A Legend of Ptah Nefer-Hetep and the Princess of Bekhten

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A LEGEND OF PTAH NEFER-HETEP AND THE PRINCESS OF BEKHTEN.

1. The Horus: "Mighty Bull, the form(?) of risings ¹, stablished in sovereignty like Tem." The Golden Horus: "Mighty one of strength ², destroyer of the Nine Nations of the Bow." ³ King of the South and North: "The Lord of the Two Lands, User-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Ra Son of Ra: "Of his body, Ra-meses-meri-Amen, of Amen-Ra; ⁴ 2 the Lord of the thrones of the Two Lands, and of the Company of the Gods, the Lords of Thebes, the beloved one. The beneficent god, the son of Amen, born of Mut, begotten of Heru-khuti, the glorious offspring of Neb-tchert, ⁵ begetting [as] the Bull of his Mother, ⁶ king of Egypt, Governor of the deserts, the Sovereign 3 who hath taken possession of the Nine Nations of the Bow; [who] on coming forth from the womb ordained mighty things, who gave commands whilst he was in the egg, the Bull, stable of heart, who hath sent forth his seed; the king who is a bull, [and] a god who cometh forth on the day of battle like Menthu, ⁷ the mighty one of strength like the son of Nut." ⁸

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4. Behold, His Majesty was in the country of Neheru ¹ according to his custom every year, and the chiefs of every land, even as far as the swamps, came [to pay] homage, bearing offerings to the Souls of His Majesty; and they brought their gifts, gold, lapis-lazuli, turquoise, 5 bars of wood of every kind of the Land of the God, ² on their backs, and each one surpassed his neighbour.

And the Prince of Bekhten [also] caused his gifts to be brought, and he set his eldest daughter at the head of them all, and he addressed words of praise to His Majesty, and prayed to him for his life. 6. And the maiden was beautiful, and His Majesty considered her to be the most lovely [woman] in the world, and he wrote down as her title, "Great Royal Wife, Ra-neferu; and when His Majesty arrived in Egypt, he did for her whatsoever was done for the Royal Wife.

On the twenty-second day of the second month of the season of Shemu, ³ in the fifteenth year [of his reign], behold, His Majesty was in Thebes, the Mighty [city], the Mistress of cities, performing 7 the praises of Father Amen, the Lord of the thrones of the Two Lands, in his beautiful Festival of the Southern Apt, ⁴ which was the seat of his heart (i.e., the chosen spot) from primaeval time, [when] one came to say to His Majesty, "An ambassador of the Prince of Bekhten hath arrived bearing many gifts for the Royal Wife."

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[paragraph continues] And having been brought into the presence of 8 His Majesty with his gifts, he spake words of adoration to His Majesty, saying, "Praise be unto thee, O thou Sun (Ra) of the Nine Nations of the Bow, permit us to live before thee!" And when he had spoken, and had smelt the earth before His Majesty, he continued his speech before His Majesty, saying, "I have come unto thee, 9 my King and Lord, on behalf of Bent-Resht, the younger sister of the Royal Wife Ra-neferu. [Some] disease hath penetrated into her members, and I beseech Thy Majesty to send a man of learning to see her."

And His Majesty said, "Bring to me the magicians (or, scribes) of the House of Life, and the nobles 10 of the palace." And having been brought into his presence straightway, His Majesty said unto them, "Behold, I have caused you to be summoned [hither] in order that ye may hear this matter. Now bring to me [one] of your company whose heart is wise ¹, and whose fingers are deft." And the royal scribe 11 Tehuti-em-heb came into the presence of His Majesty, and His Majesty commanded him to depart to Bekhten with that ambassador.

And when the man of learning had arrived in Bekhten, he found Bent-Resht in the condition of a woman who is possessed by a spirit, and he found 12 this spirit to be an evil one, and to be hostile in his disposition towards him.

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And the Prince of Bekhten sent a messenger a second time into the presence of His Majesty, saying, "O King, my Lord, I pray His (i.e., Thy) Majesty to command that a god be brought hither [to contend against the spirit."

13. Now when the messenger came] to His Majesty in the first month ¹ of the season of Shemu, in the twenty-sixth year [of his reign], on the day which coincided with that of the Festival of Amen, His Majesty was in the palace (or, temple?) of Thebes. And His Majesty spake a second time ² in the presence of Khensu in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep," saying, "O my fair Lord, I present myself before thee a second time on behalf of the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten." 14. Then Khensu, in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep", was carried to Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher," the great god who driveth away the spirits which attack. And His Majesty spake before Khensu in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep," saying, "O my fair Lord, if thou wilt give (i.e., turn) thy face to Khensu, [called] 15 'Pa-ari-sekher,' the great god who driveth away the spirits which attack, permit thou that he may depart to Bekhten;" [and the god] inclined his head with a deep inclination twice. And His Majesty said, "Let, I pray, thy protective (or, magical) power [go] (with him, so that I may make His Majesty to go to Bekhten to deliver the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten [from the spirit].

16. And Khensu in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep,"

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inclined his head with a deep inclination twice. And he made [his] protective power to pass into Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," in a fourfold measure. Then His Majesty commanded that Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," should set out on his journey in a great boat, [accompanied by] five smaller boats, and chariots, 17 and a large number of horses [which marched] on the right side and on the left.

And when this god arrived in Bekhten at the end of a period of one year and five months, the Prince of Bekhten came forth with his soldiers and his chief[s] before Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher," and he cast himself down 18 upon his belly, saying, "Thou hast come to us, and thou art welcomed by us, by the commands of the King of the South and North, User-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Ra!"

And when this god had passed over to the place where Bent-Resht was, he worked upon the daughter of the Prince of Bekhten with his magical power, and she became better (i.e., was healed) 19 straightway. And this spirit which had been with her said, in the presence of Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," "Come in peace (i.e., Welcome!), O great god, who dost drive away the spirits which attack! Bekhten is thy city, the people thereof, both men and women, are thy (servants, and I myself am thy servant. 20. I will [now] depart unto the place whence I came, so that I may cause thy heart to be content about the matter

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concerning which thou hast come. I pray that Thy Majesty will command that a happy day (i.e., a festival, or day of rejoicing) be made with me, and with the Prince of Bekhten." And this god inclined his head [in approval] to his priest, saying, 21 "Let the Prince of Bekhten make a great offering in the (presence of this spirit."

Now whilst Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," was arranging these [things] with the spirit, the Prince of Bekhten and his soldiers were standing there, and they feared with an exceedingly great fear. 22. And the Prince of Bekhten made a great offering in the presence of Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," and the spirit of the Prince of Bekhten, and he made a happy day (i.e., festival) on their behalf, and [then] the spirit departed in peace unto the place which he loved, by the command of Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast." 23. And the Prince of Bekhten, and every person who was in the country of Bekhten, rejoiced very greatly, and he took counsel with his heart, saying, "It hath happened that this god hath been given as a gift to Bekhten, and I will not permit him to depart to Egypt."

24. And [when] this god had tarried for three years and nine months in Bekhten, the Prince of Bekhten, who was lying down asleep on his bed, saw this god come forth outside his shrine (now he was in the form of a golden hawk), and he flew up into the heavens and departed to Egypt; and when the Prince woke up

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[paragraph continues] 25 he was trembling. And he said unto the prophet of Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," "This god who tarried with us hath departed to Egypt; let his chariot also depart to Egypt."

26. And the Prince of Bekhten permitted [the image of] the god to set out for Egypt, and he gave him many great gifts of beautiful things of all kinds, and a large number of soldiers and horses [went with him]. And when they had arrived in peace in Thebes, Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," 27 went into the Temple of Khensu in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep," and he placed the offerings which the Prince of Bekhten had given unto him, beautiful things of all kinds, before Khensu in Thebes, [called] "Nefer-Hetep," and he gave nothing thereof whatsoever to his [own] temple.

Thus Khensu, [called] "Pa-ari-sekher-em-Uast," arrived 28 in his temple in peace, on the nineteenth day of the second month ¹ of the season Pert, in the thirty-third year of the [reign of the] King of the South and North, User-Maat-en-Ra-setep-en-Ra, the giver of life, like Ra, for ever.

Footnotes

107:1 I.e., the image who rises like the sun day by day, or the image of [many] crowns.

107:2 Or, mighty one of the thigh, i.e., he of the mighty thigh.

107:3 The nations of Nubia who fought with bows and arrows.

107:4 In this version of the protocol of Rameses II. the second "strong name" of the king is omitted.

107:5 I.e., Neb-er-tcher.

107:6 Ka-mut-f, the καμῆφις of the Greeks.

107:7 The War-god of Thebes.

107:8 I.e., Osiris.

109:1 The "country of the rivers," the אֲרַם נֲהַרַיִםof Gen. xxiv. 10, the of Syrian writers.

109:2 A name including Western Asia and a portion of the East Coast of Africa.

109:3 The summer. The Copts called the second month of this season Paoni.

109:4 The modern Temple of Luxor.

111:1 Or, a skilled craftsman.

113:1 The month Pakhon of the Copts.

113:2 The text makes no mention of the first application to Khensu.

119:1 The month Mekhir of the Copts; the season Pert is the Egyptian spring.