The Pyramid Texts of UNAS

by Wim van den Dungen


Burial-Chamber l Passage-way l Antechamber l Corridor l Serdab

introduction l English text l commentary


I

SARCOPHAGUS CHAMBER

West Gable
(226 - 243)

"<" or ">" between numbers = sequence of the text
"<" from right to left (facing right) or ">" from left to right (facing left)


PROTECTIVE SPELLS


adapted from the pictures of L.F. Husson in :
Piankoff, A. : The Pyramid of Unas, Bollingen Series, 1968.

to download a larger picture click here
the text reads from right to left


Translation


{...}  :  restored passage
<...> : conjectured translation of unknown word
(...)   : words added to bring out the sense and/or to clarify

The first number given, is the ordinal position of the utterance in the present English version of the 228 utterances of the Unas text, while the second is the traditional enumeration of the sayings by Sethe.


Protection of the Sarcophagus Room (West)

all by the priest, except 5 and 15

1
(226)

To say the words :
Entwined is a Plait-snake by another Plait-snake, (and this)
toothless calf which came forth from the pasture has been entwined.

Earth, swallow up what has emerged from You !
Monster, lie down !
Crawl away !

The Majesty of the Pelican has fallen in the water.
Snake, turn over, that Re may see You !

2
(227)

To say the words :
"The head of the great black bull has been cut off."

Henepu-snake, I say this against You !
God-repelling scorpion, I say this against You !
Turn over, slide into the Earth, for I have said this against You.

3
(228)

To say the words :
One face has fallen on another face !
One face has seen another face !
The coloured knife, black and green, has gone against it.
It has swallowed the one it has licked.

4 (229)

To say the words :
This here is the fingernail of Atum, pressed on the knot of the vertebrae of Nehebu-Kas (the serpent deity), the one which stilled the turmoil from Hermopolis.

Fall down !
Crawl away !

5
(230) the two spells of Elephantine

by the priest :


To say the words :
Your two <poison-fangs> into the Earth !
Your two ribs into the hole !
Shoot liquid while the Two Kites will stand up.
Your mouth will be closed by the instrument of punishment, and the mouth of the instrument of punishment will be closed by Mafdet.
The one made <weary> will be bitten by the plait serpent.

by the King :


O Re, I, King Unas, have bitten the Earth. I have bitten Geb. I have bitten the father of him who would bite me. This one is the one who would bite me, I did not bite him. He bit me at the instant after seeing me. It was he who came against me, I did not go against him.

If You bite me, I will cause You to be alone ; (but) if You (only) look at me, I will permit You to have your companion.

by the priest

The plait serpent has been bitten by a serpent, a serpent has been bitten by the plait serpent. The sky will entwine, the Earth will entwine. The male who turns around the people will entwine, the god Blind-is-his-head will entwine, and You yourself, scorpion, will be entwined.

These are the two spells of Elephantine which are in the mouth of Osiris, which Horus has cast on the backbone (of the snake).

6
(231)

To say the words :
Your bone is a harpoon and You are harpooned. The hostile hearts are <held off>, and the pillars who are in the kiln's place are felled.

That is Hemen !

7
(232)

To say the words :
Vascular one, vascular one !
Seminal one, seminal one !
You long one of his mother, You long one of his mother !
Fluid one, fluid one !
The desert shall be washed for me.
Do not ignore me !

8
(233)

To say the words :
Fall, serpent that came forth from the Earth !
Fall, flame that came forth from Nun !

Fall down !
Crawl away !

9 (234)

To say the words :
On your face, You on his coil !
Get down on your backbone, You in your undergrowth !
Turn back because of me, You rejoicing with her two faces.

10 (235)

To say the words :
You long one, beaten flank, beaten flank !
You have copulated with the two female guardians at the threshold of my praised sovereign.


11
(236)

To say the words :
Earthen One of the Courtyard, <Trampled Porphyrite>, Foot-trampled, Cord, son of Hifeget - that is your name !

12  
(237)

To say the words :
The spittle is ended, what is in the (poison) sacs has fled to the house of its mother.

Monster, lie down !


13
(238)

To say the words :
The bread of your father is yours, You whose attack has missed !
Your own bread of your father is for You, You whose attack has missed !
The Gold of Jubilation, Apparent in Heat (as the Sun), that is your bull, the strong one against whom this is done.


14
(239)

To say the words :
The White Crown has emerged and swallowed the Great One.
The tongue of the White Crown gulped down the Great One, but the tongue was not seen.

15
(240)

by the King


To say the words :
Serpent, to the sky ! The centipede of Horus, to the Earth !
The cowherd, Horus, is stepping.
I, King Unas, have trodden on the path of Horus,
unknowingly, not knowing.

On your face, You in his undergrowth !
Be dragged away, You who are in his cavern !
Meat for the pot of Horus, which pervades the Earth !

O let the monster be off !


16
(241)

To say the words :
Spit of the wall !
Vomit of the brick !
What comes out of your mouth has been turned back against yourself !


17
(242)

To say the words :
The flame has been extinguished !
No lamp can be found in the house where the Ombite is.
The biting snake is all over the house of him whom it would bite, hiding in it.

18
(243)

To say the words :
Two Hetes-sceptres,
two Hetes-sceptres,
belong to two Djema-ropes,
two Djema-ropes,
as trampled bread.
Lion, go away !
Whether You are here or whether You are there, servant, spit out !


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initiated : 18 VI 2006 - updated : 29 VI 2012 - version n°3

© Wim van den Dungen