Ancient Egyptian Prayers and Ritual

Worship
Egyptian religion was very complex with many books of worship but the most well known is the Spells of
Coming(or going) Also known as The Book of the ea! he Book of the ea! was the pro!uct of a long process
of evolution starting with the "yrami! Texts of the #l! $ing!om through the Co%in Texts of the &i!!le
$ing!om' About one(thir! of the chapters in The Book of the ea! are !erive! from the earlier Co%in Texts'
There is no single papyrus of the complete text but there are separate that were later put together there are
)*+ known books within the book of the !ea!' the Book of the ea! was thought to be an ancient Egyptian
Bible' one of the most famous images from the book of the !ea! is the !eity Anubis weighing the heart of a
fallen pharoah against the feather of truth to !etermine where he is to resi!e for eternity in the afterlife' ('
Anthony)
"rayer to ,sis- "rayer of Awakening
YouTube Video
.ehes/ nehes/ nehes/ Awake/ awake/ awake/
.ehes em hotep/ Awake in peace/
.ehes em neferu 0a!y of "eace'
.ebet hotepet 1ise thou in peace/
2eben em hotep/ 1ise thou in beauty'
2eben em nefuru/ 3o!!ess of 0ife/
.ut4ert en Ankh/ Beautiful in heaven/
.efer em pet5 6eaven is in peace'
"et em hotep Earth is in peace'
Tu em hotep' # 3o!!ess/
.ut4ert sat .ut aughter of .ut/
Sat 3et/ aughter of 3eb/
&erit Ausar7 Belove! of #siris/
.ut4ert asha renu5 3o!!ess rich in names5
Anekh brak' All praise to 8ou'
Anekh brak' All praise to 8ou'
Tu a atu' Tu a atu' .ebet Aset5 , a!ore 8ou' , a!ore 8ou' 0a!y ,sis5
"roverbs-
0ove is one thing/ knowle!ge is another'
9or every 4oy/ there is a price to be pai!'
The only thing that is humiliating is helplessness'
,f his heart rules him/ his conscience will soon take the place of the ro!'
Exuberance is a goo! stimulus towar!s action/ but the inner light grows in silence an! concentration'
To know means to recor! in one:s memory7 but to un!erstan! means to blen! with the thing an! to assimilate it
oneself'
The man who knows hwo to lea! one of his brothers towar!s what he has known may one !ay be save! by that
very brother'
True teaching is not an accumulation of knowle!ge7 it is an awakening of consciousness which goes through
successive stages'
(& $houry)
2orship(3o!s)(
They worshipe! many go!s at temples' "eople woul! give o%erings to those go!s' "haraoh were consi!ere!
living go!s'
2orship(Animals)(
There were speci;c animals that were sacre!'The Egyptians thought by honoring them/ they woul! be pleasing
the go!s'

Cats(The male cat ha! religious connections with 1a' $ittens were speci;cally reare! for
sacri;cial<worship uses'They were also honore! for their hunting'

Cattle( Beef was often use! as a sacri;cial o%ering to various !eities'
Bull( They represente! power/ aggression/ fertility7 these coul! be attributes of kingship'
Scarab beetle(The emblem of a speci;c go!!ess/ the scarab beetle was associate! with the !aily birth
of he sun/ an! cre!ite! with many generation of its young'

=ackel(it was consi!ere! a protector of royal tombs from robbers an! helpe! in the afterlife 4ourney'
6awk( A hawk/ who soars high above the worl! f humans/ seeming to expen! no energy in his long
hours aloft'
"rayer(
>The book of ea! was a gui!e for the afterlife
>The Am!uat/ books of gates an! caverns were books of netherworl!
>The 6igh "riest performe! rituals at the temples
?The 3reat 6ymn to the Aten?
6ow manifol! it is/ what thou hast ma!e5
They are hi!!en from the face (of man)'
# sole go!/ like whom there is no other5
Thou !i!st create the worl! accor!ing to thy !esire/
2hilst thou wert alone- All men/ cattle/ an! wil! beasts/
2hatever is on earth/ going upon (its) feet/
An! what is on high/ @ying with its wings'
The countries of Syria an! .ubia/ the lan! of Egypt/
Thou settest every man in his place/
Thou suppliest their necessities-
Everyone has his foo!/ an! his time of life is reckone!'
Their tongues are separate in speech/
An! their natures as well7
Their skins are !istinguishe!/
As thou !istinguishest the foreign peoples'
Thou makest a .ile in the un!erworl!/
Thou bringest forth as thou !esirest
To maintain the people (of Egypt)
Accor!ing as thou ma!est them for thyself/
The lor! of all of them/ wearying (himself) with them/
The lor! of every lan!/ rising for them/
The Aton of the !ay/ great of ma4esty'
(1eporte! by $enne!y &esfun)
,nvocation of ,sis
,/ ,sis/ am all that hath been that is or shall be/
,/ who ma!e light from my feathers/ The win! from my wings/
.o mortal man ever hath me unveile!5 ( Antil now'
,n this piece of text/ the go!!ess ,sis is !escribe! as the creator' She is believe! to have create! everything on
Earth such as light an! win!' As the creator/ her face has never been seen my mortal men'
"rayer to #siris
Exalte! art thou on thy throne/
# #siris5 Thou hast hear! fair things/
# #siris5 Thy strength is vigorous/
# #siris5 Thy hea! is fastene! on thy bo!y/
# #siris5 Thy neck is ma!e ;rm/
# #siris5 Thy heart is gla!/
# #siris5 Thy speech is ma!e e%ective/
# #siris5 Thy princess re4oice
Thou art establishe! the Bull in Amentet'
Thy son 6orus hath ascen!e!
thy throne/ an! all life is with him'
&illions of years minister unto him/
an! millions of years hol! him in fear'
The company of the 3o!s are his servants/
an! they hol! him in fear'
The go! Tem/ the 3overnor/
the only #ne among the go!s/
hath spoken/ an! his wor! passeth not away'
,n this prayer/ #siris/ the go! of the un!erworl!/ is praise! for his greatness an! his physical an! spiritual
characteristics' This prayer was meant especially for the worship of #siris !uring spiritual celebrations such as
rituals'
"rayer- Cree!
2e grow from the Earth
An! we share 6er fruits'
2e @y with bright wings
An! we reach the stars'
2e are ,mmortal with all that is'
Evoe ,sis5
,n this passage/ the ancient Egyptians worship ,sis in this cree!' They proclaim that they are the followers an!
!isciples of ,sis as they recite this prayer/ while o%ering worship to her'
"rayer- Thanksgiving
6oly ,sis/ 6oly #siris7
2e give you thanks
that your 0ove/ Beauty an! Truth
Are manifest with "ower an! "eace
throughout all spheres/
within all beings/
an! we accept your Blessing now/
in &in! an! 6eart'
This prayer is one of thanksgiving an! perhaps of blessing' Again we see that #siris an! ,sis were important to
the ancient Egyptians !uring spiritual prayer an! ritual' (E SancheB)
The prayer to the 3o!!ess .ut foun! on the li!s of .ew $ing!om co%ins- ?# my mother .ut/ sprea! yourself
over me/ so that , may be place! among the imperishable stars an! may never !ie'?
on most )C
th
!ynasty co%ins/ was to the go!!ess nut to reassure their place in the afterlife forever' &any
pharaohs feare! being forgotten after they !ie!' This prayer was at the entrence of 6ayshepsutDs tomb Ethat
her name might remain en!uring in this temple forever an! everF She feare! that she woul! be forgotten by
the people soon after she !ie!' ,n result/ they woul! steal her stu% or take !own her tomb
completely' The natural ingre!ients use! for me!icine were only as useful as the wor!s spoken along with
them' &ost of the priest healing powers were all in the prayer they woul! say while they put the natural
ingre!ients on them' The entirety of the priest 4ob was in or!er to satisfy the patient was to recite the prayer
perfectly an! put on the ointment smoothly not actually !o something that coul! heal them'
go!!esses of the lan! are re4oicing in their hearts'''the provinces all re4oice an! celebrate throughout this
whole lan! because goo! has come back into existence'F Through TutankhamenDs resurrection of polytheism/
he was worshipe! an! praise! for restoring the only ways of Egypt ' 6e was sai! to have please an! been like!
by all the go!s an! go!!ess for worshiping them again' (= 0aBarus)