Journey into the After Life
The journey into the afterlife was a difficult one. To help, scripts would be left with magical spells to help the deceased navigate through the afterlife. These scripts became known as the "Book of the Dead" which is also refered to as the "Book of Going forth by Day."
The
spirit would begin it's journey by crossing a wide river and then pass through
a gate guarded by monsters. The deceased then would have to go to the "Hall
of Two Truths" to be judged. The persons would be accused in court on
forty-two different crimes. He would have to answer the charges. As he is
anwering to these charges his heart would be put on a scale and weighed against
a feather. If a persons heart was lighter then the feather, then they would
be allowed to pass and join the gods. The feather represents truth, and the
heart being lighter would indicate that there was not deceit in the person.
If the heart was not lighter then the feather, a monster would devour the
heart. Without the heart, the person would have no memory or personality
and no chance for eternal life.
Other Mummification Pages:
Process of Mummification | Tombs in Ancient Egypt
History Of Mummification
