Initiation and passage
The Book of the Dead
The scroll of spells made for a dead person to carry them safely to the afterlife, and the Weighing of the Heart.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
The Book of the Dead is the modern name for a collection of spells that the ancient Egyptians wrote for the dead, on papyrus, tomb walls and coffins, from about 1550 BCE. The Egyptian title is closer to Spells for Going Out by Day. A scroll was made for a particular person, with a name placed in the blanks, and was put in the tomb.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Papyrus scrollObjectThe scroll placed in the tomb.
- SpellsWordChapters for going out by day.
- VignettesObjectPainted scenes of the afterlife.
- Heart scarabObjectAn amulet laid on the body.
- TombSpaceWhere the scroll is placed.
- OfferingsOfferingFood and drink left for the dead.
- Object
- Word
- Space
- Offering
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather A scribe and painter prepare a scroll for the dead person. Step 2: Cast The name of the owner is written into the spaces. Step 3: Speak Spells are read at the funeral. Step 4: Bury The scroll and a heart scarab are placed with the body. Step 5: Offer Food and drink are brought to the tomb in later years.
What it contains
The spells help the dead pass dangers, know the names of gates and guardians and be justified before the gods. The best-known scene is the Weighing of the Heart, in which the heart is set on a scale against the feather of Maat, truth, while Anubis tends the scale and Thoth records the result. Spell 125 includes the declaration of innocence, often called the negative confession.
Making and meaning
Scribes copied the spells and artists painted the pictures, and a scroll could be bought ready-made with a space left for the owner's name. Famous examples include the Papyrus of Ani, now in the British Museum. Egyptologists see the book as a set of texts by which the living cared for the dead, and as one of the earliest records of a judgment after death.
What it is for
- Guide the dead through the afterlife
- Secure justification before the gods
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Book of the Dead (The text.), Weighing of the heart (The judgment scene.).
More on EveryJaadu
No entries here yet. New pages are added every day.
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Anubis: Hunefer, Public domain, source