Ani was an ambitious human who lived during the 13th century BCE in the Egyptian city of Thebes. This moment is a scene that has been depicted from his Book of the Dead, a 78-foot-long Papyrus scroll designed for him to attain immortality. Such precious commodities were only prescribed for the use of Pharaohs, anyhow, the common Egyptians came to believe of their position in the afterlife if they succeeded in the treacherous quest to the underworld and surpass all requirements to reach the afterlife. Ani was one such aspiring fellow.
His epic journey begins with his death. His body is mummified by a team of priests, who remove every organ in his body apart from his heart, the source of memory, intelligence and emotion. He is then carefully stuffed with a salt, namely natron, and wrapped in resin-soaked linen, woven with charms necessary for protection. His mummified corpse is also topped with a precious amulet, proven to be useful later on. The objective is to preserve Ani’s body for a course of two months so that his soul can eventually reunite with his body. In spite of that, his soul must first pass through the duat (underworld). This is a domain of vast caverns, lakes of fire, and enchanted gates, all which are guarded by fearsome beasts, snakes, crocodiles and half-human monstrosities. To make matters worse, Apep the serpent god of destruction lurks in the shadows waiting to devour Ani’s spirit.
Fortunately, Ani has come well prepared and included prayers, codes and spells in his Book of the Dead, to avail him from the upcoming struggles in the underworld. With his heroic attempts, Ani successfully traverses through the underworld, confronting the monstrous beasts and cleverly evading Apep. Finally, reaching the Hall of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice, encountering his ultimate challenge. He is judged by 42 assessor gods, who must be convinced that he has lived a righteous life. Ani confidently approaches each one and confesses a sin that he has not committed. However, has anyone lived such a perfect life? This is where his amulet comes into use, ensuring that Ani’s heart does not betray him and reveal the truth by recalling previous incidents.
Now comes Ani’s moment of truth, the ultimatum. The weighing of the heart. If his heart is proven to be heavier than the feather, it would be brutally swallowed by the fearsome Ammit, part crocodile, part leopard and part hippopotamus, and Ani’s path to immortality would be permanently sealed. But Ani is in luck, as his heart is certified as pure.
Ra, the sun god, takes him to Osiris, the god of the underworld, who gives him the final approval to enter the afterlife. In the lush fields, Ani meets his deceased parents. In the afterlife, there is no pain, anger, sadness, there is only work that needs to be done. Ani, along with everyone else, must cultivate a plot of land, which he does with the help of a Shabti doll (a figurine that is placed in an Egyptian tomb to do any work that one may be called upon to do in the afterlife). Today, Ani’s Book of the Dead is in the British Museum, ever since 1888.
Who knows what happens after death and what the path is to immortality? Is it what happened to Ani? What do you think?