191-2.] Α. Μ. BI.ACKMAN: T h e Significance of Incense and Libations.

69

The Significance of Incense and Libations in Funerary

and Temple Ritual.
Bv AYLWARD M. BLACKMAN.

In the Ritual of Amon1 XII 7-10 a strange idea about the nature of incense is
found, which can, however, be fully explained in the light of a similar belief
about libations of water" that occurs in the Pyramid Texts. This perhaps
accounts for the important place which the offering of both holds in the mor-
tuary and temple services, and for the fact that they are often presented simul-
taneously3 or in immediate succession4.
Let us first consider the following libation-formulie from the Pyramid Texts.
(1) Pyramid 22-23.

y^^çj^û
o Œ ρ
"These thy libations Osiris! These thy libations o Unas, which
have come forth before thy son, which have come forth before Horus!
I have come I have brought to thee the Horus-eye that thy heart may
be cool possessing it I offer thee the moisture that has issued
from thee, that thy heart may not be still possessing it 5 ."

(2) Pyr. 765-66.

ν ~-t> I -ν * LA -ire) v — « /WWW .mil o Jarç* ΛΛΛΛΛΛ I

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

*) P u b l i s h e d by MORET in the Annales du Musée Guimet u n d e r the title of de Rituel du Culte

divin journalier en Egypte.
Ρ Λ ¿J YWWVA JY ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
2 ) Called ^î Ö ΙΌ in P y r . 22, 7 6 5 . 7 8 8 and W in P y r . 8 6 8 and ¡ n P y r . 1360.
^¿J Χ IÄ * Λ/WWV 1Δ ΛΛΛ/^Λ
3 ) S e e f o r e x a m p l e MARIETTE, A b y d o s I p. 7 2 , 3 2 e tableau.
4 ) See SETHE, Pyramidentexte 1 7 - 2 4 w h e r e incense p r e c e d e s libation.
5 ) ρ i. e. the H o r u s - e y e which h e r e of c o u r s e is the libation.

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
70 Α. Μ. BLACKMAN: The Significance of Incense and Libations. [50. Band.

"0 Osiris Pepy, I offer to thee these thy libations, libations for
thee before Horus, in thy name of Pr-in-kbh. I offer to thee natron
(ntr) that thou mayest be divine. T h y mother Nut has caused thee to
be a god unto thy enemy in thy name of " G o d . " I offer to thee the
moisture that has issued from thee."

(3) Pvr. 868.

" O Mernerê, thy water, thy libation, the great flood that issued
from t h e e ! "

(4) Pyr. 2007.

"Thy water belongs to thee, thy flood belongs to thee, thy fluid
belongs to thee that issued from Osiris."

(5) P y r . 2031.

η ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
ΑΛΛΛΛΛ <

V- -Λ
~ — Λ

TÍ
—
Λ/VWA

J
^ Λ,
Π q ^

8 -$5»*
fi Χ λ.
^

λλΛΛΛΛ
ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

-cr^s
ΛΛΛΛΛΛ [ | η

t\
J W i - C E
J

Ü
"Thy water belongs to thee, thy fluid belongs to thee, thy flood
belongs to thee that issued from Osiris."

(6) P y r . 1360 (P. 608).

s <v s VI [-| ΛΛΛΛΛΛ ΛΛΛΛΛΛ Π Q ΛΛΛΛΛΛ ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

Λ α ^ ^ π Μ 1 J R V'
• — Τ) \ Ά WWV\ ΛΑΛΛΛΛ Λ J] Α ΛΛΛΛΛΛ V ^ Ι ^ Ι ϊ\

" R a i s e thyself up o illuminated one, o Mernerê! T h y water belongs

to thee, thy flood belongs to thee, thy fluid belongs to thee that issued
from the corruption of Osiris."

(7) Pyr. 788 (P. 66).

" T h e offering of libations. T h y water belongs to thee, thy flood

belongs to thee, the fluid that issued from the god, the exudations that
issued from Osiris."

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
1912.] Α. Μ. BLACKMAN: The Significance of Incense and Libations. 71

The general meaning of these passages is quite clear. The corpse of the
deceased is dry and shrivelled. To revivify 1 it the vital lluids that have exuded
from it must he restored, for not till then will life return and the heart beat
again. This, so these texts shew us, was believed to be accomplished by offering
libations to the accompaniment of incantations.
In examples (1), (2), and (3) the libations are said to be the actual lluids
that have issued from the corpse". In (4), (5), (6), and (7) a different notion
is introduced. It is not the deceased's own exudations that are to revive his
shrunken frame but those of a divine body, the that came from the
corpse of Osiris himself, the juices that dissolved from his decaying llesh, which
are communicated to the dead sacrament-wise under the form of these libations.
Let us now turn to Ritual of Anion XII 7-10, the passage already alluded
to, which is as follows.
Rit. Amori X I I 7 (MORET p. 115).
.ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

') That the dead was supposed to be revivified by the libation is shown by the words

_n_ ^ ^ p. Wrd ib "still of heart" is the regular epithet of the dead Osiris with

whom the deceased is identified. By means of libations the heart no longer remains "still," and
so the dead lives again as did Osiris thanks to the ministrations of Horus.
. CT73 I]

3) Cf. Pap. RhiricJ. p. 12, 6. Quoted by BRUGSCH, Wörterbuch p. 881. ^

In the late period the supposed ^^ 0 o°° of Osiris were preserved in the Serapeum

which then existed in every nome (see BRUGSCH, D. G. p. 443). BRUGSCH loc. cit. also quotes in-

scriptions at Dendera which speak of the ||f| (j "the fluid of ìny (Osiris-Serapis)," and

Ί * yL φ " T h e god's fluid is in a vase."

The Nile was supposed to be the q jj 1 " w h'ch issued from Osiris" or

"j " T h e god's fluid." The expression ^ ^ ' ' J \ (j A in the Pyramid texts may
refer to this belief — , the dead as usual being identified with Osiris — since the water used in
libations was Nile-water, drawn according to the ritual texts in the 1 st Cataract region where the
river was supposed to come pure from its source. For an early example of this see Pyr. 834

- - -- -—
MANN, Hierogl. Inschriften p l . L V I Γ^-Ί φ | and ibidem pl. L V I I I .

4) ^(Ç refers to | μ which is perhaps treated as a singular;' See ERMAN, Glossar p. 80,

who seems to doubt whether ^ j ^ really is a plural.

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
72 Α. M. BLACKMAN: The Significance of Incense and Libations. [50. Band.

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ I Q ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

ΜΜί,Ύ,
® ? Ill<=> c=a " ' 1

" T h e god comes with body adorned which he has fumigated with
the eye of his body, the incense of the god which has issued from
him, and the odour of the fluid which has issued from his flesh, the
sweat of the god which has fallen to the ground, which lie has given
to all gods It is the Horus-eye. If it lives, the people (rhy-t) live,
thy flesh lives, thy members are vigorous."

In the light of the Pj-ramid libation-formulai the expressions in this text

are quite comprehensible. Like the libations the grains of incense are the
exudations of a divinity, " t h e fluid ( ^ ) which issued from his flesh.
\ c^) <=» 111 /
the god's sweat descending to the ground."
In Ritual of Amon XII 1 1 2 much the same idea about incense again occurs.

5(Mpf 3 ^Pto^lsllfil^^lk^lI'M
JA I
J\ ^
ι
ΛΛΛΛΛΛ I \ 1
" The incense comes (twice), the perfume of the god comes,
the odour of the god comes, the grains (?) [of incense] come, the sweat of the
god comes."
Here incense is not merely the "odour of the g o d " but the dgiw, or
grains of resin, are said to be " t h e god's sweat."
Finally in a Middle Kingdom mortuary text (AZ. 47 p. 126) incense is
called ^ ^ f f H J " t h e god's dew."
MORET seems to have misunderstood the significance of the first of these
two extracts from the Ritual of Amon. He renders ^ ^ Ω f^i to H I
^ jX V by " Les résines du dieu sortent de lui pour parfumer les humeurs sorties de
ses chairs divines, les sécrétions tombées à terre. . Tous les dieux lui ont donné ceci."
In his commentary he maintains that the use of incense is here purificatory
and compares Pyr. 8 5 0 , and Pyr. 1 8 0 1 which are formulae for purification by
natron and ointment (md-t) respectively. In those two instances the fd-t is an
unpleasant thing to be got rid of, not a sweet smelling excretion that is to
be "given to all gods."

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
') ^ © = Ρ \\ (see ÄZ. 49, 24), referring to ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
7| J
3 ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
Cl
2) See also Rit. Amon X X V 6 where incense is called ΛΛΛΛΛΛ < = >
. ΛΛΛΛΛΛ .
I II ΛΛΛΛΛΛ J1
3) Cf θ / ^ -ji^» NAVILLE, Deir el-Bahri II 47.
ΛΛΛΛΛΛ 1 ΛΛΛΛΛΛ P - ^ - O
*) T h e perfumed " s w e a t " of the god is also the result of his being fumigated with incense
(see Urk. IV 8 7 4 , 1. 9).

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
1912.] Α. Μ. BLACKMAN: The Significance of Incense and Libations. 73

Moreover I can find no example of |l ^ used as a verb, and α

— Τ η ^ ι | can only be a relative sentence. ^J. <2, as is often the case in

New Egyptian, is for [1 \\ .
The rendering I suggest is supported by the Pyramid libation-formulae,
by Ritual of Anion XII 11 and X X V 6, where, as we have seen, incense is called

» an( l by the parallel expression i ] ^ ' H f 1 ' ^ ^ À-Z. 47 p. 1*26.

^ is merely the connective (ERMAN

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
Gramm?) joining
J
P ^ ^ to ^ ^ J"^
which is in apposition to ^ .
a

Although incense as well as water mixed with ^ and other solubles, such as
and δ i " ^ o , were regularly employed for the purpose of purifications
Ο Ο Ο Α ΛΛΛΛΛΛ O

in both temple and mortuary chapel, this passage, which is now under dis-
cussion, no less than the libation-formulae already dealt with, is concerned with
a sacramental and not a purificatory rite.
By the term "sacramental" rite of libation or incense we mean that under
the form of these offerings certain virtues and powers were supposed to be mys-
teriously imbibed by the recipient. W e had already seen that this is so in
the case of libations in the Pyr. Texts, and we now find the same belief expressed
about incense. Thus in Ritual of Amon~&\l 10 we r e a d : — " I t (the incense) is
the Horus-eye. If it lives, the Rekhyt live, thy flesh lives, thy members
flourish." Like the body of the dead that of the god's 2 too is conceived of
as shrivelled and dry and needing its moisture restored to it, which is, as
we see, accomplished by fumigating him with " l i v i n g " incense, the grains of
which are the crystallised exudations from a divine body. This idea occurs

nomimi
also in the Middle Kingdom mortuary text already quoted from (AZ. 47 p. 126)

Τ* R M E S S I M I
s—> " H e r head is fumigated with incense. This N. is vigorous by means of
incense. The god's dew [approaches] towards thy flesh."
There is still one doubtful point in Ritual of Anion XII 8. Is Τ 3
I C S ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

the exudations of the god who is fumigated or those of Osiris? The object
of the rite is not affected, whatever view may be taken, for in either case it
is performed to enable the corpse to regain its lost moisture. In the libation-

ΛΛΛΛ

, ^ must mean the "Horus-eye" that is to say the offered incense, though
owing to some mistake or misunderstanding it is here spoken of as the eye of the god who is
being fumigated!
*) The fact that, owing to the influence of the Osiris-myth, the cult of the gods was in
many respects so far identical with that of the dead, that the deities were addressed and ministered
to every morning as though they were corpses needing to be revivified, requires no comment here.
Zeitachr. f. Agypt Spr., 50. Band. 1912. 10

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
74 Α. M. BLACKMAN : The Significance of Incense and Libations. [50. Band.

formulae we found that both these ideas occur, for according to three of them
the liquids offered are the actual exudations of the deceased, while in the other
two they are said to be those of Osiris. But the expression at the end of
line 8 " w h i c h he hath given to all g o d s " suggests that Osiris is meant, since
it is not likely that every god was supposed to give his " s w e a t " for the
benefit of all gods.

This view is also supported by the expression (j ® in the Middle

ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

Kingdom incense-formula already quoted, which concludes t h u s : — ^ ^ O

ο ί O O O
sic sic

Jî»^ J á " i n c e n s e comes (twice). The grains1 [of incense?] come (twice).
The toe comes. The back-bone of Osiris comes forth. The natron (?) comes
(twice). The members come which issued from Osiris." Here most certainly
incense which has just been called " t h e god s d e w " is connected with Osiris
and parts of his body, the virtues of which are doubtless supposed to be
communicated to the deceased by fumigation.
W e seem therefore to have good ground for asserting that in the phrase

Ί!<Ξ>ίπι—15no l e s s t h a n in Ξ ^ Ξ Μ [pyr- 788] "the g o d " i s 0siris "·

I can find no instances in the Pyramid Texts in which incense ' is spoken
of in the terms used in the Ritual of Amon and the Μ. K. funerary text. There
this belief seems to have been attached to certain libations only. But even in
the Pyramids incense, which is the gift of the Nubian god Dedwen 4 , is not
always merely purificatory. Through the medium of the smoke mounting up from
the censer, the deceased can enter into communion 5 with certain gods who are
accompanied by their Kas, and, apparently, he can at the same time be reunited

M Cf. ττ in Rit. Amun X I I 11. Between this and the M. K . text there is a
S J m o m

general resemblance and ¡¡¡¡EXS^ corresponds to (j ö l'|j|||J ^ in the preceding part of

the latter.
2) So in ^ "the god's fluid," a name for the Nile, quoted in the footnote on p. 71,
-j, ι ι
Osiris is meant, as is clearly proved by the parallel ^ J\

3) Somewhat analogous is the formula which mentions the

Ρ o ^ ^ ^ Pyr. 378, and also Pyr. 116 quoted below where mn-wr is said to be (j -JJ- ^ ^ ^ ^ .
Here, however, Horus is their source, from which they emanate, and not Osiris.
*) Pyr. 1017 and P y r . 1718.
5) For this idea see also Pyr. 376 where the cloud of smoke is alluded to in ^ ^ J ΛΛΛΛΛΛ

%-T o

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM
1912.] Α. Μ. BLACKMAN: The Significance of Incense and Libations.

with his own K a . " O Unas, the arai of thy Ka is in front of thee! O Unas,
the arm of thy Ka is behind thee! etc." Pyr. 17-18.
Also like other offerings it was supposed to possess a divine personality 1

The conclusion would seem to be as follows. Although O this belief about

incense apparently does not occur in the 01(1 Kingdom religious texts that are
preserved to us, yet it may quite well be as ancient as that period. That is
certainly E R M A N S view with regard to the "Ritual of Amon" as expressed in his
" Handbook of Egyptian Religion ' p. 46. If that is the case, it becomes quite
obvious why the burning of incense and the pouring of libations are so closely
associated in the funeral and temple ritual. Both rites are performed for the
same purpose— to revivify the body of god or man by restoring to it its
lost moisture. Under the form of libations it was believed that either the
actual fluids that had run from it, or those of Osiris himself, were communi-
cated to the corpse. In the case of fumigation with incense it is the latter
of these two ideas that seems to have prevailed, namely that the body was
revivified not by the restoration of its own exudations but by receiving those
of Osiris".

') S e e for example Pyr. 376 c; Ritual of VOTOTI VII 9 where, as also in MACIVER, Buhen

p. 50, incense is identified with Nhb-t·, and AZ. 47 126-127 where the divine personality of

is indicated by the determinative . Cf. also Ritual of Amon X X X 4, where, when the «¿mj-bandage

offered, part of the formula w a s : — | j ^ <—a^j . W e might also compare id. 1 , 5

where the different parts of the censer are addressed as divinities (see MORET, Rituel du Gülte
divin p. 16 for an excellent footnote on this point).
2 ) Does this idea lurk also in a Totentext commented on by SETHE in AZ. 47, 71, which in
ΛΛΛΛΛΛ ^
connection with speaks of ^ ®Γθ a n d ΛΛΛΛΛΛ
/WSA™ ΣΣ
x
S
ojt?

Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services

Authenticated
Download Date | 11/24/15 12:47 PM