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The book that defeats death: a journey into the Egyptian afterlife
The Book of the Dead was not a book about death, but a book for living beyond death. The ancient Egyptians called it the "Book for Coming Forth by Day", and placed it in tombs as a map for the afterlife. No two copies were alike: every scroll was personalized, with spells, hymns and illustrations chosen to accompany the deceased on their nocturnal journey through the Duat, the underworld. There, the deceased had to overcome trials and snares, pronounce the secret names of the demonic guardians to bend them to their will, and finally face the judgment of Osiris: the heart was weighed on Anubis's scales and compared with the feather of Maat, symbol of Truth and Order. If the heart was light, the deceased was declared "true of voice" and welcomed into eternity. For the Egyptians, the written word was not a symbol: it was a magical act capable of coming to life and acting. The very presence of the scroll in the tomb was already a victory over oblivion.
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