Weighing Of The Heart: The Papyrus Of Ani

745 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Mesopotamia and Egypt ideas about life and death

“Weighing of the Heart” One of the most crucial and perhaps one of the most intimate Ancient Egyptian rituals is the “weighing of the heart” ceremony. The heart to the Ancient Egyptians is the core to everything that makes them, them. The heart is considered to be the most important organ of the body as opposed to what we believe to be the most important organ. The Ancient Egyptians believe that the heart is their core function. The Ancient Egyptians believed whole heartedly that the heart was just as important in death and in the life they lived on earth. Their heart is what determined where they would spend eternity. The Papyrus of Ani is considered to be the longest written papyrus written during the Ancient Egyptian period (sacred-texts.com). …show more content…

It is important to remember that it is crucial for the heart to remain with the deceased after death. The heart is the key to Afterlife. After their journey through Duat is the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony. In the Papyrus of Ani there are many individuals who are all representatives. Osiris is the chief God and is also one of forty-three deities. The scribe that can be seen on an image of the Papyrus is Thoth, who is the scribe of wisdom who documents rather or not the heart passes the test of truth and justice (egyptianscarabs.com). In the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony, God Anubis weighs the heart. If the heart measures to heavily against that of the feather of truth and justice then Ammit who is said to be the demon god who awaits the weighing, is said to devour the heart, therefore condemning the dead to a life of torment for all eternity (experienceancientegypt.com). However, if the heart balances true with the feather of Maat then the heart is returned back to the deceased. After the heart is returned they proceed on their journey for their final judgement. It is at this moment that the Ancient Egyptians are to speak for themselves before being accepted by Osiris into the Ancient Egyptian Heaven

Show More
Related

  • Mummy Case of Paankhenamun

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the ancient Egyptian culture, the belief was that there was a life force and spirit inside of the body, known as the ‘Ka’. Therefore, mummification was performed as a ritual to preserve the physical features of the body as well as to protect its inner spirit, mainly to ensure that the ‘Ka’ could recognize the body where it may dwell in the eternal life. Thus, the funerary psychology of ancient Egyptians was that death did not bring an end to living, but instead was only an escape from the physical human life and a gateway to immortal being. Due to the fact that a being’s life span was short in ancient times, people’s main hopes rested in their afterlives, where they would be with the gods (Stockstad 121).

    Read More

  • The Last Great Pharoah of Egypt: Ramesses the Third

    1462 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pyramids, gold, the Nile, hieroglyphics, gods and goddesses…no matter how much we know about it, we all see one of these things when we picture Egypt. However, this image is not complete without the Pharaoh. Not much in Egypt was. So to be considered “The Last Great Pharaoh of Egypt” is quite an honor, an honor that Ramesses III carries. A ruler in the time of the New Kingdom, he gave Egypt a few more years of glory before it’s decline.

    Read More

  • Piecing Together the Story of Osiris

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    Continuing on the idea of kings and civilization, the Egyptians also look towards the story of Osiris for the transition of kingship once the king passes away.

    Read More

  • Akhenaten and Monotheism

    2047 Words  | 5 Pages

    Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs.

    Read More

  • Egyptian And Ancient China Compare And Contrast Essay

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was an ancient Chinese practice to heat and crack bones, and then read them as prophecies. These prophecies ranged from things like, “If the king joins with Zhi [Guo] (an important Shang general) to attack the Shaofang, he will receive [assistance].” (Document 3) to simple matters like, “Lady Hao’s (a consort of Wu Ding) childbearing will be good.” These bones gave insight into the future for the Chinese people. They were able to believe that they understanded more about the universe than before, giving them a new sense of security in their faith. In a different way, the Egyptians found security in their stance with the gods they believed in. They, instead, sacrificed animals and gave offerings to their gods. “Such Egyptians as possess a temple of the Theban Jove, or live in the Thebaic canton, offer no sheep in sacrifice, but only goats; for the Egyptians do not all worship the same gods, excepting Isis and Osiris, the latter of whom they say is the Grecian Bacchus.” (Document 7) This shows that the Egyptians made sacrifices to various gods, in order to please said gods. They believed that if the gods became angered, they would take their rage out on the people of Egypt. Even pharaohs were not above giving to the gods of their religion. Document 5 shows an Egyptian pharaoh giving an offering to the god of death. This shows the fear that the

    Read More

  • Egyptian View of the Afterlife

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live after death (Taylor, 2001:46). The Egyptians began building tombs for these bodies to keep them from decaying.

    Read More

  • Burial Practices of Ancient Egypt

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    The grandeur with which Egyptians regarded their funerary customs does not come without explanation. They delighted in tying the occurrences of the natural world with supernatural dogma, and their burial practices exemplified this deluge of religion. A special deity was even attributed to cemeteries and embalmers: Anubis (Fiero, 46). Due to this deep sense of religion, a fixation with the afterlife developed within their culture. The Egyptian afterlife, however, is not synonymous of heave, but, rather, of The Field of Reeds, a continuation of one’s life in Egypt meant “to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the ‘good life’ enjoyed on earth” (Mark 1; “Life in Ancient Egypt” 1). The pursuit of this sacred rest-place prompted the arousal of intricate Egyptian funeral rituals.

    Read More

  • Anubis, God Of The Dead.

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anubis was the guardian of the dead, who greeted the souls in the Underworld and protected them on their journey. It was he who deemed the deceased worthy of becoming a star. Ancient Egyptian texts say that Anubis silently walked through the shadows of life and death and lurked in dark places. He was watchful by day as well as by night. He also weighed the heart of the dead against the feather symbol of Ma'at, the goddess of truth. One of the reasons that the ancient Egyptians took such care to preserve their dead with sweet-smelling herbs was that it was believed Anubis would check each person with his keen canine nose. Only if they smelled pure would he allow them to enter the Kingdom of the Dead.

    Read More

  • Similarities between Greek and Egyptian Mythologies

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...by Osiris, who weighed the souls against the Feather of Truth. (Footnote pg 127-134 The Literature and Mythology of Ancient Egypt) The concept of an afterlife is common in both Greek and Egyptian tales.

    Read More

  • Greek Values In The Iliad

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book also emphasizes the ephemeral nature of human beings, which suggests how mortals should decide on living their lives honorably for good remembrance, by focusing on the value of burial with the burial of Hector given a special attention. Moreover, the interest in burial is a reflection of the values ancient Greek culture treasured and has been passed to several generations. The aspect stresses the necessity for proper send off as a requirement for a peaceful

    Read More

  • The Egyptian Book of the Dead

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Book was originally intended as a set of spells and incantations meant to insure safe passage for the soul of a deceased person into the Underworld. Some of the ending chapters include instructions on not dying a second time, meaning how not to die in the underworld and thus having no chance of being reborn or living a full afterlife. The original text--at least, the bits and pieces that modern scholars possess--consists of a set of hymns, beginning with the Hymn to Osiris. This hymn is meant to call up the king of the underworld and make him aware of the presence of the soul. After summoning Osiris, the presiding priest would begin a series of ceremonies designed to give the spirit all the faculties it possessed in life, such as speech, movement of the limbs, internal organ functions, and sight. After these rites were completed, the corpse was removed to the tomb where prophetic portions of the Book were read.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Sokrates When We Die

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    What happens when we die? This is a question humans have been pondering for centuries and although there are those who say they’ve been to the beyond there is no tangible proof of what lies beyond the grave. Sokrates was one of those who pondered what happens when we die and if death is worth fearing along with the idea immortality. In Apology, Sokrates defends his ideas before being prosecuted and in Phaedo those same values are tested when he faces his own death.

    Read More

  • Ancient Egyptian Medicine: A Comparison of Egyptian and Modern Day Medicine and Reasoning for Continued Research of Ancient Egyptian Medical Practices

    1941 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Egyptians did not understand how important the heart was in terms of blood circulation, as we understand it today. Their belief was that the heart was connected to all the other parts of the body, via canals, which were used to transport bodily fluids and waste to their appropriate locations. The brain’s only purpose was to transport mucus to the nose, and therefore it was overlooked when it came to preserving organs during the process of mummification.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • How Did Ancient Egypt Influence Western Culture

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although there are few religions that still consider the ways of the ancient Egyptian culture important, they are still out there. They are influenced every day by the history, which permeates their rituals, scriptures, and more. Furthermore, Egypt’s political influence may be outdated and not the clearest system, but it led the way for further development and refinement for future use. Without the influence of Egypt, we would not be the civilization that we are

    Read More

  • Collapse of Civilizations

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...n 1163 B.C., Egypt entered a period of slow decline (Scarre 1997:116). Pharaohs became less powerful, and their prestige dwindled. Hungry soldiers were terrorizing the community, while tomb robbers were raiding the pyramids for resources that were very much needed. They had buried their pharaohs with food, goods and jewelry, all of which were needed to keep the civilization in tact. They had built too many pyramids, and there were setbacks in Asia which corrupted trade. People did not understand why the pharaohs could not fix the problems that were going on. They viewed them as gods and lost trust and faith. Egypt fell apart as these things culminated with loss of belief in the pharaohs.

    Read More

More about Weighing Of The Heart: The Papyrus Of Ani

Open Document