#mouse god

The papyrus of Tjanefer. Thoth and the mouse-headed god, who wears a single maat-feather, hold the deceased's hands as the lead him to Osiris. They're followed by Hepet-Hor, who has lioness- and crocodile-faces, wears a white crown, and holds a pair of knives. The Devourer stands with her front paws on the base of Osiris' throne like a pet who wants a treat; I think this is a way of quickly summarising the judgement scene. Behind Osiris is a lion-headed god with two wriggly snakes coming out of his head. (Anyone who can read the hieroglyphs over the Devourer's head will have my eternal gratitude.)

When: Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty

Enthroned gods, perhaps the judges of the afterlife, in the Amduat papyrus of Djedmaatiusankh.

When: Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty

Where: Egyptian Museum, Cairo

You know, I will probably never have the chance to visit Egypt and see the stunning collection of the Museum. But thanks to so many beautiful photos shared by generous tourists, I feel as though I've stood on that stairwell where they display papyri. I'm lucky.

An extraordinary Osiris from the mythological papyrus of Ta-shed-khonsu. It’s obviously him -- he’s on a throne, there’s the Osiris fetish in front of him, the deceased is being ushered into his presence by a mouse-headed god (somebody needs to put on some pants!), and if I’m reading that right he’s labelled “foremost of the Westerners” (ETA: “He is at the Head of the West”). But his iconography seems more like a netherworld demon, with the donkey head facing the viewer and the lizard.

A detail of the Amduat papyrus of Khonsu-mes. The mouse-headed god (rat-headed? shrew-headed?) who follows the deceased appears on a number of different mythological papyri like this one, doing his job of escorting the dead to their successful judgement.

When: Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty

Torino, Museo Egizio, Totenbuch, Wiegen der Seele (Book of the Dead, judgment of the deceased) by HEN-Magonza