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THE HEART OF ANI BEING WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE

(From British Museum Papyrus, No. 10,470.)

who is in the abode of the dead, 'Turn thy face, O just and, righteous weigher [who weighest] the heart in the balance, to stablish it."" Facing Anubis, a god of the dead, stands Ani's "Luck" or "Destiny," Shai

and above is a human-headed object resting upon a pylon which is supposed to be connected with the place where he was born. Behind these stand the goddesses Meskhenet

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deities who presided over the birth and education of children. Near these is the soul of Ani in the form of a human

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headed bird standing upon a pylon. On the right of the balance, behind Anubis, stands Thoth, the scribe of the gods, with his reed-pen and palette containing black and red ink, with which to record the result of the trial. Behind Thoth is the female monster Āmām

the "Devourer," called also Ām-mit

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1, the 'Eater of the Dead." She has the fore-part of a crocodile, the hind quarters of a hippopotamus, and the middle part of a lion. Ani says :

"My heart my mother, my heart my mother, my heart my coming into being. May there be no resistance to me in [my] judgment; may there be no opposition to me from the divine chiefs; may there be no parting of thee from me in the presence of him who keepeth the scales! Thou art my ka (double) within my body which knitteth and strengtheneth my limbs. Mayest thou come forth to the place of happiness to which we advance. May the divine chiefs (Shenit) not make my name to stink, and may no lies be spoken against me in the presence of the god. It is good for thee to hear glad tidings of joy at the weighing of

words. May no false accusation be made against me in the presence of the great god. Verily, exceedingly mighty shalt thou be when thou risest]."

Thoth, the righteous judge of the great cycle of the gods who are in the presence of the god Osiris, saith, "Hear ye this judgment. The heart of Osiris hath in very truth been weighed and his soul hath stood as a witness for him; his trial in the Great Balance is true. There hath not been found any wickedness in him; he hath not wasted the offerings in the temples; he hath not harmed any by his works; and he uttered not evil reports while he was upon earth."

Then the great cycle of the gods reply to Thoth dwelling in Khemennu (Hermopolis): "That which cometh forth from thy mouth cannot be gainsaid. Osiris, the scribe Ani, the victorious one in judgment, is just and righteous. He hath not committed sin, neither hath he done evil against us. The Devourer shall not be allowed to prevail over him; he shall be allowed to enter into the presence of the god Osiris, and offerings of meat and drink shall be given unto him, together with an abiding habitation in Sekhet-ḥetepu, as unto the followers of Horus."

In the second part of this scene we have Ani being led into the presence of the god Osiris. On the left the hawkheaded god Horus, , the son of Isis, wearing the crowns

of the South and North, holding Ani by the hand, leads him into the presence of "Osiris, the lord of eternity," Asar neb tchetta. This god is

seated within a shrine in the form of a funereal chest, and he wears the atef crown, with plumes; at the back of

his neck hangs a menat , the emblem of joy and

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SCENE OF THE WEIGHING OF THE HEART IN THE HALL OF OSIRIS.

(From British Museum Papyrus, No. 9,901.)

Here it will be noticed that the details of the Judgment Scene are different from those given in the Papyrus of Ani. Thus Meskhenet, Renenet, Meskhen, Shai, and the soul of the deceased are omitted; the pillar of the balance is surmounted by a head of the goddess Maat; the wife of the deceased is omitted, and the throne of Osiris is set upon water.

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happiness. In his hands he holds the crook, sceptre 1, and the flail, emblems of rule, sovereignty and dominion. On the side of his throne are depicted the doors of the tomb with bolts, Behind him stand Nephthys on his right and Isis on his left. Standing upon a lotus flower which springs from the ground, are the four deities generally known as "the children of Horus " (or Osiris); they represent the cardinal points. The first, Mestha has the head of a man

[; the second, Ḥāpi, the head of an ape; the third,

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Suspended near the lotus flower is a bullock's hide, into which the deceased, or the person who represented him at funereal ceremonies, was supposed to enter. The roof of the shrine rests upon pillars with lotus capitals, and is ornamented with a cornice of uræi ; the hawk-headed figure above represents the god Horus-Sept or Horus-Seker.

At the foot of steps leading to the throne of Osiris, kneels Ani upon a mat made of fresh reeds; his right hand is raised in adoration, and in his left he holds the kherp

}. He wears a whitened wig surmounted by a

sceptre }.

"cone," the signification of which is unknown. Round his neck is the collar. Close by are a table of offerings of meat, fruit, flowers, etc., and a number of vases containing wine, beer, unguents,,,, etc.; with these are

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