وسائل مساعدة المتوفى فى رحلة العالم الآخر دراسة تحليلية بمتون الأهرام Methods of Helping the Deceased in the Journey to the Afterlife, analytical study of the Pyramid Texts | ||||
| حولية الاتحاد العام للآثاريين العرب "دراسات فى آثار الوطن العربى" | ||||
| Article 25, Volume 15, Issue 15, 2012, Page 338-393 PDF (9.16 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/cguaa.2012.33915 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
| manar moustafa | ||||
| Researcher in the Master of Ancient Egyptian Studies Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Ain Shams University. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The Ancient Egyptian believed in resurrection, and his mind was seized by perceiving the afterlife. He believed that there would be a place where he will be held accountable for his acts to get what he deserves as a reward or punishment, he also thought about how he will be innocent after being judged, and how his fate will be determined after recording his acts which qualify him to enter the Iaro fields, and this is done through different methods that help him to pass this stage. These thoughts started early since the Old Kingdom, where kings recorded them regularly on the walls of their tombs in the burial rooms and those corridors leading to them, these recordings were known as the Pyramid Texts (about 2350 B.C.). Pyramid Texts were magical Spells that ranged from 714 to 759 Spells and were among the most important resources in the Ancient Egyptian religion through which we come to know their thoughts about the afterlife and the funeral life that were regularly inscribed on the internal walls of the burial rooms and their leading corridors in the pyramids. It was first inscribed in the pyramid of king Unas (about 2341-2311 B.C.), the last king in the fifth dynasty (about 2345 B.C.), and were 227 Spells, then in the pyramids of the kings of the sixth dynasty; Teti, Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II (about 2345-2181 B.C.), as well as three queens, the wives of king Pepi II, who were Iput the second, Neith (daughters of king Pepi I and sisters of Pepi II)and Wedjebteni, and also king Iby in the eighth dynasty. These texts were written in Hieroglyphs that decorated the ceilings of burial rooms in the form of stars that represent the sky shading the body of the deceased, like those found in the pyramid of king Unas. These texts were probably the result of far early eras’ texts written by priests on pieces of pottery and stones, that were first fully recorded in king Unas pyramid in order to help the deceased to see and read the charms around him to ensure happiness and security for the deceased king from the dangers that he encounters in the afterlife. They offered methods to help the deceased king reach heaven, like the ladder of Seth, the wooden ladder, the construction ladder or climbing using sunlight, or rain, and preparing a road for the ascent of the deceased to pass the curvy water way with its curves and turns, like the Iaro lake and the heaven lakes and channels, which all played an important role in their religious beliefs especially those related to the afterlife. Also deities share in opening the gates of the seven heavens for the deceased. In these texts it is said that the deceased is alive and not dead, he is rather being majored in the horizon. We were also able to identify their thoughts about the features of the whereabouts of the afterlife and how to reach it, as well as the role of each stage to which the deceased arrives. In early pyramid texts, we notice Osiris waiting for Akh, the deceased king, who travelled to the Iaro fields coming from the underworld. The idea of ascending to heaven was distinguished in Ancient Egypt in the official doctrine of the king’s death. They mentioned the crossing of the “beautiful west”, the ascent to sky as if returning to the paternal origin and uniting with Re. They remained the major doctrine in the royal funeral beliefs of Ancient Egypt, as a stage that represent the movement of the “majored” deceased king in companion of Re through the sky and the underworld, because he is a god and son of god. The deities help the king wake up to face his fate which is eternity in companion of maternity and paternity gods who greet the deceased king during ascent in his afterlife journey. The air god Shu, Thoht, Horus and Seth are evident in these texts, they are the gods of light and air during the ascent to the sun, and they also help keep dangers away from the way to the sun. Also Nut, Atom, Re, Geb, Tefnet, Anubis, Neith, Khnum, Mafdet, Isis and Nephtyth-who move west and east, as well as Horus’s four sons, and Maat, Osiris, Orion, Sopdet, Wepuawet, Meskhnet goddess of birth and delivery, Renenutet the nurse, and Heket. The deceased is also offered help through different methods, like erecting a ladder, turns, robes, sunlight, wind, cloud or being a star in companion of Orion. He is sometimes in the form of a bird, or a scarab, locust, falcon or Akh travelling from the underworld in the form of a duck, goose or a wasp to the Iaro fields.The pyramid texts are considered the first source from which we can draw a lot of information about the doctrines of the ancient Egyptian and his religious and funeral beliefs during that very far period. However, the ancient Egyptian religion wasn’t able to satisfy the mental curiosity and enrich it, so we notice that those texts were full of explanatory footnotes for the ancient Egyptian doctrine. Actually, the ancient Egyptian religion is distinguished by its complex theory that was woven around royalty and its concern with the life after death. We conclude from this research that the ancient Egyptian had religious thoughts and beliefs which he inscribed in thousands lines covering the walls of the pyramids. These writings were known as the pyramid texts – which were described as being originally solar, as the Egyptian believed in the sunrise every day after its set “reborn everyday”–(the solar afterlife is the royal fate). We get to know through these texts the events that take place in the afterlife as being thought by the ancient Egyptian. These texts were phrases written to protect the deceased and his tomb and to ensure his happiness in the afterlife. It also tells us about the stages of their thinking as well as their customs and beliefs. That’s why these texts are considered valuable documents that describe the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife. The pyramid texts are concerned only with the life of the deceased king in the afterlife as being described by the ancient Egyptian using metaphors from his real life. In spite of the ambiguity that surrounds the writings and structure of the pyramid texts; that describe almost unknown land during that time, it was considered a mystery to know that the ancient Egyptian was always protesting against the idea of death, darkness and silence that hangs over tombs. We noticed that death was always mentioned negatively in the pyramid texts, however the word life was mentioned affirmatively – king Pepi didn’t die but was majored in the sky- these texts also used words that means – “you live, rise up, you will not die, rise up you majored among the eternal stars, you will never perish”. The reference to death was with words like – going down to earth, not alive. Priests used all doctrines that they found useful for the life after death, the luxurious life in a faraway kingdom, which is heaven, where the dead was represented as a star or Re. The Egyptian thought that death takes place on land, but life is found in the sky to which the deceased was raised to face his fate after death and to eternally live there with his father- being the son of the sun. These texts also represented the deceased as a flying bird, being not one of the human beings living on earth but rather one of those horizon dwellers. He flied to sky in the form of a cloud like a bird, and the king arrives to the sky in the form of a locust, which was offered a ladder from earth to sky for his ascent using the smoke of the great burner. The king ascends to sky and meets Re there; he approaches and sits next to him and Re refuses to let him go down to earth. The king rises to sky among the eternal stars, in companion of Sothis, and the morning star as his guide. They hold his hand to the Heteb field, to sit on throne. The floating sky platforms go down to the king, they are made of bamboo sticks, so that he can pass to the horizon. The nutrition channel is open; the (curvy) water channels are full of water, to help transfer the boat of the king to the eastern side of the sky, where he will be transformed by the deities to be reborn again, as a youth to whom the gates of heaven will be opened. There are several and various pyramid texts that explain and represent the ancient Egyptian doctrines. They were mainly concerned with their religious life. Through pyramid texts we get to know the ways of resurrection of the deceased in the afterlife, and ways of offering sacrifices, as well as the names of deities and their descriptions and roles with the deceased. They also mentioned the Iaro fields and methods of reaching them. Fears and dangers that the deceased faces as well as the obstacles that he encounters were also mentioned in these texts, together with the different methods that the deceased uses to help him ascend to sky in the companionship and help of the deities. That’s why placing pyramid texts near the deceased were important to ensure the happiness of the deceased in the afterlife, and hence, they were passed through generations. The Pyramid Texts ensure the difficult passage from the death of the king to his divine existence in the afterlife. A major theme is the bountiful provision of the deceased King with food and drink. In addition, the crown goddesses give birth to him anew every day, nurse him at their breasts, and never wean him, thus the King experiences a symbolic rejuvenation for all eternity, as depicted in the reliefs. However, the Pyramid Texts also recount a story different from the reliefs: the King must be awakened from the sleep of death and ascend to heaven as a god. This he can do, because he is deceased from the creator god. The Pyramid Texts describe how the King is awakened and his body kept whole and incorruptible through the cultic purification; how he receives his raiment and crown; and how his Osiris family; the third generation of gods, help him in these acts. Also essential is the idea that he descends from Re, which is always invoked to reinforce his claim to rule. When the King has risen from the dead as Osiris and the court of the gods confirms his claim to the throne, he is able to ascend into heaven. This is perilous, because he needs the aid of the heavenly ferryman, who transports to Re only a King who convinces him of his power. Therefore, the King must associate his arrival in heaven with an impressive demonstration of power. His coming is announced by earthquakes and thunder, the gods tremble when they glimpse the sword in his hand. Now he captures even the gods he cooks and devours them in order to incorporate their cumulative power. Finally, he journeys like the sun god across the heavens or becomes a star like Orion. Like the sun, he is swallowed up every evening by the goddess of heaven, Nut, and reborn at daybreak. It is typical that the texts describe the unending existence of the King –his cycle renewal- using a great variety of metaphors, such as the sun in its course, one of the circumpolar stars, the daily-reborn child of the goddess of heaven or of the crown goddess. The Pyramid Texts mention in several cases that, the dead King is often identified or closely associated with Osiris whose death seems to be as a reflection of the king’s fate it is his immortal life as the god that reflects, conversely the King’s prospects after death. The deceased King sat on his Throne, and so acquired sovereignty over a realm of the dead, moreover this identification between Osiris and Seth has caused the deceased King to be automatically resurrected and to be able to surpass the stage of death, and the deceased King will escape from the death as the god didn’t suffer from it before. Osiris appears sometimes as his helper. The enemies of the king probably appear under the name of the gods, on the other hand the King himself is describes as one of the gods. In some cases Seth’s followers, have played a positive role in helping Osiris the King, Osiris or Osiris the King in the Pyramid Texts is succoured in death by various deities clustered around him, they served as his helpers in the afterlife, several spells talk about their role against the enemies of Osiris or Osiris the King, which connected with the cult of Osiris and applied secondary to deceased King, Most of these spells are connected with the rituals such as, sacrificial ritual, purification rituals, censing rituals, offering rituals and resurrection rituals, some spells call on the goddess Nut to spread herself over her son, Osiris the King or the deceased King to protect him from Seth and wrong doing, she furthermore makes the deceased as a god against his enemy, Geb has put his sandal on the head of the enemy, and spells appear that the bad was removed by purifying, or washing of the deceased’s corpse, as a reference to mummification which was completed by the priests who impersonating both Horus in his fourth day of work and Seth in his eighty day of work. There are many deities playing a positive role toward the King, like Isis, Nephthys, Neith, Serket, protecting and guarding the throne of the King or his bed. In the Pyramid Texts we encounter three different kinds of raising the deceased king, The first, is carrying Osiris the King by Seth, the second is raising the Osiris the King as a part of his revivification, the third, is elevating the king to the sky. The spells appear the King is asked to raise himself as the god and to take the bread and the wine, the repasts which the god gets every morning after he has been purified in the lake, like the Pyramid Text states that the King is alive, he does not die. The ceremony of purification carried out by means of water contained vessels, and by fumigation with various kinds of incense and resin, frequently opening the eyes, ears and nose of the deceased King appear as part of this ceremony. In the spell, it is the evident that the ceremony of “Opening the Mouth” was occurred before Osiris the King has gone to the Mansion of Prince where he has been protected by the great Ennead who has threaten his enemy (Seth), it would seem that opening the king’s mouth has provided him with the ability of speaking and of requiring his crown in presence of the gods, the deceased King is resurrected through the action of his son Horus who claims his father from his enemy, causing him to be rejuvenated after he has split open his mouth. To conclude, this research covered many aspects derived from the Pyramid Texts. It contains many spells which are The Role of the deceased, King’s Helpers against his Enemies and other Dangers, and against the Snakes and other Animals, The deceased King’s Protectors in the Pyramid Texts, and the Throne of the deceased king, The Resurrecting The deceased King, Rising Osiris the king or the deceased King from Death, Collecting the limbs of the deceased King, Opening the mouth of the deceased King, Purifying the deceased King, The deceased King’s Adornment and Providing the deceased King with his Offerings and Meals, Erecting the ladder, Ascent to the Duat, Opening the Gates of Heavens for the King, Preparing and Opening a Way for the king, The King prepares his Meals and The King and Opening the Doorways of Nun and the sky. The Ancient Egyptian believed in resurrection, and his mind was seized by perceiving the afterlife. He believed that there would be a place where he will be held accountable for his acts to get what he deserves as a reward or punishment, he also thought about how he will be innocent after being judged, and how his fate will be determined after recording his acts which qualify him to enter the Iaro fields, and this is done through different methods that help him to pass this stage. These thoughts started early since the Old Kingdom, where kings recorded them regularly on the walls of their tombs in the burial rooms and those corridors leading to them, these recordings were known as the Pyramid Texts (about 2350 B.C.). Pyramid Texts were magical Spells that ranged from 714 to 759 Spells and were among the most important resources in the Ancient Egyptian religion through which we come to know their thoughts about the afterlife and the funeral life that were regularly inscribed on the internal walls of the burial rooms and their leading corridors in the pyramids. It was first inscribed in the pyramid of king Unas (about 2341-2311 B.C.), the last king in the fifth dynasty (about 2345 B.C.), and were 227 Spells, then in the pyramids of the kings of the sixth dynasty; Teti, Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II (about 2345-2181 B.C.), as well as three queens, the wives of king Pepi II, who were Iput the second, Neith (daughters of king Pepi I and sisters of Pepi II)and Wedjebteni, and also king Iby in the eighth dynasty. These texts were written in Hieroglyphs that decorated the ceilings of burial rooms in the form of stars that represent the sky shading the body of the deceased, like those found in the pyramid of king Unas. These texts were probably the result of far early eras’ texts written by priests on pieces of pottery and stones, that were first fully recorded in king Unas pyramid in order to help the deceased to see and read the charms around him to ensure happiness and security for the deceased king from the dangers that he encounters in the afterlife. They offered methods to help the deceased king reach heaven, like the ladder of Seth, the wooden ladder, the construction ladder or climbing using sunlight, or rain, and preparing a road for the ascent of the deceased to pass the curvy water way with its curves and turns, like the Iaro lake and the heaven lakes and channels, which all played an important role in their religious beliefs especially those related to the afterlife. Also deities share in opening the gates of the seven heavens for the deceased. In these texts it is said that the deceased is alive and not dead, he is rather being majored in the horizon. We were also able to identify their thoughts about the features of the whereabouts of the afterlife and how to reach it, as well as the role of each stage to which the deceased arrives. In early pyramid texts, we notice Osiris waiting for Akh, the deceased king, who travelled to the Iaro fields coming from the underworld. The idea of ascending to heaven was distinguished in Ancient Egypt in the official doctrine of the king’s death. They mentioned the crossing of the “beautiful west”, the ascent to sky as if returning to the paternal origin and uniting with Re. They remained the major doctrine in the royal funeral beliefs of Ancient Egypt, as a stage that represent the movement of the “majored” deceased king in companion of Re through the sky and the underworld, because he is a god and son of god. The deities help the king wake up to face his fate which is eternity in companion of maternity and paternity gods who greet the deceased king during ascent in his afterlife journey. The air god Shu, Thoht, Horus and Seth are evident in these texts, they are the gods of light and air during the ascent to the sun, and they also help keep dangers away from the way to the sun. Also Nut, Atom, Re, Geb, Tefnet, Anubis, Neith, Khnum, Mafdet, Isis and Nephtyth-who move west and east, as well as Horus’s four sons, and Maat, Osiris, Orion, Sopdet, Wepuawet, Meskhnet goddess of birth and delivery, Renenutet the nurse, and Heket. The deceased is also offered help through different methods, like erecting a ladder, turns, robes, sunlight, wind, cloud or being a star in companion of Orion. He is sometimes in the form of a bird, or a scarab, locust, falcon or Akh travelling from the underworld in the form of a duck, goose or a wasp to the Iaro fields.The pyramid texts are considered the first source from which we can draw a lot of information about the doctrines of the ancient Egyptian and his religious and funeral beliefs during that very far period. However, the ancient Egyptian religion wasn’t able to satisfy the mental curiosity and enrich it, so we notice that those texts were full of explanatory footnotes for the ancient Egyptian doctrine. Actually, the ancient Egyptian religion is distinguished by its complex theory that was woven around royalty and its concern with the life after death. We conclude from this research that the ancient Egyptian had religious thoughts and beliefs which he inscribed in thousands lines covering the walls of the pyramids. These writings were known as the pyramid texts – which were described as being originally solar, as the Egyptian believed in the sunrise every day after its set “reborn everyday”–(the solar afterlife is the royal fate). We get to know through these texts the events that take place in the afterlife as being thought by the ancient Egyptian. These texts were phrases written to protect the deceased and his tomb and to ensure his happiness in the afterlife. It also tells us about the stages of their thinking as well as their customs and beliefs. That’s why these texts are considered valuable documents that describe the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife. The pyramid texts are concerned only with the life of the deceased king in the afterlife as being described by the ancient Egyptian using metaphors from his real life. In spite of the ambiguity that surrounds the writings and structure of the pyramid texts; that describe almost unknown land during that time, it was considered a mystery to know that the ancient Egyptian was always protesting against the idea of death, darkness and silence that hangs over tombs. We noticed that death was always mentioned negatively in the pyramid texts, however the word life was mentioned affirmatively – king Pepi didn’t die but was majored in the sky- these texts also used words that means – “you live, rise up, you will not die, rise up you majored among the eternal stars, you will never perish”. The reference to death was with words like – going down to earth, not alive. Priests used all doctrines that they found useful for the life after death, the luxurious life in a faraway kingdom, which is heaven, where the dead was represented as a star or Re. The Egyptian thought that death takes place on land, but life is found in the sky to which the deceased was raised to face his fate after death and to eternally live there with his father- being the son of the sun. These texts also represented the deceased as a flying bird, being not one of the human beings living on earth but rather one of those horizon dwellers. He flied to sky in the form of a cloud like a bird, and the king arrives to the sky in the form of a locust, which was offered a ladder from earth to sky for his ascent using the smoke of the great burner. The king ascends to sky and meets Re there; he approaches and sits next to him and Re refuses to let him go down to earth. The king rises to sky among the eternal stars, in companion of Sothis, and the morning star as his guide. They hold his hand to the Heteb field, to sit on throne. The floating sky platforms go down to the king, they are made of bamboo sticks, so that he can pass to the horizon. The nutrition channel is open; the (curvy) water channels are full of water, to help transfer the boat of the king to the eastern side of the sky, where he will be transformed by the deities to be reborn again, as a youth to whom the gates of heaven will be opened. There are several and various pyramid texts that explain and represent the ancient Egyptian doctrines. They were mainly concerned with their religious life. Through pyramid texts we get to know the ways of resurrection of the deceased in the afterlife, and ways of offering sacrifices, as well as the names of deities and their descriptions and roles with the deceased. They also mentioned the Iaro fields and methods of reaching them. Fears and dangers that the deceased faces as well as the obstacles that he encounters were also mentioned in these texts, together with the different methods that the deceased uses to help him ascend to sky in the companionship and help of the deities. That’s why placing pyramid texts near the deceased were important to ensure the happiness of the deceased in the afterlife, and hence, they were passed through generations. The Pyramid Texts ensure the difficult passage from the death of the king to his divine existence in the afterlife. A major theme is the bountiful provision of the deceased King with food and drink. In addition, the crown goddesses give birth to him anew every day, nurse him at their breasts, and never wean him, thus the King experiences a symbolic rejuvenation for all eternity, as depicted in the reliefs. However, the Pyramid Texts also recount a story different from the reliefs: the King must be awakened from the sleep of death and ascend to heaven as a god. This he can do, because he is deceased from the creator god. The Pyramid Texts describe how the King is awakened and his body kept whole and incorruptible through the cultic purification; how he receives his raiment and crown; and how his Osiris family; the third generation of gods, help him in these acts. Also essential is the idea that he descends from Re, which is always invoked to reinforce his claim to rule. When the King has risen from the dead as Osiris and the court of the gods confirms his claim to the throne, he is able to ascend into heaven. This is perilous, because he needs the aid of the heavenly ferryman, who transports to Re only a King who convinces him of his power. Therefore, the King must associate his arrival in heaven with an impressive demonstration of power. His coming is announced by earthquakes and thunder, the gods tremble when they glimpse the sword in his hand. Now he captures even the gods he cooks and devours them in order to incorporate their cumulative power. Finally, he journeys like the sun god across the heavens or becomes a star like Orion. Like the sun, he is swallowed up every evening by the goddess of heaven, Nut, and reborn at daybreak. It is typical that the texts describe the unending existence of the King –his cycle renewal- using a great variety of metaphors, such as the sun in its course, one of the circumpolar stars, the daily-reborn child of the goddess of heaven or of the crown goddess. The Pyramid Texts mention in several cases that, the dead King is often identified or closely associated with Osiris whose death seems to be as a reflection of the king’s fate it is his immortal life as the god that reflects, conversely the King’s prospects after death. The deceased King sat on his Throne, and so acquired sovereignty over a realm of the dead, moreover this identification between Osiris and Seth has caused the deceased King to be automatically resurrected and to be able to surpass the stage of death, and the deceased King will escape from the death as the god didn’t suffer from it before. Osiris appears sometimes as his helper. The enemies of the king probably appear under the name of the gods, on the other hand the King himself is describes as one of the gods. In some cases Seth’s followers, have played a positive role in helping Osiris the King, Osiris or Osiris the King in the Pyramid Texts is succoured in death by various deities clustered around him, they served as his helpers in the afterlife, several spells talk about their role against the enemies of Osiris or Osiris the King, which connected with the cult of Osiris and applied secondary to deceased King, Most of these spells are connected with the rituals such as, sacrificial ritual, purification rituals, censing rituals, offering rituals and resurrection rituals, some spells call on the goddess Nut to spread herself over her son, Osiris the King or the deceased King to protect him from Seth and wrong doing, she furthermore makes the deceased as a god against his enemy, Geb has put his sandal on the head of the enemy, and spells appear that the bad was removed by purifying, or washing of the deceased’s corpse, as a reference to mummification which was completed by the priests who impersonating both Horus in his fourth day of work and Seth in his eighty day of work. There are many deities playing a positive role toward the King, like Isis, Nephthys, Neith, Serket, protecting and guarding the throne of the King or his bed. In the Pyramid Texts we encounter three different kinds of raising the deceased king, The first, is carrying Osiris the King by Seth, the second is raising the Osiris the King as a part of his revivification, the third, is elevating the king to the sky. The spells appear the King is asked to raise himself as the god and to take the bread and the wine, the repasts which the god gets every morning after he has been purified in the lake, like the Pyramid Text states that the King is alive, he does not die. The ceremony of purification carried out by means of water contained vessels, and by fumigation with various kinds of incense and resin, frequently opening the eyes, ears and nose of the deceased King appear as part of this ceremony. In the spell, it is the evident that the ceremony of “Opening the Mouth” was occurred before Osiris the King has gone to the Mansion of Prince where he has been protected by the great Ennead who has threaten his enemy (Seth), it would seem that opening the king’s mouth has provided him with the ability of speaking and of requiring his crown in presence of the gods, the deceased King is resurrected through the action of his son Horus who claims his father from his enemy, causing him to be rejuvenated after he has split open his mouth. To conclude, this research covered many aspects derived from the Pyramid Texts. It contains many spells which are The Role of the deceased, King’s Helpers against his Enemies and other Dangers, and against the Snakes and other Animals, The deceased King’s Protectors in the Pyramid Texts, and the Throne of the deceased king, The Resurrecting The deceased King, Rising Osiris the king or the deceased King from Death, Collecting the limbs of the deceased King, Opening the mouth of the deceased King, Purifying the deceased King, The deceased King’s Adornment and Providing the deceased King with his Offerings and Meals, Erecting the ladder, Ascent to the Duat, Opening the Gates of Heavens for the King, Preparing and Opening a Way for the king, The King prepares his Meals and The King and Opening the Doorways of Nun and the sky. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| العالم الآخر; متون الاهرام | ||||
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