Khet represents the physical body and is considered part of the soul in ancient Egypt. The soul is made of eight parts. Together they will form the Akh, or whole, after death. The condition of the physical body determines quality of existence in the Egyptian Afterlife Aaru.
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The soul attains spiritual completion when the deceased successfully journeys to Aaru. It's not an easy task. Unlike the Underworld Kur of Mesopotamia, where no one is judged, the type of afterlife received in ancient Egypt is based on the person's deeds in life.
In ancient Egypt the Afterlife or Underworld begins with the jackal-headed god Anubis coming to take the dead person's spirit to duat, the first part of the Afterlife. There, the heart is weighed against a feather of Ma'at, Goddess of Justice.
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If heart is too heavy the deceased fails. The soul does not transition to Aaru, and hungry demon Ammitt devours the heart. The deceased is stuck in duat. There are opportunities to get out of duat, but they are few.
If the soul is judged worthy, the deceased must pass through up to 21 goddess gates guarded by demon gods. If this feat is successful, Heron God Benu awaits with a boat to take the person to the luxurious reed island of Osiris, god of vegetation and afterlife.
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Benu is connected to the ba or personality of the soul. He's the ba of Sun God Ra. The heron symbolizes eternal cycles of life / death / rebirth. Aaru itself is said to be the ka of the Nile Delta. The eight parts of the soul are
Khet, the physical body
Sah, the spiritual body
Ren, the name or identity
Ba, the personality
Ka, the vital essence or 'double' - life essence which exists in all living things
Ib, the heart
Shut, the shadow
Sekhem, the power, form
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Khet, the Physical Body
In Egyptian beliefs, without the physical body, the soul has no intelligence and no chance to be judged. Thus it's crucial to preserve the physical body as long as possible.
Mummification by natural forces happens in certain conditions such as arid climate, extreme cold or lack of air. Natural mummification is already known in Egypt when deliberate mummification first appears c. 3600 BCE.
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The condition of khet, the physical body, dictates the quality of existence for the deceased in the Afterlife. Before the soul can journey to duat, the person must be spiritually awakened using the dead body.
It's most important to halt the decomposition process. Specialists among the priests of Anubis remove the internal organs of the corpse, including the brain. The heart is left intact. Then the body is washed inside and out with a mix of spices and palm wine.
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Spices and resin used in embalming include cinnamon (tisheps or khet nedjem "sweet wood"), anise, cumin and myrrh. The natural petroleum product bitumen is also used.
The six steps of embalming are:
Announcing the Death
Embalming & Purifying the Body
Discarding the Brain from the Dead Body
Removal of the Internal Organs
Drying Out the Body
Stuffing the Body
The body is treated with natron, a type of soda ash and natural drying agent. After 40 days, the natron is washed away and the body stuffed with sawdust, sand, straw, linen and pouches of natron.
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The skin and first layers of linen wrappings are covered in resin or bitumen as sealant, preservative and pest repellent. Amulets, charms or cedar wood might be included in the wrappings, placed close to the body.
For furnishings or the coffin, cedar wood is valued for its pest and disease resistant properties. The Egyptians trade actively for Phoenician cedar, today's Cedar of Lebanon.
A coffin of wood may be placed inside a stone sarcophagus or neb ankh (possessor of life).
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Ideally the body is wrapped in fine linen with dense weave. Linen creates an air-tight environment and also has natural anti-moth and other insect repellent properties.
In the Old Kingdom (c. 2650 - 2130 BCE) elaborate burial chambers and mummification are primarily for Kings and the wealthy. By the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040 - 1780 BCE), any body could enjoy these privileges.
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According to Greek philosopher Herodotus, grieving families of ancient Egypt have a choice of type and quality of mummification. He writes,
"The best and most expensive kind is said to represent [Osiris], the next best is somewhat inferior and cheaper, while the third is cheapest of all."
The tomb may be decorated with scenes of a person's life. The purpose is both to show the Gods the virtue of the deceased, and to identify the deceased to the Gods. Items or animals beloved by the person, or potentially needed in the Afterlife, might be placed in the tomb.
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Grave goods include jewelry, musical instruments (and sometimes musicians), furniture, chariots, a change of clothes, oxen or other beasts of burden. If the dead person is wealthy, slaves or servants might be killed to attend the deceased.
Opening of the Mouth Ritual
At the interment of the body, priests of Anubis use special tools to perform funerary rites, which reanimate the mummified remains of the deceased in the afterlife. The main ceremony is the "opening of the mouth" ritual.
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The ritual is done in several stages. There are 72 parts to the rite and the whole process takes 70 days. The body first must be purified.
Natron, a baking soda type of salt also used in preservation of the body as a mummy, is a primary constituent to embalming. Oils and perfumes are placed in the mouth of the person, and on other parts of the body.
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Linseed oil, of the flax plant, and hemp seed oil are natural preservatives. Hemp seed oil is used even today as a wood sealant. Both flax and hemp are grown in ancient Egypt and used in embalming. Olive oil is imported from Crete after c. 2000 BCE.
The oils and resins symbolize the saliva of the falcon-headed god Horus in the Afterlife. He's connected with rebirth and resurrection. During the ritual, one priest wears a mask of jackal-headed god Anubis, and is responsible for keeping the body upright.
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The opening of the mouth ceremony grants senses and abilities to the spirit of the deceased. Functions such as breathing, speaking, seeing, eating, and drinking are considered essential.
Reciting spells and incantations, and asserting innocence before the gods after completing the trials of the duat requires use of senses such as sight, hearing and speech. Also, the deceased is said to receive milk, saltwater and fresh water upon entering the duat.
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These are connected to rebirth, symbolically representing the way infants receive milk from their mothers as a first source of nourishment. Drinking ability is essential for the spirit of the deceased.
The full ritual reanimates each section of the corpse, so the spiritual body has power of movement in the Afterlife. Rituals like this are costly and take time, but just as today, people are willing to invest in the fortunes of their loved ones.
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If the deceased is virtuous in life, the person can choose to take different forms in the next world. The various manifestations can be used to help or protect friends and/or family, or to take revenge on enemies.
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