Ancient Egypt is one of the most fascinating civilizations in human history. It is enough to remember the impact of its pyramids, the power of its pharaohs, or study its culture, to understand the magnitude of its impact. Funerary rituals also played an important role in Ancient Egyptian culture. Funerary animals, clothing and luxury items accompanied the powerful on their journey to the afterlife. But, Why was death understood with such a degree of solemnity? What was there in that Egyptian underworld, full of mysteries, that made them think so much about it? Who was the god of the Egyptian underworld? Today at we tell you everything about it.
Death in Ancient Egypt
Different cultures have always expressed their way of seeing life… and death. Specifically, the culture of Ancient Egypt has treated the process of dying in a quite peculiar way. Everything is born from the duality between day and night, light and darkness. When the light of the sun went out, then the fight against the monsters of hell began in a canal that connected with the Nile River. The concept of the Egyptian underworld began to be woven. The dead embarked on a journey full of horrors, mysteries and dangers, perhaps much more voracious than those of life.
The god of the Egyptian underworld was the ruler of a truly horrible transit, which souls went through once they died. The first concept that stands out as part of the Egyptian underworld is that of travel. The souls navigated a channel of the Nile River, where they encountered giant sea serpents and other monsters that emerged from the waters.
Threats and sources of terror that could prevent many from completing the path. Only those who managed to remain in the canal until dawn would be safe. They would then be illuminated by the sun god, who fertilizes their lands and provides abundant food in Kemet, the name by which its inhabitants knew ancient Egypt.
The journey to the Egyptian underworld
For the Egyptian faith, as in most religions, there is a paradise, and it was called Aarua place abundant and full of life, where souls could finally rest…but it was not so easy to get to, since dying was not enough, and several difficult tests had to be overcome.
The first was to make the journey to conquer the lands of the Egyptian underworld god. The Egyptian underworld was an important part of ancient Egyptian religion. The Egyptians believed that after death, a person’s soul traveled to the afterlife, where it would be judged by the gods and then allowed to enter the underworld.
To reach the Aaru, the soul had to cross the 12 lands of hell, known as Duat. This place was even «mapped» and showed a land divided by two roads, these were separated by a river of fire, however, the worst thing was not the river, but the creatures that lived in it.
The land was no safer; It was full of demons and monsters ready to destroy any soul that passed by. The dead had to avoid all these obstacles if they wanted to live in paradise, otherwise they would be condemned to oblivion.
In addition to the fact that the task of reaching the Egyptian underworld was itself quite titanic, there was another important factor. The souls had to pass through the Duat before their bodies decomposed, this was the reason why mummification was performed, to give them more time to reach their destination. To have strength and overcome this test, the souls had to eat.
That is why when a person died, a statue of them was made and holes were opened in their eyes and mouth, where a piece of meat was placed. This ensured that the spirit had food and could see. If you were lucky and your loved ones loved you, they would perform this ritual for you and that would allow you to begin the journey through the Duat.
On the trip to the Egyptian underworld, without a doubt the Pharaoh was the luckiest. Now, his death brought with it the misfortune of many families. And it is that To reach the domain of the god of the Egyptian underworld, the pharaoh had to be accompanied by his slaves, servants and even pets., that they had to die next to him or her. For example, the case of Pharaoh Djer stands out, who poisoned 569 people so that they would accompany him to the other side.
Who was the god of the Egyptian underworld?
To pass through the Duat in the Afterlife, in Ancient Egypt, souls had to pass through 12 doors, each with a guardian who had different tests to let or not let the souls enter and infinite cruel ways to destroy them if they failed.
Finally, when crossing the Duat, The soul met Osiris, the god of the Egyptian underworld, before whom it had to swear that it had not violated divine laws, and it was here that his heart was weighed in a scale. If he was innocent, he would enter paradise. If not, she would be thrown to the beast Ammitt, who would torture and devour the victim, casting her into fire and oblivion.
The Egyptian underworld was an idealized place, where the dead could live comfortably and continue interacting with the underworld. So important was the concept, that to help the dead navigate this dangerous world, They were buried with a series of sacred texts, known as the Book of the Dead. These texts contained spells and prayers that were believed to help the dead on their journey to the afterlife.
As you can see, the journey to the Egyptian underworld and the meeting with the god of the Egyptian underworld were even more difficult stages than those of life on earth. Cruel and complicated, the journey to the Duat could even end in a fatal outcome, if Osiris did not accept the soul of the deceased.
And you, Did you know these legends about life after death? If, like us, you are fascinated by Egyptian culture, don’t miss the article in which we tell you about the most important Gods of Ancient Egypt. Until next time!