Cartouche of King Unas ("wnis").
(ca. 2378 - 2348 BCE)

The Royal Ritual of
Rebirth & Illumination

by Wim van den Dungen
2006 - 2008

COMMENTARY ON THE TEXT

01 Short introduction.
02 Central plan of the tomb of King Unas.
03 Hieroglyphs of the text.
04 Table of contents of the Pyramid Texts of Unas.
05 The sarcophagus chamber.
06 The passage-way.
07 The antechamber.
08 The corridor.

General Introduction l The Complete Text l Bibliography

by Wim van den Dungen
Antwerp, 2006 - 2007.

Short Introduction

Besides the general introduction and additional remarks concerning the present English text, following short introduction to this commentary seems in place.

Ex hypothesi, the pyramid complex was the place of the royal cult, involving regeneration (rebirth) and ecstatic unity with Re. These two steps, the Lunar, Osirian rebirth or regeneration of the divine king and his Solar, Heliopolitan ascension were not yet integrated, but the two themes are clearly present as is the urge to stress Re in Osirian contexts and emphasize Osiris in Heliopolitan spells, pointing to an awareness of the inevitability of both poles.

Perhaps this royal cult was at hand as soon as the new king was crowned ? The Heb Sed ritual has Osirian connotations (the king assuming the dramatic role of Osiris to regenerate), whereas the daily service of the king, or his representatives, in the inner sanctum of later temples dedicated to the deities, involving opening the doors of the horizon and facing the deity in the "naos", is reminiscent of the companionship with Re which befell the divine, ascended king in the sky. The representative of the king assumed the divine, for in principle, only the high priest faced the cult statue.

Reading the text in terms of a spiritual drama (a mystery-play - cf. Sethe, 1928) calls for an editorial format in which the expressive, exclamatory style is used to boost the narrative. Mindful of what is not at our disposal when translating Old Egyptian, what can we do more than make an intelligent guess ? This presupposes constant revision and the study of new source material.

In my opinion, the texts do follow a single story-line focused on the spiritual experience of the divine king, albeit interrupted by emotional appeals and statements, and ruled by the "logic of the cardinal points", associating different semantic fields with different directions in space.

conjectured symbolism of the compass points

Another important fact : the text continue to emphasize the Solar nature of the divine king, despite his long and difficult experiences in the Duat. Even if his Duat-experience transforms him into the Living Osiris himself, he does not belong there and has to emerge from it, to enter the horizon, the Akhet (cf. the presence, both on the South Wall, of commendations to Re in the Osiris room and elaborate Osiris rituals in the Re chamber, as it were to balance the overall meaning of the two chambers). Connecting Western sarcophagus, passage-way, antechamber and Eastern serdab forms the "exit" vector, whereas a circular movement from West to East is at work in both chambers. By making all hieroglyphs read from left to right but facing right instead of left, the North Wall of the antechamber, leading to the corridor, the physical exit to the Imperishables, and dealing with the actual ascension of the divine king, introduces an important symmetry-break.

But even in the horizon, the power of Osiris is not to be denied and the Duat not to be given a negative connotation, for Osiris purified the divine king (in the Books of the Netherworld, he accompanies Re well into the 12th Hour, but does not emerge from the Duat). The horizon is the place of ascension. The divine king is given many methods to fly up to his divine father, the sole creator-god. When the spirits in Re's sky see him coming, they fear him. Most of them he indeed gulps down, to affirm himself in the sky of Re as the "image of images" and the "power of powers" ...

Which general story-line can be discerned ?

Ex hypothesis, and conform comparative religious studies, the sacred rituals were initiated by purifications and magical devices to repel negative forces and condition the area for what is about to take place. Following Spiegler, Allen & Naydler, the present text starts in the sarcophagus room, with the protective texts on the West Gable, just above the sarcophagus.

To enter the magical West, the netherworld or the Duat, the living ecstatic or the deceased (as a mummy) is laid to rest in the sarcophagus, heading North. Maybe the accompanying rituals were elaborate ceremonies, of which the Offering Liturgy recorded the skeleton ? The Offering Liturgy on the North Wall is the earliest known liturgy in recorded history, and contains the traditional list of offerings found in earlier tombs, but also offerings presented to the divine king, as seen in coronation rituals (cf. the Dramatic Papyri) and in renewal ceremonies like the Sed festival. Although we do not know when this liturgy was employed, Naydler (2005, p.186) conjectures that during the liturgy, the divine king underwent rituals bringing him near to the direct experience of the spirit world (of the dead) while he was himself alive.

The jump from the North Wall to the South Wall is suggested by the unity formed by the twelve South-to-East-Wall texts. They contain the ritual of the Osirian rebirth of the divine king, the son of Re-Atum. They begin with the king entering the Duat and going through the regenerative rituals of Osiris, reminiscent of the later Amduat-texts, in particular the dynamics of the 6th Hour of the night (cf. the midnight mystery). A kingly prayer is introduced and followed by three priestly statements. On the East Wall, he is crowned as the living Osiris, the king of the Duat himself, but by nature he remains the son of Re, and he is not destined for the Duat. He is called back and receives, as the East Gable texts explain, food & refreshments after his ecstatic ordeal (or after his postmortem vindication by Osiris).

The North passage-way finalizes the "offering" themes, while the South passage-way preludes the king entering the horizon.

In the antechamber, the West Gable explains how the divine king emerges from the Duat as an Akh, a spirit, away from Osiris as headed towards Re, his father. Although the Duat purified the king, his is on his way to the spirits of Re and the horizon provides him with the means to do so.

The West Wall describes the reborn Horus-king, whereas on the South Wall, the career of the son of Re comes to the fore. To finally merge with Re by way of the horizon, the necessity of Osiris and the Duat are stressed.

The North Wall depicts the ascension of the divine king.

The East Gable describes his arrival in heaven, while the East Wall are protective spells, closing the protective circle, opened with the protective spells on the West Gable of the burial-chamber.

Finally, outside the tomb proper, the West Corridor confirms the horizon was opened for king Unas, while the East Corridor ends by saying the king escorts Re in the sky. Indeed, via this North passage, the divine king ascended to the light of the Imperishable Stars.

CENTRAL PLAN OF THE TOMB OF KING UNAS

"<" from right to left or ">" from left to right
"<" or ">" between numbers = sequence of the text
"<" (face left) or ">" (face right) underneath / above numbers = direction of the signs

Burial-Chamber l Passage-way l Antechamber l Corridor l Serdab

HIEROGLYPHS

Burial-chamber or Sarcophagusroom (I, II, III, IV, V) l Passage-way (VI)
Antechamber (VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII) l Northern Corridor (XIII) l Serdab (XIV)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Burial-chamber :

1.1 West Gable : protecting the West.
1.2 North Wall : Offering Liturgy.
1.3 South Wall : the king enters the Duat.
1.4 East Wall : the king is a Living Osiris.
1.5 East Gable : the king receives food.

II. Passage-way :

2.1 North Wall : end of Offerings.
2.2 South Wall : the king enters the horizon.

III. Antechamber :

3.1 West Gable : the king emerges from the Duat.
3.2 West Wall : the reborn Horus-king
3.3 South Wall : life, work & death of the living Horus-king.
3.4 North Wall : the king ascends to Re.
3.5 East Gable : the king enters the sky.
3.6 East Wall : protecting the East.

IV. Corridor :

4.1 West Wall : opening the horizon for the king.
4.2 East Wall : the king escorts Re.

BURIAL-CHAMBER :

PROTECTION (I) - OFFERING LITURGY (II)
DUAT-VOYAGE, CORONATION & RETURN (III, IV & V)

I

BURIAL-CHAMBER / West Gable (226 - 243)

PROTECTING THE SARCOPHAGUS & THE WEST

Protection of the Sarcophagus Room (West)

all by the priest, except 5 and 15

1 (226)

To say the words :
Entwined is a Plait-snake¹ by another Plait-snake, (and this)
toothless calf which came forth from the pasture has been entwined.

Earth, swallow up what has emerged from You !
Monster, lie down !
Crawl away !

The Majesty of the Pelican has fallen in the water.
Snake, turn over, that Re may see You !

2 (227)

To say the words :
"The head of the great black bull has been cut off."

Henepu-snake, I say this against You !
God-repelling scorpion, I say this against You !
Turn over, slide into the Earth, for I have said this against You.

3 (228)

To say the words :
One face has fallen on another face !
One face has seen another face !
The coloured knife, black and green, has gone against it.
It has swallowed the one it has licked.

4 (229)

To say the words :
This here is the fingernail of Atum, pressed on the knot of the vertebrae of Nehebu-Kas (the serpent deity), the one which stilled the turmoil from Hermopolis.

Fall down !
Crawl away !

5 (230) the two spells of Elephantine

by the priest :

To say the words :
Your two <poison-fangs> into the Earth !
Your two ribs into the hole !
Shoot liquid while the Two Kites will stand up.
Your mouth will be closed by the instrument of punishment, and the mouth of the instrument of punishment will be closed by Mafdet.
The one made <weary> will be bitten by the plait serpent.

by the King :

O Re, I, King Unas, have bitten the Earth. I have bitten Geb. I have bitten the father of him who would bite me. This one is the one who would bite me, I did not bite him. He bit me at the instant after seeing me. It was he who came against me, I did not go against him.

If You bite me, I will cause You to be alone ; (but) if You (only) look at me, I will permit You to have your companion.

by the priest

The plait serpent has been bitten by a serpent, a serpent has been bitten by the plait serpent. The sky will entwine, the Earth will entwine. The male who turns around the people will entwine, the god Blind-is-his-head will entwine, and You yourself, scorpion, will be entwined.

These are the two spells of Elephantine which are in the mouth of Osiris, which Horus has cast on the backbone (of the snake).

6 (231)

To say the words :
Your bone is a harpoon and You are harpooned. The hostile hearts are <held off>, and the pillars who are in the kiln's place are felled.

That is Hemen !

7 (232)

To say the words :
Vascular one, vascular one !
Seminal one, seminal one !
You long one of his mother, You long one of his mother !
Fluid one, fluid one !
The desert shall be washed for me.
Do not ignore me !

8 (233)

To say the words :
Fall, serpent that came forth from the Earth !
Fall, flame that came forth from Nun !

Fall down !
Crawl away !

9 (234)

To say the words :
On your face, You on his coil !
Get down on your backbone, You in your undergrowth !
Turn back because of me, You rejoicing with her two faces.

10 (235)

To say the words :
You long one, beaten flank, beaten flank !
You have copulated with the two female guardians at the threshold of my praised sovereign.

11 (236)

To say the words :
Earthen One of the Courtyard, <Trampled Porphyrite>, Foot-trampled, Cord, son of Hifeget - that is your name !

12  (237)

To say the words :
The spittle is ended, what is in the (poison) sacs has fled to the house of its mother.

Monster, lie down !

13 (238)

To say the words :
The bread of your father is yours, You whose attack has missed !
Your own bread of your father is for You, You whose attack has missed !
The Gold of Jubilation, Apparent in Heat (as the Sun), that is your bull, the strong one against whom this is done.

14 (239)

To say the words :
The White Crown has emerged and swallowed the Great One.
The tongue of the White Crown gulped down the Great One, but the tongue was not seen.

15 (240)

by the King

To say the words :
Serpent, to the sky ! The centipede of Horus, to the Earth !
The cowherd, Horus, is stepping.
I, King Unas, have trodden on the path of Horus,
unknowingly, not knowing.

On your face, You in his undergrowth !
Be dragged away, You who are in his cavern !
Meat for the pot of Horus, which pervades the Earth !

O let the monster be off !

16 (241)

To say the words :
Spit of the wall !
Vomit of the brick !
What comes out of your mouth has been turned back against yourself !

17 (242)

To say the words :
The flame has been extinguished !
No lamp can be found in the house where the Ombite is.
The biting snake is all over the house of him whom it would bite, hiding in it.

18 (243)

To say the words :
Two Hetes-sceptres,
two Hetes-sceptres,
belong to two Djema-ropes,
two Djema-ropes,
as trampled bread.
Lion, go away !
Whether You are here or whether You are there, servant, spit out !

Commentary

In the burial-chamber, a total of 155 spells are found : 18 are protective (West Gable), 118 constitute the Offering Liturgy (North Wall), 12 describe the Osirian experiences of the king (South-to-East-Wall) & 7 discuss his nourishment in the Duat (East Gable).

Spells 1 - 18 may be classified as prophylactic (defensive). The exact reason why they work eludes us today, but besides the specific rhythm caused by the language itself (lost in translation), reminiscent of the trance-inducing "barbarous words" used in later Greek spells, each spell must have evoked a whole network of connotations specific for the Egyptian situation and mentality. Their short, exclamatory style confirms this and adds to their Sa-energy. The latter, contrary to the all-embracing aspect of the Heka-field of magic, is dynamical and local. It needs, like in irrigation, proper channels to flow and fructify. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to understand their meaning, and they surely belong to the mythical register of the composition.

Their overall meaning is clear : the King must be protected against evil serpents. The spells are meant to drive the "monster" away, making sure the sarcophagus is free from any possible danger. In Egypt, serpents were not all malefic and some protected houses and store-rooms.

The positioning of this section confirms this. The West Gable directly overlooks the West half of the burial-chamber, i.e. the direction of the Duat entered through the false door. It seems as if they were placed there to make sure the divine king, when rising as a Ba out of his sarcophagus, would not be hindered by biting snakes (black magic ?) to enter (or return from) the netherworld of Osiris. Apparently, these spells relate to similar spells at the other end of the tomb, namely on the East Wall of the antechamber.

The West Gable records the Great Speech of the divine king in two instances. In the first (5), he addresses Re, and in the second (15) he affirms to step like Horus.

register 1 : 23, 25, 32 - 57

Commentary

The Offering Litany to the divine king has following structure :

I. Six Preliminary Purifications (19 - 24).

II. Opening of the Mouth Rituals.

1. Ritual of Opening the Mouth (25 - 31).
2. Mouth-opening meal (32 - 46).
3. Anointment with Seven Oils (47 - 53).
4. Presentation of Eyepaint (54).
5. Presentation of Linen (55).
6. Royal Libation & Cleansing (56 - 57).

III Offering Banquet

1. Preparation of the Offering Table (58 - 72).
2. Cleansing the mouth (73 - 75).
3. Bread & Onions (76 - 90).
4. Beef & Poultry (91 - 105).
5. Bread (106 - 109).
6. Drinks (110 - 122).
7. Fruits (123 - 133).
8. Vegetables (134 - 135).
9. Dedication of Offerings (136).

In the Offering Litany, the divine king utters not a single word. This ritual is entirely dedicated to him and although the ritual implies a complicated social setting to perform, the divine king is entirely silent. As a witness of what is happening, he accepts the trappings of the rubrics and prepares to enter the Duat, the kingdom of Osiris.

In the litany, three royal purification rituals are recurrent. In spell 19, water is poured to cleanse the name of king Unas, in spell 20, his Ka is offered incense and in spell 21, water is poured under his feet. These repeated purifications end with the canonical dedication to the Eye of Horus : "O Osiris, I give You the Eye of Horus ! Provide your face with it, spread through." Indeed, everything is effectuated through the Eye of Horus, at work on three registers :

1. sum total of offerings : all possible stuff placed on the table of offerings ;

2. offer of offerings (offertorium) : the Eye as the standard for all possible offerings ;

3. offer of communion (canon) : the "embrace" as communion with the Eye.

The rituals of this second part focus on the preparation of the king, making him ready to depart, magically activating his inner senses by "opening his mouth", which will allow him to communicate with the invisible netherworld. Here, the fine-tuning of the awareness of the divine king is at hand, making it clear-clean to him he is about to transform. Purity is the main factor. By eliminating all gross elements, the divine king prepares for the transference of his consciousness to another state. After his mouth has been opened, the divine king enjoys the mouth-opening meal.

The Ritual of Opening the Mouth is a canonical rubric. It summarized the Ancient Egyptian way to "activate" magical objects, the divine king included. Its "full version", found in the New Kingdom, was codified into 75 separate acts (cf. the tomb of the vizier Rekhimira). It is an assemblage of various rituals (cf. Budge, E.A.W. : The Book of Opening the Mouth, Blom - New York, 1972). It involves purification, censing, anointing, incantations, touching the mummy with different objects, restoring the senses, in particular the mouth, so the statue or the mummy might eat & speak. Eyes, ears, nose and other bodily parts were also touched. Central in the rite were the "peseshkef", probably a flint knife with bifurcated, fish-tail blade, excavated from Predynastic tombs and most likely used to cut the umbilical cord, the netjeru-blades, usually made from meteoric iron, and a pair of magical staves, the Seb-Ur & Ur-Hekau. The right leg of a specially slaughtered ox was also extended toward the statue (or mummy), to pass on the Sa-power of the ox. The fact it was also used outside the funerary context (namely to activate statues), begs the question whether it also might have been used to allow the living diving king to freely move in his forthcoming trance-state ? The Ritual of Opening the Mouth ends with a royal purification ritual (spell 21).

The Mouth-opening Ritual is a remarkable set of spells involving a ritual meal taken by the king, surrounded by offerings and befriended by Re & Osiris alike, ruling over a pacified Egypt. The presentation of offerings equipped the divine king with a massive amount of Sa-energy (of the Kas), helping him to overcome the forthcoming arduous rite of Osiris. After this presentation, the "hetep" meal, or "offering" meal took place (cf. Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus, Heb Sed festivals, etc.). After having had bread, wine & beer, Re is glorified (spell 39) :

O Re !
Your dawning, You in the sky, your dawning,
for King Unas, Lord of All Things !
As all things belong to yourself,
let all things belong to the Ka of King Unas,
let all things belong to himself !
-the lifting up before him of a sanctified offering-
spell 39 (50)

After glorification, the meal continues. In a way, these rituals are reminiscent of the canon of the Eucharist (especially the early format, as in the Didache), with "king Unas", and all divine kings, as the prototypes of Jesus Christ, and His presence in the offerings as every offering as the Eye of Horus, while the latter's consumption (mystical embrace with Osiris through the Eye of Horus) points to communion.

The magic at work in the Lunar, horizontal cult of Osiris is sympathetic and communal, and is Predynastic. The offerings in the Offering Liturgy are dedicated to Osiris, the king who receives the Ka & Ba and checks, on the basis of what is in the "heart" or mind, whether the ritualist may proceed to the horizon and transform to ascend to Re.

Osirian faith involves a three-tiered dynamics of offering, starting with an endless variety of superb goods to be offered, and culminating in the Eye of Horus as the standard of the act of offering (the first two registers mentioned above, of which the second is the offertory). The latter, the canon, is a rejuvenating communion (a mystical embrace) with the Eye of Horus itself and this by consumption, for the Eye represents the power of healing and wholeness (the third register).

1. all possible offerings : first register : offered by the living Horus, the gods only consume the "kas" of the various stuff placed on the table of offerings ;

2. offer of offerings (offertorium) : second register : the Eye of Horus represents all possible offerings (the "ka" of the act of offering) ;

3. offer of communion (canon) : third register : the consumption of the Eye of Horus restores Osiris and enables him to send out his Ba.

The first step in the magic of offering, is the presentation and consecration of physical stuff (first register). These are then set apart from all other things (cf. "sacrum"). Both physically (they are placed on a table of offerings), as temporally (they "exist" in the "First Time"), the offerings are a reality on their own, a piece of reality wholly and freely consecrated and returned to the deity. The act of daily offerings is double. On the hand, the best produce of Egypt is offered & set apart, on the other hand, ritual words & actions empower these goods. This ritual intends only to offer the double of these foodstuffs to the deities, for the latter only consume their vitality, life-power or "ka". After having enjoyed this, the food can be eaten by the priests and distributed among the people, called the "reversion of offerings".

Sublimation, typologization, subtilization or semiotic transference of offerings (the second register), are at work in both spiritual economies. In the Solar economy, which is an eternalization of the recurrent cycle of all photonic things, the divine king offers Maat to Re, and "Maat" becomes "all good things". Osirian faith is a linear approach of the cycle of life of every living thing. In his Lunar role, the living Horus, entering the Duat, offers his father his Eye of Wellness, the archetype of "healing". Henceforward, the latter will give his son a "good Nile". So Maat and the Eye of Horus, at times equated, replacing all possible offerings, represent the synthesis of offerings. They operate on two different levels of reality, encompassing the Two Lands. Maat returns all to Re, the day, whereas the Wedjat is a gift to Osiris, the night. Both the Eye of Horus and Maat are, like Pharaoh, the "image of images", and the "power of powers" (cf. Cannibal Hymn). No longer dependent on the physical quantity of the offerings (the individual "kas" of the foodstuffs), Osiris receives the synthesis of all possible vital energy, visualized as the Eye of his son, destroyed (as he was) by Seth, but restored (as he was) by Thoth (who assisted Isis). The Eye of Horus is therefore the "ka" of all possible offerings, the offertory of Egyptian religion.

Indeed, to the excellent quantity of the first register, a qualitative connotation or sublimation is added : each and every act of offering is conceived as the likeness of Horus giving his Eye to Osiris (or of the divine king offering Maat to Re). The variety of excellent physical offerings are so many manifestations of the same filial principle : as Horus, a son vindicates and restores his father, i.e. the effect returns to the cause to perpetuate the generative cycle, for a spiritual father will effectively co-effect the success of his son, etc. ...

The canon, or third register, explains the final task of the Eye. Osiris, becoming one with the Eye of Horus, eats the body of Horus as well as its vital Ka-power, namely the Eye as "offer of offerings" (cf. the second register), with bread and beer as the best of the first register. Each time the king assumes the role of Osiris, he embraces the Eye, which is "body" and "Ka" of Horus, consumes the Eye and restores his soul, now ready to be spiritualized. This level is related to the soul, the "Ba", the principle of movement and effective change. Because Osiris consumes the Eye, he is able to set himself in motion, i.e. his spiritual principle of motility and transformation (or soul) is activated. This last effect of the Eye allows Osiris to transform his Ba into an Akh, and rise as a luminous spirit in his own sky (of the Duat). As an Akh, Osiris is able to send his Ba and cause a "good Nile", for he rules all fertility (as does the Moon). He also becomes the "judge" of the dead, for all, even divine kings, enter his Duat, while only Pharaoh is absolutely certain to rise from the Duat, enter the horizon and ascend to his celestial father Re and his Imperishable Stars.

The Mouth-opening Rituals end with the royal purification rituals (spells 20 - 21). The texts accompanying the Offering Banquet thematize the conflict between Horus and Seth and the fact the Eye of Horus was pulled out & cut off (by Seth), but healed (by Thoth) and given to Osiris (by Horus), restoring him. The offerings are all done in the spirit of this story and the fundamental fact of the restoration of the Eye and the restoration of Osiris. For the divine king, being Osiris, participates in this and so the offerings to the king restore him as they restored Osiris, each offering being done as if it were the Eye of Horus.

Dramatically, one may conceive the Offering Banquet as happening simultaneously with the Opening of the Mouth Rituals, making the Offering Litany end either with the royal purification rituals (spells 20 - 21) of the second part, or with the dedication of offerings (spell 136) of the third part.

The King enters the Duat

137 (213)  the King on the throne of Osiris

by the priest

O King Unas !
You have not gone away dead !
You have gone away alive !

Sit upon the throne of Osiris.
Your Power-scepter in your hand,
that You may give orders to the living.
Your Lotus-bud scepter in your hand,
that You may give orders to those whose seats are hidden.

Your lower arms are of Atum.
Your upper arms are of Atum.
Your belly is of Atum.
Your back is of Atum.
Your rear is of Atum.
Your legs are of Atum.
Your face is of Anubis.
The Mounds of Horus shall serve You.
The Mounds of Seth shall serve You.

138 (214) at the Head of the Westerners

by the priest

O King Unas, beware of the Lake (of Fire) !
-to say the words four times-

The messengers of your Ka come for You.
The messengers of your father come for You.
The messengers of Re come for You, (saying) : "Go after your Sun and cleanse yourself, for your bones are those of the divine falcon-goddesses who are in the sky. May You be beside the god. May You leave your house and ascend to your son."

May You <fetter> anyone who shall speak evilly against the name of King Unas !
Go up, for Geb has committed him to a low estate in the town of the pregnant one, so that he may flee and sink down weary.

But You shall bathe in the cool water of the stars !
You shall board (the Sunboat) upon ropes of iron, on the shoulders of Horus in his name of "Him who is in Sokar's boat". The Sun-folk will cry out to You once the Imperishable Stars have raised You aloft.

Ascend to the place where your father is, to the place where Geb is, that he will give You that which is on the brow of Horus, so that You shall come an Akh thereby, take control thereby and that You shall be at the head of the Westerners thereby.

The King is protected in the Duat by Atum

139 (215) healing the Rivals and becoming completed (an Atum) to every god

by the priest

O King Unas, your messengers have gone, your heralds have run to your father, to Atum (to say for You) :

"Atum, raise him up to You, enclose him within your arms.
There is no star-god who has no companion : I am your companion.

Look at me, as You have seen the shapes of the children of their fathers, who know their spell, who are Imperishable Stars ! See (in me) the two who are in the Palace - that is, Horus and Seth.

Spit on the face of Horus for him, that You may remove the injury against him ! Pick up the testicles of Seth, that You may remove his mutilation. That one has been born for You, this one has been conceived for You, for You have given birth to Horus, in his name of 'Him at whom the Earth quakes and the sky trembles'. This one has no mutilation, that one has no injury. That one has no injury, this one has no mutilation. You (Unas) have no injury, You have no mutilation."

You have been born, O Horus, for Osiris, and You have more Ba than he. You have more power than he. You have been conceived, O Seth, for Geb, and You have more Ba than he. You have more power than he.

There is no own seed of a god that has gone (from life), and You, his own, will not go. Re-Atum will not give You to Osiris, and he will not claim your mind, nor have power over your heart. Re-Atum will not give You to Horus, and he will not claim your mind, nor have power over your heart.

O Osiris, You cannot control him, your son cannot control him !
O Horus, You shall never have power over him, nor shall your father have power over him !

You belong, So-and-so, to that god of whom the Twin Children of Atum said :
"You are distinguished", say they, "in your identity of a god".

You shall become completed to every god ! :
your head is Horus of the Duat, O Imperishable Star.
your face is Eyes-Forward, O Imperishable Star.
your ears are the Twin Children of Atum, O Imperishable Star.
your eyes are the Twin Children of Atum, O Imperishable Star.
your nose is the Jackal, O Imperishable Star.
your teeth are Sopdu, O Imperishable Star.
Your hands are {Hapy} and Duamutef.
When You demand to ascend to the sky, You ascend !
Your feet are Imseti and Qebsenuf.
When You demand to descend to the Lower Sky, You descend !
Your limbs are the Twin Children of Atum, O Imperishable Star.
You will not perish, your Ka will not perish : You are a Ka !

The Midnight Mystery

140 (216) King Unas in the Nightboat of the Sun, encircled by the Duat

by the King

To say the words :
I have come to You, O Nephthys !
I have come to You, O Nightboat !
I have come to You, O Pilot-covered-in-Red !
I have come to You, O Place-where-the Kas-are-remembered !
May You remember me, this King Unas !

Orion has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.
Sothis has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.
I, this King Unas, has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.

I have become Akh for them !
I have grown cool for them !
Inside the arms of my father,
inside the arms of Atum !

141 (217) King Unas gathering with Atum in darkness

by the priest

To say the words :
Re-Atum, this King Unas has come to You, an imperishable Akh, Lord of <the Affairs> of the Place of the Four Papyrus Pillars. Your son has come to You, this King Unas has come to You. You shall both traverse the sky, after gathering in the darkness (of the Duat) ! May You rise from the horizon, from the place in which You have both become Akh !

Seth and Nephthys, go, and proclaim to the gods of the Nile Valley as well as their Akhs : "This King Unas has come, an imperishable Akh. If he wishes You to die, You will die ! If he wishes You to live, You will live !"

Re-Atum, this King Unas has come to You, an imperishable Akh, Lord of <the Affairs> of the Place of the Four Papyrus Pillars. Your son has come to You, this King Unas has come to You. You shall both traverse the sky, after gathering in the darkness (of the Duat) ! May You rise from the horizon, from the place in which You have both become Akh !

Osiris and Isis, go, and proclaim to the gods of Lower Egypt and their Akhs : "This King Unas has come, an imperishable Akh, as one to be worshipped, (Osiris) who is in charge of the inundation. Worship him, You Akhs who are in the waters ! Whom he wishes to live will live ! Whom he wishes to die will die !"

Re-Atum, this King Unas has come to You, an imperishable Akh, Lord of <the Affairs> of the Place of the Four Papyrus Pillars. Your son has come to You, this King Unas has come to You. You shall both traverse the sky, after gathering in the darkness (of the Duat) ! May You rise from the horizon, from the place in which You have both become Akh !

Thoth, go, and proclaim to gods of the West and their Akhs : "This King Unas has come indeed, an imperishable Akh, arrayed on the neck as Anubis at the head of the Western Mountain, that he may claims minds, he control hearts. Whom he wishes to live will live ! Whom he wishes to die will die !"

Re-Atum, this King Unas has come to You, an imperishable Akh, Lord of <the Affairs> of the Place of the Four Papyrus Pillars. Your son has come to You, this King Unas has come to You. You shall both traverse the sky, after gathering in the darkness (of the Duat) ! May You rise from the horizon, from the place in which You have both become Akh !

Horus, go, and proclaim to Bas of the East and their Akhs : "This King Unas has come indeed, an imperishable Akh. Whom he wishes to live will live ! Whom he wishes to die will die !"

O Re-Atum, your son has come to You, King Unas has come to You. Raise him up to You, enclose him in your arms, for he is the son of your body for ever !

Osirian rebirth of the King

142 (218) King Unas presented to Osiris and empowered

by the priest

To say the words :
O Osiris, this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh. He will claim minds, take away Kas and bestows Kas, as what he reckons, including whomever he summons to his side or appeals to him. There is none who will be excluded without his bread, without his Kas bread, deprived of his bread.

Geb has spoken and it has come from the mouth of the Ennead : "O falcon who succeeds (his father) in acquiring (the throne)", they said : "You are a Ba and in control !"

This King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh, who surpassed You and surpasses You, wearier than You and greater than You, sounder than You and more acclaimed than You, and your time here is no more. It is what Seth and Thoth have done, your two brothers who do not mourn You.

Isis and Nephthys, come together, come together ! Unite, unite ! This King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

The Westerners who are on Earth belong to this King Unas : this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

The Easterners who are on Earth belong to this King Unas : this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

The Southerners who are on Earth belong to this King Unas : this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

The Northerners who are on Earth belong to this King Unas this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

Those who are in the Lower Sky belong to this King Unas : this King Unas has come indeed, the <fledgling> of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh.

143 (219) Litany of identification with the Living Osiris (King Unas)

by the priest

To say the words :
Atum, this Osiris here is your son, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Shu, this Osiris here is your son, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Tefnut, this Osiris here is your son, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Geb, this Osiris here is your son, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Nut, this Osiris here is your son, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Isis, this Osiris here is your brother, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Seth, this Osiris here is your brother, who has been caused to be restored that he may live and punish You :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Nephthys, this Osiris here is your brother, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Thoth, this Osiris here is your brother, who has been caused to be restored that he may live and punish You :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Horus, this Osiris here is your father, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Great Ennead, this one here is Osiris, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Lesser Ennead, this one here is Osiris, whom You have caused to be restored that he may live :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

Nunet, this Osiris here is your son, of whom You said : "Someone has been born to me.", You said, and You wiped his mouth for him after his mouth had been parted by his beloved son Horus and his limbs numbered by the gods :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in Heliopolis, who endures in his necropolis :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in Busiris, chief of his nomes :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in the Mansion of Selket, the Ka At Rest :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in the divine booth, who is in the censing, the one of the coffer, the chest and the sack :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of him who is in the White Palace of Laurel wood :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in Orion, with your season in the sky and your season on Earth :

O Osiris, turn your face and look on this King Unas, for your seed which issued from You is effective :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !

In your name of Dweller in Buto, may your arms be about the meal, your daughter,

Commentary

The first and last three spells are said by the priest, while in between we find a prayer said by the king.

Spell 137 confirms the departure of the divine king. He is not gone dead, but alive ! In trance, or in the "sah" or "noble body" after death, he enters the Duat seated on the throne of Osiris. Assuming the latter's role, the divine king confirms his power in the kingdom of darkness and death.

Spell 138 makes clear the king has entered the domain of Sokar, traveling on the Solar boat (from the Lake of Fire, the blessed drink cool water, but for sinners it is like fire). He is the foremost of the Westerners, not because he belongs to Osiris (in who's realms he entered), but to Re.

Spell 139 powerfully confirms this by allowing Atum, in this dangerous passage through the Duat, to protect the divine king. Vivid language depicts how the king assimilates the deities so Osiris cannot control him. Indeed, the separate jurisdiction of Osiris is feared, even by the king. He must make sure he is not heading towards the sky of Osiris, for he is not a spirit of the realm of darkness, but of light. A strong invocation of the protective deity of the king (Re-Atum) is at hand, and often repeated.

Re-Atum will not give You to Osiris, and he will not claim your mind, nor have power over your heart. Re-Atum will not give You to Horus, and he will not claim your mind, nor have power over your heart.

O Osiris, You cannot control him, your son cannot control him !
O Horus, You shall never have power over him, nor shall your father have power over him !
spell 139 (215)

In spell 140, on the Nightboat of the Living One (Re), completely encircled by the Duat, the king prays :

I have come to You, O Nephthys !
I have come to You, O Nightboat !
I have come to You, O Pilot-covered-in-Red !
I have come to You, O Place-where-the Kas-are-remembered !
May You remember me, this King Unas !

Orion has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.
Sothis has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.
I, this King Unas, has become encircled by the Duat,
as the Living One became pure in the horizon.

I have become Akh for them !
I have grown cool for them !
Inside the arms of my father,
inside the arms of Atum !
spell 140 (216)

With this prayer, the midnight mystery begins. The divine king, fully lucid in the Duat or "night-world" of Osiris, anticipates his final transformation into a spirit inside the arms of his luminous father, and, on the Nightbark upon which he travels, invokes the powers of the Duat to assist his ascension. Orion & Sothis are Osiris & Isis, but the king is pure as the Living One, i.e. Re-Atum.

In spell 141, the king actually unites with Atum in darkness, reminiscent of the unio mystica between the "ba" of Re and the "body" of Osiris in the Amduat, taking place at midnight. The darkness alluded here is the "body of Osiris", remaining invisible but primordial in terms of the everlastingness of matter. The divine king (as will the Ba of Re in the Books of the Netherworld) unites with Atum "in darkness" and then rises "as an Akh" in/on the horizon (suggestive of the dynamics of the 12th Hour of the night, with Osiris remaining behind in the everlasting darkness of the Duat).

So the encounter with the darkness of matter & night (Osiris) allows the divine king to merge with the primordial light-ground (Atum). This is clearly an ecstatic experience, "outside" the "normal" trappings of the Duat, and the privilege of the king, by nature meant to be Solarized (an Akh in the sky of Re) rather than Lunarized (an Akh in the sky of Osiris).

Spell 142 serves as a kind of "formal session" in which the divine king is presented to Osiris and confirmed as the fledgling of the Ennead, an imperishable Akh. All quarters and all skies confirm his status. Can Osiris have good reason to keep the king in the Duat and hinder his emergence from it to ascend to Re in the Eastern horizon ?

A literary break happens again. Spell 143 is a very long and interesting litany which spills over to the Eastern Wall, inviting us to read the sequence South-to-East-Wall. It starts by presenting the divine king to twelve deities as "this Osiris here". Identified with Osiris, he is said to "live", an affirmation repeated twenty-four times :

He lives ! This King Unas lives ! He is not dead ! This King Unas lives ! He is not destroyed ! This King Unas is not destroyed ! He has not been judged ! This King Unas has not been judged ! He judges. This King Unas judges !
spell 143 (219)

This is first repeated to Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Isis, Seth, Nephthys, Thoth, Horus, the Great Ennead & the Lesser Ennead and then again repeated to twelve different manifestations of Osiris : Nunet (personification of the tomb or the place where Osiris was buried), Dweller in Heliopolis, Dweller in Busiris, Dweller in the Mansion of Selket, Dweller in the divine booth, Him in the White Palace of Laurel wood, Dweller in Orion, Dweller in Buto, Dweller in the Mansion of the Eldest of Bulls, Dweller in Hermopolis of the South, Dweller in Hermopolis of the North & Dweller in the Town of Lakes.

These two times twelve identifications of the divine king with deities reminds of the double Heb Sed run of the divine king (one for the Delta & one for the Valley), presenting himself as Osiris to the deities assembled in their naos