The Book of Thoth, said to contain "all knowledge of laws, magic, nature and the afterlife" appears in a demotic Ptolemaic
papyrus which tells of Setne Khaemwaset and Neferkaptah. The book, written by Thoth, contains two spells, one of which allows the reader to understand the speech of animals, and one of which allows the reader to perceive the gods themselves. According to the story, the book was originally hidden at the bottom of the Nile near
Coptos, where it was locked inside a series of boxes guarded by serpents. The Egyptian prince Neferkaptah fought the serpents and retrieved the book, but in punishment for his theft from Thoth, the gods killed his wife Ahwere and son Merab. Neferkaptah committed suicide and was entombed along with the book. Generations later, the story's protagonist, Setne Khaemwaset (a character based on the historical prince
Khaemwaset), steals the book from Neferkaptah's tomb despite opposition from Neferkaptah's ghost. Setne then meets a beautiful woman who seduces him into killing his children and humiliating himself in front of the pharaoh. He discovers that this episode was an illusion created by Neferkaptah, and in fear of further retribution, Setne returns the book to Neferkaptah's tomb. At Neferkaptah's request, Setne also finds the bodies of Neferkaptah's wife and son and buries them in Neferkaptah's tomb, which is then sealed. The story reflects the Egyptian belief that the gods' knowledge is not meant for humans to possess. ==In popular culture==