Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 105. (Budapest, 2006)

ÉVA LIPTAY: Between Heaven and Earth II: The Iconography of a Funerary Papyrus from the Twenty-First Dynasty (Part II)

Thus in the cosmic level Maat denotes the world order, while in the mythical level the same idea is represented by the firstborn daughter of the creator, the "Unique Eye" at the commencement of the act of creation. The concept of Maat, however, appears in the ritual level as well: in the earlier alluded to scene depicting the wall of the tomb of Ramesses IX the pharaoh is shown presenting a ^-offering before Ptah.'

4 The m2

r

i-offering symbolises the reinforcement of creative power and vitality, by providing that via the person of the king.'

1 Exactly the same ritual level can be revealed on the Budapest papyrus. Here the b> of the deceased presents an offering to the passengers of the sun barque: the sun-god manifesting in his own eye and to the solar eye-goddesses, who appear in the shapes of double feathers which steer the barque through the Netherworld. Summing up the above, at the cosmic level the Solar Eye can be regarded as being the same as the sun disc, and on the mythic level it can be identified with the firstborn daughter of the sun-god, while on the ritual level it is equivalent to the torches providing light at night and the offering presented to the deity/the deceased.'

6 It is apparent from this that all the three levels (Solar Eye

—daughter goddess

—offering) emerge both in the scene of the tomb of Ramesses IX and on the Budapest papyrus, although through quite different motifs. 4. 4. "WHO IS INSIDE HIS DISC" On Twenty-first Dynasty coffins and papyri one can often come across the concept that appears on the Budapest papyrus, i.e. when the various manifestations of the god are represented inside the sun disc. This iconographie motif refers to one of his divine titles. The epithet who is inside his disc (imy itn = f) was already used specifically in connection with the nightly/otherworldly form of the sun-god as early as the Coffin Texts, but the most frequent occurrence can be demonstrated in the hymnical context of the New Kingdom."' The state of residing within the disc refers not simply to the residence of the deity, but also to his identification with the sun disc.

38 The transformation that takes place on the border of night and day, at the period when the god takes a new shape also occurs inside the sun disc. In the otherworldly context (i.e. on the border of the eastern horizon and in the moment directly before the rebirth) the phrase "one who is inside the sun disc" conveys the meaning that he has not stepped out from it yet. The figure in the sun disc leaves exactly at the same time when the hi separates from its chthonic form (Osiris), leaving it behind in the Netherworld, in order to carry on his (daily) course in the sky. Thus the same happens as it does in the moment of creation, since at every rebirth creation is evidently repeated over and over again: Unity becomes Duality because of the process of separation.'

9