Gods of Ancient Egypt: Death, Rebirth, and the Journey
Beyond pt.1
I have been learning about medieval Nine Worthies and the belief in chivalry, and it got me to thinking about beliefs of other eras of history. So I started to find out about some of the ancient Egyptian gods. It is a world where life, death, and rebirth were all connected. It is a belief system that focuses on journeys. For the ancient Egyptians, death was not something to fear in the same way some see it today. It was thought of as a transition.
Book of the Dead showing the Weighing of the Heart
One of the figures I came across was Anubis. He was the
guardian of the dead and is often depicted with the head of a jackal. His role
was important. He guided souls through the first stages of the afterlife and
oversaw the weighing of the heart. It is a lovely thought, that in death you
are not alone.
representation of the Egyptian God Osiris
From there, the belief moves to Osiris, whose fate was what
influenced how the Egyptians understood death. Osiris had once been a king, he
brought order and prosperity, but he was betrayed and killed by his brother
Set. But through his devotion of Isis, Osiris was restored, not to the world of
the living, but as ruler of the underworld.
Image info:
Artist: Ägyptischer Maler
Date: 1380-1335
Isis is one of the more well known Egyptian Gods, she is one
that stands out for her strength and determination. Her search for Osiris, and
her use of magic to bring him back, shows us so much about how the Egyptians
viewed love and loyalty. She was not passive in her grief. She refused to
accept it. As a mother, she represented both power and compassion.
The sun god Ra seated on a throne, from a painting on the wall of the Tomb of Roy
Date: 1300 BC
Ra, was the great sun god, who shaped each day. He ruled the
sky, he brought light and warmth. Each night though he travelled through the
underworld, through the chaos before rising again at dawn.
The journey of the sun god tied everything together. Life,
death, and rebirth were not separate ideas, but part of a continuous cycle. The
sun’s rising was not just a new day, it may have been seen as proof that even
after darkness, there could be light again.
When I look at these stories, it seems the gods represent to
some extent emotions, fear of the unknown, grief at loss, hope for renewal, and
a deep desire for protection and meaning.
If you had lived in ancient Egypt, do you think you may have
found comfort in these beliefs about what comes after death?
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