Elements of eternal life

The ancient Egyptians believed that each person was made up from five elements. These were the physical body, the soul (ba), the spirit (ka), the name (ren), and the shadow (shwt). When people died, their ba, ka, ren and shwt survived. Mummification and all the burial rituals were devoted to preserving these elements for eternity.

The ba and the ka - The ba was shown as a bird with a human head. The ancient Egyptians believed that the ba could travel outside of the body, but it had to return each night. The ka came into being when a person was conceived, but lived on after death. It needed food to survive, so offerings were made for the ka. The Egyptians provided a statue for the ka to live in.

The ren - The ren or name was important as it was the main way of telling people apart and was an actual part of them. Because people would live as long as their name continued to exist on earth, their names were inscribed on their tomb, their coffin and other objects such as a stela (inscribed slab of stone or wood).

The akh - The ba and ka left the body at death, but if they could be reunited, then the physical body was transformed into the akh. The akh was the form the dead continued to live in after death. The akh might be referred to on an inscription in the tomb.

Journey to the Afterlife

The ancient Egyptians believed that the journey to the Afterlife was dangerous and the dead needed help to pass the tests and dangers they would face. Priests performed ceremonies during mummification and burial to help them on their journey. Prayers buried with the body meant that the dead person had a guide for self-help.

Prayers for the dead - Artists painted prayers needed on the journey or in the Afterlife on the coffin, on the walls of the tomb and on scrolls of papyrus (paper made from reeds).

Protection for the dead - Embalmers (men who preserved the dead bodies) wrapped amulets (protective charms) in the bandages to give power and protection. Some mummies had many amulets, some had just one or two. Others had none. Each amulet had a place and a purpose. The embalmers placed a large scarab amulet over the heart to protect it and the dead person.

Gods of the dead - The goddess Nephthys was one of the protectors of the dead, so her statuette in a tomb would help the dead person. The god Osiris was associated with death and rebirth. A clay figure of Osiris buried with the dead would create a link with the god and make rebirth more likely. A figure of a jackal, the symbol of the god Anubis, would place the dead person under the protection of the guardian of the cemetery.