F
Fields of Reeds
A’Aru (The Field of Reeds) was one of the names of the ancient Egyptian afterlife. It was an idealized vision of one’s life on earth. Everything the deceased thought was lost at his death was returned to him. In A’Aru, there was no pain and death as one lived on in the presence of the gods. The deceased lived on doing as he had done on earth, with everyone his soul had ever loved.
The soul was granted eternal paradise in A’Aru depending on how righteous the deceased had been in life, and after passing through judgment in the ‘Hall of Truth’, he could have found everlasting peace in paradise.
By the ancient Egyptians’ belief, their souls resided in their hearts. According to their mythology, upon death, in the mythical realm of the dead known as Duat, each human heart is weighed on a giant scale against a feather, representing the concept of Ma’at (the order of the Universe). If their souls proved pure, they were allowed to start a long and dangerous journey to A’aru, where they would exist in pleasure for all eternity. Hearts heavy with evil tips fell into a crocodile jaws of the demon Ammit. After this “second death”, the soul is doomed to restlessness in Duat.
Once they arrived, they would enter through a series of gates. The exact number of gates varies according to sources. Some say 15, some 21 uniformly described as guarded by evil demons armed with knives. Aaru is also known as the home of Osiris.
Aaru usually was placed in the east, where the Sun rises, and described as boundless reed fields, like those of the earthly Nile Delta. This ideal hunting and farming ground allowed the souls here to live for eternity.
Judgement of the soul in front of Osiris
The goddess Ma'at
measuring the deceased's heart