Book of the Dead

"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 theBook 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 toensure safe passage through the tribulations they may have faced along the way. In Egyptian itwas 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.

Papyrus Fragment from Book of the Dead

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. Theanimals and humans depicted were often leftdeliberately incompletely drawn or even mutilated, supposedly to prevent them from doing harm to the pharaoh on his journey.
King Unas was the lucky recipient of the very first use of these funerary spells;which wereoriginallyreserved exclusively for the Pharaoh, although by the 6thDynasty, thishad 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 Textswere the hottest rage among the movers and shakers of the political scene. The Donald Trumps, Bill Gates, andHollywood royalty ofAncient Egypt just 'had' to grab their piece of the'eternity pie'.Regional governors and other high-ranking officials could nowhaveall the peace of mind that money could buy--right up into the afterlife and beyond.
It was in the Middle Kingdom that a new, improvedversion 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, though they could now be found written on papyri scrolls as well. Wealthy individuals could purchase the privilege to use these charms for themselves or their loved ones--for ahefty fee, of course.
Thespells most associated with theBook of the Dead were firstcompiled in Thebesduring 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 whosecoffinincluded both the older texts and the newer ones.
By the 19th Dynasty, thewritings and illustrations hadgottenvery 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 continueduntil after the Roman conquest of Ancient Egypt. The last recorded use was 1 BC.
Birth of the Underworld
Osiris and Isis were the ruling deities of Egypt, and Osiris was looking to expandhis rule. He set off, therefore, leavingEgypt in the capable hands of his wife. All would have been well, save forthe evil plans being hatched by his brother, Set, who covetedOsiris' throne forhis own.
Shortly after Osiris returned home, Setthrew a lavish banquet, includingamong the guests his brotherand wife.Cunning and clever,Set knewexactly 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 hisown, 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 jealousgod threw the coffincontaining his brother into the Nile River, and he assumed the throne in his brother's stead. A grief-stricken Isis, along withher beloved sister, Nephthys, set out on a quest torecover the body of herhusband, in the hopes of bringing it back to life.
After a long search, the body was indeed found,which she hid until she couldfind a way to achieve her goal of resurrection. Set, tricky god that he was, found out about it, and upon her return, Isis wasdevastated tosee the body of Osirisripped asunder into fourteen pieces, scattered about haphazardly. Luckily, between her and Nephthys,most of the body parts were able to be recovered, and Isis bandaged them together,using theRitual 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 tosireHorus, who would later go on to kill Set,avenging the death ofthe father he would never know. Osiris,being truly and totally dead now, had no choice but to retreat to the Underworld--thoughthere wasa slight perk for the haplessruler. So effective had been his rulein Egypt while he was alive,Osiris wasgranted 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 theUnderworld saw the replacementof Ra as the one who guided the souls along their journey, giving the duty now to Osiris.

Deities of Death and Judgement


Ammit / 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 judgment 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 thesewere the fiercest andlargest 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 / ANUBIS:His parentage isshady at best.The most 'accepted' is that his father was Set and his mother, Nephthys, though earlierlegends haveRa as his father. Another common story is that he is the son of Osiris, sired when Nephthys 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. Heis the patronof 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. 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.

Maat / 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 is also 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.

Short AnswerPlease answer in complete sentences in your journal:

  1. What is the "Book of the Dead"?
  2. Name the two main texts contained in the "Book of the Dead". How are they different?
  3. How did Setmurder his brother, Osiris?
  4. How did Isis resurrect Osiris?
  5. Describe Ammit.
  6. Ammit has many titles; nameat least three (3) of them.
  7. What are the “Principles of Maat”?
  8. What are the "Principles of Isfet"?
  9. Why do you believe that Anubis, the god most associated with the Underworld is also slated as the patron of orphans and lost souls?
  10. Of the three deities highlighted in the lesson (Anubis, Maat, and Ammit), whichone was your favorite and why?

Extended Activity: Choose one of the following.

Option A-Research/Opinion
There are no right or wrong answers to this one, though it will require you to do a bit of research on your own. Look up some more about the conflicting principles of Maat and Isfet, and summarize them in your own words. In your opinion, does such a conflict exist in our world today? If so, how?½ page minimum.
Option B-Writing
You are a new soul starting out on your journey to Duat. There is only one small little problem. Set is up to his old tricks and determined to make life miserable for his nephew Osiris, and has come along to erase all of the carefully and beautifully written funerary spells and songs prepared for you. Alas, as much as it pains him, Osiris is forced to ask for your help--time is of the essence and Set must be stopped before he can cause further mischief. It is up to you, therefore, to write either a funerary spell/song to continue your journey to Duat or tell the story of how you accompany Osiris to aid him in stopping Set. Your choice.½ page minimum.
Option C-Art
Illustrate anything that was discussed in the lesson, be it a person, a place, event, etc. This needs to be neat, colorful, and creative. No stick figures allowed. Write a 4-sentence paragraph about the significance of your drawing on the back.

We will share our activities at the end of class.