| Nile – Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One in the Presence of the Cresent Shaped Horns Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Karl Sanders:- This song combines several chapters found within the deep recesses of the Egyptian "Book of the Dead". The chapter titles are so ridiculously long that to fully quote them here would be out of the question. The chapters coincide because they each deal with the necessary formulae and recitations and ritual actions needed to breathe new life into the deceased. The powers of two distinct Egyptian gods of the Moon, Thoth and Khensu, are invoked with the common stylized formulae that the god is first venerated and their attributes and mythical deeds listed ad nauseam, followed usually by phrases and words of power that give voice to the entreaty: "As it was for the god -----, so shall it be for me." |
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| Nile – The Burning Pits of the Duat Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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From the horses mouth: Lyrically, the inspiration for this song comes from the book "Am-Duat (Division XI)", which shows that after the enemies of Orisis were beheaded and mutilated, the remains were disposed of by burning. The body was cut into pieces, the spirit severed, the shadow driven away, the skull battered in, and the pieces cast down into a pit, or pits, of fire. The pictures which accompany the texts leave no doubt on this point, for in them, the pits are clearly shown, and we see the bodies, souls, shadows and heads being consumed. Each pit is overseen by a fire-vomiting goddess, who dilligently ensures that the all-consuming flames are renewed. Each goddess wields a knife, which was used to stab, cut and hack the body into "such a way that ye shall never again see those who are living upon the Earth". The entire horrible scene is related in detail from the aforementioned text courtesy of renowned Egyptologist Sir E. A. Wallis Budge: "The Majesty of this God uttereth the decree: Hack in pieces and cut asunder the bodies of mine enemies and the members of the Dead who have been turned upside down, O my Father Osiris. My Father having been helpless hath smitten you, he hath cut up your bodies, he hath hacked in pieces your spirits and your souls, and hath scattered in pieces your shadows, and hath cut in pieces your heads. Ye shall nevermore exist, ye shall be overtheown, and ye shall be cast headlong into the pits of fire, and ye shall not escape therefrom, and ye shall not be able to flee from the flames which art in the Serpent Set-Heh. The fire of Hert-Khettut-S is against you, the flames of Hert-Hatu-S are against you, the blazing heat of Hert-Nemmat-S is against you. Het-Sefu-S is against you, and she stabs at you and hacks you in pieces, and cuts you up in such a way that ye shall never again see those who are living upon the Earth. As for those who are in this picture in the Tuat, it is for the Majesty of Heru-Tuati who giveth the order for their slaughter each day. Those who are in this picture, who are depicted with the enemies of Osiris of the Duat, and with Her-Utu-D, who is the guardian of this circle, live by means of the voice of the enemies, and by the cries of entreaty of the souls and shadows which have been placed in their pits of fire." I chose to write the lyrics from the doomed enemy's viewpoint. The character in the lyrics is not only resigned to his ultimate doom, but actively years for it - perhaps as a means to a quicker end to his torment, or maybe just the finality of glorious culmination of his chosen, infernal path. |
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| Nile – User-Maat-Re Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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User-Maat-Re Setep-en-Re was the throne name of Ramesses II, and means "The Justice of Re is Powerful, Chosen of Re". He is often referred to as "Ramesses the great", because so many of his cultural contributions were measured on the grandest of scales. Ramesses II had the longest reign of any Pharaoh in New Kingdom Egypt. He celebrated an amazing 14 Sed Festivals, and also managed to father more than 90 children. He constructed more temples, colossal statues and obelisks than any other New Kingdom Pharaoh, and established a magnificent new capital city at Pi-Ramesse in the delta. When Ramesses ascended to the throne at the age of 25, he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Seti I. (Seti had embarked on an ambitious policy of renewal in an attempt to return to the great days of the 18th Dynasty when Egypt's wealth and empire had been at its peak. Seti destroyed many monuments of earlier kings, was worshiped as a god during his long life, and built sanctuaries in his own honor.) Ramesses modeled himself on two successful 18th Dynasty kings: Thutmose III, the famous New Kingdom "Warrior Pharaoh", who had been largely responsible for the creation of the new Egyptian empire, and Amenhotep III, ruler of Egypt at the height of its prosperity. Amenhotep III was the first Pharaoh to operate according to the "big is beautiful" policy - enormous temples and colossal statues were constructed at his bidding. Amenhotep III's monuments were also famous for the beauty of their delicate raised-relief decoration. Ramesses surpassed Amenhotep III in sheer number of temples and monuments he erected, but quality was often sacrificed in the name of quantity and speed. Unlike Amenhotep III's raised-relief decorations, Ramesses' builders crafted cruder, sunken-relief carvings. In the "grandest" of ironies, Ramesses II was not always careful about keeping to the truth. Although the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites in Year 5 was declared a stalemate, Ramesses publicized it as a great victory! His highly exaggerated account of this battle was featured on no less than eight temples. After what would be the longest reign in the New Kingdom, Ramesses II died at the extreme old age of 90. He outlived many of his children, many of whom held important administrative positions in Egypt. Of his many wives, Nefertari is best-known, not least through her magnificent tomb. I have often wondered what drove Ramesses to go to such megalomaniacal length to accomplish so much in his lifetime - to be Pharaoh par excellence on the grandest possible scale. I like to think that it has something to do with a son's desire to live up to his father's and predecessors' legacy. Of course, with Ramesses, this was carried to lengths never equaled before or since. When I wrote the lyrics to this song, I envisioned a man hearing voices in his head. For each accomplishment he would hear his father's voice telling him, "you have done nothing", which in turn drives the man's obsession to live up to his father's seemingly impossible expectations. |
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| Nile – Sacrifice Unto Sebek Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The Egyptians came to regard the crocodile as a personification of the powers of evil and death, and they associated it with the demonic aspect of the got Set. I was unaware until researching this song that the species known as the Nile crocodile is one of the very few animals on our planet that actively hunts and preys upon humans with specific (as opposed to incidental) intent. In later times, according to Herodotus in his "History (Book 2)", crocodiles became sacred in parts of Egypt such as at Shedet (called "Crocodiliopolis" by the Greeks) where a crocodile was kept in a sanctuary lake alongside Sebek's Temple. The sacred crocodile (adorned with crystal and gold earrings and bracelets on its forepaws) was said to be Sebek incarnate. Temple visitors brought food offerings, which the priests of Sebek fed to the sacred crocodile. If Sir Wallis Budge is to be believed, this also included on special religious occasions infants and small children. Upon the sacred crocodile's death, it was embalmed and entombed in a sacred vault. The crocodile plays an important part in Egyptian mythology as both friend and enemy of the dead god Osiris. He was also a protector and helper of the newly dead, playing a role in Horus' ascension to new life. In later Egyptian mythology, the crocodile came to be regarded as a symbol of the Sun, and was associated with the sun-god, Ra, forming the composite god Sebek-Ra. In Egyptian art, Sebek is portrayed as a crocodile-headed man waring either a solar disk encircles with the uraeus or a pair of ram's horns surmounted by a disk and a pair of plumes. A small pair of horns is sometimes shown above the large horns. Variants of the name are Sebeq, Suchos and Sobek. |
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| Nile – Cast Down the Heretic Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Karl Sanders had this to say in the CD booklet: Cast Down the Heretic" concerns the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt from 1379 to 1362 B.C. The son of Amenophis III and Tiye, Amenophis IV changed his name to Akhenaten (which most likely means "Servant of the Aten") in Year 5 of his reign, indicating his allegiance to Aten (a creator god symbolized by the Sun's disc). Akhenaten's unique contribution to Egypt was to ensure that Aten's cult approached a form fo Monotheism. Akhenaten regarded Aten as unique and omnipotent - a universal, supreme and loving deity symbolized by the life-giving Sun. Akhenaten, as the god's sole earthly representative, became virtually interchangeable with Aten, and spent his days communing with the god. Akhenaten was most likely prompted by political, as well as religious motives, as this may have been an attempt to curb the far-reaching political influence of the priesthood of Amen-Ra. In Year 6 of his reign, Akhenaten moved the religious and political capital fo Egypt from Thebes to a new site (commonly called Amarna), in large part due to the inability of his monotheistic cult to exist alongside the other long-established and institutionalized hods of Egypt. Akhenaten closed down all the other temples, disbanded their priesthoods and diverted their revenue to the Aten's cult. In addition, the names of all the old official deities were erased - Aten became the exclusive royal god. Akhenaten's reign was not to last. His rule was weak, and with his exclusive devotion to his religious/mystical interests, internal political strife and rebellion ran unchecked. Akhenaten has been blamed for allowing Egypt's empire in Syria to disintegrate while he pursued his religious reforms, as well as Egypt's decline in overall influence in the region. Not only that, but the military became weak, and the borders unstable. (In the Amarna Letters, the diplomatic correspondence found in the ruins at El Amarna, vassal Princes begged in vain for Egyptian aid against the predatory ambitions of the region's other great powers. At home, internal organization had begun to crumble, and the counter-revolutionary insurgencies - incited by the old deposed priesthoods - sought to restore the old order.) Akhenaten was soon overthrown, proclaimed a heretic and a disastrous ruler. Every effort was made to expunge his name from the records and return Egypt to religious orthodoxy. For several years, many people have suggested that I write a Nile song concerning Akhenaten, but I have stayed away from it, not only because of the much-vaunted Philip Glass Opera concerning Akhenaten, but also because I was unsure of how to treat the subject matter given the usual Nile lyrical stance, and how to interpret Akhenaten's vain and ill-fated attempt to reform the old ways to a new Monotheism. It was not until a friend, Deni of Anubis Records, made the suggestion to me in such a way as to fire my imagination. Although exact details of Akhenaten's overthrow, deposition and execution are scarce, it does not take a genius to figure out that his demise at the hands of the old priesthood of Amen-Ra was certainly long-awaited and most likely gruesome. Akhenaten had, after all, thrown out an entire country's priest class - men who enjoyed wealth and political influence. To my thinking, Akhenaten's demise would have been, aside from a certain grand revenge satisfaction for Amen-Ra's priesthood, a political necessity - not merely for the stability of the country, but also for the future survival of the priest class of the entire "Old Order". Akhenaten's death would need to be so grisly as to ensure that no Pharaoh would ever again be foolish enough to politically challenge the priesthood of Amen-Ra. It is quite easy to imagine Akhenaten's execution done in as legendary a fashion as would be any of the great enemies of Ra (perhaps similar to the ceremonial destruction of evil enacted in the stylized ritual found in "The Book of Overthrowing Apep). I believe that history somewhat bears out this lesson, as later conquerors/rulers of Egypt - Alexander, Ptolemy, Caesar - did not interfere whatsoever with the old established religious ways. They allowed the people to practice their religious beliefs (even aligning themselves with the Egyptian gods), thus avoiding extraneous political turmoil and unrest. |
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| Nile – Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Karl Sander's wrote this in the booklet: H.P. Lovecraft was one of the most influential authors or horror stories of the last century. The last few decades have seen Lovecraft's rise from a forgotten author of phantasmagoric pulp magazine fiction to a subject of serious academic study. (A second major biography has recently appeared.) Lovecraft's influence on other writers in the horror genre has been significant. His writing is considered to be seminal, and it still exerts a powerful influence on artists and film makers. A distinctive feature of Lovecraft's ficton that sets it apart from that of many writers in the genre is his construction, as he wrote, of a "background of consistent and elaborate pseudo-myth". Thus, his invention of the ultimate grimoire - the Necronomicon - was an important part of his fictional modus operandi. Lovecraft first referred to the Necronomicon in 1922 in his short story "The Hound". ("The Hound" was later collected in the volume Dagon and Other Macabre Tales, which was published by Arkham House in 1965.) He would refer to the Necronomicon in several other stories. A circle of writers who were friends and correspondents with Lovecraft also started referring to the Necronomicon in their horror tales, which in turn solidified its "existence". The fact that they would refer to the Necronomicon along with actual books dealing with witchcraft and demonology helped to sell the illusion. Inspired by Lovecraft's lead, this literary "circle" also invented arcane and "forbidden" texts: Clark Ashton Smith's The Book of Eibon, Robert E. Howard's Unaussprechlichen Kulten and Robert Bloch's Cultes de Goules and De Vermis Mysteriis were all forbidden books invented to add further depth to their spine-tingling tales of horror. The "Lovecraft Circle's" practice of inventing "forbidden books" is very well documented. Not only did they "invent" such books, they even went to great lengths to create bogus histories, which only added to the illusion of their existence. Robert E. Howard first introduced Nameless Cults through his story "The Children of the Night" (1931). In 1932, Lovecraft came up with a German title for it - Ungenennte Heidenthume. Several of Lovecraft's correspondents balked at this unwieldy title. August Derleth came up with the title Unaussprechlichen Kulten, which stuck, despite the fact that this more literally means "Unpronounceable Cults": "Die Unaussprechlichen Kulten" or "Unaussprechliche Kulten" would be more correct. The reason for this debate amongst the circle of authors is clear - the German is technically incorrect. The adjective would end in -e for the indefinite plural, not an -n, to with: Unaussprechliche Kulte... If we wish to accept "Nameless Cults" as being the correct wording for an English translation, we would have to accept "Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten" as being the realm German title of the work. The addition of the "Von" also allows us to keep the -n ending (perhaps even more appropriate would have been "Die Namenlosen Kulte"). In any case, although Lovecraft doesn't mention this forbidden text any more than he does others, but he does give its publication "history" in the story "Out of the Aeons": "... a glance at the hieroglyphs by any reader of von Junzt's horrible Nameless Cults would have established a linkage of unmistakable significance. At this period, however, the readers of that monstrous blasphemy were exceedingly few; copies having been incredible scarce in the interval between the suppression of the original Düsseldorf edition (1839) and of the Bridewell translation (1845) and the publication of the expurgates reprint by the Golden Goblin Press in 1909." According to surviving correspondence from Robert Howard to Lovecraft: "1839: Unaussprechlichen Kulten was published in Düsseldorf. Written by Friedrich von Junzt [read Necronomicon in Greek translation]. Von Junzt dies six months after returning from trip to Mongolia while working on second book. Less than a dozen copies exist of this edition. Von Junzt relates many stories of the survivals of cults worshipping pre-human entities or prehistoric gods, such as Ghatanothoa, Bran, and others. The principle obscurity of this book is in Von Junzt's use of the term "keys" - phrase used many times by him, in various relations, such as descriptions of the infamous Black Stone in Hungary and the legendary Temple of the Toad in Honduras." Now, where all this dusty old literary shenanigans takes a more Nile-relevant turn of events... As I was working on this song "Unaussprechlichen Kulten" and driving myself nuts trying to figure out whether to stick with the original Lovecraft variant of the title or the more correct linguistic one, I got a call from Orion Landau (Relapse's resident graphics genius). Orion, at the time was working on the cover for my "Saurian Meditation" side project. He contacted me for a quote that he could use for the CD layout relating to the album's theme. I was compelled to reply, "Oh, yeah sure" (as if there was some book on my shelf ready-made with authentic quotes concerning reptilian meditative states), but on the other end of the phone sat stark silence. In that pregnant moment of silence, a thunderbolt struck me, as I had, of course, been working on the Nile song gathering as much information that I could find on the much-vaunted "Unaussprechlichen Kulten". I laughed, and said, "What the heck. Sure, I'll send a quote over. No problem." So, with Lovecraftian invention, I fashioned a fictitious quote (from the fictitious Von Junzt) from his fictitious Unaussprechlichen Kulten. It worked so well that I went ahead and blew it up into a full-blown song. After "Saurian Meditation" came out, I got a rash of e-mails wanting to know where they could obtain a copy of Unaussprechlichen Kulten, as they had, of course, been unable to locate any of the supposedly existing copies. Try as I might to convince these insistent folks of the truth, they were steadfast in the conviction that the quotes were indeed authentic. Although I denied owning any such book, in their minds I was merely lying to them. They thought I was keeping the dreaded, "legendary" tome to myself. One of them, an obviously bright and thoroughly versed literary student from East Germany (who I will respectfully name here only as "Torsten"), was adamant on the subject, as he had managed to find an empty catalog reference (with the volume long missing from a library shelf in Prague) to an unrelated work by a German author of the same period (Hamburg, 1837) with a very similar name, Frederick von Juntz. In my mind, this coincidence only underscores the incredible, timeless power of H.P. Lovecraft's works, and the ingenious way his fantastic stories continue to exert their mysterious, otherworldly power. |
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| Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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"Annihilation of the Wicked" combines Chapters 7 and 8 of the book "Am-Tuat", which describe the Fouth and Fifth Hours of Night. The Fouth and Fifth Hours of Night harbor Seker's kingdom. Seker is probably the oldest of all the gods of the dead in Egypt. The dominions of Seker were supposedly situated in the ever-shifting sands around Memphis, and covered a vast expanse of territory. Their theology and doctrines were older than any other Egyptian underworld depiction - these parts of the Duat were completely different from those rules over by Khenti-Amenti near Abydos, or those from Osiris' kingdom. The domain of Seker was shrouded in thick darkness. Unlike the places of the underworld wherin dwelled the blessed (where fertile plains and fields were fed by flowing streams of water), the place of Seker was formed of barren, endless desert wherein lived monster serpents of terrifying aspect. Some of these monster serpents were depicted with two, and sometimes three, heads, and others had wings. This region offered so many difficulties to the passahe of Afu-Ra's boat that Ra did not attempt to journey through Seker's realm. Instead, he navigated completely around it. Some of the horrible reptiles in the kingdom of Seker were manifestly the servants of Seker, and their duties were to guard his kingdom and his image. Seker did not actually even live in his own kingdom, but was entombed, hidden deep within his chambers. There was little inducement for any of his cult to aspire to reside in the blackness that enveloped his realm. The dead referred to in these particular passages are those who have succeeded in entering the realm of Seker, but who are doomed for lack of influence of the gods there. There is also a company of eight gods, and the goddess Quetet-Tent. The work of these servant-gods in Seker's realm was nothing less than the "Annihilation of the Wicked" (quotations are Budge's) - verily, the consummate and final eternal destruction of the dead in the Duat. The eight gods consumed the bodies of the damned by means of liquid fire they emitted from their mouths, while Quetetent lived partly on the blood of the dead, and whatever the other gods gave her. The eight gods would cut the dead in pieces on ensanguined blocks, and when they were not thus employed, they sang hymns to their master - the dread Seker. To Sir Budge, there is little doubt that this was the earliest of the many pits of fiery torment in the Egyptian underworld, and that the torture, mutilation and destruction by fire were believed to be reserved for the wicked. It seems as if the scheme of the Seker's realm made no provision of the rewards of the beautified dead. Sir Budge relates that the cult of Seker is one of the oldest in Egypt - and in its earliest form - representative of the belief as to the future life of some of the most primitive inhabitants of Egypt. In fact, it originated when the pre-dynastic priests taught that death was the end of all things. The oldest surviving presentment of the land of Seker is not older than the 17th Dynasty. It should be noted that it is the work of the priests of Thebes (whose doctrines were at odds with much of the earlier cult of Seker's theology), thus introducing many confusing aspects to the plethora of belief systems already existing in the region. The priests of Thebes removed the texts, figures or details that they found incongruous with their ways. Budge believed that it was tolerably certain that their version is much shorter than that which originally existed a millennium or so before, and that the attributes may have been altered somewhat to suit the needs of the later cults of Osiris and Ra. The priests of Amen-Ra likely found it impossible to completely ignore the ancient beliefs in Seker and his realm of impenetrable blackness. (Underworld depictions from this time show Ra's path "over" and not through Seker's kingdom.) On the other hand, great importance was attached to the knowledge of the pictures of the Fourth and Fifth Divisions of Night, which they believed would enable a man's body to rejoin his soul, which in turn prevented the goddess Khenti-Amenti from hacking it to pieces. Lastly, for the believer, this would secure share of the offerings made to Seker. |
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| Nile – Lashed to the Slave Stick Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Within the lyrics are the (surprise!) torture and various torments applied to one of the damned and doomed enemies of Osiris, lashed to a "Slave Stick". This song was jointly inspired by several pages in the "Book of Gates", as well as from a passage in the book "Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection" by Sir Wallis Budge, in which he describes an instrument of torture employed by the Ancient Egyptians. To paraphrase Sir Budge: "Whilst various batches of the enemies of Osiris were awaiting their turn at the block of Slaughter, they were kept tightly fettered and bound. One Terrible instrument of Torture was the Y (a hieroglyph in a shape of a forked tree branch is pictured); the modern equivalent of which is the "Goree Stick". The "Slave Stick" is a tree branch, forked at one end, by which, with the help of a strip of leather, it is fastered around a man's neck. It hangs down in front of the wretched creature doomed to carry it. If the branch is thick, the weight is considerable, and if to the end a block of stone or so be fastened, its effectiveness as an instrument of torture can be well imagined. In some cases the hands were also fastened to the stick. Prussian archaeologist Richard Lespius, who saw them in use, wrote: "Each captive carried before him the stem of a tree as thick as a man's arm, about 5 or 6 feet long, which terminated in a fork, into which the neck was fixed. The prongs of this fork were bound together by a cross piece of wood, fastened with a strap. Some of their hands, also, were tied fast to the handle of the fork, and in this condition they remained day and night - it can be driven into the ground firmly, and then the prisoner is tied to it, with the arms tied in this position to the stick the pain is said to be unbearable." "The hieroglyphs also cast light on the use of the stick", continues Budge. "We see a captive with his arms tied behind him to the stick. In another glyph we see a captive tied to the stick by the neck, and his arms tied behind his back; in this attitude the head was cut off, as we see from the next hieroglyph." |
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| Nile – I Whisper In The Ear Of The Dead Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| The inspiration for this song comes from the exploits of Nectanabus, the last native Pharaoh of Egypt. His reign was during the 4th century B.C. and he was historically rumored to be a great sorcerer and necromancer. It is believed that Nectanabus ruled Egypt, overcame his enemies and even kept his political rivals in check by means of the exercise of magickal and necromantic arts. He is credited with possessing the power to restore amputated limbs and the capacity to replace the heads of the slain and decapitated without injury. Nectanabus was said to have been deeply learned in the wisdom of the oldest of the ancient Egyptians. He "knew what was in the stars of the Heavens." He was skilled in reading the stars, foretelling the future of the unborn, and a master of communion with the dead. He is also called "The Lord of the Earth" and is said to have "secretly ruled all earthly kings by magickal means." It is said that he whispered his commands in the ears of the dead, so that they should carry out his designs in the spirit world. According to early historians, Nectanabus exercised control of many of his enemies by enslaving the souls of the newly dead, commanding them to learn the secrets of the enemies via the spirits of the underworld, and using this knowledge against his enemies. Nectanabus continued is necromantic ambitions, even using means of sorcery to achieve military ends until the day the gods decreed his rule should end and Nectanabus was forced to flee to Macedonia. | |
| Nile – Unas Slayer Of The Gods Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Unas was the ninth and last Pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty. He is said to have lived from 2375 to 2345 B.C., but some Egyptologists date him as far back as 5330 B.C. The internal structure of his pyramid is known for incorporating several innovative features, but is most recognized for the inclusion of vertical lines of hieroglyphs on the walls of the vestibule and burial chamber. When Maspero opened the Unas pyramid in 1881, he found texts covering these stone walls to be extremely difficult to decipher, because of their archaic characters, forms, and spellings. These were magickal/religious texts, designed to ensure the safe passage of the Pharaoh into the next world. They are known today as the "Pyramid Texts." According to these texts, Unas became great by eating the flesh of his mortal enemies and then slaying and devouring the gods themselves. Those gods that were old and worn out (Egyptian gods aged and died) were used as fuel for Unas' fire. After devouring the gods and absorbing their spirits and powers, Unas journeys through the day and night sky to become the star Sabu, or Orion. While this is certainly not the first reference to cannibalism in Old Kingdom texts, what is notable is the method by which the Pharaoh Unas achieves deification and immortality; by turning on the gods, slaying and then devouring them, and thus ascending to the heavens to become the star Orion. The concept was remarkable to Maspero, who found the idea to be of "absolute savagery." Maspero seemed to be reeling from a confrontation with a symbolic revival of pre-dynastic cannibalistic rites - which are suggested, according to Maspero, by the gnawed and disconnected bones found in certain early graves. Professor Petrie suggests that at the original Sed festival, the tribal king appears to have been sacrificed and devoured, so that his people might derive from his flesh and blood the power and virtues which made him great. This practice was based on a belief in contagious magick. Bulls and boars were eaten to give men strength and courage, deer to give fleetness of foot, and serpents to give cunning. The blood of slain and wounded warriors was drunk so that their skill and bravery might be imparted to the drinkers. Similarly, Unas feasts after death on the spirits of the gods, and on the bodies of men and gods. He swallows their spirits, souls, and names, which are contained in their hearts, livers, and entrails, thus, Unas becomes all powerful. |
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| Nile – Kheftiu Asar Butchiu Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| In the Book of Gates, another text describing the Egyptian underworld, within the Eighth Division of Night is the Gate of Set-Hra. The scenes depicted in this chapter describe some of the tortures which are inflicted upon the original enemies of Osiris. It is impossible for Osiris to slay all of his enemies at once, even though they are in his power. While various batches of them are awaiting their turn at the Block of Slaughter, they are kept tightly fettered and bound. One of the forms of the torture depicted described the "Kheftin Asar Butchiu," i.e., the enemies of Osiris who are to be burned. Their arms are tied behind their backs in positions which cause intense pain, and they are doomed to stand and receive in their faces the fire which the serpent Khetti is about to spit at them, and then be hacked to pieces and burnt. Horus commands the serpent Khetti, saying "Open thy mouth! Distend thy jaws and belch forth thy flames against my father's enemies! Consume their souls by the fire which issueth from thy mouth and by the flames which art in thy body." | |
| Nile – Sarcophagus Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| The song "Sacrophagus", could be thought of as a continuation of the Nephren-ka saga - perhaps a revisitation of the Lovecraftian mythos that Nile have explored in "Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka." In this latest chapter, whilst naively excavating in the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka, we have unwittingly awakened our protagonist from his long, restful interment. After wreaking his underworld vengeance upon us for disturbing him from his oblivion, he is tormented by memories of the unholy transgressions that had caused him his anguished eternal entombment. | |
| Nile – Invocation Of The Gate Of Aat-Ankh-Es-En-Amenti Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| This piece features a Middle Eastern instrument called the Arghoul. The Argoul is a kind of double reed oboe with a mouthpiece made of two pieces of reed. One is used to produce a droning note and the other is pierced with holes to obtain the melodic notes. it is played with a system of continuous respiration that lends a sustaining effect. The Argoul is a very old instrument, having already been in use at the time of the Pharaohs. The additional sub-octave drone was reproduced by Bon Moore at the Sound Lab by means of recording the droning resonance of a Tibetan Brass Bowl on 2-track ½ inch tape at 30 ips and replaying it in a continuous loop at 15 ips. Manually holding and dragging on the tape reel achieved the eerie, pulsating flanging. Recording a small Turkish gong and playing the tape in reverse at half speed similarly achieved the reverse gong. The chanting lyrics are from Spell 31 of the Nectanabus Sarcophagus Text. It is noteworthy for being characteristic of the time period when Graeco-Roman and Mesopotamian influences were being assimilated . By the time of the Greek period of control of Egypt, there had been much adaptation of religious, scientific, cultural and magickal influences from various neighbouring nations. According to Dr. T. Hopfner in his Gritscisch-Aegytischer Offenbarungszauber published in Leipzig 1921, the name "Aat-Ankh-as-en-Amenti" means vaguely, Tomb of eternal life in the Underworld. | |
| Nile – Black Seeds of Vengeance Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Black Seeds deals with the subject of the Amalachites--a pestilential nation of nomadic desert peoples that continually plagued the Egyptians. Despising anything Egyptian, the Amalachites would crually abduct, murder, mutilate, dismember, violate and sodomize random Egyptian peoples. They would ruin crops, salt fertile earth, steal or kill livestock and urinate on stored grains. Their particular joy was to destroy, steal, blaspheme and befoul with faeces sacred Egyptian objects: art, scrolls and religious Papyri. They become a scourge to the ancient Egyptians. The Amalachites also became a terror to the Hebrews when the Jews were wandering in the desert after the Exodus. The Amalachites would lie in wait for Hebrew stragglers to fall behind and become separated from the long line of travelers. They they would swoop in and murder whatever men, women or children they happened upon. The tired, weary, sick, very old or very young Jews were their favorite victims. They were such a terror to the Hebrews that Jehovah said of their leader, Amalek, "For his sins, Amalek shall be the first in Hell. Also on Nile's minds when they wrote Black Seeds was the idea that when someone wrongs another person they plant a small seed in that person's soul. As this evil seed starts to germinate, the desire for revenge becomes like a malignant, cancerous growth that causes one to become empty and lose the person they once were. The lyrics are voiced from the perspective that the "speaker" is some sort of rebellious leader- inciting the downtrodden and oppressed masses to take bloody vengeance for years of abuse at the hands of the Amalachites. |
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| Nile – Defiling the Gates of Ishtar Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| These lyrics are taken from translations of cuneiform tablets found during excavations of the temple libraries of Uruk and Sippur. The Sun God's temple was recently discovered and excavated with its library intact by Iraqi archaeologists. Authorship of this particular text is generally ascribed to one Sin-Leqe-Uninni of the 7th century BC, but it is unclear if he was actually the author, or if he only recorded a handed-down, ready-made oral narrative believed to date from as far as the second millennium BC. The cuneiform tablet is partially crumbled and fragmentary, and contains many omissions and variations that differ from the many other broken tablets found in other locations. The story seems to be a minor segment of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and concerns the Muth of Enkidu. It is noteworthy for its extreme variation from the standard version found at Ninevah, and it also contains a number of fragments that cannot be placed in correct sequence with any degree of confidence. Enkidu was a primitive, brutish, long haired wild man who lived among animals until tamed by a prostitute and introduced to Uruk to rival the hero Gilgamesh. In this version of the myth, Enkidu is brought before Shamhat the Harlot. Shamhat removes her garments and spreads her legs before the murderous youth. Enkidu responds by violently raping her for seven days and nights. After he is finally sated, he allows himself to be taken to Uruk, to the Temple of Ishtar where he is offered many sacred temple prostitutes as a bribe to challenge Gilgamesh. Enkidu responds by raping the temple priestesses and profaning the goddess Ishtar, manually ejaculating on her form. At this point, several lines of cuneiform are crumbled and missing. The next readable characters describe Enkidu using ritualistic words of power to blaspheme and threaten the Goddess. He demands the opening of the gates of the underworld, calling forth undead minions to rise and wreak havoc among the streets of Uruk, where he is to wrestle with Gilgamesh | |
| Nile – The Black Flame Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The Black Flame is from The Papyrus of the Undying, unearthed by Maspero in 1885 and quickly disposed of by private auction. A translation of the text was later published in an article in The Cairo Archaeological Critique May 1902 and in the book Textes et dessings magiques by G. Daressy (Cairo 1903) and reprinted by Lexa in volume 2 of his La Magic dans I'Egypte Antique (Paris 1925). The Papyrus of the Undying was generally dismissed as rambling, illogical, profoundly incoherent, perverse and profane to such an extreme extent that the text became regarded as a curio, a minor text of secondary import that originated from a small, uninfluential serpent cult. The papyrus is believed to date to the end of the Fifth Dynasty, about 2350 BC., and appears to be the work of the priests of the Cult of Seta. It deals with the matters of the underworld, afterlife and magical regenerative formulae, as well as several blasphemous chapters devoted to the destruction of the sun god Ra. The historical value of such questionable material was, at that time, no doubt considered to be of lesser import than the other more popular works such as the new translations of The Book of the Dead, for this reason the radical and unpopular Papyrus of the Undying fell to dismal obscurity. The text did not reappear again until 1912 when it was purchased by Rollo Ahmed, a native Egyptian occult expert and author of several books around the turn of the century. Mr. Ahmed did much further research of the papyrus and circulated several new translations of the text. However, because of his reputation among legitimate scientists as a serious occult practitioner, largely from his early years spent studying the dark arts first hand in Africa, South America and Asia, his views and interpretations of The Papyrus of the Undying were dismissed as unsubtantiated, and never fully accepted among the mainstream of the academic community of his time. The original manuscript was quietly acquired in 1928 by the Museum of Cairo where it remained on display until 1939 when famed Nazi occultist Otto Van Anza took it to Germany. Presumed lost during the fall of Berlin in 1945, it was recently rediscovered in the burnt out remains of a bunker underneath a construction site in East Berlin in 1998. The papyrus has been partially restored and is now on private display in the Berlin Museum of Aegyptologic. The lyrics of The Black Flame are taken line by line from chapter 30 "The Chapter for being Reborn" It mentions Baboui, the dog-faced ape, guardian of the Lake of Flames, who feeds upon the overturned bodies of the enemies of Osiris-- rending, raping and devouring the souls of the damned. Baboui also holds the power to open the gates of Duat, or Underworld. The chapter seems to be a magickal formula for escaping fiery chained imprisonment in the underworld. It bears a strong resemblance to Spell 316 of the Pyramid Text of Unas, but seems to have several distinct variations, probably relative to its use by the priests of the Cult of Seta. |
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| Nile – Multitude of Foes Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| These lyrics deal with the epic tale of the battle of Kadesh, in year 5 of the reign of Ramses the Great, about 1274 BC. They are derived from Ramses II personal account of the battle, preserved in an epic poem that is repeated in eight inscriptions in the temples of Karnak, Luxor, Abydos and the Ramesseum, as well as a shorter version called sometimes "The Report" or sometimes "The Bulletin". This account emphasizes his personal bravery in achieving a single handed vitory, but the Hittite record, inscribed in tablets in their capitol city of Boghazkoy, also known as Hattusas, relate a different story. Ultimately, the Egyptians and the Hittites came to terms with a trade provisions and a non-aggression pact with a mutual promise to come to each others aid should one of their nations come under attack from a third party. Despite the stalemated conclusion of the war, each side boasted of complete and heroic victory over the other. | |
| Nile – Masturbating the War God Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| The lyrics to Masturbating the War God are an amalgam of two minor works Der Aegyptische Krieg Pharos by Brugsch and War Rituals of the Old Kingdom Pharaohs, a 13-page paper by F. Wallis Budge. Nile have faithfully and painstakingly adapted these words as closely as possible, in order to preserve the purity and intergrity of the originals. They describe the bloody ritualistic sacrifice of prisoners of war to the god Anhur, who is also known to the Greeks as Onouris. The Greeks identified him with their own counterpart, Ares, god of war. Anhur was believed to be the personification of the war-like nature of the sun god Ra, and he was often coupled with the god Shu, who held up the heavens, and was invoked under the composite god Anhur-Shu. In Egyptian art Anhur is portayed with a headdress adorned with four straight plumes and holding a lance or occasionally as a lion-headed god (representing strength and power). He is often depicted in full ithyphallic mode. The Brugsch book from whence these lyrics came is generously graced with several reproductions of the original carvings and paintings from the Temple of Anhur. Given the graphic nature of the gory, ritualistic executions, sacrifices and ithyphallic impalements of helpless prisoners of war, it is a small wonder that so much wanton defacement and censorship was performed on the hieroglyphs and carvings by the early Christian archaelogists. Only in recent years have the attitudes of scientists, museums and archeologists changed from that of narrow-minded religious control and censorship to one of honest documentation, preservation and presentation of these priceless artifacts of ancient history. | |
| Nile – Chapter For Transforming Into A Snake Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The lyrics are taken respectfully from The Papyrus of the Undying, particularly from chapters 22 and 25--The Chapter for Transforming into a Snake and The Chapter for Transforming into a Crocodile. It bears and incredible resemblance to plate 27 of the Papyrus of Ani--The Book of the Dead. In both the religious and profane literature of the ancient Egyptians, we learn both the gods and man were able to assume at will the form of any animal or bird in the next life. No less than 12 chapters of the Book of the Dead are devoted to providing the deceased with the words of power necessary to transform oneself. Within modern magickal systems, these passages are commonly regarded as possibly a protective spiritual metaphor, or thought of perhaps as a precursor to the common modern working "taking on the godform." But because of its inclusion in an obscure serpent cult text, it puts the Book of the Dead versions in a new, darker, more literal and terrifying light. Of special curiosity is the last line "I am the Lord of those who bow down in Sekhem." In the Faulkner translation of The Book of the Dead, Faulkner renders the last reference of Sekhem as Letopolis (a city in Egypt located on the west bank of the River Nile, some 55 km south of Luxor). This ancient city was devoted to the worship of Sebek, the crocodile god. There is undeniable phonetic word play considering the several distinctly different hieroglyphs pronounced "Sekhem." There are several hieroglyphs interpreted as being pronounced "Sekhem" and consequently several different meanings. For instance, Sekhem is also interpreted to describe the divine right of power of a pharaoh to use violent force granted to him by gods for the sake of Maat in Egypt. But in the context of The Papyrus of the Dying, Sekhem is used many times as meaning a "shrine" or "sanctuary," a place of emptiness, or sometimes as a state of forgetfulness or a trance-like state. Within the framework of death metal song lyrics, any or all of these meanings could "work" i.e. "I am the Lord of those who bow down in Violence" or "I am the Lord of those who bow down to Power" or "I am the Lord of those who bow down in a trance-like state" or "I am the Lord of those who bow down in Letopolis." |
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| Nile – Nas Akhu Khan She En Asbiu Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The title of this piece translates vaguely as "Invocation to those who dwell in the Lake of Flames." It is taken from Spell 112 of The Sarcophagus Text of Nectanabus and has elements very similar to passages from The Book of Am-luat and The Book of Gates, two very old texts depicting the Duat, or Underworld of the Egyptians. The chanting hymn is interpreted as being a sort of hymn of homage to the souls of the damned who burn in fiery pits of torment in the underworld. Although the chant is readily available in English translation, Nile have chosen to adhere as closely as possible to the original Egyptian phonetic phrasings, to preserve their natural violent vocal rhythms. The old tongue somehow better communicates the utter feelings of orgasmic self-immolation generated within the natural spiritual force of the original Egyptian syllables of the text--and that essential "power" is somewhat lost when attempted with the English translated version. |
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| Nile – The Nameless City Of The Accursed Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I agree with Kane Nash but would like to expand it a bit. This song takes its title from an H.P. Lovecraft tale. The Nameless City tells the story of Randall Carter and his experiences amongst the catacombs wherein dwell the spiritual remnants of a race of prehuman serpent creatures who built a great civilization, and then retreated beneath Earth to a vast subterranean city the coming of Man. They exist now only as hateful shades that come forth from the pits and chasms of their Sabatean resting place in the form of a howling, swirling, tempestuous wind. They possess an utter hatred for anything human, and are driven by a maddening thirst for vengeance against the human race. Musically, the piece contains many chanting voices: gongs: choir-like monks: subliminal, horrific screaming: African ritual shakers fashioned from human bone and resonant Tibetan chanting. It also includes a Tympanic Kettledrum solo. The chanting voices are reminiscent of the Arabic ceremony of Dhikr. In the Dhikr ceremony, all the participants repeat the name of Allah in a system of hypnotic respirations that bring them to a kind of serene detached trance. The leader then psalmodies an improvisational poem that may be either sacred or profane. In this case it is a chant of the Coptic tradition, which has maintained its original form from a pharonic chant. It is said that this melody was one that accompanied the embalming of mummies. |
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| Nile – Khetti Satha Shemsu Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Khetti Satha Shemsu is taken from The Papyrus of the Undying. Within that text it is known as Chapter 17 "Hymn of Servitude to the Serpent Seta." According to many references in the Rollo Ahmed translations, Khetti-Satha is a composite deity composed of two older deities. Khetti is a giant 50-ft underworld snake whose duty is to breathe fire in the face of the damned. Satha is a huge serpent worshipped for its regenerative and reincarnative properties. "Homage to the Servitude of the Serpent Seta" is a chanting type hymn in praise of the serpent deity, to be recited en-masse by the assembled sacrificial throng of followers. The word "Shemsu" is typically interpreted as "follower" or "worshipper" or "member of the divine bodyguard." The words of the hymn are declaring homage, praise and eternal servitude to the deity. Of note are final recited words of "Sekhem". According to Lexa in his 5-volume La Magic dans I'Egypte Antique (Paris 1925), in this context the word Sekhem is not necessarily used in its ritual strictly violent moaning. It is debatable whether or not any violence is inherent in the ideas put forth by the priests of the Cult of Seta, although what is reasonable certain is that the word Sekhem is used principally for its meanings of a mindless state of unconsciousness achieved through repetitive chanting. When the state of emptiness is realized, the worshipper is "open" or "ready" to accept the control of the spirit of the deity. The chanting lyrics are left in their original state on this recording, to preserve their rhythmic power and mind-numbing hypnotic essence. Nile are awesome! I totally disagree with Crujebsul this is not their worst song. |
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