Ancient Egypt • Underworld

Preparing for the Afterlife

In ancient Egyptian religion the Egyptians sought resurrection both in the daily cycle of the sun and in the myth of Osiris. Whereas the sun brought resurrection from above, Osiris represented the resurrection of the body from below, the underworld.

Osiris brought the renewal of plant life each year, the fertility of the earth for the crops, and the promise of a new life even after dismemberment, which was considered the most dramatic form of death.

The Realm of Osiris

The dead hoped to enter the Realm of Osiris, a beautiful place that looked like Egypt. First, though, he had to go through the underworld and the courtroom of Osiris where 42 judges were ready to test whether the dead was worthy or not to enter. In front of each judge the dead had to reel of a negative sin, like: “I have not sinned; I have not lied”.

In ancient Egypt the dead person’s heart was placed on one side of a large weight while the ancient Egyptian goddess Maat placed her feather of truth on the other side. If the heart was heavier than the feather the heart was immediately eaten by the monster Amentet and all hope was lost. However, if the heart was suitably light then the dead person would enter the Realm of Osiris.

The Book of the Dead

From the New Kingdom and onwards the priests sold the so-called Book of the Dead for the dead to take with him in his tomb. It was a kind of “how-to” book in which you could get help for the difficult reeling of your sins in the underworld.

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