The average life expectancy of ancient Egyptians was approximately 40 years. While they undoubtedly loved life, ancient Egyptians wanted their lives to continue beyond the veil of death. They fervently believed in preserving the body and providing the deceased with everything they would need in the afterlife. Death was a brief and untimely interruption and providing the sacred funeral practices were followed, a deceased could enjoy eternal life without pain in the Fields of Yalu.
However, to ensure a deceased’s right to enter the Fields of Yalu, a person’s heart had to be light. After a person’s death, the soul arrived in the Hall of Truth to be judged by Osiris and Forty-Two Judges. Osiris weighed the deceased’s Ab or heart on a golden scale against Ma’at’s white feather of truth.
If the deceased’s heart proved lighter than Ma’at’s feather, the deceased awaited the outcome of Osiris conference with Thoth the god of wisdom and the Forty-Two Judges. If deemed worthy, the deceased was allowed passage through the hall to continue one’s existence in paradise. If the deceased’s heart was heavy with misdeeds it was cast onto the floor to be devoured by Ammut the gobbler ending one’s existence.
Once beyond the Hall of Truth, the deceased was guided to Hraf-haf’s boat. He was an offensive and cranky being, whom the deceased had to show courtesy to. Being kind to the surly Hraf-haf, showed the deceased was worthy of being ferried across The Lake of Flowers to the Field of Reeds, a mirror image of earthly existence without hunger, disease or death. One then existed, meeting those who had passed before or waiting for loved ones to arrive.
Myth And Religion
Gods played a role in popular ancient Egyptian myths that attempted to explain and describe their universe, as they perceived it. Nature and the natural cycles strongly influenced these myths, especially those patterns which could be readily documented such as the passage of the sun during the day, the moon and its impact on tides and the annual Nile floods.
Mythology exerted significant influence ancient Egyptian culture including its religious rituals, festivals and sacred rites. These rituals and feature prominently rites in scenes portrayed on temple walls, in tombs, in Egyptian literature and even on the jewellery and protective amulets they wore.
Ancient Egyptians saw mythology as a guide for their everyday lives, their actions and as a way of ensuring their place in the afterlife.
The Central Role Of The Afterlife
The average life expectancy of ancient Egyptians was approximately 40 years. While they undoubtedly loved life, ancient Egyptians wanted their lives to continue beyond the veil of death. They fervently believed in preserving the body and providing the deceased with everything they would need in the afterlife. Death was a brief and untimely interruption and providing the sacred funeral practices were followed, a deceased could enjoy eternal life without pain in the Fields of Yalu.
However, to ensure a deceased’s right to enter the Fields of Yalu, a person’s heart had to be light. After a person’s death, the soul arrived in the Hall of Truth to be judged by Osiris and Forty-Two Judges. Osiris weighed the deceased’s Ab or heart on a golden scale against Ma’at’s white feather of truth.
If the deceased’s heart proved lighter than Ma’at’s feather, the deceased awaited the outcome of Osiris conference with Thoth the god of wisdom and the Forty-Two Judges. If deemed worthy, the deceased was allowed passage through the hall to continue one’s existence in paradise. If the deceased’s heart was heavy with misdeeds it was cast onto the floor to be devoured by Ammut the gobbler ending one’s existence.
Once beyond the Hall of Truth, the deceased was guided to Hraf-haf’s boat. He was an offensive and cranky being, whom the deceased had to show courtesy to. Being kind to the surly Hraf-haf, showed the deceased was worthy of being ferried across The Lake of Flowers to the Field of Reeds, a mirror image of earthly existence without hunger, disease or death. One then existed, meeting those who had passed before or waiting for loved ones to arrive.
The Pharaohs As Living Gods
Divine Kingship was an enduring feature of ancient Egyptian religious life. This belief held that the Pharaoh was a god as well as the political ruler of Egypt. Egyptian pharaohs were closely associated with Horus the son of the Sun God Ra.
Due to this divine relationship, the pharaoh was very powerful in Egyptian society, as was the priesthood. In times of good harvests, ancient Egyptians interpreted their good fortune as being attributable to the pharaoh and the priests pleasing the gods, while in bad times; the pharaoh and the priests were seen as being to blame for having angered the gods.
