Egyptian funerary religion
Transformations of the Egyptian Soul
Chapters 77–88 enable the soul to take forms including hawk, heron, swallow, crocodile, serpent, and lotus. Tirard presents transformation as an addition to its glory and freedom. The possibilities extend to reunion with the mummy and identification with gods. Association with Ra gives access to the solar voyage, so transformation changes capacity as well as appearance.
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalChapters 77–88 enable the soul to take forms including hawk, heron, swallow, crocodile, serpent, and lotus. Tirard presents transformation as an addition to its glory and freedom.
Further detail
TraditionalThe possibilities extend to reunion with the mummy and identification with gods. Association with Ra gives access to the solar voyage, so transformation changes capacity as well as appearance.
Context & interpretation
Tirard’s 1910 account interprets selected funerary texts and rituals through the scholarship of her period. Local cults and surviving manuscripts vary; her comparisons and proposed origins are not a modern Egyptological consensus.
Original passages
Source 1
The Book of the Dead
eleven chapters 77-88 deal with the various transformations of the soul ; by the aid of these chapters the soul was able at will toOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Egyptian funerary religion; active reader leaf 84
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0039-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0039-E001-P0084
- Original scan leaf
- 94
- Recorded leaf number
- 84
- Current Reader position
- 78
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
- Location review
- Original scan location confirmed against the reviewed Reader mapping; the earlier recorded number is retained above.
Source 2
The Book of the Dead
identification with the Sun-god Ra, and receive the power and privilege of traversing the sky in the solar bark. The 1 ooth chapterOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Egyptian funerary religion; active reader leaf 85
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0039-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0039-E001-P0085
- Original scan leaf
- 95
- Recorded leaf number
- 85
- Current Reader position
- 79
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
- Location review
- Original scan location confirmed against the reviewed Reader mapping; the earlier recorded number is retained above.