Book of the Earth 33
An excerpt from the Book of the Dead. (Photograph by Manfred Wernor)
tence only after the person died. The ba was essential for the deceased’s existence in the Netherworld. The ka was a kind of abstract double of the deceased that needed a place to live. Its first choice was the corpse, but in case the body was damaged or destroyed, many Egyptians were buried with one or more ka statues carved in their likeness so the ka could dwell within the statue. The Egyptians were almost encyclopedic in their concern with the various parts of the body. The Book of the Dead seems to have been written by priests who drew up a list of every body part that would be needed in the next world and then created a spell to protect it, as in the following examples: The Chapter of Not Permitting the Head of a Man to Be Cut Off in the Netherworld. I am the great one, son of the great one. I am fire, son of fire, whose head was given to him after it was cut off. His head shall not be taken away from him . . .
When the Book of the Dead first appeared in the New Kingdom, it was considered essential to anyone seeking immortality by resurrecting in the Netherworld. This belief in the Book of the Dead continued
well into the period of Greek occupation of Egypt. The texts themselves remained virtually unchanged for more than a thousand years. No doubt many who purchased copies of the Book of the Dead could not read them, but that was not of great concern. Having the magical words that would guide them safely to the Netherworld was the important thing.
Book
of the Divine Cow A group of spells and incantations intended to protect the body of the king originating during the Amarna period (1352–1336 b.c.). The Book of the Divine Cow is based on the myth that the sun god, in very ancient times, lived on Earth and ruled the people. When he grew old, he found that mankind was plotting against him and he was determined to have his revenge (see Destruction of Mankind, the Myth of). Examples of the Book of the Divine Cow can be found on the inside wall of Tutankhamen’s outermost gilt shrine, now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Book of the Divine Cow is also inscribed on the wall of a side chamber in the tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings.
Book of the Earth A later version of the sun god’s journey through the Underworld, the Book of the Earth was created during the Twentieth Dynasty