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The Afterlife
The most important aspect of Egyptian Mythology is the concept of the afterlife. This is also one of the most complex concepts in the religion. Some of the most important Gods have something to do with the afterlife. It’s a treacherous journey that every spirit has to face until coming to the final judgement and confronting the king of the underworld, Osiris (Australian Museum, 2016).
The Book of the Dead
The book of the dead is one of the most important parts of knowing what the afterlife will be like. The Egyptians called it “Reu nu pert em hru” which roughly translates to “Chapters of coming forth by day”. It was a small collections of spells and prayers regarding the afterlife. There are also chapters on several aspects of the afterlife including the hall of Ma’at, the Underworld, and the Field of Reeds. It started appearing in several tombs across Egypt and it serves as a helpful guide for the spirit in order to ensure that they have a successful afterlife (Deurer, 2010).
Underworld Journey
Once the Ka has reunited with the Ba, it can begin its journey to the final judgement. A soul must travel through the Duat,( another name for the Underworld), which is filled with terrible monsters and traps. This was particularly dangerous for a soul with no knowledge of the underworld and spells. However, if the soul prevails, then it can enter the hall of the final judgement (Alchin, 2015).
Final Judgement
When the soul reached the hall of the final judgement, it was greeted by Osiris, the king of the Underworld. Osiris was also a god of vegetation and was closely related to the cycle of the Nile. This cycle of life, death and rebirth is a reflection of the Egyptians concept of life and death, and Osiris serves as a symbol of the hope of an eternal life (Australian Museum, 2016). The final judgement is split into two parts, the court of the forty two divines and the weighing of the heart.
In the court of the forty-two divines, the soul was questioned for their wrong doings and would be deemed guilty or innocent. Thanks to the book of the dead, a soul could get through this part with ease even if they weren’t completely innocent. However, not even the book of the dead could save them from the last part of the judgement (Australian Museum, 2016).
The most important part of the final judgement is the weighing of the Ib, or spiritual heart (Alchin, 2015). Anubis, the god of the dead would weigh the souls heart to see if they are worthy of entering the Field of Reeds or be destroyed. In order to test the heart’s innocence, it was weighed against the ostrich feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice (Egyptian Myths, 2014). If the heart weighed equal to the feather, then it could enter the Field of Reeds and enjoy the afterlife. However, if the heart was too heavy then the soul was eaten by Ammut and cast into darkness (Australian Museum, 2016).
Field of Reeds
Every Egyptian longs for an eternal life after death. The Field of Reeds is where one would fulfill that dream. This place was reminiscent of the life they had lived while they were on the physical plane. When a soul entered the Field of Reeds they were given a plot of land and were expected to maintain it. Most of the souls did this on their own or they used the Shabtis that their family had left them. They were led by an overseer who carried a flail (Australian Museum, 2016). Everything that was offered to the deceased at their burial was at their disposal during the afterlife. Even though they were dead people still had to pay respects to the Gods in their everyday lives. There were still everyday issues that the people had to go through such as fighting, marriage, and taxes. There was still a social hierarchy in the afterlife, because of this Pharaohs kept their godly status after death. So, in a way, the afterlife for the Egyptians was just a continuation of their mortal life (Fadl, 2014).
The most important aspect of Egyptian Mythology is the concept of the afterlife. This is also one of the most complex concepts in the religion. Some of the most important Gods have something to do with the afterlife. It’s a treacherous journey that every spirit has to face until coming to the final judgement and confronting the king of the underworld, Osiris (Australian Museum, 2016).
The Book of the Dead
The book of the dead is one of the most important parts of knowing what the afterlife will be like. The Egyptians called it “Reu nu pert em hru” which roughly translates to “Chapters of coming forth by day”. It was a small collections of spells and prayers regarding the afterlife. There are also chapters on several aspects of the afterlife including the hall of Ma’at, the Underworld, and the Field of Reeds. It started appearing in several tombs across Egypt and it serves as a helpful guide for the spirit in order to ensure that they have a successful afterlife (Deurer, 2010).
Underworld Journey
Once the Ka has reunited with the Ba, it can begin its journey to the final judgement. A soul must travel through the Duat,( another name for the Underworld), which is filled with terrible monsters and traps. This was particularly dangerous for a soul with no knowledge of the underworld and spells. However, if the soul prevails, then it can enter the hall of the final judgement (Alchin, 2015).
Final Judgement
When the soul reached the hall of the final judgement, it was greeted by Osiris, the king of the Underworld. Osiris was also a god of vegetation and was closely related to the cycle of the Nile. This cycle of life, death and rebirth is a reflection of the Egyptians concept of life and death, and Osiris serves as a symbol of the hope of an eternal life (Australian Museum, 2016). The final judgement is split into two parts, the court of the forty two divines and the weighing of the heart.
In the court of the forty-two divines, the soul was questioned for their wrong doings and would be deemed guilty or innocent. Thanks to the book of the dead, a soul could get through this part with ease even if they weren’t completely innocent. However, not even the book of the dead could save them from the last part of the judgement (Australian Museum, 2016).
The most important part of the final judgement is the weighing of the Ib, or spiritual heart (Alchin, 2015). Anubis, the god of the dead would weigh the souls heart to see if they are worthy of entering the Field of Reeds or be destroyed. In order to test the heart’s innocence, it was weighed against the ostrich feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice (Egyptian Myths, 2014). If the heart weighed equal to the feather, then it could enter the Field of Reeds and enjoy the afterlife. However, if the heart was too heavy then the soul was eaten by Ammut and cast into darkness (Australian Museum, 2016).
Field of Reeds
Every Egyptian longs for an eternal life after death. The Field of Reeds is where one would fulfill that dream. This place was reminiscent of the life they had lived while they were on the physical plane. When a soul entered the Field of Reeds they were given a plot of land and were expected to maintain it. Most of the souls did this on their own or they used the Shabtis that their family had left them. They were led by an overseer who carried a flail (Australian Museum, 2016). Everything that was offered to the deceased at their burial was at their disposal during the afterlife. Even though they were dead people still had to pay respects to the Gods in their everyday lives. There were still everyday issues that the people had to go through such as fighting, marriage, and taxes. There was still a social hierarchy in the afterlife, because of this Pharaohs kept their godly status after death. So, in a way, the afterlife for the Egyptians was just a continuation of their mortal life (Fadl, 2014).