Egyptian Book of the Dead

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII. Chapter of passing through the chine of Apepi which is void. Oh, One of Wax,( 1 ) who takest captive and seizest with violence, and livest upon those who are motionless! Let me not become motionless before thee, let me not be paralysed before thee, let not thy venoms enter into my limbs, for my limbs are the limbs of Tmu. And if thou wouldst not be paralysed, let me not be paralysed. Let not thy languors enter these limbs of mine. I am the One who presideth over the pole of Heaven, and the powers of all the gods are my powers. I am he, whose names are hidden, and whose abodes are mysterious for all eternity. It is I who proceed from Tmu, and I am safe and sound.( 2 ) 17 Notes. Apepi is the personification of the storm-cloud and, as such, is the enemy of Râ, by whom he is vanquished. As representing a natural phenomenon of irregular occurrence, he is not deified like Sutu, the Darkness of Night. On comparing this chapter with the 99th, it would appear that the occasion for reciting it is on the journey of the heavenly boat through ridges of cloud, which are pictured as the coils of a great serpent, and described as [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] inanes, empty, void. In the papyrus of Nebket ( Pe ) the vignette shows the deceased person transfixing the dragon. The chapter itself was said over a wax figure of the demon. 1. These wax figures of gods and other personages were used not only for ritual but for unlawful magical purposes. The Rollin papyrus reports about a criminal condemned to death for magical arts. He was charged with making [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] ‘gods of wax,’ and some men “for the purpose of paralysing the limbs of men [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] [Source image: ⁂] .” See Chabas, Papyrus Magique , p. 170, and Devéria, Pap. judiciaire de Turin , p. 131. 2. The more recent texts omit this ending and substitute, “I know, I know.” Some MSS. have both readings.