Digging into the Past
Leslie Hernandez
HUMA 1301-101
March 31, 2016
Digging into the Past
Egypt, a rich and deep culture. A culture built with a variety of distinctive beliefs, creating a breathtaking place for many to see. A religion based on beliefs over multiple gods, rituals for when one dies, and the afterlife. Exploring this culture or religion may be fascinating but also questionable to why they performed such remarkable rituals or why they worshiped a quantity of gods and not just one.
To begin with Egyptians were known to be polytheistic, meaning they believed in more than one god itself. Egyptians believed their gods were active in nature and in their lives also, which leaded them each to focus on making sure their gods were pleased with their actions. It was believed that each god or goddess had wants, needs, desires, likes, dislikes, and relationships just as humans do. Five of the many gods they worshiped were Osiris, Isis, Ra, Horus, and Thoth. Osiris was known to be the god of the afterlife, dead, and the underworld. Isis was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife, someone magical. Ra was considered to be the King of the Gods, making it one of the most important gods for the Egyptians to worship. Horus the god of war and hunting. Lastly Thoth, known to be the creator of magic, and also the messenger of the gods. “…Gods were patterned after humans--they were born, some died (and were reborn), and they fought amongst themselves. Yet as much as the gods' behavior resembled human behavior, they were immortal and always superior to humans,” mentioned Brewer. Each god or goddess played a different role in this culture that would bring peace, each had a different gift followers worshiped and respected. Egyptians worshiping their gods was a large part of their culture because they believed it was important to please and recognize their gods and goddesses. Some gods were worshiped at home by followers and other gods were worshiped by the pharaoh or priests in large temples.
Furthermore, as soon as an Egyptian dies it must go through the process of mummification. It was believed that when one died, the body had to be preserved so that the person could return. The process of mummification included dividing the internal organs into different canopic jars so when the person entered the afterlife the person could be complete. Each organ had a specific jar with a head of a god, whom would be protected by. The only organ that remained untouched was the heart because it was believed that it was part of the soul which would later on be needed for judgment. After the body has been mummified the body is salted and wrapped, adding magical amulets over the wrapping to protect the spirit then later the body is placed into a sarcophagus. “Even the poorest Egyptian was given some kind of ceremony as it was thought that, if the deceased were not properly buried, the soul would return in the form of a ghost to haunt the living,” adds Mark. The process of mummification was known to be expensive, to the point where there would be many who wouldn’t be able to afford it. The Egyptians who couldn’t afford a proper mummification would bury their dead in special pits in the desert which would naturally mummify their bodies by the heat. Yet the wealthy could afford a better mummification done by priest who were trained to give the spirit the best protection. The most powerful known as the Pharos or kings, would be recognized as gods which would be granted a larger tomb inside a pyramid. The tomb was decorated with expensive jewelry, gold, and all the things they used while they lived such as swords to make the soul comfortable. The walls of the tomb were filled with hieroglyphics and religious literature. The prayers and sacred formulas recited depended on how powerful or wealthy the person was. Egyptians didn’t only believe in the afterlife but also the soul undergoing a moral judgement.
In addition, a famous book called Book of the Death gave the followers a view of how to deal with the welfare of the deceased and provided clues about their new life after death. Once a person dies it is believed that the soul undergoes judgment in the afterlife by 42 judges in the presence of Osiris. After the confession of the dead, the deceased’s heart is balanced against a feather. It is believed that if the heart is evenly balanced with a feather, the soul will be granted an eternal life with the gods. However if the heart is heavier than the feather, the heart would be fed to Ammut and the soul would be sent to the darkness. In the book The Scared Art of Dying it mentions, “… the heart, or sear of consciousness, would be the final witness for or against the judged person… individuals had to answer in the next world for their earthly conduct.” In other words Egyptians believed that the actions on Earth will reflect on your opportunity to be accepted and granted the pleasures of paradise.