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Two features of the early Middle
Kingdom (about 2025-1700 BC) 'Coffin Texts' taken up and worked over in the
Book of the Dead manuscripts are the Formulae for knowing the powers of certain
cities, and the Formulae for assuming the shape of a divine being animal,
or bird. The Middle Kingdom versions of the first group are among the earliest
narrative passages in Egyptian religious literature, and provide reasons from
myth for the naming or existence of places or things. In the manuscript of
Hepres, UC 71000, the powers of cities and transformations
occur in one block together, with Chapters 114, 112 and 113 (from 'Coffin
Texts' number 156, 157 and 158 respectively) followed by the formulae for
taking the form of a serpent (Chapter 87, without known antecedent) and a
serpent (Chapter 88, from 'Coffin Texts' 969 and 991). Other transformation
formulae are found in this manuscript, perhaps separately, in the group 124-83-84
r n rx bAw nxn
iw.i rx.kwi StAw nxn
Hr pw nw pw ir.n mwt.f r.f
Dd sHwy m int n.n sbk nb pHw
HAm.f st gm.n.f srwd.n st mwt.f
r st iry
Dd.in sbk nb pHw Dar.n.i gm.n.i
bw tktk.sn
Xr Dbaw.i Hr spty mw
HAd.n.i st m HAd pHwy
xpr HAd
Dd.in ra iw tr rmw r-m sbk
Hna gm awy n Hr n.f m tA-rmw
xpr tA-rmw pw
Dd.in ra tA-S tA-S Hr HAd pn
inn drty n Hr n.f
wn Hrwy.fy m abd mddiwnt m
tA-rmw
aHa.n Dd.n ra di.i nxn n Hr
r st awy.fy
wn.tw Hr Hr drty.fy m nxn xrp.i
n.f xnri imyw.sn m abd mddiwnt
Dd.in Hr di n.i Hm dwA-mwt.f
qbH-snw.f Hna sAw st Xt.i pw
ir m wnn rdi.sn im Xrw ist
nxn ntr
Dd.in ra imi r.k st im m snkt
irw n.sn irt n imyw nxn
kA… sn r wnn Hna.k
Dd.in Hr iw.sn Hna.k wn.sn
Hna.i
sDm swty nx.f bAw nxn dd n.i
iw.i rx.kwi bAw nxn Hr pw dwA-mwt.f
qbH-snw.f
Formula for knowing the powers
of Nekhen
I know the secret of Nekhen
It is Horus, it is what his
mother did to him
Saying (by Ra): Gather and
bring us Sobek lord of the marsh
To fish for and find it, and
his mother made them grow in their place
Then Sobek lord of the marsh
said: I sought and found the place they scattered
Under my fingers on the banks
of the water
I snared them in the back snare
This is how the snare came
to be
Then Ra said: How then are
fishes for Sobek, and discovery of arms for Horus for himself in the land
of fishes?
That is how the land of fishes
came to be
Then Ra said: Land of the lake,
land of the lake, on this snare that brought the hands of Horus to him
Open his two faces on the Month
and Half-month in the land of fishes
Then Ra said: I am giving Nekhen
to Horus at the place of his arms
that the face be opened at
his hands in Nekhen
I direct (there be) for him
a company of its inhabitants on the Month and Half-month
Then Horus said: please give
me Duamutef and Qebehsenuef and guard them
It is my troupe
As for their being given there
under the deity of Nekhen
Then Ra said: Give them then
there, by night
and be done to them what is
done to those who are in Nekhen
Let them come to terms to being
with you
Then Horus said: they are with
you, they will be with me,
as Seth hears his groaning
at the powers of Nekhen given to me
I know the powers of Nekhen:
it is Horus, Duamutef, Qebehsenuef
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