Egyptian Funerary Texts:

The Cofn Texts

(Grajetzki 37)
The outer coffin of Gua, from the tomb of Gua, Deir el-Bersha, Eg!t
"#th Dnast, "$%&-"7$& B'
(British (useum)
)nner coffin of Gua, from the tomb of Gua, Deir el-Bersha, Eg!t
"#th Dnast, "$%&-"7$& B'
(British (useum)

INTRODUCTION
Theoretical Approach: I use functionalism to see how the Cofn Texts
act in society.
A continuation of the Pyramid Text traitions! the Cofn Texts "etter
e#ne the afterlife an portray its an$ers more ramatically. Intene
to ai the ecease in the afterlife! the Cofn Texts pro%ie spells for
protection from supernatural "ein$s an other an$ers in orer to
assure amission into the cyclical course of the sun an eternal life.
These spells ha no esta"lishe chronolo$ical orer an "e$innin$s or
enin$s of ini%iual spells are inconsistent from source to source
&Dunn'. (ritten for )ile *in$om ofcials an their su"orinates!
they are foun not only on cofns! "ut occasionally tom" walls! stelae!
canopic chests! papyri an mummy mas+s. Texts written on papyrus
are rare! "ut e#nitely existe to pro%ie copies for the scri"es who
wor+e on the cofns &,aul+ner i'. -y the )ile *in$om! the practice
of inscri"in$ reli$ious texts on the cofns "ecomes rarer! as more an
more people start to put papyri into their "urials . thou$h these are not
always of a reli$ious nature &/ra0et1+i 23'.

-AC*/ROUND
As /ra0et1+i points out! 4(ritten texts ha%e "een always an important
part of elite "urials.5 Texts on cofns! ori$inally 0ust the titles an the
tom" owners6 names! were funerary texts of the most re$ularity
&/ra0et1+i 78'. Inee! the cofn itself is the most constant feature of
"urials across the three millennia of 9haraonic history &:uir+e ;7<'.
9articularly clear in cofn prouction! re$ional %ariations in funerary
culture in ,irst Intermeiate 9erio =$ypt were results of political
fra$mentation. >ur%i%in$ written recors portray the time as a perio
of political insta"ility an social unrest! explainin$ why it is easy to
istin$uish cemeteries from one another "y cofn style &/ra0et1+i ?<@
?3'.
=xample of hiero$lyph forms uniAue to /e"elein:
(Grajetzki 37)

In irect relation to the e$eneration of a uni#e +in$om in the late
thir millennium -C is the aoption of royal texts an ima$es "y people
other than +in$s! termedemocratization in =$yptolo$y &:uir+e
;22'.

D=>CRI9TION
The scholar Ariaan e -uc+ i%ie the Cofn Texts into 1,18
di!erent spe""s! some assi$ne to lar$er compositions such as the
ma0or -oo+ of Two (ays. The spells always refer to the ecease in
the #rst person sin$ular an the lan$ua$e! althou$h it imitates that of
the Ol *in$om! was of classical )ile =$ypt . inscri"e with
hiero$lyphs an occasional early hieratic &Dunn'.
The Cofn Texts also sometimes inclue epictions of royal sym"ols
such as crowns or staBs in 4the so@calle Co"0ect frie1e6 or frise
dobjets!6 a $raphical epiction of a %ariety of items associate with the
mummi#cation of the ecease an "urial rituals! as well as more
ritualistic o"0ects concerne with the well@"ein$ or esires of the
ecease5 &Ro"inson ?'.
Unli+e the 9yrami Texts! the Cofn Texts were almost always title
&sometimes the title came at a text6s en'. They were usually written
in %ertical columns with the use of re in+ to i%ie spells. ,or
emphasis! some important spells were written entirely in re pi$ment.
The Cofn Texts are the #rst instance in =$yptian funerary literature to
use $raphic epictions! thou$h infreAuently. The -oo+ of Two (ays an
>pell 7<7 oBer etaile plans while other textual escriptions of #$ures
are use to "olster the texts6 ma$ic.
A holo%er from the 9yrami Texts is the mutilation of many
hiero$ylphs which represent animate o"0ects. These $lyphs are
sometimes car%e as two separate pieces i%ie "y a "lan+ space.
>ometimes sna+es an other animalsDcreatures are inscri"e with
+ni%es in their "ac+s! intene to ensure the safety of the ecease
from the #$ure &Dunn'.
(Grajetzki &7)


TE= -OO* O, T(O (AF>
4This is the path to the a"oes of those who li%e on sweet thin$s5
&CT;G2?'
(*obinson +)

The set of texts +nown as the -oo+ of Two ways is almost uniAue as a
re$ional %ariety to the )ile *in$om cofns of el@-ersheh. Descri"e
as the #rst Egyptian Cosmography! it presents the routes an paths
that 1i$@1a$ past o"stacles throu$h the mythical Netherworl +nown as
the lans of $ostau. =xamples of some of the $ateways of ar+ness
are walls of Hame an Hint to trap an exclue the unwary &Ro"inson I@
?'. There is "oth a shorter! oler %ersion an a lon$er %ersion of the
-oo+ &2'.

-A>IC OUTJIN= O, TE= 9ATE &Ro"inson 8@3':
;. Risin$ sun escri"e! ecease "oars solarDlotus "ar+ of Re to
"e$in 0ourney
I. Two pathways: Upper "lue way an ar+er lower way . separate "y
a re "an esi$natin$ a spell to pass 4Ja+e of ,ire of the +nife@
wielers.5
?. )eanerin$Dwinin$Dcrossin$ of multiple paths in some cases.
/eo$raphic features such as: waterways! "asins! #els an shrines.
DemonsDmonsters present at "ens. Decease reas throu$h spells as
protection from! for example: 4Jar$e@face who ri%es oB a$$ressorsK a
spell for passin$ "y him which is "elow the waterway5 &CT;;<8'
(*obinson "#)

7. Decease recei%es special clothes an staBs of authority to
emonstrate successful initiation throu$h lanscape
2. =nters Rostau. Decease calls upon protection of Thoth to pass "y
Cwatchers6 throu$h a hall that is i%ie into ? compartments "y
Hamin$ walls
<. Realm of paths of confusions . painte "lue! possi"ly locate in s+y
or water. )ore $os! emons! scara"@heae an holin$ sna+es an
li1ars await ecease.
8. Decease arri%es in presence of Osiris to li%e eternally &Jon$er
%ersion inclues four more sections' . sin$le spell ienti#es ecease
with Re! $i%in$ 0usti#cation of hisDher actions an enyin$ any false
ees
&3. Decease encounters 8 $ates. Decease presents $uarian of each
$ate with +nowle$e of their names.
L. )eets with Osiris an i%ine "ein$s aroun the solar "ar+! witnesses
a speech of Re! ecease compare to Re at moment of sunrise.
=ternal existence reache.'

In sum! the -oo+ of Two (ays 4shoul "e seen as a etaile roa map
lai out on the Hoor of the cofn! for the expresse "ene#t of $uiin$
the ecease throu$h a 0ourney to his or her estination at the sie of
the sun@$o Re5 &Ro"inson 7'. It inclues a >+y@"orne worl of celestial
pathways as well as a ar+! fore"oin$ Unerworl to "e tra%erse "y
paths an canals. The e%olution of the -oo+ of Two (ays culminates
into the creation of the %mduat &Dunn'.


>9=JJ> =MA)9J=>
>ome spells are uniAue to ini%iual cofns.
Issue of Creation:
The most common sur%i%in$ Cofn Text from all cemeteries of the
perio has to o with a poem intersperse "y commentary .
sometimes title Cincantation for $oin$ out &of the tom"' "y ay in the
necropolis.6 This title continue to "e use for series of funerary texts
after ;2GG -C an into the corpus of the -oo+ of the Dea &:uir+e
;2L'.
Assumin$ Any ,orm:
Use in "oth the afterlife an life on earth! man &li%in$ or ea' coul
"ecome any form of his choosin$! 4into e%ery $o into which one mi$ht
esire to transform!4Assumin$ the form of any $o that man may wish
to assume5 &CTILG'.
Other spells mi$ht turn the ecease into #re! air! $rain! a chil or e%en
an amulet! while others allowe the ecease reunion with lo%e ones
an family in afterlife.
Apophis:
The Cofn Texts eal with the #rst time Apophis . the hu$e serpent an
enemy of the sun. Ee continues to play a lar$e role in New *in$om
funerary "oo+s &Dunn'.

CONCJUDIN/ TEOU/ET>

A Auote from the article "y Ro"inson I foun interestin$ reas: 4A
num"er of scholars ha%e su$$este that the =$yptian cofn! li+e the
%arious o"0ects inclue within the "urial! the reliefs on the tom" walls
an the tom" itself! acte li+e a machine to transport the ecease at
the moment of internment from this worl to the sou$ht@after afterlife5
&Ro"inson ;I'.

In any case! "y the en of the )ile *in$om the Cofn Texts were
re#ne into the &oo' o( the )ead.



Jauren Naler

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