Opening of the Mouth Ceremony
BeliefsWhen: After the Mummification Process is completed through time, from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period
Who: Used by the Gods to open the Mummified person’s Mouth, after Mummification had taken place
Why: To allow their Soul to survive by drinking and eating in the afterlife as it needed to have food and water to survive
The Ceremony
The Ceremony was complex, using specialised tools, it had 75 Episodes:
Episodes
1 – 9 Preliminary Rites
10 – 22 Animation of Statue
23 – 42 Meat offerings aligned with Upper Egypt
43 – 46 Meat offerings aligned with Lower Egypt
47 – 71 Funerary Meal
72 – 75 Closing Rites
The Sayings
Some of the saying were:
- They are pleased as Guardians
- I am Sekhmet – Wadjet who dwells in the West of Heaven
- Atum has given me my Hands
- Thoth has come fully equipped with Spells
- My Mouth is Opened by Ptah
