Book of the Dead of Hori
Book of the Dead of Hori, Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21 1069-945 BC
1921.1032
Not on display
To assist the deceased on the dangerous journey into the afterlife, the Egyptians of the New Kingdom and later included in their burials a copy of the Book of the Dead, or, as they called it, the Book of Going Forth By Day. This was not a single, codified manuscript, but a handful of special spells selected from a pool of about 200 age-old magical formulae. Three spells, with their accompanying vignettes, are included in this papyrus, inscribed for the priest Hori. The longest spell, the so-called Book of Gates, is in the center. Hori must pass through 16 gates, each guarded by a fierce, animal-headed, knife-brandishing monster. To reach the afterlife successfully, Hori must present the gate-keepers with a series of secret passwords provided for him in the papyrus.
Images Copyright © the artist, their estate, and/or the Cleveland Museum of Art.
|
