Step 1: First, the embalmers drag the body toward the Nile. They washed the dead body in it! Then they poured wine on him. They make a cut in the side of the body and taking out the organs besides the heart. To get the brain, they stick a hook up the nostril and jiggle it out (and honestly, that's a sight no one wants to see)! Also, the heart was apparently absolutely necessary to get into the afterlife! It is the "center of intelligence".
Step 2: There are these jars called canopic jars; they are where the organs go after they're cleaned. The one with the head of the human is Imsety, who looks after the liver. The baboon-headed one is Hapy, who guards the lungs. Duamutef, the jackal, is protector of stomach. Finally, Qebehsenuef owns the intestines.
Step 3: The embalmers poured a bunch of special salt over the body called natron. It is used to fill up the cavities and cover up the body. This would get rid of all the moisture. The wait is also 40 days for the body to dry! I think I went 40 days into the future, because when I blinked, I saw the next step right before my eyes!
Step 4: Right now, they're scooping out thenatron and stuffing the body with spices, rags, and plants so that the body has more of a humane shape.
Step 5: The Egyptians lay a few amulets down on the chest and one starts to mutter things to "activate" the amulets. The Egyptians think that it'll guarantee the pharaoh a safe journey to the afterlife. The embalmers take FOREVER to wrap the body in fine linen. The embalmers finally put the mummy in a coffin in a coffin in that coffin and a coffin in the coffin with the coffin and the coffin in the coffin in the coffin in another coffin (etc.) (National Geographic Kids) Image credit:National Geographic Kids
The Deities (Legendary Gods and Goddesses) of Egypt
Osiris Osiris was not only the god and chief judge of the Underworld but also the god of bringing a dead person back to life (resurructing) and vegetation. According to the Egyptians, he was a king of Egypt, who was murdered by his evil brother, Seth (see below), but was brought back to life by his wife, Isis (see below). Osiris was also part of the great nine gods called the Great Ennead. Osiris was worshipped at Abydos, his main cult center, where his death and resurrection were acted out annually (Waterson).
Isis Isis was one of the greatest goddesses, the most popular member of the Egyptian deities, respected because of her awesome magical powers and for being a role model of the perfect Egyptian wife and mother. Isis and her sister, Nephthys, are the mourners of the dead. Together with the goddesses Neith and Selket they gave protection to coffins and canopic jars - Isis protected the jar with the liver. Her chief cult center was at Philae for a period of time, but she was worshipped for many centuries (Waterson).
Horus Horus was originally a sky god and the protector and supporter of the king. He was introduced into Great Ennead, and was the son of Osiris (see above) and Isis (see above). He was born after the murder of his father by Seth (see below). He was raised by his mother to avenge his father. The struggle lasted 80 years before the gods finally gave victory and the throne of Egypt to Horus! Took them long enough. Horus had cult centers at Behdet (near the delta of the Nile River), and in upper Egypt at Hierakonpolis and at Edfu, where he was AKA Horus the Behdetite. Horus was the god of excellence and the pharaoh was thought to be his living soul (Waterson).
Seth Seth, the Red God, god of the desert and (the Egyptians think) the cause of thunderstorms and violence, was showed as a weird animal that I couldn't figure out. He has the body of a greyhound, but with a long stiff tail and square-shaped ears. The pig, the donkey, the hippopotamus, the okapi and the desert oryx are all animals that have been associated with him! Seth was both the brother and the murderer of Osiris (see above); and was the eternal rival of Horus (see above). He was one of Egypt's oldest deities, and the Egyptians had a negative view of him. They feared him for ability to harm, yet "admired his strength and ferocity" (Waterson).
How did religion influence every aspect of ancient
Egyptian life?
Religion truly influenced every aspect of Egyptian life! Ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods and goddesses and thought their gods were the true picture awesomeness and power. The Egyptians believed they controlled natural forces as well as human activities. For example, the Egyptians depended on the sun to grow their crops and on the Nile River to make the soil fertile. So that calls for two of the most important gods; the sun god Re and the river god Hapi (McTighe).
Some characteristics of the Egyptian beliefs/religion
According to the legends of ancient Egypt, Osiris was a pharaoh who gave the Egyptians laws and taught them how to farm.
His wife Isis represented the role model wife and mother.
The Egyptians liked the afterlife; they believed that life after death would be paradisal compared to reality.
The Egyptians called animals not just pets, but also thought that they were sacred creatures. As a result, they buried the mummies of animals at temples honoring their gods and goddesses.
(McTighe)
Fun facts about the pyramids
Egyptians build tombs called pyramids (I thought pyramids were just 3-D triangular shapes) for the pharaohs. Pyramids are made of stone blocks. Even centuries after the Great Pyramid of Giza (the grandest pyramid ever built, of course) was built, it still stood tall and proud above Egypt. The pyramids protect the dead pharaohs from floods, wild animals, and the worst of all- robbers. (McTighe) There are more farmers this time of the year when the flooding Nile prevents food to grow. But surveyors (people who examine the land so that it is flat), engineers, carpenters, and people who cut the stones are also helping build King Tut's pyramid. Workers searched for the stones near the Nile River valley or upper Egypt. It's the artisans that used copper tools to cut the stone into actual blocks (McTighe). The workers used rope to tug some of the blocks onto wooden sleds to the Nile River. They unload the blocks and drag (sometimes pushed) them up these huge ramps. (McTighe). The pyramids are the passageway from death to afterlife. Without them, a pharaoh wouldn't have his proper time in the afterlife (Dodson).