Book of the Dead: Meaning & Themes

One of the spells in the Book of the Dead describes the “Weighing of the Heart” ritual. During this ritual, Osiris and a tribunal of 43 deities judged the behavior of the dead during his/her lifetime. The dead had to name each judge and vow that s/he had not committed a series of offenses called the “Negative Confession”.

What Is the Spell 17 in the Book of the Dead?

This change implies a shift in views on death and the afterlife, underscoring that religious and cultural beliefs are not fixed and can change over time. Studying the origins of the book offers insights into the ancient Egyptian mentality, and their complex views on death and life after death. The Book of the Dead is a compilation of texts, often described as spells because the Egyptians believed that ritual speech had magical powers. The book had no defined structure, but Egyptologists have developed an order to make the text more accessible today.

• Familiarizing yourself with key spells and symbols, such as the Weighing of the Heart, will enhance your understanding of ancient Egyptian beliefs about death and resurrection.
• Successfully passing this test allowed the deceased to enter the afterlife and secure eternal life.
• The Pyramid Texts identified the king with Osiris and Ra and described him as “honored” by Osiris.
• Not every detail described above was included in the vision of every era of Egyptian history.
• Book of the Dead papyri continued to be produced during this time as well, and three of our papyri are Ptolemaic in date.

Museums and historical archives house many of these, and others are still being discovered at archaeological digs. Spell 17 holds a key role in the Book of the Dead, as it aids the departed on their journey to the afterlife. This spell acts as a safeguard and mentor to steer the deceased through the underworld, with the ultimate goal of getting them to the Hall of Judgment. How can we, living in the 21st century, decode the mysterious language and imagery of a civilization that existed so long ago? This has been a question that’s been bugging me, one that calls for a detailed, academic examination.

The Book of the Dead in Ancient Egypt

“Rw nw prt m hrw,” original Egyptian title of the Book of the Dead, translates to “Book of Coming Forth by Day.” Historians state that this indicates the book’s purpose to guide the deceased from darkness to light. Early Egyptologists, fascinated by the mystical and esoteric aspects of the texts, often focused on their religious and magical elements. Lily Hulatt is a Digital Content Specialist with over three years of experience in content strategy and curriculum design. She gained her PhD in English Literature from Durham University in 2022, taught in Durham University’s English Studies Department, and has contributed to a number of publications. The Cultivation of the Fields ceremony, focused on ensuring the deceased’s needs for sustenance in the afterlife were met.

One series of these texts gave instructions to “assemble a man’s family in the realm access book of dead without account of the dead”. This referred not only to close family members of the deceased but also to his/her followers, friends and servants. During this time, families were often buried in the same tombs but they showed social status by the size of different burials.

The Weighing of the Heart ceremony is another critical aspect of the Book of the Dead. During this ceremony, the heart of the deceased is weighed against the feather of Ma’at, representing truth and justice. The results dictate whether the soul is worthy of entering the afterlife or faces annihilation by the devourer, a creature that would consume unworthy hearts. This theme of judgment reflects the moral values upheld in ancient Egyptian society, emphasizing the importance of living a virtuous life.

A heart heavier than the feather indicated a life of wrongdoing and resulted in the soul’s annihilation by Ammit, the devourer of souls. Conversely, a balanced scale affirmed the deceased’s worthiness to proceed to Aaru, the heavenly paradise. They also served, however, to provide the soul with fore-knowledge of what would be expected at every stage. Having a Book of the Dead in one’s tomb would be the equivalent of a student in the modern day getting their hands on all the test answers they would ever need in every grade of school. Gabriel Freitas is an AI Engineer with a solid experience in software development, machine learning algorithms, and generative AI, including large language models’ (LLMs) applications. Graduated in Electrical Engineering at the University of São Paulo, he is currently pursuing an MSc in Computer Engineering at the University of Campinas, specializing in machine learning topics.

The group that we call the Book of the Dead developed from spells that were first inscribed on scarabs and coffins at the end of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom period, around 1650 B.C. By the New Kingdom, around 1550–1069 B.C., scribes started writing Book of the Dead spells on papyrus scrolls. Vignettes often illustrated key points in the text, as in the example from Spell 125 illustrated above, in which the deceased has his heart weighed in the presence of Osiris. Over time, the Book of the Dead morphed into the Books of Breathing, signaling a notable change in Egyptian burial practices.

Below are English translations of some of the notable spells that appear in the Book of the Dead. Spells 1-16 describe the deceased entering their tomb and descending into the underworld, where the body regains its power of movement and speech to facilitate the journey. “Coming Forth by Day” refers to the belief in the deceased’s ability toemerge into the afterlife after successfully navigating the underworld, symbolizing rebirth and eternal life each day, like the sun.

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It was actually a compilation of 34 crucial spells, typically written on papyrus, designed to assist the deceased in dealing with the intricacies of the afterlife. The “Book of the Dead” is an ancient Egyptian funerary text that dates back to the 16th century BCE, serving as a guide for the deceased in the afterlife. This collection of spells, hymns, and instructions was inscribed on papyrus and placed in tombs, helping the soul navigate challenges and attain eternal life.