Egypt: A Multi-Cultural Project
By Pragat Muthu
Dear Reader,
I chose Egypt because from a young age I have been very interested in the stories and the lives of the Egyptian. Since I was a very young age, I read the mythology of many different religions and cultures. For example I read about Norse mythology, Greek mythology, and Roman mythology. I can vividly remember about odin, Zeus, and Mars. I first got hooked with the Egyptian mythology with the Rick Riordan books about the two kids and their journey through Egyptian culture. It further lead me to read a book over many different stories of Egypt and I quite enjoyed it.
My journey through the Egyptian culture has led me to read two books. The first one is called the "Book of the Dead". This book was supposedly written by the Egyptian God Thoth. This was a read that was very interesting. However, this book it has its eccentricities. The book is in worded in an awkward way. However, that can be chalked up to the translation. The second book was “Harper’s Song:Tomb of Intef” This poem was very interesting.
This has changed my perceptions of the culture of the Egyptians. I had originally enjoyed reading about them, however I never took it really seriously. However, this research and reading has showed me the Egyptian culture is very serious. It has taught me about its importance.
From
Author
Pragat Muthu
Analysis #1
The Egyptian culture is a wonderful and intricate thing. It covers many different topics. These topics were very unique to this culture. In the Egyptian culture, the three main special qualities are its religion, its religious rituals, and it's language.
Egypt's religion is very special. Due to the fact that religion was very important in Egyptian life, the religion also has to be very special. Egyptian religion is based on polytheism, the worship of many gods. They had around 200 Gods. These gods are very special because they are half human half animal. For example Horus, had the head of a hawk and the body of a human. These gods are what the Egyptians believed created the world. They believe that the mound of dirt rose up from an ocean of darkness and some dirt just appeared and the sun god created light and the rest of the world. This can be connected to the texts because both texts have to do with God's. This is because the first one, "The Book of the Dead", It is his written by an Egyptian God. It also talks about Osris, the God of the dead. The second book also talks about stop it. The second book has a very strong connection to gods. It also brings up the topic of Osris, because the poem was found in a tomb. So the poem and the book, have a connection to the religion of Egypt.
Second main part of the Egyptian culture is rituals because the Egyptians had an intense obsession with the afterlife and death. Egyptians believed the death was a transition from life to a better life. They believed that death unlock your true potential. Each person has three schools, in their eyes. The first one is the Ka, the second is the Ba and the third is the Akh. Your Ba is very similar to our definition of soul. The ka is here true image that travels from your life to the afterlife. The Akh is the joining together of the Ka and the Ba. This is what the Egyptians believed the stars were. Since the Egyptians believe that death and afterlife were so important, rituals and burials were very carefully done.If the person died, the priests try to bring him back to life. If this does not work, they cleanse the body and remove all the organs . They then pack the body with salt and leave in for 40 days. They remove the salt and replace it with linen. They wrap the body in bandages and beautified. The chief embalmer, who was supposed to represent Anubis, covers the face with a mask. They perform the opening of the mouth,. This is a ritual that gives the dead the ability to eat, speak, drink, etc. in the afterlife. The tomb was then sealed. The egyptians took this emballement very seriously. If they messed up, they believed that the dead would not survive in the afterlife and would die. This can be shown in both "Harper's song" and in "The Book Of The Dead" In Harper's Song, it talks about death and how it is a kindly fate. For example it says, "The gods who were before rest in their tombs, Blessed nobles too are buried in their tombs." This quote describes how tombs are very sacred and holy. This shows how death is very sacred and important to the Egyptian culture. “The Book of the Dead” is a book about the afterlife. This book is a collection of spells to help a dead soul to travel throughout the Duat, or the afterlife. This is a book that was given to multiple people in their tomb. It was so that the soul could use it to travel the afterlife. This shows that death is very important and sacred to the Egyptian culture.
Second main part of the Egyptian culture is rituals because the Egyptians had an intense obsession with the afterlife and death. Egyptians believed the death was a transition from life to a better life. They believed that death unlock your true potential. Each person has three schools, in their eyes. The first one is the Ka, the second is the Ba and the third is the Akh. Your Ba is very similar to our definition of soul. The ka is here true image that travels from your life to the afterlife. The Akh is the joining together of the Ka and the Ba. This is what the Egyptians believed the stars were. Since the Egyptians believe that death and afterlife were so important, rituals and burials were very carefully done.If the person died, the priests try to bring him back to life. If this does not work, they cleanse the body and remove all the organs . They then pack the body with salt and leave in for 40 days. They remove the salt and replace it with linen. They wrap the body in bandages and beautified. The chief embalmer, who was supposed to represent Anubis, covers the face with a mask. They perform the opening of the mouth,. This is a ritual that gives the dead the ability to eat, speak, drink, etc. in the afterlife. The tomb was then sealed. The egyptians took this emballement very seriously. If they messed up, they believed that the dead would not survive in the afterlife and would die. This can be shown in both "Harper's song" and in "The Book Of The Dead" In Harper's Song, it talks about death and how it is a kindly fate. For example it says, "The gods who were before rest in their tombs, Blessed nobles too are buried in their tombs." This quote describes how tombs are very sacred and holy. This shows how death is very sacred and important to the Egyptian culture. “The Book of the Dead” is a book about the afterlife. This book is a collection of spells to help a dead soul to travel throughout the Duat, or the afterlife. This is a book that was given to multiple people in their tomb. It was so that the soul could use it to travel the afterlife. This shows that death is very important and sacred to the Egyptian culture.
The last main facet of Egyptian culture is its language. The Egyptian language is a special language that is based on real life and symbolism. This is an example of pictographs. A pictograph is a written language based on pictures instead of letters. For example, A is hawk, B is a foot, C is a cup, D is a hand, E is a Reed, F is a Viper, G is a stand, etc. This is a special language as there are not that many languages like this. This is shown everywhere in Egyptian culture. “Harper’s Song” is a poem written in Hieroglyphics. It was found in the tombs of the pharaohs. “The Book of the Dead” is also written in Hieroglyphics. Since Egyptian culture is very visual, through books etc., hieroglyphics are very important.
In conclusion, there are 3 main aspects of Egyptian culture. They are religion, death rituals, and language. The religion is based on polytheism. Egyptian culture is very religious. This is shown in the two books through the use of religious names and through the reference to the afterlife. The next aspect is rituals. The main ritual is embalming. Embalming is important because the Egyptians believe that embalming leads to a proper afterlife. In the books, it talks about tombs and "The Book of the Dead" is a book to lead souls through the afterlife. The third aspect is language. In Egyptian culture everything is written with this language. The two books are written in this language. This culture is very verbal, so the written language is very important. That is an overview of the Egyptian culture
Analysis 2
Within Egyptian culture, there are many values. For example, Egyptian values are conservative moral standards, tradition, and family. However, the universal Egyptian value is death. This is shown everywhere, because Egyptians have a strong belief in the afterlife. This is shown in many of Egyptian literature, arts, and other forms of its culture.
In one piece of literature, a Harper wrote a poem about life and death. This piece talks about death, rebirth, and tombs. The Harper says, “Death is a kindly fate. A Generation passes, Another stays, Since the time of the ancestors. The gods who were before rest in their tombs, Blessed nobles too are buried in their tombs.” This is a quote about how death is an event that is anticipated, sometimes even wanted. This shows how death is a universally accepted and appreciated value in Egyptians.
The second story is a major piece of literature in Egyptian culture. It is called “The Book of Dead”. This is a book full of information, instruction, and spells to lead a soul through the underworld. This is a book that is found in most tombs. The Egyptians believed that the items that are buried with the dead body follow the soul into the afterlife. That is why that many dead bodies are buried with the riches, the possessions, the pets, the organs, and most dead bodies are buried with a boat. This is because the “The Book of the Dead” describes a part of the afterlife as a river. In this book, it is said, “Hail, O ye who make perfect souls to enter into the House of Osiris, make ye the well-instructed soul of the Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is true, to enter in and to be with you in the House of Osiris. Let him hear even as ye hear; let him have sight even as ye have sight; let him stand up even as ye stand up; let him take his seat even as ye take your seats.” This quote explains how the house of Osiris is the afterlife and is where all the souls who are not lost go after death. What this quote explains is that the souls want to go to this area, the house of Osiris. This is repeated throughout the book and throughout other cultural examples. This shows how throughout the book, death is a universal theme and value in this book and in this example of Egyptian culture.
This value of death can be connected to the hindu religion. The hindu religion has a belief in rebirth and an afterlife. It believes that after life, if you have been good, you will go be with god. However, if you have been bad you will be reborn and have to live again and again till they have been good. This is connected to the egyptian culture, because both cultures believe in life after death. The Hindus believe that there is an afterlife with God, and the egyptians believe it too.
In conclusion, the main universal value for the egyptian culture is death. This is shown in "Harper's Song" when it says that death is a kindly fate. This shows how death is very important. It is also shown in "The Book of the Dead" when they explain that death is not painful and bad. It explains that it is an honor to be in God's home. This can also can be connected to hindu religion. This can be shown in the fact that both hindus and egyptians believe in an afterlife. One can infer that the egyptians lived a good life. This can be inferred because the majority of egyptians did not fear death. This fearlessness of death probably is derived from a happy life that creates no regrets that would create a mindset for the egyptians that is comprised of a carefree attitude towards life and death. This is the analysis on the universal value of death for the egyptian culture.
Bib
Works Cited
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"Egyptian Book of the Dead." Egyptian Book of the Dead. Nazareneway, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
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Ancient Egyptian Medical Instruments Depicted in a Ptolemaic Period Inscription on the Temple at Kom Ombo. Digital image. Ancient Egypt Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.