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The Egyptian Heaven and Hell

By E. A. Wallis Budge

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The Gate Of Tchetbi The Fourth Division of the Tuat

at of the sun having passed through the Third Division of the Tuat arrives at the gateway which leads to the Fourth Division. This gateway is like that which admitted the god into the Third Division and its outwork is guarded by nine gods, in the form of mummies, who are described as the "third company of the gods of the great god who are within." At the entrance to the corridor which runs between the two walls is a god in mummied form called ENUERKHATA, and at the exit is a similar god called SETA-TA, each god has a uraeus over his brow, and each is said to "extend his arms and hands to Ra." The corridor is swept by flames of fire which proceed from the mouths of two serpents, stationed each at an angle, and their "fire is for Ra." The gateway of the Fourth Division is called NEBT-S-TCHEFAU, and the text says, "This great god cometh to this gateway, and entereth in through it, and the gods who are therein acclaim him." The company of gods say to Ra, "Open thou the earth, force thou a way through the Tuat and the region which is above, and dispel our darkness; hail, Ra, come thou to us." The monster serpent which stands on his tail and guards the gateway is called TCHETBI, and the two lines of text which refer to his admission of Ra read, "He who is over this door openeth to Ra. SA saith to TCHETBI:--'Open [thy] gate to Ra, unfold thy doors to KHUTI, that he may send light into the thick darkness, and may make his radiance illumine the hidden habitation.' This door is shut after this great god hath passed through it, and there is lamentation to those who are in this gateway when they hear this door close upon them."

 

The Gate of the serpent Tchetbi.

In the middle of this Division we see the boat of Ra being towed on its way by four gods of the Tuat; the god is in the same form as before, and stands in a shrine enveloped by MEHEN. SA stands in the bows, and HEKA at the stern. The boat advances to a long, low building with a heavy cornice, which contains nine small shrines or chapels; in each of these is a god in mummied form lying on his back. The nine gods are described as the "gods who follow Osiris, who are in their abodes" (literally, "holes"). Immediately in front of the nine shrines are two groups, each containing six women, who stand upon a slope, one half of which appears to be land and the other half water; these women are called "the hour goddesses which are in the Tuat." Each group is separated from the other by a monster serpent of many folds called HERERET, and of him it is said that he spawneth twelve serpents to be devoured by the hours."

 

 

The Gods of the Fourth Division of the Tuat towing the Boat of Ra.

 

The Nine Gods who follow Osiris.

 

The Serpent Hereret and the Goddesses of the Hours.

 

The text relating to the passage of the boat of the sun reads:-- "This great god is drawn along by the gods of the Tuat, and he, journeyeth in the hidden place, and worketh in respect of the things which are there.

[He saith:--] 'Draw ye me along, O ye beings of the Tuat, look ye upon me, [for] I have created you. Pull ye with your arms and draw ye me therewith, and turn ye aside to the eastern part of heaven, to the habitations which surround ARES (or, SAR) [and to] that hidden mountain, the light (or, radiance) of which goeth round about among the gods who receive me as I come forth among you into the hidden place. Draw ye me along, [for] I work on your behalf in the gateway which covereth over the gods of the Tuat.'"

"And Ra saith unto them:--'Look ye upon me, O gods, for I strike those who are in their sepulchres, [saying], Arise, O ye gods! I have ordered for you the plan and manner of your existence, O ye who are in your sepulchres, whose souls are broken, who live upon your own filth and feed upon your own offal, rise up before my Disk, and put ye yourselves in a (right state by means of my beams. The duties which ye shall have in the Tuat are in conformity with the things which I have decreed for you.' Their food consisteth of flesh, and their ale is [made] of the red [barley], and their libations are of cool water. There is lamentation to them after they have heard their doors close upon them."

In respect of the twelve goddesses of the hours it is said:--"[These are] they who stand upon their lake, and it is they who guide Ra in a straight line by means of their instruments. To them Ra saith:--"Hearken, O ye goddesses of the hours of the night sky. Work ye, and eat ye, and rest ye in your gateways, with your breasts towards the darkness, and your hind-parts towards the light. Make to stand up the serpent HERERET, and live ye upon that which cometh forth from it. It is your duty in the Tuat to eat up the spawn of HERERET, and ye shall destroy that which cometh forth from it. Draw ye me, for I have begotten you in order that ye may pay homage [to me]. Take ye your rest (or, be at peace), O ye Hours!' Their food consisteth of cakes of bread, and their ale is [made] of the red [barley], and their draughts are of cool water, and there is given unto them as their food that which cometh forth with the khu (i.e., the beatified dead)."

On the right hand of the path of the boat of the Sun in the Fourth Division we see:--1. Twelve gods, bearded and standing upright, who are called "the gods who carry along their doubles," 2. Twelve jackal-headed gods, who stand round the "Lake of Life," who are called the "jackals in the lake of life," 3. Ten uraei, which stand round the Lake of the Uraei," and are called the Living Uraei."

The paragraph which refers to the first twelve gods reads:--

"[These are] they who bear along their doubles, who immerse themselves in that which floweth in abundance from the slaughtered ones during the time of their existence, and who carry the offerings which are rightly due [to the god] to his abode. Unto them saith Ra:--'That which belongeth to you [to do], O ye gods who are among your offerings, is to offer as an obligatory offering your doubles. Ye have your own offerings, your enemies are destroyed, and they are not. Your spirits are on their thrones, [and your] souls are on their places.' They say unto Ra, 'Adorations be unto thee, O RA-KHUTI! Hail to thee, O thou Soul who art protected in the earth! Hail to thee, as being eternity, the lord of the years and of the everlastingness which hath no diminution.' Their food consisteth of offerings, their drink is of cool water, and there is lamentation to them when they hear their doors close upon them. Their food is given to them from the goddess Mu-sta (?) by TESERT-BAIU."

The paragraph which refers to the jackal-headed gods reads:--

"[These are] they who come forth from this lake whereunto the souls of the dead cannot approach by reason of the sanctity which is therein. Unto them saith Ra:--'That which belongeth to you [to do], O ye gods who are in this lake, is to keep guard upon your lives in your lake; your offerings are under the guard of the jackals which have set themselves on the edge of your lake.' They say unto Ra:--'Immerse thyself, O Ra, in thy holy lake, wherein the lord of the gods immersed himself, whereunto the souls of the dead approach not; this is what thou thyself hast commanded, O KHUTI.' Their food consisteth of bread, their drink is [made] of the red [barley], and their

 

The Twelve Gods who carry their Doubles.

 

The Twelve Gods of the Lake of Life.

 

The Ten Living Uraei of the Lake of the Uraei.

vessels of drink are filled with wine. There is lamentation among them when they hear their doors close upon them. Their food is given unto them as lord[s] of their sceptres round about this lake."

The paragraph which refers to the uraei reads:--

"[These are] they who have their speech after Ra cometh to them, and souls are turned backwards, and shadows are destroyed at the hearing of the words (or, voices) of the uraei. Unto them saith Ra:--'That which belongeth to you [to do], O ye URAEI who are in this lake, is to guard your flames and your fires [so that ye may hurl them] against my (literally, his) enemies, and your burning heat against those whose mouths are evil. Hail to you, O URAEI.' They say unto Ra:--'Come thou to us, stride thou over TANEN.'"

On the left of the path of the boat of the sun through the Fourth Division we see the god Osiris, in mummied form, and wearing on his head the crown of the South, standing on a serpent, and partially covered by the earth of a mountain; his head only is above the ground, and he stands in a naos with a vaulted dome. His name or title, KHENT AMENTI, is written by his side. Before the shrine is a Flame-goddess in the form of a uraeus, and behind her are twelve gods, who stand in front of HERU-UR (or, Horus the Aged), the Haroeris of the later Greek writers. Heru-ur is in the form of a hawk-headed man, who leans on a staff. Behind the shrine which contains Osiris stand twelve gods, who are described as "the gods who are behind the shrine," Behind, or by the side of these, are four pits or hollows in the ground, by the side of each of which stands a god, with his body bent forward in adoration before a bearded god, who holds the symbol of life in the right hand and a sceptre in the left. The four gods are called "Masters of their pits," and their lord is called the "Master of Earths (?)."

The text referring to Horus reads:--

"Horus worketh on behalf of his father Osiris, he performeth magical ceremonies for him, and restoreth to him the crown [, saying], 'My heart goeth out to thee, O my father, thou who art avenged on those who would work against thee, and in all the matters which concern thee thou art guided by magical ceremonies. Thou hast the mastery, O Osiris, thou hast the sovereignty, O KHENTI AMENTI, thou hast whatsoever is thine as Governor of the Tuat, O thou whose forms (or, attributes) are exalted in the hidden place the beatified spirits hold thee in fear, and the dead are terrified at thee. Thy crown hath been restored unto thee, and I, thy son Horus, have reckoned thy weakness there.'"

The twelve gods who are in front of the shrine of Khenti Amenti say:--

"Let Him of the Tuat be exalted! Let Khenti Amenti be adored! Thy son Horus hath restored to thee thy crown, he hath protected thee by means of magical ceremonies, he hath crushed for thee thine enemies, he hath brought to thee vigour for thy arms, O Osiris, Khenti Amenti."

In reply to this address of the twelve gods Khenti Amenti saith unto his son Horus:--

"Come to me, O my son Horus, and avenge me on those who work against me, and cast them to him that is over the things which destroy, [for] it is he who guardeth the pits [of destruction]."

Then saith Horus unto those gods who are behind the shrine:--

"Make inquisition for me, O gods who are in the following of Khenti Amenti, stand ye up, and withdraw ye not yourselves, and be ye masters over yourselves, and come, and live delicately on the bread of HU, and drink ye of the ale of Maat, and live ye upon that whereon my father liveth there. That which belongeth to you in the hidden place is to be behind the shrine, according to the commandment of Ra. I call unto you, and behold, it is for you to do what it is your duty [to do].' Their meat consisteth of cakes of bread, and their ale is of the tchesert drink, and their libations are [made with] cool water. Their food is given unto them by the guardian of the things which are in the shrine. And Horus saith unto these gods:--'Smite ye the enemies of my father, and hurl ye them down into your pits because of that deadly evil which they have done against the

 

The Twelve Gods before the Shrine. Heru-ur.

 

The Twelve Gods behind the Shrine. Osiris Khent-Amenti. The goddess of Flame (Nesert).

 

The Master of Earths. The Four Masters of their Pits.

Great One, [which] found (?) him that begot me. That which belongeth to you to do in the Tuat is to guard the pits of fire according as Ra hath commanded, and I set [this] before you so that, behold, ye may do according to what belongeth to you [to do].' This god standeth over (or, by) the pits."