Book of the Dead News and Egyptian Curses Eps. 404

222 Paranormal Podcast

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(notes from Wikipedia)

The Book of the Dead (Ancient Egyptian: 𓂋𓏤𓈒𓈒𓈒𓏌𓏤𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳𓏤, r(ꜣ)w n(y)w prt m hrw(w)) is an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated r(ꜣ)w n(y)w prt m hrw(w), is translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day or Book of Emerging Forth into the Light.[citation needed] "Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts[4] consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1,000 years. In 1842, the Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius introduced for these texts the German name Todtenbuch (modern spelling Totenbuch), translated to English as 'Book of the Dead'.

The Book of the Dead, which was placed in the coffin or burial chamber of the deceased, was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, which were painted onto objects, not written on papyrus. Some of the spells included in the book were drawn from these older works and date to the 3rd millennium BC. Other spells were composed later in Egyptian history, dating to the Third Intermediate Period (11th to 7th centuries BC). A number of the spells which make up the Book continued to be separately inscribed on tomb walls and sarcophagi, as the spells from which they originated always had been.

There was no single or canonical Book of the Dead. The surviving papyri contain a varying selection of religious and magical texts and vary considerably in their illustration. Some people seem to have commissioned their own copies of the Book of the Dead, perhaps choosing the spells they thought most vital in their own progression to the afterlife. The Book of the Dead was most commonly written in hieroglyphic or hieratic script on a papyrus scroll, and often illustrated with vignettes depicting the deceased and their journey into the afterlife.

The finest extant example of the Egyptian in antiquity is the Papyrus of Ani. Ani was an Egyptian scribe. It was discovered in Luxor in 1888 by Egyptians trading in illegal antiquities. It was acquired by E. A. Wallis Budge, as described in his autobiography By Nile and Tigris in 1888 and was taken to the British Museum, where it remains.

Tomb of Senmut

The curse written on the wall at the tomb of Senmut translates to mean, 'His lifetime shall not exist on earth.' The tomb was made for Queen Hatshepsut of Senenmut's (also known as Senmut) royal adviser. He was a powerful man of his time and allowed to build his tomb close to the one built for the Queen pharaoh which was a rare privilege for anyone of non-royal blood. After the Queen died he was forgotten and the tomb never completed. The paintings and subscription's inside are well preserved, including the ancient curse. Its not yet open to the public but efforts are underway to make it accessible.

Tomb of Pennout

The curse on the tomb of Pennout claims, 'He will be miserable and persecuted.' Pennout was a High Priest of the pharaoh Ramses II. There are many paintings that represent the life of Pennout. There is an illustration of Pennout giving a land donation to Ramses VI to generate income for a statue of the pharaoh. Many visit this tomb each year, and it's open for the public to brave the curse. This is one of the best preserved tombs of its kind that haven't been lost under Lake Nasser. Pennout's wife also shares the tomb with her husband in an underground stone chamber.

Bahariya Oasis

An archeologist was assisting with removing two mummy's from the Bahariya Oasis tomb and he was haunted by dreams of children during the procedure. The dreams only stopped after the mummy of the father was reunited with the children at the museum. Many people involved with removing mummy's or traveling with them in their possession have been haunted by strange dreams until the mummy's were no longer in their possession.

King Ahmose I

There is a report by Zahi Hawass of a young boy sick with a terminal illness. The boy loved Egypt and one day went to the Egyptian museum and looked into the eyes of the mummy of King Ahmose I. Afterward, the boy was miraculously cured from his illness without any explanation. Later the boy went on to study Egyptian culture, and was specifically interested in the Hyksos period. Zahi Hawass is a notable archeologist and tour guide and has recently shown President Obama and Beyonce around the pyramids.

Kom Abou-Billou

A young archaeologist Zahi Hawass learned the dangers of excavating an Egyptian tomb after working on the Kom Abou-Billou site. On the first anniversary of the excavation his cousin died, then his uncle on the second and his aunt on the third. Years later, while working in the Pyramid of Giza, he uncovered the curse that means, 'All people who enter this tomb, make evil against this tomb and destroy it may the crocodile be against them in water and snakes against them on land. May the hippopotamus be against them on water and the scorpion against them on land.' Hawass came to the belief mummy's shouldn't be displayed to the public but it was better than allowing people to enter the tombs.

Turning Statue

In late 2013, a Manchester museum was haunted with an Egyptian statue that rotated 180 degrees every three days seemingly on its own. The statue was in a glass case and untouched from everyone except from the curator who kept turning it back. The museums curator claimed the ancient Egyptians believed if the mummy was destroyed then the statuette could be used as an alternative vessel for the spirit. A time lapse video has been sped up to clearly show the statue moving without being touched. Scientists offered another explanation claiming the friction of two surfaces could be moving the statue but regardless it is still really creepy.

King Tut's Tomb

The curse of the Pharaoh's struck again with the opening of King Tut's tomb in 1923, which launched the modern era of Egyptology. This is the most famous case because many people at the original opening of the tomb died before their time under weird conditions a short time after the opening. While working at the tomb Howard Carter, the lead of the project, sent a messenger to his house. On arrival, he heard a faint cry and saw Carter's canary being eaten by a cobra, the sign of the Egyptian monarchy. The incident was reported by the New York Times in December of 1922. Out of the 26 people at the opening of the tomb six died from mysterious causes, although rumors greatly exaggerate this number. Scientists have attributed bacteria on the walls of the tomb to the curse. Most of the Egyptian curses are metaphysical but in some cases booby traps and the use of poison did enforce the curse causing death or injury to those who entered.