After they died, the ancient Egyptians believed that they would go to an underworld beneath the Earth called Duat. A person’s spirit would have to pass through many dangers, such as lakes of fire and poisonous snakes, in order to reach the kingdom of Osiris. Osiris was exactly like Egypt was for the living, except it was for the dead.

Spells were used to help a spirit safely find its way through Duat. They would be written on coffins, and the dead would be buried with a map of the underworld. Collections of these spells were known as the Book Of The Dead. If you said the right spells you would pass through Duat unharmed.

The last test a spirit had to face was to have their heart weighed in front of the god Osiris. The Egyptians believed that a person’s heart carried a record of all their deeds. If you were true of heart and free of crimes, you could pass into the kingdom of Osiris. If you were untruthful a goddess called the Devourer of the Dead would eat your heart and you would not get to live on in the afterlife.

To find out more, check out this book.