Fear of Thirst and Hunger in the Coffin Texts

Abstract

Fear of thirst and hunger was transferred from the Pyramid Texts to the Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts. However, the latter includes a variety of expressions defining such dangers where jb “thirst” and Hqr “hunger” are the basic employed ones. Indeed, some new terms are inscribed for the first time in a religious text as: wSr “dryness” and awg “dry”. Furthermore, the feeling is expressed in the form of denial, discourse and vocative. Both dangers occur during the stages of darkness or before entering Afterlife. The deceased could be prevented of food because of movement obstruction by ropes, obstacles, and persons. Some places are characterized with food shortage like: house of Ba, Land of the Living and the West, that the deceased tries to avoid. The consequences of thirst and hunger lead to death, destruction, having no access to Afterlife and eating undesired food. So, the deceased tries to reach the places of nutrition like: Afterlife fields, cities, and rivers. Nutrition is received during some rituals as: purification and opening the mouth. Reaching food is controlled by some conditions as purity, knowledge and being born of a god. Then, he eats bread, beer, meet and drinks pure water by the help of some gods.