Source recordAncient text
Pyramid Texts
Anonymous Egyptian priests · c. 2400-2300 BCE · Ancient Egyptian (Hieroglyphic)
Ancient text
Pyramid Texts
Anonymous Egyptian priests
The oldest known religious texts in the world, carved on pyramid walls. Primary source for early Egyptian mythology and solar worship.
About this work
The oldest known religious texts in the world, carved on pyramid walls. Primary source for early Egyptian mythology and solar worship.
Where to start
Start with Utterance 213 for the fundamental funerary declaration of life after death, followed by Utterance 219 for the liturgical identification with Osiris, and Utterances 273-274 (the Cannibal Hymn) for ancient archaic royal ritual.
Figures in the text
Heroes and divinities who feature prominently, with where they appear.
Deities and immortals
OsirisUtterances 213, 219, 412Archetype of resurrected royalty whose triumph over death guarantees the pharaoh's immortality
RaUtterances 267, 467Solar sovereign whose daily ascent the deceased pharaoh joins across the sky
HorusUtterances 214, 587Filial avenger whose restored Eye imparts divine vitality to the entombed monarch
SetUtterances 215, 477Fierce god of desert storms whose conflict with Horus is ritually reconciled by the king
IsisUtterances 218, 364Sister-wife who gathers the dismembered Osiris and revives his royal ka
NephthysUtterances 218, 364Protective goddess stationed at the head of the sarcophagus alongside Isis
Key scenes
Turning points of the work, in reading order.
The Proclamation of Immortality
The priest declaims: 'O King, you have not departed dead, you have departed alive to sit upon the throne of Osiris!'
The Cannibal Hymn
An archaic, thunderous ritual chant in the pyramid of Unas describing the pharaoh hunting, lassoing, and consuming the power of the gods to become supreme in heaven.
Ascension to the Imperishable Stars
The king mounts the celestial ladder or soars as a divine falcon to join the circumpolar stars that never set or die.
Passages
Direct quotations are distinguished from editorial paraphrases and records awaiting verification.
“Adoration to thee, O Osiris. Rise thou up on thy left side, place thyself on thy right side.”
Pyramid Texts, as quoted in Legends of the Gods · Mer-en-Ra, line 336; Pepi II, line 862 (locators cited by Budge)
Translation: E. A. Wallis Budge
Budge, Legends of the Gods (1912), discussion of Osiris, footnotes 27–28. Budge notes that he omits the king's names; footnote markers omitted here. English excerpt checked against the cited transcription on 2026-09-23; no original-language text is supplied. This replaces the previously unverified passage.
Read sourceStories drawn from it
Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.
The Heliopolitan Creation MythcreationIn the beginning was the primordial waters of Nun, dark and chaotic. From these waters arose the primeval mound, and upon it stood Atum (later identified with Ra), the self-created god.
The Murder and Resurrection of OsiristragedyOsiris ruled Egypt as its first pharaoh, teaching agriculture and civilization. His brother Set, consumed by jealousy, murdered him and scattered his body across Egypt.
The Contendings of Horus and SetwarAfter Osiris's death, his son Horus challenged Set for the throne of Egypt, leading to an 80-year conflict with many contests and trials.
About this record
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.