The Egyptian cosmos is separated into two parts.

The upper region

consists of the earth (Geb), atmosphere (Shu) and heavens (Nut). Nut
and Geb are lovers, but Shu must hold them apart to allow the other
gods the freedom to move across the cosmos.Â

Most important of these celestial children is Ra, the sun god, who
sails across the sky at day and into the underworld at night. Whereas
the heavenly bodies represent the divine order of the universe, the
underworld epitomises pure chaos. The ‘Duat’, as it is known, is a
dark abyss thriving with snakes, monsters and evil spirits.Â

To bring order to this chaos, several gods made their home in the
underworld, helping to guide the dead through its treacherous terrain.
It is Ra, the sun god, who helps bring balance to the cosmos, with the
help of his fellow deities. He sails across the ‘River of the Sky’
in the day, resting in his boat known as Mandjet (the day barge).
During the evening, he enters the underworld, and the boat would take
on the name, Mesketet (the boat of millions).Â

As he descends into the netherworld, the body of Ra perishes, bringing

darkness to the upper region of the Earth. A crew of lesser deities
guard his body and steer the boat through the perilous underworld, in
the hope of bringing him back to life.Â

The boats first stop is at the gap of Abydos, where the souls of
countless humans board. They will be judged by Osiris who will
determine their place in the afterlife. The Mesketet then sets off on
its journey into the underworld, where it will pass through twelve
gates, each chamber offering a challenge which must be overcome before
Ra can rise again.

HOUR 1: At the ‘Watercourse of Ra’, Wepwawet, opener of ways,

unlocks the first gate, allowing the Ra access to the underworld. The
boat passes six snakes whom the goddess Ba holds at bay.

HOUR 2: It is at ‘Ur Nes’, where Ra’s light nurtures the spirit

of the corn so that it may flourish in the upper world, bringing health
and abundance to his people.Â

HOUR 3: In the ‘Kingdom of Osiris’, the hearts of mortals are

judged against the weight of a feather. If the weight of their sins
causes the scales to drop all the way to the bottom, they are eaten by
Amemt, devourer of souls.

HOUR 4: ‘Living One of Forms’ is a gloomy desert realm, presided

over by Sokar, lord of the mysterious. The boat floats quietly over the
sands, so as not to rouse a hydra which guards the realm.

HOUR 5: The boat of Ra passes into a ravine known as ‘The Hidden’.

The way out is guarded by two sphinxes, whose riddles must be solved
before the boat can move on. It is Sokar, god of the dead, who helps
them solve the guardian’s secrets.

HOUR 6: At ‘the Abyss of Waters’, the boat drops into a great

river. A monstrous lion prowls its banks, and further along they are
joined by Khepera, god of resurrection, who later, will help to revive
the body of Ra.
HOUR 7: ‘The Secret Cavern’ is a perilous realm, for Apep, lord of
Chaos resides there. The great serpent tries to swallow the boat, but
Isis, goddess of magic, uses her powers to banish the beast back into
the abyss.

HOUR 8: ‘Sarcophagus of the Gods’ is the resting place of bygone

deities. When the boat of Ra passes, they cry out and salute the sun
god, for his time to arise is close at hand.Â

HOUR 9: As the boat enters the ‘Procession of Images’, the river

becomes savage and unruly. The 12 star gods help guide the boat away
from fire breathing serpents, back to safer shores.Â

HOUR 10: The boat now arrives at ‘Lofty of Banks’. A group of

Divine warriors protect Ra as a great hawk, known as the ‘Leader of
Heaven’, guides them toward the light. Khepera joins himself to Ra,
in readiness for his resurrection.

HOUR 11: ‘Mouth of the Cavern’ is a land of life and death. Those
mortals who were deemed evil in the third hour are cast into a pit,
guarded over by goddesses of fire, until they perish. Shedu, as a
winged serpent, brings with him the promise of a new day.

HOUR 12: ‘The Birth Shines Forth’ is the final chamber, where
Khepera resurrects the great king Ra. His waking form glides through
the mouth of the great serpent known as ‘Life of the Gods’.Â

So it is that Ra is reborn, and the glory of the morning sun causes all
people to cheer as his light returns to the upper region of the
Egypt._¹
At the edge of the world lies the Watercourse of Ra, the great source
of the Nile river that travels out of the world of mere humanity and
into Duat. Entering upon the river, the barque is greeted by six
serpents with flaming breath, who guard the passage into Duat and allow
none who might harm Ra to pass by them. After passing the first of the
pillared gates that separate each region of Duat, the barque enters Ur-
Nes, the land of the shadowy boats, which float upon the waters
seemingly without any captain or crew and carry the souls of the dead
onward to the great fields of wheat and plenty that await them. At the
end of Ur-Nes is the Watercourse of the One God, where the beautiful
kingdom of Osiris stands; but, of course, Ra will not be staying here,
as he is only temporarily dead and has places to be come tomorrow.

The barque passes the Pits of Fire, where souls of the wicked dead are
tormented, and also past the pits is the Land of Living Forms, where
the river falls into a fathomless ravine and is engulfed by the desert
of Seker, which is as far as any of the dead who are not gods
themselves can travel. In the desert, the barque barque transforms into
a great serpent, the better to travel through the parched sands when a
boat can no longer carry the god onward, with Ra and his entourage in
its snaky mouth. The serpent carries on to the Hidden Land, the abode
of Seker and the great sphinxes of the underworld, and then to the
Abyss of Waters, where many of the gods are said to dwell, but again Ra
can't stop and visit, although it's said that the other deities often
come out to pay respects to his passage as he goes by.

The Secret Cavern is the most dangerous portion of the journey, since
it's where the great serpent Apep lies in wait, intent on swallowing Ra
and bringing eternal darkness to the world; this is where Horus and Set
battle the serpent each night, and where the other gods who join them
on the barque struggle to make sure that the sun can rise again
tomorrow and the world won't be plunged into chaos. (And this is pretty
relevant, considering that there was a solar eclipse that took a shot
at the venerable old god last week in southern North America!) The
barque then continues on past the Sarcophagus of the Gods, where the
graves of all gods who have died remain (although these gods, too, call
out to pay their respects when Ra passes by), until it reaches the
Procession of Images, where serpents belch flame to light the way and
guard the barque, which has returned to its original form.

The Lofty Banks lie beyond the Procession of Images, the home of the
greatest among the Egyptian gods, and they come out to provide light
and encouragement to Ra to see him the rest of the way through Duat’s
many gates. The Mouth of the Cavern comes next and leads to the land of
Ra himself, who rules and maintains it when not busy; and finally, at
the easternmost edge of Duat, lies the land where Darkness has Fallen
and Births Shine, the place of rebirth and rising at each new morning.
Here Ra enters the mouth of the great golden serpent Ka-en-ankh-neteru,
the Life of the Gods, and through it is reborn to embark upon the solar
barque and rise into the sky to cross the world as a new day’s
sun. uÔ ȕEventually they
arrive at the Stygian Marsh, a swamp which is surrounded by the five
rivers of the underworld. It is here, at the crossroads, they appear
before a panel of three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus, who
pass sentence on the three spirits. based on how well or ill they lived
their lives.Â

The virtuous soul is sent far to the west to an island known as the
Elysian Fields, which is reserved for heroic mortals and demi-gods.
Within this bountiful realm, the virtuous souls can indulge in musical
pursuits, athletic games and feast on sumptuous foods.Â

The ordinary soul is told to drink from the river Lethe (situated in
Erebus), which makes them forget their earthly lives. They are then
sent to the Asphodel meadows, a foggy realm where the sun never shines.
These souls are ferried by Charon across the river Acheron (river of
woe), to spend an indeterminate time in this fertile realm, living off
flowers for sustenance.Â

The meadows are dark and gloomy, and all its occupants are mere shadow
of their former selves, described as inactive, slow witted and joyless.
According to the poet Virgil, these souls will one day be reincarnated
upon Earth, and offered another opportunity to live a virtuous life,
thus earning a place in Elysium.

Finally, the wicked soul is sent to Tartarus, a deep abyss which is

used as a dungeon for giants, Titans and monsters. They are escorted by
the Furies, three creatures of divine retribution, who march the
wretched souls to a life of torture and punishment.Â

To ensure these villains never escaped, two powerful monsters were

tasked with guarding the exit. The first was Campe, a colossal being
with a woman's head, a dragon’s body and a scorpions tail. She was
eventually killed by Zeus when he freed the Cyclopes, and replaced by
the Hecatonchires, hundred handed giants, who were stronger than the
Titans themselves.耀耀 耀ÿ4Ñ/á=