This text contains a long series of spells to defeat and capture the demon ʿApep, and thereby sustain the power of the great god Rê; see AET 2.1 for a much briefer set of incantations. The effect of the spells was heightened by the use of red ink in some places, as reproduced here. The text has been preserved in the same papyrus scroll as the Songs of Isis and Nephthys.
The translation is by R.O. Faulkner (JEA, 1937 & 1938). The passages which have seemed most interesting to modern readers are the accounts of the creation of the world, which occur in two different places, in columns 26-27 and columns 28-29.
[22] Here begins the book of the felling of ʿApep the foe of Rê and the foe of King Onnophris, the justified, which is performed daily in the temple of Amen-Rê, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, who dwells in Karnak.
The spell of spitting on ʿApep. Recite: be thou spat upon, O ʿApep - four times - this is done for Rê and his ka, this is done for Pharaoh and his ka. Rê has come in power, Rê has come in victory, Rê has come exalted, Rê has come prepared, Rê has come in joy, Rê has come in happiness, Rê has come as King of Upper Egypt, Rê has come as King of Lower Egypt, Rê has come in rejoicing, Rê has come in triumph. Come thou to Pharaoh that thou mayest crush all his foes for him even as he fells ʿApep for thee, as he cuts up the ill-disposed one for thee, as he gives praise to thy might, as he extols thee in all thy manifestations in which thou shinest for him, even as he fells all thy foes for thee daily.
The spell of trampling on ʿApep with the left foot. Recite: Raise thee up, O Rê, and crush thy foes. Shine thou out, O Rê, for thy foes are fallen. Behold, Pharaoh crushes all thy foes for thee; O Rê, crush thou all his foes, dead or alive. Behold, Rê has power over thee, O ʿApep; his flame rages against thee, it has power over thee, its fiery blast is sharp against thee, and its fire falls on all the foes of Rê - four times - may its fire fall on all the foes of Pharaoh. Be mighty, O Rê, against thy foe, go thou to and fro, O Rê, in thine horizon; may those who are in the Night-bark adore thee, may the crew of thy bark serve thee joyfully, and mayest thou reappear rejoicing within the Day-bark. Praise to thee, O Rê-Harakhti - four times.
The spell of taking the spear to smite ʿApep. Recite: Horus has taken his spear of iron, he has battered the heads of the foes of Rê. Horus has taken his spear of iron, he has battered the heads of the foes of Pharaoh. Behold, Horus has taken his spear of iron, he has smitten the heads of the rebels in front of his bark. Raise thee up, O Rê, chastise him who rebels against thee and cut ʿApep to pieces that the confederacy of the ill-disposed one may fall. Raise thee up, O Pharaoh, chastise him who rebels against thee and cut to pieces thy foe, that his confederacy may fall. Come, O Rê, in thy splendour, that those who are in their shrines may serve thee and that they may adore thee in thy beauty. Arise and shine, for thy foe is not, thy magic power being a protection for thy body. Pharaoh, he adores Rê and thrusts his spear into ʿApep; he takes a flaming brand and sets fire to him; he chastises the body of thy foe. Fire is in thee, its flame is in thee; fire is in you, ye foes of Pharaoh, and it shall devour you. Raise thee up, O Rê, chastise him who rebels against thee, and set fire to ʿApep; he is bitten in the middle of his back. Oho! Fire is in ʿApep, but Rê sails with a fair breeze and his crew are possessed with joy, those who are in the horizon exulting at the sight of him, for he has felled the rebels, the fire has power over ʿApep, the roarer, the ill-disposed one, and they have no peace, no peace. O Rê-Harakhti, turn thy fair countenance to Pharaoh, that thou mayest crush all his foes for him, so that he may adore Rê in very deed. Rê is triumphant over ʿApep - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times.
The spell of binding ʿApep. Recite: They who should be bound are bound, ʿApep that foe of Rê is bound; mayest thou not know what is done to thee, O ʿApep. Turn thee back, there being testimony (?) against thee. As for (?) him who flees in his time, he injures his own self, when (?) his throat is released. Beware, ye who are bound! Ye are bound by Horus, ye are fettered by Rê, ye shall not become erect, ye shall not copulate, ye shall not be removed from under his fingers; ye are condemned by Rê, ye are fettered by Horus Mekhantenirti.
The spell of taking the knife to smite ʿApep. Recite: The spell of taking the knife to smite ʿApep. Recite: Seize, seize, O butcher, fell the foe of Rê with thy knife. Seize, seize, O butcher, fell the foe of Pharaoh with thy knife. These are your heads, ye rebels, this is that head of thine, O ʿApep, which are cut off by the warrior priest with his knife. Be sharp, O Sothis, O flame of Asbyt who has authority over fire, fell ye the ill-disposed one with your knives, cut ye up Wenty with your knives. Be ye cut to pieces because of your evil, be ye cut up because of what ye have done, there being testimony (?) against you; be ye dealt with according to the evil ye have done. Rê is triumphant over you and Horus cuts you up.
The spell of setting fire to ʿApep. Recite: Fire be in thee, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. May the Eye of Horus have power over the soul and the shade of ʿApep; may the flame of the [23] Eye of Horus devour that foe of Rê; may the flame of the Eye of Horus devour all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive.
The magic spell to be uttered when putting ʿApep on the fire. Recite: Be thou utterly spat upon, O ʿApep, get thee back, thou foe of Rê; fall, creep away, take thee off! I have turned thee back, I have cut thee up, and Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times. Be thou spat upon, O ʿApep - four times. Get thee back, thou rebel; be thou annihilated! Verily I have burned thee, verily I have destroyed thee, I have condemned thee to all ill, that thou mayest be annihilated, that thou mayest be utterly spat upon, that thou mayest be utterly non-existent. Mayest thou be annihilated, be thou annihilated, mayest thou be utterly spat upon. I have destroyed ʿApep the foe of Rê; Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times - and Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times. Now afterward thou shalt trample on ʿApep four times with thy left foot and thou shalt say before Rê with thine arms bent when he rises:- Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times - Rê triumphs over thee, O ʿApep, in very truth; be thou destroyed, O ʿApep.
This spell is to be spoken over a figure of ʿApep drawn on a new sheet of papyrus in green ink, and there shall be made an image of ʿApep with waxen body with his name inscribed on it in green ink, to be put on the fire that he may burn before Rê when he manifests himself in the morning, at noon-tide, and also in the evening when Rê sets in the West; at the sixth hour of the night, at the eighth hour of the day, at the end of the evening, down to every hour of the day and night, at the festival of the new moon, at the day of the monthly festival, at the sixth-day festival, at the fifteenth-day festival, and likewise every day. ʿApep the foe of Rê is felled in storm by the shining of Rê, ʿApep is felled in very truth. He is to be burnt in a fire of bryony and his remains placed in a pot of urine and pounded up into one mass. Thou shalt do accordingly at the sixth hour of the night and at the eighth hour of the day, placing ʿApep on the fire and spitting on him very often at the beginning of every hour of the day until the turning of the shadow. After this, at the sixth hour of the day, thou shalt place ʿApep on the fire, spitting on him and trampling on him with thy left foot, and driving off the roarer Nehaher. Thou shalt do accordingly at the eighth hour of the day, driving off ʿApep that he may not attack the Night-bark. Thou shalt do accordingly when storm brews in the east of the sky and when Rê sets in the west in order to prevent the storm-red from growing in the east of the sky. Thou shalt do accordingly very often in order to prevent bad weather from growing in the sky and to prevent thunder-storms from growing in the sky. Thou shalt do this very often against storm so that the sun may shine and ʿApep be felled in very truth; it will be well with whoso does it upon earth, and it will be well with him in the realm of the dead, strength shall be given to that man to attain the office of his superior, and it will be his salvation from all evil and harmful things in very truth; I have seen it come to pass in mine own case.
The first book of felling ʿApep the foe of Rê. Recite: fall on thy face, O ʿApep thou foe of Rê; get thee back, thou enemy, thou rebel who hast neither arms nor legs, or thy snout shall be cut off from the rest of thy face. Thou art fallen and felled, for Rê-Harakhti has felled thee, he has crushed thee, he has condemned thee, the Eye of his body chastises thee, and thou art fallen into the fire which issues from it, the flame which issues from its fiery blast, which comes forth in its moment of action; its fiery blast is on thee. Thy raging is dispelled by Isis through the spells of her utterance, thy soul is cut up, thy vertebrae are severed; Horus has made thee impotent, the Children of Horus break thee up, for thou art destroyed in their moment. Back! Get thee back! Off! Take thee off! Thou art fallen, driven off and turned back, O ʿApep. The Great Ennead which is in Heliopolis drives thee off, Horus has repelled thy rage, Seth has rendered thy moment of action impotent. Isis repels thee, Nephthys cuts thee up, the Great Ennead which is in the prow of the bark of Rê drives thee off, Seth has stabbed at thy neck, the Children of Horus set their spears in thee, those gods who guard the doors of the mysterious portals repel thee, their fiery blast goes forth against thee in fire. Take thee off at their blast of flame which goes forth from their mouths, fall down and creep away, [24] ʿApep; take thee off, thou foe of Rê, for thou art fallen at this his moment, and they who are in his bark fell thee. Get thee back, for thou art exorcised, crushed and repelled in thy moment. Fall down! Thou art turned back, thy soul is turned back, thy flesh is taken away, and thou art made impotent. Thy execution and the cutting of thee to pieces are achieved, thy rage is crushed, thy power of movement is taken away, thy flesh is beaten from thy body, thy soul is parted from thy shade, thy name is destroyed, thy magic is crushed, and thou art destroyed. Fall down, for thou art felled! Thou shalt nevermore come forth from this thine hell. Thou art made impotent; once again thou art bound, for thou hast been broken by (?) those who break up ills. Thy moment is averted, thy rage turned back, thy power of movement taken away, thou art ousted from this thy place. Fall down, for thou hast been driven off and condemned to evil; he who should be broken is broken and his deeds shall not succeed. Thy soul is annihilated, thy shade is destroyed, for thou art allotted to the fiery Eye of Horus ; it shall have power over thee, it shall devour thee utterly. Be thou annihilated, O ʿApep! It has pierced thee, it has turned thee back, it has destroyed thee, it has annihilated thee.
To be recited in continuation of the above spell: fall upon thy face, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê; the fire which issues from the Eye of Horus comes forth against thee, the great flame which issues from the Eye of Horus comes forth against thee, it presses on thee with a blast of flame, the fire comes forth against thee, and fierce is its flame against thy soul, thy spirit, thy magic, thy body and thy shade; the Mistress of Burning has power over thee, her fiery blast makes chastisement in thy soul, she annihilates thy shape, she chastises thy form, and thou art fallen to the Eye of Horus which is enraged against its foe. Wepes the great parches thee, the Eye of Rê has power over thee, the devouring flame consumes thee, and there is no (?) remnant to (?) fall. Get thee back! Thou art cut up, thy soul is despoiled (?), thy name is obliterated. May thy name be unheard, may thy name fall; be thou forgotten and driven back that thou mayest be forgotten. Retire, turn thee back, for thou art cut up and far removed from those who are in his shrine. Be thou utterly destroyed, be thou annihilated, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. Thou shalt not be, thy soul shall not be in thee, for the Eye of Rê shall have power over thee and it shall consume thee every day, even as Rê commanded should be done to thee, O ʿApep. Thou art fallen to the flame of fire, and the furnace shall consume thee; thou art condemned to the devouring flame of the Eye of Horus, and the fiery one has parched thee; it consumes thy soul, thy spirit, thy body and thy shade, and thou shalt not become erect nor copulate for ever and ever. Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times - Horus is triumphant over his foes - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times. Retire, turn thee back at this magic which issues from my mouth on behalf of Pharaoh for ever. This thy . . . is crushed, and thou shalt not come because of its influence (?) for ever, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. Be thou spat upon, thou enemy, thou rebel - four times. To be recited by a man who is pure and clean. Thou shalt depict (?) the name of ʿApep, it being written on a new sheet of papyrus, and it shall be put in the fire when Rê manifests himself, when Rê is at noon-tide, when Rê sets in the West, by night, by day, at every hour of every day, at the monthly festival, at the sixth-day festival, at the fifteenth-day festival, and likewise every day when the foes of Rê-Harakhti are felled.
The second chapter of felling ʿApep the foe of Rê. Fall upon your faces, ye foes of Rê, all ye rebels, foes and children of revolt, ye froward ones and nameless rebels, doomed ones whose hell is prepared, for it has been commanded to make a slaughter of the froward, the foes and rebels who create warfare and make tumult. Fall ye, fall ye at the moment of Rê; he will [25] annihilate you, fell you, make fall your heads. On your faces! He will destroy you, making a slaughter of you. O ye who ought to be annihilated, be ye annihilated, be ye destroyed! O ye who have naught (?), ye shall possess naught (?), ye shall not exist, ye shall not be; your heads shall be removed, your necks shall be hewn asunder, your vertebrae shall be severed, ye shall be made impotent, ye shall be slaughtered, ye shall fall to the Eye of Horus, for its flame is sharp against you, its fiery blast shall have power over you; the Eye of Rê shall appear against you, his might shall have power over you, his Eye shall have power over you, it shall consume you and chastise you in this its name of 'Devouring Flame'; it shall have power over you in this its name of Sakhmet; ye shall fall to its blast, and fierce is the flame of fire which comes forth from its blast; it shall destroy you, O ye who are doomed to destruction. The fire comes forth against you, ye foes of Rê, ye who rebel against Horus, and against your souls, your bodies and your shades; the fire comes forth, it cooks you, its glow (?) bakes (?) you, its burning burns you, Wepes the great divides you, she devours you, she parches you, she destroys your souls, her fiery blast makes chastisement in your shades. O ye who ought to be annihilated, be ye annihilated; ye are crushed, crushed! Ye shall be burned, ye shall be cut down, ye shall be slaughtered, ye shall be condemned to the great furnace of fire, the mistress of heat, and its glow shall consume your souls, its blast shall make chastisement in your bodies, it shall press on you with its great flame, it shall cut you with its knife, it shall rage against you with its wrath, consume you with its flame, shrivel you with its fire, blast you with its blaze, scorch you with its heat, burn you with its burning; it shall break you in this its name of fire, it shall divide you in this its name of Wepes the great; ye shall fall to its flame, for sharp is the great flame which is in its blast, and its glow shall devour your souls. ye who ought to fall, fall ye, fall ye! Ye are fallen and felled! Fall ye to Rê, fall ye to the rage of his moment, be ye annihilated for him, be ye annihilated! He shall destroy you, fell you, cut you up; he shall condemn you, execute you, obliterate your names and cut up your souls; he shall imprison you, destroy you, crush you, chastise you, fell you. Ye shall fall to the devouring flame, and it shall destroy you; may ye not be!
O ye who ought to be annihilated, be ye annihilated, annihilated! Be ye annihilated, be ye annihilated, be your souls annihilated; be ye annihilated, be your bodies annihilated; be ye annihilated, be your shades annihilated; be ye annihilated! Ye shall not be, and your souls shall not be; ye shall not be, and your bodies shall not be; ye shall not be, and your shades shall not be; ye shall not be, and your lives shall not be; ye shall not be, and your generative power (?) shall not be; your heads shall not be knit to your bodies. Get you back because of him; retire, ye rebels! May ye not be, may Thoth make conjuration against (?) you with his magic. The great god is mighty against you, he has crushed you, he has caused men to hate you, the fire which is on his mouth comes forth against you, so burn, ye rebels! May ye not be; may Thoth make conjuration against (?) you with his magic; may he fell you, cut you up, destroy you, condemn you to the fiery glance of Horus which comes forth from the Eye of Horus; it shall consume you utterly, it shall destroy you through the greatness of its heat, and it shall not be repelled in the moment of its heart's desire in that its name of Meret-goddess. Be ye annihilated because of it, turn ye back because of it, turn ye back because of it, get ye back because of it, O all ye foes of Rê and all ye foes of Horus; it shall pierce you, it shall turn you back, it shall destroy you. Be ye annihilated because of it, be ye destroyed because of it; may ye neither become erect nor copulate for ever and ever.
Rê triumphs, and justice is upon you, O ʿApep and ye children of revolt, ye greatly rebellious! Rê is triumphant over his foes - four times - Horus is triumphant over his foes - four times - Osiris, First of the Westerners, is triumphant over his foes - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times. I have overthrown ʿApep, the rebel, the tortoise, the ill-disposed one and the children of revolt from all their seats in every place where they are; I have overthrown all the foes of Rê from all their seats in every place where they are; I have overthrown all the foes of Horus from all their seats in every place where they are; I have overthrown all the foes of Amen-Rê, Lord of the thrones of the Two Lands who dwells in Karnak, from all their seats in every place where they are; I have overthrown all the foes of Ptah who is south of his wall, Lord of ʿAnkh-towe, from all their seats in every place where they are; similarly all the foes of Atūm; likewise all the foes of Thoth, Lord of Kheminu; likewise all the foes of Yuscas, Lady of Iden (?), and of Hathor, Lady of Hetepet, the Hand of Atūm; all the foes of Horus Khentekhtay, Lord of Athribis; all the foes of Khuyet, the wife of the god; all the foes of Bastet the great, Lady of Bubastis; all the foes of Osiris, Lord of Busiris; all the foes of Banebded, the great god, the life of Rê; I have overthrown all the foes of Oniris-Shu, son of Rê, and of the strong-armed Horus; all the foes of Amen-Rê of Sma Behdet; all the foes of Anubis, Lord of Asyiut; all the foes of Sopd, Lord of the East; all the foes of Hor-merty, Lord of Shednu; all the foes of Horus who dwells in Three-hundred-town (?); [26] all the foes of Horus the Uniter of the Two Lands, Lord of Tided; all the foes of Horus in Pe and of Wadjet in Dep; all the foes of Haroeris, Lord of Upper Egypt, from all their seats in every place where they are; I have overthrown all the foes of Pharaoh from all their seats in every place where they are. To be recited by a man who is pure and clean. Thou shalt depict (?) every foe of Rê and every foe of Pharaoh, whether dead or alive, and every accused one whom he has in mind, also the names of their fathers, their mothers and their children, every one of them (?), they having been drawn in green ink on a new sheet of papyrus, their names written on their breasts, these having been made of wax, and also bound with bonds (?) of black thread; they are to be spat upon, and they are to be trampled with the left foot, felled with the spear and knife, and cast on the fire in the melting-furnace of the coppersmiths. Afterwards, the name of ʿApep is to be burnt in a fire of bryony when Rê manifests himself, when Rê is at noontide, and when Rê sets in the West; in the first hour of the day and of the night and in the second hour of the night down to the third hour of the night; at dawn, and likewise every hour of the night and every hour of the day; at the festival of the New Moon, at the sixth-day festival, at the fifteenth-day festival, and likewise at the monthly festival, felling the foe of Rê, felling ʿApep in very truth in order to fell the foe of Rê. This book is to be employed in this manner which is in writing, when the sacred bark ferries over to fell the foe of Rê and every foe of Hor-merti in Yat-Pega. It will be well with the man who makes conjuration for himself from this book in the presence of this august god-a true matter, tested a million times.
The book of felling the foe of Rê daily. Recite: Fall. upon thy face, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê, submerge, submerge, go forth unrecognised (?), creep away, away! Hasten away, hasten when he hastens (?), that he may (?) come and go; be thou upside down in the Lake of Nun, for Rê has commanded that thou be cut to pieces and the great flame appears against thee, the Sharp One is gone forth from the brow of Ḥīke who opens eyes that the Two Lands may see. Nehebkau (?) the great goes forth against thee from the booth of those who are in his shrine, the Marvellous One (?) goes forth against thee, the uraeus rage, and fire goes forth against thee from the mouths of the wardens of the mysterious portals; the foe and rebel is annihilated, ʿApep is crushed, but Rê rests on his standard within his shrine. Hail to thee, O Rê, in the midst of the coils of thy mehen-serpent; thou art triumphant over ʿApep - four times - thou art triumphant over all thy foes - four times - and Pharaoh is triumphant over all his foes - four times. Be thou brought to naught, O ʿApep - four times.
The book of the repelling of ʿApep the great enemy which is done at morning tide. Recite: be thou brought to naught, O ʿApep thou foe of Rê - four times - get thee afar off from him who is in his shrine! Be thou annihilated, thou rebel; fall on thy face! May thy face be destroyed! Get thee back from thy place, for thy roads are blocked, thy paths are stopped up; thou art imprisoned (?) in thy former place, thou art powerless, thy heart is miserable, thy body is feeble, thou art maimed and canst not escape, for thou art committed to those who are in the place of execution. The sharp-knived butchers cut off thine head, they sever thy neck, they do execution on (?) thee again and again. They cast (?) thee to the raging fire, they remove thee to the flame in its moment, and it shall have power over thee, it shall devour thy body, consume thy bones and chastise thy members, and Khnum shall take away thy children to his place of execution, thy body being brought to the fire; it shall chastise thy soul, which shall not travel on earth, and thine arms shall not be stretched out for offerings in this land, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. Haroeris son of Isis shall destroy thee, and thou shalt not conceive, thou shalt not bring to birth, thy soul shall not journey to the 'Supports of Shu', thou shalt neither see nor behold, for thou art destroyed and thy shade is not, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. Be thou brought to naught, O rebel! Thy name shall be annihilated and thou shalt be remembered no more, for I have (?) laid hold on thee; thou shalt be spat upon whenever thou art remembered. Rê shall make thee impotent, Isis shall fetter thee, Nephthys shall bind thee, the spells of Thoth shall destroy thee, thy soul shall not be among the souls, thy corpse shall not be at the head of the corpses, for the fire shall bite thee and the flame devour thee, the furnace shall be satisfied with thee, O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê. Rê rejoices, Atūm is glad, Haroeris is happy, for ʿApep is brought to the flame, Neki is brought to the fire, and he shall be utterly non-existent and his shade shall be neither in heaven nor on earth. O ʿApep, thou foe of Rê, be thou brought to naught! Be annihilated, O ʿApep - four times. To be recited over an image of ʿApep made with a waxen body and also drawn on a new sheet of papyrus; to be put on the fire before Rê every day, and likewise on the day of the monthly festival and the days of the sixth-day festival and the fifteenth-day festival, in order to fell ʿApep on water, land, and river-bank.
The book of knowing the creations of Rê and of felling ʿApep. Recite: Thus spake the Lord of All after he had come into being: It was I who came into being as Khopri. When I came into being, 'Being' came into being, and all beings came into being after I came into being; manifold were the beings which came forth from my mouth ere the sky had come into being, ere the earth had come into being, ere the ground and reptiles had been created in this place. I created some of them in Nūn as Inert Ones when I could as yet find no place where I could stand. I considered (?) in mine heart, I surveyed with my sight, and I alone made every shape ere I had spat out Shu, ere I had expectorated Tefenet, ere there had come into being any other who could act with me. I planned with mine own heart and there came into being a multitude of forms of living creatures, namely the forms of children and the forms of their [27] children. I indeed made excitation with my fist, I copulated with mine hand, I spat with mine own mouth; I spat out Shu, I expectorated Tefenet, and my father Nūn brought them up, mine Eye following after them since the aeons when they were far from me. After I had come into being as sole god, there were three gods in addition to myself. I came into being in this land and Shu and Tefenet rejoiced in the Nūn, in which they were. They brought back to me mine Eye with them after I had united my members; I wept over them, and that is how men came into being from the tears which came forth from mine Eye, for it was wroth with me when it returned and found that I had made another in its place, having replaced it with the Glorious Eye. So I promoted it in my face, and when it exercised governance over this entire land, its wrath died away (?), for I had replaced what had been (?) taken from it. I came forth from the roots, I created all reptiles and all that exists among them. Shu and Tefenet begat Geb and Nūt, and Geb and Nūt begat Osiris, Horus Mekhantenirti, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys from the womb, one after the other, and they begat their multitudes in this land.
What the Great Enchanters spoke, it was the very essence of magic; they were commanded to destroy my foes by means of the spells of their utterance, and I dispatched those who came into being through my body to fell that evil foe. He it is who is fallen to the fire, even ʿApep with the knife in his head, and he cannot (?) see, and his name shall not be in this land. I have commanded that obstacles be implanted against him, I have chastised his bones and destroyed his soul daily, I have severed his vertebrae at his neck, they having been broken with a knife which has hacked into his flesh and cut through his skin. He is put on the fire, and it has power over him in this its name of Sakhmet; its glow is on him in this its name of Glorious Eye; its foe is burnt up and his soul is chastised, his bones are burnt and his members brought to the fire. Horus has given command, and he who is most mighty in the prow of the bark of Rê has stabbed him with his lance of iron, that he might make his body to be as though it did not exist. His moment of action is nullified when he rages, he is made to vomit from his heart, he is guarded, bound, and fettered, Aker has taken away his strength, I have cut away his flesh from his bones, I have broken his legs, I have cut off his arms, I have closed his mouth and his lips, I have drawn his teeth, cut away his tongue from his gullet, taken away his speech, blinded his eyes, taken away his hearing, and cut out his heart in (?) his place, his seat, and his tomb; I have made him as one non-existent, and his name shall not be, his children shall not be. He shall not be and his family shall not be; he shall not be and his false door shall not be; he shall not be and his heirs shall not be; his egg shall not grow nor his seed create - and vice versa - his soul shall not be, nor his body, his spirit, his shade, his magic; his bones shall not be, his skin shall not be, for he is fallen and felled; he shall not be, for he is fallen to the fire of the glance of Horus, to the slaughterers and the sharp-knived butchers; they perform their office on him and he is fallen into this evil impotence. I have made command daily against him on account of this his evil character, and they cut off his face with sharp knives, his head is severed from his neck, Sakhmet cuts out his heart, she puts him in the flame on her finger, she puts him in the fire and her flame is on him in this her name of 'Fire'; the flame of Wosret the great is on him, she sunders his soul from his body and she has power over him in this her name of Sakhmet; she acts as a spirit (?) against him in this her name of 'Glorious Eye', and the flame consumes his heart, she burns him with the fiery breath of her mouth; Wadjet parches him, he is fallen into his hell, and he shall not escape from it for ever and ever.
Those who are among (?) the watchers (?) guard him, they cut off his soul, his body, his shade, his spirit, and his magic power, they cut out his heart from its place; his name is erased and he is fallen and shall not be, for I have commanded that he be despoiled (?) and that his soul be despoiled (?); he shall have neither seat nor place. The troops (?) of Shu have laid hold of him in the place of the Flesh-eater, Pekhat has put him in her fire (?), Sothis has destroyed him in the moment of her rage, and Sakhmet has put him in the fire on her mouth. His heart is fallen through her cutting to pieces, and he is blind, for he is fallen and felled, even ʿApep. Rê himself fells him, Rê triumphs over ʿApep in the presence of the Great Ennead, and the knife shall be stuck fast in his head in the presence of Rê every day. The gods of the south fell him, the gods of the north fell him, the gods of the west fell him, the gods of the east fell him, Orion binds him in the southern heaven, the Great Bear overturns him in the northern heaven, those who are in the starry firmament fetter him, fire attacks him, flame devours him, it chastises his bones and his hair, it consumes his flesh, it burns his skin, it overthrows him on to the hands of the gods, and his name shall not be in the mouths of men, he shall not be remembered in the hearts of the gods, he shall be spat upon whenever he is remembered, for Rê has rendered him impotent.
Annihilate him, annihilate him! fell him, fell him, even ʿApep ! Fell him into the fire! Fell him for the henbu-serpent! He shall not rage, not rage! He shall not snuff the wind, the wind! He is condemned to the fire, and it shall blaze (?) at the sight of him, the fire of her who is on his brow shall slay him, the gods who are in his bark desiring to attack him.
The tears which came forth from mine Eye are against you, ye are made impotent because of this his evil character. The gods behold you, and the gods shall not grant to you to be in his place or his tomb; the gods shall not grant to you that his name exist; the gods shall not grant to you that his soul, his spirit, his shade, his bones or his hair exist; the gods shall [28] not grant to you that his arms be extended, and his children and his heirs shall not come into being; the gods shall not grant to you that . . ., and his seed shall not grow, nor his egg create; the gods shall not grant to you that his magic come into being; the gods shall not grant to you that he be in heaven or that he be on earth; the gods shall not grant to you that he be in the south, north, west, or east; the gods shall not grant to you that he be in the entire world; he is condemned to the fire of this uraeus of Horus and it shall have power over him daily, it shall be in him, and it shall not be extinguished in him for ever and ever. It shall take away his moment, it shall repel his wrath, and he shall be consumed so that he may not be. It fells ʿApep, it fells him into the fire; Rê himself fells him.
Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep; behold, I have cut thee up, behold, I have erased thy name, and thou art given over to the fire every day as Rê commanded should be done to thee. Behold, O Rê! Hearken, O Rê ! Behold, I have crushed thy foe, I have trampled on him with my feet, I have spat on him. Rê is triumphant over thee-variant, over all his fallen foes, and they shall not be. His name is burnt up, I have removed his place, his seat and his tomb, I have destroyed his soul, his spirit, his body, his shade, his magic, his seed, his egg, his bones and his hair, these being cast into the fire every day, as Rê commanded should be done to him. Crush, chastise, burn all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive. He shall cut them (?) down, their flesh shall be pierced even through their skins, the lords of Heliopolis shall deal with them, they being destroyed daily in thy presence, O Rê.
Burning be on you! They shall have no souls thereby, nor spirits nor bodies nor shades nor magic nor bones nor hair nor spells nor utterances nor words. They shall have no grave thereby, nor house nor hole nor tomb. They shall have no garden thereby, nor tree nor bush. They shall have no water thereby, nor bread nor light nor fire. They shall have no children thereby, nor family nor heirs nor tribe. They shall have no head thereby, nor arms nor legs nor gait nor seed. They shall have no seats upon earth thereby. None shall pour libations for them in this land among the living or in the realm of the dead among the spirits of the dead, for thou commandest them to the execution-block of Sakhmet the great, Lady of Ishru, thou fellest them in the moment of the great maiden, thou committest them to those who are among (?) the watchers (?) in the West. Their souls shall not be permitted to come out of the Netherworld and they shall not be among those who live upon earth, on no day shall they behold Rê, but they shall be bound and fettered in the hell in the lower Netherworld and their souls shall not be permitted to come forth thence for ever and ever. It is thy command which has come into being against them; Rê has exorcised them from his shrine and the gods who are in it are witness against them, for they belong to the heirs (?) of ʿApep. The Eye of Horus has power over them, and they burn upon the altar of Sakhmet in the place of the Flesh-eater, they being chastised daily in thy presence, O Rê, according to the command to the great god to deal so with them, O Rê, for ever and ever. But thou art in thy shrine, thou travellest in the Night-bark, thou restest in the Day-bark, thou crossest thy two heavens in peace, thou art mighty, thou livest, thou art hale, thou makest thy spirits to endure, thou crushest all thy foes at thy command, for these have done evil against Pharaoh with all manner of evil words, namely all men, all nobles, all plebs, all sun-folk, etc., all Easterners of the deserts, and all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive, whom I have crushed and destroyed. Be thou brought to naught when thou art fallen, O ʿApep. Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times.
This spell is to be spoken over a figure of ʿApep drawn upon a new sheet of papyrus in green ink and placed within a box (?) with his name indicated upon it, he being bound and fettered, to be put on the fire every day, trampled with thy left foot and spat upon four times daily. Thus shalt thou speak when thou puttest him on the fire: Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep - four times - Horus is triumphant over his foes - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foes - four times. And when thou hast written these names of all foes, male and female, whom thine heart fears, namely all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive, the names of their fathers, the names of their mothers, and the names of their children, within the box (?), they are to be made (?) in wax, put on the fire after the name of ʿApep, and burnt when Rê manifests himself; thou shalt do the like of? the first time at the middle of the day and when Rê sets in the West, when the sunlight flees to the mountain. This shall be better for thee than any other act in very truth, and it will be well with whoso does it upon earth and in the realm of the dead.
The book of knowing the creations of Rê and of felling ʿApep. Recite:- Thus spake the Lord of All: When I came into being, 'Being' came into being. I came into being in the form of Khopri who came into being on the First Occasion; I came into being in the form of Khopri when I came into being, and that is how 'Being' came into being, because (?) I was more primeval (?) than the primeval ones whom I had made; I was the most primeval (?) of the primeval ones, and my name was more primeval (?) than theirs (?), for I made primeval time and the primeval ones. I did all that I desired in this land, and I was all pervading (?) in it. I knit mine hand, being alone, ere they had been born, ere I had spat out Shu or expectorated Tefenet. I used (?) mine own mouth, and 'Magic' was my name. It was I who came into being in my form, having come into being in the form of Khopri. I came into being among (?) the primeval ones, and there came into being a multitude of beings in the beginning, ere any being had come into being in this land; I alone achieved all that was made, ere there had come into being any other who could act with me in this place. I made the beings therein with this my soul; I created some of them in Nūn as an Inert One, when I could as yet find no place where I could stand. I considered (?) in mine heart, I surveyed with my sight, and I alone achieved all that was made; I planned in mine heart, I created another being, and manifold were the forms of Khopri; their children came into being in the forms of their children (?). It was I who spat out Shu and expectorated Tefenet. When I had come into being as sole god, there were three gods in addition to myself, and two gods came into being in this land; Shu and Tefenet rejoiced in the Nūn, in which they were. It was mine Eye which brought them to me after a long age when they were far from me; I united my members, and they issued from me myself. After I had made excitation with my fist, my desire [29] came into mine hand, and seed fell from my mouth; I spat out Shu and expectorated Tefenet. When I had come into being as sole god, there were three gods in addition to myself, and two gods came into being in this land; Shu and Tefenet rejoiced in the Nūn, in which they were. It was mine Eye which brought them to me after a long age when they were far from me; I united my members, and they issued from me myself. After I had made excitation with my fist, my desire came into mine hand and seed fell from my mouth; I spat out Shu and expectorated Tefenet, and my father Nūn brought them up, mine Eye following after them since (?) the aeons . . . serpents, when I wept with tears over (?) [it ?]; mine [Eye ?] planned, and that is how men came into being. I replaced it with the Glorious One, and it was enraged with me when it returned, another having grown in its place, but its wrath died away (?) when I made replacement in it, and it was soothed (?). I promoted it in my face and it exercised governance over the entire land. Shu and Tefenet begat Geb and Nūt, and Geb and Nūt begat Osiris, Horus Mekhantenirti, Seth, Isis and Nephthys, and they begat and created many beings in this land, namely the forms of children and the forms of their children.
They made conjuration in my name that they might fell their foes; they created the magic spells for felling ʿApep. He is imprisoned in the arms of Aker, he has neither arms nor legs, and is confined (?) in one place, according as Rê obstructs him, for he has commanded that he be felled on account of this his evil character. His face is cut away because of what he has done, and he suffers for his evil character. Children fell him and sunder his soul from his body and his shade, and the sages who are in the bark and the tears of mine Eye desire to attack them. He shall be rendered impotent, and there shall be made no portion for him in this land at his ? desire. He is despoiled (?) and his soul is despoiled (?); those who are in the south fell him, those who are in the north fell him, those who are in the west fell him, and those who are in the east fell him. O ye sages who are in this land, and ye Nine Gods who came into being from my flesh, be ye vigilant in felling ʿApep! Exorcise him and destroy his name; may your arms fell him, may ye not permit his name to be spread abroad; his children shall not exist, his seat shall not exist, and he shall have neither soul nor body nor spirit, for he belongs to the Eye of Rê, and it has power over him, it devours him. I am he who has been sent to fell him, to destroy his name, and to chastise his name and his magic; I have committed him to the flame, I have allotted him to the heat; I have given him to the Eye of Rê, and the Glorious Eye has parched him, it has consumed his soul, his spirit, his body, his shade and his magic, and he shall neither copulate nor become erect for ever and ever.
To be recited over an image of ʿApep made of wax with his name written on it in green ink; he shall also be made on a new sheet of papyrus, and the images of all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive, shall also be made in wax, and their names written on them in green ink, they being bound within a box (?); they shall be spat upon and trampled with thy left foot, slaughtered with a knife, put on a fire of bryony and quenched with the urine of a ... woman. And the names of ʿApep and of all the foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive, are to be written in pigment (?) on the ground, and trampled with thy left foot in the correct manner. It is well for a man when he knows this matter of Rê and his creations; he will triumph over his foes. It is a secret book of the House of Life (?), which none see; the secret book of felling ʿApep.
The stanza of conjuring their names. ʿApep is crushed, his confederacy is cut up, Rê triumphs over his foes, the bark of Re is enabled to sail in peace, ʿApep is made to retreat because of fire, he is made to go to the execution-block of the god, Nehaher is crushed in very truth, and there are made to retire his soul, his body, his spirit, his shade, his children, his heirs (?), his tribe, his family, his inheritance, his skin, his shape, his form, his tongue, his egg, his name, his substance (?), his arms, his legs, his utterance, his magic, his spells, his seat, his cavern, his tomb, his chamber (?). So is he to be felled and his power of movement taken away, that he may not attack the Night-bark; the knife is given power over him daily in the presence of Rê, who is made joyful when he has heard this book, and the bark of Rê is enabled to sail in peace, ʿApep is crushed in all his names. Praise the god who created his own strength, who binds the serpent and cuts up Neki the Ill-disposed One; may the god be joyful at my words. Thus spake Isis unto Rê : Turn aside the rebel, that his eyes may be blinded to the mysteries of heaven in very truth; chastise his soul even as his body, crush his bones, may he be placed on the fire, may it be caused that he bite into his own flesh, may he be given into the hand of the executioners of Rê, may he be caused to be turned away.
Recite :- Get thee back, O ʿApep, thou bowel of Rê ! Get thee back, thou intestine of the viscera, thou fallen one, thou rebel, who hast neither arms nor legs, thou long-tailed one who comest forth from thy cavern. O Bowel, retire before Rê, for I know the evil that thou doest; thy head shall be cut off, thou shalt be cut to pieces, thy face shall not be lifted up against the great god. Flame be in thy face, fire be in thy soul, the knife (?) of the great execution-block be in thy flesh, mayest thou taste of the cutting of the great god, may Selket conjure thee, may she turn thee aside. Depart (?), depart (?)! Fall, fall through this magic in my mouth. I place thee on the fire, that it may destroy thee and that the Eye of Horus may burn thee in thy brow. Fall on thy face! Thy soul is felled, for the Eye of Rê has power over thee, and thou art fallen, fallen, and turned away, away, thou serpent who hast neither arms nor legs. Upon thy face! Thou shalt have no tomb, but thou shalt enter into the fiery furnace, for the great god who came into being of himself shall fell thee and those who are in his bark shall destroy thee in his bark by means of the spells of their utterance and by means of the magic which is in their bodies. I cast thee on thy back and thine [30] intestines shall be cut out, for the executioners of Sakhmet slay thee, they fill their mouths with thy flesh, they squirt out (?) thy blood into the heat, thy head is broken with yonder knife, and the great god takes away thy power of movement. Retire, retire! Get thee back, get thee back! Be thou fallen and crushed! [Get thee back ?] in thy journeyings! The great god takes away thy legs, Rê comes forth, Horus appears in glory, and mighty is their magic against thee; Rê is triumphant over thee, O ʿApep.
Be thou spat upon, thou enemy; O rebel, Rê cuts thee up. Be thou brought to naught, being utterly fallen. The fingers of Thoth are in thine eyes, his magic lays hold on thee, and thy form is annihilated, thy shape destroyed, thy body is annihilated, thy shade and thy magic crushed, for he takes away thy life, and thou shalt not snuff the breeze, the breeze. Fall! Be annihilated! Be thou disturbed, O thou who rebellest against the god; thou art allotted to the great cutting, thy [confederates ?] are smitten on their heads, thou hast no arms nor legs, and the spirit of thine heart is not in its place. Be thou cut up, cut up! Get thee back, get thee back! Creep away, for the spear of Horus goes forth against thee, the lance of Seth is thrust into thy brow, Rê himself has destroyed thee. Thy voice is done away, and thou hast no cry of joy, for thou art utterly crushed. Thy form is not, for thou belongest to the Eye of Horus, and it has power over thee daily.
O ʿApep thou foe of Rê, may Rê crush thee, may Atūm turn thee back with the spells of their {sic} utterance. Mayest thou hear my magic utterances, mayest thou die because of them, even as Rê commanded should be done to thee. O ʿApep thou foe of Rê, I know what thou hast done; come, turn thee back because of thine evil deeds; thou art fallen in thine evil moment. Arise! Rê exorcises thee, the Great Ennead testifies against ʿApep the foe of Rê. Thou art fallen and felled; fall thou in this their moment, for I have given thee over to the knife, and it has power over thee through ? these knife-bearers who are in his bark. Thou art condemned to the fire, and it has power over thee daily; thou art condemned to the execution-block, thy face is toward it. Isis fells thee with her magic. Thou art committed to the Eye of Horus, and Wosret the burning one, she burns up thy soul. Thou belongest to Horus, the heir of the great god, and his spear which is in his hand goes forth against thee. Thou belongest to Seth the son of Nūt, and he breaks thy vertebrae, he severs thy neck, and stabs thee with this his strong lance which is in his hands. Thou belongest to the Eye of Rê, the fiery glance of Horus, and it consumes thy body. Thou belongest to the crew of Rê who row Rê, and they drop thine head on the ground. Thou belongest to Horus Mekhantenirti, who kills thee with this his knife which is in Letopolis. Thou belongest to the wardens of the mysterious portals, and their fiery blast and their flame go forth against thee, the great and terrible one devours thee and she is satisfied with thy body, O ʿApep thou foe of Rê. Mayest thou not travel by water or land, mayest thou not exist, mayest thou not rise up (?). A soul goes forth against thee in the west, and thou art condemned to the flame which is on its mouth; the iron of Horus goes forth against thee in the east, and thou art condemned to the magic which is in his body. Those who are in their shrines cut thee up, they stick (?) their arrows in thee, they cut thee to pieces again and again, thou being cast into the furnace of the god at the hall of sacrifice of the Flesh-Eater, at the hell of the crew of Rê, at the execution-block of Thoth. All the gods take their meat-portions (?) out of thee, their hearts are satisfied at cutting thee to pieces.
O ʿApep thou foe of Rê, get thee back! Thy head is turned back to the ground, thy power of movement is destroyed, and thou art totally blinded. Thou shalt not be, thy likeness shall not be, thy shape shall not be, thou shalt not come against Rê in his two heavens when Rê is in his heavens; he shall triumph over thee, thy tail shall be placed in thy mouth, and thou shalt chew thine own skin, it being cut into upon the altar of the gods, of' the Great Ennead which is in Heliopolis. Thou art fallen and felled, for they fell thee. The evils go forth, their fiery blast goes forth against thee in fire, they cry out against thee with fire, their faces are against thee with their flame, . . .with knives of flint, they burn thee in thine intestines, they crush thee with their knives which are in their hands, the Children of Horus crush thee, their magic enters into thee, their spells come into being against thee, thou being conjured on water and on land, and thou being conjured in every form which thou hast assumed in this thine evil hour; mayest thou not attack the Night-bark or the gods in it; get thee back, thou rebel. May thy soul be destroyed, for thou art cut up, thou art driven off from the sacred bark, thou art exorcised, thou art felled, and the Eye of Rê devours thee.
Get thee back, thou rebel, be thou annihilated, for the arrows of Horus are shot into thy nose. Oho! ʿApep is crushed, Rê has power over his foes, this Glorious Eye devours thee in this its name of 'Devouring Flame', it consumes thee, it gulps thee down by means of the magic of their {sic} utterance, and it has overcome thee. Thou diest for them {sic}, they fell thee, they repel thee, they have power over thee, and thou art brought to naught, being annihilated and turned back. The Great Ennead which is in Heliopolis cuts thee up, the Great One chastises [thee]. Great is the fire and sore the heat, and thou art condemned to the fiery blast which is in her mouth. She has annihilated thee, O ʿApep, she has repelled thee in thine evil coming forth; fire is on thee, it consumes thy flesh and makes thee into ashes, it burns up thy soul and broils thy bones and thy members; the fiery glance of Horus, the Eye of Rê, it acts against thee, and Seth thrusts his spear into thine head. Thou art committed to the fierce lion, the son of Bastet, lady of terror, and he is satisfied with thy blood. Fire is on thee in all thy ways, Pakht has condemned thee, her flame is the great flame, lady of terror, mistress of fire, and she takes away thy flesh, she condemns thy soul, her flame has burnt thee up. O ʿApep thou foe of Rê, those who are in the shrine devour thee, even the Great Ennead which is in the bark, so that thou mayest not exist. Thou shalt not exist, thou shalt suffer; when thou sleepest thou shalt not awake, for Rê has felled thee for ever. Thou shalt not [31] endure in the sky, thou shalt not be on earth, for thou art destroyed by this great knife, being cut to pieces again and again. Fall thou to the knife of the god, for the trap is on thine head, the spear in thy back and the barb of Rê firm-fixed in thy brow, thou being fallen in thine evil moment, and burnt up in this moment of Horus. The god goes forth against the rebel to fell ʿApep, and thy face is toward this execution-block of Yat-Pega, thou being destroyed in it for ever and ever. Thou shalt not become erect, thou shalt not copulate, thy young shall not come into being, thine egg shall not grow, but the gods who came forth from the Eye of Horus shall cut thee up, thou being sought out and fallen. Rê-Harakhti fells thee, the spear in his hand goes forth against thee, his arrow strikes into thee, and thou art become non-existent.
Be thou annihilated, O ʿApep thou foe of Rê - four times. Thou shalt not exist and thy soul shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy body shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy children shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thine arms shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy flesh shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy bones shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy magic shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy mouth shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy form shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy shape shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy being shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy skin shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy household shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy seed1 shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy substance (?) shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy seat shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy grave shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy cavern shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy tomb shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy roads shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy deeds shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thine utterance shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thine entering shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy going shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy treading shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy sailing shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy sitting shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy growing shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and thy body shall not exist; thou shalt not exist and no place where thou art shall exist; O ʿApep thou foe of Rê, thou shalt die, die! Mayest thou perish, may thy name perish, thy teeth be soft, thy poison spilt; mayest thou be blind and unable to see. Fall upon thy face; be felled, felled! Be crushed, crushed! Be annihilated, annihilated! Be slain, slain! Be cut to pieces, to pieces! Be cut up, cut up! Be severed, severed! Be slaughtered, slaughtered! Thy head shall be cut off with this knife in the presence of Rê every day, for he allots thee to Aker, and he crushes thy bones. Retire, for Rê-Harakhti has felled thee, thou art given over to the god who averts ill through his words. The barb of Horus is thrust into thy brow, thine head is severed from thy neck, thy soul is fallen, thy shade is not, thou art destroyed at the execution-block; thy head is cut off, and thou art cast on thy back.
Get thee back, thou rebel, thou foe of Rê ! Thou art cut up in thine evil coming forth, the uraeus of Horus consumes thee, it devours thee in order to satisfy its heart, its fiery blast is on thee, its flame is on thee. Retire, turn back, O ʿApep, in this thine evil hour; the Nine__Gods lift up their faces against thee, they spit their flames into thine eye. Fire is on thee, and sore is the flame; it has power over thee, it has heated thee, it has burnt thee, and thou art condemned to the fiery blast which is in its mouth. Be thou cut up! Thy vision is averted by Rê, Horus in his bark blinds thee, he has power over thee; Wosret (?), she cuts thee up. The knife is on thee, its destruction is for thy members, and thou shalt not come against the bark of the great god. Rê himself turns thee back, and thou art bound for the execution block, thy face is toward it. The Ennead which is in his shrine fells thee, they fell thee, and thine ears are stopped up and deaf. Isis fells thee with her magic, she closes thy mouth, she takes away thy power of movement, and she will not give Rê over unto thee for ever and ever; this his spear is turned back in thy flesh. Be silent! Fall! Thou shalt die, and not live, for Isis and Nephthys fell thee; together they avert thy rage. Retire, turn thee back! - and vice versa. Be thou blind, be annihilated! - and vice versa. Thy soul is destroyed, and thou shalt not live for ever and ever. Thy moment is averted, thy strength taken away, and flame is on thy body, fire is on thee, it chastises thy body, it burns up thy bones. The flame is gone forth that it may burn up thy soul and consume thy body, Wepes the great chastises thee, her flame is on thy flesh, and thou art turned again to thine execution-block which Re' made (?). Thoth cuts thee to pieces with his magic and thou canst not come against the bark of Rê; Rê himself turns thee back, for he knows all that thou hast done evilly.
Fire is in thee in the south, and it has power over thee; it is Sothis and Anukis who have commanded what is done against thee. Fire is in thee in the north, and it has power over thee; it is Wadjet, Lady of Pe and Dep, who has commanded what is done against thee. Fire is on thee in the west, and it has power over thee; it is Ha, Lord of the West, who has commanded what is done against thee. Fire is in thee in the east, and it has power over thee; it is Sopd, Lord of the East, who has commanded what is done against thee. Thou shalt not be in any place of thine where thou art, for indeed it has power over thee, and thou art condemned to this fire of the Eye of Rê; it sends forth (?) its fiery blast against thee in this its name of Wadjet; it consumes thee in this its name of 'Devouring Flame'; it has power over thee in this its name of Sakhmet; it is fiery against thee in this its name of 'Glorious Serpent'. Thou shalt die in the flame of fire; thou shalt be blind and the Eye of Horus shall have power over thee; it shall take away thine arms, it shall remove thy legs, and thou shalt be rendered impotent. It is Rê who brings about evil in thee, it is Horus who cuts thee to pieces, thou being bound, fet red and fallen. Thy soul is sundered from thy shade, thy head is bound {variant, thy head is cut off} thy bones are cut out, thy flesh is beaten from thy body, thy soul is sundered from thy shade, and thou art senseless. Thou shalt not be, for I have cast thee into the fire. Lie down in pain, being turned aside and fallen at the wrath of his uraei ; they consume thee with the fiery blast of their mouths, and thou art condemned to the flame of [32] fire; its flame is in thee, its blaze is in thee and it destroys thy soul at the execution-block of the god. The Great Ennead rages against thee because of (?) this which has been done by thine hands; Amūn in his chapel curses thee and has gored his horn into thy neck. Isis has blocked thy roads, her son Horus obliterates thy name. Thus says Tefenet: The water shall rage (?) against thee, and chastisement shall be on the water whence thou hast issued. Shu thrusts his spear into thee, and thou shalt submerge and not emerge again, O ʿApep thou foe of Rê. Be thou spat upon, O ʿApep - four times - be ye spat upon, O all ye foes of Pharaoh, dead or alive.
The book of felling ʿApep. Recite: Hail, Rê! Hail, Atūm! Hail, Khopri! Hail, Shu! Hail, Tefenet! Hail, Geb! Hail, Nut ! Hail, Osiris ! Hail, Horus ! Hail, Isis ! Hail, Nephthys! Hail, Shu! Hail, Tefenet ! Hail, Hu ! Hail, Sia ! Hail, Horus, Lord of Athribis ! Hail, Ḥīke, ka of Rê Pharaoh has come to you that he may set fire to ʿApep, that he may take away the heart of the Ill-disposed One, that he may put rejoicing in the Bark of Millions, and the hearts of the crew of Rê are in rejoicing within his shrine, the souls of the gods being at peace in his horizon; the gods who are in it give praise to him while Rê is in Het-mesek and Horus is gone up on to his standard. Rê is triumphant over ʿApep - four times - Pharaoh is triumphant over his foe - four times .
Another book of felling ʿApep. Recite: O all ye men, nobles, plebs, sun-folk, etc., who shall [plan ?] danger (?) to Pharaoh; O ye gods who shall work ill (?) against him, he shall be in your sight as the great god, the lord of heaven, and all his words shall be as the cry of the neba-bird (?) when thou {sic} crossest the two skies, the earth being in . . . when (?) Rê destroys his foes; he is a messenger sent to Heliopolis to pacify Atūm and his company and to make joyful the Heliopolis of Upper Egypt and the Heliopolis of Lower Egypt; he shall be in your sight as the abed-fish . . . . of (?) gold which is under the bark of Rê, and all his foes shall fear him. Rê gives strength to the heart of Horus and the enemies of Rê are broken; the heart of Horus is made joyful and the Great Bark is caused to be rowed; the heart of Rê is content in his shrine, for he has destroyed all his enemies; the Day-bark is in joy and the Night-bark is at peace {variant, in a fair breeze}; Maʿet has enfolded her lord and Hemset is in rejoicing, for Rê is in his own place. Geb protects Pharaoh with the protection of Rê, and it is he who shall protect him against all men, nobles, plebs, sun-folk, etc.; it is Rê who shuts for him every mouth which speaks against Pharaoh with any evil word. He blinds thy {sic} sight when (?) he looks at (?) all those men ? who have done anything against him evilly and wickedly, but he opens the mouth of Pharaoh against all men, nobles, plebs, sun-folk, etc.
This spell is to be spoken when Rê is upon the hill of the Lake of Desdes in order to rejuvenate the king with life; its name is The Book of the Lord of All.
It is at an end.
| Apep in chains
Vignette from The Book of Gates by E.A.Wallis Budge |
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