Funerals in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian funerary practices
Ancient Egyptians thought that extensive burial rituals were required to preserve their immortality after death. The body was mummified, spells were made, and graves were filled with certain items believed to be necessary in the hereafter.
Over time, as outdated practices were abandoned in favor of more modern ones, the ancient burial procedure changed, but certain crucial components remained constant. The preparation of the dead, the magic rites, and burial goods were all crucial components of a genuine Egyptian funeral, even if specifics evolved with time.
Open for me the gates of sky, earth, and the Netherworld, for I am the soul of Osiris, and I am at peace thereby. I pass by their courts, and they give praise when they see me; I have gone in favored and I have come out beloved; I have journeyed and no fault of any kind has been found in me.
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Funeral Procession
Mourners, especially if the deceased had great rank, smeared their faces in mud and marched through town while pounding their chests before embalming, or preserving the dead body to postpone or prevent decomposition. In order to prevent misuse of the corpse, the wife of a high-status male was not embalmed until three or four days after her death. When someone was killed by drowning or assaulted, their body was embalmed right away in a reverent and meticulous manner. Only priests were allowed to handle the body since this type of death was revered.
Following embalming, the mourners may have participated in a rite that included an hour-long Hour Vigil in which volunteers served as Osiris and his rival sibling Set, as well as the gods Isis, Nephthys, Horus, Anubis, and Thoth. According to legend, Set planned to assassinate his brother Osiris because he was jealous of him for obtaining the kingdom before him. The fight between Osiris’ wife Isis and Set for control of Osiris’ body resulted in the death of Osiris’ spirit. Osiris, however, lived again and was made a deity once again. Numerous funeral processions were held across the adjacent necropolis, which reflected other religious trips, in addition to the reenactment of Osiris’ judgement.
My mouth is opened by Ptah and what was on my mouth has been loosened by my local god. Thoth comes indeed, filled and equipped with magic; and the bonds of Seth which restricted my mouth have been loosened. Atum has warded them off and has cast away the restrictions of Seth.
Funerary Rites
The priests and the sons of the deceased then carried out a series of ceremonies. The Opening of the Mouth ceremony and the offering ritual were the two most significant ones. The mummy was meant to be able to breathe, see, and hear once again after the Opening of the Mouth rite. During this ceremony, spells were recited and ceremonial objects were used to ‘open’ the mummy’s mouth, nose, and eyes.
Hail to you, my father Osiris! You shall possess your body; you shall not become corrupt, you shall not have worms, you shall not stink, you shall not become putrid, you shall not become worms. I am Khepri; I will possess my body forever.
For the dead person’s soul to have all it required to survive in the hereafter, a priest cast spells during the offering rite. A table of food was placed in front of the corpse as part of this ceremony, and a calf’s leg and still-beating heart were sacrificed and given to the dead person to give them life. Following these rituals, the family celebrated with a feast either within the tomb itself or close by before the coffin was deposited in the burial chamber. They then crushed the pots they had used for the dinner, and buried the broken pieces and everything else that was left over from the funeral feast close to the tomb.
The funeral was not seen by the Egyptians as a farewell. Regular visits were made to family graves, where celebrations were performed to unite the living and the dead and sculptures of the gods were occasionally brought through the cemeteries to enable the deceased to take part in religious celebrations. The living thought that the dead would be able to employ the spells in the Book of the Dead to become birds and visit their family. Families frequently kept busts of their deceased loved ones inside the home to entice their spirits to stop by, and a lot of people wrote notes for the deceased in graves.
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