Egyptian religious poetry

16 EGYPTIAN RELIGIOUS POETRY

the Book of the Dead it is the Underworld to which all the dead went, and through which the Sun-god passed every night.

Elephantine (Eg. Abu). A city at the first Cataract. Ennead. A group of nine deities. There were two Enneads, the Great and the Small. They were important in the Pyramid Texts, but less so in later times. Their functions are obscure, but they seem to have been the judges of the gods and of mankind. At Memphis they were emanations or aspects of the god Ptah. . of Horus. In the fight between Horus and Setekh, the latter tore out one of the eyes of Horus, but it was restored to its place, whole and sound, by Ré, the Sun-god. The expression had many esoteric meanings, i.e. food offerings, fire, spiritual power, the royal crown, etc.

Fair of Face. Epithet for Ptah of Memphis.

Field of Peace. A special part of heaven to which only the gods were admitted.

Field of Reeds. Another part of heaven, which was reached in a boat. In the Pyramid Texts only the king was admitted, but in the Book of the Dead it was the place to which all the dead hoped to go.

Flaming Lake. This was placed in the Duat when it had become the Underworld and could be used asa place of punishment for the wicked. As there were no volcanoes in the Nile Valley, nor is petroleum found there, the origin of the Flaming Lake must be sought outside Egypt ; possibly in Southern Russia.

Geb. The Earth-god. To the Egyptian the earth was male, the sky female.

Har-akheti. “* Horus of the Horizons.” A name given to both the Sun-god and to Horus.