describes how the soul of the deceased, when armed
with the power which the Book of Traversing Eternity will give it, shall
be able to travel from one end of Egypt to the other, and to visit all
the holy places, and to assist at the festivals, and to enjoy communion
not only with the gods and spirits who assemble there, but also with its
kinsfolk and acquaintances whom it left behind alive on the earth. The
object of the book was to secure for the deceased the resurrection of
his body; it opens with the following words: "Thy soul liveth in heaven
in the presence of Ra. Thy Ka hath acquired the divine nature of the
gods. Thy body remaineth in the deep house (_i.e._ tomb) in the presence
of Osiris. Thy spirit-body becometh glorious among the living. Thy
descendants flourish upon the earth, in the presence of Keb, upon thy
seat among the living, and thy name is stablished by the utterance of
those who have their being through the 'Book of Traversing Eternity.'
Thou comest forth by day, thou art joined to the Sun-god Aten." The text
goes on to state that the deceased breathes, speaks, eats, drinks, sees,
hears, and walks, and that all the organs of his body are in their
proper places, and that each is performing its proper functions. He
floats in the air, hovers in the shadow, rises in the sky, follows the
gods, travels with the stars, dekans, and planets, and moves about by
night and by day on earth and in heaven at will.

Of the works that were originally composed for recitation on the days of
the festivals of Osiris, and were specially connected with the cult of
this god, three, which became very popular in the Graeco-Roman period,
may be mentioned. These are: (1) The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys;
(2) The Festival Songs of Isis and Nephthys; (3) The Book of making
splendid the Spirit of Osiris. The first of these works was recited on
the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month of the season Akhet
(October-November) by two "fair women," who personified Isis and
Nephthys. One of these had the name of Isis on her shoulder, and the
other the name of Nephthys, and each held a vessel of water in her right
hand, and a "Memphis cake of bread" in her left. The object of the
recital was to commemorate the resurrection of Osiris, and if the book
were recited on behalf of any deceased person it would make his spirit
to be glorious, and stablish his body, and cause his Ka to rejoice, and
give breath to his nostrils and air to his th