WHY NOT DIP INTO OUR OBELISK SEVEN BLOG – IT HAS MORE STUFF YOU MIGHT LIKE!
... Judgment day and the beetle
Understanding the history of ancient Egypt means understanding their beliefs regarding judgment day, as we soon found out when we walked through the temples and tombs and noted the inscriptions. The afterlife was as real to them as their life on earth.
And a significant part of that afterlife depended upon the judgment passed on you by the gods when you died. Your heart was placed on a scale and measured against a feather, the symbol of justice.
In our novel Obelisk Seven Gliffy explains what happens:
He showed her a picture of a stone beetle. "This beetle played an important part when you died. It’s a heart scarab. It was used to tame your heart on judgment day, and you had them placed on your embalmed body... It's a kind of heart insurance ..."
She laughed. "Best kind of insurance I can think of!"
The importance of the scarab to the Egyptians lead us to include a scarab in Obelisk Seven. We were able to use it to help the three themes of our novel come together in the climax in Venice.
Judgment Day in ancient Egypt - the weighing of the heart
Scarab carved into the walls of the Karnak Temple
Heart Scarabs - often placed inside a mummy's bandages to protect the person in the afterlife
Glenn Ashton walking counter clockwise seven times around the giant scarab at Karnak Temple & wishing for good luck - Hatshepsut and Thutmose I obelisks in background