Anubis Speaks!: A Guide to the Afterlife by the Egyptian God of the Dead (11 page)

The Journey Begins

It’s showtime, people! Are you ready? The

time has come to climb into Ra’s boat to join him on his twelve-hour night journey and fight Apophis. It’s still not too late to change your mind. You could close this book
right
now
and go on your merry way.

But if you stay, don’t blame me if you have

nightmares—especially about our enemy, Apophis, the giant snake that is determined to destroy us. The monster that slithers up from the swampy depths of pure evil. To wait for you.
Under your bed
. (Just kidding—about the under-your-bed part, anyway).

Apophis gave my people nightmares. He embodied every slimy, scary, dark, miserable, uncontrollable evil 21

they could imagine.

We ancients didn’t fool around when it came to Apophis.

And neither should you.

The Caverns of Misery

Hour One

See those baboons over there by the entrance to the first cavern? They are singing to welcome Ra into the underworld, just as they welcome him into the land of the living at sunrise. My people thought baboons spoke the secret language of the gods because they gathered together to chatter excitedly every day at both sunrise and sunset. They were the first to adore the sun god, my people believed, which was why baboons were often depicted as Thoth, the god of wisdom, or painted with their arms outstretched, adoring the sun.

When it came to adoring Ra, they didn’t monkey around.

Entering the Dark Lands

This first hour of our journey is the period between twilight and night. Ra enters the dark lands in his solar boat, also known as the
Mandjet
or day boat. My people depicted the solar boat as looking like the pharaoh’s royal barge—a long, thin, elegant ship often finished with precious metals and decorated at 22

each end with carved, painted papyrus plants.

Look, Ra is entering the first cavern. He appears exhausted, doesn’t he? And with good reason, too. It’s been a long, draining day, people. The sun god has made his slow journey through the twelve hours of the day, blessing all of Egypt with his light and energy.

He has shined down on farmers tilling land, fishermen pulling in nets, masons carving massive temple stones, and children playing with wooden toys. During the transition between day and night, my people called Ra “Flesh” or “Auf” (corpse) because this was the hour he faded away, leaving the world in darkness.

Terror in the Night

Remember, we didn’t have night lights and street lights like you moderns. When it got dark, it got
reeeealllly
dark. Sure, we had oil lamps and such, but the darkness overwhelmed everything. And with the dark came scary sounds of hippos roaring, jackals howling, crocodiles hissing, snakes slithering, and scorpions scrabbling. Making it through the night was scary.

In the underworld, the dark was a challenge for Ra, too. That’s why twelve snake goddesses carrying torches emerge to light his way. Now he is stepping out of his day boat, Mandjet, and into his night boat,
Mesektet
. That’s our signal to board, people.

As we approach Ra’s boat (don’t look directly 23

at him; he is the sun after all), you will notice the goddess Ma’at step in alongside him. As the goddess of order, truth, and justice, she is particularly important to Ra on this journey. The dark side revels in chaos, lies, and destruction, but with Ma’at next to him, Ra has the power of order and goodness on his side.