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The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian sacred text dating
from the New Kingdom. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased
soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the
sun though the underworld during the hours of the night. The
soul is required to pass though a series of 'gates' at different
stages in the journey. Each gate is associated with a different
goddess, and requires that the deceased recognise the particular
character of that deity. The text implies that some people will
pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in
a lake of fire.
The goddesses each have different titles, and wear different
coloured clothes, but are identical in all other respects,
wearing a five pointed star above their heads. Most of the
goddesses are specific to the Book of Gates, and do not appear
elsewhere in Egyptian mythology, and so it has been suggested
that the Book of Gates originated merely as a system for determining
the time at night, with the goddess at each gate being a representation
of the main star appearing during the hour.
The titles of the goddesses are:
|
Hour
|
Goddess |
|
1
|
Splitter of the heads of the
enemies of Ra |
|
2
|
Wise guard of the lord |
|
3
|
The one who cuts through Ba |
|
4
|
The one of great power |
|
5
|
She who is on her boat |
|
6
|
Successful leader |
|
7
|
The one who repels the serpent |
|
8
|
Lady of the night |
|
9
|
She who is in adoration |
|
10
|
The one who beheads rebels |
|
11
|
The star who repels rebels |
|
12
|
The witness to Ra's magnificence |
The most famous part of the Book of Gates refers to the different
races of humanity known to the Egyptians, dividing them up
into four categories that are now conventionally labelled
"Egyptians", "Asiatics", "Libyans",
and "Nubians". These are depicted in procession
entering the next world. The text and images associated with
the Book of Gates appear in many tombs of the New Kingdom,
including all the pharaonic tombs between Horemheb and Ramses
VII.
Egyptian
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