The Four Wtȝw,- Gods in the Book of the Dead and Book of the Gates

El-Shazly, Ahmed

doi:10.21608/bcps.2022.267368

The Four Wtȝw,- Gods in the Book of the Dead and Book of the Gates

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ahmed El-Shazly

Lecturer, Archaeology Department, Faculty of Arts, Minia University, Egypt

10.21608/bcps.2022.267368

Abstract

This article is concerned with the study of the Wtȝw deities in the Book of the Dead (Cave 9 and Cave 11, chapter 168), and The Book of Gates (middle register of the third hour). In the Book of the Dead, these deities are depicted as a standing mummiform, below him or in front of him, number 4. In the Book of Gates, these deities are depicted in the form of four standing deities with bent arms hidden in their garments, and their name Wtȝw tA is written among them. Mostly the figures are wrapped in white linen. The functions of these deities are clear in the Book of the Dead. They help the deceased to be next to the Great God Osiris, and they make the deceased soul live forever. Furthermore, in the Book of Gates, these deities are found in a preferable place at the far end of the middle register of the third Hour, this indicates that they play an important role in the events of this register.

Keywords

References

Abbreviations:

AegHelv	Aegyptiaca Helvetica (Bâle, Genéve)
ÄgAbh	Ägyptologische Abhandlungen (Wiesbaden)
BIFAO	Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (Le Caire)
FCD	Faulkner, Richard., A concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Printed in Great Britian at The University press, 1964
LGG	Leitz, Christian, Lexikon der Ägyptischen Götter und Götter-bezeichnungen, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2002.
SAOC	Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilizations (Chicago, Illin)
Wb	Erman, Adolf & Grapw, Hermann., Worterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache (Leipzig, Berlin)
WPL	Wilson, Penelope. A Ptolemaic Lexikon A Lexicographical Study of the Texts in the Temple of Edfu, OLA 78, Leuven: Peeters Publishers,1997.
ZÄS	Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache undnd Altertumskunde,Leipzig), Berlin)

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