Egyptian Literature/The Book of the Dead/The Victory Over Enemies
THE CHAPTER OF THE VICTORY OVER ENEMIES
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 12).]
“Hail, Thoth, who didst make Osiris to triumph over his enemies, snare thou the enemies of Osiris, the scribe Nebseni, the lord of piety, in the presence of the great sovereign princes of every god and of every goddess; in the presence of the great sovereign princes who are in Annu (Heliopolis) on the night of the battle and of the overthrow of the Sebau-fiend in Tattu; on the night of making to stand up the double Tet in Sekhem (Letopolis); on the night of the things of the night in Sekhem, in Pe, and in Tepu;[1] on the night of the stablishing of Horus in the heritage of the things of his father in the double land of Rekhti(?); on the night when Isis maketh lamentation at the side of her brother Osiris in Abtu (Abydos); on the night of the Haker festival of the distinguishing [between] the dead (i.e., the damned) and the Khus on the path of the dead (i.e., the damned); on the night of the judgment of those who are to be annihilated at the great [festival of] the ploughing and the turning up of the earth in Naare-rut-f[2] in Re-stau; and on the night of making Horus to triumph over his enemies. Horus is mighty, the northern and southern halves of heaven rejoice, Osiris is content thereat and his heart is glad. Hail, Thoth, make thou to triumph Osiris, the scribe Nebseni, over his enemies in the presence of the sovereign princes of every god and every goddess, and in the presence of you, ye sovereign princes who passed judgment on Osiris behind the shrine.”
In the Saīte Recension this chapter has no vignette, but it has the title “Another Chapter of the Chaplet of Victory,” and is arranged in tabular form. The words, “Hail, Thoth, make Osiris Auf-ānkh, triumphant, to triumph over his enemies even as thou didst make Osiris to triumph over his enemies,” which are written in two horizontal lines, are to be repeated before each column of text. The “great sovereign princes” invoked are those of: (1) Annu (Heliopolis), (2) Tattu, (3) Sekhem (Letopolis), (4) Pe and Tep, (5) An-arut-f, (6) the double land of Rekhti, (7) Re-stau, (8) Abtu, (9) the paths of the dead, (10) the ploughing festival in Tattu, (11) Kher-āba, (12) Osiris, (13) heaven and earth, (14) every god and every goddess. The rubric reads:
if this chapter be recited regularly and always by a man who hath purified himself in water of natron, he shall come forth by day after he hath come into port (i.e., is dead), and he shall perform all the transformations which his heart shall dictate, and he shall come forth from every fire.