1

Running head: Afterlife Beliefs

Annotated Bibliography

Afterlife Beliefs Across Different Cultures

Kira Sisson

English 4

Albion High School

November 29, 2017

Annotated Bibliography: Afterlife Beliefs Across Different Cultures

Annotated Bibliography

Egyptian Beliefs

Book of the Dead.​ (2012). Crystalinks. Retrieved from

http://www.crystalinks.com/bookofthedead.html

This page is about the Book Of The Dead, a religious manuscript for funeral rites. The

first funeral texts were called the Pyramid Texts and were exclusively for Pharaohs and

their Queens. The Book of the Dead was a book of spells to help the deceased go through

the Kingdom of the Dead. A quote from the article on Egyptians and magic says, “​Magic

was as legitimate an activity as praying to the gods… there was little distinction for the

Ancient Egyptians between magical and religious practice.” 192 of these spells are

currently known. The book varies and no single book is deemed the correct version.

Spell 125 is the most well known because it describes the weighing of the heart

ceremony. The Book of the Dead is still a rarity, a mystery to archaeologists and

historians alike, there is no single version and many exist.

Egyptian Afterlife.​ (n.d.). Crystalinks. Retrieved from

http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptafterlife.html​.

The page explains the view of Egypt’s death ceremonies. This includes the tombs, burial

masks, mummification, coffins, etc. Each layer to the ceremony has a meaning. The

mummification process took 70 days, removing all organs, wrapping the body in linen

with protective amulets and placing the body in a decorated coffin. The Egyptians

believed that the soul was divided into a “ba” and “ka” that would go on to the Kingdom
 3
Afterlife Beliefs

of the Dead. The heart of the deceased is weighed against a feather of the goddess of

truth, Ma’at. If the heart weighs less, the deceased goes on; if the heart weighs more, it is

devoured by the demon Ammut. This page is useful because it goes into detail about the

meaning behind the tomb and afterlife. The pictures helped illustrate the coffin and

tombs. The page is informative and interesting, though could have gone into more

specific detail.

Mark, J. (2016). ​Egyptian Afterlife - The Field of Reeds​. Retrieved from

https://www.ancient.eu/article/877/egyptian-afterlife---the-field-of-reeds/

This article goes into detail of the Field of Reeds, the heavenly afterlife of Egypt and the

culture of Egypt. It specifically highlights the difference between “Hollywood” Egypt

and the real Egypt. Hollywood Egypt paints the society as death obsessed, though in

reality they loved their lives. A quote from the article that seems important about the

Egyptians view of life is “Death was only a transition, not a completion, and opened the

way to the possibility of eternal happiness.” From what we have found about the ancient

Egyptians from archeological exhibitions and hieroglyphic texts, they valued life and

thought it as a blessing from the gods. Egyptians had festivals, played games and sports

much like people do today. An interesting point is that the ancient Egyptians thought of

their afterlife as a mirror image of their world. They thought of their land as the perfect

world and their concept of their afterlife shows it. This article does a great job in

explaining the reality of ancient Egypt for those who do not know much about it.

Mark, J. (2016). ​The Egyptian Afterlife & The Feather of Truth​. Retrieved from
 4
Afterlife Beliefs

https://www.ancient.eu/article/42/the-egyptian-afterlife--the-feather-of-truth/

Hearts were weighed against a feather from Ma’at, the goddess of truth and balance. The

concept of the Feather of Truth sounds unattainable from a modern standpoint. If the

deceased's heart was lighter or equal to the feather, the soul could go on; if the heart is

weighed down by evil deeds, the heart is devoured by a demon and the soul becomes lost.

The ancient Egyptians had no sense of hell or eternal punishment, non existence was

punishment for living a harmful and virulent life. The god of afterlife, Osiris weighs the

deceased’s heart after the deceased proclaims their purity. The article was informative on

the Weighing of the Heart mentioned in the Book of the Dead. The page is easy to read

for beginners and those knowledgeable on ancient Egypt.

Greek Beliefs

Cartwright, M.. (2016). ​Hades​. Retrieved from ​https://www.ancient.eu/Hades/

This article shows the difference between Hades the god and Hades the afterlife. Both the

god and the afterlife share the same moral ambiguity. When a person passed on, their

soul would cross the River Styx if they had payment for the ferryman, Charon. Bodies

were buried a coin in the mouth so they could cross the river. The unburied or those

without pay were condemned to wander the Earth as ghosts. Once the soul made it

through the gates, they were judged by Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aiakos. Souls that

lead good lives were taken to the Fields of Elysium. Souls that lead bad lives were taken

to Tartarus for eternal punishment. This source is relevant to my topic because it

examines the journey of the soul. It is written by Mark Cartwright, who has studied
 5
Afterlife Beliefs

Ancient Greek philosophy and writing, his expertise on Greek culture makes this article

more credible.

Greek Legends and Myths. (2016). ​THE UNDERWORLD IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY​. Retrieved

from ​http://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/the-underworld.html

Hades “was a place inhabited by a range of deities, spirits, demi-gods and creatures.” The

Greek underworld encompases the modern interpreations of heaven, purgatory and hell

and was a location of many myths and legends. The Fields of Elysium was a paradise for

the good and heroic, which explains why there were so many Greek heroes. Elysium was

perfect and free from quarrel. The Asphodel meadows were a kind of purgatory, where

“those who had lived neither an overly good nor an overly bad life would end up”.

Tartarus is the region associated with hell, a land of eternal punishments.

The page goes into detail about the many layers of the Greek underworld, features and

the meanings. The page would be easy to read for someone who has little knowledge of

Greek mythology.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2008). ​Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece.

Retrieved from ​https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm

The right of a proper burial was a requirement for the soul to go on to the afterlife.

“Ancient literary sources emphasize the necessity of a proper burial and refer to the

omission of burial rites as an insult to human dignity.” The Greek burial rituals were

comprised of three parts: the laying out of the body, the funeral processions and either

burial or cremation of the body. During the laying out of the body (prothesis), the corpse

is cleaned, dressed and displayed in the house where mourners can pay their respects. The
 6
Afterlife Beliefs

funeral procession (ekphora) takes place before dawn. Statues, pillars and monuments

were placed to remember the dead. During the sixth century B.C., funerals became more

detailed and expensive but this died out around the fifth century B.C. for simpler graves.

National Geographic. (2016). ​How the Greeks Changed the Idea of the Afterlife​. Retrieved from

www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/07/greek-gods-ancient-greece-afterlife/

The modern world can attribute much of their culture to the Greeks, from democracy to

religious practices. The Greek people sought out answers of what happens after death just

like people do today. Although the word “cult” has a negative connotation in the modern

world, in this scenario it can be defined as a religious group or sect. Cults were often

dedicated to one god or a small group of gods or goddesses. Even today, not much is

known about these ancient religious sects, the shroud of mystery is what makes studying

ancient Greece and her culture even more so compelling.

The article is accompanied with pictures of Greek monuments, statues and holy sites

which helps the reader gain a better perspective. This text is suited for people who have

average to above knowledge of Greek mythology.