The medium of heaven and soul, khet

관리자
28 May 2023
Views 927


3e309555c0a3f.png

 Khet can be said to be a 'house of souls' that protects the soul rather than an intangible soul. Ket means the body and body of the killer. But it means a embalmed mummy, not a decomposing corpse. "ka," "Ba," and "Akh" cannot live forever without this "khet." These spirits had to return to the body and do activities such as eating and drinking, because this was impossible without khet.


aab84dd32e2ff.png

Page from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer, c. 1275 B.C.E., 45.7 x 83.4 cm (frame), Thebes, Egypt


However, even the embalmed body could not automatically be a medium for capturing the soul. Only through special ceremonies could the body become a "khet," which was an essential element for the soul to survive in the afterlife, and was carried out by a professional priest, "Sem," who wears leopard skin clothes and directs funeral ceremonies, and a spell-telling priest.


be655eb35e4c0.png

Memphis - Egypt - 500before JC - Troop of funerary servant figures shabtis in the name of Neferibreheb


Dolls that replace the body of a real person also appear. Human-shaped dolls called "Ushabti" are magical beings, such as farming or working on behalf of their owners in the underworld, and are buried together in tombs. As many as hundreds of "Ushabti" have been found in one tomb.
The Egyptians believed that Ushabti would be raised by the magical power of the priest and help his master in the underworld. This shows a deep-rooted belief in ancient Egypt's "witchcraft" and "preservation of the body."

0 47