A Cavern Journey by Marissa Lopez

Marissa lives in Philadelphia PA, loves all things ancient Egypt, and is not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination. This is imagining a ba-soul taking the journey with Re through the caverns as described in the Book of Caverns. Please note that I have taken some artistic liberties in the story-telling.

Darkness surrounds me. I have no idea where I am, or who I am for that matter. A small light appears in the darkness, illuminating a ram-headed figure underneath. The light gets bigger and brighter as he walks up to me and as I am bathed in his light, my memories and identity are immediately restored.

“I am Re. I will illuminate your way through the darkness and caverns and command all who dwell within. There are many dangers ahead, so stay with me.” he says. I have no physical form to nod my head as I simply exist, drawn in by his light. “Let us begin.” (fig. 1)

Fig. 1: The sun god approaching the caverns (©Theban Mapping Project)

We start our journey, and it is not long before we reach a group of eleven deities. They see Re’s light and assemble in a line, bowing, with their hands at their sides. “O gods who are in the Netherworld,” Re begins. These are the doorkeepers for Igeret and they grant us access to the first cavern of the West after Re concludes his speech.

I hear the serpents before I see them, slithering around and intertwined with each other. “O Horned One”, “O Terrible of Face”, “O that Son of the Earth”, Re names and calls to each snake, advising of his journey into the Western Land to care for Osiris, and by extension, me. We travel past and are confronted by nine more uraeus-serpents, fire coming from their mouths. Once more Re speaks of his journey and we pass by safely (fig. 2).

Fig. 2: The first division of the Book of Caverns (©Theban Mapping Project)

As we approach the next group, this time of nine bull-headed deities, Re speaks to them of his journey and identifies them as followers of the Bull of the West. They snorted like bulls as we go by and I see nine sarcophagi ahead, floating in the air. Re stops for a moment, silently looking at them before addressing the gods within. “O Ennead of gods who rest in their mysterious sarcophagi, possessors of hair-locks, great of resting places who rest in the uniform darkness.”

Suddenly, there are nine jackal-headed deities bounding out of the darkness, surrounding us. I could hear the other deities we encountered along the way but these jackal-headed deities were the epitome of silence, which is the exact opposite of what I knew about jackals. Re spoke. “O Ennead of gods, great of silence in the West.” Ah, that explains it. They paced back and forth, silently licking around their mouths as we walked past. A god and goddess stood in the distance with their own ball of light held aloft, but beyond them was something wondrous.

Eight sarcophagi lay in an oval shape behind a shrine, snakes coiling around each piece and rearing up protectively. Osiris stood within the shrine, and I could see how the sarcophagi and shrine mimicked the shape of the rope that surrounds the pharaoh’s name on temple walls, as seen during the annual festival. Re had addressed Osiris while I was taking it all in, and so we continued (fig. 3).

Fig. 3: Osiris in his shrine (©Theban Mapping Project)

We stopped and spoke to nine goddesses who did not cast a shadow from Re’s light. We passed more sarcophagi lying in rows. I saw gods standing over cauldrons with pieces of people stewing within. As Re spoke to three serpents, I could hear cries of pain and terror from the darkness. I was sure to stay in Re’s light as we passed from one cavern into another, once more guarded by serpents coiling around each other.

We traversed past twelve more sarcophagi and approached another seven, this time holding goddesses who protect and speak for the ba-souls. On we traveled, past shrew-headed deities wailing and throwing sand on their heads, followed by more deities adoring other gods and a chest. Then two more sets of sarcophagi with deities keeping watch.

Re took a moment to speak to me. “I am going to be greeting Osiris and he will be joining us for the remainder of our journey, my light illuminating the ba-soul. Our enemies, the evil out there, will not be illuminated by my light, so you will not see them. Now, behold!”.

Two serpents, by far the biggest ones we’ve passed by so far, were standing guard with Osiris in the middle, a third serpent coiled around his body. They started to move and stretch around us, then fell still as we passed by and they were once again enveloped by the darkness. We pass by seven catfish-headed beings with their hands clasped behind their back as a serpent can be heard nearby (fig. 4).

Fig. 4: Catfish-headed assistants of Aker (©Theban Mapping Project)

Re’s sphere of light rose higher in the cavern, split in two, and I could see what lay ahead. Two large mounds rose out of the ground. The two balls of light shone down on each mound as Re addressed whoever was inside, then they moved back towards us and joined together into one light once again. Three figures can be seen in front of us as Re’s light illuminates the space and he speaks to them as we travel past. We next see eleven figures, including a most interesting sight. A shrine completely made of serpents, intertwining with each other while surrounding and supporting the status of Osiris in his mummified form. It was impossible to pick out any one serpent, although I can see at least four heads. The ten figures floating around the serpent shrine watched us silently as we walked by.

Re’s light starts to rise again and illuminates a giant ram-headed deity leaning on a staff, facing away from us. The ball of light shines down and we can see the face of the giant. He looks down at four mummiform figures and the solar disk of light moves over them. The giant speaks to them, calling them by their names: “Osiris, Foremost of the West”, “Clothed One”, “Adorned One”, and “One of Mystery”, and they turn towards Re. Re requests entry into the West with a grand speech as his light illuminates the group. We move forward and Re’s light starts to fade. It is as though the darkness is heavier and the light is struggling to get through. Re lifts his arms and the darkness relaxes around us, the solar disk light shining brighter than ever. We are now in the presence of Aker, a double sphinx (fig. 5).

Fig. 5: The god Aker

Aker’s heads turn towards us as Re’s light sphere illuminates the place. We can hear the chanting from the men and women who attend to Aker, working in tandem so that there was never a moment of silence. A deity and large scarab beetle are reclining in the valley between Aker’s shoulders. Re addresses each group in turn and then speaks to one who I cannot see. The corpse of Osiris is here and Re calls to him, assuring the safety of his ba-soul and shade as we complete our journey. We leave Aker, taking away the light and leaving them once again in darkness. We pass men bowing towards a serpent encircling a figure I can’t make out, then two more men adoring a deity so small, it could ride on the back of another serpent. As we leave them in darkness, I can hear cries far away and am thankful I do not have to witness those horrors.

Ahead, the first light not emanating from Re’s solar disk flares up and then dies out. We approach a tall serpent slithering around with a rearing head, spitting fire whenever it opens its mouth. Re speaks to the serpent who then lowers to the ground and settles down. A chant fills the area praising Re and his journey into the Netherworld. We continue on our way.

Re’s light touches upon two great beauties. Isis and Nephthys are carrying my corpse, Nephthys grasping the chest from behind as Isis holds the legs (fig. 6). Re calls for breath to enter my corpse, like Osiris, and it stands. Horus and Anubis lay hands on my body and Re asks for them to clothe me. A bull-headed deity approaches and causes my heart to return to my body. Three figures walk past us, bowing in reverence towards Re. Horus returns and finishes preparing my corpse. Re calls out that we will be moving forward. As we reach Anubis, he looks at me and is the first other than Re to acknowledge my existence this entire time. I settle into my body and Anubis is given the instruction to protect me. Re addresses enemies that I cannot see, and we continue on our journey.

Fig. 6: Nephthys and Isis resurrecting Osiris (©Theban Mapping Project)

The chanting has returned, talking more about Re and his solar disk illuminating the darkness and traveling across the expanse. The chants conclude with verses adoring the “One of the Horizon” as we approach another giant, this time a goddess surrounded by crocodiles. She looks down, holds out her hand, and the sun disk rises quickly to rest there. She picks up Re with her other hand and brings him to her eye level (fig. 7). They speak in hushed tones for a few moments, then she sets him down and the solar disk hovers over us once again. A deity impersonating Osiris bows to us as it goes by, followed by four serpents with the heads of bearded men. Re starts to address one group of deities followed by another. There are the two corpses adoring Tatenen, children enclosed in a room, four falcon-headed mummies who all seem to be aspects of Horus and are attended to by Anubis, and corpses in deep holes in the ground. Re addressed them all, advising of his journey and their role in it. We approached a woman next to two poles, tied to which were two prisoners. They did not react as we passed by, as though they couldn’t see us. At one point, Re stops and addresses guards I cannot see, commanding they burn ba-souls or throw them in a cauldron. I am again happy these images are beyond my view.

Fig. 7: The Mysterious One (©Theban Mapping Project)

We reach another giant god, this one with an erection and a bird on his head (fig. 8). Re’s head only reaches the god’s hip, the solar disk still hovering above. We pass by and the giant god is again in darkness. A sarcophagus lies ahead with two figures on either side. Re speaks to them and we pass by. A ram-headed god and woman are holding hands as we approach. She is a guide and advises Re on how to complete our journey safely. Re speaks to two men adoring a ram’s head and then commands more guardians for the Place of Destruction.

Fig. 8: Fifth division of the Book of Caverns (©Theban Mapping Project)

I hear chanting again. Re chants about his journey and some of the deities we’ve spoken to so far. As we pass through each section, he praises Tatenen the light that appears in the West, Anubis, four Netherworld goddesses, twelve hour goddesses, those that destroy and those destroyed, uraei, and Osiris. He calls on the “Hidden of Name” and the “Body of Osiris” to rise up. He addresses “She who is Hidden of Head”, the corpse and head, and finally the enemies of Osiris, to whom he describes the most terrible punishments.

Anubis is on our path again, this time with two sarcophagi, a bird perched on each one. Then another jackal-headed god and more sarcophagi. We pass two goddesses, again with two sarcophagi, followed by two mounds. I feel my ba-soul merge even more with Osiris and we address Re. Horus also speaks to Re with adoration.

A giant kheper beetle emerges from the darkness, called by the light above Re’s head. As it floats above us, its front pinchers reach towards the solar disk as though to grasp it. We see two sarcophagi lying open with a deity standing in each one and a serpent coiling around their bases. Both deities glare at us as we pass by. We next come upon two deities around a mound of earth; it is moving up and down as though about to burst open. Re informs them of his journey and they reply in support, making him more powerful for the last leg. We approach two sarcophagi floating and moving under Re’s light. Re calls them the “stomping ones” and they affirm his journey is almost complete. Re’s solar disk floats over four deep holes in the ground and as we pass by, I see the inhabitants are headless (fig. 9). That explains why they do not reply to Re’s message.

Fig. 9: The dammed in the cooking pots (©Theban Mapping Project)

We reach two mounds and Re calls out to the different ba-souls. They appear before us pulling a rope, the object on the other side still hidden in the darkness. The ba-souls begin to pull and out of the darkness a glowing ship emerges. Re, Osiris, and myself board the ship and my next adventure awaits.

Bibliography:

Darnell, John Coleman & Colleen Darnell (2018) The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press.