370 Eqyptian Words/ideas in a Spreadsheet

GLOSSARY 427

THIS GLOSSARY contains a definition of terms and proper names found in the Pyramid Texts or used in this book. Epithets whose referents are understandable from their context (for example, those of the Sun in the second stanza of Unis’s Spell 155) are not included, nor are unique proper names whose meaning or referents are unknown. Definitions are generally limited to those applicable during the period in which the Pyramid Texts were composed.

Abydos (3bdw). Primary Upper Egyptian cult center of Osiris, burial place of dynastic Egypt’s first kings, north of modern Luxor.

Adze (nw3). Implement used in the Mouth-Opening Ritual, associated with Anubis.

Akh (3h) “effective one”). Deceased person whose ba has reunited with its ka, making possible eternal life as a spirit among the living. The Pyramid Texts were known as “akhifiers” (s3hw), designed to aid the deceased in becoming an akh. The verb denotes both the process of becoming an akh and the quality of becoming or being “effective.”

Akhbit (3/bjt). Site in the north Delta near Buto, revered as the birthplace of Horus.

Akhet (3ht “Place of Becoming Akh”). The latter half of the Duat, lying between the Duat’s center, where the Sun unites with Osiris in the middle of the night, and the visible horizon, above which the Sun rises at dawn. In the Pyramid Texts, associated with the antechamber of the pyramid.

Amaunet (jmnt “Hidden”). Female counterpart of Amun (see next).

Amun (jmnw “Hidden”). In the Pyramid Texts, perhaps a member of the Ogdoad. In the Middle Kingdom and later, the ultimate creator of the world.

Andjet (“ndt). Ninth Lower Egyptian nome, in the central Delta. Its capital was Busiris.

Andjeti (‘ndtj “He of Andjet’”). An epithet of Osiris in association with Busiris.

Ankh (m‘njt). Object in the form of the hieroglyph + “nh “life.”

Announcement Canal (sjw). A body of water in the eastern sky.

Anpet (‘npt). Alternate name of Mendes or a separate town to its south, modern Tell Timai.

Anubis (jnpw). Guardian of the cemetery, also associated with embalming; represented by a jackal.

Anubis-town (jnpwt). Town in Middle Egypt, south of the Fayum, near modern Beni Mazar.

Anubis-wrapper (wt-jnpw). The embalming priest in the role of Anubis.

Apis (hpw). Sacred bull, tended and worshipped at Memphis.

Apparent in Heat (and Jubilation) (1 t3w fiknw). Epithet of the Sun.

Asbet (3sbt “Burning One”). Tutelary goddess usually depicted as lionheaded, associated with Isis, Nephthys, and Wadjet.

Asia (stjt). General term for the lands east of Egypt.

Asyut (z3wtj). Town in Middle Egypt. Its “Lord” was Anubis.

Atfet (tft). The twelfth Upper Egyptian nome, located on the east bank of the Nile north of Asyut. Its god (“He of Atfet’’) is unidentified.

Atum (jtmw “finished, complete”). Primordial source of all the elements and forces of the world; also seen, because of his age, as the sun at sunset. First god of the Ennead.

Atum’s twins (z3tj tm). Shu and Tefnut.

Authoritative Utterance (iw “Announcement’”). God representing the power of the king and gods to make things happen by issuing decrees.

Awaret (3wrt). Unidentified site, perhaps an epithet or part of Buto.

Ba (b3). The nonphysical essence of an individual or thing, the impression made on an observer; akin to the modern notion of personality. The verb (“become ba, be ba”) and the plural noun (“bas”) denote the quality of impressiveness; the singular noun, a mode of existence. The ba of the living survives after the body dies and in this respect is similar to the modern concept of the soul. The bas of a town are the deities associated with it.

Baboon (b3bj).God representing the baboon species. At dawn these animals chatter and face the rising sun to warm themselves, actions that the Egyptians interpreted as worshipping the sun.

Bakhu (b3hw). Mountain region in which the sun sets.

Basin (bj3). The sky, viewed as a body of water.

Bastet (b3stt). Feline goddess of Bubastis and Memphis; like Sekhmet, with whom she is sometimes identified, a destructive as well as protective force.

Bat (b3t). Goddess of the seventh Upper Egyptian nome, north of modern Luxor; associated with Hathor.

Bathtub Canal (m‘j). Region of the Akhet, in which the Sun bathes before rising.

Battlefield (hir-°h3). Site of the mythological battle of Horus and Seth, in the south of modern Cairo.

Beaten Path (of Stars) (msqt shdw). Region of the night sky, perhaps the Milky Way.

Beetle (hprr). Name for the Sun at dawn, derived from association of the word hprr “beetle” with the verb fpr “‘come into being, evolve.”

Belligerent-Face (“h3w-). An epithet of the Sun.

Benben Enclosure (wt bnbn). Designation of the solar temple in Heliopolis, or a part of it. The benben was a pyramid-shaped mound symbolizing the the first land that appeared from Nu at the creation. In his first rising above this mound, the Sun was envisioned as a bird (bnw), conventionally translated as “Phoenix.”

Benti (bntj). Baboon god, the Sun’s “senior son.”

Big Enclosure ({iwvt-°3t). Designation of the solar temple in Heliopolis.

Big Wadi (jnt °3t). Desert valley west of the royal tombs of Egypt’s first kings at Abydos.

Big Waters That Perish. See Great Round.

Blackland (kmt). Term for the cultivable soil along the banks of the Nile and in the Delta, where most of Egypt’s population lived; hence, a name for Egypt itself.

Bowland (t3-stj). The southernmost area of Egypt, so called because of its inhabitants’ reputation for archery.

Braid-wearers (hnzktjw). Designation for juvenile gods.

Broadhall (wsht). In mortuary temples, the room in front of the sanctuary (wider than deep), traditional locus of offering rites.

Bubastite nome (q3-‘ndw). Thirteenth nome of Lower Egypt, incorporating the easternmost edge of the Delta.

Bull (k3). Metaphor of male power, both beneficent and inimical: in the former case, the king or various gods, especially the sun; in the latter, an aggressive snake.

Bull of His Mother (k3-myjwt.f). Designation of a god who is the source of his own eternal renewal, thus theoretically his own father. Usually an epithet of the Sun or the king.

Busiris (ddw). Town in the central Delta, primary Lower Egyptian cult center of the god Osiris.

Buto (mt). Town in the north Delta, modern Tell el-Fara‘in. The ancient town consisted of two parts, known as Pe (p) and Dep (dp). Cult center of Wadjet, who was also known as “She of Buto.”

Canal of the Goose (mr n htm). A variant of the Winding Canal (q.v.), and perhaps the same body of water.

Cavern (qrt). Mythological locale through which the waters of Nu enter the world, traditionally located at Egypt’s southern border.

Centipede (zp3). A dangerous creature, viewed as the enemy of Horus. Also, a metaphorical term for a carrying chair, referring to the many feet of its bearers.

Centipede-Face (zp3-hr). A bearded god.

Chamber-senior (smsw-jz). Official in charge of the royal pantry.

Chastiser (rmrm). An epithet of Horus of the Akhet.

Clean Land. See Swept Land.

Coil Crown. See Red Crown.

Cool Waters (qbhw).A designation of the sky as the surface of Nu.

Continuity (nhh).The perception of time as an eternal cycle of days, seasons, and years; as a god, accompanies the Sun in his boats.

Controlling Power (shim). When singular, the Sun or Horus; when plural, an epithet of the gods; when dual, Horus and Seth.

Courser (inzw). A designation of the crescent moon, also seen as a knife. From the Middle Kingdom onward, the moon itself'as the god Khonsu.

Dayboat (m‘ndt). The boat on which the Sun travels during the day.

Dead (mwt). The deceased who do not become akhs, viewed as hostile to akhs and the living.

Dednu (ddnw). Unidentified town, perhaps in the Delta.

Dedwen (ddwn). God of Nubia and Nubian incense.

Delta (mhw “immersed”). Triangular portion of the Nile basin between modern Cairo and the Mediterranean, where the Nile divides into several branches; in ancient times largely marshland.

Dendera (jwnt). Town on the west bank of the Nile north of modern Luxor, chief cult center of Hathor.

Dep. See Buto.

Dilapidated One (‘z3w). Perhaps an epithet of Horus, referring to the loss of his eye.

Director (lirp). Leader of the Sun’s boat.

Djed-pillar (dd). Cult icon of Osiris. It was erected in a rite symbolizing Osiris’s revivification after death.

Djedit, Djedut (ddjt, ddwt). The necropolis of Heliopolis.

Djenderu (dnd). Designation of the sun’s boat dragged on a sledge over the non-navigable parts of the Duat. Its “striker” was Seth, who aided the boat’s passage by standing in the prow and driving off Rerek.

Downcast (dj). An epithet of Osiris, referring to his murder by Seth.

Dual Crown (shimtj). The Red Crown and White Crown united.

Dual King (nswt bjt). Title of the Egyptian king reflecting his status as current and hereditary king as well as his role as ruler of the Two Lands. Followed by the king’s throne name, assumed at his accession.

Dual Lion. See Shu.

Dual Shrines (jtrtj). Archaic shrines representing Upper and Lower Egypt. The Upper Egyptian shrine, the Great House (pr wr), was located in Nekheb; that of Lower Egypt, the Pothouse (pr-nw) or Flame-house (prnzr), was in Buto.

Duamutef (dw3-mjwt.f “He Whom His Mother Worships”). One of the four children of Horus, representing the cardinal direction east.

Duat (dw3t). Term for the region through which the Sun travels at night, seen both as the womb of Nut and a space beneath the earth. In the Pyramid Texts, associated with the burial chamber of the pyramid.

Duat Lake (§j dw3tj). A portion of the night sky.

Edfu (db3wtj). Town in southern Egypt, midway between modern Luxor and Aswan, south of Nekhen; cult center of Horus.

Eldest Bull (k3 wr). An avatar of Osiris, worshipped in the Delta.

Elephantine (3bw). Southernmost town of ancient Egypt, part of modern Aswan; cult center of Khnum and Satis, and of Osiris as the life-giving power in the inundation.

Elite (p‘t). The ruling class of Egypt, consisting of the royal family and governmental officials; also, the same concept applied to the gods. Enclosure (hwt). General term for any complex of one or more buildings

surrounded by an enclosure wall; most often, a temple.

Enclosure of Gold (hwt nbw). Place in which the Mouth-Opening Ritual was performed on a statue, perhaps referring to the gilding of the statue; also, the name of the place where the Mouth-Opening Ritual was performed on a statue of Osiris in Abydos.

Enclosure of Life (wt ‘nli). The royal domestic quarters in the palace.

Enclosure of Natron (hwt bdt). Place in which the statue was cleansed in conjunction with the Mouth-Opening Ritual.

Enclosure of Shenit (/wt snjt). Name of the temple of Nut in Heliopolis.

Ender (htmwt). Goddess who slaughter’s the Sun’s opponents in the Duat.

Enduring One (njj)). Epithet of the Sun at sunset.

Ennead (psdt). Originally, the nine gods incorporating the physical creation of the world: Atum; Shu and Tefnut; Geb and Nut; Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephthys, known as the Big Ennead (pdt “3t); also a term for any number of gods conceived as a group, and for all the gods as a whole. The Big Ennead also represented the gods of Lower Egypt, in contrast to the Elder Ennead (psdt wrt), also known as the Little Ennead (psdt ndst), which consisted of the gods of Upper Egypt. Together, these two Ennead were known as the Dual Ennead (psdtj).

Epagomenal days (hirjw-rnpt “those added to the year”). The five last days of the Egyptian civil calendar, so called because they are additional to the twelve 30-day months of the calendar. Each of the five days was celebrated as the birth of a god: Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys.

Eternity (dt). The perception of time as linear and progressive.

Evolver (prj). Designation of the Sun as he comes into being (“evolves”) at dawn; the Egyptian name is also vocalized as Khepri.

Experienced. God of woodworking; also, an epithet of Osiris.

Eyes-Forward (lintj-jrtj). Falcon-headed god of Letopolis, a form of Horus as celestial deity. The Egyptian name is also vocalized as Khentiirti.

External Isles (f3w-nbwt).The islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

Face Behind Him (hrf-:3.f). Designation of the celestial ferryman, so called because he faces aft while poling or rowing the ferryboat. Also known as Sees Behind Him (m3-h3.f).

Falcon-Town (bjkt). Unidentified site, probably mythological.

False-town (“d3). Unidentified site, perhaps in the Delta, associated with Osiris.

Fenekhu (fnliw). Designation of a people east of Egypt; by extension, a term for the far east.

Fetekte (ftk-t). Minor deity representing the Sun’s power of life as manifest in bread.

Firstborn’s Thing (jit wit). Designation of the king’s crown as a goddess.

Fixed of Kas (j.mn-k3w). An epithet of the Sun, referring to his role as the permanent source of life.

Flagpole Shrine (swt). Name for a shrine associated with both the Sun and the king, containing two stelae inscribed with upright serpents, often as part of a royal tomb-complex. Also called Dual Flagpole Shrines (nwtj).

Flame-House. See Dual Shrines.

Foremost of Letopolis (intj im). An epithet of Eyes-Forward.

Foremost of Westerners (hntj-jmntjw). Originally a god associated with Abydos and the royal afterlife; in the Pyramid Texts and later, a form of Osiris. The Egyptian name is also vocalized as Khentiamentiu.

Gazelle-land (ghstj). District in the third Upper Egyptian nome, north of Asyut in Middle Egypt.

Geb (gbb). The earth; son of Shu and Tefnut, father of Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephthys; original king of the earth.

God’s Beard. See Great Beard.

God’s Canal, God’s Lake (mr/sj-ntr). Body of water attached to a temple, usually known as a “sacred lake,” used for ritual purification. May also refer specifically to the one at Osiris’s temple in Abydos.

Gold (nbw). An epithet of Hathor.

Gold of Jubilation (nbw hknw). An epithet of the Sun.

Great Adze. See Adze.

Great Beard (dw3-wr). Part of the king’s regalia, viewed as a god.

Great Bed (mnmjwt wrt). Designation of the sky viewed as Osiris’s restingplace.

Great Black Bull (km wr). God of the Great Black Bull nome, depicted as a bull, identified with Osiris; the Egyptian name is also vocalized as Kemwer.

Great Black Bull nome (km-wr). Tenth Lower Egyptian nome, at the apex of the Nile Delta.

Great Black One’s Enclosure (wt km-wr). Temple of the Great Black Bull in the nome of the same name.

Great Black Wall (km-wr). The border fortifications at the Bitter Lakes in the eastern Delta.

Great-Breasted One (wr-mnd.f). An epithet of Horus as a falcon.

Great Face (hr-wr). Epithet of Khnum as god of the town of the same name, north of Hermopolis.

Great God (ntr ©3). The Sun; also, the deceased king.

Great Green (w3d-wr). The Mediterranean Sea. The Egyptian term w3d “green” covers a spectrum from blue to green.

Great House. See Dual Shrines.

Great Immersion (mht wrt). Designation of the sky; as mother of the sun, usually personified as a goddess in cow form.

Great Lake (sj wr). A designation of the morning sky, or a part of it.

Great Land (t3-wr). The nome of Abydos.

Great Lass (hwnt wrt). An epithet of Nut and Mafdet.

Great of Magic (wr/wrt-hk3w). A designation of both gods and goddesses. The former epithet is usually associated with Seth; the latter, with Horus’s eye and the king’s uraei and crowns.

Great One (wr, wrt). General designation applicable to many deities, in the Pyramid Texts usually to the Sun and Nut.

Great Round (sn wr). Name of the ocean thought to surround the outer limits of the world, also called Big Waters That Perish (“3-sk) with reference to their juncture with Nu.

Great Saw Shrine (jf? wr). Shrine of Osiris, probably in the temple at Heliopolis.

Great Sieve (hnmt wrt). Designation of the night sky, viewed as a structure through which the stars’ light shines.

Great Thing (jlit wrt). Designation of the king’s uraeus as a goddess.

Great Town (njwt wrt). Probably an epithet of Abydos.

Ground’s-son (z3-t3). Designation of a snake.

Guide Canal (m3‘j). A body of water leading to the Winding Canal.

Ha (13). God of the western desert and oases, source of nourishment in the arid desert.

Hapi (hjpwj “He of Haste”). One of the four children of Horus, representing the cardinal direction north.

Hathor (hwt-frw “Horus’s Enclosure’). The principle of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. As a goddess, her primary role was as the mother and wife of Horus. Also associated with the West and therefore functioned as mother of the deceased.

He in the Wrappings (jmj-wt). An epithet and fetish of Anubis in his role as god of mummification.

He of the Height (q3tj). An epithet of the Sun appearing above the first body of land to emerge from Nu at the creation.

He Who is at Rest (itp). Epithet of the Sun in the Duat.

He Who is in Nu (jmj nw). An epithet of Atum.

He Who Moves About (wnwn).An epithet of the Sun.

He Who Stands and Does Not Become Weary (‘h° nj wrd.n.f). An epithet of Osiris. Also called He Who Does Not Become Weary (nj wrd.n.f).

He Whom He Loves (mr.f). An epithet of Harsaphes, principle of fertility and slaughter, represented as a ram; chief god of Herakleopolis, a town south of the Fayum.

He Whose Control is Weighty (wdn-shm.f). An epithet of Osiris as king of the Duat.

He Whose Dispatches Circulate (dbn-wpwt). Probably an epithet of the Sun.

He Whose Face is Seen (m3-lirf). An epithet of the Sun as Horus.

He Whose Face Suffered (zwzw-hrf). An epithet of Horus, referring to the loss of his eye.

He Whose Hair is Parted (wp-snwj). An epithet of the Sun as Horus.

He Whose Two Plumes are Long (3w-Swtj). An epithet of the Sun as Horus.

Headband (sd). Part of the king’s regalia; putting on the headband is a metaphor for assuming the role of king.

Hedjbet (hdbt). Unidentified site associated with Isis, perhaps the same as Iseum, or near the latter.

Hedjdedj (idhd). A celestial ferryman.

Heliopolis (jwnw). Town on the east of modern Cairo, site of Egypt’s major solar temple. Cult center of the Sun and Atum, both of whom were called “the Heliopolitan.”

Hemen (hmn). Falcon-headed deity, a form of Horus as vanquisher of Seth.

Hepiu (hpjw). Alternate name of Parter (q.v.).

Heget (hiqt). Goddess of birth, depicted as a frog.

Herd of Justification (jdnvt nt m3° lrw). Collective term for all the deceased who have passed the final judgment. See Justification.

Hermopolis (wnw “Hare-town”). Designation of two towns, in Upper and Lower Egypt. The former, south of modern el-Ashmunein in Middle Egypt, was a cult center of Thoth and of the Ogdoad. The latter, probably near modern Damanhur, was sacred to Osiris. The names Southern Hermopolis and Northern Hermopolis may designate parts of the Delta site, or the two separate towns.

Hetepet (litpt “Vulva”’). Town near or in Heliopolis, associated with Nut and She-Increases-as-She-Comes. Its “Two Lords” are Horus (the sun) and Thoth (the moon).

Hezat (hz3t“Wild One”). Cow-goddess, mother of Anubis and the Sun.

Hidden-Identity (jmn-rn). Epithet of the Sun in the Duat.

High One (q3). An epithet of the Sun.

His Ba’s Settlement (grgw-b3.f). Shrine of Osiris and Sobek in Busiris.

His Mother’s Pillar (jwn-mjwt.f). Epithet of Horus as the support of his mother, the sky; the Egyptian name is also vocalized as Iunmutef.

Honor, Honored one (jm2h, jm3hw). The privilege of associating with the deceased king in the afterlife; one who has that privilege.

Horus (hr). The force of living kingship, manifest in both the person of the living king and the sun; son of Osiris and Isis; represented by a falcon. See also Two Lords. In his solar aspect, also known as Senior Horus (rw smsw).

Horus of the Akhet (lin 3htj). The Sun as ruler of the Akhet.

Horus of the Duat (nw dw3tj). The Sun as ruler of the Duat.

Horus of Shezmet. See Shezmet.

Horus’s children (msw hrw).The four gods Hapi, Imseti, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef, representing the cardinal directions.

Horus’s eye (jrt rw). In his struggle against Seth, Horus lost one of his eyes; returned to him as the “sound eye,” it represents both the sun and any offering presented to the deceased.

Iadi (j3dj). Unidentified site, perhaps in the Delta, perhaps mythological.

Iahes, Rahes (j3hs, r3hs). A form of Sobek.

Igai (j¢3/). God of the oases in the western desert.

Imperishable Stars (j.mw-skjw). Circumpolar stars of the northern sky, so called because they do not set below the horizon.

Imseti (jmstj “He of the Dill”). One of the four children of Horus, representing the cardinal direction south.

Inaccessible (13). A designation of the Duat, which was inaccessible to the living.

Infinites (fifi). Gods who support the sky together with Shu.

Inundation (b‘f:). The annual flood of the Nile, between July and October. Thought to come, like all water, from the waters of Nu, issuing from a cavern at Egypt’s southern border. Its life-giving fertilization of the fields was seen as a manifestation of Osiris.

Invocation (prj hrw “sending forth the voice”). Act of summoning the deceased’s spirit to an offering.

Ipy (jpjj). A birth-goddess, usually represented as a hippopotamus.

Iru (nv). Unidentified site, perhaps in the sixteenth Upper Egyptian nome opposite modern Minya.

Iseum (nfrw). Town in the north central Delta, modern Behbeit el-Higara.

Isis (jst “seat”’). Female principle of life and motherhood; daughter of Geb and Nut, wife of Osiris, mother of Horus; also identified with the king’s throne.

Isle of Flame (jw-nsjsj). Mythological birthplace of the world, the first “place” to appear in the undifferentiated waters of Nu.

Izken (jzkn). A portion of the western sky, seen as terraced land rather than water.

Jackal (z3b). Generic term for gods associated with the jackal, particularly Anubis, Parter, and Paths-Parter.

Jackal Lake (5 z3bj). A portion of the night or morning sky.

Justification (m3° lirw “trueness of voice”). Verdict rendered in the final judgment, in which the deceased is found to have acted in accordance with Maat during life.

Ka (k3). The force of conscious life, present in men, gods, and akhs. Transmitted by the creator to the world, by the king to people, and by fathers to their children; also present in food and drink.

Ka At Rest (k3 htp). Designation of Osiris and the deceased king.

Kas-Assigner (nhb-k3w). Serpent deity who allocates kas to people and gods. The Egyptian name is also vocalized as Nehebkau.

Kenmut (knmut). Unidentified town, perhaps near or part of Letopolis.

Kenzet (knzt). Region of the southern netherworld; location of a canal.

Kherti (hrtj “He of What is Below”). Designation of the celestial ferryman, depicted as a ram.

Khnum (linmw). Ram-headed deity of Aswan, potter who molded individual human bodies and united them with their kas at birth.

Lake of Reeds (fj j3nv). A body of water associated with the Marsh of Reeds, or a variant name for the latter.

Late Period. The period of ancient Egyptian history between 747-343 B.C. (Dyn. XXV-XXX).

Letopolis (im). Town northwest of modern Cairo, modern Ausim, cult center of Eyes-Forward and Shezmu.

Limitless (nj-dr.f). An epithet of the Sun.

Lion (nv). Metaphor of power, both beneficent and inimical: in the former case, the king or various gods; in the latter, an aggressive snake.

Lion-land (t3-rw). Unidentified site, perhaps a variant of Great Land.

Long-Wings (dwn-‘nwj). Horus as predator and protector of the eastern desert. The Egyptian name is also vocalized as Dewenanui.

Looking (Waters, Canal) (ptrt/, ptr). Designation of a portion of the sky’s waters, probably placid enough to serve as a mirror.

Lord of All (nb tm). A designation of Atum as the material source of the world.

Lost One (tnmw). See Ogdoad.

Love-Commander (wd-mrwt). An epithet of Khnum.

Loving Son (z3 mr.f). The son who performs his father’s funerary rites.

Lower Egypt. See Delta.

Lower Enclosure (fiwt firt). Unknown structure, perhaps a part of the temple of Heliopolis.

Maat (m3‘t). Principle of world order, things as they ought to be, established by the creator and maintained in the world by the king; personified as a goddess, “the Sun’s daughter.” Also represents the principles of justice and ethical behavior, the standard by which actions are judged right or wrong and the deceased is judged worthy to join the society of the spirits. The Dual Maat (m3‘tj) is a collective term for the gods who participate in the deceased’s judgment, so called because they sit on either side of the court of judgment.

Maat-boat. The Sun’s boat.

Mafdet (m3fdt). Feline goddess, protector against serpents.

Magic (hk3, fik3w). General term for any force that brings about a result, willed or spoken. The term hhk3 generally refers to the force itself, while fik3w denotes the medium through which the force is exercised, usually “magic spells.”

Manu (m3nw). Mountain region in which the sun sets.

Mariut (i3mw). Lake region in the northwest Delta near modern Alexandria, site of ancient vineyards.

Marsh of Ascenders (shit j‘rw). Region of the sky, probably a variant form of the Marsh of Reeds (q.u).

Marsh of the Beetle (sht lprr). A region of the eastern night sky, associated with the sunrise.

Marsh of Disturbance (sht hnnw). Region of the eastern sky.

Marsh of the Ladder (slit m3qt). Region at the rim of the eastern sky.

Marsh of Offering(s) (sht htp/htpw). Region of the night sky north of the Winding Canal, also known as the Marsh of Rest (sht itp).

Marsh of Reeds (shit j3rnwv). Region of the night sky south of the Winding Canal, also known as the Elysian Fields, from the Greek pronunciation of j3rw.

Marsh of Rest. See Marsh of Offering(s).

Marsh of Rowing (iit fnw). Alternative name of the Marsh of Disturbance (q.u.).

Marsh of Sunlight (s/t j3hw). A region of the southeastern sky.

Marsh of Turquoise (sit mfk3t). A region of the western night sky, associated with the sunset.

Marshes of Winnowing (swt 133). A region of the western sky.

Mast Enclosure. See Official’s Enclosure.

Mastaba (3t). Superstructure of a tomb, rectangular in shape, with flat roof and sloping sides, made of mud brick or stone; from the Arabic word for a mud-brick bench.

Memphis. Capital of ancient Egypt, south of modern Cairo. Its primary necropolis was Saqgqara, location of the Fifth and Sixth-Dynasty pyramids inscribed with Pyramid Texts.

Mendes (ddt). Town in the western Delta, cult center of Osiris united with the Sun in the form ofa ram.

Menset (mnst). Region of Heliopolis, divided into Upper (hrt) and Lower (art), dedicated respectively to Shu and Tefnut.

Meskhenet (msfint “Place of Landing”). Goddess of the mudbrick platform over which Egyptian women gave birth; hence, goddess of birth.

Middle Kingdom. The period of ancient Egyptian history between the reunification of Egypt under Mentuhotep II of Dyn. XI (ca. 2040 B.C.) and the end of Dyn. XIII (ca. 1650 B.C.).

Min (mnw). The force of fertility; as a god, his chief cult-center was in Koptos, modern Qift, northeast of modern Luxor.

Month. Generally refers to a lunar month. The moon’: phases were marked by festivals at the beginning and middle of the month (new moon and half-moon).

Montu (mntw). Principle of aggressiveness, represented as a falcon or bull; his chief cult-center was Armant, south of modern Luxor.

Mooring Post (mjnt), Moorer (smntt). Two unidentified constellations of the northern or northwestern sky, envisioned as a mooring post and a hippopotamus driving it into the ground.

Morning God (dw3w, ntr dw3). Designation of the planet Venus, associated with Horus as a harbinger of the sunrise.

Mound (j3t). Site of a settlement of gods and akhs in the rim of the sky, usually associated with Horus, Seth, or Osiris.

Mouth-Opening Ritual. Rite performed on statues and the mummy of the deceased to impart the power to receive nourishment.

Mute God (jnb3). Perhaps an epithet of Him of Zemeru (see Zemeru).

Mysterious of Form (fg jrw).An epithet of the Sun as Horus.

Name (rn). The Egyptians viewed the name of a being as its avatar. Preservation of the name was essential for continued existence, and knowledge of the name gave the knower a measure of control over its owner. The nickname (rn nfr) was used between intimates and was thus viewed as more personal than formal or public names.

Natron (sntr, bd, hzmn). Salt used for cleansing and mummification.

Nefertem (fr-tm). God representing the primeval water-lily from which the Sun first appeared into the world.

Nedit (ndjt “Place of Throwing Down”). Site near Abydos, mythological locale of Osiris’s murder (ndj “throwing down’) by Seth.

Negau (ng3w). Town on the site of the northern part of modern Cairo near the river.

Neith (nrt). Goddess of warfare and chief deity of Sais in the eastern Delta; mother of Sobek. Mourner of Osiris with Isis, Nephthys, and Selket. Nekhbet (njbt “She of Nekhbet’). Vulture goddess whose cult-center was

at Nekheb, tutelary goddess of Upper Egypt.

Nekheb (nib). Town in Upper Egypt, modern el-Kab, opposite and twin to Nekhen.

Nekhen (niin). Town in Upper Egypt opposite Nekheb, also known as Hierakonpolis. Earliest center of Egyptian royal power and cult center of Horus as god of kingship.

Nephthys (nbt-hwt “Lady of the Enclosure”). Sister of Osiris, Isis, and Seth; wife of Seth but mourner of Osiris with Isis.

New Kingdom. The period of ancient Egyptian history contemporary with Dyn. XVIII, ca. 1550-1295 B.C.

Nezat (nz3t). Unidentified town associated with the god Kherti, perhaps in the area of Buto or Memphis.

Nickname. See Name.

Nightboat (msktt). The boat on which the Sun travels at night.

Nile Valley (sm‘w “thin”).The habitable part of Egypt along the banks of the Nile between the apex of the Delta (modern Cairo) and the First Cataract at Aswan; also known as the South.

Nine (Bows) (psdt pdwt). A collective term for all lands outside Egypt.

Nome (spt). Administrative division of ancient Egypt, each with a capital. In the Old Kingdom, Egypt was divided into 22 Upper Egyptian and 15 Lower Egyptian nomes.

Nu (uj “watery”). The universal ocean, existing before the world was created and source of all water.

Nubia. General term for the land between Aswan and modern Khartoum.

Nurse Lake, Nurse Canal (mr/sj mn‘j). A body of water in the night sky, so called because of its nurturing waters.

Nut (nwt “watery” or “oval’’).The visible sky. As a goddess, the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, wife of Geb, and mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys, as well as the Sun. The sarcophagus was viewed as the womb of Nut.

Official’s Enclosure (wt srj). The sanctuary of the sun-temple at Heliopolis. Alternatively called Mast Enclosure (hwt Sh‘).

Ogdoad (hmnw). Group of four gods and their female counterparts, representing qualities of the universal ocean. In the Middle Kingdom the gods are Infinite (hw), Watery (nwj), Dark (kkw), and Lost (tamw: ie., Indefinable), the last later replaced by Hidden (jmmw Amun). In the Pyramid Texts, Amun and the Lost One may represent members of the group. The Ogdoad’s theological center was Hermopolis, whose chief god, Thoth, was also its “Lord.”

Old Kingdom. The period of ancient Egyptian history between the beginning of Dyn. III (ca. 2650 B.C.) and the end of Dyn. VIII (ca. 2100 B.C.).

Ombos (nbwt). Town in Upper Egypt, north of Qus. Its chief god, Seth, was called “the Ombite” (nbwtj).

Orion (3h). Identical with the modern constellation, associated with Osiris.

Osiris (js-jrt “seat of the eye’’). Male principle of life and fatherhood, manifest in the waters of the yearly inundation, the growth of plants, and the generational cycle of animals and people; son of Geb and Nut, husband of Isis; heir of Geb as king of the earth; also identified with Orion. Slain by his brother Seth, Osiris rests as a mummy in the middle of the Duat, where the sun unites with him at night to receive the power to come to life again at dawn. The deceased’s mummy, lying in the burial chamber, is identified with Osiris, as is the deceased’s spirit in the spells of the burial chamber.

Oxyrhynchite nome. Nineteenth Upper Egyptian nome, north of modern Minya.

Pale Crown. See White Crown.

Parter (wpjw). Jackal god associated with Abydos and Heliopolis, alternative form of Paths-Parter (see next). The Egyptian name is also vocalized as Wepiu.

Paths-Parter (wp-w3wt). Jackal god associated with Upper Egyptian kingship and Abydos, guide of the deceased. The Egyptian name is usually vocalized as Wepwawet.

Pavilion-director (lirp-zh). Official in charge of the dining hall.

Pe. See Buto.

Pe’s Seal-ring. See Seal-ring.

Peace-Commander (wd-fitp). An epithet of Khnum.

Pebble Mountain (‘nw, “nwt). Mountain region in which the sun rises.

Pelusium (nw). Town at the end of the easternmost Delta branch of the Nile in ancient times.

Perception (sj3). Faculty of the gods and the king for recognizing what needs to be done in order to preserve or enhance Maat. As a god, accompanies the Sun in his boats.

Perfect Fixture (mn-nfr). Name of the pyramid complex of Pepi I at Saqqara and later name for the city opposite it, Memphis.

Perfect of Maat (nfr-m3‘t).An epithet of the Sun, Thoth, or Khnum.

Pothouse. See Dual Shrines.

Ptah (pth). Chief god of Memphis, represented the principle whereby an artisan’s concept becomes transformed into concrete reality.

Qebehsenuef (qbli-snw.f“He Who Cools His Brothers”). One of the four children of Horus, representing the cardinal direction west.

Qebehut (qbhwt “She of the Cool Waters”). Daughter of Anubis, who dispenses the sky’s waters for cleansing the deceased; represented as a snake.

Qedem (gdm). Cult center of Selket, near Buto.

Qus (gs3). Town in Upper Egypt on the west bank of the Nile north of modern Luxor.

Rahes. See Iahes.

Ram (3). A form of the Sun.

Rasetjau (r-st3w “Mouth of the Ramp”). Designation of the necropolis of Giza, west of modern Cairo, and of a portion of the netherworld associated with Sokar.

Raw Crown. See Red Crown.

Rebellion-town (sbjwt). An epithet or part of Letopolis. Its “Lord” was Horus.

Red Crown (dsrt, nt). Crown representing dominion over Lower Egypt; also called the Raw Crown (w3dt) and the Coil Crown (§3bt). See also Dual Crown.

Renenutet (rnmmwtt “She of Nurture”). Goddess of the harvest, respresented as a snake and therefore also associated with uraei.

Rerek (rrk). Giant serpent that inhabits the Duat and attempts to block the Sun’s nightly passage through it.

Reversion of Offerings (wdb litp). Part of the concluding rites of the Offering Ritual, in which the life force in the food and drink presented was consecrated to the spirit’s use, freeing the physical substances for human consumption.

Saqqara. See Memphis.

Satis (stjt). Goddess of cleansing; her major cult center was at Elephantine.

Scorpion Enclosure (hwt srqt). Designation of the cult-center of Selket in Qedem.

Seal-ring, Pe’s Seal-ring (db‘wt, db‘wt-p). Name of a sacred precinct in Buto, associated with Horus

Sed Festival (3b sd). A rite traditionally celebrated in the thirtieth year of a king’s reign, designed to renew his vitality and power.

Sees Behind Him. See Face Behind Him.

Sekhmet (symt “Controller”). Personification of violence and disease, represented as a lioness. As a goddess, Sekhmet also protected Egypt and its inhabitants from inimical forces.

Selket (srqt). Scorpion goddess, daughter of Osiris; mourner of Osiris with Isis, Nephthys, and Neith. Worshipped in the Scorpion Enclosure in Qedem. Also known as She Who Aspirates Throats (srqt htw).

Sem-priest (sm). Officiant at the funerary rites.

Seshat (ss3t). Goddess of record-keeping, archives, and building. A unique male form of this deity, Seshau, appears in Unis’s Spell 191.

Seth (sth). The principle of male sexuality and wild, disordered behavior; god of deserts and storms; son of Geb and Nut, husband of Nephthys; represented by an unidentified animal. Seth slew his brother Osiris in an attempt to gain the power of kingship over the world, but was deposed and subdued by Horus, losing his testicles in the process. See also Two Lords.

Sharp Horus. See Sothis.

Shat (t). An unidentified town associated with Horus as the morning Sun, probably in the eastern Delta.

She-Increases-as-She-Comes (jw.s-°3.s). The hand of Atum, with which he masturbated to produce the material elements of the world from his own essence; hence, a goddess representing the primordial principle of motherhood. Also the name of a part of Heliopolis dedicated to the goddess.

She of a Thousand Bas (()3-b3.s). Nut, whose “Thousand Bas” are the stars of the night sky.

She Who Aspirates Throats. See Selket.

She Who Remembers Horus (s/3t-lirw). Cow goddess who served as nurse for the infant Horus; the Egyptian name is also vocalized as Sekhat-Hor.

Shedit (Sdjt). Town in the Fayum oasis, modern Medinet el-Fayum; cult center of Sobek.

Shetpet (stpt). Oasis northwest of modern Cairo, modern Wadi Natrun, source of natron.

Shezmet (‘zmit “malachite”. Designation of the eastern Delta or the desert to its east. “He of Shezmet” is an epithet of Horus as the sun at dawn.

Shezmetet (‘zmtt “She of the Malachite Sporran”’). Goddess representing an element of the king’s regalia, associated with Sekhmet and Bastet.

Shezmu (Szmw). God associated with the winepress and hence also with the gore from slaughter; his cult center was in Letopolis.

Shu (sw “empty, void”). The atmosphere that keeps the waters of Nu from flooding the earth. Together with Tefnut, the first two “evolutions” of Atum at the creation, worshipped as Dual Lion (nvtj). Father of Geb and Nut.

Shu’s Lakes (sjw sw). Watery areas of the sky.

Sky’s Ox (jh-pt). An unidentified star or constellation.

Sobek (sbkw). Crocodile god, personification of rapaciousness and of the destructive power of the sun; son of Neith; worshipped in Shedit and other locales throughout Egypt.

Sokar (zkrw “Speeder”). God of meteors and comets, represented as a falcon; associated with metalworking, worshipped primarily in Memphis.

Sopdu (spdw “Sharp”). God of foreign lands and deserts, represented as both a falcon and a crocodile.

Sothis (spdt “Sharp”). The morning star, Sirius, seen by the Egyptians as a goddess. In Egypt the star disappears below the horizon once a year for a period of some seventy days; its reappearance in midsummer marked the beginning of the annual inundation and the Egyptian year. The star’s rising was also seen as a harbinger of the sunrise and therefore associated with Horus in his solar aspect, occasionally specified as Horus in Sothis (hrw jmj spdt), Sothic Horus (hrw spdtj), or Sharp Horus (hrw spd).

Sovereign’s Enclosure (liwt jtjw).The palace compound in Memphis.

Spread Lake (pdw, pdw-S). Lake associated with Sokar, perhaps the lake of Abusir, south of Saqqara.

Stork Lake (sj shsh). A body of water in the western sky.

Striker (mshtjw). The constellation Ursa Major (the “Big Dipper”), which the Egyptians saw as an adze.

Subjects (rwt). General designation for the living who were not members of the elite (q.v).

Sun (r° “sun’’). Primary name for the sun-god. The Egyptian word is also vocalized as Re or Ra.

Sun’s shore (jdb r©). A metaphor for the world.

Sunshine-bird, Sunshine’s Servant (psdtj, hm-psdt). Term for a pelican, viewed as an avatar and harbinger of the Sun.

Supply festival (w3g/). Festival celebrated on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, during which offerings were made to the deceased.

Sweeping-Shoulder (dsr rmn). An epithet of the Sun at dawn, sweeping the night away.

Swept Land (£3 dsr). General designation of a site set aside for sacred use; most often refers to the necropolis; also called Clean Land (t3 wb). Ta’it (t3jt). Goddess representing the principle that transforms thread into woven cloth; also known as She of Ta’it Town (¢3/tt), her cult center at

an unidentified site in the Delta.

Takhbit (¢3hbjt). Unidentified site, associated with Seth.

Tamarisk Marsh (s/t jzr). Birthplace of Horus near or in Akhbit.

Tebi (bj). Designation of the sun-god, whose eye is the sun.

Tefnut (tfnt). See Shu. Apart from serving as Shu’s female counterpart, her role in the cosmos is unclear. Pepi I’s Spell 500 (PT 562) suggests that she performed a role in the Duat analogous to that of Shu in the world.

Terrorizer (nhdw). An epithet of Seth.

Thighs-Forward (intj-mnwt.f). Designation of Horus as a standing falcon.

Thoth (dhwtj). Original moon-god and for that reason associated with record-keeping and hence also knowledge; represented by an ibis and a baboon. As the moon, occasionally viewed as antagonistic to Horus, the sun.

Thoth festival (dhwtt). Festival celebrated in the occasional thirteenth lunar month of the year, during which offerings were made to the deceased.

Thoth-town (lij-dhwtj). Unidentified site, perhaps near Letopolis.

Throwstick (mj3wt). Boomerang-like weapon used for hunting birds.

To-and-Fro Canal (ins). Body of water in the sky, perhaps an alternative name of the Winding Canal.

Town of Pools (njwt sjw).A site in the western Delta, sacred to Osiris.

Tura (‘jn). Site of limestone quarries east of modern Cairo.

Turtle (Stjw). Viewed as an enemy of the Sun because of its underwater existence and slow movement.

Two Ladies (nbtj). Nekhbet and Wadjet, the tutelary goddesses of Egypt and the king. The former was represented as a vulture; the latter, as a cobra.

Two Lands (t3wj). Political designation of Egypt as the union of the Nile Valley and Delta.

Two Lords (nbwj). Seth and Horus, representing opposing forces, united in the person of the living king.

Two Shores (jdbwj). Upper Egypt as the land on either side of the Nile.

Undersky (nwt, nnwt).The counterpart of Nut in the Duat, usually represented in hieroglyphs by the sign for “sky” inverted.

Unwearying ones (j.{ymw-wrd). Stars of the southern sky that do not set below the horizon.

Upper Egypt. See Nile Valley.

Wadjet (w3dt “Green’). Cobra goddess, tutelary deity of Lower Egypt; her cult center was in Buto.

Wadjet-nome. Tenth nome of Upper Egypt, south of modern Asyut.

Wanderer. Epithet of the Sun.

Watchers (wrsw). Mummiform beings of the Duat, who are revived nightly by the Sun’s passage.

Watery One (nw). Epithet of Nu.

Well-Informed (wd3-jb). Horus as representative of the living in the court where the deceased are judged.

Weneg (wig). God associated with a tall plant or plant-form column, four of which support the sky at its cardinal points.

Wenti (wntj). Crocodile who bears the Sun through the Duat.

West (jmnt).The direction of sunset and thus associated with death; personified as a goddess. The deceased are called “westerners” and most ancient cemeteries are located on the west side of the Nile. The Egyptians oriented themselves toward the origin of the Nile, which flows from south to north; hence, they viewed the west as being on their right and the east on their left.

Western nome. Third nome of Lower Egypt, incorporating most of the western edge of the Delta.

White Crown (hdt). Crown representing dominion over Upper Egypt; also called the Pale Crown (mjzwt). See also Dual Crown.

White Palace (“h hd). Painted shrine of wood housing the cult image of a deity.

Wide-arms (pg3). An epithet of Shu, referring to his uplifted arms supporting the sky.

Winding Canal (mr nh3j). Name for the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky in the course of the year, seen by the Egyptians as a canal of open water bisecting the sky.

Wrong-Remover (dr-jzft). An epithet of Osiris.

Zemeru (zmrwv). Unidentified site in the Delta. Its god, He of Zemeru (nj-zmrw) is also unidentified.

Zewentju (zwntw). A celestial ferryman.