The middle area shows Mehit lying down while Anubis, god of mummification, performs part of the embalming process. Canopic jars containing Mehit’s organs stand under the table. At the foot of the table kneels the goddess Isis, wife-sister of the underworld god Osiris. At its head kneels her sister, the goddess Nephthys. The goddesses’ right hands are raised in lamentation. Behind them stand other gods holding funerary staffs.
Underneath, two bands depict the journey through the underworld. The first band shows funerary gods holding ostrich plumes. These gods may represent fourteen of the forty-two judges in the Hall of Final Judgment. The gods in the second row hold knives and represent the gatekeepers of the Kingdom of Osiris. The gods in each row face djed columns, which represent the backbone of the underworld god Osiris.
A third band shows the day and night boats of the sun god Re being towed by three jackals and three ba (soul) birds respectively. The sun disc on the day boat (left) depicts Re in the form of Khepri, the rising sun, represented as a scarab beetle. The night boat (right) carries the ram of Khnum, the creator god, who navigates the sun through the underworld at night.
Click on the thumbnails below to find out more about Mehit:
