Afterlife and Judgment
In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that upon death, one’s fate in the afterlife was determined by the weighing of one’s heart. One’s heart was kept within the body during mummification so that it can travel with the deceased into the afterlife. Upon death, one entered the underworld (Duat), where Anubis, the God of the dead, weighed the person’s heart on a scale against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of order, truth, and righteousness.
If the heart weighed more than the feather, meaning that the person was more wicked than good, then the heart would be devoured by Ammit, a demon with the head of a crocodile, the front half of the body of a lion, and the back half of a hippopotamus, but with goat arms. If a person’s heart was devoured by Ammit, then he would die a second death and be completely annihilated from existence.
Afterlife and Judgment The ancient Egyptians believed in the continuity of life and consequences. One of the ancient Egyptian’s main ideologies was the afterlife, as they believed that the soul was immortal and that death was only part of a larger plan and journey. They believed that the soul consists of nine- parts that are part of one earthly existence,
and at death, the Akhh” (transformed self), As recorded in the Book of the Dead,” would be met by the god of death, Anubis who guides the deceased to their final resting place.
the underworld, rather than to the hall of truth and waits their turn for judgment by the hand of the ruler of the underworld, Osiris. When the right time comes, Anubis would lead the souls to stand before the scribe of Thoth and Osiris in front of the golden scales, where the Goddess of Harmony and Balance,Ma’at, would be present, surrounded by the forty-two judges who would consult with the gods to determine every soul’s fate.
mummification reason in Egypt
The process of Judgment was the reason behind mummification as the Egyptians chose to preserve their body using the mummification process if the soul chose to return to the body and head to the afterlife. The process of judgment begins with the heart of the deceased, which contains the soul, then it is handed to Osiris,
who places it on a great golden scale balanced against the white feather of Ma’at “the feather of truth”. If the soul was found to be lighter than the feather, then the soul was justified, and when the gods & the forty-two judges agreed, the soul would be allowed to move on to the heavens, which is called the Field of Reeds
(The place of purification and eternal bliss) by boarding the ship of Ra through the dark underworld If the heart were heavier than a feather, rather then it would be thrown to the deepest place in existence, where It would be eaten by the monster Ammut, who has the face of a crocodile and the back of a rhinoceros Known as “the gobbler,” he devours the person’s soul, which then ceases to exist.
