and turned back from the water and betook themselves to the waters of the western Mrt.3 They reached the waters of the nome of Mrt, and that company of Seth which is in this town. And Horus of Behdet swam after them equipped with all his weapons for fighting them. [8, 1i] Horus of Behdet sailed downstream in this barque of Rer together with the great god who is in his barque and the

gods who were in his train. He sailed after them (the enemies) very rapidly. Then he spent a day and a night sailing downstream seeking for them, but without seeing them, for he did not know the place in which they were. He reached Pr-rhhwy.4

Then the majesty of Rer said to Horus of Behdet: "Lo! those enemies, they have reached the western waters of the nome of Mrt, to that company of Seth [8, 12] which is in this town, to the

place in which (?) ........ 5 Then Thoth said to Rer: " Therefore shall the nome of Mrt be called W3b-w3st from this day, and the water that is in it shall be called Dmit".

Then Horus of Behdet said to his father RBr: "Let this thy barque be sent against them that I may do what RJc desires among them". And all was done as he wished. Then he reached them in the western waters in this town. Then he saw them on the southern bank of the nome of Mrt at a distance of (?) a schoenus.

[8, 13] Horus of Behdet together with his followers, equipped with all weapons of warfare, went in against them, and he inflicted great slaughter upon them. He brought away 381 captives and slew them before the barque of Rec. [8, 14] He gave each one of them to each one of his

followers. Then Seth emitted a fearsome roar, uttering a cry at this which Horus of Behdet had

[done] in slaughtering the enemy. Rer said to Thoth: "What mean these cries of Nh3-hr who

protests loudly at this which [8, 15] Horus of Behdet has done against him?" Thoth [said] to Rer: "It shall be called from this day 'The place of savage (nh3h3) cries' because of this".

Thereupon Horus of Behdet waged warfare with the enemy for a (considerable) time. He threw his spear at him, and overthrew him on the ground6 in this town, [8, 16] and it is called Pr-rhhwy to this day.

Then came Horus of Behdet bringing the enemy, his collar7 (?) being at his throat and his rope 1 Hri-s;: written with the figure of a man standing on the back of a bull and stabbing downwards with

a spear. In view of the context hrl-s; is probably the correct transliteration (cf. Brugsch, Diet. G'og., 1376). Another possibility, but hardly so likely in the present instance, is dwnti: cf. Junker, Die Onurislegende, 37 for this reading, and for further information about HIebenu.

2 Scene 8: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 118-20; xm, Pls. dxxiv, dxxv; Naville, op. cit., xv. 3 Mrt: capital of the nineteenth (Oxyrhynchite) nome of Upper Egypt: cf. Gauthier, Diet. des noms geog.,

m, 53. 4 Pr-rAhwy: cf. Gauthier, op. cit., ri, 167. 5 Brugsch translates, "an der Stelle wo die Spitze unseres Szepterstockes ist". The passage is obviously

intended as an explanation of the name of Wib-wrst (cf. Gauthier, op. cit., I, 175), but I have failed to grasp its exact meaning. Brugsch's rendering, in any case, does not entirely agree with the hieroglyphic text.

6 Chassinat (vi, 119. 8) gives ~ here. The original is badly damaged (cf. the photograph xm, P1. dxxiv) and one wonders whether the original reading could not have been~ ::, a writing of sitw,

(cf. the variants given in Wb. d. aeg. Spr., m, 423). In the photograph the sign behind the bird's head does not suit A very well. S;tw seems an obvious emendation, and I have translated accordingly.

7 A, ch: the Ptolemaic form of the Late Egyptian A ; ' &-. According to Wb. d. ag. Spr., v, 66 it

is a "holzerne Klammer 6. a. am Halse des Gefangenen". The word occurs in Harris 500, vs., 2, 5; 2, 13; 3, 4, and has been translated by Goodwin (Trans. S.B.A., 3, 347) as "collar"; and by Peet (Journal, 11,

226) as "handcuffs" (Harris 500, vs., 2, 5; 2, 13), and "stocks" (Harris 500, vs., 3, 4). In Pap. Ch. Beatty I, rt., 15, 12, Isis is told to bring Seth bound fast, m .kcw, and as a prisoner, and Gardiner (The Chester Beatty Papyri, No. I, p. 26) translates " bonds". The determinative in all these cases is --, and the k.h must clearly

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H. W. FAIRMAN

(binding) both his hands, and the staff of Horus fell to close his mouth. He brought him before [his] father. Then said RBr: "0 Horus, Winged Disk, [8, 17] how great is this fury (dndn) which thou hast manifested, thou hast purified this town". And Rer said to Thoth: " Therefore shall the palace of Horus of Behdet be called 'The pure place' from this day, and therefore shall the name of the priest be called 'Great of fury' (wr dndn) from this day". [8, 18] Then said Rer to Thoth: "Let the company of Seth be given to Isis and her son Horus that they may do whatever their hearts desire with them, for she stood fast with her son Horus, and their spears were (turned) against him in the strife in this town". And the sacred lake is called " The Lake of Combat" [8, 19] to this day.

Then Horus son of Isis cut off the heads of his enemy and his confederates before his father RBr and the whole great Ennead. He dragged him by his feet in his district and thrust his spear into his head and back. And RBr said to Thoth: [8, 20] " Behold the son of Osiris has dragged out (ith) the Ragerfrom his districts". And Thoth said: " Therefore shall the name of his district be called 'Ith from this day". And Isis the divine said to her father RBr: "Let the Winged Disk be given as a protection for my son Horus, for he has cut off the heads of the enemy and his confederates".

[9, 7]1 Then Horus of Behdet and Horus son of Isis slew that craven foe and his confederates and those enemies when he reached them <in> the western waters of this town. Horus of Behdet was like a man of proved valour,2 with the head of a falcon, crowned with the white crown, the red crown and the double plumes, with the two uraei on his head, his back being that of a falcon, and his spear and rope being in his hands. Horus son of Isis transformed himself after the same manner that Horus of Behdet had assumed [9, 8] before him. They slew the enemy together on the west of Pr-rhhwy on the edge of the water. And this god sails on this his lake to this day, (this day) on which those foes reached (dmi) it. Now all these things took place on Tobi 7. Then Thoth said: " Therefore shall this town be called 'The town of slaughter' from this day, and the water that is in it shall be called Dmit [9, 9], and Tobi 7 shall be called 'The feast of rowing' from this day".

Then Seth turned himself into a roaring serpent and entered the ground in this town, and was seen no more. RBr said: "Be3 has turned himself into a roaring serpent. Put Horus son of Isis as a staff in its upper end4 to prevent him from ever coming forth". [9, 10] Then said Thoth: "The name of the serpent5 in this town shall be called 'The roarer' from this day, and Horus son of Isis is the falcon-headed spear in its upper end, and he is here in this place with his mother Isis". And all these things came to pass.

The barque of Rer moored at the town of Pr-rh3. [9, 11] Its prow was of i3m and its stern of snd, and they are sacred trees to this day. Horus of Behdet went to the barque of Rer after the completion of the journey, and REr said to Thoth: " Lo! thou art... rowing. The barque of Horus of Behdet shall be called 'Lord of rowing' from this day." [9, 12] Therefore all these things are done in this place to this day.

be a wooden object used in securing prisoners. The instance in the Horus Myth shows that it was used at the neck, and hence "bonds", "handcuffs", or "stocks" seem hardly suitable translations. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the kh was some sort of collar or cangue such as is used on prisoners in China. On the other hand, it has to be admitted that no such appliance seems to be found on the monuments, and Dr. Nelson informs me that he has observed nothing of the sort in the representations of prisoners at Medinet Habu or Karnak.

1Scene 9: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 121-2; xm, Pls. dxxvi, dxxvii; Naville, op. cit., xvi. 2

N) : kmi phti ? This phrase does not occur in the Wdrterbuch. Possibly it is derived from km; "to beat metal".

3 Be, a name of Seth: cf. Wb. d. aeg. Spr., I, 410; Mariette, Dendera, m, 72; Diimichen, Geog. Inschr., I, lxxxi; m, xcii; iv, cxvii. 4 Read m mdw m gs.f hri. 56 , s.-t. £4Zw\

82




Then said Rer to Horus of Behdet: "Lo! we have fought with the company <of Seth> and it is exhausted1 (?) and its strength likewise, and the company of Seth (now) swims (away). Would that we might go northwards after [them] ...." Then the Winged Disk said: " All that thou commandest shall come to pass, , 13] 0 Br, Lord of the gods. Let this thy barque be sent

against them to whatsoever place they may go, and I will do what Rer desires with them". And it was done according to all that e he W ghad said. Then the Winged Disk barded the barque of which was on the stream ....... his ... his spear (?) and all ropes for fighting. [9, 14] Then he saw one of the enemy with him in the same place, and he threw his lance at him immediately, and brought him at once and slew him before err. (Thus) he brought it (the fight) to an end: there were no..... Be, there were no ..... in this place at that time.2

[10, i]3 Thoth said: " This place which Horus of Behdet has made because of them shall be called

St-i3b'i".4 Then he spent six days and six nights moored on its waters without seeing one of them. Then he saw them overthrown in the canal, and he prepared this place as St-i3b-i, it being by the ,water's edge, and it faced south. [10, 2] All rites are performed for Horus of Behdet on Thoth 1, Tobi 7 and Mechir 21 and 24:-these are the festivals in St-hb-i on the southern side of Neref.5

He moored his barque (in order to act) against then as one who watches as a king over the

great god who is in Neref, in this place, driving off the Enemy and his company when he comes

by night from the district of Ar on the west of this place. [10, 3] Horus of Behdet was as a man

of proved valour, with the face of a falcon, crowned with th e white croewn, the red crown, the double plumes and the double crown, the two uraei being on his head, and his arms were strong iwhile bearing his spear, while slaying the hippopotamus of red jasper6 wvhich was in the desert with him. And Ber said to Thoth: "Lo! Horus of Behdet is the lord of combat who slays his

foreign (foes) daily". And Thoth said to Ber: " Therefore the priest of this god shall be called 'Lord of combat' from this day".

[lo, 4] Thereupon Isis performed all the magic spells for driving back Be from Neref in this place, and Thoth said: "Therefore shall the songstress of this god be called 'Mistress of Magic'". And Thoth said to Rer: "

Howt happy is this place now that thou restest within it as one who watches as king over the great god who is in Neref, at a distance of (?) four schoenoi".

[io, 5] And Thoth said: "Therefore the name of the palace in this place shall be called 'The

happy place' from this day. It is on the south-wtest of Nrr7 at a distance of (?) four schoenoi". Then Rer said to Horus of Behdet: "Hast thou searched (hh) these waters for the enemies?".

And Thoth said: [10, ] " The naeme of the sacred lake in this place shall be called 'Waters of Seeking'" (mw hh). Then Ber said: "How nrumerous are thy boats, 0 Horus of Behdet, on the lake (dmit) [in this place]". And Thoth said: " The name of [the boat] of [this] god shall be called 'Great [of Terror]',8 and the name of this water shall be called Dmit". [1o, 7] As for St-h3bli, it lies on the vwater's edge: the name of its palace is " The happy place ", "Lord of Combat "

is the name of the priest, [" Mistress of Magic "] is the name of the songstress, "Waters of Seeking "

1 ma -ts`r ?

2 Brugsch's translation: "Da war [der Kampf] beendigt und kein [Feind war mehr] an dieser Stelle von

Minute an " does not accord perfectly with what is still visible of these damaged phrases. 3Scene 10: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 122-6; xii, Pls. dxxviii, dxxix; Naville, op. cit., xvii.

4 St-ib i: "The place which I have desired" ? cf. Gautlier, op. cit., v, 69, where references to the many variants of the name are given. Naville (Z.A.S., 8, 123-8) considered that St-ilb i was specially connected with Horus and Isis, while Neref. to which St-zib

' was obviously very close, was connected with Osiris. A

- - c Neref, the necropolis of Abusir el-Melek (Wb. d. aeg. Spr., ii, 916; Gauthier, op. cit., II, 66-7). 6 Hnm: red jasper, cf. Gardiner, Egyptian Hieratic Texts, I (Leipzig, 1911), 41*, n. 10 = Koller, 4, 2.

Seth is also called a red hippopotamus (hb-or db-dsr) in other parts of the myth, e.g., vi, 216. 2; 217. 3, 9.

7 7Nrr: the twentieth nome of Upper Egypt, the nome of Heracleopolis (Wb. d. aeg. Spr., r, 208; Gauthier,

op. cit., iIn, 71). R8 estore wr [nrw] from vi, 124. 6. F

33



34 H. W. FAIRMAN

is the name of the (sacred) lake, [Dmit is the name1] of the waters, [lo, 8] i3m and Snd are the names of the sacred trees, Ht-ntr the name of the sacred town, and "Great of Terror" the name

of the barque. The gods who are in it are Horus of Behdet who slays the foreigners, Horus son of Isis (and) Osiris ......

...... [l0, 9]2 with his harpooners and followers round about him, and with his lance, his msnw, his . ,3 and all his ropes. Horus of Behdet boarded the barque. [He sailed downstream] to Lower Egypt [with his] followers [in order to reach?] those enemies. [io, 10] As for the

harpooners who were in the Central Districts,4 he made a great slaughter by means of them,5 and 106 of the enemy were brought away captive. As for the harpooners of the West, 106 enemies were brought away captive. As for the harpooners of the East, among whom was Horus of Behdet, [lo, 11] he slew them (the enemy) before RJr in the central cities. Then said Rer to Thoth: " My heart <is pleased> with the work of these harpooners of Horus of Behdet, and his followers. They shall (always) exist in the shrines, and offerings and libations [shall be made?] to their

images, [io, 12] together with their month-priests, and the whole temple staff of their temples, as a reward for their having slain the enemy for me." Thoth said: " The Central Districts shall be called ('The towns of) these harpooners' from this day. [10, 13] The god who is in them shall be called Horus of Behdet, Lord of Msn from this day, and the Western Msn shall be called 'The

City' from this day. As for the Western Msn, it faces [the East] in which Rer rises. And the Eastern Msn shall be called ('The town of) these harpooners' from this day. [10, 14] As for the double town of Msn, the work of these eastern harpooners, it faces south to Behdet, it is the abode6 (?) of Horus. In it shall be performed all rites for Horus of Behdet in Lower Egypt on Thoth 2, Khoiak 24, Tobi 7, and Mechir 21 from this day. [10, 15] Their waters shall be called

Sty ('The two places'), the name of their palace shall be alleed 'The pure place', and their

[priest?] shall be called 'Brave in combat' (Kn-rh3), and their town shall be called 'The work

of Msn' from this day." [ll, i]7 Rer said to Horus of Behdet: " These enemies, they have sailed to the East in order to

reach Iwnw-mhw, they have sailed to the East to Thel, their marshland". Then said Horus of Behdet: " All that thou commandest shall come to pass, 0 RJe, Lord of the gods, for thou art the lord of commands". Then they boarded the barque of Ber, and they sailed (hnt) to the East

(i3bt). Then he saw those enemies, some of them were fallen in the sea, and some of them were fallen on the mountains. [11, 2] And Horus of Behdet assumed the form of a lion with the

face of a man, crowned with the triple crown, his arm being like flint, and he hastened he after them, and he brought away 142 enemies. He slew them with his claws, he draggedforth their kidneys,8 their blood lay on the hoeights, and he made a meal out of them for his followers, while he was on

1 The restoration seems to be demanded by the context, but is hardly sufficient to fill the lacuna. 2 Perhaps restore ["Then Horus of Behdet set forth"] or some similar phrase. 3 The name of one of the weapons of Horus, the reading of which is uncertain: see further Chassinat's

note 1 on vi, 125. 1. 4 F or d lq: Gardiner suggests the emendation Iw hri-ib " The island in the midst", and quotes Pap. Ch.

Beatty I, rt. 5, 4. Since, however, there are so many references here to the central districts and towns, it seems safer to leave the text without emendation. In texts of the Ptolemaic period the rww hrtw-tb are not infrequently mentioned as distinct from both Upper and Lower Egypt: e.g., hk; m smr, biti m mhw, ity m rww hrtw-lb, in, 11. 7. A clear instance, however, of rww being used instead of iww occurs in ii, 43. 4, rww hri(w)-ib W;d-wr.

5 irn-f hxyt rct im-sn: the usual meaning of irt fhyt m is "to make a slaughter of", but here it is quite clear that the harpooners are the agents of Horus and not his victims.

6 to 0E: read Phyt pw nt Hr. For POyt cf. Wb. d. aeg. Spr., m, 16. 7 Scene 11: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 127-8; xiII, Pls. dxxx, dxxxi; Naville, op. cit., xviii. 8 For dpt "kidney" cf. Wb. d. aeg. Spr., v, 445.



THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I 35

the mountains. Rer said to Thoth: "Lo! Horus of Behdet is like a lion on his msn, (standing) on the backs of the enemies who yield him their kidneys". [11, 3] Thoth said: "This town shall be called Hnt-i3bt, it shall be called Thel from this day, and kidneys shall be brought from the marshes (?) of Thel from this day, and this god shall be called Horus of Behdet, Lord of Msn, from this day".

Then Rec said to Horus of Behdet: "Let us sail to the Sea so that we may drive the enemies, whether crocodiles or hippopotami, from Egypt". [11, 4] And Horus of Behdet said: " As thou desirest, 0 Rer, Lord of the gods". Then he sailed after the remainder1(?) of the enemies which was in the Sea. Thereupon Thoth recited the spells for protecting the barque and the boats of the harpooners, [11, 5] in order to calm the sea when it is stormy. And Rer said to Thoth: "Have we not travelled over the whole land? Have we not travelled over all the sea?" Thoth said: "(These) waters shall be called 'Waters of travel' from this day.

Then they sailed upstream again by night [11, 6] without seeing those enemies. Then they reached Nubia and the city of S3s-hrt.2 Then he saw those enemies and their ssstyw in the land of Wawat plotting (w3w3) against their lord. [11, 7] Thereupon Horus of Behdet assumed the form of the Winged Disk on the prow of the barque of Rer, and he took with him Nekhbet and Uto as two uraei ;who strike terror in the flesh of the rebels. Their hearts were weak through fear of him, and they could not stand but died immediately. [11, 8] Then said the gods who were in the train of the barque of Rer-Harakhte: "How great is he who has placed himself between the two uraeus-goddesses! He has slain the foes by his fear". And Rer-Harakhte said: "Mighty (wr) are the two uraeus-goddesses (w3dty)". Horus of Behdet is called Wr w3dty to this day.

[12, 1]3 Then Rer-Harakhte sailed in his barque, and he moored at Wts-Hr. Then Thoth said: " The brightly coloured one has come forth from the horizon, and has smitten the enemies in this formz which he has assumed". And he is called "Brightly coloured, who comes forth from the horizon" to this day. Then said Rer-Harakhte to Thoth: "Thou shalt make this winged disk in every place in wvhich I have rested, in the places of the gods in Upper Egypt, in the

places of the gods in Lower Egypt, ...... the West, [12, 2] for he has overthrown the council of the evil ones in their paths". And Thoth set up this image everywhere and in every place in which they are (now) and in which any gods or goddesses are to this day.

Now as for the Winged Disk which is on the shrines of all the gods and goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, and on their chapels likewise, it is Horus of Behdet. As for Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, who is pre-eminent in the Upper Egyptian itrt, he shall be put on the

right hand: he is Horus of Behdet, [12, 3] and he has taken Nekhbet with him as uraeus goddess. As for Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, lord of Msn, pre-eminent in the Lower Egyptian itrt, he shall be put on the left hand: he is Horus of Behdet, and Uto is with him as uraeus

goddess. As for Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, lord of Msn, pre-eminent in the two itrt of Upper and Lower Egypt, Rer-Harakhte has placed hir in every place of his [in order

to] overthrow the rebels in whatever place they may be in. Therefore is he called "Pre-eminent in the two itrt of Upper and Lower Egypt" to this day. [12, 4] As for this Morning Star4 on the east of heaven, who lightens the Two Lands with his eyes, he is Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of

Professor Gunn suggests that perhaps the (8, , , of the original should be emended <jo { . If the

text is left without emendation "the remaining third" would be a possible translation. 2 8s-hrt: an unidentified city in Nubia, cf. Schafer in Beitrdge zur Alten Geschichte, iv, 152-63, especially

pp. 157 ff. Newberry suggests the transliteration S?-shryt (Journal, 14, 222, n. 1); cf. also Newberry in

Klio, 12, 397, n. 3. 3 Scene 12: Chassinat, op. cit., vi, 129-31; xm, Pls. dxxxii, dxxxiii; Naville, op. cit., xix.

~4 ^ 3*e ? , var. : the god of the Morning Star (Wb. d. aeg. Spr., v, 423).



36 H. W. FAIRMAN

heaven, who overthrows the enemy in the east in the course of [every] day. Adoration of this

[god]. Utterance. Hail to thee, Morning Star! Hail to thee, Horus! Hail to thee, Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven! [12, 5] Thou overthrowest Apopis and the enemies [on] the east of heaven, in heaven, earth, water, and the mountains, and they shall never raise their heads. Thou overthrowest all the enemies of the Son of Rjr C in heaven, earth, water, and the mountains.

As for ..... [on] the west of Pwenet, who rises in the evening on the west of heaven, and whose rays pervade the Two Lands, [12, 6] he is Horus of Behdet, he is called " The Lone Star"' and men see by his beauty. Adoration of this god. Utterance. Hail to thee, Lone Star, thou star on the west of Pwenet! [Hail to thee] Horus, who strides (?) (twn.f). Hail to thee, Horus of Beh[det], thou living and great one, who camest forth from the NuTn. Thou overthrowest Apopis and the enemy on the east of heaven, in heaven, earth, water, and the mountains, [12, 7] and they shall never raise themselves (n twn-sn r nhh). May thy fair face be kindly to the Son of Rer, Ptolemy, who lives for ever, beloved of Ptah.

As for the Winged Beetle which is on the shrines of all the gods and goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, he is Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, who overthrows [A]popis and the enemies and foes and the evil council in their ways. The living and the dead [12, 8] are inscribed with his name, as is done for his father RBr-Harakhte to this day.

The king shall act (?) on the day on which trouble and strife occur. A winged beetle in writing shall be made on his breast when he sees trouble, just as Rer-Harakhte did [when he saw] the trouble of the Son of Rer CD, its face being that of a falcon, {its> lips those of a vulture, [12, 9] and its body that of a beetle. Be ye far from him, 0 ye foes, ye evil council, ye men, gods, spirits, and dead, Apopis, thou foe of the Son of Rer, Ptolemy, who lives for ever, beloved of Ptah. He is the god's avenger (?) who came forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet is his name. Be ye far from him, 0 ye who are in the train of Rer, ye who are in the train of Shu, ye who are in the train of Geb, [12, 10] ye wvho are in the train of Horus, ye who are in the train of Seth! The Son of RBr, Ptolemy who lives for ever, beloved of Ptah, he is the god's avenger (?), who came

forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet is his name (4 times). Then shall the king himself say: "I am the god's avenger (?) who came forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet is my name "

(4 times). Let this utterance be recited when trouble occurs, [12, 1] and the king shall not be afraid, but

his foes will be slain before him, and his heart will rejoice over them immediately, and (each) one will slay his fellow immediately, as befell the enemies of Rer-Harakhte wzhen Horus of Behdet

[flew] against them as the great Winged Disk. This image shall be made with the face of the king to this day.

1 * L *, sbw-wfct: cf. Pyr., 251, b; Wb. d. aeg. Spr., iv, 82. In this case it is clearly the Evening Star.



the myth of horus at edfu: i

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