The article is devoted to the analysis of the ancient Egyptian ritual of throwing four balls in the context of Egyptian ritual practice. The author traces the genesis and development of this ritual on the basis of various sources, as well as examines its role and significance within the Egyptian magical tradition.

Keywords: four clay balls, ritual, protection, magic, papyrus, Set, followers, Taharqa, Hibis, Heliopolis.

An important feature of ancient Egyptian protective magic rituals was the use of various items necessary for the effectiveness of the ritual. One of the most important attributes of magical practice was clay balls or globular objects. In 1975, J.-K. Goyon published the New York Papyrus 35.9.21 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection (MMA 35.9.21) [Goyon, 1975], which describes the magical practice required to repel enemies. "The discovery of the mystery of the four clay balls "( n 4. t bnnwt n(t) sin) [Goyon, 1975, p. 189-190] - these words begin a magical ritual where the main object was balls. In this publication, Goyon has compiled various versions of the four-ball ritual that correlate with the most complete version recorded in the MMA papyrus 35.9.21 (see Table 1).:

Table 1

Text

Dating information

Location

Owner

pChester-Beatty XI

XIX dynasty

Deir el-Medina

Taharqi Temple, Karnak, room E, east wall

XXV Dynasty

Taharqa

Hibisa Temple, Hall 2, north, east and west walls

Late period

in situ

Darius I

Fragment of the door at 8, Guimet Museum, inv. N 14730

XXX Dynasty

Fragment of an inscription, Pushkin Museum, inv. I. 1. b. 1022

XXX Dynasty

rMMA 35.9.21, 26-32

ca. 320 BC

Meir

pBrooklyn 47.218.138, 12, 1-16

ca. 320 BC

theban

rVM 10288 I, 1-7

310 BC

pBerlin 3037

ptolemaic

theban

pLouvre E 3237, 1-21

ptolemaic

pLouvre E 3239, 1-23

ptolemaic

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It is rather difficult to trace the genesis of this ritual, but, apparently, its prototypes could have appeared in ancient times. Perhaps one of these rituals was recorded already in the era of the First Dynasty, during the reign of Tsar Djer (Vikentiev, 1954, p. 146). A wooden tablet from Saqqara (Cairo JdE 70114) [Emery, 1938, p. 35, fig. 8] contains a ritual image divided into three registers. In the center of the first register is placed the sign of the verb mś - 'to be born', 'to appear' [Erman, Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. II, P. 137]. On the left is the serekh 1 of King Djer, which is approached by a procession of worshippers carrying ritual objects: a ladder, a mummy-shaped statue, fish and pelican figures, and a pointed pommel. On the right is an inscription ("Upper and Lower Egypt") and an image of two people performing an action, the purpose of which is quite difficult to determine. In the second register on the left side is also placed the sign of the verb mś, and the servants carry the standard of the bull and serekh. One of the attendants holds two balls, the third ball lies on the floor, and the fourth is held by a bird, which V. Helk considers a bird designated by the term [Erman, Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. I, S. 488], and the balls themselves - by the term ('ball', 'ball') [Erman, Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. I, S. 488, (8)] [Helck, 1987, S. 154]. This register shows two figures on a raised platform. It is difficult to determine the context of the depicted action. V. Helck considers it a very ancient ritual [Helck, 1987, p. 154]. It can be assumed that here is a procession of dedication or consecration of a cult statue (Wilkinson, 1999, p. 231). This is indicated by the verb mś, which in this case can mean reviving the statue [Wilkinson, 1999, p. 231]. Attention is drawn to a large number of ritual attributes, including four balls. Their role in the ritual is unclear, but it seems important.

The earliest written mention of the four-ball ritual is found in the Chester-Beatty XI papyrus of the 19th dynasty, which contains magical texts [Gardiner, 1935(2), PI. 66, F, x+2]. The papyrus text is fragmented, so the exact ritual cannot be restored. But the following entry has been preserved: "it is said for this purpose over four balls" - . It is possible that this ritual was part of magical actions directed against snakes, since the rituals described in the papyrus, where the main character was the goddess Isis, were aimed at repelling snakes and scorpions(Gardiner, 1935 (1), pp. 118-119).

The next mention of the four-ball ritual dates back to the XXV dynasty. It is recorded in the temple of King Taharqa of the XXV Nubian dynasty (690-664 BC) in Karnak, on the doorway of the eastern wall in room "E". Breaking the four balls is part of the context of the Taharqa cenotaph protection ritual in Kom Jem. In the center of the wall above the passage is an acacia tree over the tomb of Osiris. On the left side of the tomb is a high priestess with a bow in her hands, aiming at the symbolic image of the opposing countries of Egypt. On the right side is the king with a mace, throwing four balls. A highly fragmented inscription is located nearby: [///] [///]rr imnt-"[///] <path> [///] to the west [///]". This is the only known image that shows the ritual of throwing balls. It is probably connected here with the strengthening of royal power and the king's possession or seizure of land [Helck and Otto, 1975, p. 609], which was especially relevant in connection with the confrontation between the Nubian rulers of Egypt and Assyria [Kitchen, 1996, p.391-393]. The description of the four-ball throwing rite begins on the wall to the left of the passage and continues to the right. The text is divided into five columns in each section and is intended to protect the tomb of Osiris.

The most complete and extended version of the ritual is presented in papyrus MMA 35.9.21 (columns XXVI-XXXII) [Goyon, 1975; Goyon, 1999]. Papyrus Owner -

Serekh - 1 rectangle representing the facade of the palace, on which sits a falcon-a symbol of the god Hora. The oldest royal name.

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priest Imhotep, likely place of origin-the necropolis of the Middle Egyptian city of Meir. The exact dating of the papyrus is rather controversial, but based on palaeographic data, researchers date the papyrus to the Ptolemaic period (Kamal, 1915, p. 199-206) or the time between the second Persian rule (342-332) and the Argead rule (332-305 BC) (Schmidt, 1919, p.220-226). The ritual of "discovering the secret of the four balls" is consistent with other rituals recorded in the papyrus and included in the cult actions that were performed in temples in honor of the gods Osiris and Sokar. The text of the ritual of throwing four balls is aimed at protecting Osiris by using magic spells designed to destroy the enemy. The text states that to perform the ritual to repel the enemy, it is necessary to throw four clay balls to the south, north, west and east ( iw rsyt mytyt imnt - "throw (to) the south, north, west and east"). According to its structure, the ritual is divided into several parts: the first part is divided into four "chapters" according to the number of balls (wwt mtt) and is aimed at repelling and destroying Set; the second part is introduced by the expression "saying words over four balls of clay" mdwr bnnwt nt sint) (and is aimed at protecting Osiris; the third part contains a prayer appeal to the balls - "prayers (over) four balls of clay" (bnnwt nt sint), which is necessary for the protection of Osiris; the fourth part is introduced by the expression "another saying" (ku r mdw ) and is aimed at reflecting Seth, which is recorded by the refrain " back, Seth!" ().

There are several versions of the ritual that correlate with the version of the MMA 35.9.21 papyrus. The earliest version is in the Hibis temple in the Kharga oasis, built in the era of the first Persian rule, under Darius I (522-486 BC), on the northern and eastern walls of the hall "H 2" (Davies, 1953, pl. 20). The images on its walls are arranged in three registers. In the first register of the northern wall, the central place is occupied by the reclining mummy of Osiris, flanked by Isis and Nephthys and the god (who can presumably be identified as Pa) [Davies, 1953, p. 20]. 2 Osiris in the form of a falcon gives him the sign of life - . On the right side of the register, Osiris stands in front of a goddess, most likely Isis (Davies, 1953, p. 20). On the left side of the register, Osiris in ithyphallic form lies in a tomb niche surrounded by a serpent. To the left are two figures with bent arms, and above the niche are two other figures performing the ritual. To the right of the niche is an obelisk. In the second register, Isis and Nephthys perform actions aimed at resurrecting Osiris, whose ithyphallic figure is placed in the center of the register. The hymn above him proclaims that he must live for millions of years, that his soul must unite with the soul of Ra, and that he is the sun by day and the moon by night (Davies, 1953, p. 20). The right side of the register shows the falcon god Sokar in a rook and the bull Apis carrying a mummy on his back. On the left side of the register sits the goddess Heket, "lady of Abydos". In the third register, the central figures are Nephthys, Isis, and the ithyphallic god, designated as" the one from Coptos " (Gbtyw), i.e. Min [Erman and Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. V, S. 163]. They stand on the right side of the tomb, where the god Min is placed under the epithet " Min, Lord of Coptos "(Mnw nb Gbtw) in the form of a mummy figure. In this case, he can be identified with Osiris (Davies, 1953, p. 20). In the center is a fetish from Abydos. The ritual text begins in the third register of the north wall and corresponds to the second and third chapters of the ritual of papyrus MMA 35.9.21.

In the first register of the eastern wall, from right to left, the protective gods protecting Osiris are depicted: the snake-headed Anuris-Shu (In -rrt Šw) in a crown of feathers and with a spear, the lion-headed Tefnut, "daughter of Ra", with the bow and eye of ujat on her head, Isis with a lock of Coptos, nursing a child, kneeling Isis from the Abydos nome-wr, the falcon on the standard -rRw-MḫNty-n-irty [Leitz, 2002, Bd. III, S. 394]. Bo

2 Can be translated as "soul" [Erman, Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. I, S. 411].

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The second register features a Chorus of young men as a priest of iwn-mwt. f, a kneeling Isis from Henti-min, and a winged hybrid creature with the body of a crocodile and a double falcon head in a crown of feathers called Xop-Swmnw. In the third register, on the right and left sides, there are the goddesses Selket and Neith, and between them is placed the text of the ritual, which corresponds to the fourth chapter of the papyrus MMA 35.9.21. It can be stated that the revival of Osiris took place in the hall "H 2". The ritual recorded on the walls basically coincides with the ritual of the papyrus MMA 35.9.21. Probably, the papyrus text was used as a sample, which was then transferred to the walls of the temple room. The throwing of balls, unlike the Taharqa Temple, is not pictorially recorded; the entire iconographic program reflects the mystery of the rebirth of Osiris. Probably, the actual throwing of balls was replaced by fixing this action on the walls of the room, which guaranteed the protection of the space where the resurrection of Osiris took place.

The following sources that record the ritual in question relate to the Late period (from the XXVI to XXX dynasties). This is a fragment of the door to 8 from the Paris Museum of Oriental Arts (formerly the Guimet Museum) [Moret, 1909, p. 126, nr. B8] and, as suggested by Goyon [Goyon, 1999, p. 63], an entry on a fragment of the same monument stored in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (I. 1. b. 1022) [Hodjash and Berlev, 1982, p. 180, nr. 123] 3. On monument B8, the ritual record consists of three columns, on the monument from the Pushkin Museum-of three lines. The owner of the monument is the" scribe of the divine books of the house of Osiris " (sš -nṯr n pr-Wsir) Ankh-Harsies. The record of the ritual itself is very fragmented, but according to the preserved records, it can be compared with the record of the ritual of the MMA 35.9.21 papyrus (Goyon, 1999, p. 64).

Berlin papyrus 3037 from Thebes at the end of the Greco-Roman period, referring to the mummy (mummy N 927, sarcophagus N 30), on the recto side contains the ritual text in three columns [Königliche Museen.., 1899, p.235]. The text is fragmented, without the title of the ritual, but contains a rather large version of the four balls ritual.

Papyrus 47.218.138 from the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Arts, dating from the Ilemean period, contains spells and magical formulas to protect the pharaoh against snakes and reptiles (Goyon, 2012). The text is divided into four "stanzas" and is contained on pages XII, x+15 to x+25 and XIII, 1-16 under the heading: kg n ḫtm šn rn ḏdft nb - " closing (sealing) the mouth of all snakes." The end contains an explanation that is not found in other records of the ritual (XIII, 14-16). Four balls must be thrown to the four cardinal directions, then take a scroll of papyrus and tie it around your neck to protect you from misfortune.: "Saying the words: throw four clay balls to the south, north, west and east. To pronounce, to speak this incantation, erected in a scroll, put ("given") on his neck. He will protect him from misfortune on the water and on land..." (ḏd-mdw ḥr bnnw.t 4 (t) nt sint r rs.t mḥ.t imn.t ḏd-mdw r pn ṯz m rdi r ḫḫ.f nḥm.fsw ḥr n ḥr mw ḥr ti...) [Goyon, 1975, p. 350].

The Louvre papyri 3237 and 3239 of the Ptolemaic period form a sequence of rituals aimed at protecting the deceased from snakes and were supposed to serve as amulets for him (Chassinat, 1893, p.10-17). Papyrus 3237 on the verso side mentions the goddess Selket (SrtT), and on the recto side the ritual is introduced by the first chapter-mtt 1. The text consists of twenty-one lines and, with the exception of the introductory wording (sw mi Stš - "like Set"), does not agree with the text of the ritual of papyrus MMA 35.9.21. Papyrus 3239 on the verso side contains the second chapter and the name of the goddess Bastet (mḥ 2 ). The ritual consists of twenty-three lines. From the first to the eighteenth lines, the ritual corresponds to column 26, 7-11 of papyrus MMA 35.9.21 with minor lexical differences, from the eighteenth to the twenty-third lines of analogies with

3 There is no data on which monument these fragments were part of. The secondary use of these fragments cannot be excluded.

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papyrus MMA 35.9.21 no. It is important to note that in both papyri, Set is identical to the serpent, which is not mentioned in other sources that record the ritual of the four balls. Thus, the one against whom the ritual is directed appears here in a double hypostasis-a snake and a Set, which reflects the main focus of the rite of throwing four balls and the stages of its addition. In the Louvre papyri, a syncretic image of the enemy - the snake-Set is displayed. Apparently, this was also due to the fact that Seth was associated with Uraeus from ancient times and in this sense embodied the striking fire power of the sun god. Seth's incarnation of the Uraean serpent may indicate that this is a solar ritual.

Another version of the ritual is presented in papyrus VM 10288, which comes from the temple library of Paurem, son of Ki-ki, and dates back to the beginning of the Ptolemaic period (Caminos, 1972, pp. 205-224, pl. XI). As in the Louvre papyri, the ritual is used to protect the deceased from snakes, but has no analogies with other records of the ritual.

It can be stated that there are many versions of the four balls ritual, most of which date back to the Late period and the Ptolemaic period, when this ritual was probably most relevant. Many of them originate from the rite of repelling snakes, a characteristic Egyptian ritual practice.

The version that most fully captures this ritual is presented in papyrus MMA 35.9.21. On its basis, you can restore the relatively complete course of the rite. Four balls were made daily from clay and inscribed with the names of gods or goddesses.4 A formula was recited over the orbs, directed against Set and his followers-the enemies of Osiris-Unnefer-Hentiamentiu. The four orbs restricted the area and prevented Set and his followers from reaching the location of Osiris. This function seems to have been their main ritual function. During the ritual, the head, body, and bones of Seth were destroyed and burned in the ritual flame. The performers of this action could be Ra, the great gods of the west, east, north and south, who were listed by name. Seth was to perish together "with his name and image" ( rn.fdd.f), which served as a guarantee of his complete destruction.

The performance of the ritual and its effectiveness were ensured by a sequence of repetitions of key utterances and spells that make up the compositional connection of the ritual (see Table 2).

At the end of the ritual, according to papyrus MMA 35.9.21, balls inscribed with the names of certain gods were thrown to the four cardinal directions (Amon and Montu-on the ball thrown in the direction of the south, Shu and Tefnut - in the direction of the north, Neit and Ouadget - in the direction of the west, Sekhmet and Bastet - in the direction of the east).

As cult items, balloons had the following properties:: they were aimed at protecting Osiris ( Wsir), did not allow Set ( Stš) to reach the place of Osiris, their protective properties were provided by the power of Ra (), they gave protection of life and death day and night (t mwt m m grḥ m ḫrw) , their creator was called Ra (ḫpr ), they were attributed to " exit"(pri), i.e. appearing as Geb and Osiris; they are said to 'grow up on the earth and live in Nuna' (srwr m Nnw), by virtue of them being burned in the flame (hh mii) Set and dismember his head (tsḳ tp. f).

When considering the properties of balls, special attention should be paid to their close relationship with Ra. They are "the protectors of Ra, going out with him, giving him a place for his son Osiris..." (MMA 35.9.21, col. 27, 12) and "four balls created by Ra" (bnnwt 4ppr n, MMA 35.9.21, col. 27, 14). In view of this connection,

4 There are known archaeological finds of balls that could presumably be used in rituals of this type. They are made of a clay mixture with various additives, the diameter is 5 cm. The balls can be round in shape and in the form of the head of the goddess Sekhmet, some have inscriptions of the names of goddesses (Ziegler, 1979, p. 437-439, pl. LX).

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Table 2

Formula

Papyrus MMA 35.9.21

nty n iw...š w mi Stš p - " It's like Seth who came..."

26, 2, 3, 7

ḥr n zriw Imi ḏd.tw n p - "He is spoken in the face of a ram"

26, 2; 29, 13, 14; 30, 1, 14

. k ḥr.k n ḥ - "On you, on the back of your head"

26, 4, 8; 27, 2; 29, 4

tp. k -wwi. J ' ("He (Ra) smites your head"

26, 5, 10, 16; 30, 3; 31, 7

pp (rdiw )nnw. k ir - "You will not draw near to see the great God"

26, 6, 10. 16; 27,4; 31, 7, 8

mi (irk) ṯz.tw Wsirōnty-imn - "Come, rise, you Osiris-Hentiamentiu"

26, 6, 10, 16; 27, 4; 29, 11, 12; 30, 6, 10, 16

-ẖrw.(k) rfftiw. k (J) - "Right (you) voice against your (his) enemies"

26, 6, 12; 27, 1, 6; 29, 12; 30, 6, 11; col. 31, 1, 2; 16

sḫr sbiw.k /sbiw.ksḫr - "Look, the rebels (who are against) you have fallen / The rebels (who are against) you have fallen"

26, 6, 11; 27, 1, 5

smiw. f Stš ẖzw - "Set the weak with his followers"

27, 12; 28, 1

wwi. (f)tp. k - " He pierces your head "

26, 5, 10,16; 31, 7

"Back up, Seth!"

29,3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12; 30, 7, 15; 31, 11; 32, 5

with Ra, we can assume that the ritual takes place in Heliopolis, the ancient cult center of the solar deity, since most of the cult objects mentioned in connection with the ritual were located there. These are hwt bnbn t 'Iwnw -" the temple of Ben ben in Heliopolis" ,bbtw nnnw nty m 'Iwnw - "earthenware shards found in Heliopolis", n4 tiw.t nty m pt bnbnt m Iwnw - "the four statues that are in the temple of the Pyramidion in Heliopolis". The ritual mentions the " ram in the temple of Heliopolis "(zriw nty mwwt bnbn m ' Iwnw), which in this context embodies the solar deity. Along with this, Osiris is called bnw ("phoenix") in the ritual and nty mwwt-bnbn - "one who is in the temple of ben-ben".

Along with the four balls, the ritual description in papyrus MMA 35.9.21 mentions other magical objects, the number of which is equal to four. These are primarily the four earthenware potsherds (bbwt) that are found in Heliopolis. They should be broken on the floor in pairs during the ritual. Immediately after this act, the enemy is destroyed. This rite was part of the late Egyptian temple rituals, when potsherds were thrown on the four sides of the temple room. Undoubtedly, the rite of breaking balls and the rite of scattering potsherds are closely related. Other objects are four tiwt figurines in the bnbn house in Heliopolis, whose names must be pronounced. These are statues of dwarf protective deities-Šri (child) [Leitz, 2002, Bd. VII, S. 108], Bs (Demon) [ibid., Bd. II, S. 834], (dwarf) ibid., Bd. V, S. 93], Nm (dwarf) [ibid., Bd. IV, S. 238]. The protective functions of these deities are well known, but together they are mentioned only in this papyrus. Thus, as Goyon notes, despite the fact that the ritual is primarily aimed at protecting Osiris, it is Heliopolitan in origin and, obviously, solar [Parker, Leclant, Goyon, 1979, p. 63]. This is evidenced by the presence of the Helionolian objects listed above, as well as the general Heliopolian semantics of the ritual.

In this ritual, the function of path protectors is performed by four balls, also associated with the cardinal directions. But this function in different ritual practices can be performed by different objects. Along with balls and potsherds, four magic labels made of clay with amulets are also given a similar meaning.-

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tombs located in niches in the four cardinal directions. Each label, which has its own amulet in the form of a flame, mummy, jed pillar and Anubis [Régen, 2010, p. 23], was supposed to protect the road leading to the north, south, east and west. In general, these labels were intended to protect the space of the tomb and the deceased from enemies (Monnet, 1951, p. 153). This protective ritual existed from the New Kingdom era to the Greco-Roman period [Régen, 2010, p. 24]. The four birds released by the priests seem to have the same function. The ritual of releasing four birds, first recorded in the Ramessid period, was performed as part of the Mina festival (Gauthier, 1931, p. 223). In the Ramesseum, during the reign of Ramesses II, there is an image of this ritual, where the priests release four birds in front of the Pharaoh. The accompanying inscription suggests that this ritual could have been performed against the enemy :dd mdw prt sḏt r Stš - " Uttering the words: going out of the flame against Seth with his followers. The right voice rises as a Mina, and the right voice is right. The rebels were defeated. Say it 4 times" [Keel, 1977, S. 11, Taf. 33]. The closest analogue of this record is the ritual record of the Louvre papyrus 3129 ("Book of Victory over Set"). In the temple of Medinet Abu, during the reign of Ramesses III, an identical image was placed, but without an inscription.

The four-ball ritual is aimed at destroying the enemy with magical techniques, which is similar to many ancient Egyptian defense rituals aimed at defeating or eliminating the enemy. Among them, as mentioned earlier, is the ritual of breaking potsherds, as well as a ritual with similar semantics - breaking red pots (sḏ dšrwt). The latter, already known from the Pyramid Texts, seems to have developed in the context of funerary practice [Van Dijk, 1993, p. 177], but eventually acquired a new meaning. Four pots of red color, symbolizing the color of the enemy, broke on the floor, which contributed to the destruction of hostile forces [Van Dijk, 1993, p. 185]. In the Pyramid Texts, this connection can be traced directly, when pots were broken to intimidate Set and other enemies of the deceased (Fig. 249 a-b (about Set), 113 a-b, 614 b-c) [Meurer, 2002, p. 156]. The breaking of four pots took place at the end of the sacrificial ritual, as illustrated by the images in the tomb of Horemheb, where the sacrifice of a bull is accompanied by the breaking of four vases (Martin, 1989, pl. 123). In this respect, the ritual of the four balls shows similar actions, since the dismemberment of a Set can be perceived not only as the destruction of an enemy, but also as a symbolic sacrifice.

Another ritual that shows semantic similarity to the four-ball ritual is the srr ḥm rite of breaking balls (balls), which was known from the time of the XVIII dynasty and lasted until the Ptolemaic period (Helck and Otto, 1975, Bd. I, S. 608; de Vries, 1969, p. 25-35). Surviving images indicate its close association with certain gods and goddesses, most notably Hathor. In the image in the Deir el-Bahri temple, Thutmose III stands in front of Hathor, holding a ball in one hand and a baton in the other to break the ball. Between Hathor and Thutmose III, two priests are depicted holding out two more balls to the king. The accompanying inscription is as follows: sḳr ḥm n ḤWt-ḤRḥRyt-tp W st - " breaking the ball for Hathor, located in Thebes "[Naville, 1901, pl. C]. In the Luxor temple, Amenhotep III is also shown holding one ball and a baton for smashing. The accompanying inscription makes clear the meaning of this action: sḳr ḥmt ir. j - "break the ball so that it can give life like Ra". Probably, in this context, the breaking of the ball was associated with the revival of life. However, it is not always easy to trace its exact value in the aggregate of all data. It can be assumed that it was aimed at destroying hostile forces or guaranteed special protection.

The content of the ritual of the four balls reveals a semantic connection with the so-called texts of curses-protective rituals and mysteries, where the magical effect was provided by destroying figurines or seals, symbols, etc.-

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call the enemy's forces. In all these rituals, certain techniques are used that are standard for magical practices: destroying the enemy's red wax figurine, spitting, kicking, stabbing with a spear or knife , destroying body members, and placing them in flames. One of these rituals was the overthrow of Set and his followers, described in the Louvre papyrus 3129 and in the British Museum papyrus 10252 ("The Book of Victory over Set") [Schott, 1929]. The full title of this ritual is as follows:" The ritual for the overthrow of Set and his followers, performed in the temple of Osiris-Hentiamentiu, the great god, lord of Abydos, as appropriate on every day, as in all temples " - smiw.f irt.n [m] pr ['I]st[- irt ]nNt[y]-imnt[yw] nṯr m ẖrt-hrw nt mity m gsw-prw nbt (pLouvre 3129. B39-E42, pBM 10252.13.1-18-27) [Schott, 1929, S. 5 (2-3)]. The similarity of rituals is primarily ensured by the repeatability in the accompanying wording and incantations (see Table 3).

Table 3

Term

pMMA 35.9.21

pLouvre 3129

pBM 10252

sẖr sbiw - "The Rebels are Falling"

26.11; col. 27, 1,5,6

From 16

Stš (swtḫ) ẖzw - "Weak set"

col. 26, 12

From 23, D 25, 27, 35, 36, 40, 41,42, E 6,

17,5-10,17, 21-22:10, 12; 17, 22-28: 7, 14; 18, 4-13:2

-rrw Wsir r hftw - "Right-wing Osiris against the Enemy"

26,6

D 23,37-38,44-45

wwi. (n.f) tp. k - " he pierces your head "

26,5, 10,16; 31, 7

D 30

ṯs.tw Wsirōnty-imn - "Rise up, Osiris-Hentiamentiu"

26,6, 10,17; 30, 6, 10, 16

D 25, 28, 30

smiw. f - Stš ẖzw "Seth the weak with his followers"

27, 12; 28, 1

D 2, 3, 17,23,37, 434,46; E 16, 17,25,37,38

16, 13-21:20-22; 16, 21-24; 17, 11-13:6- 6; 16,24-31:2; 17, 5-10, 17,21-22:14; 17,28:2

The difference between the rituals recorded in these sources is that in the" Book of Victory over Set " the enemy is destroyed by means of sympathetic magic, i.e. through the destruction of a wax figure. There is no mention of the wax figure in the MMA 35.9.21 papyrus, although it may have been used during the ritual, since the ritual of the "Book of Defense of Barki-Neshemet", also recorded in the MMA 35.9.21 papyrus, indicates this technique.: "Saying on a figure Set, made of red wax and placed in a fire before the Lord" - ḏd mdw ḥr twt n Stš iry m mnḥw dšrt rdi r ḫt m-bḥ nṯr pn [Goyon, 1999, Pl. XXXIV, 39]. In the ritual of the four balls, an indirect indication of the presence of a wax figure can serve as manipulations carried out with the body of Set, which must be carried out by destroying the enemy figure: ḥ. k Stš irty. k šp 5. pp - " Back, Set! Your eyes are blinded, you can't see. Your ears are weak, you will not hear. Your legs are twisted, you can't walk. Your hands are bound, you will not grasp...". In addition, Seth is referred to as red-haired, which may also indicate the presence of a red wax figure:

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"Back up, Seth! Tall on red curls of hair, bright red scalp."

At the same time, the main purpose of the described rites was one - the physical destruction of enemies, which are designated asfftiw 'enemies' [Erman, Grapow, 1940-1959, Bd. III, S. 276-277], sbiw 'rebels' [ibid., Bd. IV, S. 87] and smiw 'followers' [ibid., S. 450]. Perhaps the actualization of the rites and rituals described in these texts was related to the motive of an external threat, since in these texts the main enemy threatening the king or the deceased is Set. The general demonization of the cult of Set began at the end of the New Kingdom and reached its peak in the Late period due to the perception of Set as the god of strangers (te Velde, 1967, p. 139). Until now, the question of the origins of the revival of ideas about Set as a god of strangers remains unresolved [Te Velde, 1967, p. 138-151]. However, the systematic demonization of Set probably dates back to the end of the twentieth dynasty as a result of the struggle against foreigners who invaded the lands of Egypt (Montet, 1940, p. 173). At the same time, in their content, these rituals are connected with the circle of Osiric myths, which allows us to speak about the use of their plots in magical practices aimed at protecting the king and the land of Egypt. It was against Set, as the assassin of Osiris, that the rite of protection was to be directed.

One of the most significant rituals directed against enemies was the ritual of the fall of the serpent Apop, known from the Bremner-Rind papyrus (rVM 10188) [Faulkner, 1993]. Here, instead of Set, the main actors are Apop and his followers, but the means of fighting and a set of magical techniques are identical to the above. Interestingly, this ritual refers to four figurines, but these are no longer protective gods, as in the ritual of the four balls, but enemies with the faces of snakes or birds that must be destroyed (pBremner-Rhind, 32.91-92).

Along with the texts mentioned above, more or less transformed plots of the Osiric myth have found similar application in other magical rites. Their description is found in the Legend of Horus of Behdet, the Winged Sun, written on the walls of the Edfu temple in the second century BC [Fairman, 1935, p. 26-36; Blackman, Fairman, 1942, p. 32-38; Blackman, Fairman, 1943, p. 2-36; Blackman, Fairman, 1944, p. 5-22], in the Salt 825 papyrus (rVM 10051) of the time of the XXX dynasty and the second Persian rule [Derchain, 1965], in the Jumillac papyrus (pE 17110) of the Late Ptolemaic period [Vandier, 1962]. All these sources not only record the mythological plots of the Osiric circle, but also reflect the political danger associated with the invasion of strangers.

Returning to the ritual of the four balls, it should be noted that the first detailed record of this ritual, dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Taharqa, contains the rite of repelling the enemy of the god Ra and preparing the room for the arrival of the god Amon. To do this, it was necessary to clear four paths and repel possible enemies, so that Amon could easily enter the sanctuary [Parker, Leclant, Goyon, 1979, p. 63]. As Goyon points out, similar rites are found in the Edfu temple. It is about protecting the four paths that the god Ra must take to reach the Edfu Temple. The content of the Hibis temple ritual also reflects its solar component. The defenders are the sun people -nnmmt [Cruz-Uribe, 1988, p. 86, n. 294], which in a religious and mythological context can be interpreted as a squad or army of Ra [Berlev, 1972, p.98], and Ra himself, who destroys Set. It is interesting that when comparing the sources that record the ritual of the four balls, only in the ritual of the Hibis temple there is a mention of the народnmmt people, which in this case was designed to repel the aggression of Set and his followers.

Thus, by their orientation, temple rituals are primarily aimed at protecting the lands of Egypt and the power of the king, as evidenced by the content of the rituals (the destruction of the enemy by the forces of Ra and his supporters in the temples of Taharki and Darius) and the visual program of the cenotaph of Taharki, where the king is depicted as a defender

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He is assisted by a priestess of Amun with a bow, aiming at images of foreign lands. The ritual recorded in the papyri is applied to private individuals and has a more specific magical-religious character, but may have a certain political connotation due to the fact that the main enemy in it is Set.

The ritual of the four balls reveals, as it seems to me, two main components: on the one hand, it is a protection ritual, closely related to rituals of this kind, where the main protective objects are four cult objects. As a ritual that protects the four paths, it is part of the Heliopolis cult practice, the purpose of which was to protect the tomb space and the deceased. On the other hand, it was a ritual that was performed for the purpose of overthrowing the enemy, which made it necessary to apply standard magical practices found in other rituals. Set, who is the main enemy of the king or the deceased in the form of Osiris, could play a double role-the trespasser of Egypt and the murderer of Osiris. The performance of the ritual against Set, who embodies strangers, may have been dictated by the political necessity of protecting Egypt from external invasions. In this context, the protection of the four paths was particularly necessary, which determined the relevance of this ritual in the Late period and Ptolemaic period, when Egypt was subjected to particularly powerful waves of foreign invasions.

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