Book of the Dead
Also known as: Book of Going Forth by Day, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Coming Forth by Day
An anthology of funerary spells, hymns, and instructions intended to guide the deceased safely through the afterlife, secure vindication before Osiris, and achieve transformation and union with the sun god.
Description
Commonly called The Book of the Dead but known to Egyptians as the Book of Going Forth by Day, this corpus comprises individualized papyrus manuscripts and tomb texts that combine spells, hymns, addresses to deities, and ritual directions. Its aim is to protect the deceased against dangers, ensure breath, water, and food, and enable successful judgment in the Hall of Two Truths through alignment with Maat. The collection includes metamorphosis spells, charms to pass gatekeepers, hymns to Ra, and instructions for preserving the heart and name—vital elements of personhood. Though standardized in the Saite period, manuscripts vary in selection, order, and illustration, with vignettes such as the weighing of the heart becoming iconic for Egyptian conceptions of the afterlife.
Historiography
The corpus descends from earlier Pyramid and Coffin Texts and crystallizes in the New Kingdom, with numerous papyri tailored for patrons by temple and funerary scribes. The Saite recension systematized spell numbering and sequence, though local variability persisted into the Ptolemaic era. Manuscripts frequently include painted vignettes that serve as visual exegesis. Modern editions rely on collation of key papyri (e.g., Ani, Hunefer) and museum collections to reconstruct spell order and variants.
Date Notes
Draws on Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts and Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts; most manuscripts are New Kingdom to Ptolemaic copies, with a standardized Saite recension in the 26th Dynasty.
Major Characters
- Osiris
- Ra
- Anubis
- Thoth
- Ma'at
- Isis
- Horus
- Ammit
- Hathor
Myths
- Spell for Going Forth by Day
- Weighing of the Heart
- Negative Confession
- Hymns to Ra and Osiris
- Gates and Guardians of the Duat
Facts
- The Egyptian title is often rendered as "Book of Going Forth by Day".
- Manuscripts are customized compilations; no two papyri are identical in selection and order.
- The Saite recension introduced a standard sequence and numbering widely used by scholars.
- Spell 125, depicting the weighing of the heart, is the most cited judgment scene.
- Vignettes function as visual commentaries guiding ritual and doctrinal meaning.
- Language ranges from Middle to Late Egyptian, written in hieroglyphs and cursive hieratic.
- The corpus integrates older Pyramid and Coffin Texts with New Kingdom compositions.
- Names and correct recitation are treated as operative powers for safe passage.
- The Field of Reeds represents the idealized posthumous life for the vindicated.
- Heart scarab amulets correspond to spells protecting the heart during judgment.