THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I

BYH. W. FAIRMAN

THE Myth of Horus is justly one of the most celebrated of Egyptian myths, yet hitherto
no complete translation of the various texts which compose it has appeared in any language,
though the actual texts and reliefs have been published long since by Naville, Textes relatifs
au Mzjthe d'Horus recueillis dans le Temple d'Edfou, Geneva, 1870. Kow that the magnificent
new edition of Chassinat has appeared, it seems an opportune moment to attempt to remedy
this deficiency by giving a complete translation of all these texts, accompanied, however, by
the minimum of notes. This and the following articles aim solely at providing a connected
translation, and do not offer or pretend to offer a detailed commentary.
The translations are based on the texts published by Chassinat, Le Temple d'Edfou,
VI, 60-90, 108-36, 213-23, and have been controlled by reference to the photographs pub-
lished by Chassinat, op. cit., XIII, Pls. ccccxciv-dxiv, dxviii-dxxxv ;XIV, Pls. dlxxvi-dlxxxiv.
I have also utilized the Berlin series of photographs which were placed at my disposal by
Dr. A. H. Gardiner. Unfortunately, pressure of work while I was in Egypt during the past
winter prevented me from checking one or two minor points on the walls of Edfu itself. I t
is, however, a pleasure to pay a tribute to the remarkable accuracy of Chassinat's edition,
which is a vast improvement on previous copies, and which may be trusted absolutely. In
quotations in this paper, reference is made to volumes, pages, or plates of Chassinat's edition.
Thus VI, followed by a page number, refers to Chassinat, Le Temnple d'Edfou, tome VI.
Where a reference is given to individual lines, the reference is to the lines of Chassinst's
text, and not to the lines of the original.
The &Iythof Horus as preserved in the Temple of Edfu is inscribed on the inner faces of
the east and west enclosure walls. Though it is habitual to refer to the "Myth of Horus",
the myth is not a simple story, but comprises five tex.ts (cf. the analysis in Boeder's article
Set in Roscher's Lexikon). These five texts are:
A. The Legend of the Winged Disk. The chief actors are Horus of Behdet and Seth.
RBr and Thoth provide a running commentary and numerous, somewhat tedious puns
which detract from the flow and interest of the narrative. The language is stilted and formal,
and somewhat restricted in vocabulary and forms of expression. (Naville, op. cit., Pls.
xii-xix; Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 108-32; XIII, Pls. dxviii-dxxxiii.)
B. The story of a fight between Horus, son of Isis (who is assisted by Horus of Behdet),
and Seth. This portion of the myth follows immediately after the Legend of the Winged
Disk, and is entitled hnk hrw-r. (Naville, op. cit., Pls. xx-xxi; Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 132-6;
XIII, PIS. dxxxiv-dxxxv.)
C. This section is not worded in the form of a connected story, but is perhaps rather the
text of a dramatized version of the exploits of Horus which was enacted at his festival.
After texts referring to the ten harpoons with which Horus attacked his enemy, come songs
by the Royal Children and by the princesses of Upper and Lower Egypt together with the
women of Mendes, Pe, and Dep, and finally two versions of the dismemberment of Seth and
the distribution of the parts of his body among various gods and cities. (Naville, op. cit.,
Pls. i-xi; Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 60-90; XIII, Pls. ccccxciv-dxiv.)
 THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I 27

D. Seth, son of Nut, assumes the form of a red hippopotamus and goes to Elephantine.
Horus, son of Isis, pursues him and overtakes him near Edfu, and after the ensuing fight
Seth flees northwards and Horus assumes the office of his father. (Xaville, op. cit., xxii-xxiii ;
Chassinat, op. cit., vr, 213-19; x ~ v Pls.
, dlxxvi-dlxxxi; Brugsch, Thesaurus, 608-9.)
E. A very battered text. Horus is mentioned as lord of Lower Egypt, living at Memphis,
and Seth as lord of Upper Egypt, living in Shas-hetep. Horus and Seth fight, the one in
the form of a youth, the other as a red donkey. Horus finally triumphs and cuts off the leg
of Seth. This story is written in a pronounced Late-Egyptian idiom. (Naville, op. cit.,
xxiv; Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 219-223; XIV, Pls. dlxxxii-dlxxxiv; Brugsch, Thes., 609-10.)

-4. THE LEGEND OF THE WINGED DISK

The text of this portion of the myth is inscribed on the second register of the inner face
of the west enclosure mall of the temple. This part of the wall is divided into sixteen scenes,
of mhich those referring to the Myth of Horus (Nos. 5-13 in Chassinat's numbering) run from
north to south, whereas the scenes which precede and mhich follow them run from south to
north. Thus it would appear that some attempt has been made to keep the scenes of the
myth separate from the others. The same state of affairs obtains on the lower register of
this wall, where the greater part of the remaining portion of the myth is inscribed (cf.
Chassinat's remarks on the order of the scenes, VI, 54, 104).

-
The individual scenes of the legend bear no titles, but the first scene (Chassinat's No. 5)
bears the title Lqting heaven. The texts read: Lifting heaven. Utterance. Thy heaven belongs
to thee, 0 Bhdti, brightly coloured one. Thou$yest (emend for o) therein as [the N'inged
Disk], thou alightest on the prow of the barque of Rbr-Harakhte, thy two uraei . . . . . ..
After the name of the king, and epithets of the Winged Disk: The King of Cpper and Lower
Egypt C lis on his seat, lifting up heaven, supporting the god of Belldet. pa is introduced to
the barque of REr-Harakhte as a divine winged disk of gold (litm). He is like Shu who lifts up
(emend for o in k ~ t heaven,
) zuko holds (?) the head of . . . . . . . . . . For pa, for
which I can offer no certain transliteration, cf. 11, 8. Is it a ~ ~ o for
r d"king" ?
Of the scenes mhich precede the myth, the title of the first is lost, the second is called
hnk sbmty, and the third and fourth fii ibt. The Legend of the f inged Disk occupies Kos.
5-12, and No. 13, which, as noted above, is included in the myth series, is concerned with
the offering of ?zrza-r and grapes, and vith a fight between Horus, son of Isis, and Seth
(Story B).
The succession of Scenes 14-16 from south to north ~ o u l seem
d to indicate that they are
to be treated apart from the other scenes concerning the myth. Nevertheless they are
closely connected with it in content. No. 14 is divided into tn-o parts, ir(t) sntr and slzr(t) Skr,
and has been published by Naville, op. cit., xxv. No. 15 is entitled srn3 Smr, and No. 16,
which has no title, concerns the slaughter of the wild animals of the desert.
The text of the Legend of the Winged Disk is published by Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 108-32;
line plates cxlvi-cxlviii (in the unpublished portion of vol. x), and photographic plates
dxviii-dxxxiii in vol. XIII. X complete copy of the texts and reliefs was originally made by
Naville, op. cit., xii-xix. The hieroglyphic text and some of the reliefs were published,
together with an English translation, by Budge, Legends of the Gods (London, 1912), 52 ff. ;
he gave a more recent translation in English in his From Fetish to God in Ancient Egypt
(Oxford, 1934), 467-80. German translations have been published by Brugsch, Die Sage con
der gejiiigelten Sonnenscheibe (in Abh. kgl. Ges. Wiss. zuGottingen, x ~ v173
, ff., Gijttingen, 1869) ;
by Wiedemann, Die Religion der Alten k ' ~ y ~ t (Munster,
er 1890), 38 ff., an English version
o f which is published i n his Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (London, 1897), 69 ff. ; and b y
Roeder, Urkunden xur Religion des Alten k'gypten (Jena, 1915), 120 ff.
I had the a d ~ a n t a ~ gduring
e, the early part o f the past minter, o f reading this portion o f
the Myth o f Horus with Dr. A. H. Gardiner, Dr. J. Gernf, and Mr. R. 0. Faulliner, and t o
t h e m I owe many fruitful suggestions.

Translation
[ti, 511 Year 3632 of the Ifing of Upper and Lower Egypt, REr-Harakhte, may he live for ever
and ever. Now his nzajesty was in Xubia ( T ~ s t i )and , his army was uith him without number,
[and there was no?I3plotting against their lord (among them).3 I t is called Ta[setiI4to this day.
[ 5 , 61 R B sailed in his barque, and his followers were with him. He landed in the nome of
W t s - H r , to the east of this nonze, and east of the canal which i s called " The royal [canalJ" to
this day. And Horus of Behdet was (also) [5, 71 i n the barque of Rgr, and he said to his father
RB-Harakhte: " 1 see enemies who plot against their mighty lord. lllay the . . . . of thy uraeus
prevail against them". [6, zlj The majesty of RB-Harakhte said: " As thou desirest, 0 Horus of
Behdet, thou son of Rbr, exalted one who camest forth from me. Overthrow ( m y ) enemy before
thee in a n instant." Horus of Behdet Jlew u p (rpi) to heaven as the Great E7inged Disk (rpi wr),
and therefore he i s called "great god, lord of heaven" to this day. When he saw the enemies i?z
heaven he approached them as the great Winged Disk. He stormed against them before him,
[6, 316 and they neither saw with their eyes nor heard with their ears, but (each) one slew his
fellow i n the tuinkling of a n eye, and not a soul lived. Then Horus of Behdet came as inbti, the
many-coloured, as the great Winged Disk, to the barque of R6r-Harakhte. Thoth said to REr,
the lord of the gods: " The god of Behdet is conze as Enbti, the great Winged Disk,who destroys(?)
the rebels andfoes". [6, 41 Therefore is he called Horus of Behdet to this day. Then REr-Harakhte
said: " 1 see [Horusl]. Edfu (Db) shall be called (the city o f ) Horus of Behdet from this day."
Then R b enzbraced him c l ~ s e l ya, ~d said to Horus of Behdet: " T h o u hast put grapes into the
water which comes from it that thy heart may be pleased thereby". Therefore do men offer
Inner face, west wall, 2nd register, scene 5 : Chassinat, op. cit., \T, 109-110; sm,Pls. dxviii, dxix;
Naville, op. cit., SII.
Cf. Xewberry, The Set Rebellim of the IInd Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, 7 (1922), 40-6. Newberry sees
in this date and in this story an echo of the Seth rebellion and re-conquest of Egypt by Peribsen. Year 363
of RBr-Harakhte according to him mould be 363 years after the accession of Menes. Kees, however (Kult-
legende und Urgeschichte in Nachr. Ges. Wiss. zu Gottingen, Phil.-Hist. Klasse, 1930, 346 ff.), claims that these
legends have no historical value. Newberry's theory, whether true or not, is certainly an attractive and
plausible one, and it must be admitted that my own reading of these myths has convinced me that, while
one must of necessity treat all statements with the utmost caution and reserve, there seems to be a certain
substratum of historical fact on which they are based. But this is obviously a subject for a separate paper,
and further discussion would be out of place here.
Reading [n]niw (0 = iw) w3w1 r nbesn <im>.
B~
4 , =
a

; the most likely emendation is TJ-sti. There seems to be a corruption of the text here, for the
pun is on w3w1, and one would have expected the country to be called W I W I ~cf.: for instance p. 35 = VI,
128.8, where Horus of Behdet spies the enemy in t~ w j w ~ brt wwlwl r nbvsn. The error, if error it be, seems to
be corrected in the epitome of the myth published in vr, 8-9 ( = Diimichen, Altagyptische Tempelimchriften,
I, cii; Brugsch, Thes., 1340; J. de Rough, Inscr. et Not. rec. a Edfou, n, lxxxv), where we read: "when REf
came to Ht-ms-nht.f when the enemies plotted (mu:?) against him in W3w1t". The text then proceeds to
enumerate the various stages of the campaign.
Scene 6: Chassinat, op. cit., IT, 111-13; xm, Pls. dxx, dxxi; Naville, op. cit., xiii.
A duplicate of this passage, from this point to the end of the sentence, in I, 357, without, however,
any important variants. H'n.ln Rr &pt.f pr &bt.f.
 THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I

hrw-r1 to Horus of Behdet to this day. The . . . . . . ... i s called h b t i , many-coloured, to this
day. [s, 51 Then Horus of Behdet said: "Come, 0 R b , that thou mayest see how thy foes arefallen
before thee i n this land". And his majesty zcent, Astarte being with hinz. He saw that the
enemies were fallen to the ground with broken heads. Then R B said to Horus of Behdet: [s, s]
" This i s a place of pleasant life"(ndm rnh pw) and therefore men call the palace of Horus of
Behdet Kdm-rnb to this day. And Rbsaid to Thoth: " This means that m y enemies are punished"
(db;), and therefore this nome i s called Dbw to this day. Then Thoth said to Horus of Behdet:
" T h y protection i s great" ( m k t - k o)[s, 71 and the barque of Horus of Behdet i s called " Great-
of-protection" (r3-mkt)to this day.
Then Rt?f said to the gods who were i n his train: " X o w let us row i n our barque on the
water, and let us rejoice over our foes tcho are fallen to the ground". The great god [sailed] (kn?)
i n it ( ? the canal) [s, s] and it is called P-hn (" The canal ") to this day.
Wozo the foes descended into the water and became crocodiles and hippopotami. And Horus
of Behdet i n his barque coyaged on the u:ater. Then the crocodiles and hippopotami came and
opened their nzouths i n order to attack (?) the barque of R8r-Harakhte. [s, 91 Then Horus of
Behdet came zcith his follozcers who were in his train as h a r p o ~ n e r sziith
, ~ harpoons and ropes
i n their hands, each one at his name. They smote the crocodiles and hippopotami and brought
azoay at once 651 enenzies. [6, lo] They were slaughtered before this city. Then RZr-Harakhte
said to Horus of Behdet: " T h i s is m y image i n T ~ - i i m rthis
; ~ is one whose palace is mighty
(nbt r h PIT)", and the palace of Horus of Be?~detis called Nht-rh to this day.
[;, 514 Thoth said after he had seen that the foes were fallen to the ground: "Rejoice, 0 ye
gods of heatien! Rejoice, 0 ye gods of the earth! The divine youth i s returned in peace. He has
performed wonders i n his j0urney.j He has acted according to the book of repulsing the
hippopotanzus (i.e. Seth)." Thus the harpooners of Horus of Behdet came into existence to
this day.
Then Horus of Betzdet assumed the form of the Tq7inged Disk on the prow of the barque of
REr [7, s] and he took A-ekhbet and Uto with hinz as two uraei who terrify the enemies i n
their linzbs,6 both crocodiles and hippopotami, i n ezlery place cisited i n Upper and Lozcer
Egypt.
Then those foes jed before him, their faces being turned to Lipper E g y ~ t their
, ~ hearts being
faint through fear of hint. Horus of Behdet f01lou;ed after them i n this barque of RZr, with harpoon
Hrw-r: a drink made of grapes and water ( F b . d. aeg. Spr., m, 134). 95 = klrrt, ehoohe. For the
offering of grapes cf. I, 460 ;%T,133 ;w, 122. For the offering of hrw-r see I, 462 ;n, 70. 183 ;IV, 256 ; v, I62 ;
n,132. 346; 1-11, 199. 283; Chassinat, Le Temple de Dendara, I , 14; 11, 198; rn, 175. The most interesting
instance is YI, 132, a translation of which will be given with Section B of the myth.
The precise nature of the msntyw has long been a matter of dispute. Naspero, Les forgerons d'Horus et
la l4gende de 1'Horz~scE'Edfou in Bibl. ~ g ~ ~ tII,o313~ .ff.,, called them "les forgerons". The latest treatment
is by Sethe, Die angeblichen Schmiede des Horus colt Edfu in Z.A.S., 54, 5 0 4 , whose view is adopted here.
For Horus of Behdet as the image of R6r-Harakhte in TJ-imr,cf, the Beischrift to this scene (VI, 113. 5)
and also I, 10.358, and compare Junker's remarks on the same subject in his Die Onurislegende, 20.
Scene 5 : Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 114-17 ; XIII, Pls. dxxii, dxxiii; Xarille, op. cit., xiv.
di.fh,ul hr nmt.f: lit. "he has lengthened (or added to) his stride". Cf. also 11, 34, 17-35, 1.
"his phrase again in I, 358.
' It is interesting to note that though the preceding actions took place in or near Edfu, they were not
considered to hare taken place in Egypt. When the enemy fled (northwards) from Horus they turned to
Cpper Egypt, hence Edfu is outside T J - h r . There can be no question here of a pursuit to the south, for
the next episode in the fight takes place near Thebes, and all the present portion of the myth telh of the
steady driving of Seth and his confederates from R'ubia to the sea. Bot until the see has been reached does
Horus retrace his steps to Bubia (p. 35) to deal with a rebellion which had apparently broken out in his
absence.
30 H. W. FAIRMAN
and rope in his hands and (inthose of) hisfollowers, they being armed [7, 71 with arrows and ropes,
and the harpooners were prepared for them. [Then] he saw them to the south-east of Thebes at a
distance of l(?) two schoenoi. Then said REr to Thoth : " Those foes, nzay he destroy (ddb)
them!". And Thoth said to RGf: "Therefore shall this town be called D d m from this day".
Then Horus of Behdet injicted great slaughter upon them. And RB said: "Stop, Horus of
Behdet, that ( I ) may see thee". Therefore is this town called Ht-Rr to this day, and the god
who i s in it i s Horus-of-Behdet-REr-Min.
[7, 81 Then those foes jed before him, their faces being turned to Lower Egypt, their hearts
being faint through fear of him. Horus of Behdet followed after them in this barque of RCr,
with harpoon and rope in his hands and ( i n those of) his followers. [7, 91 He was equipped with
arrows and ropes, and the harpooners were prepared for them. Then he spent a whole day pre-
pared for them, and he saw them on the north-east of Dendera. Then said REr to Thoth: " T h e
foes are here, do thou [slaughter?] them". [7, lo] And the majesty of RE?-Harakhte said to
Horus of Behdet: " Thou art m y son, the exalted one who came forth from me. Do thou make
the enemy weak in thy own (good) time". Then Horus of Behdet injlicted great slaughter (b3yt)
upon them. And Thoth said: " The name of this town shall be called $3-di-ntr, [7, 111 and men
shall say of Horus of Behdet: ' H e . . . .. . to (?) her majesty, with his face turned to the south'
as the name of this god. Snd and nbs are the names of (his) sacred tree(s)."
Then those foes jled before him, their faces being turned to Lower Egypt, from LahCn [7, 121
to the edge of the ~ e a , ~ f otheir
r hearts were faint [throughfear of him]. Horus of Behdetfollowed
after them in the barque of R B , with harpoon in his hands, and ( i n those of) his followers. He
was equipped with arrows, and the harpooners were prepared for them. [7,13] He spentfour days
and four nights sailing after them and they saw not one of those foes, xhether crocodile or hippo-
potamus, in the water before him. And then (at last) he saw them.
Then Rt? said .. . . .. .3 Hebenu, Winged Disk, great god, lord of heacen: [7, 141 "Repulse
(hnb) them from the bank of Hebenu".* And he hurled his lance at them and overthrew them.
He injicted great slaughter upon them and brought 142 of the enemy before the barque [of REr]
.
.. . . . . male hippopotamus [7, 151 who was i n the nzidst of those foes. He killed them with his
knife, and gave their intestines to those who were in his train, and their jlesh to eaery god and
goddess zoho was in this barque of REr by the bank of Hebenu. R B said to Thoth: " 0 see5
[7, 161 Horus of Behdet in his image on those foes. Lo! he has smitten them. He has opened his
[mouth] against the male hippopotamus u;hich is i n their midst, and has smitten him6 while
(standing) on his back." Thoth said to REr: "Therefore shall Horus be called 'Winged Disk,
great god, [7, 171 who slays the enemy, pre-eminent in Hebenu' from this day. And the name of
a: I can offer no certain transliteration for this sign. I n some other places, e.g., vr, 124. 1, the sign
closely resembles A.The rendering given here, which seems to be demanded by the context, is a pure
guess. For ff as btrw, ef. such writings as 9 A (IVb. d. aeg. Spr., I , 147).
Roeder (Rel. Urk., 125) substitutes "canal" for Lahfin and takes phw wjd-UT to be some marshes called
Wid-wr situated near Dendera (cf. Wb. d , aeg. Spr., I , 269). The same phrase, however, is repeated in almost
identical terms in vr, 118. 1 (see p. 31 below) after the fighting a t Hebenu, and since in this latter case there
can be no possible question of Dendera it seems better to take the present instance in the same way. For
6nt "canal" cf. vr, 123. 1 = p. 33.
I n the lacuna one would expect some such phrase as ["to Horus of Behdet, lord of] Hebenu", but the
very damaged traces do not agree with such a restoration. Read Fr wdb n Hbnw.
For the particle & see Gardiner, Eg. Gramm., § 250; Erman, Xeuagyptische Grammatik (2nd ed.), 8 361 ;
Junker, Grammatik der Denderatezte, § 246.
ir-n'fiht v f . This usage of ir i&t does not occur in the Wbi.terbuch, but the general sense of the passage
is quite clear. i r r in the sense of "to do evil against some one" is, of course, well established. In vr, 127.
12(seebelow p. 34) ir iht followed by n has the general sense of " to make a meal for some one" :cf. alsom, 125.14.
 THE MTTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I 31

the priest of this god shall be called Hri-s3l because of this from this day." Now all these ecents
took place i n the district of Hebenu i n (an area of) 342 rods to the south, north, zcest, and east.
[s, 1oI2 Then those foes swam before him, with their faces turned tolcards LahGn in order to
reach the sea by going northwards, for [Horus?] . . . . in their hearts. And theyJEed, and turned
back from the xater and betook themselres to the waters of the western MrL3 They reached the
waters of the nome of N r t , and that company of Seth which is i n this tozun. And Horus of
Behdet suiam after them equipped with all his weapons for jighting them. [s, 111 Horus of Behdet
sailed downstreanz i n this barque of RB together zcith the great god who i s in his barque and the
gods who zcere i n his train. He sailed after them (the enemies) very rapidly. Then he spent
a day and a night sailing downstream seeking for them, but without seeing them, for 72e did not
know the place i n which they were. He reached P r - r h h ~ y . ~
Then the majesty of REr said to Horus of Bet~det:"Lo! those enemies, they haze reached the
western waters of the nome of X r t , to that comnpumzy of Seth [s, 121 which is in this town, to the
place in uhich (?) . . . . . . . . ."j Then Thoth said to RB: "Therefore shall the nome of bIrt
be called JT3b-w3st from this day, and the water that is *init shall be called Dmit".
Then Horus of Behdet said to his father RB: "Let this thy barque be sent against thewz that
1 may do what R 8 desires among them". And all was done as he ~cished. Then he reached them
~ o?z the southern bank of the nome of Jfrt at
i n the western waters i n this t0zc.n. Then he s a them
a distance of (!) a schoenus.
[s, 131 Horus of Behdet together with his follozcers, equipped with all weapons of warfare,
went i n against them, and he injicted great slaughter upon them. He brought away 381 captives
and slew them before the barque of RB. [s, 141 He gaoe each one of them to each one of his
followers. Then Seth emitted a fearsonze roar, uttering a cry at this ztihich Horus of Behdet had
[done] i n slaughteri~zgthe enenzy. Rb said to Tlzoth: " W h a t mean these cries of Sh3-hr who
protests loudly at this ztihich [s, 151 Horus of Be?zdet has done against hinz!" Thoth [said] to
RCr: " I t shall be called from this day 'The place of savage (nh3h3) cries' because of this".
Thereupon Horus of Behdet waged warfare with the enemy for a (corzsiderable)time. He threlo
his spear at hinz, and overthrezc him on the ground6 i n this toz~rz,[s, 161 and it is called Pr-rhhwy
to this day.
Then came Horus of Behdet bringing the enenzy, his collar7 (!) being at his throat and his rope
Hri-SI:written with the figure of a man standing on the back of a bull and stabbing downwards with
a spear. I n view of the context hri-s? is probably the correct transliteration (cf. Brugsch, Dict.Ghg., 1376).
Another possibility, but hardly so likely in the present instance, is dzcxti:cf. Junker, Die Onurislegende, 37
for this reading, and for further information about Hebenu.
Scene 8: Chassinat, op. cit., IT, 118-20; xm,Pls. dxxiv, dxxv; Naville, op. cit., xv.
X r t : capital of the nineteenth (Oxj~hynchite)nome of Upper Egipt: cf. Gauthier, Dict.des noms gdog.,
m, 53. Pr-rhhuiy: cf. Gauthier, op. cit., II, 167.
Rrugsch translates, "an der Stelle wo die Spitze unseres Szepterstockes ist". The passage is obviously
intended as an explanation of the name of Wjb-w~st(cf. Gauthier, op. cit., I, 175), but I have failed to grasp
its exact meaning. Brugsch's rendering, in any case, does not entirely agree with the hieroglyphic text.
Chassinat (w, 119. 8) gives g- here. The original is badly damaged (cf. the photograph m,
PI. dxxiv) and one wonders whether the original reading could not have b e e n s -, a writing of s~_tu*,
(cf. the variants givenin Wb. d. aeg. Spr., m, 423). I n the photograph the sign behind the bird's head does not
suit very well. Sdw seems an obvious emendation, and I have translated accordingly.
- d9, kh: the Ptolemaic form of the Late Egyptian sf k-. According to Wb. d. ag. Spr., V, 66 i t
is a "holzerne Klammer 0. a. am Halse des Gofangenen". The word occurs in Harris 500, vs., 2, 5 ; 2, 13;
3, 4, and has been translated by Goodwin (Trans. S.B.A., 3, 347) as "collar"; and by Peet (Journal, 11,
226) as "handcuffs" (Harris 500, vs., 2 , 5 ; 2, 13), and "stocks" (Harris 500, vs., 3, 4). I n Pap. Ch. Beatty I,
rt., 15, 12, Isis is tuld to bring Seth bound fast, rn k&u,,and as a prisoner, and Gardiner (The Chester Beatty
Papyri, h'o. I , p. 26) translates "bonds". The determinative in all these cases is --, and the kh must clearly
 H. W. FAIRMAN

(binding) both his hands, and the staff of Horus fell to close his mouth. He brought him before
[his] father. Then said REr: " 0 Horus, Winged Disk, [a, 171 how great i s this fury (dndn)
which thou hast manifested, thou hast puri$ed this town". And R B said to Thoth: " Therefore
shall the palace of Horus of Behdet be cabled ' The pure place' from this day, and therefore shall
the name of the priest be called 'Great of fury' (wr dndn) from this day". [8, 181 Then said
RB to Thoth: "Let the company of Seth be given to Isis and her son Horus that they may do
zchatever their hearts desire with them, for she stood fast with her son Horus, and their spears
were (turned) against him in the strife i n this town". And the sacred lake is called " The Lake of
Combat" [a, 191 to this day.
Then Horus son of Isis cut off the heads of his enemy and his confederates before his father
RQ and the whole great Ennead. He dragged him by his feet in his district and thrust his spear into
his head and back. And REr said to Thoth: [a, 201 "Behold the son of Osiris has dragged out (ith)
the Ragerfrom his districts". And Thoth said: " Therefore shall the name of his district be called
' I t h f r o m this day". And Isis the divine said to her father REr: "Let the T'inged Disk be given
as a protection for m y son Horus,for he has cut off the heads of the enemy and his confederates".
[9, 711 Then Horus of Behdet and Horus son of Isis slew that craven foe and his confederates
and those enemies when he reached them (in) the western waters of this town. Horus of Behdet
was like a man of proved ~ a l o u rwith , ~ the head of afalcon, crowned with the white crown, the
red crown and the double plumes, with the two uraei on his head, his back being that of afabon,
and his spear and rope being i n his hands. Horus son of Isis transformed himsev after the same
manner that Horus of Behdet had assumed [g, 81 before him. They slew the enemy together on
the west of Pr-rhhwy on the edge of the water. And this god sails on this his lake to this day,
(this day) on which those foes reached (dmi) it. ATozu all these things took place on Tobi 7 .
Then Thoth said: " Therefore shall this town be called 'The town of slaughter' from this day, and
the water that is in it shall be called Dmit [g, 91, and Tobi 7 shall be called 'The feast of rowing'
from this day".
Then Seth turned himself into a roaring serpent and entered the ground in this town, and
was seen no more. REr said: " Be3 has turned himself into a roaring serpent. Put Horus son of
lsis as a staff in its upper end4 to precent himfrom ever coming forth". [9, lo] Then said Thoth:
" The name of the serpent5 i n this town shall be called ' The roarer' from this day, and Horus

son of Isis is the falcon-headed spear in its upper end, and he i s here in this place with his mother
Isis". And all these things came to pass.
The barque of REr moored at the town of Pr-rh;. [9, 111 Its prow was of i3m and its stern
of i n d , and they are sacred trees to this day. Horus of Behdet went to the barque of RE^ after the
completion of thejourney, and RE7 said to Thoth: "Lo! thou art . . . rouing. The barque of Horus
of Behdet shall be called 'Lord of rowing' from this day." [g, 121 Therefore all these things are
done i n this place to this day.
be a wooden object used in securing prisoners. The instance in the Horus Myth shows that it was used a t
the neck, and hence "bonds", "handcuffs", or "stocks" seem hardly suitable translations. I t is difficult to
escape the conclusion that the kh was some sort of collar or cangue such as is used on prisoners in China.
On the other hand, it has to be admitted that no such appliance seems to be found on the monuments,
and Dr. Nelson informs me that he has observed nothing of the sort in the representations of prisoners a t
Medinet Habu or Karnak.
Scene 9 : Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 121-2; ~II, Pls. dxxvi, dxxvii; Naville, op. cit., xvi.
) 0 : krnl phti ? This phrase does not occur in the Worterbuch. Possibly it is derived from krnj "to
.
beat metal',,
Be, a name of Seth: cf. Wb. d. aeg. Spr., I, 410; Mariette, Dendera, m, 7 2 ; Diimichen, Geog. Inschr.,
I, lxxxi; m, xcii; W, cxvii. Read m mdw m g8.f hri. 'y&
, 83-t~.
 THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I 33

T h e n said R?r to Horus of Behdet: " L o ! Ice hare fought with the conzpapzy (of Seth) and i t
i s exhausted1 (?) and i t s strength likewise, and the collzparly of Seth (note) sioims (azcay).
W o u l d that zite nzight go northwards after [them] . . . ." T h e n the TITinged Disk said: " 9 1 1 that
thou comnzandest shall come to pass, [9, 131 0 R b , Lord of the gods. Let this thy barque be sent
against them to zchatsoerer place they m a y go, and I zcill do zchat REr desires ztiith thenz". A n d
i t zias done according to all that he had said. T h e n the TTinged Disk boarded the barque of REr
qchiclz zcas o n the stream. . . . .. . his . . . , his spear (?) and all ropesforJig7~ting.[9, l i ] T h e n
he sazo one of the enemy with hinz i n the same plctce, and he threw his lance at h i m inzmediately,
nnd brought hinz at once and slezc hinz before RPr. (Tlzus) he brought i t (the fight) to a n end:
there toere n o . . . . . B e , there were no . . . . . i n this place at that time.2
[lo, 113 Thoth said: " T h i s place which Horus qf Behdet has made because of them shall be called
S t - i ? b ~ i " .T~h e n he spent six days and s i x nights ~tzooredo n its waters icithout seeing one of thenz.
T h e n he sazu them orerthrozin in the canal, and he prepareci! this place as St-i3b.i) i t being by the
icater's edge, atzd i t faced south. [in, Z] ,411 rites are performed for Horus of Be!ldet o n Thoth 1,
Tobi 7 and Jlechir 2 1 and 24:-these are thefestirals i n St-i>b.i on the southern side of ^ 1 - e ~ f f . ~
H e moored his barque ( i n order to act) against them as one icho icntches as a king orer the
great god lcho i s in S e r e f , i n this place, dricing oSf the Enenzy and his co??zpan?jzchen he comes
b!y night from the district of JIr on the west of tllis place. [lo, 31 Horus of Behdet 1c'a.s as a nzniz
of prored m l o u r , with the face of a falcon, crozcned zcith the 71.7zite croion, the red crozcn, the
double plumes and the double crozcn. the t u o urcrri being on his head, aizd his ar?ns Icere strong
(chile bearing his spear, ?chile slaying the hippopotanzus of red jasper6 zchich leas i l l tlze desert
with him. And R@rsaid to Thoth: " L o ! Horus of Betzdet i s the lord of combat u.1~0slays his
foreign (foes) daily". A n d Thotlz said to R i r : "Therefore the priest of this god shall be called
' Lorcl of combat' fronz this day".

[lo, 41 Thereupon I s i s perfort?ied all the nzagic spells jor rlri?,ilzg back 13e from Xcrqf irl
this place, and Thoth said: " Therqfore shall thc so~icjstressof this god be called '3listress of
Magic'". A n d Thoth said to R 8 : "Hozc; l?appg i s this place lox that thou restc.st z~itlzitz i t as
one zcho ~catckesas king ocer the great god zcho i s i n S e r e f , at a distance of (?) four sdtoenoi".
[lo, 51 A n d Thoth said: "Therefore the ) ~ a m eof the palace i n this place shall be called ' T h e
happ!g place' from this day. I t i s o n the south-li*estof Krr7 at a distnnce of ( ? ) f o u r schoetzoi".
Tlzen RPr said to Horus of Behdet: " Hast thozi senrched (hh)these waters for tlze enemies?".
4 n d Thoth said: [lo, F] '' T h e nanle of the sacretl lnke i n this plnce shall be called ' ll'aters of
,<ecking3" (mw 1141). T h e n Rer said: "Hole nunlcrous are th!, boats, 0 IXorus of Bejzdef, o n
the lake idrnit) [ i n this place]". B n d Thotlz said: " T h e name of [the boat] of [this] god shall
be cctlled '(,rent [qf Terror]',%n?z(l t12e name of this 24 ater shall be called Dmit". [lo, 71 -4s for
St-i,b.i, it lies orr the !cater's edge: thc name ofit.spalact. is " T h e happy place ", " L o r d of Contbat "
is the narrle of fhcpriesf,[" ~ i i s i r e s osf Jlagic "1 is the ntrnzc of tlze songstress, " TT7atersof Seeliitzg "
3 = t~.ir?
? Brupsch's translation: "Da u a r [der Kampf] beendigt und kein [Feind war mehr] an dieser Stelle von

3iinute an" does not accord perfectly with u hat is still ~ i s i h l eof these damaged phrases.
Scene 10: C'hassinat, op. cit., v ~ 1,22-6; XIII, Pls. dsx-viii, dxxix; Saville, op. czt., svii.
St-i3b.i: "The place which I have desired" ? cf. Gduthier, op. cit., T ~ ,69, where references to the many
variants of the name are given. h'aville (z.A.S., 8, 123-8) considered that Sf-bb.i a a s specially connected

jgz:
with Horus anti Isis, 15hile Xeref. to which St-i9b.i was obviously very close, as connected with Osiris.
Seref, the necropolis of Sbusir el-?rIelek( ITb. d. aeg. Spr.. 11, 916; Gauthier, op. cit., 111, 66-7).
H n m : retl jasper, cf. Gardiner. Egyptian Hieratlc Texts, I (Leipzig, 1911), 41*, n. 10 = Koller, 4, 2.
Seth 1s also callecl a red hippopotamus (@--or db-dir) i ~other ? parts of the myth, e.g., TI, 216. 2 ; 217. 3, 9.
S r r : the twentieth nome of Upper Egypt, thenoine of Heracleopolis (TTb. d. aeg. Spr., n, 208; Gauthier,
01,. cd., III, 71). Restore ur [nru'] from IT, 124. 6 .
I?

 H. W. FAIRMAN

i s the name of the (sacred) lake, [Dmit is the name1] of the waters, [lo, 81 i ~ m and Bnd are the
names of the sacred trees, Ht-ntr the name of the sacred tottin, and "Great of Terror" the name
of the barque. The gods who are i n it are Horus of Behdet who slays the foreigners, Horus
son of Isis (and) Osiris . . . . . .
. . . . . . [lo, 912 with his harpooners and followers round about him, and with his lance, his
msnw, his . . . ,3 and all his ropes. Horus of Behdet boarded the barque. [He sailed dou~nstream]
to Lower Egypt [zaith his] follozaers [in order to reach?] those enemies. [lo, lo] As for the
harpooners who were in the Central Districts,* he made a great slaughter by means of them,5 and
106 of the enemy were brought away captice. As for the harpooners of the West, 106 enemies
zcere brought axay captive. As for the harpooners of the East, among whom zcas Horus of
Behdet, [lo, 111 he slezo them (the enemy) before RB i n the central cities. Then said REr to Thoth :
" h l y heart ( i s pleased) u;ith the work of these harpooners of Horus of Behdet, and his follozcers.
They shall (always) exist in the shrines, and offerings and libations [shall be made?] to their
images, [lo, l a ] together zcith their month-priests, and the whole temple staff of their temples, as
a rezuard for their having slain the enemy for me." Thoth said: " The Central Districts shall be
called ('The tozuns of) these harpooners' from this day. [lo, 131 The god who is i n them shall
be called Horus of Behdet, Lord of IIsn from this day, and the Western Msn shall be called ' The
City' from this day. As for the Western AIsn, it faces [the East] i n fchich R6r rises. And the
Eastern Msn shall be called ('The t o m of) these harpooners' from this day. [lo, 141 As for
the double town of Y s n , the work of these eastern harpooners, it faces south to Behdet, it is the
abode6 (2) of Horus. I n it shall be performed all rites for Horus qf Behdet i n Lozuer Egypt on
Thoth 2, Rhoiak 24, Tobi 7, and Jlechir 21 from this day. [lo, 151 Their zcaters shall be called
S t y ( ' T h e two places'), the name of their palace shall be called ' T h e pure place', and their
[priest?] shall be called 'Brave i n combat' ( K n - r h ~ )and
, their town shall be called ' T h e trork
of 11Isn'from this day."
[ I I ,11' REr said to Horus of Behdet: " These enemies, they have sailed to the East in order to
reach fwnw-mhw, they hace sailed to the East to Thel, their marshland". Then said Horus of
Behdet: " A l l that thou commandest shall come to pass, 0 REr, Lord of the gods, for thou art the
lord of commands". Then they boarded the barque of REr, and they sailed (bnt) to the East
(i;bt). Then he saw those enemies, some of them were fallen in the sea, and some of them were
fallen on the mountains. [ l l , 21 And Horus of Behdet assumed the form of a lion uiith the
face of a man, crozoned with the triple crown, his arm being like$int, and he hastened after them,
and he brought away 142 enemies. He slew them with his claws, he dragged forth their kidney^,^
their blood lay on the heights, and he made a meal out of them for his folloluers, while he was on
The restoration seems to be demanded by the context, but is hardly sufficient to fill the lacuna.
Perhaps restore ["Then Horus of Behdet set forth"] or some similar phrase.
The name of one of the weapons of Horus, the reading of which is uncertain: see further Chassinat's
note 1 on IT, 125. 1.
OF Qv:Gardiner suggests the emendation iw bri-ib "The island in the midst", and quotes Pap. Ch.
--llll I I
Beatty I, rt. 5 , 4. Since, however, there are so many references here to the central districts and towns, it
seems safer to leave the text without emendation. I n texts of the Ptolemaic period the rzcu*hriw-bb are
not infrequently mentioned as distinct from both Upper and Lower Egypt: e.g., h k ~ m imr, biti m mhw, ity ~n
rtcw hriw-ib, n, 11. 7 . A clear instance, however, of rww being used instead of iww occurs in 11, 43. 4, rxlc
hri(w)-ibTt5d-wr.
ir-nlf bjyt ot im.sn: the usual meaning of irt @yt m is "to make a slaughter of", but here it is quite
clear that the harpooners are the agents of Horus and not his victims.
$FE& : read hjyt pw c:~tH r. For h ~ y cf.
t JFb. d. aeg. Spr., rn,16.
Scene 1 1 : Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 127-8; sIn,Pls. dxxx, dxxxi; Naville, op. cit., xviii.
For dpt "kidney" cf. Tl'b. d. aeg. Spr., v, 443.
 THE MYTH OF HORUS AT EDFU-I

the mountains. Re? said to Thoth: " L o ! Horus of Belzdet i s like a lion on his msn, (standing)
on the backs of the enemies zcho yield hinz their kidneys". 1711, 31 Thoth said: " T h i s tozcn
shall be called H n t - i ~ b t it
, shall be called The1 front this day, and kidneys shall be brought
from the marshes (?) qf The1 fronz this day, and tlzis god shall be called Horus of Behdet, Lord
of JIsn, from this day".
Then RFr said to Horus of Behdet: "Let us sail to the Sea so that we ?nay drive the enemies,
lchether crocodiles or hippopotami, from Egypt". [ l l , 41 And Horus of Belzdet said: " -4s thou
desirest, 0 Rc'r, Lord of the gotls". Then he sailed after the remainder1(?) of the enemies zuhic7z
uas i n the ,Sea. Thereupon Thoth recited the spells for protecting the barque and the boats of the
harpooners, [ l l , 51 i n order to calm the sea when it is stormy. And R h said to Thoth: "Have
Ice not travelled ocer the whole la~td? Have we not tracelled ocer all the sen?" Thoth said:
" (These) zcaters shall be called ' Waters of travel' frorn this day.

Then they sailed upstreant again by night [ l l , 61 without seeing those enemies. Then they
reached S u b i c ~arzd the city of 8 3 ~ - h r t .Then
~ he saw those enemies and their ssgtyw i n the land
of TValcat plotting (11-31~3)against their lord. [11, .i] Thereupon Horus of Behdet assu7ned the
form of the Winged Disk on the prow of the barque of Rdr, and he took zcith hirn Xekhbet and Cto
as tzco uraei zcho strike terror i n the Jtesh of the rebels. Their hearts zcere zceak through fear of
hirn, and they could not stand but died immediately. [ll, 81 Then said the gods who were i n the
train of the barque of Rdr-Haraklzte: "How great is he zcho has placed himself between the tlco
urueus-goddesses! He lcas slain the foes by his fear". ,4nd RFr-Harakhte said: " Jfighty (11-r)are
the t z o uraeus-goddesses (w3dty)". Horus of Beltdet is called TTr ~ w d t yto this day.
[12, iI3 Then RB-flarakhte sailed i n his barque, and he moored at TjTts-Hr. Then Thoth
snirl: " The brightly coloured one has come forth frovz the horizon, and has srnitten the enenzies
i n this form zchich he has assumed". And he is called "Brightly coloured, who comes forth fronz
the horizon" to this day. Then said RPr-Harakhte to Thoth: " T h o u shalt ?nuke this zcinged
disk i n every place i n zchich 1 have rested, i n the places of the gods i n Upper Egypt, i n the
places of the gods i n Lolcer Egypt, . . . . . . the V7est, [12, 21 for he has 02-erthrown the cou,~cil
of the evil ones i n their paths". And Thotl~set u p this image everywhere and i n every place i n
tchich they are (nolc3) and i n which any gods or goddesses are to this day.
Sole as for the Winged Disk which i s on the shrines of all the gods and goddesses of Upper
and Lozcer Egypt, and on their chapels likewise, it i s Horus of Cet~det.As for Horus of Behdet,
great god, lord of heaven, lcho is pre-eminent i n the LTpper Egyptian itrt, he shall be put on the
right hand: he is Horus of Bekdet, [12, 31 and he has taken Xekhbet ztiith him as uraeus goddess.
-4s for Horus of Bejzdet, great god, lord of hearen, lord of Jlsn, pre-enzinent i n the Lower Egyptian
itrt, he shall be put on the left hand: he is Horus of Behdet. and Cto is with hinz as uraeus
yoddess. 3 s for Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, lord of llsn, prc-eminent i n the tlco
itrt of Cpper and Lolcer Egypt, REr-Harakhte has placed hint i n every place of his [in order
to] ocerthrolu the rebels i n z~lhateverplace tlzey may be in. Therefore is he called " Pre-emi~ent
in the tlco itrt of Cpper and Lozcer Egypt" to this day. [I.), 41 ,Is for this AIlornirzg Star4 orz the
east of heaven, lcko lightens the Two Lands with his eyes, he is Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of

Professor Gunn suggests that perhaps the

09 , , ,
-0
47 of the original should be emended
- 0
, ,.
(64, If the
test is left without emendation "the remaining third" would be a possible translation.
&IS-hrt:an unidentified city in Nubia, cf. Schafer in Beitrage zur Alten Geschichte, IV, 152-63, especially
pp. 157 ff. Neuberry suggests the transliteration &-shryt (Jozcmal, 14, 222, n. 1 ) ; cf. also Sewberry In
Klio, 12, 397, n. 3.
Scene 12: Chassinat, op. cit., VI, 129-31; sm,Pls. dxxxii, dxxxiii; Naville, op. cit., xix.
.' 7 E,<var. 4gJ : the god of the Morning Star ( V b . d. aeg. Spr., v, 423).
 36 H. W. FAIRMAN
heaven, who ocerthrozcs the enenzy i n the east i n the course of [every] day. Adoration of this
[god]. Utterance. Hail to thee, X o r n i n g Star! Hail to thee, Horus! Hail to thee, Horus of Behdet.
great god, lord of heaven! [lz, 51 T h o u overthrowest Apopis and the enemies [on] the east of
heaven, in heaven, earth, zcater, and the mountains, and they shall necer raise their heads.
T h o u overthrowest all the enemies of the Son of R b in hearen, earth, zcater, and the
mountains.
A s for . . . . . [on] the west of Pzcenet, zcho rises i n the evening on the west of heaven, and
whose rays pervade the T K OLands, [ i z , 61 he i s Horus of Behdet, he i s called " T h e Lone Star "l
and m e n see by his beauty. 14domtio?z of this god. Utterance. Hail to thee, Lone Star, thou star
o n the zcest of Ptuenet! [Hail to thee] Horus, who strides (2) (twnaf). Hail to thee, Horus of
Beh[det], thou living and great one, who camest forth from the S 4 n . T h o u overthrozoest Apopis
and the enemy o n the east of heaven, i n heaven, earth, zcater, and the mountains, [12, 'i] and
they shall nezler raise themselves (n twnasn r nhh). M a y thy fair face be kindly to the S o n of
R b , Ptolemy, zoho lives for ever, beloved of Ptah.
A s for the Winged Beetle zchich i s o n the shrines of all the gods and goddesses of Upper and
Lozoer Egypt, he i s Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of heaven, zcho overthrows [Alpopis and
the enemies and foes and the evil council i n their ways. T h e living and the dead [12, s] are
inscribed with his name, as i s done for his father REr-Haralchte to this day.
The king shall act (?) on the day on zuhich trouble and strife occur. A winged beetle in writing
shall be made o n his breast when he sees trouble, just as RCr-Harakhte did [when he saw] the
trouble of the S o n of R6r a, its face being that of a falcon, ( i t s ) lips those of a vulture, [12, 91
and its body that of a beetle. B e ye far from h i m , 0 ye foes, ye evil council, ye men, gods, spirits,
and dead, Apopis, thou foe of the So12 of Rcr, Ptolemy, zoho lices for ever, beloved of Ptah. He
i s the god's avenger (?) who came forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet i s his name. B e ye
far from h i m , 0 ye zaho are i n the train of REr, ye who are i n the train of S h u , ye zcho are i n the
train of Gbb, [le, lo] ye zuho are in the train of Horus, ye zuho are in the train of Seth! T h e
S o n of RB, Ptolemy who lives for ever, beloved of Ptah, he i s the god's acenger (?), zcho came
forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet i s his name (4 times). T h e n shall the king himself so!/:
" 1 a m the god's avenger (?) zcho came forth from Behdet, and Horus of Behdet i s m y ?za,ne"
( 4 times).
Let this utterance be recited zchen trouble occurs, [ l z , 111 and the king shall not be afraid, but
his foes will be slain before h i m , and his heart zuill rejoice over them immediately, a?zd (each)
one %ill slay his fellow immediately, as befell the enemies of R8-Harakhte when Horus of Behdet
[flew] against them as the great Winged Disk. T h i s image shall be made with the face of the
king to this day.
*%,, sbj-wrti: cf. Pyr., 251, b ; Wb. d. aeg. Spr., ~ v 82.
, In this case it is clearly the Evening Star.