" My utterance is mighty, I am more powerful than the ghosts; may they have no
power over me." ~Translated quotation from The Book of the Dead~
The text known as the Book of the Dead is a compilation of funerary spells, hymns, prayers, and charms, that was used to guide the soul of the deceased on their journey through the afterlife and to ensure safe passage through the tribulations they may have faced along the way. In Egyptian it was called "pert em hru", which roughly translated means "coming forth by day" or "manifested in the light". Comprised of over 200 chapters, it cannot be attributed to any one particular author, and, in fact, was several centuries in the making.
power over me." ~Translated quotation from The Book of the Dead~
The text known as the Book of the Dead is a compilation of funerary spells, hymns, prayers, and charms, that was used to guide the soul of the deceased on their journey through the afterlife and to ensure safe passage through the tribulations they may have faced along the way. In Egyptian it was called "pert em hru", which roughly translated means "coming forth by day" or "manifested in the light". Comprised of over 200 chapters, it cannot be attributed to any one particular author, and, in fact, was several centuries in the making.
A Bit of History
The writings themselves can be divided into two main texts, namely the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts, the earliest being the Pyramid Text which were first used in the 5th Dynasty (2400 BC). Originally, the spells were inscribed onto objects placed in the tombs, or the walls themselves, rather than on papyrus scrolls. One thing I found particularly interesting was the fact that the hieroglyphic style used was quite distinctive in nature. The animals and humans depicted were often left deliberately incompletely drawn or even mutilated, supposedly to prevent them from doing harm to the pharaoh on his journey. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
King Unas was the lucky recipient of the very first use of these funerary spells; which were originally reserved exclusively for the Pharaoh, although by the 6th Dynasty, this had expanded to include the Queen as well. Of course, in ancient Egypt, rank and wealth had its privilege, and by the end of the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts were the hottest rage among the movers and shakers of the political scene. The Donald Trumps, Bill Gates, and Hollywood royalty of Ancient Egypt just 'had' to grab their piece of the 'eternity pie'. Regional governors and other high-ranking officials could now have all the peace of mind that money could buy--right up into the afterlife and beyond.
It was in the Middle Kingdom that a new, improved version of the spells was developed. For the first time, illustrations were used, along with the written incantations. Most often they were written on the inner surface of coffins, thus the name Coffin Texts (makes sense to me!), though they could now be found written on papyri scrolls as well. The Real Housewives of Ancient Cairo could now get into the action--provided that their husbands had enough money to foot the bill. Wealthy individuals could purchase the privilege to use these charms for themselves or their loved ones--for a hefty fee, of course.
The spells most associated with the Book of the Dead were first compiled in Thebes during the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period (circa 1700 BC). Interestingly, it is a Queen, Mentuhotep, to be exact, not a Pharaoh, who bears the honor, of being the first person whose coffin included both the older texts and the newer ones. How's that for 'girl power'?!
By the 19th Dynasty, the writings and illustrations had gotten very elaborate, and were often written on linen shrouds wrapped around the corpse itself, as well as on the coffin. During the 25th and 26th Dynasty, the Book underwent another facelift--after all, it was starting to show its age. Chapters were numbered for the first time, and it was put into a definitive sequence. The practice of using these spells continued until after the Roman conquest of Ancient Egypt. The last recorded use was 1 BC.
Birth of the Underworld
Technically, it is not the 'birth' of the Underworld. For Merlin's sake, it's called 'creative license'! But seriously, one cannot have a lesson the Book of the Dead without giving nod to the land of the dead. Unthinkable! In Lesson 2, I promised you that we would be discussing certain deities further, and never let it be said that I am not a witch of my word, so here goes....
Osiris and Isis were the ruling deities of Egypt, and Osiris was looking to expand his rule. He set off, therefore, leaving Egypt in the capable hands of his wife. All would have been well, save for the evil plans being hatched by his brother, Set, who coveted Osiris' throne for his own.
Shortly after Osiris returned home, Set threw a lavish banquet, including among the guests his brother and wife. Cunning and clever, Set knew exactly how to play on people's desires and emotion, and presented at this banquet, a most exquisite prize up for grabs to the person it 'fit the best'. It was a beautiful coffin, fit for royalty--and one Osiris was determined to claim as his own, which was exactly what Set had been counting on in the first place.
Osiris lay in the coffin to test it, and Set slammed down the lid, locking him in tightly. Before anyone could stop him, the jealous god threw the coffin containing his brother into the Nile River, and he assumed the throne in his brother's stead. A grief-stricken Isis, along with her beloved sister, Nepthys, set out on a quest to recover the body of her husband, in the hopes of bringing it back to life.
After a long search, the body was indeed found, which she hid until she could find a way to achieve her goal of resurrection. Set, tricky god that he was, found out about it, and upon her return, Isis was devastated to see the body of Osiris ripped asunder into fourteen pieces, scattered about haphazardly. Luckily, between her and Nepthys, most of the body parts were able to be recovered, and Isis bandaged them together, using the Ritual Spell of Life to effectively bring Osiris back to life, making him the very first mummy!
The spell's effects were, sadly, only temporary, but during the brief time that he was 'alive', Osiris was able to sire Horus, who would later go on to kill Set, avenging the death of the father he would never know. Osiris, being truly and totally dead now, had no choice but to retreat to the Underworld--though there was a slight perk for the hapless ruler. So effective had been his rule in Egypt while he was alive, Osiris was granted dominion over the Underworld, and it was through him that all souls were now granted passage to Duat, a gentle fertile land where the righteous dead lived. This new hierarchy in the Underworld saw the replacement of Ra as the one who guided the souls along their journey, giving the duty now to Osiris.
Deities of Death and Judgement
The writings themselves can be divided into two main texts, namely the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts, the earliest being the Pyramid Text which were first used in the 5th Dynasty (2400 BC). Originally, the spells were inscribed onto objects placed in the tombs, or the walls themselves, rather than on papyrus scrolls. One thing I found particularly interesting was the fact that the hieroglyphic style used was quite distinctive in nature. The animals and humans depicted were often left deliberately incompletely drawn or even mutilated, supposedly to prevent them from doing harm to the pharaoh on his journey. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
King Unas was the lucky recipient of the very first use of these funerary spells; which were originally reserved exclusively for the Pharaoh, although by the 6th Dynasty, this had expanded to include the Queen as well. Of course, in ancient Egypt, rank and wealth had its privilege, and by the end of the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts were the hottest rage among the movers and shakers of the political scene. The Donald Trumps, Bill Gates, and Hollywood royalty of Ancient Egypt just 'had' to grab their piece of the 'eternity pie'. Regional governors and other high-ranking officials could now have all the peace of mind that money could buy--right up into the afterlife and beyond.
It was in the Middle Kingdom that a new, improved version of the spells was developed. For the first time, illustrations were used, along with the written incantations. Most often they were written on the inner surface of coffins, thus the name Coffin Texts (makes sense to me!), though they could now be found written on papyri scrolls as well. The Real Housewives of Ancient Cairo could now get into the action--provided that their husbands had enough money to foot the bill. Wealthy individuals could purchase the privilege to use these charms for themselves or their loved ones--for a hefty fee, of course.
The spells most associated with the Book of the Dead were first compiled in Thebes during the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period (circa 1700 BC). Interestingly, it is a Queen, Mentuhotep, to be exact, not a Pharaoh, who bears the honor, of being the first person whose coffin included both the older texts and the newer ones. How's that for 'girl power'?!
By the 19th Dynasty, the writings and illustrations had gotten very elaborate, and were often written on linen shrouds wrapped around the corpse itself, as well as on the coffin. During the 25th and 26th Dynasty, the Book underwent another facelift--after all, it was starting to show its age. Chapters were numbered for the first time, and it was put into a definitive sequence. The practice of using these spells continued until after the Roman conquest of Ancient Egypt. The last recorded use was 1 BC.
Birth of the Underworld
Technically, it is not the 'birth' of the Underworld. For Merlin's sake, it's called 'creative license'! But seriously, one cannot have a lesson the Book of the Dead without giving nod to the land of the dead. Unthinkable! In Lesson 2, I promised you that we would be discussing certain deities further, and never let it be said that I am not a witch of my word, so here goes....
Osiris and Isis were the ruling deities of Egypt, and Osiris was looking to expand his rule. He set off, therefore, leaving Egypt in the capable hands of his wife. All would have been well, save for the evil plans being hatched by his brother, Set, who coveted Osiris' throne for his own.
Shortly after Osiris returned home, Set threw a lavish banquet, including among the guests his brother and wife. Cunning and clever, Set knew exactly how to play on people's desires and emotion, and presented at this banquet, a most exquisite prize up for grabs to the person it 'fit the best'. It was a beautiful coffin, fit for royalty--and one Osiris was determined to claim as his own, which was exactly what Set had been counting on in the first place.
Osiris lay in the coffin to test it, and Set slammed down the lid, locking him in tightly. Before anyone could stop him, the jealous god threw the coffin containing his brother into the Nile River, and he assumed the throne in his brother's stead. A grief-stricken Isis, along with her beloved sister, Nepthys, set out on a quest to recover the body of her husband, in the hopes of bringing it back to life.
After a long search, the body was indeed found, which she hid until she could find a way to achieve her goal of resurrection. Set, tricky god that he was, found out about it, and upon her return, Isis was devastated to see the body of Osiris ripped asunder into fourteen pieces, scattered about haphazardly. Luckily, between her and Nepthys, most of the body parts were able to be recovered, and Isis bandaged them together, using the Ritual Spell of Life to effectively bring Osiris back to life, making him the very first mummy!
The spell's effects were, sadly, only temporary, but during the brief time that he was 'alive', Osiris was able to sire Horus, who would later go on to kill Set, avenging the death of the father he would never know. Osiris, being truly and totally dead now, had no choice but to retreat to the Underworld--though there was a slight perk for the hapless ruler. So effective had been his rule in Egypt while he was alive, Osiris was granted dominion over the Underworld, and it was through him that all souls were now granted passage to Duat, a gentle fertile land where the righteous dead lived. This new hierarchy in the Underworld saw the replacement of Ra as the one who guided the souls along their journey, giving the duty now to Osiris.
Deities of Death and Judgement
AMMIT: A funerary deity, Ammit is not a goddess at all, but a female demon who sits beneath the Scales of Justice in the Hall of Truth before the Throne of Osiris. After the necessary rituals are performed, each new soul is given the chance to defend the actions of his previous life, and if the judgement is unfavorable, Ammit is given the soul to devour, thus ensuring that it is condemned to eternal restlessness and it cannot be returned to its earthly form.
Ammit is depicted with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus, based on the assumption that these were the fiercest and largest man-eating species known to the ancient Egyptians. Her name means "Devourer", and among her other titles are "Devourer of the Dead", "Devourer of Millions", "Demoness of Death", "Eater of Hearts", " Bone Eater", and "Eater of Souls", to name a few. In some legends, Ammit resides near the lake of fire in Duat, throwing the souls of the wicked into it as eternal punishment. Others believe she is not a demon at all, but the personification of a warning that everyone should strive to adhere to the tenets of Ma'at. |
ANUBIS: His parentage is shady at best. The most 'accepted' is that his father was Set and his mother, Nepthys, though earlier legends have Ra as his father. Another common story is that he is the son of Osiris, sired when Nepthys tricked her sister's husband into sleeping with her. Anubis is the consort of the goddess, Anput, and the sire of the goddess, Kebechet. Most often he is represented as a man with the head of a jackal, and is strongly associated with the Underworld. Another one of his more common forms is that of a black dog. He is the patron of lost souls, including orphans.
He is credited with the building of the first tombs, and is the patron of embalmers. In fact, if the stories are to be believed, Anubis invented the process! It is Anubis who was responsible for embalming the body of Osiris when he was murdered by Set. Speaking of the embalming process for a moment, as morbid as that may be, I came across an interesting tidbit that was too weirdly fascinating not to share. Egyptians used sweet smelling herbs and plants during the embalming process because they believed the sweet smell would give the soul a 'sweet journey'. It is said that Anubis would sniff the mummy, and only those who smelled good enough would be allowed to continue their journey into Duat. Now that's using your nose! |
MAAT: She is the daughter of Amun-Ra, and literally speaking, is as much a principle as an actual goddess. The "Principle of Maat" represents the concepts of divine order, balance, truth, morality, reality, and justice, and in 'goddess form' she is the living embodiment of that. As a goddess, Maat also is responsible for regulating the stars and the seasons, as well as the actions of both mortal and immortal beings.
Her most renowned symbol is the ostrich feather, which she wears in a headdress, or sometimes, the feather is used to depict the actual head itself. She is the patroness of judges, and members of this caste in Ancient Egypt wore a symbol of Maat around their neck as a sign of her authority over them. She is the goddess of good, the destroyer of evil, and the protector of balance. In direct contrast to the Principles of Maat, are the "Principles of Isfet", which bring about destruction, chaos, lies, and violence. Naturally, the two wage a constant battle, with humankind as the ultimate pawn. |
This concludes our lesson. Please go to Assignment 4 for your homework