Book of Thoth

A legendary work of Egyptian magic. In an old Egyptian story about The Book of Thoth, it is said to give power over heaven and earth, the abyss, the mountains, and the sea; to reveal the secrets of the sun, the moon, and the stars; and to enable one to see the gods themselves. The book was stolen from Thoth, the god of wisdom, by the prince Nefrekeptah, son of Amenhotep. Thoth's curse lead to the death of Nefrekeptah and his wife and child. The book was placed on the dead breast of Nefrekeptah in his tomb at Memphis.

Later, the prince Setna, son of Ramses the Great, stole the book from Nefrekeptah's tomb. Then Setna dreamed of Tabubua, a seductive priestess of Bast, who persuaded him to cast out his wife and sanction the murder of this children. On their wedding night, Tabubua turned into a hideous, withered corpse. Awakening from this nightmare, Setna was convinced that it was a warning of his own future fate. To prevent this doom, Setna returned the Book of Thoth to the tomb, and arranged for the bodies of Nefrekeptah's wife and child to be moved from Koptos to Nefrekeptah's side in Memphis. (See articles at www.egyptianmyths.net and touregypt.net.)

According to Abdul Alhazred in the Necronomicon, the Book of Thoth warns of the terrific price of seeking glimpses beyond the Veil and accepting 'Umr at-Tawil as a guide. However, when Randolph Carter encountered 'Umr at-Tawil, Carter sensed no malignity, and wondered if if Alhazred's blasphemous hints and extracts from the Book of Thoth might have been inspired by envy. [HPL Gates (online text)]

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