[Footnote 4:  The associates of Set, the god of Evil.]

[Footnote 5:  The Ass was a form of the Sun-god, and its eater was a mythological monster-serpent.]

[Footnote 6:  Another mythological serpent.]

[Footnote 7:  The serpent that tried to swallow the sun each morning, but the Sun-god cast a spell on it and rendered it powerless.]

[Footnote 8:  The Abtu and the Ant were two fishes that swam before the boat of the sun to warn the god of danger.]

[Footnote 9:  i.e., Ani wishes to be sure of a seat in both boats.]

The prayers of the Book of the Dead consist usually of a string of petitions for sepulchral offerings to be offered in the tombs of the petitioners, and the fundamental idea underlying them is that by their transmutation, which was effected by the words of the priests, the spirits of the offerings became available as the food of the dead.  Many prayers contain requests for the things that tend to the comfort and general well-being of the dead, but here and there we find a prayer for forgiveness of sins committed in the body.  The best example of such is the prayer that forms Chapter CXXVI.  It reads:  “Hail, ye four Ape-gods who sit in the bows of the Boat of Ra, who convey truth to Nebertchet, who sit in judgment on my weakness and on my strength, who make the gods to rest contented by means of the flame of your mouths, who offer holy offerings to the gods, and sepulchral meals to the spirit-souls, who live upon truth, who feed upon truth of heart, who are without deceit and fraud, and to whom wickedness is an abomination, do ye away with my evil deeds, and put ye away my sin, which deserved stripes upon earth, and destroy ye every evil thing whatsoever that clingeth to me, and let there be no bar whatsoever on my part towards you.  Grant ye that I may make my way through the Amhet[1] chamber, let me enter into Rastau,[2] and let me pass through the secret places of Amentet.  Grant that cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats may be given to me as they are given to the spirit-souls, and grant that I may enter in and come forth from Rastau.”  The four Ape-gods reply:  “Come, for we have done away with thy wickedness, and we have put away thy sin, which deserved stripes, which thou didst commit upon earth, and we have destroyed all the evil that clung to thee.  Enter, therefore, into Rastau, and pass in through the secret gates of Amentet, and cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats shall be given unto thee, and thou shalt go in and come out at thy desire, even as do those whose spirit-souls are praised [by the god], and [thy name] shall be proclaimed each day in the horizon.”

[Footnote 1:  A chamber in the kingdom of Seker in which the dead were examined.]

[Footnote 2:  The corridors in the kingdom of Seker.]