Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology

Jan.9] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1894.

I shine abovethe Leg (1) as I come forthin Heaven, but I lie

helplesswithcorpselikeface.

Oh I faint, I faint, as I advance ; I faint, I faint beforethe teeth

of those whosemouthravenethin the Netherworld.

Note.

1. The Leg. In this place,as in chapter 98 and othertexts,a
   constellationin the northern sky is meant, whichmanyyearsagoI
   identifiedwithCassiopeia.
   This constellation,accordingto chapter 98, is in the Northern
   sky and in the Great Stream vs. , by which I understand
   the "Milky Way." Thisposition is also in accordance with the
   ancienttext on the Coffin of Amamu, pi. XXVI, line22. TheLeg
   is as close to the Poleas the Great Bear(called the Thigh in
   Egyptian Astronomy) but in the opposite direction,and in con
   sequenceof this position it never sets below the horizon. Hencein
   the PyramidTexts (Pepi I, 411 and Merenra 589) it is called
   ^^(•ktiw- And here' according
   to these texts,as in the Book of the Dead (seechapter86),purifi
   cationwas obtained.
   The god ~ <\Lp> K\ «~ (also namedamong the 42
   judges)whosefacelooksbackwards, andwho is said to be gate
   keeperof Osiris, mustbe a star (e.g. 7 Cepheus) in the immediate
   neighbourhoodof the Polar StarwhichrepresentedOsiris. On the
   ancient coffinsof Amamu and Sit-Bastit thereis a chapter for

assumingthe form of a Vulture f- —» v\ £^ , in which the speaker

says"I am the Vulture god who is on the ^5j\<c=> j

I suspect thatin the formula ^ A m o jj 1 y ^K 0 _f ^5TT 1

s „

I '

I

saidof Osiris on the stelae of the twelfth dynasty, the constellation
in heaven andnot a place at Abydos was meant.

* It was afterwards incorporatedwith chapter149.

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