Among the numerous deities in the ancient Egyptian mythology, whose
nature and function are still vague and obscure, are ms.w Bdst -
'Children of Weakness'. These beings are twice mentioned in the Book of
the Dead chapter 17. The text fragments contain two local versions of
the myth with ms.w Bdst - Hermopolitan (Urk. V: Abs. 1), and
Heliopolitan (Urk. V: Abs. 22). Since the last text describes the combat
between Re and the 'Children of Weakness', the same is likely to be
reflected on the vignette, which depicts the battle of Re against ms.w
Bdst, metaphorically shown in the form of a serpent. This book is a
comprehensive study of the 'Children of Weakness' myth and the scene
depicting the cat, cutting off the head of the serpent under the
branches of the isd-tree found on the number of Book of the Dead chapter
17 vignettes.