Mummies and Book of the Dead


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Nusaith:- Hail, Bull of Amentet! I am brought unto thee. I am the paddle of Re wherewith he transported the Aged Gods. Let me neither be burnt up nor destroyed by fire. I am Beb, the firstborn son of Osiris, to whom every god maketh an offering in the temple of his Eye in Anu. I am the divine Heir, the Mighty One, the Great One, the Resting One. I have made my name to flourish. Deliverer, thou livest in me [every day].

    That was "The Chapter of Drinking Water and of  Not Being Burnt Up By Fire" [In Khert-neter]. The Book of the Dead had many spells and hymns, this was one out of over 100. The Book of the Dead was written in 1240 B.C. It's also known as The Papyrus of Ani. Unlike what most people think, The Book of the Dead wasn't an actual book, it was a number of different scrolls. Scrolls were made from a plant called papyrus. Hence, The Papyrus of Ani.

    Mummies are not dusty, old men covered in bandages that come alive if you disturb their eternal resting place. They are, however, very interesting.  Mummies had a lot to do with religion The Ancient Egyptians believed that to mummify someone was to prepare them for the afterlife. To mummify something is to remove most of its organs, soak it in oil and scents, and then wrap it in  bandages. Once the person or animal has been mummified, they're placed in a sarcophagus (a coffin). You would first remove the lungs, liver, and the small and large intestines. Each organ would have its own jar to be placed in, along with a god to protect it. They left the heart in because they thought that it was the very essence of a human. You could not come back to life if you didn't have it. They pulled the brain out through the nose with a hook, then threw it out, because they thought it had no use. At this point in the ceremony they would wrap the body in many bandages. Then it would be placed in a sarcophagus or coffin. Then if the body belonged to a pharaoh, it would be placed in a pyramid.

     Mummies have been portrayed as horrible creatures in search of revenge upon the one that woke them from their ever lasting slumber. You have most likely heard of  King Tutankahmen, more commonly known as  King Tut. He is the cause of these mummy rumors. His tomb had never been broken into by thieves. When it was found, many people said it shouldn't be opened. The man who opened the tomb, Howard Carter, and his co-discoverers seemed to be cursed because they opened Tutankahmen's tomb. Many of their friends and family members died around the time of opening the tomb.

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