Page:The International Folk-Lore Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, July, 1893.djvu/559

Rh beings. We generally become acquainted with these myths by hymns to the creator, who is represented as henotheistic. For purposes of comparison, it may be interesting to subjoin the beginning of a characteristic text of that nature contained in a papyrus dated from the time of Rameses IX, about 12, B. C.:

"Waking one, resting one, thou wakest in rest, waking one that begetteth himself. Nothing is created on earth save by the plans of his heart. He gives being to his creations, he is the form which gives birth to all that is, the procreator who creates all beings. Glory be to thee, Ptah-Tatunen, great god that conceals his form, that opens his soul. Thou growest in peace, father of fathers of all the gods. The sun-disk (aten) of heaven (is the radiance) of his eye lighting the lands with his rays in peace. Glory be to Nut, the beginning of all that is on earth in peace. Chnum, mother, that gave birth to the gods, bearer of all men, that lets them live in peace. Great Nu (primordial waters) that gives gifts (to men), that makes green the fields in peace. Crocodiles, bitter seas, Red Sea, floods in the mountains ... in peace. Thou who makest green the lands, the mountains, the islands, the mountain lands, that givest bloom by the waters which come from heaven, in peace. He makes the sweet wind (which tempers) the heat by its breath, which comes (from the north). Waking one, resting one, thou wakest in resting. Waking one, that paces through eternity; lord of nourishment, that gives abundance by his love, in peace. He hears if one implores him; before him tremble all; him worship the spirits in all lands, in peace. He conies to thee, Pharaoh, to thee, Ptah, he comes to thee, creator of forms. Glory be to thee before the circle of thy gods, which thou didst make after thou didst take being, a god of members, that himself builds his members. There was not heaven, nor was the earth, nor was the flood. Thou didst order the earth, thou didst unite thy members, thou didst order thy members. What thou didst find alone, for it thou didst make a place, god, creator of the lands. Thou didst have no father that begot thee when thou didst take being; thou didst have no mother that bore thee when thou didst renew thyself. Order, that came forth as order. Thou art sublime above the earth