The Memphite Theology

The living Horus, who prospers the Two Lands; the Two Ladies, who prospers the Two Lands; the Golden Horus, who prospers the Two Lands; King of Upper and Lower Egypt: Neferkare; the Son of Re: Shabaka, beloved of Ptah-South-of-his-Wall, who lives like Re forever. This scroll was copied out anew by his majesty in the house of his father Ptah-South-of-his-Wall, for his majesty found it to be a work of the ancestors which was worm-eaten,⁠a so that it could not be understood from the beginning to end. His majesty copied it anew so that it became better than it had been before, in order that his name might endure and his monument last in the House of his father Ptah-South-of-his-Wall throughout eternity, as a work done by the son of Re Shabaka for his father Ptah-Tatenen, so that he might live forever. King of Upper and Lower Egypt is this Ptah, who is called the great name: Tatenen South-of-his-Wall, Lord of eternity. The joiner of Upper and Lower Egypt is he, this uniter who arose as king of Upper Egypt and arose as king of Lower Egypt. Self-begotten, so says Atum: who created the Nine Gods. Geb, lord of the gods, commanded that the Nine Gods gather to him. He judged between Horus and Seth; he ended their quarrel. He made Seth the king of Upper Egypt in the land of Upper Egypt, up to the place in which he was born, which is Su. And Geb made Horus King of Lower Egypt in the land of Lower Egypt, up to the place in which his father was drowned, which is called Division-of-the-Two-Lands. Thus Horus stood over one region, and Seth stood over one region. They made peace over the Two Lands at Ayan. That was the division of the Two Lands. Geb's words to Seth: Go to the place in which you were born. Seth: Upper Egypt. Geb's words to Horus: Go to the place in which your father was drowned. Horus: Lower Egypt. Geb's words to Horus and Seth: I have separated you. Lower and Upper Egypt. Then it seemed wrong to Geb that the portion of Horus was like the portion of Seth. So Geb gave Horus his inheritance, for he is the son of his firstborn son. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: I have appointed Horus, the firstborn. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: Him alone, Horus, the inheritance. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: To his heir, Horus, my inheritance. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: To the son of my son, Horus, the Jackal of Upper Egypt. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: The firstborn, Horus, the Opener-of-the-ways. Geb's words to the Nine Gods: The son who was born, Horus, on the day of the Opener-of-the-ways. Then Horus stood over the land. He is the uniter of this land, proclaimed in the great name: Tatenen, South-of-his-Wall, Lord of Eternity. Then sprouted the two Great Magicians upon his head. He is Horus who arose as king of Upper and Lower Egypt, who united the Two Lands in the Nome of the Wall, the place in which the Two Lands were united. Reed and papyrus were placed on the double door of the House of Ptah. That means Horus and Seth, pacified and united. They fraternized so as to cease quarrelling in whatever place they might be, being united in the House of Ptah, the Balance of the Two Lands in which Upper and Lower Egypt had been weighed. This is the land, the burial of Osiris in the House of Sokar. Isis and Nephthys acted swiftly, for Osiris had drowned in his water. Isis and Nephthys looked out, beheld him and attended to him. Horus speaks to Isis and Nephthys: Hurry, grasp him. Isis and Nephthys speak to Osiris: We come, we take you. They acted in time and brought him to land. He entered the hidden portals in the glory of the lords of eternity. Thus Osiris came into the earth at the royal fortress, to the north of the land to which he had come. And his son Horus arose as king of Upper Egypt, arose as king of Lower Egypt, in the embrace of his father Osiris and of the gods in front of him and behind him. There was built the royal fortress at the command of Geb. Geb speaks to Thoth. Geb speaks to Thoth. Geb speaks to Isis. Isis causes Horus and Seth to come. Isis speaks to Horus and Seth: Come. Isis speaks to Horus and Seth: Make peace. Isis speaks to Horus and Seth: Life will be pleasant for you when peace is made. Isis speaks to Horus and Seth: It is he who dries your tears. The Gods who came into being in Ptah: Ptah-on-the-great-throne. Ptah-Nun, the father who made Atum. Ptah-Naunet, the mother who bore Atum. Ptah-the-Great is heart and tongue of the Nine Gods. Ptah who bore the gods. Ptah who bore the gods. Ptah. Ptah Nefertem at the nose of Re every day. There took shape in the heart, there took shape on the tongue the form of Atum. For the very great one is Ptah, who gave life to all the gods and their kas through this heart and through this tongue, in which Horus had taken shape as Ptah, in which Thoth had taken shape as Ptah. Thus heart and tongue rule over all the limbs in accordance with the teaching that it, the heart and the tongue, is in every body and in every mouth of all gods, all men, all cattle, all creeping things, whatever lives, thinking whatever it wishes and commanding whatever it wishes. Ptah's Ennead is before him as teeth and lips. They are the semen and the hands of Atum. For the Ennead of Atum came into being through his semen and his fingers. But the Ennead is the teeth and the lips in this mouth which pronounced the name of every thing, from which Shu and Tefnut came forth, and which gave birth to the Ennead. Sight, hearing, breathing - they report to the heart, and it makes every understanding come forth. As to the tongue, it repeats what the heart has devised. Thus all the gods were born and Ptah's Ennead was completed. For every word of the god came about through what the heart devised and the tongue commanded.⁠b Thus all the faculties were made and all the qualities determined, they that make all foods and all provisions, through this word, to him who does what is loved, to him who does what is hated. Thus life is given to the peaceful and death is given to the criminal. Thus all labor, all crafts are made, the action of the hands, the motion of the legs, the movements of all the limbs, according to this command which is devised by the heart and comes forth on the tongue and creates the performance of every thing. Thus it is said of Ptah: He who made all and created the gods. And he is Tatenen, who gave birth to the gods, and from whom everything came forth, foods, provisions, divine offerings, all good things. Thus is recognized and understood that he is the mightiest of the gods. Thus Ptah was satisfied after he had made all things and all divine words.⁠c He gave birth to the gods, He made the towns, He established the nomes, He placed the gods in their shrines, He settled their offerings, He established their shrines, He made their bodies according to their wishes. Thus the gods entered into their bodies, Of every wood, every stone, every clay, Every thing that grows upon him In which they came to be. Thus were gathered to him all the gods and their kas, Content, united with the Lord of the Two Lands. The Great Throne that gives joy to the heart of the gods in the House of Ptah is the granary of Tatenen, the mistress of all life, through which the sustenance of the Two Lands is provided, owing to the fact that Osiris was drowned in his water. Isis and Nephthys looked out, beheld him, and attended to him. Horus quickly commanded Isis and Nephthys to grasp Osiris and prevent his submerging. They acted in time and brought him to land. He entered the hidden portals in the glory of the lords of eternity, in the steps of him who rises in the horizon, on the ways of Re the Great Throne. He entered the palace and joined the gods of Tatenen Ptah, lord of years. Thus Osiris came into the earth at the Royal Fortress, to the north of the land to which he had come. His son Horus arose as king of Upper Egypt, arose as king of Lower Egypt, in the embrace of his father Osiris and of the gods in front of him and behind him.