nt at the hands of his wicked brother. According to the Osirian legend, Isis, wife and sister of Osiris, sought and found the scattered remains of her husband and restored his body to unity and life by means of her powerful magic with the help of her sister Nephthys, of her son Horus, and of other deities, including Anubis, the God of Embalment. “The great being" reigned beneficently over the Egyptian dead, as he had in life reigned over the living. Thus to be identified with Osiris after death was the great hope of every Egyptian. Above twelve gods seated in order, as judges before a table of offerings. Below the of weighing of the conscience. The jackal headed Anubis trying to balance the heart of the deceased against the feather of Maat, symbolical of law. If the person's heart is heavier than the feather, and the scales tip, the vicious Amemit, seen lurking to the right, leaps upon the unfortunate voyager and devours him or her. If the person's heart is as light or lighter than the feather, they proceed onward to the throne of Osiris where they receive eternal blessings. On the left Ani and his wife in an attitude of devotion. On the right the ibis headed Thoth, the Scribe of the gods and God of Wisdom, noting down the result of the trial, and behind him the monster Amemit, the Devourer. On the left of the balance, Shai (Destiny) with the two goddesses Renenit and Meschenit behind him. Above them the Soul of Ani, as a human headed hawk and the symbol of the cradle.Note the use of red ink in the text to mark certain catchwords or rubrics. Note also that owing to a superstitious objection to red, names of gods, when occurring in the rubrics, are always written in black.As with other Egyptian paintings and sculptures, human were also viewed from a side profile. Notice that the some figures are lighter in complexion than others. This was evident in most depictions of women and men. Men being more tanner or darker skin t...
