DUE: Thursday 16 October 2003

Horus Becomes a Man

Years had passed and Horus had become a man.  Isis was alone — she had lost her husband, lost her kingdom, and her child was far away from her.  She longed to see him once again.  Isis returned once again to the thatched house of her sister Goddesses Renenutet and Wedjet.  Her belly was once again round with child and she could not wait to share this news with her sisters.  She knocked on the door and a young man answered that was strong and handsome, he stood straight and looked at Isis.

Isis embraced him and said, “I am your Mother.”

Horus, seeing her round belly, and knowing that his father was dead, pushed her away. “Who is it that you have been with that you love more than my father and me?” Horus shouted.

“You make your Father proud, but it was only with your father in the realm of the dead that I lay with.” Isis replied.

Later that night while Isis lay asleep, Horus listened in on her.  He heard her mown in the embrace of a man and became angered once again.  Horus burst into the room, but he did not see another man in the room with his mother only the shadows of his father and mother embrace of love.  Startled Isis awoke from the dream to find Horus.  “What creature does lay with you!” cried Horus.

“It is your Father that comes in my dreams from the land of the dead” answered Isis.

“I wish to speak with my father in my dreams.” Horus said.

The Time had come for Isis to teach her son the ways of magic, the ways of the world, the path of the hero, and the way to his father.
Isis Traveled with Horus to all the shrines of his father, and in each shrine Isis taught Horus secrets of magic and the world.  Each shrine was a step closer to Osiris.

Finally, they came to Abydos, Isis then told Horus he most go alone now to speak to his father. So it was that Horus went forth and he went down in the sand to commune with Osiris.

Horus began his breathing and meditation techniques that Isis had shown him, until he went into the trance of the dead.

The voices of the dead came: “Osiris sleeps … Osiris is dead … Osiris has risen … Osiris is in the realm of dreams … Osiris is born again in his son … Osiris rules the realm of the dead.”  Osiris came to Horus, “Son you must raise my spirit from darkness, avenge he has done me wrong, and defend the gates.”

Horus replied. “Are you not a God, can you not do this your self?  I am young and must live my own life.”

Osiris stated” I am the barley I grow in you, I die in you.

Now that Horus had taken his place among the gods, Os iris decided that the time had come to deal with Set.  He tested Horus’ readiness to avenge his father’s murder by asking the following question: “What is the most glorious deed a man can perform?” Osiris asked his son.

Horus replied, “To take revenge upon one who has injured his father or mother.”

“What animal is most useful to a warrior?” his father asked.

“A horse,” said Horus.

“Why not a lion?” his father asked in surprise.

Horus replied, “A lion is more powerful, but a horse is much quicker. Therefore, a horse can help a warrior capture a fleeing enemy better than a lion can.”
When he heard this Osiris knew that the time had come for Horus to declare war on Set, and instructed his son to gather together a great army and sail up the Nile to attack him in the deserts of the south.  Horus gathered his forces and prepared to begin the war.

Ra, the shining father of the gods, came to his aid in his own divine boat that sails across the heavens and through the dangers of the underworld.  Before they set sail, Ra drew Horus aside so as to gaze into his blue eyes, for whoever looks into them, of gods or men, sees the future reflected there.  But Set was watching; and he took upon himself the form of a black pig — black as the thunder-cloud, fierce to look at, with tusks to strike terror into the bravest heart, with eyes that glinted with cunning and cruelty.

Ra said to Horus: “Let me gaze into your eyes, and see what is to come of this war.”  He gazed into the eyes of Horus and their color was that of the Great Green Sea when the summer sky turns it to deepest blue.  While he gazed the black pig passed by and distracted his attention, so that he exclaimed: “Look at that!  Never have I seen so huge and fierce a pig.”

And Horus looked, but he did not know that it was Set.  He thought it was a wild boar out of the thickets of the north, and he was not ready with a charm or a word of power to guard himself against the enemy.  Then Set aimed a blow of fire into the eyes of Horus; and Horus shouted with the pain and was in a great rage.  He knew now that it was Set; but Set had gone on the instant and could not be trapped.

Ra said to Horus: “Pray, let me see your eye since this has happened to it.” Then Ra saw it and said: “Pray, look at that injury in your eye, while your hand is a covering over the good eye which is there.”

Then Horus looked at that injury.  It assumed the form of a black pig.  Then Horus shrieked because of the condition of his eye, which was stormy and inflamed.  Horus said: “Behold, my eye is as at that first blow which Set made against my eye!”  Horus then lost consciousness.
Then Ra said: “Put him upon his bed until he has recovered.”  It was Set — he has assumed form against him as a black pig; and that is how he shot a blow into Horus’ eye.  Then Ra said, “The pig is an abomination to Horus.”

Ra caused Horus to be taken into a dark room, where he transferred his own illumination, his Divine Eye, into the eyes of Horus.  It was not long before his eyes could see again as clearly as before.

When he was recovered, Ra returned to the sky.  Horus was filled with joy that he could see once more, and as he set out up the Nile at the head of his army.  The country on either side shared his joy and blossomed into spring.
 

The War in Heaven Begins

Horus emerged as a great man, his muscles bulging and a sun disc on his head.  Wherever he went, the people saw him and knew that a God a king, had returned.  Every town that Horus went he brought the teachings of Osiris, he taught them the scales of justice.  Set’s men, seeing this and tired of desert life, deserted Set and joined with Horus.  In return Horus showed them the secrets of Iron weapons, the fleetness of the horse and the loyalty of the Lion.

One day the Goddess Hathor spied Horus and became infatuated with him.  All that gazed upon Hathor fell in love.  So too did Horus fall in love with Hathor, but was unsure of what to do because he had never know the company of a woman, except his mother Isis and her nursemaids.  Even Set’s concubine, Tauret, deserted him to go to Horus.  This enraged Set — not only had he grown to be a man, not only had his men deserted him, not only did Osiris’s name become common place again, but now his concubine had left him as his wife Nephthys deserted him.  “This is too much,” he thought.  The war had begun.

Set sent forth a giant serpent to kill Horus and his followers, but the serpent was cut to pieces by the faithful of Horus.  So Set set forth to hunt Horus with his knife and cut him to pieces himself.  But rather then fight Horus transformed into a hawk and flew up into the heavens.

Here he came to the council of the Gods.  Horus, the young god that was seated in the presence of the Universal Lord, claimed the office of his father Osiris.  Beautiful in his appearance, the son of Ptah, who illumines the west with his complexion, stood tall and declared, “I am the son of Osiris, rightful heir to the thrown of Egypt.  I have come to take back what was stolen from my father.”

Meanwhile, Thoth was presenting the uninjured Eye to the great prince who is in Heliopolis.  Then said Shu, the son of Ra, in the presence of Atum, the great prince who is in Heliopolis: “Justice is a possessor of power.  Administer it by saying, ‘Award the office to Horus.’”

Thoth, addressing the Ennead, agreed: “It is correct a million times.”

 Immediately, Isis let out a loud shriek, rejoicing exceedingly, and she came before the Universal Lord and said, “North wind, go to the west.  Impart the good news to Onnophris.”

Then added Shu, “The one who presents the uninjured Eye is loyal to the Ennead.”

 Silent until now, Atum spoke: “Indeed, what is the meaning of your exercising authority alone by yourselves?  You call this fair?  You have not even heard Set speak!”

Onuris, however, continued unabated: “He shall assume the cartouche of Horus, and the White Crown shall be placed upon his head.”

But Atum had not given his word to this, and was angered that the gods have not waited for his decision.  The Universal Lord remained silent for a long while, being furious at this Ennead.  Then Atum came forth, still angry with Thoth for cheating Ra out of five days’ worth of light: “Give the crown to Set, for the crown of Egypt was meant for a God born of the Sky Goddess Nut.”

The whole Council then began to argue and fight.  As Sun and Moon fought each other, the sky darkened over Egypt.  The Goddess Nut, Goddess of Heaven and all that is in it was incensed with her children.  What right had they to change the course of events that she had set into place?  All the Stars move by her command, what right had these souls to awaken her from her dream?

Then Set, the son of Nut, came in and stated, “I am the ruler.  I took the throne when my brother died.  Now this child wants to take what is in my hands?  Have him dismissed outside with me that I may let you see my hands prevail over his hands in the presence of the Ennead, since there is not known any other method of dispossessing him.”

Said Thoth to him: “Shouldn’t we ascertain who is the imposter?  It is while Osiris’ son Horus is still living that his office is to be awarded to Set?”

Atum became exceedingly furious, for his wish was to give the office to Set, great in virility, the son of Nut.

Onuris let out a loud shriek before the face of the Ennead, saying, “What shall we do?”
 

Thoth’s Letter to Neith

The deliberations came to a standstill for a period of eighty years before the gods decided to seek the advice of Neith, the creator goddess.  Atum, the great prince who is in Heliopolis, finally asserted himself with an idea that appealed to the Ennead: “Have Banebdjede, the great living god, summoned that he may judge between the youths.”  Banebdjede, the great god who resides in Sehel, and Ptah-Tatenen were brought before Atum, and he told them: “Judge between the two youths and stop them from being engaged so in quarreling every day.”

Banebdjede, the great living god, answered what he had said: “Do no have us exercise our authority ignorantly.  Let a letter be sent to Neith the Great, the God’s Mother.  As for what she will say, we shall do it.

The Ennead said to Banebdjede, the great living god: “It is already a first time that they have been adjudged in the ‘One are the Truths’ court.”  Then the Ennead asked Thoth, in the presence of the Universal Lord, “Please compose a letter to Neith the Great, the God’s Mother, in the name of the Universal Lord, the Bull who resides in Heliopolis.”

Thoth said to them, “I’ll do so, surely; I’ll do so, I’ll do so.”

Then he sat down to compose the letter and wrote: “The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra-Atum, beloved of Thoth, the Lord ofthe Two Lands, the Heliopolitan, the Solar Disk that illumines the Two Lands with its hue, the Nile mighty in flooding, the living manifestation of the Universal Lord, the Bull in Heliopolis, asks, ‘What shall we do for these two individuals who for eighty years now have been in the tribunal, but neither of whom can be judged?’  Please write us what we should do.”  The letter was quickly sent.

Then Neith the Great, the gods’ Mother, sent a letter in reply to the Ennead, saying: “Award the office of Osiris to his son Horus.  Don’t commit such blatant acts of inequity which are illegal, or I shall become so furious that the sky will touch the ground.  The Universal Lord, the Bull who resides in Heliopolis, ought to be told to enrich Set in his possessions.  Give him Anath and Asarte, your two daughters, and install Horus in the position of his father Osiris.”

And so the letter of Neith the Great, the gods’ mother, reached this Ennead as they were sitting in the “Horus with the projecting Horns” court, and the letter was delivered into Thoth’s hand.  Thoth read it out in the presence of the Universal Lord and the entire Ennead, and they declared unanimously: This goddess is correct.
But the Universal Lord became furious at Horus and told him: “You are despicable in your person, and this office is too much for you, you lad, the flavor of whose mouth is still bad.”  Onuris became exceedingly furious, as did the entire Ennead that constituted the Council of the Thirty.

Suddenly, and without provocation, Set stood right up and told Atum, “Your shrine is vacant,” and proceeded to walk out of the court.  Atum took offense at Set’s insult, and retired to lie down on his back in his pavilion, very much saddened and alone by himself.
The Ennead ran outside and let out a loud cry before the face of Set, “Get out!  This offense that you have committed is exceedingly great.”  Furious, they departed to their huts.

After a considerable while Hathor, Lady of the Southern Sycamore, came and stood before her father, the Universal Lord, and she exposed her vagina before his very eyes. Thereupon the great god laughed at her, but took her in and enjoyed her company.  Feeling better, he summoned the court back in session to finally settle the dispute amongst the gods.
 

Back in Court

Then he got right up and assumed his seat with the Great Ennead.  He said to Horus and Set, “Speak concerning yourselves.”

 Set, great in virility, the son of Nut, said, “As for me, I am Set, greatest in virility among the Ennead, for I slay  the opponents of Ra daily while I am at the prow of the Bark of the Millions, and not any other god is able to do it.  I should receive the office of Osiris.”

Then many of the Ennead admitted: “Set, the son of Nut, is correct.”

But Onuris and Thoth let out a loud cry, saying, “Is it while a bodily son is still living that the office is to be awarded to a maternal uncle?”

Banebdjede argued the other side: “The living Great God, is it while Set, his elder brother, is still living that the office is to be awarded to a mere lad?”

The Ennead let out a loud cry before the face of the Universal Lord and said to him: “What is the meaning of the words that you have said which are unfit to be heard?”

Said Horus, son of Isis: “It is no good, this cheating me in the presence of the Ennead and depriving me of the office of my father Osiris.”

Thereupon Isis became furious at the Ennead and took an oath by the God in the presence of the Ennead as follows: “By my mother Neith, the goddess, and by Ptah-Tatenen, with lofty plumes, who curbs the horns of gods, these matters should be submitted before Atum, the great prince who is in Heliopolis, and also before Khepri, who resides in his barque.

And the Ennead said to her: “Don’t become angry.  The rights will be given to the one who is in the right.  All that you have said will be done.”

Set, the son of Nut, became furious at the Ennead when they had said these words to Isis the Great, the God’s Mother, So Set said to them: “I shall take my scepter of 4,500 nemset-weight and kill one of you a day.”  And then Set took an oath by the Universal Lord, saying: “I shall not go to law in the tribunal while Isis is still in it.”

Said Atum to the Enned (save Isis): “You shall ferry across to the Island in the Middle and decide between them there.  Tell Nemty, the ferryman, not to ferry any woman across resembling Isis.” And so the Ennead left the court and ferried across to the Island in the Middle, sat down and ate bread.

But Isis transformed herself into an old woman who walked with a hobble and wore a small golden signet-ring on her hand.  She followed the Ennead and approached Nemty, the ferryman who was sitting near his boat.  She said to him, “It is in order that you might ferry me across to the Island in the Middle that I come to you, because it is for the young lad that I have come carrying this bowlful of porridge, since he has been tending some cattle on the Island in the Middle for five days now and is hungry.”

He said to her, “I have been told not to ferry any woman across.”

But she said to him, “It is with reference to Isis that you have been told this which you have just mentioned.”

After looking around, he asked her, “What will you give me in order that you may be ferried across to the Island in the Middle?”

Isis: “I will give you this cake.”

Nemty replied, “What good is it to me, your cake?  Is it in exchange for your cake that I should ferry you across to the Island in the Middle when I have been told not to ferry any woman across?”

Then she said to him, “I will give you the golden signet-ring which is on my hand.”

And he agreed: “Hand over the golden signet-ring.”  She gave it to him; then he ferried her across to the Island in the Middle.

She conjured a spell, by means of her magic, transforming herself into a young maiden whose body was beautiful and whose like did not exist in the entire land.  As she was walking under the trees, she looked around and saw the Ennead sitting and eating bread in the presence of the Universal Lord in his pavilion.  Set was looking around when he saw the young maiden from afar.  After she came closer, he desired her most lecherously.

Set got right up and ran down the hill.  He proceeded to overtake her, comfortable that no one had seen her except himself.  Then he stood behind a sycamore tree and called to her.  He said to her, “I am here with you, beautiful maiden!”
Isis told him a tale of woe: “I was a wife with a cattleman to whom I bore a son.  After my husband died, the lad started tending his father’s cattle.  But then a stranger came one day, and he settled in my stable.  He told my son, ‘I shall beat you and confiscate your father’s cattle and evict you.’  Now it is my desire to have you afford him protection.”

Lured by her story, Set replied, “Is it while the son of the male is still living that the cattle are to be given to the stranger?”

Immediately, Isis transformed herself into a kite, then flew up and perched on top of an acacia tree.  She called down to Set and said, “Be ashamed of yourself!  It is your own mouth that has said it!  It is your own cleverness that has judged you!  What comeback do you have now?”  Set realized that his own words had condemned his case, so he became ashamed and went to where Atum was, still ashamed.

Atum said to him: “What’’s bothering you still?”

Said Set to him, “That wicked woman has come to me again.  She has tricked me again, having transformed herself into a beautiful maiden before my eyes and spinning a tale about her victimized son, which he repeated word for word.

Atum had to admit: “Now look here, it is you yourself that has judged your own self. What comeback do you have now?”

Set replied, escalating his anger, “Have Nemty, the ferryman, brought and severe punishment inflicted upon him.  We should ask him, ‘Why did you let her be ferried across?’  So it shall be said to him!”

Then Nemty, the ferryman, was brought before the Ennead, who cut off his toes as punishment for his crime.  He renounced gold and all possessions, then retired to live a lonely life.
 

The Battle of the Hippopotami
 
Given time to reflect and discuss the matter further, an understanding was reached in the heavens.  Ra, growing weary of the fighting, conceded his position in order to end the dispute.  Back in court that evening, Ra and Atum, Lord of the Two Lands, the Heliopolian, wrote to the Ennead, saying, “What are you doing still sitting here?  As for the two youths, you will be having them finish our their lifetime in the tribunal!  When my letter reaches you, you shall place the White Crown upon the head of Horus, son of Isis, and appoint him to the position of his father Osiris.”

Geb, lord of the gods, commanded that the Nine Neteru gather to him.  He judged between Horus and Set in an attempt to end their quarrel.  He made Set the king of Upper Chemmis up to the place in which he was born, which is Su.  And Geb made Horus King of Lower Chemmis, up to the place in which his father was drowned, which is “Division-of-the-Two-Lands.”  Thus Horus stood over one region, and Set stood over one region.  They made peace over the Two Lands at Ayan.  That was the division of the Two Lands.
 
But Set became terribly furious.

The Ennead said to Set, “Why have you become so furious?  Isn’t it in accordance with what Atum, Lord of the Two Lands, the Heliopolitan, and Ra have said that things should be carried out?  Then the White Crown was set upon the head of Horus, son of Isis.

Set, being very angry, let out a loud shriek before the face of this Ennead, saying, “Is it while I am still living as his elder brother that the office is to be awarded to my younger brother?  The White Crown shall be removed from the head of Horus, son of Isis, and he shall be thrown into the water in order that I may contend with him or the office of ruler.  Ra acquiesced.

Set turned to Horus with a challenge: “Come, let’s both transform ourselves into hippopotamuses and submerge in the deep waters in the midst of the sea.  If one of us shall emerge within the span of three whole months, the office shall not be awarded to him.”  They walked to the Nile, and both submerged and were not seen for many days.

Isis sat down and wept, saying, “Set has killed Horus, my son.”  She fetched a skein of yarn, fashioned a line, fetched a deben-weight’s worth of copper, molded it in the form of a harpoon, tied the line to it, and hurled it into the water at the spot where Horus and Set had submerged.  But the copper barb bit into the person of her son Horus, who surfaced and let out a loud shriek, saying, “Help me, mother Isis, my mother.  Appeal to your copper barb to let go of me.  I am Horus, son of Isis.  Isis let out a loud shriek and told her copper barb, “Let go of him.  See, it is my son Horus.  He is my child.”  So her copper barb released its grip.

Then she again hurled it back into the water, and this time it bit into the person of Set, who let out a loud shriek, saying, “What have I done against you, my sister Isis?  Appeal to your copper barb to let go of me.  I am your maternal bother!”  Isis felt exceedingly compassionate toward him.  Set called to her again, asking, “Do you prefer the stranger to your maternal brother Set?”  So Isis, crying with heartache, appealed to her copper barb, saying, “Let go of him.  See, it is Isis’s maternal brother whom you have bitten into.” Then the copper barb let go of Set.

This made Horus, son of Isis, furious at his mother, and he went out of the water with his face as fierce as an Upper Egyptian panther’s.  Waving his cleaver of 16 deben-weight in his hand, he removed the head of his mother Isis, put it in his arms, and ascended the mountain. Then Isis transformed herself into a statue of flint which had no head.

Said Atum to Thoth, “Who is that statue without a head?”

Thoth replied, “My good lord, that is Isis the Great, the God’s Mother, after Horus, her son, removed her head.”

Atum then let out a loud cry and said to the Ennead, “Let us go and inflict severe punishment upon Horus.  The Ennead ascended the distant mountains in order to search for Horus, son of Isis.

Thoth immediately used his magical words of power to change his daughter’s head into the head of a cow, and he quickly attached it to her body.  Isis, seeing her reflection in the waters, exclaimed, “I have been remade in the image of my Mother!”

Set Quickly put forth his plea to the Gods: “See what Horus does!  He attacks his own mother!   He should be punished!”

Horus, who fled to compose himself, knew that Set would have to remain free, at least for the time being.  He would conquer him, but in some other way.

Horus arrived home after dark, and he found Isis awake and waiting for him.  Still she had the head of a cow.  Horus replaced her head with her own head, and placed upon it a crown that resembled the horns of a cow.  “I am sorry mother.  I have been in error.”  Horus wept as he placed his head in the lap of his mother.

Isis forgave her son and apologized: “I believed Set and he tried to seduce me.  I am a fool.  But come with me Horus, I will show you what you need to see.”  Isis led Horus to farm.  “What do you see?” asked Isis.

“Some pigs and some corn,” answered Horus.

“That is all you need to see.  From pigs come pigs, from corn comes corn.  You are from Osiris and reap your harvest, but Set can only reap dirt and pigs,” stated Isis.
 

The Violations
 
The next day, Horus was lying under a shenusha-tree in the land of the oasis, but Set tracked Horus to a field where the hawk God slept.  Set found him, seized hold of him, threw him down upon his back on the mountain, and plucked his two eyes out of their sockets with his dagger.  The Two Eyes rolled down the hill and became buried in the mountain.  The two balls of his eyes became two bulbs which grew into two blue lotus flowers that illumined the earth with their brilliance.   Set ran away and, when confronted by the Ennead, he told Atum falsely, “I did not find Horus,” although he had indeed found him.

Hathor, Mistress of the Southern Sycamore, had also been searching for Horus and saw the glow from the blue lotus.  She found Horus in the field weeping.  Hathor comforted the blind hawk God.   She captured a gazelle and milked it.  Then, with the milk of a gazelle, Hathor healed the wounds and restored the eyes of Horus.  She said to Horus, “Open your eyes so that I may put this milk in them.”  Then he opened his eyes and she put the milk in them, putting some in the right one and putting some in the left one.  She told him, “Open your eyes.”  And he opened his eyes.  She looked at them both and found that they were healed.

She set out to tell Atum, “I found Horus after Set had deprived him of his eyes, but I have restored him back to health.  See, he has returned.

Said the Ennead, “Let Horus and Set be summoned in order that they may be judged.”  Then they were brought before the Ennead.

Horus returned to heaven and spoke: “Set Plucked my eyes out, but Hathor healed me!”

Returned Set: “I couldn’t have, for I was nowhere near you.”

As their arguments flew back and forth, Ra became furious: “I am sick of your fighting!  The two of you are worse then the humans!”  Ra continued his screaming as he stormed off.

The gods of heaven agreed: “The fighting must stop.  Both of you go home together, have cakes and beer.”

Said the Universal Lord before the Great Ennead to Horus and Set: “Go and obey what I tell you.  You should eat and drink tonight so that we may have some peace.  You must stop quarreling every day endlessly.”

Set quickly reached his hand out to Horus: “Come, Nephew, let us celebrate peace.  Let’s make holiday in my house.”

For Horus, Set brought out the finest fruits, the best cuts of meat.  Horus enjoyed the feast, but Set ate only lettuce.  The two gods drank beer long into the night.  Then Set said to Horus, “Come — If we are to have peace between our two lands then we must lay down beside each other in bed.”  Horus, too drunk on beer to disagree, went to sleep facing East, as Set went to sleep facing West.  The two resembled the lions of Aker, Yesterday and Tomorrow.

But during the night, Set caused his phallus to become stiff and inserted it between Horus’s thighs.  Then Horus, in his sleep, placed his hands between his thighs and received Set’s semen.

Early the next morning, Horus went to show his mother Isis what had been done: “Help me, Isis, my mother.  Come and see what Set has done to me.”  He opened his hands and let her see Set’s semen.  She let out a loud shriek, seized a copper knife, cut off his hands, and discarded them into the river.  Then she fetched some fragrant ointment and applied it to Horus’ phallus.  She caused it to become stiff and inserted it into a pot, and he caused his semen to flow down into it.

That morning, Isis carried the semen of Horus to the garden of Set.  She asked Set’s gardener, “What sort of vegetable is it that Set eats here in your company?”

The gardener replied, “He doesn’t eat any vegetable here in my company except lettuce.”  That being said, Isis walked into the lettuce garden with the jar and added the semen of Horus onto it.

Soon Set arrived, according to his daily habit, and ate the lettuce.  This made him become pregnant with the semen of Horus.

Later that morning, Set went up to Horus: “Come.  Let’s go so that I may contend with you in the tribunal.”  Horus agreed.

They both went to the tribunal and stood in the presence of the Great Ennead.  They were told to speak concerning themselves.

Set started: “Let me be awarded the office of Ruler.  Horus, the one who is standing trial, has received the labor of a male against him that I have performed.”  The Ennead let out a loud cry.  They spewed and spat at Horus’ face.  But Horus laughed at them.

Horus then took an oath by gods as follows: “All that Set has said is false.  Let Set’s semen be summoned that we may see from where it answers, and my own be summoned that we may see from where it answers.”

Then Thoth, lord of script and scribe of truth for the Ennead, put his hand on Horus’ shoulder and said: “Come out, you semen of Set.”  It answered him, but from the distant water in the interior of the marsh.  Thoth put his hand on Set’s shoulder and said: “Come out, you semen of Horus.”

Then it said to him: “Where shall I come from?”

Thoth said to it: “Come out from his ear.”

Horus’ semen questioned Thoth: “is it from his ear that I should issue forth, seeing that I am divine seed?”

Then Thoth said to it: “Come out from the top of his head.”  Suddenly, it emerged as a golden solar disk upon Set’s head.  Set became exceeding furious and extended his hands to seize the golden solar disk, but Thoth took it away from him and placed it as a crown upon his own head.

Then the Ennead agreed: “Horus is right, and Set is wrong.”
And so Set took a great oath by the gods as follows: He shall not be awarded the office until he has been dismissed outside with me and we build for ourselves some stone ships and race each other.  Now as for the one who shall prevail over his rival, he is to be awarded the office of Ruler.
 

Horus, the Winged Disk
 
The armies of Set and Horus drew near to one another among the islands and the rapids of the First Cataract of the Nile.  Then Horus built for himself a boat of pine, plastered it over with gypsum, and launched it into the water at evening time without anybody who was in the entire land having observed it.  Soon, however, Set saw Horus’s boat and thought it was of stone.  And he went to the mountain, cut off a mountain top, and built for himself a boat of stone of 138 cubits.

They embarked upon their ships in the presence of the Ennead, but Set’s boat immediately sank in the water.  Infuriated and embarrassed, Set cried out to his henchmen to attack their enemies with full vigor.

In the year 363 of the reign of Ra upon the earth it befell that the god was in Nubia with a mighty army.  Set, the Evil One, had rebelled against him, for Ra was advanced in years, and Set was of all beings the most cunning and treacherous.

With his chariots and horsemen and foot-soldiers Ra embarked on the Great River and came to Edfû, where Horus of Edfû joined him in his boat.

“O Ra,” said Horus, “Great are your enemies, and cunningly do they conspire against you!”

“My son,” answered Ra, “Arm yourself and go forth against my enemies, and slay them speedily.”

Horus then sought the aid of the god Thoth, the master of all magic, by whose aid he changed himself into a great sun-disk, with resplendent wings outstretched on either side.  Horus flew up into the horizon in the form of the great Winged Disk, for which reason he is called “Great god, lord of heaven,” unto this day.  And when he saw the enemies in the heights of heaven he set out to follow after them in the form of the great Winged Disk, and he attacked with such terrific force those who opposed him that they could neither see with their eyes nor hear with their ears, and each of them slew his fellow.

Each man judged his neighbor to be a stranger, and a cry went up that the foe were upon them.  Each turned his weapon against the other, the majority were slain, and the handful of survivors scattered.  And Horus hovered for a while over the battle-plain, hoping to find Set, but the arch-enemy was not there; he was hiding in the North Country.

Then Horus returned to Ra, who embraced him kindly.  And Horus took Ra and the goddess Astarte, and showed them the battlefield strewn with corpses.

Ra, king of the gods, said to those in his train: “Come, let us voyage to the Nile, for our enemies are slain.”  But Set still had a large following, and some of his associates he commanded to turn themselves into crocodiles and hippopotami, so that they might swallow the occupants of the divine barque and yet remain invulnerable by reason of their thick hides.  Horus, however, had gathered his band of smiths, each of whom made for himself an iron lance and a chain, on which Thoth bestowed some of his ever-powerful magic.  Horus also repeated the formulae in the Book of Slaying the Hippopotamus, so that when the fierce animals charged up the river the god was ready for them; many of them were pierced by the magic weapons and died, while the remainder fled.  Those who fled to the south were pursued by Horus, and were at length overtaken.

Another great conflict ensued, where the followers of Set were again vanquished.  According to the desire of Ra, a shrine was raised to commemorate the victory, and his image placed there.  Yet another encounter, however, was to take place in the South Land ere the followers of Set were utterly destroyed.
 

The Slaughter of Set’s Monsters
 
Then Horus and Ra sailed northward toward the sea in search of Set and his allies, hoping to slay all the crocodiles and hippopotami, which were the bodily forms of their foes, but the beasts kept under water, and four days had elapsed before Horus caught sight of them.  He at once attacked them, and wrought great havoc with his glittering weapons, to the delight of Ra and Thoth, who watched the conflict from the boat.

Then Horus, in the form of the Winged Disk, placed himself upon the front of the Boat of Ra.  And he placed by his side the goddess Nekhebet and the goddess Uatchet, in the form of two serpents, that they might make the enemies to quake in all their limbs when they were in the forms of crocodiles and hippopotami.  Then those enemies rose up to make their escape from before him, and the face of the god was towards the Land of the North, and their hearts were stricken through fear of him.  Horus was at the back side of them in the Boat of Ra, and those who were following him had spears of metal and chains of metal in their hands and the god himself was equipped for battle with the weapons of the metal workers which they had with them.

The god spent four days and four nights in the water in pursuit of them, but he did not see anybody, but soon enough he found them and saw them.  And Ra said to Horus: “O Winged Disk, the great god and lord of heaven, seize them!”  He hurled his lance after them, and he slew them, and worked a great overthrow of them.  He brought one hundred and forty-two enemies to the forepart of the Boat of Ra, and with them was a male hippopotamus which had been among those enemies.  He hacked them in pieces with his knife, and he gave their entrails to those who were in his following, and he gave their carcasses to the gods and goddesses who were in the Boat of Ra on the river bank of the city of Heben.

Then Ra said to Thoth, “See what mighty things Horus has performed in his deeds against the enemies!

Then said Thoth to Ra,” Horus shall be called ‘Winged Disk, Great God, smiter of the enemies in the town of Heben’ from this day forward, and he shall be called ‘He who stands on the back’ and ‘prophet of this god’ from this day forward.”

Then was Set very greatly incensed, and decided to come forth in person to do battle with Horus. Horrible indeed were his cries and curses when he heard the losses his army had sustained.  Horus and his followers went out to meet the army of Set, and long and furious was the battle.

Then Horus spoke in the presence of his father Ra, saying, let me set this boat against them, so that I may be able to perform against them that which Ra wills.”  Then he made an attack upon them on the lake which was at the west of this district, and he perceived them on the bank of the city which belonged to the Lake of Mertet.

Horus made an expedition against them, and his followers were with him, and they were provided with weapons of all kinds for battle.  He waged a great overthrow among them, and he brought in three hundred and eighty-one enemies.  He slaughtered them in the forepart of the Boat of Ra and he gave one of them to each of those who were in his train.

Then Set rose up and came forth, and raged loudly with words of cursing and abuse because of the things which Horus had done in respect of the slaughter of the enemies.  Horus did battle with the Enemy for a period of time, and he hurled his iron lance at him, and he throw him down on the ground in this region, which is called Pa-Rerehtu unto this day.

Then Horus came and brought the Enemy with him, and his spear was in his neck, and his chain was round his hands and arms, and the weapon of Horus had fallen on his mouth and had closed it; and he went with him before his father Ra, who said, “O Horus, the Winged Disk, twice great is the deed of valor which you have done, and you has cleansed the district.”

And Ra said unto Thoth, “Let the enemies and Set be given over to Isis and her son Horns, and let them work all their heart’s desire upon them.”  So Isis and her son Horus cut off the head of the Enemy Set, and the heads of his fiends in the presence of father Ra and of the great company of the gods.  Horus dragged him by his feet through his district with his spear driven through his head and back.

Ra said to Thoth, “Let the son of Osiris drag the being of disaster through his territory.”

Thoth replied, “It shall be called Ateh,” and this hath been the name of the region from that day to this.

And Isis, the divine lady, spoke before Ra, saying, “Let the exalted Winged Disk become the amulet of my son Horus, who has cut off the head of the Enemy and the heads of his fiends.”

Thus Horus, the son of Isis, slaughtered that evil Enemy, and his fiends, and the inert foes, and came forth with them to the water on the west side of this district.  And Horus was in the form of a man of mighty strength, and he had the face of a hawk, and his head was crowned with the White Crown and the Red Crown, and with two plumes and two uraei, and he had the back of a hawk, and his spear and his chain were in his hands.  And Horus, the son of Isis, transformed himself into the Winged Disk again.

Soon it was discovered, however, that the man who was captured was not Set, but only one of Set’s associates who had perished miserably.  The Evil One himself was still at large, vowing vengeance on his enemies.

Set took upon himself the form of a hissing serpent, and he entered into the earth in this district without being seen, while his followers took courage from the knowledge that he had eluded his enemy.

And Ra said, “Set has taken upon himself the form of a hissing serpent.  Let Horus, the son of Isis, in the form of a hawk-headed staff, set himself over the place where he is, so that the serpent may never more appear.”

Then the Boat of Ra arrived at the town of Het-Aha; its forepart was made of palm wood, and the hind part was made of acacia wood; thus the palm tree and the acacia tree have been sacred trees from that day to this.  Then Horus again embarked in the Boat of Ra, saying, “O Ra, Lord of the gods. Grant that this Boat may pursue them into every place, wherever they shall go, and I will do to them whatsoever pleases Ra.”

And everything was done according to what he had said.  Then this Boat of Ra was brought by the winged Sun-disk upon the waters of the Lake of Meh, and Horus took in his hands his weapons, his darts, and his harpoon, and all the chains which he required for the fight.

The gods remained for six days on the canal, waiting for the reappearance of the foe, but none were to be seen.  However, Horus finally saw a few of Set’s remaining fiends.  Horus threw one metal dart, and dragged them along straightway, and he slaughtered them in the presence of Ra.  And he made an end of them, and there were no more of the fiends of Set in this place at that moment.

They untied the Boat of Ra, and they sailed up the river to the east.  Then they looked upon those enemies which had fallen into the river, and the others that had fallen headlong on the mountains.

Horus then transformed himself into a lion which had the face of a man, and which was crowned with the triple crown.  His paw was like unto a flint knife, and he went round and round by the side of them.  He captured one hundred and forty-two of the enemies, and he rent them in pieces with his claws.  He tore out their tongues, and their blood flowed on the ridges of the land in this place, and he made them the property of those who were in his following while he was upon the mountains.

Then Ra said unto Horus, “Let us sail to the south up the river, and let us smite the enemies who are in the forms of crocodiles and hippopotami in the face of Egypt.”

And Horus said, “Let us sail up the river against the remaining one-third of the enemies who are in the water.”  Then Thoth recited the chapters of protecting the Boat of Ra and the boats of the blacksmiths, which he used for making the sea tranquil when a storm was raging on it.

Ra said to Thoth, “Have we not journeyed throughout the whole land?  Shall we not journey cover the whole sea in like manner?”

And Thoth said, “This water shall be called the ‘Sea of journeying,’ from this day onward.”  They sailed about over the water during the night, but they did not see any of those enemies at all.

Then they made a journey forth and arrived in the country of Ta-sti, at the town of Shas-hertet, and he perceived the most able of their enemies in the country of Uaua, and they were uttering treason against Horus, their Lord.

Horus changed his form into that of the Winged Disk, and took his place above the bow of the Boat of Ra.  And he made the goddess Nekhebit and the goddess Uatchit to be with him in the form of serpents, so that they might make the Sebau fiends to quake in all their limbs.  The boldness of the fiends subsided through the fear of him, and they made no resistance whatsoever.  Many died instantly at the sight of Horus in his blazing form.

Then the gods who were in the Boat said, “Great, great is that which he has done among them by means of the two Serpent Goddesses, for he bath overthrown the enemy by means of their fear of him.”

Horus traveled on in his boat and landed at the city of Apollinopolis Magna.  And Thoth said, “The being of light who has come forth from the horizon has smitten the enemy in the form which he has made, and he shall be called Being of Light who has come forth from the horizon from this day onwards.”

And Ra said to Thoth, “You must make this Winged Disk to be in every place where I seat myself, and in all the seats of the gods in the South, and in all the seats of the gods in the Land of the North in the Country of Horus, that it may drive away the evil ones from their domains.”

Then Thoth made the image of the Winged Disk to be in every sanctuary and in every temple, where they now are, wherein are all the gods and all the goddesses from this day onwards.  Now through the Winged Disk which is on the temple-buildings of all the gods and all the goddesses of the Land of the Lily, and the Land of the Papyrus, these buildings become shrines of Horus.
 

The Final Battle
 
Horus set out in a boat splendidly decorated by Isis, who also laid magic spells upon it, so that its occupant might not be overcome. But emerging from the rushes, and gathering his remaining energies, Set transformed himself into a red hippopotamus of gigantic size and  planned to break Horus’ boat.
In the water the red hippopotamus waited for the wrecking of the boat, so that he might swallow his enemies.  But this he was destined never to do, for directly he showed himself above water.  Set uttered a great curse against Horus and Isis: “Let there come a terrible raging tempest and a mighty flood against my enemies!” he cried.  His voice was like the thunder rolling across the heavens from the south to the north.

At once a violent storm broke over the boats of Horus and his army; the wind roared and the water was heaped into great waves.  The raging storm broke over the boats of Horus and his train, so that the waters were lashed into fury.  Had it not been that the boats were protected by magic, all would assuredly have perished.  But Horus, however, held on his course undismayed, his own boat gleaming through the darkness, its prow shining like a ray of the sun.

Set opened his mighty jaws to destroy Horus and his followers, when he saw that the mighty storm had not wrecked their boats.  Distracted by his failed plan, Set turned around and stood at bay, straddling the whole stream of the Nile, so huge a red hippopotamus was he.  But Horus took upon himself the shape of a handsome young man, twelve feet in height.  His hand held a harpoon thirty feet long with a blade six feet wide at its point of greatest width.  It was such a weapon that no ordinary mortal could not lift.

Horus took his copper harpoon and prepared to hurl it at Set.  But the Ennead told him: “Don’t hurl it at him!”

But Horus cast his harpoon anyway, and it struck deep into the head of the red hippopotamus, deep into his brain.  And that one blow slew Set, the great wicked one, the enemy of Osiris and the gods.  This was the end of Set, the Evil One, the murderer of Osiris and the enemy of Ra.  The red hippopotamus sank dead beside the Nile at Edfu.  The storm passed away, the flood sank and the sky was clear and blue once more.

Then the people of Edfu came out to welcome Horus the Avenger and lead him in triumph to the shrine over which the great temple now stands.  They sang the song of praise which the priests chanted ever afterwards when the yearly festival of Horus was held at Edfu: “Rejoice, you who dwell in Edfu!  Horus the great god, the lord of the sky, has slain the enemy of his father!  Eat the flesh of the vanquished!  Drink the blood of the red hippopotamus!  Burn his bones with fire!  Let him be cut in pieces, and the scraps be given to the cats, and the offal to the reptiles!  Glory to Horus of the mighty blow, the brave one, the slayer, the wielder of the Harpoon, the only son of Osiris, Horus of Edfu — Horus the Avenger!”

Horus, the victor, gathered the harpoons, put them in his boat, and sailed downstream.

 
The Final Judgment

Horus sailed to Sais in order to speak with the Ennead, specifically to Neith the Great, the gods’ Mother: “Let judgment be passed on me and Set, seeing that it is eighty years now that we have been in the tribunal and they have been unable to pass judgment on us, nor has he yet been vindicated against me.  But it is a thousand times now that I have been in the right against him every day, although he doesn’t regard anything that the Ennead has said.  I have contended with him in the “The Path of the Truths” court, and I have been vindicated against him.  I have contended with him in the “Horus with the Projecting Horns” court, and I have been vindicated against him.  I have contended with him in the “Field of Rushes” court, and I have been vindicated against him.  I have contended with him in the “Pool of the Field” court, and I have been vindicated against him.

The Ennead agreed, and said to Shu: “Horus, son of Isis, is correct in all that he has said.”

But, once again, Set came before the Gods in heaven.  His speech was planned, and he had confidence that he would win.  “The throne should be mine.  I am born from Nut and Geb.”

Horus shouted, “You killed my father and imprisoned my mother!”

“You have no proof of these falsehoods!” claimed Set.

Isis entered the argument: “My Mother Nut proclaimed Horus to be rightful heir to throne!” she spat.

“Shut up, you old wench!” shouted Set.  He banged his staff on the floor, calling Thunder and Lighting to fill the sky.  “You, with your magic!”

“Seducer of children!” cried Isis, referring to the way that Set had violated Horus.

But Set defended himself well: “Children?  Children?  I though you said he was a Man?”  Set then faced the other gods of the Ennead: “I will have nothing more to do with this council so long as Isis is here.  This is between me and Horus.”

“Fair enough,” stated Ra.  “We will move the council to the Island of Reeds.  We will instruct the ferryman not to let any one that looks like Isis on the island.”  So the Council moved to the Island of Reeds.

Isis again disguised herself as an old hag, and went to the ferryman.  “Halt, woman.  I am not to let any woman across,” stated the ferryman.

Isis replied, “I am to bring raisin cakes and beer to that man over there he has not eaten in three days.  You are not to allow anyone that looks like Isis.  Do I look like Isis?”  Isis coughed and spit into the man’s face.

“Not in the least!” proclaimed the man.

“Then ferry me across, and I’ll give you some cakes.”  Isis returned.

“I can not,” answered the man.

“Then take this gold ring so as I can feed that poor boy who has not eaten in three days,” came Isis.

The ferryman gave in to Isis and ferried her across.  Once across, Isis turned into a beautiful girl.  Once again, Set saw this young girl, and went into the bush to speak with her.  Isis began to cry.

“Why do you cry, woman?” asked Set.

Isis began to tell her story: “A man came and killed my husband.  He took my house and my cattle.  Then he cast me out with my son.  I beg you, if you are truly a god, then honor my husband and help me!”

“What a horrible thing to happen,” replied Set.  “A man killing your husband and taking your house.  I shall help you,” Set said confidently.  He then grabbed her by the waist and held her tightly.  “I weep for you lovely lady.”  Set moved still closer.

But Isis pushed him away and screamed: “Your own words condemn you!!”  She then transformed into a swallow and flew up into the acadia tree.

Set screamed in anger.  He pounded his fist and he wept, “That Evil Woman has tricked me yet again!”  Then he repeated her words to mock her: “A man has taken my house and kicked me out ….”

Suddenly, Ra looked down upon Set and asked, “What did you say?”

Set, a little surprised, replied, “I felt sorry for her …  and I said that it was an awful thing … and that I would help her ….”

“Then it is over,” stated Ra firmly.  “Horus gets the throne.”

Unable to concede, Set quickly pulled his knife and held it to Ra’s neck: “Give me one more fight or I’ll kill all the gods in heaven!” threatened Set.

Ra called out to the heavens: “I am sick of all this fighting!  What do you decree, Thoth?”

Thoth repeated his earlier argument: “We must let Osiris decide, for it was his throne.”

“Then we shall send a letter to Osiris in the underworld and abide by the decision,” proclaimed Ra, pushing Set aside.

Thoth then relayed this to the Universal Lord: “Have a letter sent to Osiris so that he may judge between the two youths.”

Then said Shu, “What Thoth has told the Ennead is correct a million times.”

Atum, the Universal Lord, instructed Thoth: “Sit down and compose a letter to Osiris that we may learn what he has to say.”

Thoth sat down to fill out a letter to Osiris with the words: “Bull, the lion who hunts for himself; the Two Ladies, protecting the gods and subduing the Two Lands; Horus of God, who invented mankind in the primeval time, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Bull in the midst of Heliopolis, son of Ptah, most glorious one of the Two Banks, appearing as father of the Ennead while he eats of gold and glaze, the possessor of sanctity, please write us what we should do for Horus and Set so that we do not exercise our authority ignorantly.”

Now afterward, following this, the letter reached the King, son of Ra, Great in Bounty and Master of Sustenance.  He let out a loud cry after the letter had been read out in his presence. Then he answered it very quickly, writing to the place where the Universal Lord was together with the Ennead, saying: “Why should my son Horus be cheated when it was I that made you mighty and it was I alone who could create barley and emmer in order to sustain the gods as well as the cattle following the gods; whereas, not any god or any goddess found himself competent enough to do it?”

So Osiris’s letter reached the place where Atum was, sitting together with the Ennead on the White Mound in Xois.  it was read out in his and the Ennead’s presence, but some questioned the words of Osiris.  Atum commanded Thoth: “Please answer for me the letter very quickly to Osiris, and tell him in the letter, ‘If you had not come into being and if you had not been born, barley and emmer would exist anyway.’”

The letter of the Universal Lord reached Osiris, and it was read out in his presence. Then he again wrote to Atum as follows: “It is exceedingly good, all that which you have done, O you who invented the Ennead as an accomplishment, although justice was allowed to sink down within the netherworld.  Please look at the situation also on your part.  As for the land in which I am, it is filled with savage-faced messengers who do not fear any god or any goddess.  I have but to let them go forth, and they will fetch the heart of whoever commits misdeeds and they will be here with me.  Indeed, what is the meaning of my happening to be here resting in the west while you are all outside?  Who among you is there that is mightier than me?  But see, you have invented injustice as an accomplishment.  When Ptah the Great, South of his Wall, Lord of Ankh-tawi, created the sky, isn’t it so that he told the stars that are in it, ‘It is in the west where King Osiris is that you shall set every night’?  And he told me, ‘Now after the manner of gods, so patricians and commoners also shall go to rest in the place where you are.’ So he said to me.”

Osiris’ letter reached the place where the Universal Lord was seated together with the Ennead.  Thoth received the letter and read it out in the presence of Atum and the Ennead.  After pondering the words for a moment, they said: “The Great in Bounty and Master of Sustenance is doubly correct in all that he has said.”

But Set was relentless: “Let us be taken to the Island in the Middle so that I may contend with him.”

Then Atum, Lord of the Two Lands, the Heliopolitan, went to Isis, saying: “Bring Set, restrained with manacles.”  Isis brought Set, restrained with manacles, as a prisoner.  Said Atum to him: “Why do you not allow yourself to be judged?  Instead you usurp for yourself the office of Horus?”

Thoth, the lord of Divine Words, brought forth a great balance scale and weighed the testimony of Set on one scale and Osiris’ defense on the other.  When the balance registered in favor of Osiris, he, Isis, and Horus were recognized as speakers of truth, while Set was unmasked as a liar.  As a result, Osiris became judge of the dead in the Hall of Hudgment, weighing their testimony on the great balance scale, just as Thoth had weighed his.

Atum then asked what Set’s next excuse might be.

Finally, a contrite Set replied: “On the contrary, my good lord. Let Horus, son of Isis, be summoned and be awarded the office of his father Osiris.”

Horus, son of Isis, was brought, and the White Crown of Upper Egypt was placed upon his head, and he was installed in the position of his father Osiris.

Then it seemed wrong to Geb that Horus’ previously awarded portion of Egypt was equal to that portion that was allotted to Set, so Geb gave Horus his inheritance, for he is the firstborn son.  Hence, Geb also placed the Red Crown of Lower Egypt upon Horus’ head.

Geb’s spoke to the Nine Neteru: “I have appointed Horus, the firstborn — him alone, Horus, the inheritance.  To his heir, Horus, my inheritance, to the son of my son, Horus, the Jackal of Upper Chemmis, the firstborn, Horus, the Opener-of-the-ways, the son who was born ---  Horus, on the Birthday of the Opener-of-the-ways.”

The rest of the Ennead told him: “You are a good King of Egypt.  You are the good lord of every land unto all eternity.”

Thereupon Isis let out a loud scream of delight on behalf of her son Horus, saying: “You are the good king.  My heart is in joy.  You have illumined the earth with your complexion.”

Then Ptah the Great, South of his Wall, Lord of Ankh-tawi, said: “What shall be done for Set since Horus has been installed in the position of his father Osiris?”

Said Ra: “Let Set, son of Nut, be delivered to me so that he may dwell with me, being in my company on the Solar Barque as a son, and he shall thunder in the sky and be feared.”

Osiris, pleased with the judgments, then pleaded for his own position in the heavens: “The birth of Limitless in the horizon will be prevented if you prevent me from coming to the place where your are.  The birth of Sirius will be prevented if you prevent me from coming to the place where you are.  The Two Banks will be held back from Horus if you prevent me from coming to the place where you are.  The birth of Orion will be prevented if you prevent me from coming to the place where you are.”

Thoth agreed, and turned to Horus, requesting his Udjat, the Divine Eye: “Perfect is the Eye of Horus.  I have delivered the Eye of Horus, the shining one, the ornament of the Eye of Ra, the Father of the Gods.  Let the Eye of Horus come forth from the god and shine outside his mouth.”
 
Horus then removed his Eternal Eye, placed it in his father’s mouth, and directed him to swallow it.  Osiris immediately became much stronger and regained his full abilities to see, speak, and walk.

Said Thoth: “The Eye of Horus will protect you.  It can be cast down headlong against all of your enemies, and can make them fall down before you.  The Eye of Horus comes, sending forth rays like Ra in the horizon.”

Once fully recovered, Osiris spoke: “The Eye of Horus has made me holy.  I will hide myself among you, O stars, which are imperishable.  My brow is the brow of Ra.”

With the help of Ra, Horus set up a ladder so tall that it reached from the Other World up to the world of the gods above the earth.  Horus and Set were positioned astride the ladder, guarding its rungs to the sky.

Osiris then reflected on his journey to the heavens: “I have inundated the land which came forth from the lake, I have torn out the papyrus-plant, I have satisfied the Two Lands, I have united the Two Lands, and I have joined my mother the Great Wild Cow.  O my mother, the Wild Cow which is upon the Mountain of Pasture and upon the Mountain of the zhzh bird, the two djed-pillars stand, though the broken rubble has fallen, and  ascent on this ladder which my father Ra made for me.  Horus and Set take hold of my hands and take me to the Duat.”

Osiris slowly climbed up to join the gods, with Isis leading the way and Nephthys behind him, saying, “Come, the Eye of Horus has delivered for me my soul, and my ornaments are established on the brow of Ra.  Light is on the faces of those who are in the members of Osiris.  That which has been dead will now be opened by the command of the Eye of Horus, which has delivered me.  Established are the beauties of the forehead of Ra.  I shall see the Gods and the Eye of Horus burning with fire before my eyes.”

Thoth then spoke to Osiris: “In your name of Dweller in Orion, with a season in the sky and a season on earth, O Osiris, turn your face and look on this King, for your seed which issues from you is effective.  If he lives, this King will live.”  Osiris looked at his son proudly, then ascended the ladder to the Duat.

Said Thoth: “Your hand is taken by Ra, your head is lifted up by the Two Enneads.  Behold, he has come as Orion.  Behold, Osiris has come as Orion, Lord of Wine in the Weg festival.”

Next, Horus ascended the ladder to the sky: “May I soar cloudwards to the sky, like a hero.  May I surpass the side-locked ones of the sky, the plumes on my shoulders being like spines.  May Orion give me his hand, for Sirius has taken my hand.  The earth is hacked up for me, and offerings are presented to me.”

On their journey upward, Thoth remarked: “The king becomes a star.  Your hand is grasped by Ra.  Your head is raised by the Two Enneads.  Rejoice, for he has come as Orion — Osiris has come as Orion, Lord of wine at the wag-feast.  Conceived of sky, born of dusk.  Sky conceived you and Orion; dusk gave birth to you and Orion.  Who lives does so only by the gods’ command — You shall live!  You shall rise with Orion in the eastern sky.  You shall set with Orion in the western sky.  Sirius, pure of thrones, is your guide on sky’s good paths, in the Field of Rushes.”

The gods welcomed Osiris warmly, for they were delighted to have him living among them once again.  As the news spread throughout the universe, there was turmoil in the sky.  “We see something new,” shouted the primeval gods.

Atum then spoke to the gods: “O you Ennead, Horus is in the sunlight, the possessors of forms make salutation to him.  All the Two Enneads serve him, for he sits on the throne of the Lord of All.  The King takes possession of the sky; he cleaves its iron.  The King is conducted on the roads to Khoprer, the King rests in life in the West, and the dwellers in the Duat attend him.  The king shines anew in the east, and he who settled the dispute will come to him bowing.  Make salutation, you gods, to the King, who is older than the Great One, to whom belongs power on his throne.”

Horus, son of Isis, has arisen as Ruler.  Atum rejoiced exceedingly and said to the Ennead: “You shall jubilate from one land to the next for Horus, son of Isis!”

Isis, with pride, proclaimed: “Horus has arisen as Ruler, the Ennead is in festivity, and heaven is in joy!”

Horus stood over the land.  He is the uniter of this land, proclaimed in the great name: Ta-tenen, South-of-his-Wall, Lord of Eternity.  Then sprouted the two Great Magicians upon his head.  He is Horus who arose as king of Upper and Lower Chemmis, who united the Two Lands in the Nome of the Wall, the place in which the Two Lands were united.

They donned wreaths when they saw Horus, son of Isis, arisen as great Ruler of Egypt.  As for the Ennead, their hearts were satisfied, and the entire land was in exultation when they saw Horus, son of Isis, assigned the office of his father Osiris, lord of the Duat.

Thus it concludes successfully in Thebes, the place of Truth.
 

Sources:
1.  http://www.eternal-goddess.com/storys/story.htm
2.  http://home.san.rr.com/egyptianmyths/isismyth.htm
3.  http://touregypt.net/contendingshorusseth.htm
4.  http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/leg/index.htm
5.  http://www.ceo.cudenver.edu/~geoffrey_humphrey/afad/osiris.htm
6.  http://touregypt.net/featurestories/coffintext.htm
7.  http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/1900horuspig.html
8.  http://touregypt.net/shabakastone.htm
9.  http://www.philae.nu/philae/sevenscorp.html
10.  http://www.philae.nu/philae/Horus&Seth.html
11.  http://www.horuspublications.com/about/myths.html
12.  http://touregypt.net/legendofhorusofbehutet.htm
13.  http://www.entheogens.org/Utchat/Utchat%201.htm
14.  http://www.mystae.com/epopteia/eyex.html
15.  http://www.creatures-kbc.com/ae_orion_in_pt.htm
16.  http://www.creatures-kbc.com/ae_ptduat.htm
17.  http://members.tripod.com/~ib205/pyramid_texts_1.html
18.  http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/Places/chemmis.htm