Aset in the Ancient Texts

Site Library Library of Rome

Aset in the Ancient Texts

Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > Egypt > Upper: Ta Khentit > Philae > The Island of Philae > articles -- by * Mirjam Nebet (118 Articles), General Article

The first place we find Aset mentioned in texts, are in the Pyramid Texts, Utterance no 4. From there onwards, she will be frequently appearing throughout the time periods.

The Pyramid Texts

The so called Pyramid Texts are funerary texts, so called 'utterances', inscribed on the walls of the Old Kingdom pyramids (2375-2181) and the First Intermediate (2181-2055). They comprise over 800 different utterances and cover the reign of six kings. The reflect the role Aset had in a funerary context. She most often appears together with Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys), her sister, sometimes called the 'Silent Companion'.

The first mentionings of Aset is from the Pyramid Texts dating to the 5th Dynasty. In Utterance 4, the earliest place which history has brought us where her name appears, it says:

"...O King, I have given to you your sister Isis, that she may lay hold of you and give to you your heart for your body."

The Coffin Texts

The Coffin Texts is a collection of over thousand texts inscribed on coffins during the Middle Kingdom, especially the 11th and 12th Dynasties. They were derived from the Pyramid Texts and the purpose was to guarantee survival in the Afterlife. But in those days, instead of the Afterlife being reserved for the King alone, the practice had begun to spread, first probably to members of the Royal Family, then to nobles and high dignitaries, and from then onwards through the layers of society. This is why we speak of the 'Democratisation of the Afterlife'.

In Spell 24 we get an idea of Aset´s role in the funerary context:

"...the arm of your foe is chopped off for you, the Two Kites, who are Isis and Nephtys, scream for you, striking for you on two gongs in the presence of the gods..."

The Book of
Going Forth by Day

The Book of Going Forth By Day, often called the Book of the Dead, appeared during the New Kingdom. In Chapter 15 can be found a hymn to Wesir (Gr: Osiris) which also contains an important description of the roles of Aset:

"Aset will embrace you in peace
she will drive away the opponent from your path,
Place your face to the West
that you may illumine the Two Lands with electrum
The sleepers have stood up to look at you,
breathing the air and seeing your face
like the rising of the sun-disk in its horizon,
Their hearts are pleased with what you have done.
To you belong eternity and everlastingness."

In same book, Spell no: 142:4 can be read following, which gives us an idea of the many epiteths that Aset was given:

"...Aset the great, Mother of the God; Aset the Divine, Aset the daughter of Nut; Aset the Great of Magic; Aset the possessor of magical protection, Aset the possessor of rolls; Aset who protected her Father, Aset the Ruler of rolls; Aset in Asyut, Aset as ruler of (the city of) 'Shesmin', Aset in Bahbit (Iseum); Aset in Pe, Aset in Dep, Aset in Coptos, Aset 'in charge of' Pe, Aset in Akhmim, Aset in Abydos, Aset in King´s House; Aset in the Sky, Aset in the earth, Aset in the southern (and northern) chapel (of Sais), Isis in the northern chapel (of Sais); Aset in all her Manifestations, Aset in all her characters, Aset in all her Aspects, Aset in (every) place where her Spirit desires to be;..."

( From T.G. Allen´s translations of the Book of Going Forth By Day)

Sources:
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts , translation R.O. Faulkner, 1969
The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts - transl. R.O Foulkner
The Book of Going Forth By Day - transl. T.G. Allen

Palace of the Empress of the Known Universe

~ Table of Contents ~

Early Claim
Thessalonike The Tragic Queen
Icelandic History
The Althingi
Byzantium before Constantine: The Greco-Roman City, 658 BCE - 330 CE
Odin's lament
A FATEFUL CHARIOT RACE: The STORY of PELOPS and OENOMAUS
Mastabas in the Vicinity of Unas Pyramid
Horemheb and His Contemporaries
Pepi I and His Consorts
Pepi II - an Unusually Long Reign
The Unas Pyramid and Surroundings.
The Last Royal Tombs of the Old Kingdom
The Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara
Northern Saqqara - The Pyramids of Teti and Queens
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep - Royal Manicurists and Prophets of Re.
Benu of Iunu - The Prototype Phoenix
Northern Saqqara - The Mastaba of Mereruka, His Wife & Son
Northern Saqqara - The Mastaba of Kagemni
Northern Saqqara III: The Tomb of Ankhmahor
Northern Saqqara IV: The Tomb of Akhethotep & Ptahotep
Northern Saqqara V: The Mastaba of Ti
Northern Saqqara VI: Early Dynastic & 3rd Dynastic Tombs
Northern Saqqara VII: The Serapeum
History of Devon
Styles of Houses in Ancient Egypt I
Styles of House in Ancient Egypt II
Styles of Houses in Ancient Egypt III
Northern Saqqara VII: Other Animal Burials
Calendar of Festivals of Aset
Aset Through History
Places of Worship

Aset in the Ancient Texts

Lady of Philae, Lady of Abaton
An Aretalogy of Aset

Posted Nov 30, 2006 - 19:55 , Last Edited: Nov 30, 2006 - 19:59

The Pyramid Texts

The Coffin Texts

The Book of Going Forth by Day

The Book of
Going Forth by Day