Coffin Text: The Tale of Horus and the Pig, c.

1900 BCE
Why the Egyptians did not eat pork.
O Batit of the evening, you swamp-dwellers, you of Mendes, ye of Buto, you of the shade of
Re which knows not praise, you who rew stoppered eer---do you know why Rekhyt !"ower
Egypt# was given to $orus% &t was Re who gave it to him in recompense for the in'ury in his
eye. &t was Re--he said to $orus( )*ray, let me see your eye since this has happened to it)
!in'ured in the +ght with ,eth#. -hen Re saw it. Re said( )*ray, look at that in'ury in your
eye, while your hand is a covering over the good eye which is there.) -hen $orus looked at
that in'ury. &t assumed the form of a lack pig. -hereupon $orus shrieked ecause of the
state of his eye, which was stormy !in.amed#. $orus said( )Behold, my eye is as at that
+rst low which ,eth made against my eye/) -hereupon $orus swallowed his heart efore
him !lost consciousness#. -hen Re said( )*ut him upon his ed until he has recovered.) &t
was ,eth---he has assumed form against him as a lack pig0 thereupon he shot a low into
his eye. -hen Re said( )-he pig is an aomination to $orus.) )Would that he might recover,)
said the gods. -hat is how the pig ecame an aomination to the gods, as well as men, for
$orus1 sake....
,ource(
2rom( 3. de Buck, The Egyptian Cofn Texts, 45hicago, 67689, p. :;<.