The Book of the Dead
Papyrus of Anhai, 1250 BC
The papyrus forms part of the “Book of the Dead”, writings made for Anhai, a priestess of Amon-Ra, king of the gods.
Nun, the goddess of the primordial waters, holds the solar barque, upon which the scarab beetle is depicted, another solar symbol, pushing the sun disc, just as the scarab rolls balls of dung.
The Terrors of the Underworld
The Egyptians believed that the dead, armed with the appropriate spells, could ward off the terrors of the underworld and live a new life in the Field of Reeds.
All the elements that made up the living person had to be preserved and had to be resurrected with them: not only the physical body and the two parts of the soul, the ka (or vital force) and the ba (personality or spirit), but also the individual’s name and shadow. These five elements composed the totality of their being.