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Author Topic: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals  (Read 6682 times)

Meritmut

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Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« on: October 22, 2011, 12:23:54 am »
Okay so this question crossed my mind today, were there any ancient birthing rituals the Ancient Egyptians did? Prayers to Taweret and Bes I presume but did they have any naming ceremonies or give certain things to the baby or the baby's family such as an amulet?

Also since there is really no way to perform modern mummification, do we have any modern kemetic burial rites we could do? In Hellenismos the practitioner is given coins to be placed on their eyes or in their mouth then cremated. I know the Ancients never wanted cremation but do you think this would still apply? I heard something about 70 day prayers on the HON site, I am not sure what they are.

Thanks for answering :) My cousin is having a baby boy this weekend and I am planning on saying prayers for him and giving offers to the Netjeru for him but I was wondering if there is anything else I could do ^^
« Last Edit: October 22, 2011, 12:27:13 am by Meritmut »

SatAset

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2011, 03:02:12 am »
Quote from: Meritmut;26886



 
The 70 Days Prayer is a set of prayers given to the deceased 70 days after they have died.  

I've heard of people being given hippo stuffed animals for protection during pregnancy and the birth of the child.  The hippo representing Taweret, the hippo goddess of childbirth and motherhood.
I am the Goddess of Who I can Become. I mix the magic of the sorceress with the blade of a warrior. I walk the liminal pathways to see the face of the Goddess, both terrible and kind. As She stares back at me, I tremble in awe and ecstasy.  --SatAset

Helmsman_of_Inepu

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2011, 07:22:16 am »
Quote from: Meritmut;26886

Also since there is really no way to perform modern mummification,


Actually, a funeral director in Kemetic Orthodoxy says there is a company that does mummification, but that it's quite expensive.

The subject comes up in Kemetic Orthodoxy from time to time, and Tamara has said that there's a newer theory among some Egyptologists that mummification turns the body into a big ka-statue/amulet. Desirable, perhaps, but not necessary. The person would have a very strong connection with it.
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monsnoleedra

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2011, 04:24:51 pm »
Quote from: Meritmut;26886
.. QUOTE]

Not specifically what your seeking but something that might be of interest to read.


 
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/485/feat3.htm

Firaza

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2011, 06:44:30 pm »
Quote from: Meritmut;26886
Also since there is really no way to perform modern mummification

 
Actually, a former British taxi driver, Alan Billis, was recently mummified. (Yes, he donated his body for science, but it's still mummification.)

Meritmut

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2011, 06:29:52 pm »
Quote from: SatAset;26898
\

I've heard of people being given hippo stuffed animals for protection during pregnancy and the birth of the child.  The hippo representing Taweret, the hippo goddess of childbirth and motherhood.

 

That's an awesome idea lol. He was born today so I am going to order one or one of the ceramic hippo statuettes. They are pretty with the blue glaze ^-^

Thank you for the info on the 70 day prayers :)

Meritmut

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2011, 06:31:50 pm »
Quote from: Helmsman_of_Inepu;26905
Actually, a funeral director in Kemetic Orthodoxy says there is a company that does mummification, but that it's quite expensive.

The subject comes up in Kemetic Orthodoxy from time to time, and Tamara has said that there's a newer theory among some Egyptologists that mummification turns the body into a big ka-statue/amulet. Desirable, perhaps, but not necessary. The person would have a very strong connection with it.

 
Also wasn't mummification in ancient times expensive? I mean not everyone could afford expensive tombs and burial rites, I am wondering what kind of burial rites the poor went through?

Meritmut

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2011, 06:33:34 pm »
Quote from: monsnoleedra;26963
Quote from: Meritmut;26886
.. QUOTE]

Not specifically what your seeking but something that might be of interest to read.


 
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/485/feat3.htm


Very interesting! Thank you :)

Helmsman_of_Inepu

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2011, 09:27:34 pm »
Quote from: Meritmut;27115
Also wasn't mummification in ancient times expensive? I mean not everyone could afford expensive tombs and burial rites, I am wondering what kind of burial rites the poor went through?

 
The most ancient way was to bury people directly in the sand, and this was probably the option for poorer people all along. When they started using mastaba tombs, they had to figure out an alternative method of preservation.
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Devo

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2011, 09:53:07 pm »
Quote from: Meritmut;27115
Also wasn't mummification in ancient times expensive? I mean not everyone could afford expensive tombs and burial rites, I am wondering what kind of burial rites the poor went through?

 
As Helms has said, many of the poor folks were buried right in the sand.

In really really early AE history, everyone was buried in the sand. You would often get a pit dug and some items of importance were buried with you. With time, they noticed that your body would keep form- and eventually (after lots of trial and error) mummification came about.

In later periods, poor folks were buried in the sand. Lots of times, they would place their bodies close to tombs and chapels of importance, I suppose to get some of the king's left over offerings or something to that effect.

I personally don't feel that mummification is uber important. Esp since it wasn't always in practice in AE. It seems that most modern Kemetics feel the same way.

If you're interested in reading about some of the history of mummification, there is a book called "Mummies, Myth and Magic". It's pretty good.

-Devo
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Meritmut

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2011, 12:21:20 am »
Quote from: Devo;27134
As Helms has said, many of the poor folks were buried right in the sand.

In really really early AE history, everyone was buried in the sand. You would often get a pit dug and some items of importance were buried with you. With time, they noticed that your body would keep form- and eventually (after lots of trial and error) mummification came about.

In later periods, poor folks were buried in the sand. Lots of times, they would place their bodies close to tombs and chapels of importance, I suppose to get some of the king's left over offerings or something to that effect.

I personally don't feel that mummification is uber important. Esp since it wasn't always in practice in AE. It seems that most modern Kemetics feel the same way.

If you're interested in reading about some of the history of mummification, there is a book called "Mummies, Myth and Magic". It's pretty good.

-Devo


Thank you Devo and Helmsman for the information :) I was looking to see if there were certain prayers said or items placed with the body that would of been considered essential even for the poor.

Helmsman_of_Inepu

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2011, 07:38:36 am »
Quote from: Meritmut;27159
Thank you Devo and Helmsman for the information :) I was looking to see if there were certain prayers said or items placed with the body that would of been considered essential even for the poor.

 
About the only thing we could guess on prayers is that, as Darkhawk has said, they recycled everything, so they probably got an abbreviated version of the fancy ones. And many of the priests worked one month on, three months off. The lower-level ones may well have done simple funerals in exchange for a goose or other food items. The burials that are shown in museums include bowls and jars, and I think it's a given that bread and beer was included. Amulets were buried with people. Many of them might have been ones they carried in life. There are so many surviving scarabs that I wonder if some might have been budget 'heart scarabs.'
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Meritmut

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2011, 12:58:03 pm »
Quote from: Helmsman_of_Inepu;27184
About the only thing we could guess on prayers is that, as Darkhawk has said, they recycled everything, so they probably got an abbreviated version of the fancy ones. And many of the priests worked one month on, three months off. The lower-level ones may well have done simple funerals in exchange for a goose or other food items. The burials that are shown in museums include bowls and jars, and I think it's a given that bread and beer was included. Amulets were buried with people. Many of them might have been ones they carried in life. There are so many surviving scarabs that I wonder if some might have been budget 'heart scarabs.'

 
Thanks Helmsman :) I am going to do more research into this area :)

Devo

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Re: Kemetic Burial and Birth Rituals
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2011, 02:21:41 pm »
Quote from: Meritmut;27159
Thank you Devo and Helmsman for the information :) I was looking to see if there were certain prayers said or items placed with the body that would of been considered essential even for the poor.

 
From what I understand, in the later periods of AE (NK onwards) there were varying levels of BotD (Book of the Dead). Rich people would get custom copies. The lower classes could get generic copies that weren't overly specific to anyone in particular. They often contained errors.

I wouldn't be surprised if people were commonly buried with simple amulets. Through AE history, there were real stone amulets, and then there were the amulets that were made from cheaper materials. So it's possible that you got placed in the sand with a cheaper amulet, or maybe something that you really loved in life, etc.

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