The Book of knowing the evolutions[1] of Rā, and of overthrowing Āpep. [These are] the words which the god Neb-er-tcher spake after he had come into being:--"I am he who came into being in
the form of the god Kheperȧ, and I am the creator
of that which came into being, that is to say, I am
the creator of everything which came into being;
now the things which I created, and which came
forth out of my mouth after that I had come into
being myself were exceedingly many. The sky (or,
heaven) had not come into being, the earth did not
exist, and the children of the earth,[2] and the
creeping things, had not been made at that time. I
myself raised them up from out of Nu,[3] from a state
of helpless inertness. I found no place whereon I
could stand. I worked a charm[4] upon my own
heart (or, will), I laid the foundation [of things] by
Maāt,[5] and I made everything which had form. I
was [then] one by myself, for I had not emitted from
myself the god Shu, and I had not spit out from
myself the goddess Tefnut; and there existed no
other who could work with me. I laid the
foundations [of things] in my own heart, and
there came into being multitudes of created
things, which came into being from the created
things which were born from the created things
which arose from what they brought forth. I
had union with my closed hand, and I embraced
my shadow as a wife, and I poured seed into
my own mouth, and I sent forth from myself
issue in the form of the gods Shu and Tefnut.
Saith my father Nu:—My Eye was covered up
behind them (i.e., Shu and Tefnut), but after
two ḥen periods had passed from the time when
they departed from me, from being one god I
became three gods, and I came into being in
the earth. Then Shu and Tefnut rejoiced from
out of the inert watery mass wherein they
were, and they brought to me my Eye (i.e.,
the Sun). Now after these things I gathered
together my members, and I wept over them,
and men and women sprang into being from
the tears which came forth from my Eye.
And when my Eye came to me, and found
that I had made another [Eye] in place where
it was (i.e., the Moon), it was wroth with (or,
raged at) me, whereupon I endowed it (i.e., the
Second Eye) with [some of] the splendour which
I had made for the first [Eye], and I made it
to occupy its place in my Face, and henceforth
it ruled throughout all this earth. When there fell
on them their moment[6] through plant-like clouds,
I restored what had been taken away from them,
and I appeared from out of the plant-like clouds.
I created creeping things of every kind, and every
thing which came into being from them. Shu and
Tefnut brought forth [Seb and] Nut; and Seb and
Nut brought forth Osiris, and Ḥeru-khent-ȧn-maati,[7]
and Set, and Isis, and Nephthys at one birth,[8] one
after the other, and they produced their multitudinous
offspring in this earth.”
THE HISTORY OF CREATION--B.
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THE HISTORY OF CREATION--B.
The Book of knowing the evolutions of Rā, and of overthrowing Āpep. [These are]
the words of the god Neb-er-tcher, who said:—-
“I am the creator of what hath come into being,
and I myself came into being under the form
of the god Kheperȧ, and I came into being in
primeval time. I came into being in the form of
Kheperȧ, and I am the creator of what did come
into being, that is to say, I formed myself out
of the primeval matter, and I made and formed
myself out of the substance which existed in
primeval time. My name is Ȧusȧres (i.e., Osiris),
who is the primeval matter of primeval matter.
I have done my will in everything in this earth.
I have spread myself abroad therein, and I have
made strong my hand. I was One by myself, for
they (i.e., the gods) had not been brought forth,
and I had emitted from myself neither Shu nor
Tefnut. I brought my own name[9] into my mouth
as a word of power, and I forthwith came into
being under the form of things which are and under
the form of Kheperȧ. I came into being from
out of primeval matter, and from the beginning I
appeared under the form of the multitudinous
things which exist; nothing whatsoever existed at
that time in this earth, and it was I who made
whatsoever was made. I was One by myself, and
there was no other being who worked with me in
that place. I made all the things under the forms
of which I appeared then by means of the Soul-God
which I raised into firmness at that time from out
of Nu, from a state of inactivity. I found no place
whatsoever there whereon I could stand, I worked
by the power of a spell by means of my heart, I laid
a foundation [for things] before me, and whatsoever
was made, I made. I was One by myself, and I laid
the foundation of things [by means of] my heart, and
I made the other things which came into being, and
the things of Kheperȧ which were made were manifold, and their offspring came into existence from
the things to which they gave birth. I it was who
emitted Shu, and I it was who emitted Tefnut,
and from being the One god (or, the only god)
I became three gods; the two other gods who
came into being on this earth sprang from me,
and Shu and Tefnut rejoiced (or, were raised
up) from out of Nu in which they were. Now
behold, they brought my Eye to me after two
ḥen periods since the time when they went forth
from me. I gathered together my members
which had appeared in my own body, and afterwards I had union with my hand, and my heart
(or, will) came unto me from out of my hand,
and the seed fell into my mouth, and I emitted
from myself the gods Shu and Tefnut, and so
from being the One god (or, the only god) I
became three gods; thus the two other gods
who came into being on this earth sprang from
me, and Shu and Tefnut rejoiced (or, were raised
up) from out of Nu in which they were. My
father Nu saith:—They covered up (or, concealed)
my Eye with the plant-like clouds which were
behind them (i.e., Shu and Tefnut) for very many
ḥen periods. Plants and creeping things [sprang
up] from the god Rem, through the tears which
I let fall. I cried out to my Eye, and men and
women came into existence. Then I bestowed
upon my Eye the uraeus of fire, and it was wroth
with me when another Eye (i.e., the Moon) came
and grew up in its place; its vigorous power fell
on the plants, on the plants which I had placed
there, and it set order among them, and it took up
its place in my face, and it doth rule the whole
earth. Then Shu and Tefnut brought forth Osiris,
and Ḥeru-khenti-ȧn-maa, and Set, and Isis, and
Nephthys, and behold, they have produced offspring, and have created multitudinous children in
this earth, by means of the beings which came into
existence from the creatures which they produced.
They invoke my name, and they overthrow their
enemies, and they make words of power for the
overthrowing of Āpep, over whose hands and arms
Aker keepeth ward. His hands and arms shall
not exist, his feet and legs shall not exist, and he is
chained in one place whilst Rā inflicts upon him
the blows which are decreed for him. He is thrown
upon his accursed back, his face is slit open by
reason of the evil which he hath done, and he shall
remain upon his accursed back.”
↑Kheperu. The verb kheper means "to make, to form, to produce, to become, and to roll"; kheperu here means "the things which come into being through the rollings of the ball of the god Kheper (the roller)," i.e, the Sun.
