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For both the rich and the poor, when the embalmers buried the bodies, they buried jars of food with them for use in the Afterlife. The Afterlife is where the honest Egyptians would go when they died. They believed it was a wonderful and mysterious place. Every Egyptian had one wish—to live forever.
What Happens in the Afterlife
Weighing of the HeartBefore you could go to the Afterlife, the god Anubis would weigh your heart with an ostrich feather (the Egyptian symbol of proper behavior). If you were honest, the heart would weigh less than the feather. If you were not honest, the heart would weigh more than the feather. Thoth, the Egyptian god of scribes, wrote down the results. If you were not honest, a waiting monster that is half dog, half crocodile at the gates of the Afterlife would eat you. If you were honest, you would be able to go through the gates of the Afterlife and live forever.
Ra’s Journey
On his journey, Ra passes the sandbank of Apophis, the monstrous serpent of chaos. Apophis attempts to wreck Ra’s boat. Other gods and goddesses ride with Ra, and they fight Apophis so that Ra can travel on. When Ra reaches a mummy’s tomb, he shines sunlight on the darkness and speaks magic words that come from the Book of Gates. The Book of Gates is a book with spells in it that do different things such as waking up mummies. It is important that Ra speaks these words or the mummies could not get out of their tombs and go to the Afterlife. After he speaks these words, the mummies throw off their wrappings and Ra takes them to the Afterlife.
The End of the Day
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Ancient Egypt's Deepest Secrets Revealed
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The Egyptians painted scenes on the walls that would magically come alive in
the Afterlife. The scenes showed the gods and goddesses of the dead welcoming
you near the gates of the Afterlife. Musicians and dancers entertaining you all
day with harps, lutes, double-reed pipes, and lyres. Servants working in fields
for you and carrying your food to you. What a life to live…an Afterlife!
Even if you were honest, you would have to wait for the sun god, Ra, to
travel to your tomb. Ra would wake up the mummies and bring them to the
Afterlife. He travels to them in a boat.
When Ra goes to a different tomb or it is the end of the day, the mummies
re-wrap themselves and return to their tombs. Darkness fills the sky once more.
The mummies lie peacefully in their tombs and wait for Ra’s next return.