Book of Aker 1

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John Bunker & Karen Pressler 2011All Rights Reserved

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Entrance to the Book of Aker

The Tombs are the Books of the Ancients

Past translations of the ancient texts have been done by studying the artistic illustrations,with only an elementary understanding of the hieroglyphs. It was a beginning, but createdillogical stories. If we are to understand the books of the ancients, we must see the worldas they saw it.

When we learned that the celestial lions were the guardians mentioned so often in theancient texts, we finally understood that those texts were all talking about the dramagoing on in the sky, and it became possible to take the meaning to a new level ofunderstanding. Now, after years of study, this series of translations of the Book of Akeris a re-telling, a re-translation, from that perspective.

The texts appear to describe the life of the sun god in his circling of the earth. He takesthe form of the radiant sun during the day, but at night, in the abode of the dead, he istransformed into the great god Aker, the double lion god, the double mystery, composedof the lion constellations of Leo and Centaurus. The constellations are the designs inthe night sky. At dawn, the sun again becomes radiant, dividing Aker and destroying thelast vestiges of the characters in the night drama, bursting forth, ablaze.

Deciphering these texts has been an exciting adventure. We have examined andtranslated all of the hieroglyphic writing and provided a detailed translation that can beverified by anyone using Budges 2-volume Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary (referredto in the footnotes as EHD).


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This is Plate 113 from taken from the Tomb of Rameses VI, Egyptian Religious Texts and Representations, Bollingen Series XL-1 1. This depicts what is believed to be the firstpart of the Book of Aker. Sections will be presented in order, and a red outline willidentify the area being translated.

First Section

We believe the first section of the Book of Aker begins at the top, right side, outlined inred in the previous illustration. The first section is divided into upper and lowercomponents.

1 Piankoff, Alexandre. The Tomb of Ramesses VI . [New York]: Pantheon Books, 1954.


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The Upper Component First Section

The hieroglyphic text is written in columns that have been numbered and translated in thefollowing sections. The text reads from right to left, beginning with the uppercomponent. Since we normally read from left to right, the image has been flipped-overfor easier reference below.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

1. these gods in designs 2. in this place go as one flesh3. mighty divine bodies give to him his flesh,4. his divine bodies give entrance to him, the god of the solar disk5. this god becomes bright from his radiance which is within him6. which makes him go above in flesh, he is the Sun god of night, he is above this god7. these gods give him great praise without seeing him8. they will breathe anew; from them 2 hear voice.9. He becomes bright in them, in strength they come to open [the way]

10. the sun god travels in the darkness in these gods, in the abode of the dead, 11. the divine bodies of the god travel about in a boat, 3 the entrance becomes bright in

his glory,12. these travel, he is behind his bodies, they are first,13. t he sun is the place of their flesh, the mighty bodies come [to] 14. place of flesh, his image, the two eyes, the double mystery 15. from behind travels the god, the glorious god, the sun, at rest,16. power to cover over with darkness his divine radiance.17. Neb-maat-Ra travels these regions over this beautiful circle, 18. the spirit of the king, lord of the two lands, 4 travels these spirit regions.

2 their voice is the sound of thunder = the roar of the double lion gods3 The coffin texts connect the double lion god with the Hen Henu boat . (see Faulkner, Raymond O. The

Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts . Warminster [Eng.]: Aris & Phillips, 1973, p. 148-49: I am the DoubleLion, older than Atum I have made the circlings of the hnhnw -bark of Khopri.)


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The Lower Component of the First Section

This section can be viewed as two parts.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

|---------------------------------- Part 1 ----------------------------------------------||------------------------- Part 2 ------------------------------|

Part 1

1. bodies travel

2. come powerfully3. over the gods by this god4. his bodies travel his great horizon5. praise the bodies transformation which come6. over and give great god7. the things that belong to the abode of the dead, praise bodies which come,8. give gods above without the Sun9. over them, praise the bodies which

10. c ome in power above, overthrow gods,11. they circle the sun, praise flesh, praise them within,12. praises to this, above comes the almighty

13. god which travels in the images14. they follow, praise bodies which15. come in power the gods above, overthrown, split16. by flame, see them blaze in17. r adiance, they are spirits.

4 Two Lands = Egypt: The North Land and South Land


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Part 2

18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

[Written inside the body of the great standing god at his ankle: mighty mighty]

18. this god in this design, this place, darkness, the abode of the dead

19. this god in this design, this place, darkness 20. this god in design of great bodies which are in him 21. this design in the goddess, place of darkness 5 22. this design in the goddess, place of darkness 23. this design in the goddess, place of darkness 24. this design in the goddess, place of darkness

5 May refer to Nut: the sky goddess, her body contained all the stars. The four repetitions of the phrase mayinfer four cardinal directions; e.g. the entire night sky - the place of darkness.


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DETAIL OF TRANSLATION

The Upper Component First Section

(image reversed for ease of reading)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

1.nen neteru em skherthese gods in designsthese gods in designs

2.pen em aat auf ua aithis in place 6 flesh one to go 7 in this place go as one flesh

3.nekht khat neter ta en ef af efmighty bodies divine give to him flesh his 8 mighty divine bodies give to him his flesh,

4.er Amen ta ef khat ef neter

entrance god of the solar disk sun god give he bodies his god 9 his divine bodies give entrance to him, the god of the solar disk

6 Mercer, Samuel A. B. The Handbook of Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Study of the Ancient Language . NewYork: Hippocrene Books, 1993, Sign List, Buildings and Their Parts, #26, p. 162.7 KP: The double lion god of the sun goes with him.8 KP: God gave these mighty lion bodies to the great sun.9 KP: The sun then gave these great lion bodies to guard the hidden entrance.


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5.pen hetch ef ami ef em stiut

this to become bright he which is in him from radiance 10 this god becomes bright from his radiance which is within him

6. net ashem 11 af en au ef afu ef au neter pen

which make go flesh in come he Sun god of night he above god thiswhich makes go, he comes in the of flesh the Sun god of night, he is above this god

7.a ta a ef nen neteru nti sut maagreat give praise him these gods without him see 12 these gods give him great praise without seeing him

8. 13 sen su 14 serq an sen em stem kheruthey will breathe anew 15 them from hear voicethey will breathe anew; from them 16 hear voice.

9.ef hetch sen em ai nekht sen su 17 uphe become bright them in come mighty they to open 18

He becomes bright in them, in strength they come to open [the way]

10.nen neteru em keku app ra em Amenttthese gods in darkness travel sun god in the abode of the dead 19 the sun god travels in the darkness in these gods, in the abode of the dead,

10 KP: The two lion constellations rise, until together they take up the entire night sky, and then, ablaze,they become the glorious sunrise.11 Budge, EHD, 92A12 KP: The sun can not be constrained.

13 Budge, EHD, 612A: serq to open [the windpipe]; to breathe14 Budge, EHD, 648A, used as a particle15 Budge, EHD, 58A16 their voice is the sound of thunder = the roar of the double lion gods 17 Budge, EHD, 648A, a particle.18 KP: The mighty lion gods open the way for him.19 KP: Across the darkness travels the double lion god, this night side of the great sun.


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11.sqett khat neter er hetch ami ef akh 20 travel about in a boat bodies god entrance become bright in his glorythe divine bodies of the god travel about in a boat, 21 the entrance becomes brightin his glory,

12.nen apt sen em khet ef khat sen khentthese travel them in behind he, bodies they first 22 these travel, he is behind his bodies, they are first,

13.aat af sen hai af ai nekht khatplace flesh they sun 23 flesh to come mighty bodies 24 the sun is the place of their flesh, the mighty bodies come [to]

14.aat af ef shesp 25 arti 26 sheta-ti

place flesh his image the two eyes double mystery 27 place of flesh, 28 his image, the two eyes, the double mystery

15.ar em khet app neter akh neter hetep t Raat from behind travel god glorious god reposed thou sunfrom behind travels the god, the glorious god, the sun, at rest,

16. hap 29 hebs 30 nekht kher seth keku hetch ef neterto cover over power with behold darkness radiance his divine 31 power to cover over with darkness his divine radiance.

20 KP: In their boat on the celestial river they bring the sun.21 The coffin texts connect the double lion god with the Hen Henu boat . (see Faulkner, Raymond O. The

Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts . Warminster [Eng.]: Aris & Phillips, 1973, p. 148-49: I am the DoubleLion, older than Atum I have made the circlings in the hnhnw -bark of Khopri.) 22 KP: Their bodies precede his.23 Budge, EHD, 459B24 KP: In the repository of heaven come these mighty lion bodies.25 Budge, EHD, 752B

26 Budge, EHD, 68A;27 KP: The sun receives their might, and becomes radiant.28 The sky29 Budge, EHD, 462B, to cover over, to hide, to conceal, to envelop, to shroud.30 Budge, EHD, 476B, to put on clothes, to clothe, to dress, to cover over31 KP: They conceal him in darkness as they traverse the night sky, where he becomes bright again.


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17.(Neb-maat-Ra) 32 ap ef atebu pen nefer her qerrt ten` travel he regions this beautiful over circle this 33 Neb-maat-Ra travels these regions over this beautiful circle,

18.khu nen ap atebu akhu neb ta ta

spirits these travel regions 34 spirit king lord two lands 35 the spirit of the king, lord of the two lands, 36 travels these spirit regions.

The Lower Component of the First Section

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

1.travel bodiesbodies travel

2.ai nekht

come mightycome powerfully

3. her neteru an neter penover gods by god thisover the gods by this god

32 This cartouche is a mock-up because I could not read the original in the photo; it may be the name of theking, Neb (Lord)- maat (truth)- Ra (Sun god).33 KP: The sun follows the ecliptic river that runs across the sky.

34 Budge, EHD, 13A land, region35 KP: From the two lands of Egypt, we watch the constellations travel the great ecliptic river in the sky.36 Two Lands = Egypt: The North Land and South Land


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4.aa aakhut ef ap ef khat

great horizon he travel his bodieshis bodies travel his great horizon

5.kheperu 37 a khat neth aitransformation praise bodies which comepraise the bodies transformation which come

6.ta her neteru aau

give over gods greatover and give great god

7.khert 38 em Amentt a khat net ai

things which belong to the abode of the dead praise bodies which comethe things that belong to the abode of the dead, praise bodies which come,

8.

ta her neteru nti bennu39

give over gods without the soul Ragive gods above without the Sun

9.her sen a khat nethover them praise bodies whichover them, praise the bodies which

10.

ai nekht her neteru neta40

go mighty over gods overthrowcome in power above, overthrow gods,

37 Budge, EHD, 542B, form, manifestation, shape, similitude, image, change, transformation

38 Budge, EHD, 580B, phonetic spelling for39 Budge, EHD, 218A, Benu : a bird-god sacred to Ra and Osiris and the incarnation of the soul of Ra andthe heart of Osiris; Venus as a morning star was identified with him. Benu was self produced and appearedeach morning at dawn on the Persa Tree in Anu; the Greeks connected it with the Phoenix

40 Budge, EHD, 409A, neta -overthrow


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11. ( = )

sen ra shenu k (auf) en a sen am hathey sun orbit flesh 41 to praise them within praisethey circle the sun, praise flesh, praise them within,

12.a a en then ai nekht her

praises to this come mighty overpraises to this, above comes the almighty

13.neter net app em arugod which travel in imagesgod which travels in the images

14.khet sen a khat net/nethfollow they praise bodies whichthey follow, praise bodies which

15.ai nekht her neteru neta ses 42 go mighty over gods overthrow dividecome in power the gods above, overthrown, split

16.ta43 em maa 44 sen amit 45 em khat

flame by see they blaze in bodiesby flame, see them blaze in bodies

17.stuit 46 sen khu

radiance they spiritsradiance, they are spirits.

41 Budge, EHD, 782A, ;42 Budge, Egyptian Language , page 93: to split ; Mercer, Egyptian Hieroglyphs , p. 168: to divide

43 Budge, EHD, 864B,44 Budge, EHD, 266B45 Budge, EHD, 49A, to burn, to flame, to blaze, fire, flame46 Budge, EHD, 708B, rays, light, splendor, radiance


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18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

[Written inside the body of the great standing god at his ankle: mighty mighty]

18.

neter pen em sker pen ten aat47

keku Amentgod this in design this this place darkness the abode of the deadthis god in this design, this place, darkness, the abode of the dead

19.neter pen em sker pen ten aat 48 kekugod this in design this this place darkness

this god in this design, this place, darkness

47 Budge, EHD, 27A48 Budge, EHD, 27A


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20.neter pen em sker neth khat aai 49 ami efgod this in design of bodies great which are in himthis god in design of great bodies which are in him

21.netrit em skher pen em aat kekugoddess in design this of place darknessthis design in the goddess, place of darkness 50

22.netrit em skher pen em aat kekugoddess in design this of place darknessthis design in the goddess, place of darkness



49 Budge, EHD, 107B, aai : , to be great, to be large, to be mighty, to be spacious,to be abundant, to be powerful.50 May refer to Nut: the sky goddess, her body contained all the stars. The four repetitions of the phrasemay infer four cardinal directions; e.g., the entire night sky-the place of darkness.

Book of Aker 1

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