The papyrus of the Seven Comments of Mehet Ouret P. Louvre E 6838, E 6839, E 6840, E 6841, E 6848 (AE). BiEtud 189.
IFAO| N° d'inventaire | 31177 |
| Format | |
| Détails | 102 p., publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Cairo, 2024. |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782724710526 |
The magical papyrus of the Seven Sayings of the Cow Mehet Ouret is distinguished by its originality. This long papyrus is the work of a "scribe of the book of the god," the text was developed in a temple during the Ramesside period, as indicated by paleography. Its composition is meticulous: it describes the nocturnal passage of the cow carrying the solar disk in the primordial ocean (the Nun). This journey is divided into several formulas, all constructed on the same model. In each of them, we distinguish a text that had to be recited (oral rite), followed by a practical ritual that had to be performed (manual rite).
The influence of the great royal funerary books is felt, but instead of describing the regeneration of the sun in the morning, it focuses on the nocturnal crossing of Mehet Ouret which culminates at dawn with the solemn recitation of the Seven Organizing Words of the Universe. The text is therefore presented as a liturgy used by a particular person who is named in the text, Bakenkhonsu, in order to confer on him a magical power equivalent to that of a god. It is therefore a profoundly original text, but one which foreshadows the rituals of the late and Hellenistic period.
The magical papyrus of the Seven Sayings of the Cow Mehet Ouret is distinguished by its originality. This long papyrus is the work of a "scribe of the book of the god," the text was developed in a temple during the Ramesside period, as indicated by paleography. Its composition is meticulous: it describes the nocturnal passage of the cow carrying the solar disk in the primordial ocean (the Nun). This journey is divided into several formulas, all constructed on the same model. In each of them, we distinguish a text that had to be recited (oral rite), followed by a practical ritual that had to be performed (manual rite).
The influence of the great royal funerary books is felt, but instead of describing the regeneration of the sun in the morning, it focuses on the nocturnal crossing of Mehet Ouret which culminates at dawn with the solemn recitation of the Seven Organizing Words of the Universe. The text is therefore presented as a liturgy used by a particular person who is named in the text, Bakenkhonsu, in order to confer on him a magical power equivalent to that of a god. It is therefore a profoundly original text, but one which foreshadows the rituals of the late and Hellenistic period.