Lake of Fire

The Lake of Fire in Ancient Egyptian belief is a compelling and multifaceted concept, primarily depicted in funerary texts such as the Book of the Dead. This lake, known in Egyptian as the “Lake of Flames,” served as both a perilous obstacle and a source of purification for the deceased navigating the Duat, the Egyptian underworld.

The earliest references to fiery lakes appear in the Coffin Texts and are further elaborated in the Book of the Dead, notably in Spell 126. In these texts, the Lake of Fire is portrayed as a rectangular body of water surrounded by flames and guarded by four baboons. These baboons, often associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, could either protect and rejuvenate the righteous or annihilate the wicked who failed to recite the correct spells or lacked moral purity. In the Papyrus of Ani, dating to the 19th Dynasty, four baboons are shown seated at the corners of the lake, facing outward. Their posture suggests vigilance, serving as guardians who prevent the unworthy from passing. These baboons are not merely symbolic; they embody the protective and punitive aspects of the afterlife journey.

The concept of the Lake of Fire bears a striking resemblance to notions of hell or purgatory in Abrahamic religions. In Christianity, the “lake of fire” is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as a place of eternal punishment for the wicked. Similarly, in Ancient Egyptian belief, those who failed the judgment of the heart could be cast into the Lake of Fire, leading to their annihilation. However, unlike the eternal torment described in some Christian interpretations, the Egyptian Lake of Fire could also serve as a purifying force for the righteous. It shares the fire imagery and the theme of moral trial and punishment, but unlike the Christian and Jewish notion of Purgatory/Gehenna, where the soul of the deceased would spend a painful time being cleansed of sin, the Lake of Fire did not always provide a guaranteed path to salvation, and its stakes were permanent.

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:14–15 (King James Version)

It’s important to distinguish the Lake of Fire from other sacred lakes in Egyptian iconography. For instance, tomb paintings often depict Isis and Nephthys beside serene, life-giving waters, symbolizing rebirth and purification. These sacred lakes are associated with healing and the cyclical nature of life and death, contrasting sharply with the Lake of Fire’s connotations of judgment and potential destruction.

While the Ancient Egyptians did not practice baptism in the Christian sense, they did partake in similar purification rituals involving water, symbolizing spiritual cleansing, with many temple wall scenes depicting the king being ritualistically purified with water poured from sacred jars – the water often being depicted as the “Ankh”, the Ancient Egyptian life source symbol.

In conclusion, the Egyptians believed in the possibility of a second death, where the soul, if deemed unworthy, would cease to exist, a fate considered worse than death itself, and even worse than eternal damnation. The Egyptian Lake of Fire is therefore more of a final test or threat, a dual-purpose place that could destroy or purify, depending on how the deceased fares in the judgment.

Residents of the Lake of Fire

Am-heh

Within this infernal landscape of the Lake of Fire often resides Am-heh, a fearsome deity whose name translates to “devourer of millions” or “eater of eternity“.

Depicted as a man with the head of a ferocious hunting dog, Am-heh embodies the destructive aspect of the afterlife. He is considered a minor god of the underworld, associated with the annihilation of souls deemed unworthy. Unlike Ammit, who devours the hearts of the impure during the judgment scene, Am-heh resides within the Lake of Fire itself, representing an ever-present threat to the deceased. Only the god Atum is said to have the power to repel him.

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
 Revelation 19:20

It could be said that Am-heh, the dog-headed devourer in Ancient Egyptian belief, closely parallels the fearsome Hounds of Hell found across other mythologies. Like the Black Shuck or Barghest in English folklore: black spectral dogs that appear as omens of death, as Am-heh embodies a terrifying presence linked to the ultimate death of the soul. These British hounds, often seen at crossroads or graveyards, are said to hunt souls or guard spiritual thresholds, much like Am-heh lurking in the Lake of Fire.

In Greek mythology, Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of Hades, blocks the passage between the worlds of the living and dead. Although Cerberus doesn’t devour souls, his role as a boundary-keeper and enforcer of divine order is similar to Am-heh’s.

Biblical imagery also includes beasts of destruction, such as those in Revelation, like the fiery Lake of Fire, Abaddon the angel of the abyss, and the Beast, all of which serve roles of annihilation and divine punishment. While not always canine, these beings represent judgment and terror without redemption, mirroring Am-heh’s function.

Unlike gods of mercy or balance, these figures, including Am-heh, exist solely to punish, destroy, or prevent the unworthy from reaching the afterlife or Heavenly realms. Despite cultural differences, they all reflect a shared human fear of the unknown and the consequences of moral failure after death, with the personification of those fears being depicted as a ferocious beast.

Human Souls

In the 21st Dynasty, artistic depictions of the Lake of Fire began to include human figures within the flames. Of course, such depictions could have occurred earlier, however, we rely on archaeological evidence, so for now, the 21st Dynasty is the earliest depiction of such imagery. These figures are believed to represent enemies of the king, heretics or blasphemers of the gods, and their inclusion within the lake serves as a form of eternal punishment, ensuring their permanent destruction. This evolution in iconography reflects a shift towards a more vivid portrayal of the consequences awaiting the impure or malevolent in the afterlife.