Seventh Division of the Tuat. II. Kingdom of Osiris According to the Book of Gates

SEVENTH DIVISION OF THE TUAT.

II. KINGDOM OF OSIRIS ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF GATES.

The SEVENTH DIVISION, or HOUR, is entered by the Gate PESTIT, which is guarded by a monster serpent called AKHA-EN-MAAT; the pictures and texts are incomplete on the sarcophagus of Seti I., and those which are given in vol. ii., p. 190 ff., are taken from M. E. Lefébure's Les Hypogées Royaux de Thèbes, tom. ii., part ii., pl. 11 ff. The Boat of AFU-RA is, as before,

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towed by four gods of the Tuat. The procession of the ministers of the god consists of twenty-four gods, twelve of whom have their hands and arms hidden; these last "are invisible beings, but those who are in the Tuat and the dead can see them," and RA promises them that they shall be with him in Het-Benben, that is to say, in the heavenly counterpart of one of the temples of the Sun-god of Heliopolis (see vol. ii., p. 194 ff.).

To the right of the path of AFU-RA are twelve gods armed with clubs having forked ends; they are called KHERU-METAUH, and their duty is to repulse the serpent APEP. Immediately in front of them is the serpent SEBA, on the head and back of which twelve human heads are seen; these make their appearance (vol. ii., p. 206 fl.) at the coining of AFU-RA, and the twelve gods who grasp the monster's body are exhorted to destroy them. The serpent is called SEBA, and APEP, and HEFAU. Beyond these groups of gods are twelve star-gods, who hold in their hands a long rope which is twisted round the neck of a god in mummied form called QAN, or AQEN, or NAQ (vol. ii., pp. 208, 209). To the left of the Path of AFU-RA is the god of the Tuat, called TUATI, who leans on a staff, and is in charge of the twelve mummies which lie on the back of the serpent NEHEP; the serpent has twenty-four lions' legs arranged at intervals (vol. ii., p. 210), and a mummy rests over each pair of them. The mummies are described as "those who are in inertness," and "those who are in the body of Osiris asleep."

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As AFU-RA passes them the god TUATI encourages them to loosen their bandages, to untie and take off their wigs, to collect their bones, to gather together their flesh and their members, to open their eyes and look at the light, to get up from their state of inertness, and to take possession of their fields in SEKHET-NEBT-HETEPET. Beyond these is another group of gods whose duty it is to live near the pool of a serpent, the water of which is of fire; its flames proceed from the serpent, and they are so fierce that the gods and souls of the earth dare not approach them. On the other hand, the gods of the pool are adjured to give water to KHENTI-AUKERT, i.e., the Governor of Aukert. Now Aukert is the name of the Other World, or Tuat, of HELIOPOLIS, and the mention of it and of HET-BENBEN suggests that the Kingdom of Osiris according to the BOOK OF GATES was made to include that of the god TEMU, a form of the Night-sun. The gods who sit round the lake of fire receive their bodies and souls from the serpent NEHEP, and then they journey into SEKHET-AARU, which apparently has not yet been reached.