|
|
Ancient History Sourcebook:
Coffin Text: The Tale of Horus and the Pig, c. 1900 BCE
Why the Egyptians did not eat pork.
O Batit of the evening, you swamp-dwellers, you of Mendes, ye of Buto, you of the shade
of Re which knows not praise, you who brew stoppered beer---do you know why Rekhyt [Lower
Egypt] was given to Horus? It was Re who gave it to him in recompense for the injury in
his eye. It was Re--he said to Horus: "Pray, let me see your eye since this has
happened to it" [injured in the fight with Seth]. Then Re saw it. Re said:
"Pray, look at that injury in your eye, while your hand is a covering over the good
eye which is there." Then Horus looked at that injury. It assumed the form of a black
pig. Thereupon Horus shrieked because of the state of his eye, which was stormy
[inflamed]. Horus said: "Behold, my eye is as at that first blow which Seth made
against my eye!" Thereupon Horus swallowed his heart before him [lost consciousness].
Then Re said: "Put him upon his bed until he has recovered." It was Seth---he
has assumed form against him as a black pig; thereupon he shot a blow into his eye. Then
Re said: "The pig is an abomination to Horus." "Would that he might
recover," said the gods. That is how the pig became an abomination to the gods, as
well as men, for Horus' sake....
Source:
From: A. de Buck, The Egyptian Coffin Texts, (Chicago, 1918), p. 326.
This text is part of the Internet
Ancient History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and
copy-permitted texts related to ancient history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright.
Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational
purposes and personal use. No representation is made about texts which are linked
off-site, although in most cases these are also public domain. If you do reduplicate the
document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall, Janaury 1999
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall, created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 15 November 2024 [CV]
|
|
