Budge, Ernest A. Wallis: Some account of the collection of Egyptian antiquities in the possession of Lady Meux: of Theobalds Park, Waltham Cross (London, 1896)

i8

THE FUNERAL OF AN EGYPTIAN.

When the procession had arrived at the tomb, the
mummy or a statue of the deceased was placed in an
upright position before the door in order that the
relatives might take their final farewell of him, and
the ceremony of "opening the mouth " be performed.
Tables loaded with offerings of cakes, beer, fruit,
flowers, etc., were laid out before him, and a bull was
slaughtered; an attendant called the "butcher" then
cut off one of its haunches, and brought it and held it
to the nose of the statue. The sem priest next took
four instruments, and with each in its turn touched
its mouth and eyes, while the kher-heb priest, having
his hair whitened, read the portions of the funereal
ritual appropriate to each act from a roll of papyrus.
The eyes and the mouth of the deceased had been
closed by the process of embalming, and unless the
use of these members was restored to him he could
neither see nor speak in the netherworld. The sem
priest by touching the mouth and the eyes of the
statue with the iron instruments made in the shape
of irv—,, did for the deceased what certain of the
gods did for the dead god Osiris; he thereby regained
the use of his intelligence, and was able to talk with
the gods. After the ceremony of "opening the
mouth" had been performed, the lips of the statue
were anointed with oil, a number of boxes of purifi-