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English: Image from page 264 of "Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection;" (1911)

Identifier: osirisegyptianre00budg Title: Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection; Year: 1911 (1910s) Authors: Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir, 1857-1934 Subjects: Osiris (Egyptian deity) Eschatology, Egyptian Publisher: London, P. L. Warner New York, G. P. Putnam's sons Contributing Library: Princeton Theological Seminary Library Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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Text Appearing Before Image: anda formula cut upon them, certain difficulties appear inthe way, for it seems as if they were made for anentirely different purpose. The early uninscribed figureswere intended to do work of every kind for their master,in fact, to make themselves generally useful in the OtherWorld. The inscribed figures were intended, as we learnfrom the formula, to do agricultural work chiefly, and itis clear that they were destined to perform celestial corveework in the kingdom of Osiris. The purposes of all ofthese figures was to do work for the dead, but whyparticular kinds of work are specified on those whichhave names cut upon them it is hard to say. Some thinkthat the early and late figures represent two distinctbeliefs, i.e., in the first case, that whatsoever a manneeded to have done in the Other World would be doneas a matter of course by servants, or slaves, and in thesecond case, that whatsoever he needed to have done 1 See the figures of the XXVIth dynasty. Osiris and Human Sacrifice 217

Text Appearing After Image: A Meroitic queen spearing captives.From a pyramid at Meroe. 2i8 Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection would have to be done by himself.^ To avoid thisunpleasant possibility, iLshabtiu figures were invented.This view does not, it seems to me, explain the difficulty,for it was obvious to the Egyptian of all periods that ifhe had no one to do work for him in the Other Worldhe woulS have to do it himself; and, believing this, hetook steps to provide ushabtiu figures, which in the earlytimes were without inscriptions, and in the later timeshad names and a formula cut or written on them. Theexplanation of the appearance of the name and theformula is, I believe, to be sought for in connection withthe development of the cult of Osiris during and afterthe Xllth dynasty. It is possible that men began tothink that the spirit of an unprincipled chief or king inthe Other World might lay claim to, or annex, theservices of the spirit-slaves belonging to other people,and do this to such a degree that

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