78 M i s z e 11 e η

Miszellen

Eine Riehtiestellung. — I n m e i n e r B e s p r e c h u n g d e s Osirisfestes v o n A b y d o s in d e r F e s t s c h r i f t z u m

150jährigen B e s t e h e n d e s B e r l i n e r Ä g y p t i s c h e n M u s e u m s h a b e ich a m Schluß der B e m e r k u n g e5 auf S. 22
S e t h e falsch z i t i e r t u n d z w a r m i t f o l g e n d e r falschen Ü b e r s e t z u n g v o n I c h e r n o f r e t 18: „ich w e h r t e die U n -
r u h s t i f t e r v o n der N e s c h m e t - B a r k e a b " . A b e r in der V e r b i n d u n g háfn.i o d e r áhrn.i ébì tir nsmt h ä n g t hr nsint
n i c h t v o n d e m p r ä d i k a t i v e n V e r b u m ab, s o n d e r n v o n d e m P a r t i z i p i u m ibi. D a s wird d u r c h L o u v r e A 66
(a. a. O. 42) bewiesen, ¿hr ¿bi hr nSmt „ d e r niederwarf d e n , der sich gegen die N e s c h m e t - B a r k e v e r s ü n d i g t e " .
So h a t a u c h S e t h e I c h e r n o f r e t 18 ü b e r s e t z t im K o m m e n t a r zu L e s e s t ü c k e 71, 12—13: "die sich gegen d i e
N e s c h m e t - B a r k e a u f l e h n t e n " , ü b r i g e n s ebenso wie S c h ä f e r in seinem K o m m e n t a r . — I c h f i n d e keine E r -
k l ä r u n g d a f ü r , d a ß ich a n s c h e i n e n d s c h o n f r ü h d a s falsche Z i t a t in m e i n M a n u s k r i p t eingesetzt h a b e u n d
b e d a u r e a u ß e r o r d e n t l i c h , d a ß ich d e m sorgfältigen Sethe eine falsche Ü b e r s e t z u n g fälschlich zugeschrieben
h a b e . I c h stelle die K o r r e k t u r deswegen s t a r k h e r a u s u n d b i t t e hierdurch jeden Leser, in den ihm z u g ä n g -
lichen E x e m p l a r e n d e r F e s t s c h r i f t die S t r e i c h u n g des falschen Zitatee f r e u n d l i c h s t zu b e w i r k e n . B e m e r -
k u n g e5 a u f S. 22 soll e n d e n m i t d e n W o r t e n „ d e r o h n e zu f r a g e n sbiw liest".
Rudolf Anthes

A Possible Word-Play in Khamuas I? — I n K h a m u a s I, page 3, line 31 we r e a d of t h e hf η dl w i t h which

N a n e f e r k a p t a h h a d t o c o n t e n d b e f o r e he could t a k e t h e f a t e f u l magical book. F r a n c i s LI. G r i f f i t h t r a n s l a t e s
" a n endless s n a k e " g i v i n g dt s p a t i a l reference, while E r i c h s e n (in c o m p a n y w i t h m o s t t r a n s l a t o r s ) r e n d e r s
' " E w i g k e i t s - S c h l a n g e ' o. ä . " 2 , i . e . , T h ö t h ' s eternal g u a r d i a n of t h e book, who h a s always been t h e r e a n d is
v i r t u a l l y i m p o s s i b l e t o kill. B u t h e r e we are n o t concerned w i t h t h e p r i m a r y m e a n i n g of t h e p h r a s e ; we
s u g g e s t t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a s e c o n d a r y p u n .
T h e older E g y p t i a n w o r d dt " s n a k e " seems t o h a v e no d e s c e n d e n t e in D e m o t i c a n d Coptic, b u t it is used
in h i e r o g l y p h s of t h e G r e e k p e r i o d (highly a r c h a i z i n g t e x t s with mythological-religious reference)· 1 . T h u s I
t h i n k t h a t a f a i r l y e r u d i t e r e a d e r of K h a m u a s I would be able t o recognize a p u n on hf η dt as a n a t t r i b u -
t i v e c o n s t r u c t i o n m e a n i n g a s n a k y s n a k e or t h e e p i t o m e of a s n a k e . I n s t a n c e s of t h i s t y p e of c o n s t r u c t i o n
e l s e w h e r e in K h a m u a s I i n c l u d e nht η ntr " d i v i n e p o w e r " (page 4, lines 3, 7, 10, 14), hp η sh " w r i t t e n for-
m u l a " (page 3, line 40; p a g e 4, line 2), 'J, η stt " f i e r y c e n s e r " (page 4, lines 35—36, 37; page 5, line 38); one
does n o t h a v e t o s t r a i n g r a m m a t i c a l usage t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e p a r o n o m a s i a I suggest. (Indeed, in its p r i m a r y
m e a n i n g hf η dt is also s u c h a n a t t r i b u t i v e c o n s t r u c t i o n , w h e t h e r <Ü is u n d e r s t o o d as endlessness or as
e t e r n i t y ; G r i f f i t h c o n v e y s t h i s b y t r a n s l a t i n g w i t h an a d j e c t i v e . S t r a n g e l y , in t h e o t h e r phrases cited above,
t h a t scholar t r a n s l a t e s w i t h s i m p l e g e n i t i v e : "power of g o d " 4 , " f o r m u l a of w r i t i n g " 5 , "censer of f i r e " B ,
t h u s m i s s i n g t h e sense of t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n . )
T h e m e a n i n g of t h e p u n on hf η dt is c e r t a i n l y a p t , a n d t h i s would be t h e t y p e of t o u c h t h a t t h e E g y p -
t i a n s o f t e n a p p r e c i a t e d in m a k i n g t h e i r l i t e r a t u r e m o r e lively a n d e n j o y a b l e .
E d m u n d S. M e i t z e r

1
F . LI. G r i f f i t h , Stories of t h e H i g h P r i e s t s of Memphis, O x f o r d (Clarendon Press) 1900, p. 101.
2
W . E r i c h s e n , D e m o t i s c h e s Glossar, Copenhagen 1954, p. 688.
3 W b . V, p. 503.
4
G r i f f i t h , op. cit. p p . 105 e t p a s s i m .
5
I b i d . p . 105.
6
I b i d . p p . 121, 135.

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