Because names were considered to control a person’s fate, it is natural that they played an important role in the Mesopotamian conception of death and in the cult of the dead. For instance, the belief was that, immediately after drawing their last breath, Gestinanna, the scribe of the netherworld, checked the names of the departed against the list

She gives birth to Horus, who grows up and defeats Set, becoming the new Pharaoh. Osiris, meanwhile, has become the ruler of the underworld, while Isis has forged her reputation as a goddess of motherhood and magic, among other things.

As Geb’s eldest son, Osiris inherits his father’s kingdom, and becomes the first Pharaoh. But another sibling in this family, Set, is jealous and murders Osiris in order to gain the throne. The body of Osiris is—depending on the version of the story—hidden and/or dismembered and scattered throughout the country. Isis, however, manages to find the

The Egyptians believed that each person had a double called a Ka, which represented a person’s essential genius, energy, and identity, as well as a Ba, the soul or consciousness, usually shown as a bird. The elaborate mummification of the body and other funeral practices were designed to preserve both Ka and Ba. The Ka, like its former body,