We were fascinated watching “The Mummy” when “Rachel Weisz” was reading from the “Book of the Dead”, as if it was a real book.

But the Book of the Dead is not a book. It isn’t a finite text – it’s not like the Bible, it’s not a collection of doctrine or a statement of faith or anything like that – It’s a nickname for the many magical spells that the ancient Egyptians believed actually worked.

The ‘book’ is usually a roll of papyrus with lots and lots of spells written on it in hieroglyphic script and usually has beautiful colored illustrations as well.

Ancient Egyptians believed that, when they die, they must have the “Book” buried with them together with their grave goods, so it would guide them to overcome obstacles and danger they may encounter  so they can cross safely to the afterlife.

They would have been quite expensive so only wealthy, high-status people would hire scribes to create customized “Book” with fancy designs. Depending on how rich you were, you could either go along and buy a ready-made papyrus which would have blank spaces for your name to be written in, or you could spend a bit more and probably choose which spells you wanted.

Egyptologists have deciphered aver 200 different spells, most written to help ancient Egyptians reach their afterlife safely.

Some were written on papyrus, and some were written on tom walls. These were not secret spells, but people had their favorites.

Passing into the afterlife in ancient Egypt was a significant matter, for as early as the Pyramid Texts, one would be judged by an entire tribunal of gods after death. These references become clear by the Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts, and in the Book of the Dead, the judgment of the Dead by this tribunal became the most important focal point in the deceased’s entrance to the afterlife.

Furthermore, once an evil was committed, there is no evidence until the Late Period that the individual could be cleansed of such a sin, though certain spells were created to perhaps help the deceased overcome his transgressions and there was also the heart, that could be weighed, perhaps allowing the deceased’s good deeds help overcome any evil that he had participated in.

Some of the spells are to make sure you can control your own body after death. The ancient Egyptians believed that a person was made up of different elements: body, spirit, name, heart, they’re all embodiments of a person, and they were afraid that these elements would disperse when you died. So there are a lot of spells to make sure you don’t lose your head or your heart, that your body doesn’t decay, as well as other spells about keeping alive by breathing air, having water to drink, having food to eat.

There are also spells about protecting yourself because the ancient Egyptians expected to be attacked on the journey to the afterlife by snakes, crocodiles, and insects – an idea very much based on the threats they knew in real life only much more frightening and much more dangerous.

As well as the animals, you could be attacked by gods or demons who served the gods. In the next world there are a lot of gods who are guarding gateways that you have to get through, and if you don’t give the right answers to their questions at the gates, they can attack you because they have knives and snakes in their hands.

Without the correct spells to protect you, you could be punished in a variety of ways: you could be put on to the slaughter block, you could be decapitated, or you could be turned upside down (which meant your digestive process worked in reverse so you had to eat feces and drink urine forever!).

The worst thing that can happen is what is called the second death. This meant you were killed and your spirit couldn’t come back and so you would have no afterlife at all.

It was a world of great fear that they believed they were going into, and the “Book of the Dead” provided guidance and protection on this journey.

Written spells were also important because they offered one more place to write down your name. In ancient Egypt, you needed your name written down so your Ba and Ka (your two souls) could find their way home at night to your tomb. To the ancient Egyptians, if the Ba and Ka could not find their way home, you could not live in the afterlife, and you would disappear forever!