Book of Gates
Jan. 31st, 2004 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tanithryudoAccording to the background essay on the Book of Gates, apparently the gate system of the underworld that it depicts is very similiar to the gate system in The Book of the Dead (not that I've noticed. sigh). The fact that this and other books put the passage through the gates before the judgment (weighing?) of the soul, I guess the there's quite a lot of stuff to take place before the Hall of Maat, chronologically. Since I don't wanna go back and look through the BotD for the exact refs there, I suppose I can use the BoG version of the 1-5th hours instead.
Actual text found here
Analysis of the Am-Tuat and Bood of Gates
"In the Book of Gates, each gate has a guardian in the form of a serpent on its door, as well as two further guardians with scary names and fire spitting uraei. Also, in the solar barque, only two gods, Sia and Heka are found depicted together with the sun god... In the Book of Gates, each gate has a guardian in the form of a serpent on its door, as well as two further guardians with scary names and fire spitting uraei. Also, in the solar barque, only two gods, Sia and Heka are found depicted together with the sun god."
The text is categorized by chronological time... the hours counted since the sun went down.
First hour - some kind of pre-true-netherworld limbo. The collective dead are called "gods of the west" but are still rewarded and punished. The gate that is passed through isn't guarded, but it's existence seems only summonable by Ra. Basically, at the horizon, the mountain range itself splits in the middle to form a gate that later closes after the sun is past. Ra then tells the mountain to send forth light - presumably the dusk effect in the evening sky.
2nd hour - more dead, split into two groups of the good and the sinners. To enter this division, Ra passes through the Gate of Saa-set. Ra commands the door to open, and the "portal" is closed after he enters, to the lamentation of those in the mountain. Inside he is met by various gods and his boat is also towed by various gods.
3rd hour - reanimated mummies; the damned meet their end in the Lake of Fire; Apophis the snake appears and needs to be vanquished. The gate that leads in is the Gate of Aqebi. The door has an "outwork" which is guarded by nine mummy gods. The corridor between the doors has two fire-breathing serpents sweeping it with flame from opposing ends. The serpent guard of the door itself is Aquebi, who faces outwards. Inside the gate various rituals involving shrines and food, etc. are carried out. Apep the serpent is repulsed. (Apep = Apophis?)
4th hour - Lake of Life (jackal guards), Lake of Uraei; mummy shrines that are ressurected for 1 hour by the passing of the sun god. Many coiled serpent w/ 12 goddesses mark Time.
5th hour - Gods carrying a surveying cord to measure space; gods with a coiled serpent to measure "lifetime". Apophis has to be defeated and "fettered" again. "...the four 'races' of mankind, including Egyptians, Asiatics, Nubians and Libyans... who are assured existence in the afterlife." (Ooooboy) Horus and Sakhmet are in charge of the mainstream peeps. Aken is in charge of foreigners who makes it this far.
pre-6th hour - Hall of Judgment.
6th hour - "the union of the Ba and the corpse of he sun god (like those of all the blessed deceased)"
7th hour - enemies of the sun god are eliminated. The peeps who passed the judgment of Maat get rewarded. The rest get punted into the pit of annihilation.
8th hour - infinite time ouroborous; provisions for the blessed dead; mummies ready for some rite.
9th hour - dead are refreshed by the primeval waters of Nun. More condemned peeps who're tied up and get roasted by some big serpent (Fiery One) Horus calls up.
10th hour - major fight with Apophis again. The sun god manifests as a griffin, a falcon, and a scarab beetle, and is helped by two serpents. (Snake vs. snakes?)
11th hour - Apophis is dismembered. Re is about to rise up in the east.
12th hour - gates at the east where the sun rises.
Misc. Notes: It's possible that the "Sebau" from the Book of the Dead is an alternate name for Apophis. A few other sources I've seen online has Re battling 3 separate monsters in the underworld before he rises, Apophis and Sebau being 2 of the 3.
The griffin is an interesting addition. It adds yet another mythical creature I can use. Another one is the roc, but I'm not sure if that's mid-eastern or Egyptian.
Actual text found here
Analysis of the Am-Tuat and Bood of Gates
"In the Book of Gates, each gate has a guardian in the form of a serpent on its door, as well as two further guardians with scary names and fire spitting uraei. Also, in the solar barque, only two gods, Sia and Heka are found depicted together with the sun god... In the Book of Gates, each gate has a guardian in the form of a serpent on its door, as well as two further guardians with scary names and fire spitting uraei. Also, in the solar barque, only two gods, Sia and Heka are found depicted together with the sun god."
The text is categorized by chronological time... the hours counted since the sun went down.
First hour - some kind of pre-true-netherworld limbo. The collective dead are called "gods of the west" but are still rewarded and punished. The gate that is passed through isn't guarded, but it's existence seems only summonable by Ra. Basically, at the horizon, the mountain range itself splits in the middle to form a gate that later closes after the sun is past. Ra then tells the mountain to send forth light - presumably the dusk effect in the evening sky.
2nd hour - more dead, split into two groups of the good and the sinners. To enter this division, Ra passes through the Gate of Saa-set. Ra commands the door to open, and the "portal" is closed after he enters, to the lamentation of those in the mountain. Inside he is met by various gods and his boat is also towed by various gods.
3rd hour - reanimated mummies; the damned meet their end in the Lake of Fire; Apophis the snake appears and needs to be vanquished. The gate that leads in is the Gate of Aqebi. The door has an "outwork" which is guarded by nine mummy gods. The corridor between the doors has two fire-breathing serpents sweeping it with flame from opposing ends. The serpent guard of the door itself is Aquebi, who faces outwards. Inside the gate various rituals involving shrines and food, etc. are carried out. Apep the serpent is repulsed. (Apep = Apophis?)
4th hour - Lake of Life (jackal guards), Lake of Uraei; mummy shrines that are ressurected for 1 hour by the passing of the sun god. Many coiled serpent w/ 12 goddesses mark Time.
5th hour - Gods carrying a surveying cord to measure space; gods with a coiled serpent to measure "lifetime". Apophis has to be defeated and "fettered" again. "...the four 'races' of mankind, including Egyptians, Asiatics, Nubians and Libyans... who are assured existence in the afterlife." (Ooooboy) Horus and Sakhmet are in charge of the mainstream peeps. Aken is in charge of foreigners who makes it this far.
pre-6th hour - Hall of Judgment.
6th hour - "the union of the Ba and the corpse of he sun god (like those of all the blessed deceased)"
7th hour - enemies of the sun god are eliminated. The peeps who passed the judgment of Maat get rewarded. The rest get punted into the pit of annihilation.
8th hour - infinite time ouroborous; provisions for the blessed dead; mummies ready for some rite.
9th hour - dead are refreshed by the primeval waters of Nun. More condemned peeps who're tied up and get roasted by some big serpent (Fiery One) Horus calls up.
10th hour - major fight with Apophis again. The sun god manifests as a griffin, a falcon, and a scarab beetle, and is helped by two serpents. (Snake vs. snakes?)
11th hour - Apophis is dismembered. Re is about to rise up in the east.
12th hour - gates at the east where the sun rises.
Misc. Notes: It's possible that the "Sebau" from the Book of the Dead is an alternate name for Apophis. A few other sources I've seen online has Re battling 3 separate monsters in the underworld before he rises, Apophis and Sebau being 2 of the 3.
The griffin is an interesting addition. It adds yet another mythical creature I can use. Another one is the roc, but I'm not sure if that's mid-eastern or Egyptian.
