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Jun 12, 2017 · The souls of dead Egyptians had to battle their way through the twelve chambers of hell, overcoming demons and monsters, crossing over lakes of fire, and finding their way past gates guarded by fire-breathing serpents. The path through the afterlife was violent, brutal, and dangerous.
The Egyptians believed that the afterlife would be similar to life on earth. They would have houses and families, and they would even be able to enjoy their favourite things from life on Earth such as pets and food. It was a paradise with lush vegetation and an idealised version of life.
- Preparing The Spirit
- Traversing The Underworld
- The Field of Reeds
Before his death, Ani had created his own Book of the Dead - a papyrus guidebook, riddled with hieroglyphic spells, prayers, and codes that his spirit would need to traverse the underworld. His funeral is of great importance. Mourners are hired to make as much noise as possible – the more weeping, the more important people will think he is. A speci...
Ani’s spirit travels across the underworld via an Egyptian ship called the solar bark. On the journey, he encounters lakes of fire and vast caverns. Serpents, reptiles and dragons also stand guard, with Apep 'the evil lizard' and God of chaos acting as a final adversary barring Ani's way. His Book of the Dead comes in handy here, providing the nece...
More tests await Ani including one in which he encounters the Divine Ferryman, the cruel Hraf-hef (He-Who-Looks-Behind-Him). Ani's task is to be courteous to Hraf-hef, despite the unkind or cruel remarks Hraf makes, to prove himself worthy of continuing the journey. After passing these final tests, he is brought across the waters to the Field of Re...
Egyptian religious doctrines included three afterlife ideologies: belief in an underworld, eternal life, and rebirth of the soul. The underworld, also known as the Duat, had only one entrance that could be reached by traveling through the tomb of the deceased.
Throughout the underworld journey, the deceased’s spirit would have to contend with gods, strange creatures and gatekeepers to reach Osiris and the Hall of Final Judgment. Here they would plead their case for entry into the afterlife.
Landscape memory game. During the journey to the afterlife, the deceased might have to travel across huge lakes and dry deserts, over mounds and around caverns before reaching paradise. Test your skills in the memory challenge below.
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When a person does good deeds, their heart gets lighter, according to the Ancient Egyptians. There are 42 judges in the Hall of Two Truths that the dead must pass through to get to the afterlife. The priests do not go to the afterlife, they go to the land of the gods.
