Old Kingdom
Pyramid Text Utterance 1
c. 2375 BCE
The opening utterance of the Pyramid Texts, the oldest surviving corpus of religious literature in the world. Inscribed in the burial chamber of Pharaoh Unas (last ruler of the 5th Dynasty), these spells were intended to ensure the king's resurrection and passage to the afterlife. This utterance purifies the king and prepares him for the afterlife journey.
1
The green eye-paint, the eye of Horus,
2
which protects you as a god,
3
your eye, that of every land.