Transporting the Deceased to Eternity: The Ancient Egyptian Term 'H3i' - Paperback

by Kelly-Anne Diamond (Author)

The research conducted for this work revolves around the Egyptian word HAi. Man's innate desire to defeat death has found expression in his ritual behavior and mythology. In conjunction with the preservation of the corpse, the deposition of grave goods with the body, and the ceremonial act of burial, the ancient Egyptians devised a symbolic journey for the dead in order for them to pass on to a new life - this is the ritual of HAi. The term has the connotation of "ritually transport" with the express purpose of revivifying or rejuvenating the deceased. The results of this research are arranged under the following headings: genre of sources, participants (divided chronologically into three chapters), the avian motif that is connected to many references, location and time, the significance of the A 28 gesture, and a catalogue of sources. Generally, each chapter follows in chronological sequence. On a few occasions, for ease of discussion, similar sources have been grouped together within a particular period.