Egyptian Afterlife
Definition of the
Egyptian Afterlife
What was the Egyptian afterlife and
how was it described?. Definition of the Egyptian Afterlife: The
Egyptian Afterlife was seen as a perfect existence in an ideal version
of Egypt. The Afterlife was a place of complete bliss, delight and
peace. The Afterlife was referred to as the Field of Rushes or
Field of Offerings. Ancient Egyptians provided for their afterlives according
to their earthly means. The Ancient Egyptians
were preoccupied by death and believed that after death they would go to
the dark and terrifying place called the Underworld.
The Underworld was a land of great
dangers and various tests through which every Egyptian would need to pass
before passing into the Afterlife.
Underworld
Egyptian Religious
beliefs led to the Egyptian Afterlife
To understand the Egyptian Afterlife it
helps to be aware of the major elements of
their beliefs and religion. The religion of the Ancient Egyptians was
extremely important to them and their belief in various gods and goddesses were fundamental to their
religion.
Some of the gods looked after matters of daily
importance and others governed the realms of the dead. The Egyptian
priests created legends and myths about the Egyptian Afterlife and every
Egyptian aspired to this perfect existence.
How the Soul
entered the Egyptian Afterlife
The Egyptians believed that the soul were
perishable and therefore at great risk. The tomb, the process of
mummification, rituals and magic spells promoted the well-being, and
ensured the preservation, of the dead and the elements of the soul
called the Ka, Ba and Ahk. After undertaking the perilous journey
through the underworld the deceased would face his day of judgement at
the Hall of the Two Truths. The god of the dead, Anubis, would lead the dead to the Hall of Two Truths, where the deceased
would stand in front of forty two judges and gods. The deceased was led to a set of scales
where his or her heart, containing the deeds of their
lifetime, was weighed against the feather of
truth, which symbolised Maat the goddess of justice. The fate of the deceased would
then be decided - either entrance into
the perfect afterlife or to be sent to the Devourer of the
Dead - the Great Swallower. If the deceased passed the test
the judges in the Hall of the Two Truths pronounced the following divine
order:
"He is justified. The
Swallowing Monster shall have no power over him."
Description of the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife
Following the ordeal in the Hall of Truths the
deceased was welcomed by Osiris into the Egyptian Afterlife. The Pharaoh
would join the realms of the gods and all others would enter Everlasting
Paradise. In this beautiful world the life of the deceased was mirrored
but there were no problems there was only happiness. The afterlife was
seen as a perfect existence in an ideal version of Egypt. There were
fields, crops and the celestial Nile. In this ideal land the deceased
met his ancestors and the loved ones who had gone before him. He
continued working in the role he had undertaken before death. But there
was no hardship only joy and happiness. There were no disasters and the
crops grew bigger and higher than those found on the mortal plane. His
leisure activities were replicated as were all the pursuits of his
mortal existence.
Provisions for the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife
Ancient Egyptians provided for their afterlives
according to their earthly means. When they died, the Egyptians put all
the things in their tombs that they would need in the afterlife to
reflect their lifestyle in the mortal existence including jewelry,
furniture, clothes, knives, spoons, plates, cosmetics, ornaments,
statues and tools. They made drawings of any items which were too big to
fit in the tombs which they considered would be just as good as the
actual items. These large drawings were often carved on to the walls of
the tomb.
Ancient Egyptian Afterlife
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