Block 1: Ancient Egypt Underworld Myth

An underworld myth is one that explains what happens when someone dies. It includes where they will go, what they will have to do to get there, and what should be done with their body.

The Egyptians believed that when someone died, they went to Duat. Duat was where all the dead lived. They also believed that Duat was the home of the gods. The Egyptians also believed in things they called the Ka and Ba. These were like the soul and body of a person. Duat was also the place of many Egyptian myths.

Priests covering the body in salt.

After someone died, they did not immediately go to Duat. The Egyptians believed that the body had to be prepared first. This preparation was necessary to keep the Ba intact. The Ba was the body of a person in and after life, so if it decomposed, the person would not be able to survive in the afterlife. The Egyptians created a revolutionary process to preserve the body. After a person died, all of the internal organs except for the heart were removed. The brain was removed by sticking a hook up the nose, breaking through the nose bone, blending the brain, and finally poring it out. After all of the organs were removed and set aside, the body was filled with linen balls to maintain the features of the deceased. The body was then covered in salt and left to dry out for forty days.

In the meantime, the organs were put in special containers called canopic jars. These canopic jars had the heads of gods on the lids. These gods were said to protect the organs.

A priest wrapping a body with the

four canopic jars in the front

 After forty days, most of the moisture had left the body. The body was covered in layer of linen and resin was used to attach the layers. Amulets were placed within the layers to help the deceased. A mask, called a cartonage, was placed over the head of the mummy so that it would be recognizable. Wealthier people had gold and jewels placed on their mummy. The mummy was then placed into a coffin and prepared for the funeral.

The funeral was where the Egyptians prepared the Ka. The funeral procession would begin early in the morning. The coffin was placed on a boat and rode down the Nile River. It was then placed on a sled and dragged to the tomb. Along the way the path was lined with Kites who were paid by the family to mourn. Shabties, or small statues of the diseased, rode along with the body. They were believed to become servants of the diseased in the afterlife.  A statue of the diseased was also brought to the burial site along with many animals. These animals were killed and offered to the diseased. 

This shows a funeral procession. To the left of the diseased are Muhu Dances. In front of the body there is a Kite. On the boat there are two Shabties. On the right there is the Sem.

Once the diseased reached the tomb, the head priest, called the Sem, touched the mouth of the diseased with a special instrument, called an ur-heka, in order to wake up the Ka and prepare it for burial. At the tomb, there were Muhu Dancers who danced as the coffin was placed in the tomb. The canopic jars, containing the organs, were also placed in the tomb. After the tomb was closed, there was a festival.

The care of the dead by the living did not end when the tomb was closed.The Egyptians believed that the body still needed sustenance after it died for its journey to the underworld. Offerings were made every day.

This a picture of a person getting their heart weighed on the
                 scale of Ma'at. Under the right side of the scale is Ammit.

The Egyptians believed that they had to have a pure heart in order to be allowed into the underworld. The heart was weighed on a scale by the god Ma’at. If the heart weighed more than a feather then it would be devoured by Ammit. Ammit was a beast with the head of a crocodile and the body of a lion. This kept the Egyptians on the right path.  If the heart weighted less than a feather, the Egyptians believed that the diseased would go to Duat and become an assistant to the gods.

Duat had the same terrain as Egypt except there were lakes of fire and iron mountains instead of lakes of water and mountains of sandstone. There were also servants of the gods in Duat that were not from earth and did not harm anyone. The Egyptians believed that when the sun set, it went to Duat, and then crossed Duat and rose again the next day. In this land is where the Egyptians would spend the rest of eternity.

The Pyramids at Giza were built for Egyptian Pharaoh's
               trip to the aferlife

This Myth had a profound effect in culture and led to the creation of massive burial sites and pyramids. Pharows had pyramids built to make the trip to the underworld easier. Feasts were brought to the diseased every day because of the Egyptians belief in the myth. All Egyptians worked hard to make sure that they did more good than bad so that their heart would weigh less than the feather. The priests who told the myth and helped people make sure that they would have a good trip to the underworld had more power than nobles.

A Egyptian statue of Ma'at

The myth of Duat is found in egyptian lituature. Many of Egypts famous writing had parts that tell about Duat. Art was also affected and there are many statues and shrines for Duat and the gods of it. Even before people died they still made offerings to the gods of duat. The last thing that the myth affected is the Egyptian economy. The building of the pyramids gave thousands of Egyptians work so that they could buy things and keep the economy running smoothly.

President Abraham Lincoln's tomb.

The burial procedures and preservation practices used by the Egyptians are also used today in modern culture to remember and preserve the dead. We have elaborate ceremonies to remember our dead that include funeral processions similar, but smaller, to the ones Egyptians had. We even build tombs for ourselves and our leaders. A famous tomb is the one of President Abraham Lincoln. It is built similar to an Egyptian mastaba, one of the earlier forms of pyramids. 

The Egyptian underworld myth not only effected ancient Egyptian society but also effected history.

                                                          Works Cited

"Ancient Egyptian Duat." Duat the Egyptian Underworld. Web. 3 Sept. 2014. 

          <http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall04/hilton/underworld.htm>.

Egyptian Funeral Procession. N.d. http://factsanddetails.com/media/2/20120215-Funeral.jpg.

"Duat." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Sept. 2014. 

          <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duat>.

Drying a Mummy in Salt. N.d. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-

          byMqd4zWXcE/UOad9VxkGPI/AAAAAAAACNM/WPYYgtPLmb4/s320/mummification+

          (18).jpg.

Gold Statue of Ma'at. N.d. http://www.ravensmist.com/assets/images/sm370.jpg.

Lincoln's Tomb. N.d. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Lincoln's_Tomb.JPG.

The Pyramids of Giza. N.d.   
          http://cdni.condenast.co.uk/646x430/g_j/giza_cnt_30mar10_iStock_b.jpg.

The Scales of Ma'at. N.d. 
         http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KELomUNsrM/UGWNuEgra2I/BD5bX6PpGi8/s640/29.
         gif.

Wrapping a Mummy. N.d. 

         http://ancientegyptrelgion.synthasite.com/resources/2197447039_c4ebcbc577.jpg.