The Repulsing of the Dragon Overview

• Language: Hieroglyphics

• Province: Egypt

• Date: 310 BC (with an oral tradition much older)

• Purpose: Ritual and magical recitation

• From Papyrus Bremner-Rhind

pg. 6 & https://www.tarsus.ie/resources/Wisdom-Lit.-/ANET-PDF.pdf 

The text introduces its purpose: to know the creation of Re [the Sun god who descends beneath the earth each night] and the overthrowing of Apophis [a demon-dragon that tries to eat Re each night that he descends below the earth]. It presents itself as a text to be spoken:

Khepri [the morning sun-ogd] brought all beings into existence with himself and brought about creation through his mouth. First, he made some things in Nun before he could find somewhere to stand. Khepri masturbates some beings into existence and sneezes out Shu and Tefnut.

Re weeps when he finds out he doesn’t have an eye, and his tears make humans; then, he makes a fake eye. Next, Tefnut and Shu bring him his real eye, which gets angry at him until he gives it a better place on his head. While Re accidentally creates humans by crying, God intentionally comes down to earth to make humans by blowing into the dirt his own personal Spirit.

Shu and Tefnut brought forth Geb and Nut; Geb and Nut brought forth Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys. These gods could speak magic to annihilate Re’s enemies.

Apophis is described as having a knife on his head, being blind, and not having a name on the land anymore. Re cast a curse on him, consumed his bones, annihilated his soul every day, cut up his vertebrae at his neck, and continued to take him apart (the description is very detailed).

The text then has an exorcism against enemies of Re and pharaoh. There are specific instructions for writing the spell on a new sheet of papyrus in green, putting it in a box with Apophis’ name on it, tying it up, putting it in the fire, wiping it with the left foot, and spitting upon it four times throughout the day. As one puts in it in the fire, they are instructed to proclaim Re’s triumph over Apophis, Horus’ triumph over his enemy, and Pharaoh’s triumph over his enemies four times each with the following refrain: “life, prosperity, health!” The enemies of Pharaoh are to be written in the box with all of their family members. This is to happen when the sun is at its highest and at sunset. In contrast, Jesus directly commands his followers not to vainly repeat themselves in prayer in his Sermon on the Mount.