Hor of Thebes possessed the earliest known and datable copy of the Book of Breathings Made by Isis. He was a priest who performed rituals for three gods in Karnak. Some of these rites were apotropaic in nature, while others were creative. There is a conceptual and ritual tie between these concepts. His funerary text also contains the intertwining of these seemingly opposite yet actually complementary concepts. One of the vignettes that was adjacent to his Book of Breathings is, at first glance, a common funerary motif. Yet, closer examination reveals that there are a number of unique elements to the vignette, creating a unique composition, which has definite ties to the temple. A closer examination reveals that the vignette may be drawing on the rituals Hor performed in the temple, perhaps even combining apotropaic and revivification aspects of Hor’s ritual life.
Book of Breathings; vignettes; execration; priests; temples
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