Prince Khamwas and Si-Osire

(Part 2)

CONTINUED .....

Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman made a litter of wax with four bearers. He recited a spell to them, he gave them breath, he made them live. He commanded them, saying: "You are to go to Egypt, you are to bring Pharaoh of Egypt up to the place where the Ruler is. He shall be beaten with 500 blows of the stick in public before the Ruler, and you shall return him to Egypt, all within six hours." They said, "Certainly, we shall not omit anything."

The sorceries of the Nubian flew down to Egypt by night. They overpowered Pharaoh Menkh-Pre-Siamun. They took him to the land of Nubia, to the place where the ruler was. They beat him with 500 blows of the stick in public before the ruler, and they returned him to Egypt, all within six hours.

These were the events that Si-Osire related in public before Pharaoh and his nobles, while the people of Egypt listened to his voice. He said: "May the wrath of Amun, your god, smite you! These words that I have spoken, are they not the ones that are written in the document that is in your hand?" Said the chieftain of Nubia: "Go on reading All the words that you have spoken are true." Si-Osire spoke before Pharaoh:

When they had returned Pharaoh Siamun to Egypt, his back smitten with very great beating, he lay down in the private chamber of the palace, his back greatly smitten. On the morning of the next day Pharaoh said to his councillors: "What has occurred in Egypt while I was away from it?" Ashamed of their thoughts, which were, 'Perhaps Pharaoh has lost his mind?', the councillors said: "Your health, your health, Pharaoh our great lord! Isis, the great goddess, will drive away your affliction! What is the meaning of the words you
have spoken to us, [O Pharaoh] our great lord? You are lying in the private chamber of the palace and the gods protect you!"

Pharaoh raised himself; he let [the councillors] see his back, smitten with a very great [beating]. He said: "By Ptah, the great god I was taken to the land of Nubia this night. I was beaten with 500 blows of the stick in public before the ruler, and I was returned to Egypt, all within six hours." When they saw the back of Pharaoh smitten with a very great beating, they opened their mouths in loud cries.

Now Menkh-Pre-Siamun had a [magician] who was called Horus-son-of-Paneshe, a very [learned] man. He came to where Pharaoh was, uttered a loud cry and said: "My [great lord], these are the sorceries of the Nubians! By the life of your --- I will make them enter-- - - --execution!" Pharaoh said to him: "Make haste for me. Do not let me be taken to the land of Nubia another night!"

The [magician Horus-son-of] Paneshe returned [quickly]; he brought his books and his amulets to [where Pharaoh] was. He recited a spell to him and bound an amulet on him, to prevent the sorceries of the Nubians from gaining power over him. He [went] out from Pharaoh's presence, took his offerings and libations, went on board a boat, and hastened to Khmun. He went to the temple of Khmun, [made his] offerings and his libations before Thoth, the eight-times great,8 the lord of Khmun, the great god. He made a prayer before him saying: "Turn your face to me, my lord Thoth! Let not the Nubians take the shame of Egypt to the land of Nubia! It is you who [created] magic [spells]. It is you who suspended the sky, who founded the earth and the netherworld, who placed the gods with -- - . Let me know how to save Pharaoh [from the sorceries of the] Nubians!"

Horus-son-of-Paneshe lay down in the temple. That night he dreamed a dream in which the mysterious form of the great god Thoth spoke to him, saying: "Are you Horus-son-of-Paneshe, the [magician] of Pharaoh Menkh-Pre-Siamun? When the morning of tomorrow has come, go into the library of the temple of Khmun. You will find a chamber that is locked and sealed. Open it and you will find a chest in this chamber, and in it a papyrus scroll which I wrote with my own hand. Take it out, make a copy of it, and put it back in its place. Its name is "the book of magic." It has protected me from the enemies, and it will protect Pharaoh and will save him from the sorceries of the Nubians."

Horus-son-of-Paneshe awoke from the dream in which he had seen these things. He understood that what had happened was the doing of the god. He acted according to every word that had been said to him in the dream. He hastened to the place where Pharaoh was; he made for him a written amulet of sorceries.

When the second day came, the sorceries of Horus-son-of-the Nubian-woman returned to Egypt by night, to the place where Pharaoh was. In the same hour they returned to the place where the ruler was, for they were unable to gain power over Pharaoh, owing to the amulets with sorceries which the magician Horus-son-of-Paneshe had bound on him. On the morning of the next day Pharaoh told the magician Horus-son-of-Paneshe everything he had seen by night, how the sorceries of the Nubians had turned back because they were unable to gain power over him.

Horus-son-of-Paneshe had quantities of pure wax brought to him. He made a litter and four bearers. He recited a spell to them, he gave them breath, he made them live. He commanded them, saying: "Go to the land of Nubia this night. Bring the ruler down to Egypt, to the place where Pharaoh is. He shall be beated with 500 blows of the stick in public before Pharaoh, and you shall return him to the land of Nubia, all within six hours." They said, "Certainly, we shall not omit anything."

The sorceries of Horus-son-of-Paneshe flew with the clouds of the sky and hastened to the land of Nubia by night. They overpowered the ruler, they brought him down to Egypt, they beat him with 500 blows of the stick in public before Pharaoh, and they returned him to the land of Nubia, all within six hours.

These were the events which Si-Osire related in public before Pharaoh and his nobles, while the people of Egypt listened to his voice He said: "May the wrath of Amun, your god, smite you, you fiend of Nubia! The words that I have spoken, are they not the ones that are written in this document?" Said the Nubian, his head bowed down: "Go on reading. All the words that you have spoken are written in this document." Si-Osire said:

When all this had happened and the ruler had been returned to the land of Nubia within six hours, they put him down in his place. He lay down, he rose in the morning, greatly smitten by the blows he had received in Egypt. He said to his nobles: "I have been beaten with 500 blows of the stick in public before Pharaoh of Egypt, and they returned me to the land of Nubia again." He showed his back to the nobles, and they opened their mouths in a loud cry.

The ruler sent for Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman; he said: "May Amun, the bull of Meroe, my god, curse you! It was you who went to the people of Egypt. Now consider for me what you will do to
save me from the hand of Horus-son-of-paneshe!", He made his sorceries, he bound them on the ruler, in order to protect him from the sorceries of Horus-son-of-Paneshe.

On the night of the second day, the sorceries of Horus-son-Of Paneshe flew to the land of Nubia. They brought the ruler down to Egypt, they beat him with 500 blows of the stick in public before Pharaoh, and they returned him to the land of Nubia, all within six hours. This happened to the ruler for three days, for the sorceries of the Nubians were unable to protect the ruler from the hand of Horus-son-of-Paneshe.

The ruler was greatly distressed. He sent for Horus-son-of-the Nubian-woman, he said to him: "Woe you fiend of Nubia! You have caused me to be humiliated by the people of Egypt! You could not save me from their hands! By Amun, the bull of Meroe, my god, if you cannot make me [safe] from the sky-boats of the people of Egypt, I shall make you suffer a harsh death which shall be painful to you!" He said: "My lord the Ruler, let me be sent down to Egypt, that I may see him who does sorcery there, that I may do sorcery against him and let him taste the scorn I have in my heart for him!"

Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman was sent off by the ruler. He went to the place where his mother, the Nubian woman, was. (He told her all that had happened to him. She said to him): "If you go down to Egypt to do sorcery there, beware of the people of Egypt! You will not be able to contend with them. Do not get caught in their hands, for then you will not return to the land of Nubia ever!"

He said: "There is nothing to the words you have said. I cannot avoid going down to Egypt if I want to cast my sorceries into it." The Nubian woman, his mother, said to him: "If it is so that you will go down to Egypt, set some signs between me and you, so that if you are defeated, I shall come to you and see if I can save you." He said to her: "If it happens that I am defeated, then when you are drinking [and eating], the water will take on the colour of blood before you, the food before you the colour of meat, and the sky will have the colour of blood before you."

When Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman had set the signs between him and his mother, he hurried down to Egypt, crammed with sorcery. He traversed the land Amun had made to Memphis, to the place where Pharaoh was, searching for him who was doing sorcery in Egypt.

He came to the court before Pharaoh and said in a loud voice: "Woe to you who makes sorcery against me in the court, in the place where Pharaoh is, with the people of Egypt looking to him! You two scribes of the House of Life, (or) you scribe of the House of Life, who does sorcery against the ruler, bringing him down to Egypt inspite of me!"

When he had said these words, Horus-son-of-Paneshe stood in the court before Pharaoh and said: "Woe you fiend of Nubia! Are you not Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman' whom I rescued in the gardens of pre, when your companion from Nubia who was with you and you were drowning in the water, having fallen down from the mountain in the east of On? Do you not repent of having carried off Pharaoh, your lord, and having beaten his back in the place where the ruler is? Do you now come to Egypt, saying, 'Is he here who does sorcery against me?' By Atum, lord of On, the gods of Egypt have brought you here, to pay you back in their land! Beware, I come to you!"

When Horus-son-of-Paneshe had spoken these words, Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman answered him, saying: "Is it he whom I taught the language of wolves who does sorcery against me?"

The chieftain of Nubia then did a feat of sorcery: he made a fire break out in the court. Pharaoh and the nobles of Egypt cried out aloud, saying: "Hasten to us, you magician, Horus-son-of-Paneshe!" Horus-son-of-Paneshe made a magic formula and made the sky pour a southern rain on top of the fire. It was extinguished at once.

The Nubian did another feat of sorcery: he cast a big cloud on the court, so that no man could see his brother or his companion. Horus-son-of-Paneshe recited a spell to the sky and made it vanish and be stilled from the evil wind in which it had been.

Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman did another feat of sorcery. He made a great vault of stone, 200 cubits long and 50 cubits wide, above Pharaoh and his nobles, so that Egypt would be separated from its king and the land deprived of its lord. When Pharaoh looked up at the sky and saw a vault of stone above him, he opened his mouth in a great cry, together with the people who were in the court. Horus-son-of-Paneshe recited a magic spell: he created a sky-boat of papyrus and made it carry away the vault of stone. It sailed with it to "Great Lake," the big water of Egypt.

Then the chieftain of Nubia knew that he could not contend with the Egyptian. He did a feat of sorcery so as to become invisible in the court, in order to escape to the land of Nubia, his home. Horus-son-of-Paneshe recited a spell against him, revealed the sorceries of the Nubian, and let him be seen by Pharaoh and the people of Egypt who stood in the court: he had assumed the shape of a wild gander and was about to depart. Horus-son-of-Paneshe recited a spell against him and made him turn on his back, while a fowler stood over him, his sharp knife in his hand, and about to do him harm.

When all this happened, the signs that Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman had set between him and his mother all happened before her. She hastened down to Egypt in the guise of a goose. She stood
above the palace of Pharaoh, her voice screaming to her son, who was in the guise of a wild gander, while the fowler stood over him. Horus-son-of-Paneshe looked up at the sky; he saw the Nubian woman in the guise in which she was; he knew that she was the Nubian woman. He recited a spell against her and made her turn on her back, with a fowler standing over her, his knife about to give her death.

She changed the guise in which she was, assumed her shape of a Nubian woman, and pleaded thus: "[Do not make an end] of us, Horus-son-of-Paneshe! Forgive us this misdeed! If you will give us a sky-boat, we will not return to Egypt ever again!" Horus-son-of-Paneshe made an oath by Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, saying: "I shall not [let go of ] my feat of sorcery until you make an oath to me, not to come back to Egypt for any purpose!" The Nubian woman raised her hand, not to come down to Egypt ever again. Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman swore an oath, saying: "I shall not come down to Egypt for 1,500 years!"

Horus-son-of-Paneshe let go of his feat of sorcery. He gave a sky-boat to Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman and the Nubian woman, his mother, and they flew to the land of Nubia, their home.

Si-Osire reveals himself

These were the events that Si-Osire related before Pharaoh, with the people of Egypt listening to his voice, while Setne, his father, saw everything, and the head of the chieftain of Nubia was bowed down. He said: "By your life, my great lord, this one before you is Horus-son-of-the-Nubian-woman, whose story I have told, and who has not repented of those things he did previously, and has come down to Egypt at the end of 1,500 years to do sorceries here! By Osiris, the great god, lord of the netherworld, with whom I rest, I am Horus-son-of-Paneshe, I who stand before Pharaoh! When I found out in the netherworld that the fiend of Nubia was going to cast his sorceries here, while there was not a good scribe and learned man in Egypt at this time who would be able to contend with him, I begged Osiris in the netherworld to let me come up to the earth again, so as to prevent him from taking the shame of Egypt to the land of Nubia. The order was given by Osiris to let me come to the earth.

"I awoke, I flew up, so as to find Setne, the son of Pharaoh, on the desert of On, or the desert of Memphis. I grew as that melon vine, so as to return to the body again and be born in the land, in order to do sorcery against this fiend of Nubia who stands in the court." Horus-son-of-Paneshe did a feat of sorcery, while being in the shape of Si-Osire, against the chieftain of Nubia. He made a fire around him; it consumed him in the midst of the court, while Pharaoh saw it, together with his nobles and the people of Egypt.

Si-Osire vanished as a shadow from the presence of Pharaoh and Setne, his father, without their seeing him. Pharaoh marvelled greatly, together with his grandees, at the things they had seen in the court. They said: "There is not a good scribe and learned man like Horus-son-of-Paneshe! Never, never will there be his like again! Setne opened his mouth in a great cry, because Si-Osire had vanished as a shadow without his seeing him.

Pharaoh rose from the court, his heart excited by the things he had seen. Pharaoh commanded to make preparations on behalf of Setne, so as to receive him, because of Si-Osire, his son, so as to soothe his heart. When night came Setne went [to] his house with a very sad heart. Mehusekhe lay down at his side, and she received the fluid of conception from him that night. At the right time she bore a male child, who was named User-Mont-Hor.

Setne never failed to make burnt offerings and libations to the spirit of Horus-son-of-Paneshe at all times.

Colophon

This is the end of the book, written ------.