Ancient Egyptian religions focused on the king and the afterlife. They also equated the king with Osiris, Horus, and other gods. Osiris, the first king of Egypt, was murdered by his evil brother Seth and then was avenged by Horus, his son. Plutarch, in the second century AD, has the most elaborate version of this myth. Its purpose was to associate a living King with the god Horus.
Egypt believes in an afterlife
Ancient Egyptians believed the afterlife was a spiritual one. They would meet demons as well other evil creatures on their way. To overcome the obstacles, they needed the assistance of Horus, a falcon-headed god. Incantations and spells taken from the Book of the Dead were used to fill the Egyptian tombs. A guardian god was also available to assist the dead on their journey.
The crook and flail
Ancient Egyptian religion considered the flail and crook to be symbols of power and authority. It is often depicted in the form of a god's weapon by the ruler pharaoh or viceroy de Nubia. Although the crooks and flails were often depicted together in pictures, they weren't always used together.
The solar vision to the afterlife
The ancient Egyptians had an extremely complex concept of reality. They often combined their religious beliefs with actual science. They saw the sky as a cosmos, and constructed monuments in harmony with it. For example, the Sphinx was designed to catch the rising sun on its shoulder.
The king's role in egypt's afterlife beliefs
Egyptians believed that the soul would travel to another realm after death. This realm was called the Duat. In this realm, the dead would live to the end of their lives freed from all the disease and nastiness they had suffered. As a powerful figure in this afterlife, the king played an important part in preparing his people.
The crook
Ancient Egyptian symbols of fertility and kingship, the flail and crook were both symbols of kingship. They were Osiris' attributes. The Gerzeh cultures are the earliest to have a crook. The first flail was found at Abydos in tomb U547. The crook and flail were originally separate objects, but by the Second Dynasty they were often seen paired together.
The crook and flail are signs of filial piety
Ancient Egypt had the flail (crook) and flail (flare) as symbols of pharaonic strength. The god Osiris was represented by the crook which looked almost like a snake. The flail was made from wood, which was rare in ancient Egypt. Howard Carter found a flail & crook in King Tut’s tomb.