burial

The Egyptian lived a long, happy life, but then Ba left him and he died.

Having mourned the deceased (ill. 199), the relatives will take his body to the embalmers.

Master embalmers will make a mummy in 70 days - after all, Isis also collected the body of Osiris and mummified it for 70 days. First, the paraschite will open the body of Sakh, washed with sacred Nile water; then the embalmers will remove the insides and lower them into burial vessels - canopies filled with decoctions of herbs and other drugs.

The canopies are made in the form of the gods - the sons of Horus: Imset, Hapi, Duamutef and Kebehsenuf (ill. 200). These gods were born from a lotus flower; they are the guardians of vessels with mummified entrails: Imset is the guardian of the vessel with the liver, Duamutef with the stomach, Qebehsenuf with the intestines and Hapi with the lungs.

Then the embalmers proceed to the mummification itself (Appendix II-G). The embalmers are Anubis-Imiut (ill. 201 and ill. 94 on p. 123) and the sons of Horus, the mourners are Isis and Nephthys.

ill. 199. Relatives of the deceased, as a sign of grief, sprinkle dust on their heads.

ill. 200. Canopy (vessels for embalmed entrails), made in the form of gods - the sons of Horus.
From left to right: Duamutef, Qebehsenuf, Has, Hapi. XIX dynasty.

ill. 201. Masks. Right: Head of painted wood statue of the god Anubis. “The lower jaw is movable, since the hook, fixed in the throat, made it possible to move the jaw of the jackal. It is possible that the jaw of the statue moved while the priest, hidden nearby, uttered the appropriate words allegedly on behalf of Anubis ”(Mathieu M. S. 166). 13th century BC e.; Louvre, Paris. Left: Clay priestly mask in the form of the head of Anubis. 8th century BC e.; Museum in Hildesheim.

ill. 202. Weeping women. Drawing from the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus Ani"); XIX dynasty; British Museum, London.

All the materials used by the embalmers arose from the tears of the gods for the slain Osiris, with whom the now deceased was identified.

The god of weaving Khedihati and the goddess Taitet will make a white cloth to swaddle the mummy. The god of winemaking Shesemu will give Anubis-Imiut and the sons of Horus oils and ointments for embalming. After the deceased rests in his eternal resting place, Shesemu will protect his mummy from tomb robbers and take care of him in the Duat.

Relatives and friends of the deceased must carefully monitor that all rituals are properly observed. The ka of the deceased will not forgive insults for neglecting himself and will persecute his family, sending misfortunes to the heads of descendants.

If the deceased was not rich, his mummy will be placed in a simple wooden coffin. On the walls of the coffin, on the inside, the names of the gods who escort the deceased to the Duat should be written, and on the lid - an appeal to Osiris: "O Unnefer, give this man in your Kingdom a thousand loaves, a thousand bulls, a thousand vessels of beer."

The coffin of the rich man will be luxuriously trimmed and lowered into a stone sarcophagus in the tomb.

The funeral procession, announcing the surroundings with weeping and groans, will swim across the Nile and land on the western bank. Here they will be met by priests dressed in the clothes and masks of the gods of the Duat. Accompanied by the Muu performing a ritual dance, the procession will move towards the necropolis.

The priests and Muu will lead the procession to the rock-cut tomb. At the entrance to this last, eternal refuge, the coffin will be placed on the ground.

First, the gods of the Duat will perform the rite of searching for the Eye of Ujat. All 70 days, while the body-Sakh was mummified by embalmers, the Ba of the deceased stayed in the Solar Eye. In this rite, the Eye of Ra becomes at the same time the Eye of Horus, which Set chopped to pieces, and the priests are looking for him to heal, as the once wise Thoth did, and to revive the deceased Osiris with this Eye.

When the Eye of Ujat is found, the rite of “opening the mouth” will be performed over the mummy, symbolizing the visit of Horus to Osiris, the same as was previously performed over the funeral statue and sarcophagus (see pp. 272-273). The priest in the falcon mask - Chorus - will touch the lips of the face depicted on the wooden coffin with a magic wand (ill. 203) - and thereby symbolically let the deceased, identified with Osiris, swallow the Eye of Ujat. This action will create the Ah of the deceased and return to him the life force Ba, which in the rite is depicted by the tip of the wand - the head of a ram. The deceased will again become sighted and gain the ability to eat, drink and, most importantly, speak: after all, on the way to the Great Hall of the Two Truths, he will have to conjure the guards of the Duat and call their names (ill. 204).

Having performed the rite of “opening the mouth”, the priests will take the coffin with the mummy to the tomb and set it in a stone sarcophagus. South-

ill. 203. A wooden wand with an image of a ram's head, used in the rite of "opening the mouth". New kingdom; Pushkin Museum.

ill. 204. The rite of "opening the mouth." “On the right is a tomb crowned with a small pyramid. In front of the entrance to the tomb, on a reed mat, stands a sarcophagus containing the mummy of the deceased scribe Ani. The back of the sarcophagus is supported by a priest who plays the role of the god Anubis; on his head is a mask in the form of a jackal's head. In front of the sarcophagus, on her knees, the widow Ani mourns her husband. Behind her is an altar with offerings. To the left of the altar is a group of priests, of which the first two perform the rite itself: one holds out to the face of the sarcophagus a special stick with a ram's head at the end, with which the priest must touch the lips of the sarcophagus, in the other hand he holds an adze for the same action; the second priest, with a skin thrown over his left shoulder, holds in his right hand a vessel from which he makes a libation on the victims, and in his left a censer, which he stretches to the sarcophagus. The third, far left, priest holds in his hands a scroll with a record of the words of the ritual, which he pronounces in the course of the action ”(Mathieu M.S. 166.). Drawing from the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus Ani"); XIX dynasty; British Museum, London.

ill. 205. Mummy on a burial bed and canopies. Above the mummy - Ba.

ill. 206. Goddess Serket guarding Tutankhamen's sarcophagus. Golden figurine. The same figurines of the guardian goddesses Nephthys, Isis and Neith (ill. 70) stood at the other three sides of the sarcophagus. Tomb of Tutankhamen; XVIII dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

On the upper wall of the burial chamber, a canopy depicting Imset will be placed, at the northern wall - Hapi, at the eastern - Duamutef and at the western - Kebehsenuf (ill. 205).

The entrance to the tomb will be carefully covered with boulders and rubble and disguised, having previously sealed it with the seal of the necropolis.

Resurrection and the journey through the Duat

Between the burial shrouds, the embalmers must place an amulet in the form of the Eye of Ujat, and on the heart - an amulet in the form of a scarab. Without these amulets, one cannot be resurrected for eternal life.

Amulets in the form of the Eye of Ra also help resurrection (ill. 38 on p. 59): after all, the deceased will resurrect like a solar disk in the east, born of the goddess Nut (ill. 207).

To prevent the deceased from suffocating in the Duat, a wooden statue of Shu should be placed in the coffin.

All the gods associated with childbearing will take part in the resurrection of the deceased (ill. 208): Isis, Hathor, Renenutet, Bes, Taurt, Meskhent and Heket.

Having resurrected, the Egyptian will find himself in front of the first gate of the "House of Osiris-Khentiamentiu", which is guarded by a guard named "He who watches the fire." There is also a formidable gatekeeper - “ He who bows [his] face to the earth, [having] many forms"*, and the herald - "Voice".

During life, the deceased had to study the "Book of the Dead" and learn from it the names of all the guards guarding the gates, and all magic spells. If he knows the names of the gatekeepers, he can now approach the gate without fear and say:

- I am the great one who created his own light, I came to you, Osiris, I pray to you, cleansed of everything that defiles<...>Glory to you, Osiris, in your strength and power in Ro-Setau. Rise in power at Abydos,

ill. 207. Image of the goddess Nut on the inside of the lid of a granite sarcophagus. It was probably believed that Nut gives birth to the deceased again, just as this goddess gives birth to the “resurrected” Sun. From the tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I at Tanis; XXI dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

ill. 208. Magical resurrection of the deceased. The deceased, surrounded by the hieroglyphs "ankh" - "life", stands between Anubis and a god whose name is not indicated. A fragment of the painting of the sarcophagus of the priest of the temple of Amun Amenemope; XX dynasty; Louvre, Paris.

ill. 209. "Map" of the Duat. In the center is a river, along its banks are two paths leading to the Great Hall of Two Truths. Drawing the image on the sarcophagus ("The Book of Two Ways"); XI dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

ill. 210. Lake of fire with baboons and lamps. Vignette of the 126th chapter of the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus Ta-uja-Ra"); XXI dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Osiris! You go around the sky, swim in the presence of Ra<...>. Glory to you, Ra, floating in the sky<...>, open the way for me to Ro-Setau<...>. Make a path for him to the Great Valley. Light the way for Osiris*.

Having passed the first gate, the deceased will meet two winding paths (ill. 209), separated by a lake of fire (ill. 210). Monsters live on the shores of this lake (ill. 211), and only those who know their names and the sacred spells of the Book of the Dead can walk along the path.

To facilitate the journey of the deceased, the gods created in the Duat ar And you are a haven where you can relax and gain strength. But not everyone can enter the arita, but only those who know the magic words and names of the gods who stand guard at the entrance (ill. 212).

After passing through all the gates and leaving fourteen hills behind, the deceased will finally reach the Great Hall of the Two Truths.

Judgment of Osiris and eternal life in the fields of Iaru

Before crossing the threshold of the Hall, the deceased must turn to Ra:

- Glory to you, great god, Lord of the Two Truths! I have come to you, my lord! I was brought to see your perfection. I know you, I know your name, I know the names of the forty-two gods who are with you in the Hall of Two Truths, who live as guardians of sinners, who drink blood on this day of trial [of people] in the presence of Unnefer.

“He whose twins are beloved - Two Eyes, Lord of Two Truths” - such is your name. I have come to see you, I have brought you the Two Truths, I have taken away my sins for you.*.

The deceased will be listened to by the Great Ennead - the gods administering the Court, and the Little Ennead - the gods of cities and nomes. The Great Ennead includes Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Nephthys, Isis, Horus, Hathor, Hu, and Sia. The heads of the judges are decorated with the feather of Maat.

ill. 211. Inhabitants of the Duat. Fragments of a vignette from the Mythological Papyrus Dzhed-Khonsu-iuf-ankh; XXI dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
ill. 212. The second gate of the Duat and their guards. Drawing of a painting from the tomb of Queen Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens; XIX dynasty.

In the face of the Great Ennead, the deceased must utter the "Confession of Denial" - list forty-two crimes and swear to the gods that he is not guilty of any of them:

Having named all the crimes, the deceased must swear:

- I'm clean, I'm clean, I'm clean, I'm clean!
My purity is that of the Great Benu in Nenini-sut.<...>I will not be harmed in the Great Hall of the Two Truths, for I know the names of the gods who are there with you.*.

After the “Confession of Denial”, the deceased must appear before the Little Ennead and, in the same way, calling each of the forty-two gods by name, assure them of his innocence in crimes (see Appendix 9-B).

Then the gods will begin to weigh the heart on the Scales of Truth. A heart will be placed on one cup of Libra, and a feather of the goddess Maat will be placed on the other. If the arrow of the scales deviates, then the deceased is a sinner, and the Great Ennead will pass a guilty verdict on him. Then the sinful heart will be given to be eaten by the terrible goddess Amt (Ammat) (ill. 213) - the "Eater", a monster with the body of a hippopotamus, lion's paws and mane, and the mouth of a crocodile. If the scales remain in balance, the deceased is recognized as "right-handed" (ill. 214, 215).

ill. 213. Amt.

ill. 214. Judgment of Osiris. Left: Anubis brought the deceased to the Great Hall of the Two Truths. In the center: Anubis weighs on the Balance of Truth, depicted in the form of the goddess Maat, the heart of the deceased; on the right bowl of Libra - the feather of Maat, symbolic "truth"; the god Thoth writes down the result of the weighing and the sentence; next to Libra - Amt. Above: the deceased delivers a speech of justification before the Great Ennead, headed by the god Ra. Right: The Choir brought the deceased after the acquittal before the face of Osiris. At the foot of the throne are the sons of Horus in a lotus flower; above - the winged Solar Eye with the feather of Maat; behind the throne are Isis and Nephthys. Drawing from the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus Ani"); XIX dynasty; British Museum, London.

ill. 215. Judgment of Osiris. In the center of the upper row is the deceased, under his outstretched arms are two eyes, symbolizing the act of returning sight to the justified deceased. Further in the top row - an ornament of uraeus, lamps and hieroglyphs "shu" (air) - an allegory for the return to the deceased of the ability to see light and breathe; along the edges - two baboons with scales. In the middle row: the deceased delivers speeches of justification before the Great and Lesser Enneads. In the bottom row from right to left: the deceased, surrounded by "Two Truths"; Anubis and Horus, weighing the heart on the Balance of Truth, surmounted by the image of a baboon; the god of magic Heka, seated on the image of a rod - a symbol of power; That; Amt; the sons of Horus in a lotus flower; Osiris on the throne. Above Amt are two patron gods, the left one is Shai. Between Amt and Thoth is the name Meskhent and her image in the form of a maternity brick with a female head. Drawing from the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus of the scribe Nesmin"); 4th century BC e.; Hermitage Museum.

After weighing the heart, the gods will begin to interrogate the deceased:

- Who are you? Say your name.

- I'm the undershoot of papyrus. The one who is in his olive. Here is my name.

- Where did you come from?<...>

- I came from a city that lies north of Oliva *.

When the interrogation is over, Meskhent, Shai, the goddess of good fortune Renenutet and Ba of the deceased will appear before Ra-Horakhti and both Enneads. They will testify to the character of the deceased and tell the gods what good and bad deeds he did in life.

Isis, Nephthys, Serket and Neith will defend the deceased before the judges.

When the Great Ennead announces the acquittal, the god Thoth will write it down. After that, the deceased will be told:

- So, come in. Cross the threshold of the Hall of Two Truths, for you know us*.

The deceased must kiss the threshold, call it (the threshold) by name and name all the guards - only after that he can finally enter under the canopy of the Great Hall of the Two Truths, where the lord of the dead Osiris himself sits on the throne, surrounded by Isis, Maat, Nephthys and the sons of Horus in the lotus flower.

The divine scribe Thoth will announce the arrival of the deceased:

“Come in,” he says. - Why did you come?

- I came to announce about me *, - the deceased must answer.

- What state are you in?

- I am cleansed of sins.<...>

Whom should I tell about you?

- Raise about me to the one whose vault is made of fire. Whose walls are made of living snakes and Whose floor is a stream of water.

- Tell me, who is this? * - will ask the last question to be answered:

- It's Osiris.

- Verily, verily [to him] they will say [your name]*, - He will exclaim, rejoicing that the deceased is clean before the great ruler of the Duat Osiris and worthy to be reunited with him.

ill. 216. Ra-Horakhti, head of the Afterlife Court. Canopy box painting; XX dynasty; Louvre, Paris.

The judgment will end there, and the Egyptian will go to the place of eternal bliss - to the Fields of the Reeds, the Fields of Iara. He is led there by the guardian god Shai. The path to the blissful monastery is blocked by the gate, the last obstacle on the path of the deceased. They will also have to conjure:

- Give way to me. I know you]. I know the name of [your] guardian god. Gate Name: "Lords of fear whose walls are high<...>The lords of destruction, speaking words that curb the destroyers, who save the one who comes from destruction. Name of your gatekeeper: "He who [inspires] terror"*.

In the Fields of Iaru, the "right-handed" deceased is waiting for the same life that he led on earth, only happier and richer. He will not lack anything, he will not need anything. The servants depicted on the walls of the tomb will cultivate its fields (ill. 217), graze cattle, and work in workshops. Seven Hathor, Nepri, Nepit, Serket and other deities will make his afterlife arable land fertile (ill. 218), and his livestock fat and prolific.

ill. 217. Agricultural work in the fields of Iaru. Fragment of the painting of the tomb of Senedzhem in Deir el-Medina; XIX-XX dynasties.

ill. 218. Worshiping the gods and harvesting in the Fields of Iaru.
Fragment of the painting of the tomb of Senedzhem in Deir el-Medina; XIX-XX dynasties.

The deceased will not have to work himself - he will only enjoy the rest! He will not need to cultivate the fields and graze cattle, because figurines of servants and slaves and ushebti figurines will be placed in the tomb.

Ushabti - "respondent". The sixth chapter of the "Book of the Dead" talks about "how to make the ushabti work": when the gods call the deceased to work in the Fields of Iaru, calling him by name, the ushabti must come forward and respond: "Here I am!", After which he will unquestioningly go where they are told, and will do as they are told.

ill. 219. A maid preparing beer. Limestone painted figurine; Archaeological Museum, Florence.
ill. 220. Scribes. Wooden painted figurines; Middle Kingdom; Pushkin Museum.

ill. 221. Rooks with ship squads. Painted tree; middle kingdom.

ill. 222. Ushabti of the New Kingdom. Left: ushebti in the form of a mummified person; in the vertical column - "ushebti formula". Right so-called. “Ushebti in the clothes of the living” with the inscription “Osiris Khonsu” (that is, “the late [Egyptian named] Khonsu.” Painted clay figurines; 19th dynasty; Pushkin Museum.
ill. 223. Ushabti of Pharaoh Tutankhamun with the attributes of royal power - a scepter-staff and a triple whip in his hands.
XVIII dynasty; Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

ill. 224. Ushabti in a sarcophagus. XIX dynasty; Pushkin Museum.
ill. 225. Ushabti box depicting the deceased and his wife. XVIII dynasty; Pushkin Museum.

The nobles usually took 360 ushabtis with them to the Duat - one for each day of the year; for the poor, the ushebti was replaced by a papyrus scroll with a list of 360 such workers. In the Fields of Iaru, with the help of magic spells, the little men named in the list were embodied in ushebti and worked for their master (ill. 226).

ill. 226. Fields of Iaru. To the left and above are scenes of worship of the deceased to the gods of the Underworld; in the center - agricultural work in the Fields of Iaru; below - the day and night Boats of the Sun, on which the deceased (?) travels with the retinue of Ra. Drawing from the "Book of the Dead" ("Papyrus of the scribe Nesmin"); 4th century BC e.; Hermitage.

Livshits I. G. Comments // Tales and stories of Ancient Egypt / Per. from ancient Egyptian and commentary. I. G. Livshits; Rep. ed. D. A. Olderogge. L., 1979 (Literary monuments). S. 190.

The words "ram" and "Ba" sounded the same.

Osiris, that is, the deceased, identified with Osiris.

In popular publications on Egyptology, they are sometimes not distinguished and are referred to by the general term "ushabti".

Before crossing the threshold of the Great Hall, the deceased addressed the solar god Ra:

Glory to you, great god, Lord of the Two Truths! I have come to you, my lord! I was brought to see your perfection. I know you, I know your name, I know the names of forty-two gods who are with you in the Hall of Two Truths, who live as guardians of sinners, who drink blood on this day of trial [of people] in the presence of Ushefer.

"The one whose twins are beloved - Two Eyes, Lord of Two Truths" - that is your name. I have come to see you, I have brought you the Two Truths, I have taken away my sins for you.

The deceased was listened to by the Great Ennead - the gods, led by Ra, who headed the Afterlife Court, and the Small Ennead - the gods of cities and nomes. The Great Ennead, in addition to Ra, included Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Nephthys, Isis, Horus, Hathor, Hu (Will) and Sia (Mind). The heads of all the judges were adorned with the feather of Truth - the feather of Maat.

Having delivered his speech, the deceased proceeded to the "Confession of Negation":

I have not committed injustice against people. I did not oppress my neighbors.<-..>I didn't rob the poor. I didn't do anything that didn't please the gods. I did not incite the servant against his master. I didn't poison<...>.

After listing forty-two crimes and assuring the gods with an oath that he was not guilty of any of them, the deceased exclaimed:

I am pure, I am pure, I am pure, I am pure, my purity is the purity of the Great Benu in Neninesut.<...>I will not be harmed in the Great Hall of Two Truths, for I know the names of the gods who are there with you.

After the Confession of Denial, the deceased turned to the Little Ennead, naming each of the forty-two gods and again assuring them of his innocence in the crimes. Then the gods began the interrogation of the deceased: - Who are you? Say your name. - I'm the undershoot of papyrus. The one who is in his olive. - That's my name. - Where did you come from?<...>- I came from a city that lies north of Oliva.

When the interrogation ended, Meshent, the "guardian angel" Shai, the goddess of good fortune Renenut and the soul of Ba of the deceased Egyptian appeared before the faces of Ra-Horakhte and Ennead. They testified to the character of the deceased and told the gods what good and bad deeds he had done in life.

Isis, Nephthys, Selket and Nut defended the deceased before the judges. After that, the gods began to weigh the heart on the Scales of Truth: they put the heart on one bowl, and the feather of the goddess Maat on the other. If the arrow of the scales deviated, the deceased was considered a sinner, and the Great Ennead pronounced a guilty verdict on him, after which the heart was given to be eaten by the terrible goddess Am (ma) t - the "Eater", a monster with the body of a hippopotamus, lion's paws and a mane and mouth of a crocodile. If the scales remained in balance, the deceased was recognized as justified.

Why the sinful heart should have been lighter (or heavier) than the feather of Maat, strictly speaking, is unknown, there are only hypotheses. So, for example, a number of Egyptologists are of the opinion (shared by the author) that Libra served as a kind of "lie detector" for the afterlife judges: the weighing of the heart was carried out not after the "Confession of Denial" and the second acquittal, but simultaneously with them - throughout the entire interrogation of the heart rested on the scales, and if the deceased turned out to be guilty of any of the crimes, then as soon as he began to swear to the contrary, the arrow was immediately rejected.

It seems to the author that the ancient Egyptian mythical act of weighing the heart symbolically expresses the spiritual meaning of confession as such, a meaning that is apparently the same in all religions, regardless of differences in the external attributes of the confessional rite.

It has long been noted that a person, having committed an act contrary to morality, involuntarily (this process is unconscious) seeks, and therefore finds, an excuse, the essence of which usually boils down to the fact that the act was forced by circumstances, and not committed by free will. Talking about such an act or remembering it, a person feels the need to give justifications. his arguments; if he does not have such an opportunity, he is immediately seized by some kind of inner unrest, inconvenience. In fiction, it is described many times how in such a situation one wants to “look away”, “change the topic of conversation”, etc. The rite of confession just does not allow any kind of excuse - only “let your word be:“ yes, yes "," no, no "; and what is beyond this, then from the evil one." Thus, a person who convinces himself of his own sinlessness (or, in relation to Christianity, of the sincerity of his repentance for sin) a person, declaring his sinlessness (repentance) out loud and being deprived of the opportunity to add anything, will immediately feel this most inner inconvenience - "the heart will expose the lie," and the arrow of Libra will deviate.

The Ennead announced the acquittal, and the god Thoth wrote it down. After that, the deceased was told:

So come in. Cross the threshold of the Hall of Two Truths, for you know us.

The deceased kissed the threshold, called it (the threshold) by name, pronounced the names of the guards aloud, and finally entered the Great Hall, where Osiris, the lord of the dead, sat on the path, surrounded by other gods and goddesses: Isis, Maat, Nephthys and the sons of Horus.

The divine scribe Thoth announced the arrival of the deceased:

Come in, he said. - Why did you come?

I came to announce me, - answered the deceased. - What state are you in? - I am cleansed of sins.<...>Whom should I tell about you? - Raise about me to the One Whose vault is made of fire, Whose walls are made of living snakes and Whose floor is a stream of water. - Tell me, who is it? - asked Thoth. - This is Osiris.

Verily, verily [to him] they will say [your name], - exclaimed Thoth.

Since the era of the Old Kingdom, there was another idea - that the Afterlife Court is headed by Ra. This idea lasted until the Ptolemaic period, but was much less popular.

This was the end of the Judgment, and the Egyptian went to the place of eternal bliss - to the Fields of Ialu, where he was accompanied by the "guardian angel" Shai. The path to the afterlife "paradise" was blocked by the gate, the last obstacle in the path of the deceased. They also had to conjure:

Give way to me. I know you]. I know the name of [your] guardian god. Gate name: "Lord of fear, whose walls are high<...>. The lords of doom, speaking the words that restrain the destroyers, that save the one who comes from doom. Name of your gatekeeper: "He who [inspires] terror."

In the Fields of Ialu, "Fields of Reeds", the same life awaited the deceased, which he led on earth, only she was happier and better. The deceased did not know a lack of anything. Seven Hathor, Neperi, Nepit, Selket and other deities provided him with food, made his afterlife arable land fertile, bringing a rich harvest, and his livestock fat and prolific. So that the deceased could enjoy the rest and he would not have to work the fields and graze cattle himself, ushebtis were placed in the tomb - wooden or clay figurines of people: scribes, porters, reapers, etc. Ushabti - "respondent". The sixth chapter of the "Book of the Dead" talks about "how to make ushabti work": when the gods call the deceased to work in the Fields of Ialu, calling him by name, the ushabti man must come forward and respond: "Here I am!", after which he will unquestioningly go where the gods command, and will do what they command. Wealthy Egyptians were usually put in a coffin ushebti - one for each day of the year; for the poor, the ushebti was replaced by a papyrus scroll with a list of 360 such workers. In the Fields of Ialu, with the help of magic spells, the men named on the list were embodied in ushebti and worked for their master.

M.A. Korostovtsev writes about the funeral cult in Ancient Egypt: “The cult was based on the idea that the deceased after burial continues a life similar to the earthly one, that is, he needs housing, food, drinks, etc., therefore the funeral cult primarily consisted in providing the deceased with the necessary blessings of life.During the Old Kingdom, the pharaoh granted his nobles a tomb during his lifetime.Those who did not receive such an award built a tomb for themselves at their own expense.During the initial period of the Old Kingdom, the deceased who lived in the tomb , gave offerings either at his own expense or at the expense of the crown.For the material support of the cult of the dead, special land plots were allocated for the "feeding" of the deceased, and the persons who performed the functions of "feeding" were called "hem-Ka" - "slaves Ka". But very soon this practice turned out to be very unprofitable, and in fact gifts in favor of the deceased were replaced by magical fiction. In the mastabas of dignitaries of the time of the Middle Kingdom, texts were found inviting visitors to the necropolis to refrain from violating ritual purity and actively help the deceased with spells and prayers. In general, the content of these "addresses to the living", which have come down to us from the time of the V and VI dynasties, is reduced to the following<...>points: 1) a visitor to the necropolis has no right to approach the tomb if he is not ritually clean - if he ate, for example, forbidden food; 2) the visitor should not desecrate the tomb ritually - otherwise the threats of the deceased were addressed to him; 3) the visitor must not cause damage to the building of the tomb, so as not to incur the wrath of the deceased; 4) the visitor was exhorted to read the text of the sacrificial prayer in favor of the deceased; this magical act replaced the material offering.

The appeals are addressed either to relatives and relatives of the deceased, or to persons who more or less accidentally ended up in the necropolis, or, finally, to special-purpose persons called to observe the cult of the dead. The exhortation addressed to "the living [still] on earth" was accompanied by encouragement or threats from the deceased: the deceased promised the living intercession before the divine forces in case of a favorable attitude towards him and the threat to "sue" him before the "great god" or even " wring his neck" otherwise, as well as a threat to bring misfortune to him on earth. Thus, in relation to the living, the deceased was perceived not as a passive, neutral being, but as a being capable of harming the living or, conversely, being useful to them.

Particular attention is paid in these texts to the sacrificial prayer in favor of the deceased, which replaced material offerings: the so-called formula "hetep di nesu" - "a gift bestowed by the king." The prayer was addressed to the gods so that the gods would provide the deceased with what is listed in it. There was even something like a more or less standard "menu" for the dead - a list of food and other offerings: bread, beer, bulls, birds, different types of clothing, etc. Most often, prayer was addressed to the god of the Kingdom of the Dead, Osiris and the god Anubis. A funeral sacrificial prayer in the interests of the deceased was said on behalf of the king - a demigod and unlimited ruler of the material resources of all temples. The offerings of the pharaoh as a being close to the gods were pleasing to the gods and therefore effective. So magical fiction saved the Egyptians for many centuries from overwhelming material costs for the cult of the dead.

One of the most important components of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians was the belief in the afterlife, which was preceded by the judgment of Osiris. The order of events that were supposed to happen after death, as well as the methods of preparation in the other world, was described by the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

An important component of the funeral cult was a list of advice on a papyrus, and later on a leather scroll, placed in a sarcophagus with the body of the deceased. It should be noted that this practice has been going on for thousands of years. At the same time, the content of the texts changed, but the essence of the advice remained the same. During the funeral rites, hymns and incantations were recited.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead itself included both texts and drawings, which should have more clearly represented the contents of the Book. In particular, the drawings depicted scenes of burial, as well as court of Osiris. The trial was considered the most important event in the realm of the dead, because it was Osiris who determined the subsequent fate of everyone in accordance with the judicial investigation. The court passed quickly and fairly, surrounded by 42 gods.

Before the arbitrators stood scales, on one of the bowls of which was the heart of the deceased, and on the other - the figure of the goddess of truth Maat. The figure was very light, but if a person on earth lived righteously, then the figure easily outweighed the heart. If the heart belonged to a sinner, it pulled the cup down.

Moments were spent on this action, and it immediately became clear to the gods who was in front of them. The righteous was immediately sent to paradise, and the sinner fell into the mouth of the terrible monster Amata. However, based on the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a sinner condemned by his heart had a chance for justification. He could speak in his own defense, for which a special speech was being prepared during his lifetime. she was recorded and was present in the sarcophagus with the deceased. The gods could agree with the statements of the deceased and pass a verdict of not guilty. In this case, Osiris sent him to the dwelling place of the righteous.

The texts of the Egyptian Book of the Dead played an extremely important role in the spiritual life of Ancient Egypt. The very content of this religious system is very original, although at the same time it contains the fundamental concept of the Judgment of Osiris common to a number of religions. That is, we are talking about the obligatory retribution after death. At the same time, unlike Christianity, where the Omniscient God knows every thought of a person, the gods of Egypt do not have such omniscience, which gave reason to mortals to hope that some deeds would not be noticed.

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Afterworld. Myths about the afterlife Petrukhin Vladimir Yakovlevich

Judgment of Osiris

Judgment of Osiris

Chapter 125 of The Book of the Dead deals with the judgment of Osiris. In the introductory part, the deceased, standing in front of the entrance to the courtroom, which is guarded by the god of the dead Anubis, describes to the god the path he has traveled and the sanctuaries he has visited. After he calls the names of the gods in the hall of the Double Maati - the goddess of truth and order, the doors, the locks and even the grooves for the hinges allow him to enter.

Entering the hall, the deceased declares that he knows the name of Osiris and the names of the forty-two gods of the Egyptian nomes (lands) who help Osiris in checking souls, and that he did not commit sins, which he lists in detail under the articles:

1) did not commit bad deeds; 2) did not offend members of his family; 3) did not do evil in a holy place; 4) did not have vicious friends; 5) did not do evil; 6) did not overload his people with work; 7) did not strive for honors; 8) did not treat his servants cruelly; 9) did not despise God; 10) did not encroach on someone's property; 11) did not do anything displeasing to the gods; 12) not blacken the servant in front of his master; 13) did not cause suffering to anyone; 14) did not drive away the hungry; 15) did not make anyone cry; 16) did not commit murders; 17) did not order anyone to kill; 18) did not cause suffering; 19) did not steal offerings in the temple; 20) did not steal the bread donated to the gods; 21) did not steal the bread offered to the spirits; 22) did not commit adultery; 23) did not defile himself in the sanctuary of the god of his city; 24) did not cheat in the calculations; 25) did not take away anyone's land; 26) did not encroach on foreign land; 27) did not deceive the merchant; 28) did not cheat when trading; 29) did not steal milk from children; 30) did not steal other people's livestock; 31) did not put snares on sacred birds; 32) did not fish with bait from the same type of fish; 33) did not block the way for water; 34) did not bring down the bank of the canal; 35) did not put out the fire that should have been burning; 36) did not deprive the gods of the meat they brought; 37) did not steal the sacred cattle; 38) did not prevent the god from going out.

"I am clean. I am clean. I am clean. I am clean,” repeated the deceased. After the deceased makes this "confession", he addresses each of the forty-two deities, stating that he did not commit such and such a sin. Knowing the names of these deities, the "defendant" disarms them, and they do not dare to oppose him. In addition, in chapter 30 of the Book of the Dead, the deceased with a magic spell forces his heart not to testify against him: “Do not invent slander against me before the great god, the lord of the West! Indeed, the recognition of me as righteous depends on your nobility.

In the face of Osiris, in the presence of the Great Ennead (Nine) of the gods (in another version, the Great and Small Council of the gods), psychostasia takes place - the weighing of the heart of the deceased. The heart in this case acts as a symbol of the conscience of the deceased, and the ostrich feather serves as a counterweight to the heart on the scales of the goddess Maat - the symbol of Maat, personifying the truth (sometimes on the vignettes illustrating the court, the feather is replaced by the figure of the goddess herself). The heart should weigh as much as the feather of Maat. Some vignettes depict the monkey of the scribe of the gods Thoth on the balance support, others show the head of Maat, or the head of Anubis, or the head of Thoth. Sometimes the weighing of the heart is done by Anubis, sometimes by Maat or Horus. Thoth watches over the weighing results and writes them down on a board. Next to the scales is the soul eater Amt.

The deceased enters the courtroom alone or accompanied by his wife, but on some vignettes he is led there by Anubis, either a dog-headed god holding a knife in his left hand, or Horus, the son of Isis. Quite often, Osiris is depicted not alone, but accompanied by Isis, Nephthys and the four sons of Horus, who stand on a lotus flower. The stem of this flower grows from the waters of the lake, which is fed by the waters of the heavenly Nile and serves as a source of water for the souls of the blessed and the gods.

He, referring to the Ennead, says that the deceased is recognized as righteous. Then the court delivers an acquittal: “There is no permission for the monster Amt the Devourer to take possession of him; let them give him the bread that is placed before Osiris, the land of one tithe, which is in the Fields of Jaru. Having already been justified, the deceased once again insists on his righteousness when leaving the hall and conducts dialogues of a magical nature with gatekeepers, doors, and speakers.

The guarantors of eternal life were magic and ritual purity - cleansing ceremonies, observance of food taboos. All this was to eliminate the dangers that await the deceased in his afterlife.

The special god Sheksemu, patron of winemaking, was also responsible for making oils for ointment and embalming; he was called upon to protect the mummy from damage and to punish those who tried to desecrate the remains.

Already in the Texts of the Sarcophagi, the idea of ​​the afterlife judgment arises, that is, eternal life is determined, among other things, by the ethical principle. Judgment and psychostasia take place either in the barque of the sun god, or on the island of Fire, or in Heliopolis or Abydos; the judge is usually Ra or Osiris.

With the formation of the idea of ​​a fair afterlife judgment, the underworld is divided into spheres - a bright space near the gods and hell for sinners (the tale of Sa-Osiris). A description of the punishments is contained in the Book of Amduat, the Book of Gates, and the Book of Caves. Sinners are deprived of burial - the gods tear off the burial shrouds from "enemies sentenced to punishment in the Duat"; they are deprived of communication with the gods, heat and light, their lot is only dark chaos. A common punishment is bondage and imprisonment. In The Book of Gates, Horus declares: "You are bound from behind, villains, to be decapitated and cease to exist." In the Book of Caves, hell is described as a prison from which sinners cannot escape.

The most formidable punishment was considered the final destruction of the entire essence of the sinner: both body and soul. The souls of sinners existed independently of the body in an inverted position - upside down, they could not reunite with the body in order to live a full-fledged afterlife, and therefore they faced complete and final destruction. Such destruction was achieved by decapitation or burning. In the "Book of Amduat" sinners are burned in pits, in the "Book of Caves" execution by fire is carried out in special cauldrons, where the heads, hearts, bodies, souls and shadows of sinners are thrown (which is reminiscent of medieval Christian beliefs about hell).

Along with the uncertainty that the ritual will provide bliss beyond the grave, religious skepticism is born. On one Egyptian stele, a dead wife addresses her surviving husband with an appeal to enjoy life in all its manifestations:

“…Follow your desires day and night. Don't give worry a place in your heart. For the Western Country is the land of sleep and darkness, the abode where those who abide here remain. They sleep in their mummy form, they never wake up to see their friends, they don't recognize their fathers or their mothers, their heart no longer cares for their wives and children. Everyone on earth enjoys the water of life, but I suffer from thirst. Water comes to him who is on earth, but I am thirsty and cannot drink the water that I have here. Since I came to this valley, I don't know where I am. I yearn for the water that flows here. I yearn for a breeze on the river bank that would refresh my heart in its sorrow. For the name of the god who reigns here is: perfect death. When he calls, all the people, trembling with fear, come to him. For him there is no difference between gods and people, great and small are equal before him. He shows no mercy to those who love him; he equally takes both the child, tearing him away from the mother, and the old man. No one comes to bow to him, for he does not show mercy to those who worship him, he does not appreciate those who offer sacrifices to him.

At the same time, the dialogue of the deceased Ani with the god Atum (New Kingdom, XVI-XI centuries BC) tries to inspire optimism, a foretaste of ideal bliss in the next world: