Egyptian Funerary Texts

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Egyptian Funerary Texts:

The Cofn Texts

(Grajetzki 37)
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The outer coffin of Gua, from the tomb of Gua, Deir el-Bersha, Eg!t

"#th Dnast, "$%&-"7$& B'

(British useum)
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nner coffin of Gua, from the tomb of Gua, Deir el-Bersha, Eg!t

"#th Dnast, "$%&-"7$& B'

(British useum)

INTRODUCTION

Theoretical Approach: I use functionalism to see how the Con Texts

act in society.

A continuation of the Pyramid Texttraitions! the Con Texts "etter

e#ne the afterlife an portray its an$ers more ramatically. Intene

to ai the ecease in the afterlife! the Con Texts pro%ie spells for

protection from supernatural "ein$s an other an$ers in orer to

assure amission into the cyclical course of the sun an eternal life.

These spells ha no esta"lishe chronolo$ical orer an "e$innin$s or

enin$s of ini%iual spells are inconsistent from source to source

&Dunn'. (ritten for )ile *in$om ocials an their su"orinates!

they are foun not only on cons! "ut occasionally tom" walls! stelae!

canopic chests! papyri an mummy mas+s. Texts written on papyrus

are rare! "ut e#nitely existe to pro%ie copies for the scri"es who

wor+e on the cons &,aul+ner i'. -y the )ile *in$om! the practice

of inscri"in$ reli$ious texts on the cons "ecomes rarer! as more an

more people start to put papyri into their "urials thou$h these are not

always of a reli$ious nature &/ra0et1+i 23'.

-AC*/ROUND

As /ra0et1+i points out! 4(ritten texts ha%e "een always an important

part of elite "urials.5 Texts on cons! ori$inally 0ust the titles an the

tom" owners6 names! were funerary texts of the most re$ularity

&/ra0et1+i 78'. Inee! the con itself is the most constant feature of

"urials across the three millennia of 9haraonic history &uir+e ;7


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fra$mentation. >ur%i%in$ written recors portray the time as a perio

of political insta"ility an social unrest! explainin$ why it is easy to

istin$uish cemeteries from one another "y con style &/ra0et1+i ?CRI9TION

The scholar Ariaan e -uc+ i%ie the Con Texts into 1,18

di!erent spe""s! some assi$ne to lar$er compositions such as the

ma0or -oo+ of Two (ays. The spells always refer to the ecease in

the #rst person sin$ular an the lan$ua$e! althou$h it imitates that of

the Ol *in$om! was of classical )ile =$ypt inscri"e withhiero$lyphs an occasional early hieratic &Dunn'.

The Con Texts also sometimes inclue epictions of royal sym"ols

such as crowns or staBs in 4the so@calle o"0ect frie1e6 or frise

dobjets!6 a $raphical epiction of a %ariety of items associate with the

mummi#cation of the ecease an "urial rituals! as well as more

ritualistic o"0ects concerne with the well@"ein$ or esires of the

ecease5 &Ro"inson ?'.

Unli+e the 9yrami Texts! the Con Texts were almost always title

&sometimes the title came at a text6s en'. They were usually written
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in %ertical columns with the use of re in+ to i%ie spells. ,or

emphasis! some important spells were written entirely in re pi$ment.

The Con Texts are the #rst instance in =$yptian funerary literature to

use $raphic epictions! thou$h infreuently. The -oo+ of Two (ays an

>pell 7ometimes sna+es an other animalscreatures are inscri"e with

+ni%es in their "ac+s! intene to ensure the safety of the ecease

from the #$ure &Dunn'.

(Grajetzki &7)


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TE= -OO* O, T(O (AF>

4This is the path to the a"oes of those who li%e on sweet thin$s5

&CT;G2?'

(*obinson +)

The set of texts +nown as the -oo+ of Two ways is almost uniue as a

re$ional %ariety to the )ile *in$om cons of el@-ersheh. Descri"e

as the #rst Egyptian Cosmography! it presents the routes an pathsthat 1i$@1a$ past o"stacles throu$h the mythical Netherworl +nown as

the lans of $ostau. =xamples of some of the $ateways of ar+ness

are walls of Hame an Hint to trap an exclue the unwary &Ro"inson @

?'. There is "oth a shorter! oler %ersion an a lon$er %ersion of the

-oo+ &2'.

-A>IC OUTJIN= O, TE= 9ATE &Ro"inson 8@3':


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;. Risin$ sun escri"e! ecease "oars solarlotus "ar+ of Re to

"e$in 0ourney

. Two pathways: Upper "lue way an ar+er lower way separate "y

a re "an esi$natin$ a spell to pass 4Ja+e of ,ire of the +nife@

wielers.5

?. )eanerin$winin$crossin$ of multiple paths in some cases.

/eo$raphic features such as: waterways! "asins! #els an shrines.

Demonsmonsters present at "ens. Decease reas throu$h spells as

protection from! for example: 4Jar$e@face who ri%es oB a$$ressorsK a

spell for passin$ "y him which is "elow the waterway5 &CT;;


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(*obinson "#)

7. Decease recei%es special clothes an staBs of authority to

emonstrate successful initiation throu$h lanscape

2. =nters Rostau. Decease calls upon protection of Thoth to pass "y

watchers6 throu$h a hall that is i%ie into ? compartments "y

Hamin$ walls


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9=JJ> =MA)9J=>

>ome spells are uniue to ini%iual cons.

Issue of Creation:

The most common sur%i%in$ Con Text from all cemeteries of the

perio has to o with a poem intersperse "y commentary


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sometimes title incantation for $oin$ out &of the tom"' "y ay in the

necropolis.6 This title continue to "e use for series of funerary texts

after ;2GG -C an into the corpus of the -oo+ of the Dea &uir+e

;2L'.

Assumin$ Any ,orm:

Use in "oth the afterlife an life on earth! man &li%in$ or ea' coul

"ecome any form of his choosin$! 4into e%ery $o into which one mi$ht

esire to transform!4Assumin$ the form of any $o that man may wish

to assume5 &CTLG'.

Other spells mi$ht turn the ecease into #re! air! $rain! a chil or e%en

an amulet! while others allowe the ecease reunion with lo%e ones

an family in afterlife.

Apophis:

The Con Texts eal with the #rst time Apophis the hu$e serpent an

enemy of the sun. Ee continues to play a lar$e role in New *in$om

funerary "oo+s &Dunn'.

CONCJUDIN/ TEOU/ET>

A uote from the article "y Ro"inson I foun interestin$ reas: 4A

num"er of scholars ha%e su$$este that the =$yptian con! li+e the

%arious o"0ects inclue within the "urial! the reliefs on the tom" walls

an the tom" itself! acte li+e a machine to transport the ecease at

the moment of internment from this worl to the sou$ht@after afterlife5

&Ro"inson ;'.


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In any case! "y the en of the )ile *in$om the Con Texts were

re#ne into the &oo' o( the )ead.

Jauren Naler

-I-JIO/RA9EF

Allen! ames 9. The Egyptian Con Texts: Volume 8 Middle ingdom

Copies of !yramid Texts. The Uni%ersity of Chica$o: The Oriental

Institute! GG


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W,o-asic>earchW?,ueryW?DancientW-e$yptW-conW-text

Whall ,in Their

9aths6: >peculations on Ritual Janscapes in the -oo+ of Two (ays.65

=s. O6Connor! D an uir+e! >. Mysterious ,ands! ;?L@;2L. UCJ

9ress! Jonon: GG?.

>impson! (illiam *. The ,iterature of %n&ient Egypt. New Ea%en: Fale

Uni%ersity 9ress! GG?.

Egyptian Funerary Texts

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