14
lives preparing for this journey. The soul would encounter
evil serpents, five-headed reptiles and other scary creatures.
It also had to pass through seven gates, reciting a spell at
each one. (The spells were included in the Egyptian
Book of
the Dead
, a copy of which would be placed in the coffin so
the soul could use it.) Finally, the soul had to convince forty-
two divine judges that it had done no wrong. Then its heart
would be weighed on a scale. If the soul’s heart was innocent
In this picture from an Egyptian
Book of the
Dead
, the god Anubis weighs a heart on a
scale. If the heart is as light as a feather, the
soul of the dead person is considered virtuous
and will go on to paradise. If the heart is
heavier, it will be eaten by the goddess
Ammit, and the soul will be lost forever.
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