Egyptian Underworld and Afterlife Mr. Henderson Mythology

The Egyptian Underworld The Egyptian underworld was called Tuat. It was a place below the earth which was the residence of the souls of the dead, the forces of chaos, and the dead god Osiris. It was thought that the souls of the departed traveled to Tuat upon death and were judged by Osiris, Anubis, and the goddess Ma’at.

Judgment in the Afterlife A person’s heart was weighed against an ostrich feather, symbol of Ma’at, daughter of Ra and goddess of truth. Hearts that did not weigh enough were fed to a female demon named Ammit, who represented oblivion. Ammit was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.

Tuat in Art

Mummification Anubis was the god of embalming and mummification. Depicted as a jackal, animals who scavenge from the dead. Vessels called canopic jars held the liver, lungs, stomach, and entrails. The heart, residence of the soul, always remained inside the body.

Canopic Jars

The Underworld and Ra Ra sailed the sun in a boat through the underworld at night to return to the east. Every night he was attacked by the forces of darkness, led by the serpent Apophis. Each night Ra (or sometimes the goddess Bast) would slay Apophis but the serpent would always rise again. The spirits of deceased Pharaohs served as crew for Ra’s solar boat.

Apophis in Art